TNIBFT -Chapter 10 Dad’s “Good” Eldest Son

Hearing Ye Yunting’s words, Fang Shenghu was initially confused. But once he understood, he became furious and turned to Ye Tian.

“If you’re short on money, I’ll find a way to help. No matter what, you can’t sell your children!”

“If you do something like that, how can you face the ancestors of the Ye family?”

Fang Shenghu spoke earnestly, trying to persuade him.

But seeing Ye Tian’s bruised and battered, spineless appearance, Fang Shenghu swallowed the rest of his words.

He knew all too well what kind of person Ye Tian had been these past few years. If the Ye family’s ancestors truly had spirits, their coffins would probably be rattling by now.

Shaking his head, Fang Shenghu reached into the pocket at his chest, pulled out a few copper coins, and handed them to Ye Tian.

“This month’s pay hasn’t been issued yet. When I get it, I’ll bring you more.”

“No!”

Ye Yunting rushed forward, standing on tiptoe as he grabbed Fang Shenghu’s wrist to stop him.

“If Aunt Fang finds out…”

“Take it!”

“And stop setting your sights on the children. After all, they’re your own flesh and blood. As the saying goes, even a tiger won’t eat its own cubs…”

Fang Shenghu continued his heartfelt persuasion, hoping to awaken whatever conscience Ye Tian still had.

“I’m not here to ask for money,” Ye Tian interrupted directly.

Silence.

No one spoke.

Fang Shenghu stood there frozen, the copper coins still in his hand, as if turned to stone, unable to react for a long moment.

Ye Tian… wasn’t here to ask for money?

Had he heard that right?

All these years, Ye Tian had never come to his door for any other reason.

Fang Shenghu glanced at the few coins in his palm and thought—could it be that he found it too little?

Ye Yunting sneered. “Put that act away. Please, stop putting on a show in front of us. You just think it’s too little, don’t you?”

“I…”

Ye Tian wanted to explain.

But Ye Yunting continued, “For the sake of getting that one string of coins from the City Lord’s residence, you endured humiliation, even let people beat you half to death. You even cooked for us last night. And now that you’re at Uncle Fang’s house, you look down on this little bit of money, so you’ve switched to playing the sympathy card again? Who are you planning to sell today?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

His words made Fang Shenghu look at Ye Tian with disappointment. He knew Ye Tian was scum, but he hadn’t expected him to be this vicious—to even use such schemes on his own children for money.

“If you want to sell the three of us siblings, I have nothing to say. You’re our biological father—this is a debt we owe you. But Uncle Fang is an outsider. What right do you have to treat him like this?”

“Haven’t you dragged him down enough over the years? What gives you the right to harm others?”

Ye Tian couldn’t refute him.

After all, the things the original Ye Tian had done were indeed excessive. He had ruined Fang Shenghu’s family prospects four times, turning him into a laughingstock in others’ eyes.

“Woof! Woof!”

Sensing the tension, the big yellow dog that had been crouching at Fang Shenghu’s feet stood up and barked wildly at Ye Tian, as if trying to show its loyalty.

Despised by all—even dogs.

That phrase instantly surfaced in Ye Tian’s mind.

“Da Huang!” Fang Shenghu turned his head and shouted. Only then did the dog obediently shut its mouth, though it still bared its teeth at Ye Tian.

Ye Tian looked at Fang Shenghu awkwardly and said, “I was wrong before. I’ll change from now on. I’ll treat the children well… and Brother Fang, I’ll try not to trouble you anymore.”

Seeing the sincerity on Ye Tian’s face, Fang Shenghu’s heart trembled.

Especially that one phrase—Brother Fang.

Fang Shenghu’s eyes nearly popped out, emotions surging within him. He thought back to how he had entered the Ye household as a child, and later followed Ye Tian to Sifang City. Over the years, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly, giving everything he had. Yet Ye Tian never appreciated it, treating him more like a servant. Not to mention calling him “Brother Fang”—even being called by his full name felt like something Ye Tian considered beneath him. He had always acted high and mighty.

That single “Brother Fang” almost brought tears to the eyes of this tower-like man.

Excited, he stepped forward, grabbed Ye Tian’s hand, and stuffed the copper coins into it, nodding repeatedly. “Hey, wait here! There are still a few coins in the cabinet—I’ll bring them all.”

“There’s also a fish at home—you take it back too…”

“When I get my wages this month, I’ll buy you all some new cotton clothes. If things really don’t work out, don’t be so stubborn—just move back in. With more people around, you can look after each other.”

Fang Shenghu’s face flushed red with excitement, filled with relief.

Ye Yunting looked at Ye Tian with disdain. The old Ye Tian had been domineering and shameless; today’s Ye Tian seemed sinister and scheming. He grabbed Fang Shenghu and said, “Uncle Fang, wake up. He won’t change. Just now when he came in, Da Huang was about to bite him, and he used Xiao Jiang as a shield. Is he even redeemable?”

“That’s not true.”

Ye Tian retorted, looking at Ye Yunting. “I was afraid Da Huang might bite Xiao Jiang. I didn’t—”

“Hmph.”

Ye Yunting snorted coldly, then looked down at Da Huang and sneered, “You know full well that Da Huang wouldn’t bite Xiao Jiang—it only bites you. And you’re still pretending? Just to scam money, you’ll do anything now?”

Wouldn’t bite Xiao Jiang?

A flash of memory crossed Ye Tian’s mind. When the original owner came to Fang’s house asking for money, if Da Huang dared to bark, he would beat it nearly to death—he had even threatened to eat dog meat. To the three children, Da Huang was gentle and understanding. But to Ye Tian, it was a life-or-death enemy.

No one spoke.

Ye Tian no longer knew how to explain.

The north wind howled, and stepping on the snow felt piercingly cold. Ye Tian lowered his head, preparing to leave.

“He didn’t!”

Suddenly, a weak voice rang out.

Ye Tian looked up to see Xiao Jiang hiding behind Fang Shenghu, slowly poking out half his little head. His big black eyes darted nervously as he pursed his lips and continued, “He didn’t use me as a shield… he… he was protecting me.”

As if gathering all his courage, Xiao Jiang lifted his head and met Ye Tian’s eyes. “He came to borrow the stone mill.”

“Not to ask for money.”

His childish voice trembled, growing softer and softer.

Fang Shenghu looked down at Xiao Jiang, then cast a complicated glance at Ye Tian. This child rarely spoke up, and it was even rarer for him to defend Ye Tian. Most importantly, Xiao Jiang never lied. Could it be that Ye Tian had truly changed this time?

Even a slight change was good—at least there was hope for their future.

Fang Shenghu’s eyes reddened as he turned and went inside. “I’ll go get the stone mill.”

“Wait here—I’ll bring it right away.”

Once Fang Shenghu left, only Ye Tian, his two sons, and Da Huang remained in the courtyard.

Without Fang Shenghu backing it up, Da Huang sneakily glanced at Ye Tian. When it saw Ye Tian looking at it with disdain, it immediately chickened out, tucking its tail and scurrying into its kennel.

A bully that relies on its master.

Ye Tian felt a bit smug. Turning his head, he saw Ye Yunting staring at him with a slight frown. When their eyes met, the little boy quickly looked away, expressionless. None of the three spoke. Xiao Jiang stood there awkwardly beside Ye Yunting, wanting to say something, but Ye Yunting was still angry, thinking Xiao Jiang had been tricked by Ye Tian and refusing to look at him.

The little guy could only stare at his toes awkwardly.

Ye Tian took it all in and smiled gratefully at Xiao Jiang. “Xiao Jiang is amazing. As expected of Dad’s good son. If it weren’t for you today, I would’ve been misunderstood.”