"Alright, alright. Stop crying, I'm not dead yet! Are you at a f*cking funeral?!"
Fu Pei was in a foul mood. He should have checked his daily horoscope before he went out, now he became the target of an idiot.
Fu Ting became so emotionally volatile that she could not hold her tears at bay. She cried until her entire body trembled.
Fu Pei's eyes twitched. "Stop crying!" he barked, his tone considerably agitated.
The sobbing Fu Ting suddenly stretched her hand and grabbed onto her father's shirt.
The little girl raised her tear-filled eyes, they were like red grapes soaked in a lake. "Daddy," she whined nasally with her cheeks flushed, "can't you just coax me?"
'???' Fu Pei was puzzled.
He rubbed his glabella and glared at the weeping girl squatting on the floor with reddened eyes and nose. She looked much like a pufferfish with her cheeks puffed out.
Utter grief was written across her face.
Fu Pei wanted to laugh in anger!
He was obviously the one extorted. He had not even gotten to complain but this little girl was already crying and grieving.
Damn!
Fu Pei cursed and licked the corner of his mouth with distaste. He eventually lowered his head and yelled, "Get inside!"
Fu Ting froze and her sobbing stopped in an instant. Her eyes quickly curved like crescent moons and they were bright and clear. "Dad, are you taking me in now?"
Fu Pei thought of the cruel words he had said and inexplicably felt like he was smacking himself in the face.
'I'm just afraid you'd cause me trouble,' he pondered with a blank face.
Fu Ting was scared that Fu Pei would take back his words, so she wiped her face and quickly ran back into the house.
As the room was rather crude and had only one bed, Fu Pei went to the closet to find a mat and spread it on the ground. Then, he found a patched-up thin blanket and threw it to Fu Ting.
"This isn't the best place to be, as you can see. If you can stand it, then you may sleep here. Otherwise, get out!"
Fu Pei glanced at Fu Ting and knew she had lived in better condition prior to this. She must have been a delicate and well-protected flower, and he did not think she could adapt to this terrible place.
Indeed, Fu Ting was not used to it. Although she suffered a lot during the three years after her father's death, she had never lived in such a terrible environment.
Nonetheless, she was very glad her father had agreed to let her stay.
The little girl smiled sweetly and showed her little white teeth. "Gold and silver mansions aren't better than our own shack. As long as it's where daddy lives, it's my home too."
Fu Pei's lips pursed, and his clear eyes suddenly darkened.
He felt disconcerted; it was not good for Little Fool to sleep on the ground.
Still, there was only one bed, and the house owner should never sleep on the floor.
Impossible!
As Fu Pei laid back on the bed with a long face, he noticed from the corner of his eye that Little Fool went to his kitchen to wash her handkerchief. Then, she knelt by the mat, lowered her head, and carefully wiped the dust off the mat.
Fu Pei turned his slender body sideways and scowled to himself. 'She's so delicate. How can she stay with me?'
Sooner or later, he would bully her until she would leave.
...
As dawn approached, the sound of suppressed coughing woke Fu Pei up.
He was always moody in the morning and he did not sleep well last night. He sat up with an irritable look, ready to throw a tantrum.
However, when he saw a red-faced Little Fool lying on the mat with her mouth covered, his anger died down in an instant.
He remembered faintly hearing the sound of tossing and turning when he was asleep. He stepped forward and touched Fu Ting's forehead and noted it was hotter than the usual body temperature.
"Little Fool, did you catch a cold?" Fu Pei frowned. He did not expect her to catch a cold after sleeping on the floor... She was too delicate.
Fu Ting's soft voice became hoarse as she said, "Dad, I'm thirsty."
Fu Pei fell silent.
He suddenly regretted letting Little Fool enter his house!
Little Fool was not only stupid but was causing him trouble, too!
Fu Pei suppressed the irritation that sizzled in him and briskly carried Fu Ting to put her on the bed. He then walked to the kitchen to boil water, poured a cup of water, and handed it to her.
The great Brother Fu had never taken care of anyone like this his whole life!
Fu Ting held the glass and took a sip of water. She looked at Fu Pei with her red eyes. "Dad, I don't feel so good. Am I going to die?" She then rambled, "If I die, then you won't have a daughter anymore. I've just found you after so long, and I haven't seen your children and grandchildren. I can't bear to leave you..."
More questions occupied his mind
What did she f*cking mean by children and grandchildren?
That was just a damn cold!
Did she f*cking think she was dying?
He put on his coat and pressed his large hand on Fu Ting's head. "You won't die. Wait here."