Chapter 140

"Fine, Uncle! You said it yourself! Don't come crying to me if you're sick or starving—I won't lift a finger. From now on, our families are done!" Frank Harris squared his shoulders, his expression defiant.

In his mind, his grandparents had always told him he was the only heir to the Harris name. What did his uncle's three daughters matter? Married women were like spilled water—useless. Who else would take care of his uncle in old age if not him?

Hadn't he spent his uncle's money without a shred of guilt all these years, banking on that very belief? In the village, wasn't it always the sons who inherited? Who else would his uncle's savings go to? Those three worthless girls?

"Good! Very good! Even if I die with no one to bury me, I'll never beg you for help, Frank!" Fang Jianping trembled with rage, his words final.

The old woman wrung her hands in distress. "Son, Frank just speaks without thinking. You're the elder—"

"Grandma!" Frank sneered. "It's Uncle who's disowning me! Let's see what golden crops he can grow when he's bedridden!"

Fang Jiansheng slapped him across the face. "You wretched boy! How dare you speak to your uncle like that?"

"Go ahead! Beat me to death and see who buries you!" Frank jutted his chin out. "I'm your son, not his!" With that, he stormed into his room and threw himself onto the bed, pulling the covers over his head.

The house fell into an eerie silence.

Fang Jiansheng and his wife stood awkwardly. Deep down, they agreed with their son—their brother was barely fifty and already needed care. Who could handle decades of that?

Maya helped Fang Jianping to his feet while the old woman fretted. "Don't move him! Are you just going to stand there? Help him!"

The five of them scrambled to carry Fang Jianping to the next room. Fang Jiansheng's heart sank as he watched his brother lie motionless—this illness might be permanent.

"Rest well, brother..." Fang Jiansheng muttered hollowly.

Fang Jianping shook his head. "Don't bother."

Once everyone had left, Fang Jianping collapsed onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. This illness had been a mirror, revealing the truth. All these years, he'd treated his nephew like a son, skimping on his own daughters' dowries just to save money for the boy...

"Stop crying!" Maya patted his back. "Better to see the truth now than later."

Fang Jianping wiped his face. "I was wrong, Maya... From now on, we'll rely on our daughters."

"Took you long enough." Maya squeezed his hand. "Who carried you to the hospital last time you had a fever? Our eldest! What's wrong with daughters? They're worth ten of that ungrateful wretch!"

Fang Jianping nodded firmly, his eyes finally clear.