Chapter 10: The Bell Rings, Fate is Sealed!

Perhaps the impact of the bell ringing was too much for Wen Jing to handle, and with a fainting spell, he suddenly closed his eyes and passed out.

Second Master Wen quickly supported his younger brother and anxiously called out, “Third Brother, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me. Mother specifically told me to protect you while you’re out. If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to her when we get back?”

Seeing that his younger brother didn’t respond, Second Master Wen shouted to the attendants outside, “Hurry up and turn the carriage around and head back to the estate!”

The coachman didn’t dare delay and immediately turned the carriage around. The Wen family was well known in the area, and their Third Master, although frail, was the darling of the entire family.

Meanwhile, in the Mu Rong family’s carriage, Mu Rong Shu covered her chest, feeling as though something had just been awakened within her. Rong Qing noticed her niece’s sudden change in color and became deeply worried.

“Shu Er, did you not rest well last night? We should head back to the estate and let you rest,” Rong Qing said, concerned.

“No, Second Aunt, I’m fine. Don’t worry, I just spaced out for a moment. A good sleep when we get home will fix it,” Mu Rong Shu reassured her, not wanting her Second Aunt to worry.

The Wen family’s carriage rushed back to the estate, where they encountered Wen Zhi, the eldest son of the Wen family, just as they were about to leave. Seeing his younger brother rushing down from the carriage, he was about to reprimand him when he heard Second Master Wen’s anxious shout.

“Eldest Brother, something’s wrong! Third Brother fainted! Hurry and help me get him back to his room!”

Wen Zhi immediately dropped any formalities at the news that his younger brother had fainted. He ran over quickly, then lifted Wen Jing and carried him back to the house. As he did, he instructed Second Master Wen, “Go and fetch the family doctor quickly!”

Second Master Wen (Wen Ye) was quick, and by the time Wen Zhi carried their brother back to the room, the entire family had gathered. Wen Jing’s mother, Madam Wang, was visibly worried, and both of his sisters-in-law had pale faces from the shock.

“How is Jing Er? Zhi Er, quickly lay him on the bed and let the doctor see him. He was fine when he left this afternoon, how did he suddenly faint? My poor Jing Er!” Madam Wang said tearfully. The eldest daughter-in-law (Liu Qing) and second daughter-in-law (Ye Jing) stood by, trying to comfort her, worried that the elderly woman might faint as well.

“Mother, please stop crying. We’ll have the doctor check on Third Brother right away. You must take care of yourself!” the eldest daughter-in-law Liu Qing urged.

“Yes, Mother, Third Brother is the most filial. If he knew you were so upset, he’d blame himself when he wakes up,” Ye Jing, the second daughter-in-law, quickly reassured her, mentioning how considerate their third brother usually was.

Madam Wang, fearing that her son would be distressed when he woke up, wiped her tears, though the worry in her eyes only deepened. Her thoughts briefly returned to what the wise master had told her, and more tears flowed.

The family doctor didn’t dare delay and quickly checked Wen Jing’s pulse. After several attempts, he finally confirmed that Third Master wasn’t suffering from his usual illness. Instead, it was just a fainting spell brought on by excitement.

“Old Madam, it’s not an illness this time. Third Master just fainted from being too excited. His health is fine, and he should recover after some rest,” the family doctor said, after careful consideration.

“Thank goodness it’s not his illness! Thank goodness!” Madam Wang let out a huge sigh of relief.

“I told you, Mother, Third Brother is fine! Now, you should sit down and rest,” Liu Qing said, also relieved.

“Third Brother is blessed, and he’ll live a long life! I’ll go tell the kitchen to prepare some calming medicine for him, so he can sleep and feel better tomorrow,” Ye Jing said, finally relaxing.

The third son had been taken out by her husband, so if anything had happened to him, she knew her husband would definitely be punished. Now that he was fine, she too felt lighter.

After the brief moment of relief, Wen Shou Fu refocused on the matter at hand. What could have caused Third Master to be so excited? His youngest son was always so intelligent, emotionally stable, and resourceful. Had his health been better, Wen Shou Fu was sure his youngest son would have surpassed him in achievements.

“Second Brother, what did you do today? Why was Third Brother so excited?” Wen Shou Fu turned to his second son, still shaken by the events.

Wen Ye, the second son, recounted in detail everything that had happened during the afternoon, including what Third Brother had eaten and done, explaining everything clearly.

The family listened, stunned by Second Master Wen’s exceptional memory. However, none of these things seemed extraordinary enough to cause Wen Jing to faint from excitement.

“Was there anything else unusual?” Wen Zhi, the eldest son, couldn’t help but ask.

“The only unusual thing was, on the way back, Third Brother wanted to buy some pastries for Mother. Our carriage bumped into the Mu Rong family’s carriage, and they turned around first…”

“Get to the point!” Wen Shou Fu glared at his second son.

“The point is coming, why is Father so impatient?” Wen Ye mumbled quietly.

Wen Shou Fu almost had a heart attack from anger, but he was still waiting to understand the reason behind his youngest son’s excitement, so he held back his impulse to smack Wen Ye.

“It’s just that when the Mu Rong family’s carriage turned around, the bell on Second Brother’s waist suddenly rang, and Third Brother got so excited that he fainted.”

“What did you say?” several voices exclaimed simultaneously in excitement.

“Second Brother, are you sure Third Brother’s bell rang?” Wen Zhi rushed to stand in front of his second brother in disbelief.

“Of course, I’m sure! Both Third Brother and I saw it, it really rang! I thought Third Brother’s bell couldn’t ring, I even tapped it a few times on the way back, but it didn’t ring then,” Wen Ye immediately grew upset when his older brother doubted him.

“Second Brother, you’re not lying to Mother, are you? You really saw it with your own eyes?” Madam Wang couldn’t wait to confirm.

“Of course! I really saw it! If you don’t believe me, when Third Brother wakes up, you can ask him,” Wen Ye thought his mother didn’t believe him.

“Master, is this true? Has Wen family finally had its turn?” Madam Wang cried, tears streaming down her face, and the two daughters-in-law beside her were also full of excitement.

Wen Shou Fu watched his wife tearfully and walked over to hold her hand to comfort her. “Madam, don’t cry. This may be a turning point for the Wen family, and also Third Brother’s opportunity.”

“I’m not crying, I’m just so happy! I never thought my Jing Er would really have this day,” the elderly woman wiped away her tears.

“Second Brother, are you sure that was the Mu Rong family’s carriage?” Wen Zhi asked eagerly, afraid his second brother had made a mistake.

“Of course I’m sure! It was Madam Mu Rong’s carriage. Mu Si often brags about his wife’s carriage, so I recognized it,” Wen Ye thought about Mu Si and became a little angry.

“Zhi Er, send someone to check. Find out who was in the carriage. Ye, go and inform your uncle and Third Uncle to come here right away. Tell them it’s something important.”

“Yes, Father!”