Henry Clark closed the book.

　　Days without lighting were truly hard to bear. The humidity in the mountains was heavy; even living in a brick house, the fire in the hearth could not be allowed to go out for even a moment. Moreover, in this era, making fire was difficult, and preserving a fire source was a challenge. “Reading” had become Henry Clark’s privilege, and Henry Clark needed this fire for illumination, so even during the Cold Food Festival, Henry Clark had no desire to extinguish the flames.

　　But now, Brooks Hollow had invited him into the ancestral hall to participate in the “new fire” ceremony, which meant the fire had to be put out.

　　Ethan Brooks was still kneeling on the wooden floor, waiting for a response. Henry Clark thought for a moment, then poured a cup of tea onto the fire and said, “Let’s go, then.”

　　By the hearth in the ancestral hall, there were two chairs at the head seat—one occupied by Adam Brooks, the other empty.

　　Seeing Henry Clark arrive, Adam Brooks pointed to the chair beside him with the fire-poking stick in his hand, signaling for Henry Clark to sit. But Henry Clark shook his head and replied, “It’s not appropriate!”

　　Adam Brooks did not get up, and several other elders sitting around the hearth leaned forward and insisted that Henry Clark take a seat. But Henry Clark still refused… In the end, the empty chair was moved slightly away from the hearth and placed behind Adam Brooks’s shoulder, and only then did Henry Clark agree to sit.

　　Once Henry Clark was seated, Adam Brooks cleared his throat and began, “Before the teacher arrived, we discussed what should be done this year… Hmm, in recent years, the pottery kiln and bamboo workshop have been profitable. After a year of hard work in the fields, men and women alike don’t earn as much as they would working a month at the kilns. So, families with children in the workshops are unwilling to send them to toil in the fields, and would rather help their kids at the workshops… Ahem, teacher, please tell us how this work should be allocated.”

　　When Adam Brooks mentioned the word “物事,” it was equivalent to the modern word “things.” It’s said that the word “东西” (things) was brought by the Mongols; before the Northern Song, China had a more elegant term: “物事.”

　　Henry Clark opened his mouth, but immediately closed it again. He silently reminded himself, “Be cautious with your words! Be cautious!”

　　These two workshops were built by Henry Clark; the design and construction were all his own effort, and the children were merely his employees. But now, Adam Brooks regarded them as the property of Brooks Hollow, to be distributed in the ancestral hall—no wonder he was invited here.

Chapter Three: The Patriarch’s Faulty Reasoning

　　But could he refuse?

　　Adam Brooks treated the children’s enterprises as communal property of Brooks Hollow; this was clan tradition. In this era, there were no private rights; the clan’s children were not yet adults, so the modern concept of “ownership” made no sense to them.

　　After repeating “be cautious” several times, Henry Clark shook his head and began to talk about his own plans: “In the past, Li Taibai once said: ‘Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.’ So, I plan to take the children out to study after spring begins—first to nearby places, then a bit farther…

　　Last year, I already saved up some travel expenses, so the children’s food and lodging are nothing for the elders to worry about… No matter how the village arranges things, the children won’t be able to do any real work this year, so it’s better not to assign them any tasks… Hmm, I have enough funds for ten children to travel and study, so I’ll pick ten to go with me.”

　　In fact, Henry Clark was indirectly venting his dissatisfaction with these words, which caused a buzz among those present. However, the mountain folk didn’t focus on his resentment.

　　The second-ranking “elder” of the Brooks clan, Brooks the Second, immediately picked up the conversation: “How could we let the teacher pay out of his own pocket to take the children out… to study? For my boy, I’ll cover the expenses.”

　　Brooks the Second’s child, Brian Brooks, was the most unruly of all the children. Hearing that Henry Clark would only take ten children, Brooks the Second worried his own child wouldn’t be chosen, so he quickly volunteered to pay.

　　Brooks the Second was a robust man, the best hunter in the village. Because he was away from home most of the year, his child lacked fatherly care and became extremely unruly. Fortunately, his abundant hunting spoils allowed him to constantly make amends, so the neighbors could still tolerate his child’s mischief.

　　In fact, Brooks the Second’s habit of sharing his game was born of necessity. Due to the Song people’s lack of preservation techniques, game couldn’t be stored, so even great hunting skills didn’t make one wealthy—excess game had to be given away quickly. Thus, despite his abilities, Brooks the Second’s household had no surplus wealth.

　　After Henry Clark arrived, Brooks the Second’s situation changed. Henry Clark “invented” preservation techniques like smoked meat, cured meat, and pickled meat, and began cutting the finished products into various shapes, packaging them in exquisite bamboo containers to sell in big cities. These “deep-processed” mountain goods instantly became delicacies on the tables of the powerful.

　　With the increased demand for game, Brooks the Second simply organized a hunting team to supply Henry Clark with raw materials, and soon became the village’s “new rich.” In just a year, he went from barely scraping by to being the “second wealthiest” in Brooks Hollow, able to afford fine silks and satins.

　　“Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles”—whether this was really said by Li Bai, Brooks the Second didn’t know; he wasn’t even sure if there was such a person as “Li Bai.” But Brooks the Second understood one simple truth: he couldn’t lose track of the teacher. If his child stayed close to Henry Clark, he could not only learn to read and write, but also pick up a skill.

　　What was Henry Clark planning this time? “Traveling to study”—a refined pursuit for scholars. Now that Brooks the Second was well-off, he wanted his child to have a bright future. For such a refined endeavor, if the teacher was only taking ten children, how could his own be left out? Who knew what the teacher might teach on this trip? If other children learned something his didn’t, would he still be “Brooks the Second”?