Brooks the Seventh, the most beautiful daughter of my Cheng clan is in your house. Tomorrow, have your daughter washed and dressed up, and send her to serve the teacher.”

Chapter Four: Present the Finest Treasure

　　Within the clan, being called “Seven,” “Quinn,” and so on, means he is of the younger generation. Only those who become the highest-ranking members of the clan can be called “The Seventh,” “The Fifth.”

　　Brooks the Seventh had no sons, and his wife had long since passed away. With no offspring, he was not qualified to sit by the fireside. The clan leader’s call made him stand up timidly from among the lower ranks and say, “She’s already engaged! My daughter is engaged, to Sam Carter from the city…”

　　Brooks the Seventh cherished his daughter like a pearl in his palm, so her childhood name was “Julie.” This girl was engaged to a shop assistant from the city. This Sam Carter was the third son in his family, with no obligation to support his parents, and had a decent income. Brooks the Seventh hoped that after his daughter married, the young couple would care for him in his old age, but the clan leader’s instructions disrupted his plans.

　　“Then break off the engagement!” Adam Brooks decided, “Whatever betrothal gifts need to be returned, our Cheng clan will cover it… This is a blessing! That shop assistant supporting you in old age is nothing compared to the teacher doing so. If the teacher doesn’t, our whole clan will take care of you. Tell that city boy, as long as he’s willing to break off the engagement, our Cheng clan will pay whatever price he asks. Take the money, keep his mouth shut, and marry another girl!”

　　Adam Brooks offered a high price at once. Among those present, Brooks the Fifth also had a daughter of suitable age. Hearing Adam Brooks’s offer, he glanced at the empty chair beside him, gathered his courage, and interjected, “Why? Big brother, you can’t play favorites. Our family also has a daughter. She often brings meals to the brothers at school and is very familiar with the teacher. Why shouldn’t our daughter serve the teacher? Eldest brother, you must be fair…”

　　Adam Brooks paused, poked the fire with a stick, and interrupted Brooks the Fifth’s words in an unquestionable tone: “If our Cheng clan wants to keep the teacher, we must present the finest treasure. What does your daughter look like? Has the teacher ever given her a second glance… Let Julie go, that’s settled!”

　　Brooks the Seventh, though timid, was no fool. If his daughter married the shop assistant from the city, she would be a wife; if she married the teacher, she might become a concubine. How could Brooks the Seventh accept that? So, when Brooks the Fifth argued, he immediately went along: “If fifth brother is willing, well, then let’s skip my daughter… If the engagement is broken, Julie’s reputation will be ruined.”

　　Adam Brooks gave Brooks the Seventh a stern look and patted the empty chair behind him: “What is this chair? The second seat in the whole village! Who can sit in this strategist’s chair—if he marries a Cheng clan girl as a concubine, he’s still an outsider. Is that acceptable? Julie must go as a wife! This time, I’ll risk my old face and, for the sake of our clan, ask him. Would he dare take a Cheng clan girl as a concubine?”

　　Adam Brooks was referring to a clan rule: when a clan needs help from an outsider, they offer the second seat in the clan, inviting the outsider to join the decision-making circle. This chair is called the “eternal number two” seat. Generally, through marriage and other means, the “eternal number two” is quickly assimilated into the clan, but the chair itself is passed down through that family’s descendants for generations. Sitting in this chair grants no decision-making power, but it does grant veto power.

　　In the south, many clans still have this “eternal number two” seat, but most add it for reasons of “feng shui.” For example, the Qian clan often invites people with the surname Ding or Cui to sit in this chair, hoping they will help the Qian clan prosper in descendants or wealth.

　　In Chengjia’ao, when it comes to these clan tricks, Adam Brooks knows them best. It was precisely because he understood the clan rules that he stood out among the villagers and inherited the position of clan leader. The others, less knowledgeable and not usually remembering these things, only vaguely recalled the rule after hearing his explanation.

　　Now Brooks the Seventh was satisfied, but the other parents immediately objected. Brooks the Fifth jumped up and shouted, “Let’s both go! That big house of the teacher’s, Julie alone can’t handle it. Our daughter should go too. Whoever the teacher chooses, that’s whose family gets the blessing. We can’t let outsiders benefit for nothing.”

　　Adam Brooks went along with it: “That’s settled… It’s getting late, let’s all disperse.”

　　At the order, the elders with daughters at home couldn’t wait to rush out. Brooks the Second had no daughter, so he lingered in his chair and refused to move: “Clan leader, this year’s work hasn’t been assigned yet. How should we do it? Please give us your word.”

　　“The teacher already made his position clear just now,” Adam Brooks replied. “This year, kiln firing and basket weaving will wait until after the autumn harvest.”

　　Brooks the Second was puzzled: “But the teacher didn’t say anything! Eldest brother, you can’t just make things up. Everyone else has land; I rely entirely on hunting for money. If you don’t let me work…”

　　“The teacher didn’t say anything, but that’s the arrangement for this year,” Adam Brooks answered sternly. “Anyone who wants to join the artisan camp can keep working… Now, everyone disperse.”

　　The words “artisan camp” sent a chill through Brooks the Second, and at last, the people in the ancestral hall finally “guessed” Henry Clark’s meaning.

　　Chengjia’ao is now prosperous, having annexed several nearby small villages in succession. If the county magistrates in the surrounding counties become greedy and want to make this a political achievement, then Chengjia’ao will lose its “no man’s land” status. Those villagers skilled in crafts might be registered as “artisans.”

　　“Once an artisan, always an artisan”—for generations, their descendants would have to inherit the artisan title.