In other words, if we convert the price of pork as “Pigsy’s” meat, a single wen in the Song Dynasty would be at least equivalent to ten yuan today, and a “monthly salary of five hundred wen” would be equivalent to a “monthly salary of five thousand yuan” in modern times.

In Brooks Hollow, far from the county seat, such a salary was already considered absolutely high. In the Song Dynasty, the monthly salary of an ordinary eighth-rank county magistrate was only 15 guan, and a prime minister’s base salary was 300 guan per month. The monthly wage offered to the blacksmith already exceeded that of the county public security bureau chief (called county constable in the Song Dynasty).

Yet even at this price, it was still impossible to find suitable “high-tech talent” in the Song Dynasty.

Henry Clark gently shook his head. He casually pulled out a scroll from “Qimin Yaoshu” and explained, “Actually, you don’t need to find such a skilled blacksmith… All the blacksmithing techniques are in this book. Let him come, and I’ll teach.”

The eyes of several elders outside the door lit up. Brooks the Second immediately jumped in to recommend his own son, and the others, not to be outdone, also clamored, making the entrance noisy.

Henry Clark made no comment, just waiting for the clan leader to decide. Adam Brooks swept his gaze aimlessly across the courtyard and spotted Brooks the Seventh, who was still timidly peeking at the entrance. He glanced at Julie and asked, “Is Julie serving well?”

Chapter 7 The Fate of a Cabbage

Henry Clark glanced at Julie Brooks. She suddenly looked up and met his gaze, her eyes full of eagerness, then quickly lowered her eyelids and focused on arranging the tea set in her hands.

At this moment, Henry Clark understood everything—if he still didn’t, he’d be a fool.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded involuntarily.

Adam Brooks immediately raised his hand and called to Brooks the Seventh at the door, “Lao Qi, come in and talk.”

Brooks the Seventh, both surprised and delighted, edged along the wall into the courtyard, carefully following behind everyone, then squatted down at the doorway.

“The clan has decided: from now on, Julie will serve the gentleman in his daily life. As for Julie’s fiancé—that boy from the city—we’ll give him 15 guan to break off the engagement,” Adam Brooks said calmly, as if he wasn’t deciding a person’s fate, but the ownership of a cabbage.

It’s often said that the ancients treated women as property, but I didn’t expect it to be so offhand.

The old men squatting at the door all nodded at Adam Brooks’s decision, and Brooks the Seventh looked at him with eager eyes. And Julie Brooks? This young woman didn’t seem to object to having her fate decided by others.

Why would she object?

The Song Dynasty was an era that highly revered knowledge—in other words, it was an age of talented scholars and beautiful ladies.

The shop assistant in the city was indeed Julie Brooks’s intended fiancé! But it was just a marriage arranged by her parents. That shop assistant was willing to marry a “non-registered” mountain girl mainly because of her beauty, but deep down, he also looked down on girls from the mountains.

Julie Brooks hadn’t seen Sam Carter many times, but in their brief encounters, she could sense his contempt for her and her father. Although she was confident that her beauty could win his favor, having been adored by the boys in the village since childhood, she couldn’t help but feel indignant.

Then Henry Clark arrived, and only by comparison did she realize what true excellence was. Henry Clark didn’t speak much, but he was gentle with others, and his every move exuded a temperament completely different from the villagers. At fourteen, she was at the age of budding feelings. She had never left the mountains, and Henry Clark, right before her eyes, was the prince in her heart. His calmness, coming from modern society, was far beyond what any Song Dynasty shop assistant could compare to. It’s easy to imagine what a lovestruck young girl would think.

In fact, Julie Brooks wasn’t the only one in the village infatuated with him. Those young women and wives who came to cook for him every day were not without ulterior motives. However, Henry Clark was always quiet and reserved, which made him seem aloof, so the women didn’t dare to get too close. Most of them could only try to get near him by bringing or making food.

In the past, Julie Brooks didn’t have the chance to bring him food, so she could only watch from afar as other women tried to win his favor, while she stayed at home quietly learning etiquette. During her studies, she always fantasized that the person she was serving tea to was the teacher, that the one she was waiting on was the teacher. This made her smile unconsciously during her lessons, much to the teacher’s surprise.

Today, at this moment, all the etiquette she had learned was finally useful. She got what she wished for—how could she not be overjoyed?

Henry Clark took in everyone’s reactions. He understood: Adam Brooks wanted him to put down roots in Brooks Hollow, and to that end, he was willing to offer the most beautiful woman in the clan to win him over.

Perhaps this habit was inherited from Adam Brooks’s ancestors, who, in large families, were used to winning over guests with maids and concubines. So Adam Brooks inherited this custom.

But Henry Clark couldn’t refuse—having come to this unfamiliar world, Brooks Hollow was the only place he knew. He had no choice but to rely on it for development; it was his only “root” now, so he could only nod.

In fact, in the whole village, only Henry Clark didn’t notice the women’s pursuit. All the other men did. They couldn’t help but feel jealous, but since Henry Clark was always easygoing and the villagers had all benefited from his presence, they had nothing to say. This time, with Adam Brooks choosing Julie Brooks as the target, the others were secretly pleased.

Why were they happy?