Charles Foster smiled, playing with the Xiangfei fan in his hand, but inwardly he sighed. Well, now the reputation of being a prodigal son is firmly established. A man of temperament is just that—a man of temperament. If he weren’t a prodigal, he’d actually feel a bit of a moral burden selling off the family property. But now, it’s fine; he actually feels quite relieved.

After sending off David Thompson, the household stewards, the accountant, and William Carter all fell to their knees in the hall one by one, wailing in grief.

“Young master, please think twice.”

“Young master, your illness has only just recovered, we servants were overjoyed, but…”

Charles Foster sighed inwardly, feeling a bit sympathetic toward them. These people truly cared for him; he really shouldn’t have startled them like this. But just as his sympathy was stirred, he saw that acupuncturist peeking in from outside.

When Charles Foster saw the goateed doctor, he felt a chill in his heart. He slapped the desk and shouted sternly at him, “What are you looking at?”

The doctor quickly gave an awkward smile. “This student was thinking… the young master has just recovered from a serious illness, and I was afraid it might relapse, so I…”

Charles Foster felt a headache coming on, memories of those needles stuck in the back of his head flooding back. He took a deep breath. Damn it, are you determined not to let me be a good person?

Without hesitation, he grabbed the Xiangfei fan and hurled it at the doctor.

This time, it landed squarely on the doctor’s forehead.

The doctor touched his head, feeling a bit of pain, and then tears started streaming down his face.

Charles Foster was startled. He had just thrown it casually, trying to act “normal,” but now he felt a bit embarrassed and couldn’t help but say, “What are you crying for?”

The doctor wiped his tears, overwhelmed with emotion. “No need for a checkup today. The young master’s illness has recovered very well, very well… This old man has received great kindness from the marquis, being taken in at the residence and often receiving favors. Now to be able to cure the young master is truly a great fortune. Good, good, good, heaven has eyes, the ancestors of the Foster family are truly virtuous…”

Charles Foster’s eyes nearly popped out.

He thought to himself, if the ancestors of the Foster family really have spirits, tonight they’ll probably strangle you, you Mongolian doctor.

The young master of the Foster family’s recovery quickly became the talk of the neighborhood.

Diagonally across the street was a tavern. The tavern keeper, with his abacus beads in hand, would not only make them clack loudly every day, but also delighted in telling the patrons about this matter.

“He’s really recovered, absolutely true, Dr. Harris truly has miraculous hands, really, really, would I lie? Don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll tell you, yesterday the broker Mr. Thompson went to visit, and guess what? The young master of the Foster family is selling land. Not just land—anything valuable in the house is being sold. Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing our young master Foster would do? You don’t know, early this morning, I even saw a clerk from the Jingzhao Prefecture go with Mr. Thompson to the Foster family as guarantor. I heard they’ve already signed and sealed the deal. The young master was very happy. When they left, the young master personally saw them out, waved to them, and even shouted loudly, saying if they saw anything else they liked next time, be sure to come by. He was so cheerful, it actually scared Mr. Thompson and the guarantor. That Mr. Thompson, who’s usually thick-skinned as a city wall, actually felt ashamed, like he couldn’t face anyone, feeling very guilty.”

The patrons clicked their tongues in amazement. Those who knew the inside story nodded in agreement. “Then it’s certain, he’s definitely recovered. Dr. Harris is a miracle doctor.”

“Isn’t that so? Dr. Harris is strutting around now. When he comes and goes at the Foster residence, he’s got a real swagger, looking all high and mighty.”

Chapter 0005: A Loving Father Often Ruins His Son

The gossip outside didn’t bother Charles Foster at all. He was busy doing the accounts. After a few days, David Thompson started sending people over to move the household goods, and Henry Baker had another big crying fit, nearly passing out.

William Carter followed pitifully behind Charles Foster. Charles Foster was very polite to the people David Thompson brought: “Gentlemen, please carry things a bit slower, be careful—these are heirlooms of my Foster family. Even though they’ll have a new owner now, there are still feelings attached. Be especially careful with this porcelain vase—it’s a Ru kiln piece, passed down from my great-grandfather. If it gets chipped or bumped, I’ll feel guilty. Come, Little William, pour some water for the gentlemen. Guests from afar shouldn’t be neglected.”

William Carter rolled his eyes and bluntly spat out two words: “There’s none.”

Charles Foster knew he was sulking. These past two days, William Carter had been looking at him with a complicated expression. At first, he thought to just let it go and not argue with him, but then he thought, if he let it go, he wouldn’t be Charles Foster. A prodigal of the Foster family never lets things slide. He had to be careful—just a few days without acupuncture, he mustn’t let anything slip.

So he put on a stern face and shouted angrily, “You dog, what do you mean there’s none?”

“All the tea sets have been sold,” William Carter said, a bit afraid of Charles Foster, and softened his tone.

Charles Foster suddenly understood. He’d gotten carried away selling things at the time. If ebony prices soared, that would be several times the profit. Driven by greed, for the sake of silver, Charles Foster had sold everything he could.

Actually, even if ebony prices didn’t skyrocket, it didn’t matter. Ebony was still a rarity in this era, so he wouldn’t lose out: “You should have said so earlier. Later, you and Edward Clark go out and buy some household goods. Be frugal with the money—buy the cheapest you can. I’m saving up for something big!”