James Bolton immediately slipped the Buddhist prayer beads onto his wrist, then took a step back, knelt down, and kowtowed. His head had barely touched the ground before Sullivan yanked him up forcefully. Next, Sullivan asked a few more questions about his illness, so he wove another story, speaking of his mother’s hardships and the servants’ dedication. In short, everyone was good, so Bennett and several maids all broke into smiles.

　　After this long-winded conversation, the smile on Sullivan’s face grew ever warmer, and in the end, she even pulled James Bolton a little closer. She naturally understood that her daughter-in-law Bennett had never been one to curry favor or act sweet; teaching him a single phrase was possible, but so many—absolutely not. So it could only be the little grandson’s own words. Thinking back to how he’d always been sickly, timid and dull even when they met, but now suddenly knew how to please people, it was clear that the fall had knocked some sense into him.

　　Recalling how James Bolton had fallen from a tall tree, suffering only a few bruises but remaining unconscious for quite a while, and being a devout Buddhist herself, she couldn’t help but have a vague thought.

　　Could it be that surviving a great disaster brings future blessings?

　　Sullivan was pondering whether to invite the renowned Master Yunguang from Daxiangguo Temple to come take a look, when laughter sounded from outside: “Oh my, I heard Brother Yue came to see the Old Madam, I’m late!”

　　The door curtain was lifted high, and a woman stepped over the threshold. Her elegant hair was adorned with a gold-twisted lantern hairpin, a pearl band across her forehead, and she wore a honey-colored, wide-sleeved, round-collared robe with a gold-embroidered lotus skirt. She looked even younger than Bennett.

　　Upon entering, she first saluted Sullivan, then nodded slightly to Bennett, her gaze quickly falling on James Bolton. Seeing him held in Sullivan’s arms, her face showed a hint of surprise, but she quickly returned to normal.

　　“Brother Yue looks so much better after recovering from his injury. It’s all thanks to the Old Madam’s lifelong vegetarianism and chanting, accumulating virtue and doing good, that he could recover so quickly!”

　　“That’s also because Brother Yue is blessed with great fortune!” Sullivan was already in a good mood, and hearing Fletcher say this, her smile grew even broader. She gently patted James Bolton on the shoulder and pointed to Fletcher, saying, “Go greet your second aunt.”

　　Just from Fletcher’s simple words upon entering, James Bolton understood that she was a clever and charming type like Sister Feng, and dared not underestimate her. He quickly stepped forward, saluted, and called her second aunt.

　　Fletcher took James Bolton’s hand and examined him closely for a moment, then smiled with pursed lips: “Now that Brother Yue is well, Chao’er and Qi’er will have a companion, and soon they can study and practice martial arts together. If you ask me, Brother Yue is too frail and should build up his strength, so the Old Madam and Third Sister-in-law won’t have to worry all the time.”

　　This was exactly what James Bolton wanted, but unexpectedly, Bennett, who had been silent, immediately stepped forward to object without a second thought.

　　“Old Madam, Yue’er has only just recovered—how can he endure such exertion? If it were before, perhaps, but this time he was frightened and is still weak. How could he handle the strain of studying, let alone martial arts!”

　　Realizing his mother hadn’t noticed Sullivan’s face turning from clear to cloudy, nor Fletcher’s self-satisfied expression, and was about to bring up old grievances again, James Bolton quickly thought on his feet, took a few steps back to Sullivan, and knelt on one knee.

　　“Grandmother, Mother’s concerns are reasonable, but Second Aunt is also thinking for my sake. I think, after another half month of recuperation, I’ll be fully healed. I don’t want to stay cooped up indoors—I want to go to school, and I want to train in martial arts. Please, Grandmother, grant my wish.”

　　Sullivan had been a bit annoyed, but after hearing James Bolton’s words, she hesitated. After a moment’s thought, she made up her mind: “We’ll do as Brother Yue says. In half a month, you’ll go to school, and if your health allows, you’ll train in martial arts with Chao’er and Qi’er. That’s settled. Our Zhang family is a family of military merit—so long as you can breathe, you can’t just lie sick at home!”

　　Hearing this, everyone in the room responded in agreement, though each had their own thoughts. No matter what others thought, James Bolton was overjoyed. In any case, his first step had gone smoothly—what happened next would depend on the future.

Chapter Four: A Matter of Pride

　　“Master, she clearly has ulterior motives—have you forgotten what happened before?”

　　“The past is the past; that was just an accident. Besides, the Old Madam has already spoken—do you want me to contradict her?”

　　“But Yue’er is your only son. He’s just recovered, and now you want him to go to school and practice martial arts—do you want him to risk his life?”

　　“Such narrow-mindedness! Eldest and second sisters-in-law are both titled ladies—one a third-rank Shuren, the other a sixth-rank Anren. Don’t you want your son to succeed, to earn you a respectable title? Or do you want him to end up like me, spending his whole life at the mercy of others?”