Sullivan immediately pointed to a small stool beside her and told James Bolton to come forward and sit down when she heard Fletcher say this. Then she glared at Fletcher and said, “Jimmy is frail and sickly, and hardly ever goes out all year round. He hasn’t attended school for many days in total, and only knows a few characters thanks to his parents. How could he possibly know any jokes?”

Fletcher felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this and quickly forced a smile, saying, “Look at my memory—I actually forgot that Jimmy isn’t in good health.”

But James Bolton smiled and came forward to sit down, then looked up and said, “Since both eldest and second brother have spoken, I just remembered a joke I once heard from someone else. It goes like this: There was a certain teacher who loved to nap at noon. A student asked him how to interpret the phrase in the book, ‘Zai Yu napping at noon.’ The teacher replied: ‘Others might not be able to explain this line, but I, being so learned, can tell you. Zai means to kill; Yu means me; noon is midday; nap is sleep. So together it means: “Even if you kill me, I must have my nap!”’”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a thud—Jack Bolton had laughed so hard he fell to the ground. Charlie Bolton was a bit better, but was still rubbing his belly hard. Sullivan, who was drinking tea, nearly spat out her water, then pointed at James Bolton and laughed, “Jimmy, do you actually know what ‘Zai Yu napping at noon’ really means?”

James Bolton was delighted and quickly stood up to bow, saying, “When I was studying at the academy, the teacher happened to explain this passage from the Analects. I remember it was about Confucius having a disciple named Zai Yu, who would sneak naps during the day instead of studying, which made the Master very angry. Confucius once said, ‘Time passes like this, never ceasing day or night,’ so naturally he despised such laziness.”

Thinking of how James Bolton had been sickly since childhood and only attended school sporadically, Sullivan couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional, and looked at her grandson with even more satisfaction.

“To think you can still remember the Analects—it’s really not easy for you. Take good care of your health, and when the time comes, earn a scholarly title to bring honor to your parents!”

Chapter Five: Sisters-in-law and Husbands and Wives

“Third sister-in-law, I didn’t expect that even while Jimmy was ill, you still made sure he studied. Just for this, I could never compare to you.”

After leaving Sullivan’s main room, Fletcher had only walked a few steps before turning back to throw this rather sour remark at Bennett. She looked James Bolton up and down with a half-smile, then suddenly turned to scold her two sons: “You two spend all year at the academy, yet you often can’t even recite your lessons. From now on, you’d better learn from Jimmy, or you’ll be punished at home!”

Earlier, the two brothers had gotten a scolding for egging James Bolton on to climb a tree, though Fletcher had only gone through the motions and they hadn’t suffered at all. Still, it was embarrassing. Now, hearing their mother lecture them in front of James Bolton, the brothers immediately bristled. The second, Jack Bolton, shot a sideways glance at James Bolton and grumbled, “Why should we learn from him? Should we learn how to fall out of a tree like he does?”

The eldest, Charlie Bolton, had always been praised since childhood, so he raised his head and said, “Mother, don’t you always say that studying isn’t important, and that practicing martial arts is the right path? Didn’t Grandmother just say we should follow our great-uncle and cousin’s example and earn military merit?”

Hearing this, James Bolton saw Fletcher scolding Charlie Bolton and Jack Bolton angrily, so he grinned and said, “Second Aunt, I just remembered a story, that’s all—how could I compare to Eldest and Second Brother, who are both accomplished in both literature and martial arts? They can read and write, ride horses, draw bows, and wield swords and spears, while I can’t even climb a tree without falling. In short, compared to them, I’m far behind in every way, so I’ll have to ask them to teach me more in the future!”

Charlie Bolton was thirteen, Jack Bolton twelve—both had always loved hearing praise. As soon as they heard the words “accomplished in both literature and martial arts,” their faces lit up, and hearing James Bolton admit he was far behind, all their earlier displeasure vanished.

Before Fletcher could reply, Jack Bolton immediately patted his chest, and Charlie Bolton quickly followed, smiling and promising, “Mother, Third Brother is right—last time was just an accident. With his thin arms and legs, if Second Brother and I weren’t looking out for him, he’d have been bullied at the academy long ago. Don’t worry, Third Brother—so long as you stick with us, we’ll never leave you out when there are benefits!”

Fletcher frowned deeply at this, but since James Bolton had praised Charlie Bolton and Jack Bolton as accomplished in both literature and martial arts, which hit her right in the heart, she let her sons’ self-important talk slide. She stepped back to exchange a few more polite words with Bennett, and after finishing the formalities, saw her two sons still whispering with James Bolton and couldn’t help but feel puzzled. She went over and, with a few words, forcibly dragged her sons away.

Relations between Bennett and Fletcher as sisters-in-law had always been lukewarm, and just now they had only exchanged a few perfunctory words. Only after Fletcher left did Bennett feel relieved. She took her son out of the main courtyard, passed through a corridor to a quieter side path, and immediately instructed the two accompanying daughters-in-law to follow at a distance. Then she quietly warned James Bolton.

After hearing Bennett repeatedly warn him not to get too close to the Charlie Bolton and Jack Bolton brothers—almost outright saying that certain people were like wild beasts—James Bolton could only nod repeatedly, though inwardly he was shaking his head.