Early that morning, he and James Gold were jogging through the village as usual, one after the other. They had just greeted two early-rising farmers and turned a corner when he heard someone behind him call out “Uncle.” Turning around, he saw a young man of about twenty, with a face full of smiles, small eyes, and a long face—someone he had never seen before during his morning exercises. As he wondered who this person was, he saw James Gold suddenly dart behind him as if startled.

“Dad, that’s my brother.”

The voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, and Frank Warren immediately felt a jolt in his heart. Was this the ruthless Autumn Warren who had sold his own younger brother into servitude?

“Oh, it’s you.”

Frank Warren nodded indifferently and paid no further attention to Autumn Warren, leading James Gold onward. James Gold, who had been terrified of his brother since childhood, was eager to get away and quickly followed. But they hadn’t run far before Autumn Warren strode after them, suddenly stepping in front to block their path.

“Uncle, I know you’re upset that I haven’t shown up these past days. Actually, after signing the contract with you in town, I returned to the village ahead of you to bring James Gold to your house, then went back to the city. I truly didn’t know you were injured—I’ve only just returned from the city.” Seeing that Frank Warren remained silent, Autumn Warren kept up his ingratiating smile and, after bowing deeply, continued earnestly, “It’s James Gold’s good fortune to be with you, Uncle. If he makes any mistakes, please discipline him strictly! I’m here today because your grandnephew is one month old, and I plan to host a couple of tables for a banquet. Please, Uncle, do me the honor of attending…”

“I appreciate the thought, but my injury hasn’t healed yet, and the doctor has forbidden me from drinking.”

With that, Frank Warren called James Gold and continued jogging away. Soon, they stopped under the big locust tree at the village entrance, where he began stretching and doing some odd movements. Autumn Warren’s face immediately darkened. He stood there for a while, then sneered and turned to leave.

What are you putting on airs for? If it weren’t for the small advantage your family still has, just this leverage I have over you would be enough to bring down your scholar’s reputation!

Once his brother was out of sight, James Gold finally felt relieved, but he lowered his head, lost in thought. Suddenly, he heard a voice by his ear: “Your brother has money to throw a banquet for your nephew’s one-month celebration, but he still sold you. Have you never thought of seeking justice from the elders or even the clan leader?”

James Gold shuddered and looked up, only to see Frank Warren ahead of him, still doing those exercises without turning around. He bit his lip tightly and said nothing. After a long while, he finally saw Frank Warren finish his odd routine and turn to look at him seriously.

“Since you keep calling me ‘Dad,’ then tell me the truth. How many characters do you know? How much of the Analects can you recite? How many characters can you write?”

Seeing James Gold still silent, Frank Warren continued unhurriedly, “If you tell the truth, I’ll give you paper and brush in the future, so you can practice writing openly. You’ll also be free to read any of the books in the study. If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll send you back!”

James Gold was stunned. He looked up at Frank Warren, shook his head hard, afraid he was hearing things, and even pinched his own palm. Once he was sure Frank Warren wasn’t joking, he steeled himself and answered honestly, “Whenever I had free time, I would sneak to the school to listen in. Over two years, I listened off and on and can recite all Four Books. But since I couldn’t get my hands on any books, I only saw the teacher write characters, and picked up some discarded paper to practice writing with a stick in the dirt. I can only write about half the characters. Later, my brother found out, beat me several times, and starved me for two days. After that, I never dared sneak to the school again.”

Ever since he heard James Gold reciting the Analects in his sleep, Frank Warren had been paying close attention. Because he was still recovering, every night James Gold slept on a bamboo cot beside his bed, ready to help if needed in the middle of the night. So, more than once, upon waking from a dream, he had heard the boy’s sleep talk—sometimes missing his mother, but mostly reciting the Analects, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Great Learning, and occasionally a few lines from Mencius. But a few lines are very different from reciting the whole text. To be able to recite all Four Books just from eavesdropping and picking up scraps of paper—what kind of prodigious talent was this!

Yet such a sensible child had the misfortune of having such a cruel and heartless brother. It seemed that entrusting that matter to Samuel Barker earlier had been the right decision!

“James Gold, I really underestimated you!” Frank Warren beckoned the boy over. When he hesitantly approached, he suddenly flicked his finger lightly on his forehead.

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry, I keep my word!”

James Gold was instantly overjoyed and was about to kneel down to give thanks when he suddenly saw the smiling old peddler Samuel Barker striding briskly toward them, so he stopped for the moment.

“Brother Lin!”