It’s not unusual for clansmen to offer their land to relatives of the same clan who have official titles; nor is it strange to recommend oneself as a servant, running errands back and forth. But after all, they are of the same blood—when has anyone ever truly written a contract to sell themselves?

“This matter is against propriety and the law, but…” He feared he couldn’t suppress Autumn Warren, but should he really ask those higher-ups to step in and resolve such a trivial issue? Where would that leave his dignity as clan leader?

Before David Warren could finish speaking, Frank Warren said with utmost sincerity, “I know people like Autumn Warren are difficult to deal with, and as clan leader, Uncle, you have your own difficulties. At the time, I saw that Autumn Warren was determined to sell his younger brother. I thought that if I didn’t agree, our bloodline might end up wandering outside the clan, and in a moment of weakness, I agreed to the contract. But the more I think about it these days, the more wrong it feels. So I came today to ask you for one more favor. As long as this is settled, there will be no more hidden dangers.”

After leaving the clan leader’s house with James Gold, Frank Warren felt quite pleased with the two items tucked in his chest. Since he had passed David Warren’s hurdle, all that was left was to wait!

Chapter Six: The Idler Who Swims in the Wild

Standing in the spacious study, seeing the neatly stacked books on the shelves and the paper and brushes on the square desk, James Gold felt incredibly excited. He subconsciously swallowed, then stammered, “Dad, I really can…”

“A promise is a promise.” Frank Warren patted the thick stack of writing paper. Seeing the little fellow overjoyed, he put away his smile and said meaningfully, “Don’t get too happy yet. Write a character for me first.”

When James Gold took a deep breath to steady himself, stepped forward, ground the ink, dipped the brush, and carefully wrote the character 汪 on a sheet of paper, Frank Warren glanced at it and immediately said, “You used to practice by copying discarded sheets, never from proper copybooks, and you practiced with sticks in the mud. Some bad habits need to be corrected. So, I’ve organized all the old copybooks for you. Start by copying Ouyang Xun’s model scripts.”

Seeing the little fellow could only nod gratefully, unable to say anything else, Frank Warren smiled and said, “Copy ten sheets every day. With the rest of your time, I’ll read the Four Books with you again.”

He might as well treat it as a review for himself, in case that grand academic master, who might soon return from Ningguo Mansion, comes back! Although he didn’t want to continue taking exams, this hurdle still had to be crossed.

James Gold was almost delirious with joy. Happiness had come so suddenly—having been scolded and beaten by his brother since he could remember, never having a good day, he almost thought he was dreaming. He subconsciously pinched his arm hard, then grimaced in pain, but finally felt sure that all of this was real!

“Work hard!”

Hearing this simple encouragement, James Gold could no longer hold back his tears. He dropped to his knees, kowtowed twice, and choked out, “Thank you, Dad, thank you, Dad!”

Seeing that James Gold couldn’t say anything else, Frank Warren squatted down in front of him, looking at this little fellow whose fate would soon take a dramatic turn, his expression complicated. He wasn’t a soft-hearted person—he wouldn’t take responsibility for everything the previous Frank Warren had done; for example, he had mercilessly rejected that Autumn Ford who came to his door. But he also wouldn’t mistreat those relatives and friends who could help him live a peaceful and leisurely life, like this little fellow who served him diligently every day. He patted James Gold’s forehead, where the bruises had faded, and smiled at him.

“It’s because you used to listen in at the school so attentively and with such perseverance that you have today. No need to thank me. From now on, after jogging with me every morning, come back and copy the copybooks—don’t waste time.”

James Gold nodded like a pecking chick. Seeing Frank Warren sit down at the desk to write something, he quickly picked up the feather duster and began to carefully clean the study. Frank Warren ignored him, finished writing a letter, sealed it together with the document he’d gotten from the clan leader, and then got up and left the room.

In the courtyard, Second Lady Warren and Little Sister Warren were happily playing cat’s cradle. The two sisters, who had eaten pine sugar hawthorn again today, were clearly in a great mood, smiling with arched eyebrows, no longer showing the gloom of the past. He didn’t disturb them, quietly went to the front, called over the only male servant left in the house, the forty-something Seventh Warren, and instructed him to deliver a letter to his uncle Thomas Wood at the foot of Nanshan in Yanzhen.

In the days that followed, Frank Warren continued his daily morning exercises as before. After jogging with him for half an hour, James Gold would return to practice calligraphy, leaving him alone to continue his exercises under the locust tree at the village entrance. After more than half a month of this, eating all kinds of fresh, natural, pollution-free vegetables, eggs, and meat, he could clearly feel his body recovering rapidly. Not only had he gained two pounds, but his stamina had also improved greatly. After finishing his routine and sitting down, wiping his sweat with the soft towel draped over his shoulders, he suddenly noticed someone by the Fengle River. His heart stirred, and he walked over.