Frank Warren finally turned to glance at the other person, then simply stopped and cupped his hands in greeting: “In the past, I only knew how to shut myself away and work behind closed doors, to the point that I’m not even familiar with many of my elders, peers, or juniors in the clan. Now, I don’t dare brazenly go and trouble them. If I’m truly forced to the edge of a cliff, I’ll naturally have no choice but to beg for the clan’s help.”

“So, you’re saying you haven’t been pushed that far yet, and you’re confident about the future?”

This guy is really hard to deal with!

Frank Warren smiled, neither confirming nor denying, and said, “This time, getting injured turned out to be a blessing in disguise—I realized something: you can’t rely on others only when you’re in trouble and ignore them when you’re not. Always rely on yourself first, then seek help from others. Farewell.”

Actually, it’s because I have no idea who you are, so to avoid giving myself away, it’s best to say a few nice words and make a quick exit!

Seeing Frank Warren stride away, the young man with hair still wet and dripping couldn’t help but show a hint of a smile.

“That little guy who used to have his nose in the air and cared for nothing but the Four Books and Five Classics has become quite interesting!”

As he spoke, the young man stroked his chin with great interest, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Chapter 7: The Bastard Taking Advantage of a Crisis

Whether it was because Frank Warren’s words were unpleasant, or because he truly realized that swimming alone in the wild wasn’t very safe, for several days after, Frank Warren didn’t see that young man again—the one who knew him, but whom he didn’t recognize.

He didn’t think much of it. That day, after his usual morning exercise and returning home, he found two unexpected guests at his door. In the yard, Second Lady Warren and Little Sister Warren were feeding a few chickens as if playing, while the two raggedly dressed people stood outside the gate, separated by a wall, not daring to enter rashly. Only when they saw Frank Warren arrive did their faces light up with surprise, and they hurried over to greet him.

Again, you know me, but I don’t know you!

Seeing that these two weren’t among the villagers he’d seen in the mornings, Frank Warren felt a headache coming on, but still had to feign politeness and nod slightly in return, not daring to greet them too casually. But the two immediately knelt down and kowtowed, addressing him as “young master.” At this moment, Second Lady Warren inside must have heard the commotion outside, and came straight out the door carrying a basin of chicken feed.

“Well, I ignore you and you go straight to pestering my brother! Who was it just now saying the young master is about to lose his title, so we should be kind and reduce the land rent? And now you still have the nerve to bother him?”

Second Lady Warren’s willow brows shot up. Seeing the two kneeling and not getting up, she heavily set the feed basin down by her feet, then strode forward, hands on hips, and scolded, “Has mother not always been considerate enough to you? When have we ever collected more than sixty percent of the rent? We don’t even make you work here all day, just ask for help occasionally. But what about you? When you followed my brother to Huizhou City, you just left your master and came back on your own because of one thing he said. What kind of tenant farmers are you?”

Thanks to the forthright Second Lady Warren, he finally knew who these people were—so these were the legendary tenant farmers of the Wang family!

Frank Warren sized them up. After being scolded by Second Lady Warren, they hung their heads in silence. Sticking to the principle of not speaking on matters he didn’t understand, he kept quiet. Besides, Second Lady Warren had just said that these two tenant farmers even used his impending loss of title as an excuse—their character and thick skin were clear to see.

Even these guys want to take advantage of a crisis!

Sure enough, Second Lady Warren had no intention of letting up. She pointed at one of the middle-aged men and scolded, “You’ve got the nerve to come here? All you do is gamble—you’ve sold off all your land, and even sold your late wife’s children into servitude. You racked up a mountain of debt and came begging at our door. My mother took you in, gave you a roof over your head, and even let you marry again. And what did you do?”

“You actually gambled away the grain you were supposed to pay as rent! If it weren’t for your skill at farm work, who would want a hopeless gambler like you?”

Second Lady Warren was old enough to be this middle-aged tenant’s daughter, but now, as she unleashed a torrent of scolding, he didn’t dare show the slightest temper—he just nodded and kowtowed, not daring to speak. The other person, knowing that the second daughter of the household was not to be trifled with, saw Frank Warren standing aside and hurriedly tried to find another way in.

“Young master…”

“I don’t know anything about the land matters at home. Whatever Second Sister says, goes.” Frank Warren gave them no chance to pester him, kicking the ball right back to Second Lady Warren.

Sure enough, Second Lady Warren beamed with pride at her brother’s trust, and became even more spirited. As her brother slipped inside, she stood outside, scolding the two tenant farmers without pause.

Listening from inside, Frank Warren realized she could list both their strengths and weaknesses in detail—no one else could get a word in edgewise. In the end, the two tenant farmers who had come to block the door early in the morning couldn’t even voice their requests, and left as dejectedly as they had come. Only when Second Lady Warren finally came in, still fuming, did he ask, “What did they come here for?”