The boy examined the quality of the silver under the lantern light, then took it and weighed it in his hand before finally handing both the ointment and the medicine packet to Adam Thompson.

“I’ll tell you how to use it. Soften the ointment over the lamp, then apply it to the place bitten by the poisonous snake. After one hour, replace it with another sheet. Apply three sheets in total, and the poisonous blood will come out. Then, decoct the medicine to nourish the body, rest for two or three days, and you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you so much!”

At that moment, the sound of drums suddenly came from afar. Benjamin Johnson’s face changed dramatically. “They’re about to close the ward gate! Hurry!”

Adam Thompson stuffed the medicine into his chest, mounted his horse, and didn’t even have time to say goodbye to the boy. He spurred his horse and galloped away, the two of them racing like the wind toward the ward gate.

In Chang’an, the city gates closed at nightfall, and the ward gates began closing at the hour of the dog. After one hundred and eight drumbeats, the ward gates would be shut and would not open again until dawn the next day.

At this moment, Adam Thompson was desperate, urging his horse to gallop madly. When he reached the gate of Daixian Ward, he dismounted and handed the horse to Benjamin Johnson.

“I’ll come find you tomorrow!”

“Hurry! The drumming is about to stop.”

Adam Thompson dashed toward the gate of Yonghe Ward across the street. By now, the drumming had stopped, and the ward gate was slowly closing.

“Big brother, wait for me!”

The two guards closing the gate saw Adam Thompson sprinting toward them. They hesitated for a moment and slowed the closing just a little. At the very last moment, as the gate was about to shut, Adam Thompson squeezed through the final gap.

……

Mary Wood was very skilled with the medicine. She carefully applied the ointment to Sarah Parker’s wound. By now, Sarah Parker’s entire right calf was swollen and dark, the blackness already spreading to her thigh. The doctor had been right—if the swelling didn’t go down by night, it would truly be dangerous.

Adam Thompson sat nervously at the side, holding his mother’s hand and silently praying. At this moment, he already regarded Sarah Parker as his own mother.

In his previous life, Adam Thompson’s parents had divorced early. His younger sister went with their mother back to Sichuan, while he stayed with his father. Unfortunately, his father was a drunk who would beat people after drinking, making his childhood very unhappy. Luckily, his grandmother cared for him.

When he was ten, his father injured someone while drunk and went to prison, so he and his grandmother returned to the countryside.

At fifteen, his grandmother passed away, and he had to return to his father’s home. His father had been released from prison and remarried. Although his stepmother didn’t drive him away, she never hid her disgust and dislike for him.

He often missed his mother and his late grandmother, but his mother had long since remarried and could no longer care for him. He could only bury his longing for her deep in his heart.

At sixteen, he started living at school, completely leaving that home filled with cold violence.

Now, he had a new family. Though poor, it was so warm. Sarah Parker’s care and love for him had not changed despite a thousand years, letting him once again feel a mother’s love.

And then there was Mary Wood. He always firmly believed she was his grandmother’s past incarnation.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he fell asleep, lying on the edge of Sarah Parker’s bed.

Adam Thompson had a dream. He dreamed of a phoenix circling above his head. The phoenix gave him a gentle push, and he fell into the sea. Adam Thompson woke with a start, only to find his mother gently stroking his hair.

Adam Thompson was both shocked and overjoyed. “Mother, you’re awake!”

“My silly son has finally grown up.” Sarah Parker’s voice was choked with emotion. Her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face.

“Mother, let me check your wound!”

Beside them, Mary Wood smiled and said, “No need to check. The black blood has all drained out, and the swelling in her calf is gone. That was only the second application—this ointment really is miraculous!”

“Then let’s put on the third one!”

“No need!”

Sarah Parker struggled to sit up, and Adam Thompson quickly supported her. Sarah Parker took the ointment from Mary Wood, sniffed it, and smiled. “I want to study this carefully. Maybe I can get the recipe.”

Suddenly, she grabbed Adam Thompson’s ear, quick and precise. “You rascal, tell your mother—where did you get thirty strings of cash?”

……

Of course, Sarah Parker wouldn’t stop her son from playing ball. Earning money with his own skills—why not?

But she had conditions: the money he earned had to be handed over to her. For example, the ten strings of cash Adam Thompson brought home yesterday—no matter how she searched, she couldn’t find them.

Early the next morning, Adam Thompson arrived at The Johnson Estate as agreed. Benjamin Johnson was already waiting for him at the gate.

It was obvious that Benjamin Johnson wasn’t as cheerful as yesterday and seemed preoccupied.

He found an opportunity to whisper to Adam Thompson, “My father might test you. Whatever you do, don’t be modest. You must show your real skills, or I’ll be in trouble.”

“Why?”

“Competition!”

Those three words explained why Benjamin Johnson was worried. Adam Thompson wasn’t the only applicant. After all, Benjamin Johnson was just a teenager; it was normal for his father not to trust his recommendation.

Adam Thompson nodded. “I’ll do my best!”

……

The Johnson Estate wasn’t very large, about three mu in area, divided into three sections: the front yard, the central courtyard, and the rear residence. The front yard housed the kitchen, stables, storerooms, servants’ quarters, and so on.

Adam Thompson immediately noticed many large water jars placed by the wall, each covered with a bamboo hat. There were two big jars at his own home as well. Mary Wood had told him that every household had them, symbolizing happiness. Of course, they were also for water storage—the bigger the household, the more jars. He estimated there were eighteen jars here.