The two of them started arguing on the roadside as if no one else was around, completely ignoring the thief they had left aside.

“Do those two have some deep-seated grudge?” Emily Carter said with a frown. She had originally planned to thank the two of them.

“Who cares about them? We got the wallet, let’s just go.” Brian Ford pulled Emily Carter away, with William Reed following behind them like a bodyguard.

“This... isn’t this a bit inappropriate?” She struggled a little.

“Can’t you see those are two old friends reunited after a long time, catching up? Let’s not disturb them!”

“But...” Emily Carter turned her head again to look at the two people butting heads, sighed, and then followed Brian Ford as they melted into the crowd.

By the time the two realized what had happened, the crowd had dispersed, the thief had run off, and the beautiful woman had disappeared...

※※※

At first, having her wallet stolen put her in a bad mood, but after being caught up in the antics of those two idiots, all three of them suddenly felt much better. Emily Carter took Brian Ford and William Reed to watch a Cosplay performance in the park. Cosplayers in all sorts of costumes showed themselves off in front of the crowd, looking especially proud under the flashing lights, completely ignoring the surprised stares. Some even danced gracefully to beautiful music. Even Brian Ford felt like he had entered a magical world, and William Reed was left speechless, his mouth agape—he was completely stunned by everything he’d seen today.

They walked from the park’s front gate along the riverside to the back gate, then crossed the bridge to the other side. The riverside park was huge, almost a quarter the size of the old city moat. William Reed never seemed to get tired, wanting to see everything, and Emily Carter was just as tireless. Only Brian Ford was panting like a pug, tongue hanging out—every time this happened, Emily Carter would dramatically shout, “Abu! You need to exercise!” making everyone around look at him and leaving him thoroughly embarrassed.

Eventually, when they really couldn’t walk anymore, the three of them found a teahouse to sit and rest. Emily Carter wanted ice cream, so Brian Ford had no choice but to pay, buying two more for himself and William Reed. William Reed was fascinated by the sweet, cold treat. In his eyes, everything in this world was so interesting. Compared to his life in the Song Dynasty, this was simply a paradise on earth.

Seeing the smile on William Reed’s face, Emily Carter couldn’t help but feel happy too. Although they’d only been together for just over a week, she truly regarded William Reed as her own little brother. When he was happy, she was happy.

Aside from running into a thief and two idiots, today was truly a perfect day. Emily Carter and William Reed returned home delighted, while poor Brian Ford dejectedly flipped through his wallet.

“Tomorrow we’re going out again! Let’s go to Hongtu Amusement Park!” On the way home, Emily Carter announced happily. “The day after, we’ll go to People’s Square Pedestrian Street, and the day after that, we’ll go sing karaoke! And the day after that...”

“Great!” The thoroughly excited William Reed echoed enthusiastically.

“Devils... both of you!” That was Brian Ford’s groan.

Chapter 006: The New Classmate from the Mountains

The first day of National Day wasn’t even over yet. Even though Brian Ford was so exhausted he felt like a dog and collapsed onto his bed as soon as he got home, they still had one more task to complete: formally introducing William Reed to Emily Carter’s parents—since he’d be eating at Emily Carter’s house from now on, they couldn’t let their ancestor from the Song Dynasty eat instant noodles every day, right?

Despite Brian Ford’s repeated reminders, William Reed still managed to embarrass Brian Ford as soon as he walked in the door.

“Greetings, Master Jin!” “Greetings, Madam Jin!” His formal greetings left the uncle and aunt, who had come out smiling to welcome them, completely stunned.

Brian Ford was so frustrated he wanted to kick William Reed’s raised butt.

Luckily, the quick-witted Emily Carter hurried to cover up: “A-Jian grew up in a mountain village, reading nothing but those old classical books... so, so his manners are a bit... a bit old-fashioned! He often acts like someone from ancient times, which is... also because he never received a proper modern education. Now that all his family members have passed away, he’s come to rely on Uncle Bu, but who would have thought Uncle Bu left China long ago. So now, he’s basically homeless...”

She started off a bit awkwardly, but as she went on, her story got smoother, and with her deliberately choked-up delivery, she really moved her soft-hearted mother.

She hugged the downcast and pitiful-looking William Reed and said to her husband, “Look how pitiful A-Jian is, let’s help him, okay? After all, he’s your old friend’s... relative.” She had wanted to say “nephew” or something, but when her daughter had explained the relationship between William Reed and Brian Ford, she’d gotten so confused she didn’t know what to call him, so she just said “relative.”

Emily Carter’s father nodded, then reached out to pat William Reed’s head. “Poor child...”

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was so sad it was hard not to be moved. Even Emily Carter, who knew the truth, couldn’t stop wiping her eyes. Only Brian Ford felt a bit awkward, standing there with his head down, not daring to say a word.

Their rehearsal had worked surprisingly well...

But when uncle and aunt decided at the dinner table that William Reed should go to school, Emily Carter and Brian Ford couldn’t help but cry out in shock.