Chad wasn’t really pampered—in fact, kids who grew up in the countryside aren’t afraid of hard work. But after working on the construction site for a while, Chad realized that as soon as people like them left the site, all they heard were names like “country bumpkin” or “migrant worker,” and all they saw were looks of disdain.

It was precisely for this reason that Chad left Second Uncle Walker’s construction crew. He’d even had a bit of a falling out with David Walker at the time, so naturally, Chad wasn’t willing to go back now.

“You, kid, are just aiming too high…” Seeing Chad standing there with his head held high and chest out, Ethan Foster said helplessly, “First find a place to settle down, then slowly plan your future. There’s no such thing as becoming a Chad in one bite…”

Although Ethan Foster had lived in the mountains since childhood, with the books, newspapers, and textbooks that Chad and Jack brought into the mountains every year, plus the worldly wisdom of his master, Ethan Foster had a pure heart but was by no means naïve. In fact, compared to the ambitious but impractical Chad, he was even more down-to-earth.

“Hey, are you trying to embarrass me? Besides, I’ll fight you for it…”

Hearing Ethan Foster’s words, Chad jumped up like a fat cat whose tail had been stepped on, glaring at Ethan Foster with hostility. He didn’t know if others could become a Chad in one bite, but as for himself, just in the first week after leaving the cook’s job, Chad had gained a good ten pounds of fat.

“Unreliable Celestial Master, that was my slip of the tongue, don’t take offense, don’t take offense…” Seeing Chad’s aggrieved look, Ethan Foster couldn’t help but touch his nose awkwardly. It seemed his words had unintentionally hit a sore spot for Chad.

“That’s more like it…” Chad wasn’t really angry. The two of them joked and bickered as they walked toward the back of the village. By now, it was almost dark, so not many people were paying attention to Ethan Foster’s clothes anymore.

“Hey, Jack, what are you doing? Is dinner ready yet? I’m starving over here…” When they were still twenty or thirty meters from a courtyard, Chad started shouting loudly.

“With all that meat on you, you could go three days without eating and be fine…” Standing at the courtyard gate was a young man, about 1.78 meters tall, even slimmer than Ethan Foster, wearing glasses and giving off a scholarly vibe at first glance.

“Jack, looking for a beating, huh?” Chad glared menacingly as he approached. He couldn’t beat Ethan Foster, but he was confident against Jack. The three of them had been fighting since they were kids, and Chad could only find a sense of superiority with Jack.

“Don’t! If you try to hit me, I’ll just run. Let’s see if you can catch me…” Seeing Chad coming, Jack dodged around him and ran straight toward Ethan Foster.

“Little Mystic, you finally decided to come down from the mountain? I’ve missed you so much…”

Even from several meters away, Jack opened his arms to Ethan Foster. But as soon as they met, Jack’s hand went straight for Ethan Foster’s suitcase, exclaiming, “Ethan Foster, you’re too polite! Why’d you bring stuff to my place? Let me carry it for you…”

“Yeah, right, cut it out…” Ethan Foster let his shoulder drop slightly, using a bit of force to push Jack away. He, Jack, and Chad had grown up together, so he knew their personalities inside out.

Chad (James Walker) looked honest and harmless, but in reality, he was extremely shrewd. If he ever ran into human traffickers in the city, chances are he’d end up selling them instead and counting the money afterward.

As for Jack (Brian Cooper), with his fair skin and scholarly appearance, he always seemed easy to bully. But in a real fight, Jack was the most ruthless of them all. Don’t be fooled by Chad bullying Jack all the time—if things ever got serious, Chad would run as far away as possible.

Every time Jack and Chad came up the mountain, they’d bring Ethan Foster some books, and Ethan Foster would prepare wild fruits and other mountain treats for them. So whenever they met, the first thing they did was check each other’s pockets or grab whatever the other was holding.

As for Brian Cooper calling Ethan Foster “Little Mystic,” it was because Ethan Foster’s nickname was “Mystic.” The old Taoist was called “Old Mystic,” so naturally the young one was “Little Mystic.” Of course, Brian Cooper and Chad would never admit that the original nickname they gave Ethan Foster was “Fuzzball,” and it was only after Ethan Foster used his fists that it changed to “Mystic.”

“Heh, the three of us brothers are together again…”

After sizing up Ethan Foster from head to toe, Jack, who rarely smiled, showed a faint grin and said, “I’ve cooked a few dishes. Let’s have a drink first, and there’s something to do tonight after we finish…”

“What’s up? Going to watch Sixth Sister-in-law take a bath?” Chad squeezed over and said, “Jack, Mystic is a good kid. Don’t lead him astray…”

“Get out of here! I have a girlfriend, you know. I’d never do something like that!” Jack put on a righteous face, but as he turned with his arm around Ethan Foster, he said, “Sixth Sister-in-law is almost fifty, and this damn Chad is still thinking about her. No taste at all…”

“You two, can’t you do something proper for once?”