Every time he drank the bitter medicinal soup under his mother's watchful gaze, Kevin Bolton's eyes brimmed with tears—not from the bitterness, but from the sweetness!

That's right, this is the taste of home, something he had longed for over two lifetimes! Kevin Bolton kept reminding himself that he must let his family live a good life!

After more than two months, he finally recovered his health. His cheeks were rosy, muscles had grown, and although his body was still not as strong as it was during his time at the military academy, he was much stronger than the frail scholar he used to be.

Carrying two buckets of water, Kevin Bolton ran for a full fifteen minutes, sweating all over, his arms sore and swollen, a layer of white steam rising from his hair. Only then was he satisfied as he carried the water home.

Kevin Bolton walked briskly into the alley. Their house was at the very end; the courtyard was left by his father, quite spacious, but after years of neglect, the side rooms on both sides had collapsed, and only the three main rooms were barely standing.

Pushing open the crooked courtyard gate, Kevin Bolton suddenly heard a hoarse voice coming from the main room.

"Big Sister-in-law Zhang, I could smell the aroma from far away. You’re eating well, aren’t you!"

Immediately, a woman’s voice replied, "Mr. Thompson, it’s just some dried cabbage from last autumn. If you’re hungry, join us for a meal."

"Hahaha, Big Sister-in-law Zhang, you really know how to play dumb. Don’t you know why I’m here?"

Hearing this, Kevin Bolton thought, could there be a guest at home? But why are they speaking so rudely! Kevin Bolton hurriedly pushed open the door and walked in.

Inside, three people stood facing each other. His mother, Mrs. Sullivan, stood in front of the Kitchen God’s shrine, dressed in coarse cloth, a dark blue headscarf wrapped around her head, not a single piece of jewelry on her, but neat and tidy. Her face was a bit pale, and her fingers nervously pinched the corner of her clothes.

Opposite Mrs. Sullivan was a hunchbacked man in his fifties, unremarkable in appearance, baring yellow teeth, one hand stroking his sparse, greasy beard, his golden eyes darting around.

Behind him stood a burly man, thickset and fierce-looking, his strange eyes rolling upward as if he looked down on everyone.

As Kevin Bolton stepped in, Mrs. Sullivan became flustered and quickly grabbed Kevin Bolton's arm, anxiously saying, "Ke'er, go read your books. I can handle things here!"

The hunchback grinned insincerely and said, "Isn’t this Second Young Master Zhang? I heard you’ve read a lot of books. It’s a pity, though, you didn’t pass the scholar’s exam. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare come to a scholar’s house to collect debts!"

"Collect debts? What debts?" Kevin Bolton asked in surprise. Judging by the situation, could it be that a creditor had come to collect money?

She could tolerate a few words, but this Sam Thompson actually dared to mock her son. Mrs. Sullivan immediately said angrily, "Sam Thompson, if you have something to say, say it to me. Don’t beat around the bush. My son will pass the imperial exam sooner or later, become a Hanlin scholar, and even a prime minister one day. When that time comes, you’ll regret it!"

"Hahaha!" Sam Thompson sneered contemptuously, "Him? With that scrawny body, he thinks he can wear the imperial red robe? Dream on! Big Sister-in-law Zhang, let’s not waste words. Just give me a straight answer—when will you pay back the money? If you don’t, see here—Ethan Carter is right here. He doesn’t care if you’re old or young, man or woman. If you don’t pay, he won’t hesitate to use his knife!"

To back up Sam Thompson's words, the big man behind him rolled up his sleeves, revealing his black, muscular arms. With a cold smile, he pulled out a foot-long dagger from behind his waist and slammed it onto the table!

Crash!

A large coarse porcelain bowl on the table was knocked to the ground. Mrs. Sullivan's face instantly turned ashen. From the inner room, a small head peeked out through the crack in the door, and upon seeing this scene, burst into tears. It was Kevin Bolton's younger sister, Emily Bolton.

"Ke'er, go take care of your sister. I can handle things here!"

Mrs. Sullivan's face changed color as she pushed Kevin Bolton toward the inner room, afraid that her frail son might get hurt even a little!

Seeing this, Kevin Bolton finally understood. His feet felt rooted to the ground—he didn’t move at all.

"Mother, your son is already a grown man. How can I always hide behind you!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Sullivan suddenly looked up. Indeed, her son was already half a head taller than her!

"Ke'er, they, they..."

"Mother, don’t worry. I can handle this!"

With a firm tone and confident expression, tears instantly gushed from Mrs. Sullivan's eyes. All these years of hardship had not been in vain—her son could finally stand up for the family!

Seeing his mother cry so bitterly, Kevin Bolton's anger flared. He straightened his chest and said proudly, "If you’ve got any guts, come at me! Scaring women and children—do you even have any shame? Why don’t you check if you’ve still got anything in your pants?"

Sam Thompson couldn’t help scratching his ear. Did he hear that right? Everyone knew Kevin Bolton only knew how to read, timid and meek, usually more reserved than a young lady, not even daring to go out shopping. How come today he seemed to have grown a backbone and dared to challenge them!

Ethan Carter reached for the dagger, ready to draw it. Sam Thompson stopped him with a sneer, "Tiger Lord, you’re magnanimous. You could take on ten of him. Let’s be polite before we get rough—no need to rush."

As he spoke, Sam Thompson glanced sideways at Kevin Bolton and said with a curled lip, "Second Young Master Zhang, we don’t scare women, but paying back debts is only right. No matter what, you can’t run from it!"