Kevin Bolton was deeply worried, while Frank Johnson was overjoyed. He grabbed a huge cloth bundle and said with a grin, “Brother Kevin, there are three fox pelts in here, plus two deer hides and a wolf pelt. All of them are pretty good quality. The merchants in Yizhou are stingy and couldn’t bear to sell them.”

Kevin Bolton came closer and touched them; sure enough, they were soft and smooth. But when he looked further into the bundle, he immediately frowned.

“What… what is this?”

“Old clothes, Brother Kevin, didn’t you ask us to find some?” As Frank Johnson spoke, he pulled out a few pieces. Kevin Bolton pinched his nose and took them, unfolding one to see that the clothes were patched all over, big patches over small ones, the original color unrecognizable, and the strong smell stung his nose. There were even a few moth holes at the cuffs and collar.

“Brother, I’m afraid only beggars would want these. Suppose you were a Tartar—would you trade a fur coat for this?”

Now Frank Johnson was dumbfounded too. He scratched his head and said, “Brother Kevin, it really took a lot of effort to get these. Do you think we could just make do with them?”

“No, absolutely not. We’ve come all this way, so we have to bring things we can actually sell. Carrying junk is just a waste of effort!”

The The Johnson Brothers were both stunned, staring at the pile of rags, their faces flushed red. George Johnson lowered his head and said, “It’s all our fault. We couldn’t even handle this small task.”

“Kevin, don’t blame them—it’s your idea that’s the problem!” Mrs. Sullivan came out of the house holding homespun cloth, with Lucy carrying shoe soles.

Mrs. Sullivan put the things on the sled and said, “Kevin, haven’t you been pretty sharp these past few days? How come you’re muddled now? All these families are poor. One piece of clothing gets worn from the eldest to the youngest, patched and mended. Look—aren’t all the kids dressed in rags? Besides, everyone knows about our business with Wan Baichuan. If they traded us good clothes, wouldn’t that be going against the Wan family?”

A few words from Mrs. Sullivan made Kevin Bolton suddenly see the light. Mother was right, after all.

Kevin Bolton quickly cupped his hands to George Johnson and Frank Johnson, apologizing, “It was my oversight. I wrongly blamed you.”

George Johnson gave a simple, honest smile. “We’re all family, no need to say that. But if these clothes won’t do, can we still scrape together enough to make up twenty taels of silver?”

Mrs. Sullivan laughed, “Kevin, speaking of old clothes, our family has quite a few. They were all bought by your father back in the day. They’re old, but at least they’re not patched. Lucy and I washed them all these past couple of days and packed up a big bundle.”

“That’s great!” Kevin Bolton immediately broke into a smile. In fact, he wasn’t just thinking about paying off debts this time—otherwise, the iron stove would have been enough. Kevin Bolton was aiming to earn his first pot of gold. Without money, nothing works, and the more goods, the better.

“Mom, are all these clothes?” Looking at the pile like a small mountain, Kevin Bolton widened his eyes.

Mrs. Sullivan nodded and sighed, “Your deadbeat dad just loved to splurge. Whenever he had a little money, he’d buy things at random.”

Her tone was reproachful, but the smile at the corner of her mouth couldn’t hide her pride. That deadbeat dad really was something!

Mrs. Sullivan looked over and sighed, “Out with the old, in with the new. Take it all, so we don’t have to worry about it!”

She took the lead, and Lucy and Emily joined in. In no time, they packed a huge bundle. Together with the shoe soles, cloth, and the pelts brought by George Johnson and the others, everything was loaded onto the first sled.

Mrs. Sullivan then pulled Kevin Bolton over and bundled him up tightly from head to toe: thick cotton-padded jacket and pants, a dogskin hat, felt boots. In a flash, he looked just like the The Two Johnson Brothers.

“Mom, this is way too thick!”

“Thicker is better—means someone cares about you. Traveling far isn’t like staying home. Here, take this money too!”

Mrs. Sullivan stuffed the silver sent by Liam the Blacksmith into Kevin Bolton’s arms. Kevin Bolton didn’t refuse, carefully putting it away and checking it two or three times—this was all their assets.

“Mom, while I’m gone, you and Lucy and the others shouldn’t stay at home. The Wan family is no good—you have to be on guard against them. Go stay at Uncle Johnson’s house for a while. At most ten days, and I’ll be back. Everything will be fine!”

Mrs. Sullivan nodded reluctantly. “Kevin, you’re all grown up, but this is your first time traveling far. I just can’t stop worrying!”

Mother’s eyes brimmed with tears, full of deep reluctance. Kevin Bolton deliberately acted unconcerned and said with a smile, “A real man’s ambitions are far and wide. Little Guangning is nothing to me. Just wait for our good news. Mom, Lucy, Emily, I’m off!”

“Take care, Brother Kevin!” Lucy said, eyes brimming with tears.

Kevin Bolton strode into the yard and smiled at the The Johnson Brothers, “Let’s go, we’ll stop by Uncle Thompson’s house and pick up a few trinkets.”

“Liam the Blacksmith?” Frank Johnson asked in surprise. “Brother Kevin, you’re something else! Liam the Blacksmith’s craftsmanship is famous far and wide. Anything he makes is guaranteed to be top-notch! Come on, tell us—what did you have him make?”

Kevin Bolton laughed, “Hahaha, that’s a secret. You’ll see when we get there.”

The three of them drove the dog sled, excitedly leaving home. When they reached the street corner, Kevin Bolton suddenly looked back. His mother stood at the doorway, with Lucy and Emily huddled close beside her, their eyes full of care and reluctance, all fixed on him. A wave of warmth surged in his heart, his eyes stinging, and salty tears threatened to spill out.

“Pathetic! I’ve even transmigrated, and I’m still this soft!”