The same rice and flour, the same ingredients, yet whatever Edward Thompson made was always tastier than what Little Lily cooked. This was a conclusion Grace Walker reached after comparison.

What used to be just two daily meals to fill the stomach had somehow become something to look forward to. Ordinary porridge and noodles, under his hands, would turn into something new every time. Sometimes, just a glance or a whiff of the aroma would greatly increase one’s appetite.

When eating was no longer just about filling the belly, it seemed as if life itself became more beautiful.

After a few times, Grace Walker never again mentioned things like “a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.”

Sometimes, she was curious: why would a scholar be so passionate about things in the kitchen? In an era where “all pursuits are inferior, only studying is noble,” it was truly hard to imagine a scholar lowering his status to do what a cook does...

What about his scholarly dignity?

Grace Walker had met quite a few scholars before, and they mostly gave her the impression of being arrogant and self-important, looking down on others. There was no doubt that her own husband was not like a typical scholar, but he was clearly different from everyone else as well.

Whether he was truly talented or not, Grace Walker wasn’t sure, but she thought he couldn’t be too bad.

Those unruly children that no one could control were, under his hand, surprisingly obedient. In just a few days, they had changed in ways that amazed everyone, far beyond what Grace Walker had expected.

Of course, hearing from Little Lily about the stories Edward Thompson told the children in class also left Grace Walker quite astonished.

How did he come up with those things?

During this period, it seemed even the whole village had undergone some small changes.

At first, to Grace Walker, Edward Thompson was just a temporary solution to shut up those who kept pushing her to marry—just a show, a nominal husband with no real relationship. She thought that after some time, when things settled down, if he wanted to leave, she would let him go.

Grace Walker had actually prepared herself, expecting him to resist, to try to escape...

But no matter what, she never expected that from beginning to end, he never showed the slightest intention of doing so. On the contrary, he integrated himself here at an unbelievable speed...

Even though they saw each other every day, Grace Walker felt as if she had never truly seen through him.

What a... strange scholar he was...

...

...

Overall, Edward Thompson was quite satisfied with his current life.

This was a leisure and joy he had never experienced in his previous life. Each day was mostly about cooking, teaching the wild kids a bit—nothing difficult, a kind of ease that was hard to describe.

As for running away...

Why would he run away?

If he ran, what would he eat, where would he live, and where could he find such a beautiful wife?

He wasn’t stupid. Since he was already living a life akin to early retirement, why would he go looking for trouble?

Edward Thompson had always considered himself easily satisfied, and that was a good thing.

“Good morning, sir!”

Walking into the classroom, the wild kids were already sitting properly, behaving with perfect manners, their little faces showing a hint of anticipation.

Yesterday, before class ended, Edward Thompson had left the story at a big cliffhanger. The kids were probably already impatient, as could be seen from the dark circles under their eyes—they clearly hadn’t slept well last night.

This gave Edward Thompson a small sense of mischievous satisfaction.

Getting close to the wild kids was actually very simple. Edward Thompson just told them stories every day, and along the way taught them to write their own names, or other words they wanted to learn, like “Sun Wukong,” “Jade Emperor,” “Tathagata Buddha”—things they were interested in. The results were surprisingly good; by now, each kid had mastered at least a dozen characters.

With over ten years of experience as a student, Edward Thompson understood better than anyone that interest is the best teacher. Passive indoctrination could never compare to active pursuit. Although his methods might be considered as tempting minors, the results were extremely effective.

At this point, there were even more wild kids in the classroom than at the beginning, including a few girls.

According to the normal course of history, the idea of male superiority would probably persist in this world for hundreds or even thousands of years. Even in Willow Leaf Village, no one had ever thought of letting girls sit in class with boys before.

But the story of that monkey was just too tempting—even the girls couldn’t resist. Maybe some kid who heard the story in class bragged about it to friends who hadn’t attended, so whenever Edward Thompson taught, there would always be a few small figures standing timidly outside the door or window, not daring to come in.

Edward Thompson had never been influenced by the idea of male superiority. Since the girls wanted to join, he let them come in and listen together—it had already been several days.

However, sometimes, a few awkward situations still occurred.