"What a pity, truly a pity. Just yesterday, Master Brooks was saying that among all the students in the county school, only you and I have truly awakened to the joys of reading. My uncle must have acted rashly; otherwise, I could talk to my father and have him give you some financial support!"

"Fifth Brother, your kindness is something I should gratefully accept. But my father’s mind is made up, so I’d better not go against his wishes!" David Thompson cupped his hands again, politely declining. In the whole of Shanggu, who would dare borrow money from Uncle Richard Bolton's family, except those driven to utter desperation? Last year, his uncle borrowed a dozen strings of cash and ended up losing half his property. If he, as an outside nephew, went to ask for a loan, the few acres of thin land the The Thompson Family owned would hardly withstand a single sweep of his uncle’s greedy hand.

"Well then, traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books!" Little Billy Bolton said, shaking his head and swaying. He tapped his fine copper stirrup with his whip and continued, "I heard you hunted a she-wolf the other day, as big as a donkey?"

"That’s all just rumors. If there really was a wolf that big, I’d have been eaten by it long ago—how would I have had the chance to hunt it? Anything else, cousin?" David Thompson had no interest in idle chatter in the middle of the road, so he nudged his mount, ready to take his leave.

"Don’t be in such a hurry to go. We’re brothers, and classmates too—let me walk with you a bit!" Little Billy Bolton's words warmed David Thompson's heart. But then, his real intention was quickly revealed.

"I heard you also took a wolf cub, with silvery-gray fur?"

"That’s another rumor. Wolf cubs’ fur is always just a dull gray!" David Thompson replied as he walked slowly forward.

"A misbegotten thing born out of season, and a lone cub at that—it probably won’t survive! Besides, wolves are wild by nature; you may not be able to handle it when it grows up!"

"I’ll raise it as long as I can. It was just a whim. When it grows up, I’ll release it into the deep mountains and let it fend for itself!" David Thompson was growing impatient. For days now, he’d heard the same thing about the wolf cub not surviving at least a dozen times a day—his ears were getting calloused from it.

"Why not let me have it, Fifth Brother? I’ve got plenty of scraps in my kitchen—better than letting it suffer with you. I’ll give you ten coins. What do you say?" Little Billy Bolton spurred his horse to catch up, smiling as he asked.

David Thompson gave his cousin a surprised look, shook his head, and continued on his way.

"How about twenty, but not a coin more. Even a well-trained hunting dog isn’t worth that much!" Little Billy Bolton was relentless, still haggling.

"Fifth Brother, that wolf cub isn’t worth a single coin. But it’s mine!" David Thompson turned his head, his brows drawn together in two thick lines.

"I’ll be honest with you, David the Attendant! Mr. Brooks Sr. always bullies my dogs because his tiger hound is so big. So I want to raise a wolf for revenge. That thing is born to drink blood and eat meat—with your family’s means, you’ll never be able to keep it alive. Why not let me have it? For the sake of family, I’ll give you fifty coins to help you out. That’s better than you giving up your studies to take up a lowly trade!" Little Billy Bolton blocked David Thompson's way, speaking urgently.

"Fifth Brother, a gentleman does not take what another loves!" David Thompson said loudly, his face darkening. "Besides, it’s a wolf, not a dog!" With that, he pushed past Little Billy Bolton and galloped away.

"David the Attendant, David the Attendant, let’s talk it over, let’s talk it over again!" Little Billy Bolton chased after him on horseback, his anxious voice echoing down the street.

"I’ll say it one more time—it’s not a dog!"

In the days that followed, David Thompson spent his time bidding farewell to friends, relatives, and classmates. When people heard he was giving up his studies to go into business, some felt sorry, some were glad, but most came with kind words of comfort, telling him to accept fate. Under the gaze of eyes full of the warmth and coldness of the world, the days passed quickly. Before he knew it, the end of the month had arrived. With the knot in his heart already untied by a few words from Old Master, David Thompson now felt, aside from some reluctance, a growing sense of joy and anticipation for the wandering life ahead. The wolf cub, who hardly left his side, seemed to sense his change in mood, sticking close to David Thompson's feet, constantly rolling around and begging for food and attention.

Though there wasn’t enough meat to eat, the cub, like a person, now had regular meals and was growing rapidly. Once its eyes opened, it refused to rest in the wooden box David Thompson had prepared for it, instead stumbling after David Thompson wherever he went.

For such a freak born out of season, the neighbors and clan elders were quite displeased, coming several times to ask Charles Thompson to get rid of the wolf cub, lest it grow up to harm the village. But when they heard that the only son of the The Thompson Family had dropped out of school and was about to take up a lowly trade, they could no longer speak so harshly.

Among the four classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants ranked last. In ordinary families, if a son could earn his keep working the fields, he would never stoop to being a merchant. A farmer could change his fate through hard study or by gaining someone’s favor, but a merchant would be branded as such for life, never having the chance to become a scholar or official.

Most people envy neighbors who are better off, secretly wishing disaster upon them. But when a neighbor falls on hard times, they feel a bit of sympathy instead. "That thing won’t survive anyway!" "He’ll take that cursed thing with him when he leaves!" The neighbors and clan members found excuses for themselves and gradually stopped coming to Charles Thompson's house.

"Not only must you grow up, you must outgrow the rest." At sunset, David Thompson said to his little wolf. The cub rolled on the ground, whining and yipping in response to David Thompson's words.

"Why don’t I call you Gan Luo!" David Thompson stroked the cub’s soft fur, smiling. Once a promising young scholar admired by all, he had now become a small-time merchant whom people avoided. Although Master Smith had helped him untie the knot in his heart that day, the drastic change in his life had unconsciously altered his temperament. In his words and actions, besides his original honesty and sincerity, there was now a touch of cynicism.

Gan Luo became a prime minister at twelve—a prodigy and a lucky child in the eyes of the world. Since everyone called the wolf cub a cursed thing, doomed to misfortune, David Thompson deliberately gave it the luckiest name he could think of. As for whether the idle gossips would be furious about it, David Thompson didn’t care, nor could he.