"Young people really are leaving home for the first time, huh? The reputation of our Old Brooks—ask around within a hundred miles, and for the past ten years, not a single guest has ever lost even a thread here!" An old man in charge of directing the manor workers stepped forward to introduce himself to David Thompson. Besides pride, his words carried a hint of displeasure.

"Old Lump Brooks, stop bragging! Last time, your jujube tree tore off half my shirt. As for threads, there must have been hundreds!" George Clark hurried over to help David Thompson out, joking as he spoke, then scolded David Thompson, "Aren't you going to get a bowl of water under the shade? Standing out here in the blazing sun, aren't you afraid you'll get sunstroke, you two?"

David Thompson's flushed face turned even redder, as if a fire was burning right beneath his skin. Over the past few days on the road, he had already made plenty of similar blunders. Whether staying at inns, eating and drinking, or even relieving himself in the wild, someone always had to guide him. Fortunately, since everyone had enjoyed his family's hospitality, they still owed him some goodwill and hadn't shown any sign of annoyance.

"I, I..." David Thompson mumbled awkwardly, but in his panic, a bit of cleverness emerged. Pointing at the blue-and-white mule, he said, "It's not that I don't trust you, I'm just afraid that animal might scare them!"

"A mule!" Old Man Brooks burst out laughing, but before he finished, a worker near the mule suddenly shouted and jumped back. The little wolf Samuel poked half its head out of a cloth bag, letting out a series of low howls from its throat.

At that, not only the people but even the livestock were startled. Several animals close to the blue-and-white mule shivered and backed away desperately, no matter how hard the workers tried to hold them.

"It's just a wolf cub, not even a month old. Look at how timid you all are!" George Clark, afraid Samuel would cause more trouble, quickly explained to everyone. "This kid is a good-hearted one—he was worried the wolf would frighten you, so he kept watch nearby. And you lot, you take his kindness for nothing!"

David Thompson caught his breath, and his speech and mind immediately cleared. Smiling, he ran over, scooped Samuel into his arms, and bowed to everyone in apology: "Sorry for my recklessness, brothers, I startled you all. I should have warned you earlier, but I was afraid you'd think I was being overly cautious!" With that, he lifted the little wolf's front paw, making it look like it was bowing too.

"This wolf cub is actually quite interesting!" The workers of Old Brooks, being experienced, naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against a kid who hadn't even grown all his hair yet. Once they recovered from their shock, they laughed and went back to work. George Clark came over, grabbed David Thompson's hand, pulled him under the shade of a tree in the manor, handed him a big bowl of cool tea, and scolded him with a smile, "Didn't expect you to have some quick wits, kid. Don't worry, this Old Master Brooks is a merchant—it's only because traveling merchants pass through his place that he can keep a steady supply of goods. If people were always missing things, his reputation would have been ruined long ago. And once that's gone, all his business would dry up!"

"Thank you, Uncle Jiu!" David Thompson put down the tea bowl and thanked him quietly.

"Thank me for what? Your father entrusted you to me—I can't let him down. Let me tell you, when I was your age, I was even more reckless than this. I once carried a bundle and ventured out to the frontier alone, not knowing a single rule. No caravan would let me join, and once I was almost beaten to death as a suspected bandit spy!" George Clark shook his head, his gaze suddenly turning especially deep.

That must be a very sorrowful memory, David Thompson thought silently, as if he could see a boy just as lonely as himself, struggling to survive in the towering mountains, with no companions and no end to the road in sight. In that instant, the ragged clothes and sweaty smell on George Clark began to feel familiar and comforting.

"You should learn more from Big Eyes—that kid is sharp as a tack and has a good heart. In all my years of traveling, I've never seen anyone so clever!" After resting in the shade for a while, George Clark dusted off his pants and stood up, shouting to the crowd scrambling for tea, "Big Eyes, Big Eyes brother!"

"Here, Uncle Jiu, I'm right here!" Big-Eyed Miller poked half his head out from a row of windows. In just a short while, he had washed his face and changed from his short jacket into a light blue long robe. With his scholarly face, he looked every bit the young master of a wealthy family.

"Heh, who would've thought a phoenix would fly out of my humble nest!" George Clark joked with a laugh.

"Aren't we heading into town soon? Dressing neatly makes it easier to visit the big shops!" Big-Eyed Miller replied with a smile, pointing to a few other windows. "Uncle Zhang, Uncle Du, and the others are changing too. Uncle Jiu, are you really going to deliver goods to town in just a short jacket?"

"You little rascal, you sure have a sharp tongue!" George Clark scolded him with a smile, then pushed David Thompson forward and said, "Take care of brother David the Attendant—he's two years younger than you!"

"Of course! I was just about to ask him, but when I saw Uncle Jiu giving advice, I didn't dare interrupt!" Big-Eyed Miller replied loudly, beckoning David Thompson inside to change clothes.

After another round of commotion, everyone was finally settled. George Clark took charge, leading a few older, clear-headed merchants to hand over the southern goods entrusted to them by the host family from the Central Plains. The other merchants went outside to grab a bite at small roadside shops, picked up the fancy goods they planned to leave in Ji County, and headed into town together.

David Thompson and Big-Eyed Miller, with no goods to sell, each rode a horse and wandered aimlessly through the city. This was the largest city David Thompson had ever seen—even just the southern corner was twice the size of the Yi County he knew. The blue-gray tiled roofs, the painted flying eaves, the snow-white walls—everywhere he looked was dazzling. Even more impressive were the stone-paved streets, so smooth they were like mirrors, making him reluctant to let his horse step on them.

The goods in the shops were even more dazzling: silks from the south, felt from the north, gems from the Western Regions, pearls from the East Sea—everything made David Thompson's heart race. And the prices matched the quality, so high he didn't even dare to touch anything. Every time he mounted his horse to follow Big-Eyed Miller, David Thompson was extremely cautious, afraid that if his horse got spooked and crashed into a shop, breaking even one or two items, the The Thompson Family would be ruined forever.