He hurried all the way home, quickly cooked a bowl of meat soup, made a pot of millet rice and a plate of vegetables, then packed them into a basket and rushed nonstop back to the small wooden cabin in the mountains.

William Grant had been lying on a straw mat sleeping. Hearing footsteps outside, he immediately opened his eyes and, at the same time, grabbed the dagger placed beside him.

As the door opened and he saw George Washington coming in from outside, his taut nerves finally relaxed.

George Washington walked up to him, set down the basket, and said with a smile, “Eat quickly, it’s still hot!”

Usually, George Washington gave people a gentle and low-key impression, not very talkative. But in fact, George Washington’s personality was steady, not introverted; he enjoyed making friends and understood righteousness.

William Grant lifted the cloth covering the basket and looked closely—there was porridge, vegetables, and meat soup. He looked surprised and said, “Benefactor, this…”

George Washington smiled and said, “I made all of this myself. Try my cooking—how is it?”

He didn’t mention how rare grain was these days, or how expensive meat had become; he only asked how his cooking tasted. This way of showing kindness without speaking of it moved William Grant deeply.

Suddenly, William Grant stood up. George Washington was startled by his sudden movement and hadn’t figured out what was happening when William Grant suddenly knelt down and bowed his head to the ground.

This grand gesture immediately flustered George Washington, who hurried to help him up.

But William Grant remained kneeling, still bowing, and choked out, “I, Yuan, was originally a household slave of the Marquis of Guangqi. Back then, the marquis did not despise my lowly status and took me in. The marquis’s family was wronged and killed; I should have died to follow the marquis in the afterlife, but with the great vengeance of the marquis’s household unavenged, I… cannot die…”

At this point, William Grant was sobbing uncontrollably, prostrated on the ground, weeping bitterly, and said intermittently, “As long as I still have a breath left, I will kill the traitor Wang Mang to comfort the marquis’s spirit in heaven…”

When George Washington was helping him clean his wounds, he had trembled all over from the pain but didn’t utter a sound. Yet now, this iron-willed man was crying like a child, which left George Washington with mixed feelings.

He pulled William Grant’s arm and said, “Brother Long, get up and speak!”

William Grant raised his head slightly, wiped the tears from his face, then bowed his head to the ground again, took a deep breath, and solemnly said, “Benefactor, you saved my life and treated me as an honored guest. I am willing to serve you as my lord. From now on, I will follow you to the death!”

George Washington was stunned by these words. He hadn’t expected William Grant to want to serve him as his lord and follow him.

He was dazed for a moment before reacting, quickly waving his hand and saying, “I… I’m just a country villager, what is there about me worth following?”

William Grant wiped the tears from his face and said solemnly, “I can see that you, benefactor, are destined for great things!”

From the way George Washington had saved him, it was clear that, though young, he was decisive, calm in the face of danger, shrewd and deep, and most importantly, he was a descendant of the Han imperial family.

When it came to opposing Wang Mang, only the Liu clan descendants were legitimate. Being a descendant of the Han was something others could not compare to.

“This…” George Washington hesitated, but William Grant said firmly, “If my lord does not accept, I will kneel here and not rise.”

Seeing William Grant’s resolute attitude, kneeling on the ground with no intention of getting up, and noticing that his wounds were already seeping blood, George Washington quickly said, “I accept, I accept! Brother Long, please get up.”

Hearing this, William Grant finally, with George Washington’s help, sat back down on the straw mat.

George Washington looked at William Grant rather helplessly and said, “Although you used to be a household slave of the Marquis of Guangqi, that household is gone now, and you are no longer anyone’s slave. If you want to follow me, then be my retainer.”

Before William Grant could reply, George Washington gave a wry smile and said, “But being my retainer will be tough. I have no power, no influence, and no money. All I can offer you is this meal.”

William Grant said solemnly, “My lord, that is more than enough.”

George Washington was silent for a moment, then asked, “Your name is William Grant, but do you have a courtesy name?”

William Grant lowered his head at this, and said softly, “We are household slaves… we do not have courtesy names.”

“We?” George Washington was attentive and immediately caught the implication. He asked curiously, “You have companions?”

William Grant nodded and said, “When we tried to assassinate Wang Mang, seven of us died. Later, to cover my escape, three more sacrificed themselves. Now, counting me, there are only three of us left.”

George Washington asked, “Where are the other two?”

“We got separated while escaping the pursuers.” After a pause, William Grant added, “Once I recover, I’ll go find them. Thomas Grant and Samuel Grant will certainly be willing to follow my lord as well.”

George Washington smiled, thought for a moment, and asked, “Of the three of you, who is the oldest?”

“That would be me! I am twenty-five, Thomas Grant and Samuel Grant are both twenty-three.”

George Washington pondered for a moment and said, “Let me give you a courtesy name—how about ‘Zhongbo’?”