He finished speaking and glanced at Samuel Grant out of the corner of his eye: "Zhenzhu, are you willing?"

Samuel Grant clenched his back teeth. "I am." After agreeing, he was still unwilling to give up. "Master, can I change my name?"

Edward Bennett felt the big hand on his shoulder applying pressure. He thought, if he went against his own son's wishes, he wouldn't have a peaceful week. Besides, after thinking it over, he felt "Zhenzhu" wasn't bad, so he teased, "Zhenzhu—soft, smooth, blessed. I think it's pretty good."

Even when they went to the machine room to pick materials, Samuel Grant's drooping face never brightened. Henry Bennett led the way, unlocked the door, and kicked it open. Sunlight poured in, illuminating all the boxes and cabinets of materials.

Ethan Carter couldn't help himself: "Bro, I want to..."

Henry Bennett cut him off: "You want my ass."

Samuel Grant's eyes went blank, but before he could feast his eyes, his view was blocked. Henry Bennett's tall figure stood in front of him, grabbing a handful of agate. "Pick one."

The light was even stronger in the courtyard. Five agates lay on the table, waiting for Samuel Grant to choose. Samuel Grant ran inside to get a knife and pen, then returned under everyone's gaze, barely catching his breath before examining the five different-colored southern red agates.

Jin red, banded red, rose red, cinnabar red...

Samuel Grant reached out and grabbed the jin red one, then looked up at Henry Bennett, only to meet a look full of "oh, come on." As if he wasn't a person, but a piece of scrap, a little bit of trash.

Samuel Grant started drawing directly on the southern red agate. He drew the lucky bamboo by the archway. The lines at the base of the pot were smooth, but the higher up, the softer they became. The bamboo branches and leaves were tangled and messy, with no sense of wind direction.

Henry Bennett didn't even want to look. He squatted down and yanked up the lilac in the flowerbed. The lilac shared his surname, and it was his favorite. He tore his favorite flower into broken branches and leaves, then stood up just in time to see Samuel Grant changing knives.

He paced to the right and back, staring. In just two minutes, he couldn't stand it anymore. He grabbed Samuel Grant's wrist: "Why is your wrist shaking? Are you rolling dice or dealing cards?"

Samuel Grant said, "I'm used to it."

"Used to it? Used to not being able to tell real from fake among five southern red agates, used to drawing weak, messy shapes, and used to shaking your wrist while holding a knife?!" Henry Bennett suddenly raised his voice. "Wasting time, shameless!"

The aptitude test ended there. The others snickered and whispered, all mocking. Henry Bennett was furious, firing off a barrage of scolding at Samuel Grant, as if only a harsh scolding could comfort the spirit of Ji Fangxu in heaven.

Samuel Grant let it go in one ear and out the other. After listening, he went back to his room, closed the door, and sat on the bed to read "War and Peace" again.

He knew very well that the others envied his sudden apprenticeship, and were even more wary of him dividing up the family business. After all, in the Jade Shop, shares had always been based on skill. So if he didn't show any sharpness, maybe it would put everyone at ease for a while.

As for Henry Bennett, who only cared about craftsmanship...

Tch, whatever.

Samuel Grant held his book. He hadn't found the gold bookmark, but the jade earrings had made him lose sleep all night.

Chapter 3: Can't believe I can't come up with a summary this fast.

On Monday, those who had work went to work, those who had school went to school. After arguing with Mr. Bolton, Henry Bennett took leave. He didn't say how many days, but since Mr. Bolton was on a business trip to Fujian, he wasn't in a hurry.

He slept in until late morning, combined breakfast and lunch into one meal, washed up, and came out of the bedroom, only to see those two annoying suitcases again. Henry Bennett walked slowly to the next room and shouted thunderously, "Pearl Grant! Come out!"

The door was ajar. Samuel Grant appeared in the crack, calm as a mountain: "What is it?"

"What do you think? Leaving the suitcases here—what does that look like? You think this is a stall at Liulichang?" Henry Bennett had just gotten up, his voice a bit hoarse. "You have to tidy them up today, or I'll chop them up and make them into stools."

As he spoke, he pushed the door. Misjudging the force, the door carved with vines and flowers banged open. Samuel Grant stood in the center, startled, and was instantly bathed in sunlight, even the fine hairs on his forearms becoming clear.

"Senior brother," Samuel Grant didn't fight back, but responded gently, "If I take everything out, where should I put the suitcases?"

Henry Bennett said, "Put them in the machine room."

Samuel Grant nodded, reassured—as long as they weren't chopped up for firewood, he had no more questions. In the silence, he and Henry Bennett made eye contact for two seconds. He knew his own eyes were empty, and he also knew Henry Bennett's eyes were once again full of "oh, come on."

Henry Bennett had always been unrestrained, never bothering to hide his emotions. Samuel Grant's expressionless face reminded him of the pretentious phrase "face like a jade crown," and then of Samuel Grant's terrible skills, making his gaze turn contemptuous.

No matter how good-looking, a straw bag is still a straw bag.

At lunch, not everyone was present. There were only a few people around the round table. Henry Bennett had little appetite in the heat, sipping a bowl of mung bean soup on the sofa. "Hanbai, how many days are you planning to take off?" Earl Howard Bennett came over after eating, picked up the remote, and turned up the TV volume. "Why didn't the new fifth junior brother eat?"

Henry Bennett didn't care at all. "Who knows, probably not hungry."

Earl Howard Bennett's quiet voice was just audible over the TV: "I heard from my dad that he's not just Ji Fangxu's apprentice, but also Ji Fangxu's illegitimate son."