He focused intently on carving until nightfall, then put down his knife and rubbed his flattened fingertips. He had no way to polish the piece unless Henry Bennett allowed him into the machine room, and for that, he’d have to borrow a book. The two of them were like interlocking clasps, one link after another—there was no brotherly camaraderie, nor any goodwill between colleagues, only... friction.

Samuel Grant went to the courtyard to collect the books. At that moment, Grace Carter came back from work, with Ethan Carter, just home from school, following behind. Grace Carter helped out, and Ethan Carter joined in as well. In just a few minutes, they were done.

“Thank you, Auntie,” Samuel Grant said, noticing Ethan Carter standing by the window reading "As Mountain, As Sea." “If you like it, go ahead and read it.”

Ethan Carter was quite happy. “Junior brother, how old are you this year?”

“Seventeen by traditional reckoning, birthday in the spring.”

“Then you’re half a year younger than me.” Ethan Carter hefted his schoolbag. “You’re not going to school anymore?”

Back in Yangzhou, Samuel Grant had already been in his second year of high school. After summer break, he would have started his third year, but he left school and came here before the break even began. To Edward Bennett, he was entirely an extra, so he would never make any other requests, like going to school.

In fact, on his way here, he had already prepared himself to help out at Yuxiao Ji, ready at any time to follow Edward Bennett's instructions.

After putting the books away, Grace Carter went inside to check if anything was running low. Samuel Grant picked up the piece of southern red agate on the table and said, “Auntie, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. This is for you.”

“Let me see!” Ethan Carter snatched it up. “Auntie, he carved you!”

Red and white material, a slender young girl, the whole figure a deep red, with only the pleated skirt pure white and flawless. It was the first time Grace Carter had received such a gift; she couldn’t get enough of looking at it. “It’s beautiful. The skirt looks like it’s blowing in the wind. I love it.”

Samuel Grant said regretfully, “It just hasn’t been polished yet.”

Ethan Carter said, “No problem, I’ll get big brother to open the machine room. We’ll polish it tonight.” After saying this, he looked at Samuel Grant, his tall frame suddenly serious and a bit intimidating. “Junior brother, when you carved the lucky bamboo the other day, the branches and leaves were all over the place. How come the pleated skirt flows so smoothly this time?”

Samuel Grant dodged the question. “I outdid myself this time. Otherwise, I was afraid Auntie wouldn’t like it.”

Dinner was ready. Grace Carter pushed them out, and Ethan Carter didn’t get a chance to keep asking questions. As they walked down the corridor, they ran into Henry Bennett, who immediately spotted the book in Ethan Carter's hand.

He glanced at Samuel Grant again, cursing inwardly: little southern barbarian.

That night, when everyone was present, Samuel Grant's seat was added to Henry Bennett's left. Every time he tried to pick up food, Henry Bennett would jab him with his elbow; when he tried to drink soup, he got shoved and spilled a bit.

“What’s your problem?” Samuel Grant pressed his tongue down. “Does wasting food make you happy?”

Even sitting, Henry Bennett was half a head taller than him, his broad shoulders crowding him. “That’s just how this family is. If you’re capable, you get to be domineering and eat and drink as you please. If you’re not, you’re just a loser and have to put up with it.”

Samuel Grant shot back, “I don’t see what you’re so good at, lounging around at home every day.”

Henry Bennett picked up the last meatball and dropped it into his own bowl. “Cursing out the boss and not getting fired—that’s skill.” Then he picked up the cabbage leaf under the meatball, half-raw and oily, and put it in the other’s bowl, saying loudly, “Pearl, eat more. If you get fat, your senior won’t laugh at you.”

Samuel Grant squeezed out a reply through his teeth: “Thank you, senior.”

As they were finishing up, Edward Bennett, exhausted from a day’s work, put down his chopsticks and suddenly said, “Shenyu, Fangxu has always wanted you to go to school. I think so too. Go back to your third year, and we’ll talk after you graduate.”

Samuel Grant felt a sudden joy from the heavens, grinned broadly, and nodded. “I’ll go! Thank you, Master!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Henry Bennett caught that dazzling smile, nearly blinded by it. He figured Samuel Grant's grades must be mediocre—a good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing, no matter the field.

After everyone left, only Henry Bennett's family of three remained in the living room. Lillian Carter was munching on raisins as an after-dinner snack, and Edward Bennett was watching the weather forecast. “Dad,” Henry Bennett suddenly remembered something, “I heard Samuel Grant is Master Ji’s illegitimate son?”

Edward Bennett didn’t hide it. “Yeah, the day the funeral was over, Fangxu’s wife kicked him out.”

Henry Bennett was inexplicably curious and grinned mischievously. “Didn’t he get any share of the family property or anything?”

“He did, just those three suitcases,” Edward Bennett said. “Fangxu stopped working with his hands long ago. He’s been messing with antiques these past years. After he got sick, Shenyu took care of all his needs. Most of the stuff at home was taken by his wife. As soon as he passed, his wife blocked the door and made Shenyu pack up, afraid he’d take even one extra thing. Shenyu gathered up the books—those must be what he saved up over the years.”

Henry Bennett added, “And the platinum and jade earrings.”

Edward Bennett hadn’t seen them. “Probably fake. If they were real, she wouldn’t have let him take them.”

“No way, they’re natural jade!” Henry Bennett immediately stood up. Even if Samuel Grant was bluffing, he wasn’t blind. Besides, would anyone treasure a fake that much? He hurried back to the small courtyard and bumped right into Ethan Carter.

“Big brother, I was looking for you.” Ethan Carter shook his fist. “I want to use the machine room to polish something.”

Henry Bennett took him to the south room’s machine room, glanced at Samuel Grant's bedroom—light on, door ajar, no sound. “Carving something?” He opened the door and went in, gesturing for Ethan Carter to show him in the brightly lit machine room. “Let me see.”