"Alright~ Big brother, just wait and see. I promise to spend the least money and buy the most meat!" Billy immediately agreed, then grabbed two handfuls of copper coins and ran out. A few little followers cheered and went with him to buy meat, while the remaining ones like Lily Thompson were all in high spirits as well. After all, except for eating leftovers last time, they rarely got to eat meat even once a year.

Seeing how happy these kids were, James Thompson couldn't help but show a warm smile. He then called over a few more children and told them to buy oil, salt, vinegar, and other seasonings. After all, there was nothing at home, and you couldn't just boil meat in plain water.

Before long, Billy and the other kids came running back, all excited. But when James Thompson looked into the bag at the colorful assortment, he couldn't help but say in frustration, "Didn't I tell you to buy meat? Why did you buy so much offal?"

"It's cheap! Pork is more than twice as expensive as offal, and offal is still meat, isn't it?" Billy replied proudly. Although he couldn't count, he knew that buying more meat with the same amount of money was a good deal.

Looking at Billy's proud face, James Thompson couldn't help but smile wryly. But offal wasn't bad either—if you knew how to cook it, organs could be delicious. He had lived alone for many years in his previous life and had become quite a good cook.

So James Thompson praised Billy a bit, then started directing Martha and the others to clean the offal. Billy had basically bought an entire set of pig offal. The rest was easy to handle, but the intestines were a bit troublesome. Some people liked them, while others couldn't even stand the smell. James Thompson was the former, but they had to be washed thoroughly, or the smell would be overwhelming.

With so many people, James Thompson didn't make anything too complicated. He sliced the pig heart and lungs and cooked a big pot of mixed offal soup. There were a lot of intestines—definitely too much to finish in one meal. James Thompson was worried they'd spoil, so he braised them all in one pot. That way, even if they couldn't finish, they could keep for a few days.

When the meal was ready, everyone got a bowl of offal soup, a piece of braised intestine, and a big baked flatbread. Before James Thompson could say anything, Billy and the other kids, like a pack of hungry wolves, grabbed their big bowls and started devouring the food. A few ate too fast and ended up choking, their eyes rolling back. In the end, James Thompson hurriedly handed them water, or these hungry wolves might have choked themselves.

James Thompson didn't eat slowly either. He sliced the braised intestine and stuffed it into the flatbread. The fragrant, tender intestine with the soft and chewy bread, plus a mouthful of fresh offal soup—James Thompson felt like he could fly. As someone who couldn't live without meat, going several days without even a trace of it was more painful than death. Now, at last, his craving was satisfied.

After dinner, it was getting dark. Martha, Lily Thompson, and a few other girls were busy washing pots and dishes, while James Thompson, Billy, and the others gathered to chat. Mostly, Billy and the others shared things they'd heard on the street. Since James Thompson couldn't get around easily, except for the first day when he went out to sell baskets, he'd stayed home the whole time. So he relied on Billy and the others to gather information from outside.

But Billy and the others didn't go far—the furthest they'd been was still within Bianhe Town. Most of what they heard was about the town, like the rich man on East Street taking another concubine, or two gangs of ruffians on West Street fighting over territory. Nothing of much value, but at least it helped James Thompson get a better sense of his surroundings.

"Oh right, big brother, today I heard people at the dock talking about that divine bird again!" Just then, a gap-toothed boy next to Billy slapped his thigh and said. This boy's surname was Zhou, and because he'd lost a front tooth, people in Kaifeng called someone missing a tooth "huozi," so he was called Jack Carter.

"The divine bird!" James Thompson perked up at Jack's words and immediately asked eagerly, "Quick, tell me if there's any new news!"

Chapter Six: The Heavenly Book Movement

Night had fallen deeply. Lily Thompson and Billy beside him were already fast asleep, but James Thompson tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, his mind filled with the news about the "divine bird" he'd heard today.

According to what Jack and the others had heard at the dock, the incident of the divine bird descending from the sky had only grown more intense after a few days, rather than cooling down. Many people at the dock said they'd seen the imperial guards heading to where the divine bird landed, and even the county office had closed its doors. It was said the magistrate was absent, and those in the know said the magistrate had also gone to see the divine bird. Jack and Billy also noticed that there were far fewer patrol officers at the dock these days.

James Thompson also got a very important piece of information: many people were saying that the divine bird from the heavens was a rare auspicious sign, so many were comparing it to the heavenly book discovered when the emperor performed the Fengshan ceremony a few years ago. Looking through the entire history of the Northern Song, only one person was ever associated with auspicious omens, heavenly books, and Fengshan: Emperor Zhenzong of Song, who was forced by Kou Zhun to lead a personal campaign and then signed the Treaty of Chanyuan with the Liao dynasty.