Webb being able to send craftsmen out definitely means they are family slaves.

Ethan Clark arrived at the location.

The craftsmen, now in a new environment, immediately knelt and saluted upon seeing Ethan Clark, looking somewhat fearful.

In truth, they were not happy about going from being household slaves of the prestigious Webb noble family to becoming the property of a minor noble they had never heard of.

Ethan Clark asked kindly, “What skills do you have?”

The craftsmen searched their vocabulary, but most of them didn’t understand what Ethan Clark meant.

A few craftsmen, half-guessing, cautiously stated their specialties.

Once one took the lead and saw that Ethan Clark clearly wanted this, the rest of the craftsmen understood what to do.

Out of forty craftsmen, thirty specialized in metalwork, five were carpenters, and five were masons.

Ethan Clark had guessed as much.

After all, his cooperation with Webb was about metals, so of course Samuel Webb would bring mostly craftsmen in related fields.

As he was talking with the craftsmen, Elder arrived again.

Elder had already prepared everything needed for the “cut-off offering” and was just waiting for Ethan Clark to come over.

The so-called “cut-off offering” is, simply put, a ritual to confirm a relationship of subordination.

And the “cut-off offering” is generally only used for the “shi” class.

When Ethan Clark arrived at the site, he saw a roasted lamb already prepared.

The old Lü family was so poor they only had twenty sheep left, yet they slaughtered one for roasting?

It was casually placed on a large wooden board, with its own fat dripping down, and a bronze dagger lying at the edge of the board.

Next, the warriors each used the dagger to cut pieces of lamb, placed them on wooden plates, and offered them to Ethan Clark.

Although Ethan Clark didn’t know what a “cut-off offering” was, he pretended to understand, ate the food, and pondered what it meant when the warriors stepped aside after presenting the food.

Even though each person only cut a small piece, together it amounted to a large quantity.

Fifty warriors, each offering meat, watched eagerly as Ethan Clark ate until he was full.

He looked at the roast lamb, which still had plenty of meat, then at the warriors waiting expectantly, and said, “Divide it and eat.”

Although he didn’t fully understand, it more or less fit the “cut-off offering” process.

He also instructed Elder to slaughter another sheep.

He could tell the craftsmen lacked confidence in the old Lü family, and the warriors were much the same.

Having taken this crucial first step, what’s another sheep or two?

As if he didn’t know how to win people over.

As for how many more sheep to slaughter, he trusted Elder would decide based on the situation.

Later, Elder would consult Ethan Clark about which parts of the fief to select for building houses and farmland for the warriors, which would truly complete the ritual of confirming subordination.

Right now, Ethan Clark was preoccupied with how to make use of that group of craftsmen...

Chapter 6: The Flourishing Old Lü Family

The old Lü family suddenly increased by two hundred people.

Without new sources of income, simply adding more people wouldn’t bring prosperity; it would just turn slow decline into rapid bankruptcy.

The grandmother let Ethan Clark do whatever he wanted. She didn’t just say it—she quietly planned out new food rations, took out what little wealth they had to prepare for building new houses, and even planned to seek help from her maiden family.

She had originally intended to wait until the Lü family could no longer hold on before seeking help from her own family.

Now, seeing hope that Ethan Clark could revive the family, and perhaps even go further, she was ready to use her trump card early.

Ethan Clark still didn’t know his grandmother’s name after all this time.

Many younger family members only learn their elders’ names from outsiders.

After all, as a grandson, you only call her “grandmother,” never by her name, right?

Ethan Clark only learned his grandmother was called Clark-Harris from the gifts Samuel Webb brought to the house.

In other words, the grandmother was a Han family member who married into the old Lü family.

“Grandma, are you going out?” Ethan Clark, having figured out what the craftsmen could do and starting to make plans, heard Elder report and casually replied, “Got it.”

Elder hesitated, then couldn’t help but remind him, “You should see her off.”

Filial piety is the foremost virtue in Chinese culture.

Ethan Clark, coming from modern times, wasn’t unaware of this, but many rituals are no longer so strictly observed.

“Oh, I see...” Ethan Clark put aside what he was doing and even personally planned how many people should accompany his grandmother, thinking, “Even though she’s not really my relative, and her having an accident would benefit me more, she doesn’t interfere with what I do and even supports me. Why should I be so cold-blooded?”

This time, the old Lü family was being generous!

Ethan Clark personally selected thirty warriors, had Elder summon all the able-bodied men among the dependents, forming a team even larger than the one he took out himself, and sent out the carriage and driver left by Webb.

When the grandmother learned that all the arrangements were made by Ethan Clark, her gaze toward him softened.

As for why he summoned all the able-bodied dependents, Ethan Clark had his own reasons.

He couldn’t directly ask how many able-bodied male laborers there were, so he took the opportunity of his grandmother’s outing to get a look at them all.

Elder didn’t dare to deceive his master.

The dependents, once summoned, didn’t dare not to come.

Seventy-six able-bodied men showed up.