He bore the surname Qi, but was called Shi because one of his ancestors became a judicial officer (shi shi) in the state of Jin. His son took the official title as their surname, and their descendants were known as the Shi clan. Later, due to changes in official positions and receiving fiefdoms, the family split into three branches: the Liu, Fan, and Zhi clans.

So, Shi Xie was merely a title tracing back to his ancestor; in daily life, he was still a member of the Fan clan. (After his death, he was posthumously titled "Wen," and is known in history as Fan Wenzi.)

Edward Scott's position as commander of the upper army was extremely prestigious, and the Fan clan was an insurmountable mountain for anyone in Jin who wanted to sell, or was selling, pottery.

Charles Harris only bothered to give a reminder because he had enjoyed a meal at Old Clark's house and was extremely satisfied; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered.

The affairs of the upper echelons of Jin were not something a minor noble like Ethan Clark should get involved in. He had no intention of provoking the great nobles; he simply wanted to improve his family's financial situation.

Ethan Clark hurriedly explained that the quantity of pottery for sale would not be large, and he would not sell in any major cities.

His current plan was to first sell in some villages, see if he could develop porcelain, and then pursue a high-end luxury route.

Samuel Webb thought it over carefully and replied, "Alright."

Having achieved his goal, Ethan Clark made no further requests, not even asking about how shares would be divided.

This was because he knew that ancient nobles would never personally handle such "trivial matters"; it was up to the family stewards (now called retainers) to compete over these things.

Otherwise, if nobles personally fought over such matters and ended up red-faced, it would not only look bad but also be a source of shame if word got out.

Charles Harris and several nobles ate so much they couldn't move.

With many questions in mind, Samuel Webb invited Ethan Clark out for a walk to help digest their food.

As for the family elder Scott of Old Clark's household, he found an opportunity to go over the important gifts brought by the Wei clan with Ethan Clark.

"Master?" The family elder Scott was both delighted and troubled, and asked, "Return gift?"

In Chinese etiquette, it is customary to give a return gift after receiving one.

Old Clark's family, like many minor nobles, was very poor, let alone compared to the Wei clan.

But Ethan Clark said, "No need to return anything."

When he went to Lucheng to make the large iron pot, did he not teach those craftsmen some new skills for free?

The technology had already been given to the Wei clan.

Besides the iron pot technique, weren't some forging techniques also valuable?

So, the gifts sent by the Wei clan to Old Clark's family were already the return gift.

Of course, the technology was more valuable than those gifts, but due to the unequal status, that was just how things were.

Therefore, Old Clark's family could accept those things with peace of mind, without needing to prepare any return gifts.

The family elder Scott, having received the answer, left in high spirits.

Samuel Webb, who had watched the whole process from the side, waited until the family elder Scott left before coming over. He pointed to a building he hadn't seen when he arrived earlier and asked, "Why was it built so quickly?"

Using massive manpower and resources to build a house, a fast pace was not unusual.

But Old Clark's family had completed not only all the necessary preparations and materials in eight days, but also built over thirty rooms, which truly astonished Samuel Webb.

Samuel Webb felt that even if Old Clark's family had prepared the building materials in advance, the speed of construction was still too fast.

This was an era with a limited vocabulary, which meant a limited theoretical system.

Ethan Clark thought for a moment and explained some very rudimentary management concepts.

He started with the qualities needed for the people involved, then discussed assigning the right people to the right tasks, explained the reasons for organizing things in certain ways, described the necessary guidance during the process, and mentioned what kinds of incentives to use.

Samuel Webb did not interrupt at all, and when Ethan Clark finished, he began a "one hundred thousand whys" style of questioning.

In fact, even if Samuel Webb hadn't had so many questions, Ethan Clark would have found ways to guide the conversation.

The Spring and Autumn period was an era where social status had no real ceiling, provided one had enough talent and understood how to network and make connections, and had a discerning eye. (Confucius's father, for example, rose from humble origins; during a siege, he held up a city gate to allow retreating troops to escape, was recognized for his valor, and promoted to nobility.)

Of course, Ethan Clark needed to appropriately display his abilities, keeping them just below the level of "astonishing," in hopes of gaining more recognition.

He used several steps to let Samuel Webb discover his talents, making it a very natural transition rather than a sudden shock.

The Wei clan was on the rise, and their family environment meant they would show more respect to talented people and seek to recruit them, unlike the old conservative families who would suppress anyone not of their own blood.

Samuel Webb's single question, "Will you serve?" proved that Ethan Clark's gamble had paid off.

"Not yet of age," Ethan Clark did not refuse, but used his age as an excuse, then added emphatically, "In the future!"

After nearly a month, Ethan Clark had not spent his time in the Spring and Autumn era in vain.

He had learned from the not-so-knowledgeable family elder Scott that to climb upward, one needed a path.

And that path was to gain the favor of a great noble, who could offer a position.

Simply put, not just in Jin, but in every state, the great nobles controlled everything. For those below, the only way to advance was to seize the opportunities they provided.

This "only" included everything, even going on campaigns, let alone obtaining a position.

Right now, Ethan Clark's plan was to first improve his family's current situation and build up his own "base of operations."