“All right, all right, getting so flustered over such a small matter that you’re even starting to stutter! I’ve known about this for quite some time already.” Brian Clark smiled and waved his hand, pointed to a stool nearby and said, “Bring a stool over and sit down while we talk. You’ve been running around all day—if you’re not tired, just watching you makes me tired! Also, have you eaten yet? If not, go eat first and then come back to talk.”

“I had two big sesame flatbreads, I’m not hungry.” Ryan Clark replied, but still rather cluelessly went to fetch a stool. As soon as he sat down and was about to speak, Brian Clark cut him off: “What about the business I sent you out to handle? Did you find out everything?”

“I did.” Although he didn’t understand why the young master cared only about these trivial matters and not the big issues, Ryan Clark still answered honestly, “There are all kinds of Songjiang cloth on the market, both expensive and cheap. The most common is standard cloth, which is the large cloth, and it’s about 170 or 180 wen per bolt. The small cloth is smoother and denser, and although it doesn’t look as grand, it’s actually more expensive, about 220 or 230 wen per bolt. As for fine cloth, it’s even pricier, around 300 wen. The most expensive are green and blue cloth—because they’re fine and wide, green cloth goes for over 500 wen, blue cloth for over 400 wen, more than double the price of ordinary standard cloth. As for those so-called premium ones, the most expensive can go for a hundred taels, even pricier than most Hangzhou silks, and those cloth shops wouldn’t even let me see them.”

Brian Clark had only used this as an excuse to send Ryan Clark out to check the current prices, and hadn’t really expected him to gather such detailed information. Now, he couldn’t help but look at this stubborn fellow with new respect. Still, he had no intention or capital to get into the cloth business, so he just made a mental note and asked, “What about the current price of rice and flour?”

“Right now, one tael of silver, which is one string of cash, can only buy three shi of rice. They say the price has gone up twenty or thirty percent since the beginning of the year.” At this, Ryan Clark glanced around, then leaned in close to Brian Clark’s ear and whispered, “Young master, if Sixth King comes asking you for more money, don’t pay him any mind. I’ve been around several grain shops in Taiping Lane, and they all said that Sixth King bought eight shi of rice in one go when it was cheap at the start of the year. That’s enough to last us until August or September at least.”

“You’re quite thoughtful!”

Brian Clark couldn’t help but laugh, shook his head, and casually changed the subject. With this back-and-forth, Ryan Clark gradually forgot about the family clan matters that had been bothering him, and a smile appeared on his face as he spoke animatedly, clearly not someone who went out much. The two were chatting away when suddenly a voice called from outside the door.

“Has the young master gone to bed? If not, I’m coming in!”

“Come in!”

Brian Clark called out, and Ryan Clark immediately sprang up from his stool. In no time, someone lifted the curtain and entered—it was Sixth King. Compared to Ryan Clark’s sweaty appearance when he’d just returned, Sixth King didn’t look much more composed. His shoes were dusty, his trouser legs even had mud spots, and his hat was so dirty its original color was unrecognizable. When he saw Ryan Clark was there too, he paused, then forced a smile and bowed.

“Any news on what I asked you to look into?”

But Sixth King didn’t answer that, instead sitting down where Brian Clark pointed and hurriedly said, “There’s news. But, young master, let me talk about something more urgent first. Today, the third and fourth masters were both invited to the house by the eldest master, supposedly about your affairs, and also about your future father-in-law, Master Shen…”

“If it’s about the clan elders of the Xu family wanting to hold a clan hall trial for me, or the Shen family wanting to break off the engagement, I already know.”

Sixth King instinctively turned to look at Ryan Clark. Who knew Ryan Clark would just keep silent, and only when Sixth King stared at him impatiently did he mutter, “What’s the point of keeping secrets? I found out before you did, and the young master found out even earlier than me!”

At this, Sixth King was genuinely astonished. He didn’t care much about what Ryan Clark said—he figured the kid only knew the general idea. To get the full details, he’d been running around all afternoon, nearly breaking curfew, but his wife said Brian Clark hadn’t left the house all day, so how could he know… Unless someone, out of respect for the second master, had given a kind warning? He’d heard that the second master was the most capable among his peers back in the day, and many people owed him favors—so it was very possible!

At this moment, recalling his earlier worries, he felt greatly relieved and quickly said with a smile, “As long as the young master knows. But there are a lot of details involved, so please allow me to explain.”

This time, Brian Clark didn’t interrupt as he had with Ryan Clark, but instead studied Sixth King for a moment, then nodded, “Go ahead.”

“The four branches of the Xu family all descend from a common ancestor five generations back, who once served as county magistrate twice during the Xuande era. So, although you call the eldest master ‘uncle,’ you’re actually only clan relatives within the fifth degree. The second branch has come down to you as the sole heir, and with no maternal family to rely on, the clan dividends plus the second branch’s estates and properties—there are plenty in the clan who covet them.”