“Get to the point.” Mr. Sullivan said with a dark face, “Stop bragging about yourself.”

“Oh, got it.” Fourth Young Master shrank his neck and said concisely, “I found that Miss Grace was indeed injured, but this young man has been sick in bed and hasn’t left his room at all. I just can’t figure out how he could have hurt Miss Grace. Not daring to make a decision on my own, I brought him here for Father to judge.”

“At least you know some rules.” Only then did Mr. Sullivan’s expression ease a little, and he gave a faint word of approval. He turned to ask Adam Sullivan, “Was it you who hurt Miss Grace?”

“I dare to swear.” Adam Sullivan denied resolutely, “If I was the one who hurt Miss Grace, may I never pass the provincial exam in my life.” For a scholar, this was an extremely serious oath, but since he truly hadn’t done it, he didn’t mind swearing.

Sure enough, Mr. Sullivan believed him and asked in surprise, “If it wasn’t you, then how did Miss Grace’s bone get broken?”

“Well… you can ask Miss Grace.” Adam Sullivan sneered, “As long as she also swears to tell the truth.”

Mr. Sullivan nodded and said to Miss Grace, “You swear.”

Miss Grace had no choice but to swear, saying that if she spoke even half a false word, may her guts rot away. Then, feeling aggrieved, she said, “Granddaughter went upstairs for the first time today, and as soon as I pushed the door open, a chamber pot fell on my head; the second time I went up, I stepped on a watermelon rind and fell down the stairs.”

Fourth Young Master, who was listening on the side, hadn’t expected the matter to be so amusing and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Mr. Sullivan also struggled to hold back his laughter and said, “Adam Sullivan, why did you put a… chamber pot on top of the door?”

“For security.” Adam Sullivan replied earnestly, “As the saying goes: ‘One should not intend to harm others, but must always guard against them.’” Spreading his hands, he continued, “I am ill, too weak to even truss a chicken, and often feel dizzy. Placing a clay pot on top of the door serves as both an alarm and a way to catch any intruder off guard.”

“You do have a point.” Mr. Sullivan said with a half-smile, “But what if you accidentally hurt a good person?”

“As long as one doesn’t harbor ill intentions, they would knock before entering, and I would warn them.” Adam Sullivan replied calmly.

“Did you knock?” Mr. Sullivan asked Miss Grace.

“No.” Miss Grace lowered her head, “I just pushed the door open and went in.”

“Why didn’t you knock?” Mr. Sullivan said sternly, “Entering without knocking is improper. Don’t you know that?”

Adam Sullivan thought to himself, So I was the one being treated improperly.

“All right, I’ll count the first time as you being cautious.” Mr. Sullivan stared at Adam Sullivan and said in a deep voice, “What about the second time? Putting a watermelon rind on the floor—isn’t that a bit…” The words ‘malicious intent’ were too harsh to say, as that would create a grudge.

“That wasn’t me.” Adam Sullivan shook his head, “It was Miss Grace herself who threw it there the first time she came up.”

“What?” Mr. Sullivan couldn’t help but laugh, “Miss Grace, did you really throw the rind and then slip on it yourself?”

“I think that’s what happened…” Miss Grace said, pressing her index fingers together.

※※※

“All right, the facts are clear.” Mr. Sullivan said in a deep voice, “This incident was caused by Adam Sullivan being overly cautious and Miss Grace being careless—an accident, pure and simple.” Just as Adam Sullivan thought he was going to smooth things over and end the matter, Mr. Sullivan continued, “But today’s result must have a cause from before. Neighbors should get along harmoniously, so how did things come to this? Miss Grace, you tell me.”

“This boy insulted me.” Miss Grace mumbled, “He called me a shrew.”

“Why did he call you a shrew?” Mr. Sullivan asked.

“Because, because…” Miss Grace lowered her head, “Because I insulted him first.”

“And why did you insult him?”

“Because he lied to me.” Miss Grace said aggrievedly, “He said he had tuberculosis…”

“Did you ever say that?” Mr. Sullivan asked Adam Sullivan.

“No.” Adam Sullivan spread his hands, “I told her at the time: ‘Excuse me, please close the door when you leave.’ She only heard the word ‘劳’ (labor), panicked, and ran away. Maybe it was a misunderstanding.”

Mr. Sullivan pondered for a moment and had already guessed most of the story. He suspected that Miss Grace had started the trouble herself, all because he had taken in Brian Sullivan and Adam Sullivan and let them live in the attic that originally belonged to her. He had heard about Miss Grace’s character before, and figured that after several rounds of harassment and insults, she had provoked a clever young man’s retaliation…

As a refined man, he most admired clever and quick-witted youths like Adam Sullivan, and felt deeply ashamed of vulgar, crude, fat, and foolish women like Miss Grace. Once he understood the crux of the matter, he intended to help Brian Sullivan and his son keep that building and drive Miss Grace’s family out of the The Sullivan Family.

In the The Sullivan Family compound, Mr. Sullivan was the sky, the law, the god who decided everyone’s fate.

※※※

“Listen up, all of you.” Having made up his mind, Mr. Sullivan said sternly, “In my The Sullivan Family, harmony and friendship are valued above all. Anyone who is narrow-minded, selfish, and cannot tolerate others will not be tolerated in my Sullivan clan!”

Though these harsh words didn’t name names, they landed squarely on Miss Grace’s forehead. Even if she were a fool, she could hear the accusation in the master’s words.