He said without looking back, “A peasant’s family has no stable property, so indeed can’t afford to study. That’s why most people remain illiterate, toiling under the scorching sun, sweating into the soil beneath the crops, and are content just to have enough to eat. But when some people eat from their plates without realizing every grain comes from hard work, and even look down on peasants—haven’t they ever heard that ‘those who eat meat are shortsighted and cannot plan far ahead’?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a crisp, clear laugh, which made him pause in surprise. Then he took off his bamboo hat and turned around.

This time, he finally saw clearly: sitting on the side of the carriage closest to him was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen.

She wore a splendidly embroidered bright red crepe dress. In her glossy black hair, a golden hairpin trembled with her laughter, its golden butterfly seeming to frolic among a cluster of golden flowers, chasing the dazzling South Sea pearl at the end of the pin.

A pair of red jade bracelets on her wrists set off her fair, creamy skin.

What complemented her luxurious attire and beautiful accessories was her stunningly radiant face.

As their eyes met, he saw the girl suddenly stop laughing and stare at him intently. He simply responded with a generous smile. After he smiled, she was clearly taken aback for a moment.

Emily Brooks truly couldn’t help but be stunned. Back in the capital, from the deep palace to the mansions of the powerful, she had seen it all—even disguised herself as a man to visit brothels and pleasure houses, and was used to galloping through the streets on horseback. She had met countless people. She could guarantee that, among all the eligible young men she had ever seen, not one could compare to this country boy before her.

He was dressed in nothing but an ordinary blue cloth robe, his black cloth shoes even stained with mud, yet his features were clear and handsome, refined and elegant. At first glance, she felt his bearing was unmatched!

And he had just used Charles Brooks’s own words against him, leaving him speechless!

She remembered her father often reminiscing about their humble origins in the fields.

Coming back to herself, she smiled and said, “Young sir, I apologize for earlier. It was my family’s Mr. Brooks who spoke carelessly and offended you. If you were to recite ‘Big Rat, Big Rat, don’t eat my millet’ now, he’d probably want to crawl into a hole in the ground!”

Ethan Bolton knew the girl in the carriage came from a wealthy and noble family. Seeing her so openly take his side, he could guess it was partly because of what he’d said, but even more likely because of his current face!

He had seen this kind of reaction many times over the past three years and had grown used to it. So he just smiled without speaking, nodding slightly.

As a member of the Zhu clan left in the capital by Duke Zhao, Henry Brooks, to help manage affairs, Charles Brooks had accompanied Emily Brooks to the countryside today to visit her so-called fiancé’s home. He never expected that, by casually using a peasant boy as an example, he would end up being mocked for his own lack of learning. And to make matters worse, Emily Brooks was siding with an outsider! He was furious and embarrassed.

If it weren’t for this peasant boy’s good looks, he wouldn’t be so unlucky… Emily Brooks had always loved to admire beautiful people!

Powdered and jade-like children, elegant and dashing youths, distinguished and extraordinary gentlemen, dignified and handsome elders… and of course, bold and forthright beauties. In short, as long as someone was beautiful, they could always count on kind words and good treatment from her, no matter how willful she was.

Her catchphrase was: “A handsome gentleman and a virtuous lady make a perfect match.”

As for what would happen if she married a handsome man and he grew old—her answer was simple: a true gentleman is gentle and refined, and his looks and character should match. Even as the years pass, he’ll still be a distinguished gentleman, a handsome elder… If he can’t manage that, he doesn’t deserve to be called a gentleman! Besides, if women know how to take care of themselves, why shouldn’t men take good care of their own faces?

But if he wanted to get back at her, it would be easy—just prove that this peasant boy had poor character or a bad temper. After all, the young lady’s reputation for her temperament was well known, and there were plenty of scoundrels who, emboldened by their looks, had tried to take advantage, only to be exposed and end up in trouble!

Chapter Two: Child… Son-in-law

Ethan Bolton saw the stunning girl beckon a guard to the carriage and quietly ask him something. Then she gestured for the driver to continue forward. But before lowering the curtain, she suddenly seemed to remember something, gave him a sweet smile, and waved goodbye. He couldn’t help but smile and waved back at her.

Having met such a reasonable and beautiful lady, his mood, which had been soured by others, unknowingly improved again.

He had no idea that, after lowering the curtain and sitting back in her seat, Emily Brooks was pressing her hand to her chest, her face alight with excitement.

This trip to the countryside was worth it! Just seeing Charles Brooks, who always colluded with her second brother, get put in his place was enough to make her feel vindicated. Not to mention meeting a young man whose looks matched his eloquence! Hmm, she might as well find out more about his background and learning, and when her father returned, maybe she could recommend him. At the very least, he was much better than a shameless person like Charles Brooks! And she’d have an excuse to see him often…

As for Ethan Bolton, he didn’t give this brief encounter a second thought. After those uninvited guests left, he put on his bamboo hat and, hearing the tenant farmers cheerfully say they would continue planting rice next year, finally walked home satisfied.

Time travel sounds exciting in books, but when it happened to Ethan Bolton, he found it was actually a complete disaster.