John Foster was a bit puzzled. Andrew Williams was still very young and not yet a famous figure; there were plenty of people in the capital more renowned than him, such as William Owen, Samuel Smith, Frank King, James Turner, and so on.

Yet this child was determined to meet Andrew Williams, which was rather odd.

John Foster didn’t press for the reason. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Andrew Williams has already been posted elsewhere, but since there’s a lot going on in the capital lately, you should have a chance to see him.”

Nathan Foster secretly felt relieved—thank goodness his grandfather didn’t ask why he wanted to meet Andrew Williams.

He really wouldn’t know how to answer. He couldn’t very well say, “The real reason I came to the capital with you, Grandpa, was just to meet this Andrew Williams!”

……

The three of them got off the boat. John Foster wasn’t planning to stay long in the capital, so he told the boatman to wait for him there for a few days. They got into an ox cart and slowly made their way into the city.

Inside the Eastern Capital, things weren’t much different from outside the city, except the buildings were more orderly, commerce was more prosperous, there were more pedestrians, and you could see some large, deep courtyards belonging to wealthy families.

They didn’t go very far in before the ox cart slowly stopped in front of a very old and shabby house on the west side of the city.

Nathan Foster saw that although the old house covered a large area, it was clearly very old. The paint on the main gate had completely peeled off, and the lower part of the wall was covered in water stains—no doubt it would flood when it rained.

The surrounding environment wasn’t great either: it was crowded and noisy, mostly small houses, with groups of naked-bottomed children running through the streets, giving the place a slum-like feel.

At that moment, someone suddenly shouted from behind, “Xiwen, is that you?”

Nathan Foster turned around and saw two attendants escorting a middle-aged man on horseback. The man had fair skin, a square face, and exceptionally bright eyes.

He wore a black gauze hat with double wings and a crimson court robe—clearly an official. From afar, he spotted John Foster and excitedly waved and shouted.

John Foster burst out laughing and went to greet him. The man dismounted and gave John Foster a tight hug. “I thought you really weren’t coming back to the capital.”

“This time I’m here on personal business, not on imperial orders—don’t get the wrong idea.”

“I know, you’re here to visit Shilu. His health is really bad, and now he’s being demoted to Junzhou. I’ve advised him to just retire.”

The two of them chatted as they walked to the front gate. John Foster pulled Nathan Foster over and introduced him with a smile: “This is my grandnephew Nathan Foster, also a prodigy. I brought him here especially to spar with your prized disciple.”

Hearing that someone was going to spar with his beloved student, the official’s eyes lit up. He looked Nathan Foster up and down, and just as it happened, Nathan Foster was also sizing him up. He saw that the man’s gaze was clear and calm, showing not the slightest hint of fear.

Truly, a newborn calf is not afraid of the tiger! The official nodded and asked with a smile, “Do you know who I am?”

Nathan Foster gently shook his head. In front of strangers, he always kept a low profile and never showed off.

He was even like this with John Foster; it wasn’t until he boarded John Foster’s boat that Nathan Foster gradually revealed his true self.

John Foster was long used to his grandson’s precociousness, but as long as his character was upright, he didn’t want to interfere too much.

John Foster laughed and said, “You want to use your reputation to scare my grandson, don’t you?”

The official chuckled, “How could my reputation compare to yours, sir? Look, your grandson doesn’t even take me seriously.”

“That’s only because he doesn’t know who you are!”

Only then did John Foster smile and introduce him to Nathan Foster: “This outstanding middle-aged man is William Owen. You can call him Uncle Owen!”

Chapter Five: A Brave Match with Little Zeng Bu

William Owen glared fiercely at John Foster. “I’ve never seen anyone so shameless—actually making your grandson call me ‘Uncle’!”

Nathan Foster found that ever since he gained this convenient grandfather John Foster, his immunity to celebrities had increased rapidly.

Even seeing William Owen in front of him only made him feel a brief moment of excitement before he calmed down. Compared to excitement, he felt more curiosity.

So this was the famous William Owen, one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. He looked much younger than his grandfather.

He quickly bowed and saluted, “Junior Nathan Foster greets Senior Owen!”

William Owen was a bit surprised. He looked deeply at Nathan Foster again, then turned to John Foster and said, “Your grandson is truly clever!”

There was a twenty-year age gap between William Owen and John Foster, and the two were actually friends regardless of age, never minding seniority.

Nathan Foster had clearly noticed this as well, so he addressed William Owen as “Senior” and didn’t mention seniority, letting each relationship stand on its own—thus cleverly avoiding the awkwardness of calling him “Uncle.”

But John Foster said lightly, “It’s enough for me to praise him; you don’t need to say more, or he’ll forget how to write altogether.”

Nathan Foster immediately blushed, his old face a little embarrassed.

Grandfather was giving him a warning! During the fifteen days heading north, he’d practiced his calligraphy on the boat for fifteen days, but hadn’t made much progress—just a bit neater.

His writing was still a world away from being called “calligraphy,” which left John Foster rather disappointed.

“Let’s talk inside!”

William Owen quickly invited John Foster and his grandson into the house. John Foster glanced around and said, “Uncle Turner, you really should buy a house. Renting someone else’s place all the time isn’t a solution—otherwise, your wife really will kick you out one day.”