John Foster was not as reactive as William Owen; he had already experienced Nathan Foster's astonishing memory.

"Yongshu, look at these two passages!"

John Foster pointed out the last few differences on the paper to William Owen.

‘To be able to share joy when drunk, and to recount it in writing when sober, that is the prefect. Who is the prefect? It is Luling's William Owen.’

"Look at his recitation—he left out the middle part: ‘that is the prefect. Who is the prefect?’ Also, ‘Soon the setting sun is on the mountain, and the shadows of people scatter in disorder,’ he wrote as ‘the shadows of people are in confusion.’ From this, you can see that my grandson's memory is not perfect after all—there are still flaws."

William Owen hadn't noticed before, but upon closer inspection, he indeed found two mistakes in the recitation at the end.

John Foster was right. Although Nathan Foster had an extraordinary gift for memory, it was not flawless. He glanced at Nathan Foster and let out a long sigh. "But even so, your grandson's photographic memory is truly astonishing."

Robert Turner's expression changed; he hung his head in dejection, knowing he had lost the second contest as well.

Claire Owen's lips quivered, almost on the verge of tears from anger.

William Owen couldn't help but examine Nathan Foster's paper three more times before finally shaking his head and saying to John Foster, "Your grandson is exceptionally gifted, truly a prodigy. I, William Owen, am convinced!"

It was the first time John Foster had heard William Owen praise a child so highly. He was genuinely pleased, but stroked his beard and smiled slightly, "In terms of true talent and learning, he is still far behind Robert Turner. You flatter him too much, my good brother."

John Foster turned around and saw a look of undisguised pride in Nathan Foster's eyes. Annoyed, he reached out and gave him a hard knock on the head. "Where did your humility go? Hurry up and say something modest!"

Chapter 7: The Little Loli Heroine

That night, Nathan Foster and his grandfather stayed at William Owen's residence.

The next morning, John Foster went out early on business, while Nathan Foster stayed in his room, yawning as he practiced calligraphy.

Seriously? Coming to the bustling capital and not going out to stroll and have fun, but instead being made to bury his head in writing?

Then what was the point of coming to the capital?

Nathan Foster was full of anger, venting it all onto the rice paper. He wasn't writing at all—he was clearly painting an abstract ink wash.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door behind him.

"The door's not closed, come in!"

The door creaked open. Nathan Foster turned around and was startled to see Claire Owen standing at the entrance.

She had changed into a new dress today, her face as pretty as yesterday, but she looked unhappy, as if someone owed her several hundred coins.

"Miss Ouyang, do you need something from me?"

Claire Owen asked lazily, "Do you have time?"

"For what?"

"My father asked me to accompany you to buy a calligraphy copybook. There isn't one at home suitable for you. I figured you need to practice, so you probably don't have time to go!"

Nathan Foster jumped up at once. "I have time!"

He tossed aside his brush and ran over with a grin. "If there's one thing I have, it's time!"

Going out shopping, and with a beauty as company—who would refuse such a wonderful thing?

Claire Owen wailed inwardly in pain, 'This little brat, why is he so hard to deal with!'

...

Only now did Nathan Foster understand why everyone liked beauties. Having a little beauty by your side really did put you in a good mood—everything looked pleasing to the eye.

They had only taken a few steps out of the residence when Claire Owen raised her hand to stop an ox cart. This surprised Nathan Foster—wasn't this just like hailing a cab in modern times?

"Never seen this before, have you!"

Claire Owen said proudly, "In the capital, ox carts are everywhere. Just a few coins and you can ride. Do you have this in the countryside?"

"In the countryside, riding an ox is free!"

Claire Owen rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Just get in!"

The two of them got on the ox cart. The driver flicked his long whip, and the cart moved off slowly.

Nathan Foster was a bit puzzled. "Sister Qian, why do we have to go all the way to Daxiangguo Temple to buy a copybook? Isn't there a bookstore not far from here?"

Claire Owen was a little mollified by his sweet words and replied, "Besides buying a copybook, my father also asked me to take you to get something to eat. There are more famous eateries near Daxiangguo Temple."

Hearing they were going to eat, Nathan Foster's face lit up with joy. "What are we going to eat?"

Claire Owen had a flower-embroidered cloth bag slung over her shoulder, naturally containing eyebrow pencil and rouge, as well as a small money pouch.

Inside the pouch were a few dozen coins and a few qian of silver. She hadn't had so much money in a long time and was considering which famous shop to splurge at.

Suddenly, Claire Owen thought of a delicacy, and her eyes sparkled.

"I'll take you to eat Granny Cao's meat pies—they're famous in the capital. Their spicy soup is the most authentic."

"Great! If it's recommended by Sister Qian, it can't be wrong."

After all, Claire Owen was just a young lady, pure at heart. After being sweet-talked by Nathan Foster, she had already forgotten her earlier displeasure.

Soon, she was happily chatting and acting as a tour guide for Nathan Foster.

...

Daxiangguo Temple was known as the most prosperous commercial area in Tokyo Bianliang. It opened for public trading five times a month, becoming the largest commodity trading center in the capital.

Every time the market opened, Daxiangguo Temple would attract tens of thousands of people from the capital to shop for treasures. There would be over a thousand temporary stalls, trading goods from all over the country.