“Grandpa already told everyone, so how could others not talk about it?” Chad Sullivan narrowed his eyes, smiling as he spoke, as if he had no interest at all in this so-called uncle of his.

Only he himself knew that, yes, he was adopted, but it wasn’t as if Old Master just happened to see a woman about to die and decided to take her child home to raise. The Old Master even set a trap for people when revealing his background!

In the evening, Old Master Sullivan’s sedan chair was set down steadily at the second gate. As he bent down to get out, he was faced with the stiff face of Mr. Sullivan the Third.

After a whole day of wits and struggles with colleagues and subordinates, he didn’t want to come home and see this expression again. He impatiently dismissed his attendants, and after walking a few steps past the second gate, he asked without looking back, “What happened this time?”

“Chad...”

As soon as he heard these two words, Old Master Sullivan’s face darkened. “Who bullied him?”

Mr. Sullivan the Third couldn’t help but protest angrily, “Dad, everyone knows you’ve never spoiled your own grandsons like this—who would dare bully him?”

“What, feeling upset? What you really want to say is not that I’ve never spoiled my own grandsons like this, but that I’ve never spoiled my own sons like this, right? How old are you now, still jealous of a child!”

Jealous? Why are you using that idiom? I’m not a woman!

Mr. Sullivan the Third was almost moved to tears by his own The Old Master’s words.

He couldn’t be bothered to argue further, and straightforwardly recounted the commotion in the back courtyard about catching a thief, then shut his mouth, lest he get rebuked again as soon as he spoke.

Fortunately, this time The Old Master was silent for a while and didn’t say anything unpleasant. Instead, he simply ordered, “Bring the person to Heming Pavilion, I’ll question him myself.”

The Heming Pavilion in the inner courtyard and the Youyu Study in the outer courtyard faced each other—one was Old Master’s usual living quarters, the other was for receiving guests.

Aunt Zhao and the other laundry women had never been to such an important place in the residence as Heming Pavilion. Now, standing outside the door, all of them hung their heads low.

Meanwhile, the bruised and battered David Brooks was kneeling inside, his clothes torn to shreds, his whole body aching, but he was even more cautious and careful.

Only Chad Sullivan acted as if nothing had happened. When Old Master Sullivan entered, he grinned, cupped his hands, and called out Grandpa, then went straight to his usual spot on the right.

Old Master Sullivan didn’t look at anyone else, but with a stern face, asked Chad Sullivan, “Chad, how many times have I told you not to run around everywhere? Why didn’t you listen again?”

“How was I supposed to know a thief would break into the house for no reason?”

Chad Sullivan muttered under his breath, then glanced at the laundry women huddled outside the door.

He quickly explained what had happened, but didn’t mention at all that he was already familiar with those laundry women, and that if something really happened, he was confident he could call this group of strong women to help.

He didn’t want to get others involved and cause more trouble for himself.

Kneeling on the floor, David Brooks noticed Old Master Sullivan’s face growing darker and hurriedly defended himself, “I’m not a thief, I really am the Ninth Young Master’s real uncle...”

Before David Brooks could finish, Old Master Sullivan said unhurriedly, “There are so many people coming and going at the back gate every day, with at least seven or eight, sometimes a dozen children playing around. Look at Chad’s clothes—they’re not flashy, and no one calls him Ninth Young Master. He’s never met you before, so how did you recognize him? On what basis do you claim he’s your nephew?”

Seeing David Brooks freeze up, Old Master Sullivan struck the armrest with just the right force and said word by word, “Little Ethan, take my name card and send him to the Yingtian Prefecture yamen, and have them interrogate him for me!”

The Yingtian Prefecture judge, Samuel Green, was one of his staunch allies!

David Brooks immediately turned pale, but before he could say anything, a middle-aged man standing to the left of The Old Master suddenly appeared in front of him, grabbed his collar with his left hand, yanked him up, and then landed a heavy punch in his stomach.

When this man, called Little Ethan and indeed as ghostly as his name, dragged the limp David Brooks out like a dead dog, The Old Master finally glanced at the laundry women. “Each of you who helped catch the thief will be rewarded with one string of coins.”

Is this questioning in person? This is already a verdict before any questioning!

Mr. Sullivan the Third had no energy to complain about The Old Master’s simple and rough methods, nor to pay attention to the laundry women kowtowing and thanking him. He glanced sideways at Chad Sullivan, only to see the little fellow with his head down, counting on his fingers.

He soon heard Old Master’s verdict: “Chad, do you know you were wrong?”

Sensing the displeasure in The Old Master’s tone, Chad Sullivan looked up, his face breaking into a sincere smile. “I’ve learned my lesson. From now on, I’ll never talk to strangers.”

As if afraid this reflection wasn’t deep enough, he added, “Especially not to strangers who come claiming to be relatives. Otherwise, Grandpa will have to confront people every time.”

Old Master Sullivan couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. So just now, he’d been confronting some random swindler?

You little rascal, only you would dare talk such nonsense!

Chapter 3: Thinking of Home

Because of today’s “thief incident,” Lauren Smith and the two little maids were summoned by Old Master Sullivan and given a stern scolding. Afterwards, they brought back Chad Sullivan, who had eaten at Old Master’s place.