“Let fate decide...”

　　“Why are you thinking about all this? Don’t overthink it. At your age, studying hard is the right path. In other places, many people wish they had your opportunity to study.”

　　“Yes...”

　　“Go back and rest, don’t tire yourself out.”

　　The old man could clearly see the fatigue on his face, and most likely assumed he had gone to Heng Village on a whim. But just like those drunkards and gamblers who bravely went to Heng Village for a moment, once they discovered there really were ghosts in the ancestral hall, their courage vanished and they fled in panic. So, the old man patted his shoulder in comfort, then walked past him leaning on his cane.

　　He also called away the curious children.

　　Henry Walton then left with his bundle of grass.

　　It wasn’t until dinnertime that a group of people entered the village.

　　They were from Heng Village, all surnamed Wang. Some carried stinky mandarin fish, some brought cured meat, some held a jug of wine in each hand, some carried food boxes, and others hugged a bolt of cloth. They passed the bridge pavilion at the village entrance, walked along the creek past many homes, crossed another bridge pavilion, and finally arrived at the Lin family’s house.

　　Who knows how many people out cooling off were startled.

　　If not for the lack of lanterns, ribbons, and red flowers, one might have thought they were here to propose marriage.

　　Upon asking, it turned out the Lin family’s child had gone to Heng Village last night, spent the night in the ancestral hall, and not only stayed the whole night but even persuaded the troublesome spirits to leave. The Wang family had come to express their thanks.

Chapter 6: The Wang Family’s Thanks and the Temple Fair

　　When the Wang family arrived, Henry Walton was in his room experimenting.

　　The ancient book lay in his hands.

　　Following the instructions in the book, Henry Walton gradually exerted force, starting from his toes, channeling the strength upward to his dantian, while the upper force started from the top of his head and moved down to his abdomen. The two forces were not far apart, and under his deliberate effort, they gradually overlapped.

　　Then, as the book instructed, he focused his mind, stored the energy at that spot, held his breath to the limit, until he felt dizzy and lightheaded, unable to hold on any longer—suddenly, a surge of burning heat welled up inside him.

　　Could this be the yang energy he was supposed to expel?

　　Henry Walton didn’t dare to let it out.

　　He quickly followed the book’s method, forcefully holding his breath, while slowly relaxing his mind, until the burning sensation naturally dissipated and fully returned to his body. Only then did he dare to relax.

　　“Whew...”

　　A long, heavy breath.

　　It actually worked?

　　Without cultivation, could an ordinary person really “expel breath”?

　　Henry Walton opened his eyes wide in surprise.

　　The experiment’s result clearly told him so.

　　Is this world really so magical?

　　Just then, there was a commotion outside.

　　Henry Walton got up and walked a few steps. After confirming that his body and mind felt no different from before the experiment, he opened the window to look out.

　　The Wang family of Heng Village was indeed particular—

　　Probably thinking it wouldn’t look good to just deliver the food and wine they promised that morning, they gathered more items, putting together a gift that was quite generous by local standards.

　　The Wang family’s steward had come in person.

　　So had the servant whom Henry Walton had called the steward.

　　The aunt was flattered and hurried to receive them.

　　Henry Walton also hurried out to greet them.

　　The real steward was very shrewd. After exchanging a few polite words with Henry Walton and the aunt, he went to visit Henry Walton’s uncle. He checked the illness, asked which doctor had been called, and upon hearing it was that famous physician, nodded repeatedly in approval of his skills. He then asked the aunt to show him the prescription, and after looking it over, immediately knew roughly how much the medicine would cost.

　　He then took out ten taels of silver, fulfilling Old Master Wang’s promise.

　　The servant whom Henry Walton had called the steward also had a good impression of Henry Walton, and told him about the Wang family’s reaction after he left today, which helped ease Henry Walton’s unease about receiving such a generous gift.

　　As it was getting dark, the visitors didn’t stay long and soon left.

　　All in all, for spending the night in the ancestral hall, which should have earned ten thousand cash, he ended up with forty taels of silver and many gifts.

　　For an ordinary family, this was already a huge sum.

　　The aunt put away the cloth, hung up the cured meat, placed the stinky mandarin fish in the kitchen, and stored the wine properly. As for what concerned Henry Walton, only the food brought by the Wang family remained.

　　Last year’s dried bamboo shoots from the mountain were the most common dish here—bamboo shoot skins stewed with pork belly, rich and savory, the aroma of meat filling the air, perfect with rice. The newly sprouted bamboo shoots from the mountain were crisp and tender; only the tips were used to stew with cured meat, also called “knife board fragrance”—one bite with soup could make your tongue tingle with freshness.

　　Fish head with tofu, mixed stewed fish.

　　Plus firm, fluffy white rice steamed in a zengzi steamer, each grain distinct.

　　Without a doubt, this was the best meal Henry Walton had eaten since coming to this world.

　　For a while, he focused only on eating, thinking of nothing else.

　　With his uncle’s medicine money settled, though the illness wasn’t cured yet, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Coupled with such a good meal, he actually felt a sense of enjoyment in his relaxation.

　　Happiness could really be this simple.

　　The aunt gave all the meat to Henry Walton and his cousin, but sighed and said, “We told you to focus on your studies, but in the end, we still had to rely on you to earn money this way. If your father knew, he’d surely scold us.”

　　“He wouldn’t...”

　　Henry Walton said, swallowing his food.