“Husband, I heard you’ve become a tutor for the inspector’s younger brother?” Emily Lane’s voice grew even gentler, her pretty face tinged with a rosy blush.

“That’s right. Inspector Zhang came to me himself, and I couldn’t refuse, so, well, I’ll fill in for a few days.” Ethan Clark took the porcelain bowl filled with thin porridge from Liam Young and drank in big gulps.

“Husband, please eat slowly, be careful not to choke.” Emily Lane smiled as she picked up a slice of salted radish, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she chewed.

“Teacher, teacher!” The young Frank Bolton ran into the house from outside the gate, his forehead beaded with sweat, holding a freshly made swallow-shaped kite in his hand.

“Brother Feng? Have you eaten? Come join us.” Ethan Clark glanced back at Frank Bolton and smiled warmly.

“Hey, you’re my newly acknowledged teacher now, so don’t call me Brother Feng anymore. Just call me Little Ethan, or else my big brother will scold me for not respecting my teacher.” Frank Bolton pouted and stomped his foot.

“Hehe, alright, Little Ethan, have you eaten yet?” Ethan Clark stood up.

“Teacher, could you write a few words on this kite for me? I told Gou Dan and the others that you’re my teacher, but they laughed at me. If you write something, I’ll show them and open their eyes!” Frank Bolton tugged at Ethan Clark’s sleeve, pleading softly.

“Mischievous kid. Alright, come with me.” Ethan Clark gently tapped Frank Bolton on the forehead and walked into the house.

Frank Bolton followed Ethan Clark into his study. Ethan Clark placed the kite on the desk, thought for a moment, then swiftly painted a soaring ink swallow on the front of the kite, and wrote two lines on the back: “The swallow carries mud to build its nest; whether there’s love or not, words cannot tell.”

Frank Bolton happily took the kite, bouncing out the door, but suddenly turned back and shouted, “Teacher, I’m leaving now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll come to your house for lessons!”

“The swallow carries mud to build its nest; whether there’s love or not, words cannot tell.” Emily Lane had somehow followed them in, and now softly recited the lines, her clear, watery eyes misting over with a faint haze.

“Hehe.” Ethan Clark had nothing to say, so he just gave a dry laugh.

“Husband, your calligraphy and painting are truly exceptional. This is not something achieved in a day. Since I married into the Lin family, this is the first time I’ve seen you display your artistic skills. This…” Emily Lane probed gently, placing the brush Ethan Clark had left on the desk into the brush holder.

“Just doodling, sorry to make you laugh, hehe.” Ethan Clark dodged the question, brushing it off casually.

Emily Lane thought Ethan Clark didn’t want to talk to her, so she cast him a plaintive glance, slowly turned her back, and felt a sense of unspeakable disappointment. Ethan Clark had “mended his ways,” and had even revealed unexpected talent, which surprised and excited Emily Lane. But compared to the old Ethan Clark, the current Ethan Clark felt very, very unfamiliar to her. Although the “barrier” between them had vanished with Ethan Clark’s “return to the right path,” a new, invisible “chasm” had appeared. Though they were close in distance, it felt as if they were separated by thousands of miles—hard to approach, impossible to grasp.

Emily Lane let out a soft sigh. “Husband, I’m going back to my room.”

Emily Lane walked away gracefully, hoping Ethan Clark would say something to stop her, but he just responded with an “oh” and then fell silent, as if he were a block of wood. She paused at the doorway, but still stepped over the high threshold.

Watching her lonely, graceful figure disappear, Ethan Clark was moved, opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Volume One: The World in a Pot

Chapter 12: A Stunning Display

The night passed in silence. How should he face his “wife” in this life? He tossed and turned, thinking for a long time but couldn’t come up with an answer. Ethan Clark lay on the couch and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, he took Henry Clark and Old Clark to the porcelain kiln. Meanwhile, Emily Lane rode in a small sedan chair, bringing Liam Young and Lucy Young along as well.

When they arrived at the kiln, Ethan Clark was surprised to find a large crowd gathered outside the Lin family’s porcelain kiln. Several government officers stood at the entrance, their uniforms a bit different from those of the inspector’s office. The officers surrounded a thin, elderly man in a low-ranking official’s robe. Beside him stood a portly, well-dressed middle-aged man, and behind them was the sullen-faced Kevin Foster.

Seeing Ethan Clark approach, Old Morgan hurried over and whispered in Ethan Clark’s ear, “Young master, the county assistant suddenly brought people here saying they want to collect the goods early. What do you think?”

“Oh.” Ethan Clark nodded, walked straight over, and bowed. “Sir County Assistant, student Ethan Clark greets you.”

The assistant magistrate of Yidu County, Andrew Brooks, gave Ethan Clark a cold glance and said in an official tone, “Very well. I am here on the county magistrate’s orders to collect the goods. How is the production of your three-foot painted vases coming along?”

Ethan Clark smiled slightly. “They haven’t come out of the kiln yet.”