Eric Bennett felt that this kid was born to be a servant, and was even dragging down his ambitions. Just as he was about to retort, his face full of black lines, a bell rang. Brian Carter immediately grabbed his rice bowl and dashed out—the meal time for the servants of the Cao household had arrived.

“Wait for me.” Eric Bennett couldn’t care less about his ambitions, slipped on his worn-out shoes, and ran out after him. Even successful people need to fill their stomachs first. After more than half a month of bland soup and watery gruel, he was burning with hunger.

He and Brian Carter, swallowing their saliva, finally managed to snatch a big bowl of stewed fatty meat. Not only was the food in the Cao household good, but the cook also had real skills.

The group of servants, having received their portions, sat scattered in small groups around the courtyard, wolfing down their food. After eating, they lounged under the trees, dozing off here and there.

In the Three Kingdoms period, household slaves were essentially long-term laborers who had sold themselves, just like in the old society. Not only were they responsible for spring plowing and autumn harvest, but also fishing, logging, and all sorts of crafts—they could be tasked with anything, and their daily workload was not light. However, Brian Carter wasn’t wrong: the servants in the Cao household did have a bit of status. Most of the time, they just ran errands and did odd jobs around the mansion, which was undoubtedly much easier than being a servant in other households.

After Eric Bennett had eaten his fill, he started thinking again about how to become a successful person. He glanced around and whispered, “By the way, what kind of life-risking business did you say the Cao family is involved in?”

What Brian Carter mentioned definitely wasn’t charging into battle—that’s not a business. He had a guess in his heart, but wasn’t too sure.

Brian Carter looked at him strangely, lowered his voice, and said, “Weren’t you the one who told me all this… Master Cao is a general, but Third Master Cao is in this line of work…” He gestured downward with his hand, then flicked it upward.

Eric Bennett was startled. Before he could ask further, a sudden cheer came from the front courtyard: “The young lady is back!”

All the servants exploded with excitement and surged toward the front courtyard. Brian Carter also jumped up to run, but seeing Eric Bennett still sitting there, he grabbed him and pulled him up, saying, “Are you stupid? The young lady is back and you’re not going to greet her? She has the kindest heart—if she’s happy to see us welcoming her, she might even give us some reward money.”

Eric Bennett finally got interested. He thought to himself, even in games you’re always short on money in the newbie village. As a newbie in this era, it wouldn’t hurt to get some starting capital to exchange for equipment.

He followed Brian Carter toward the front courtyard, but suddenly grabbed Brian Carter again.

Brian Carter stumbled and was about to ask what Eric Bennett was doing, but then wisely stopped and fell silent. The front courtyard was as quiet as a funeral. A woman sat on horseback, her slender waist cinched, her brows arched like spring mountains—she was the first beauty Eric Bennett had seen in this era. To be honest, he’d seen plenty of beauties in his own time, but such natural, striking beauty was rare.

But why did this beauty look as cold as ice?

Was this the kind-hearted young lady? Cao Hong’s daughter?

These days, Eric Bennett had often heard Brian Carter drooling as he talked about the young lady. He also knew that Cao Hong was away at war all year round. Though he had two sons, most of the Cao family’s business was managed by this young lady.

This young lady was as beautiful as a fairy, gentle in temperament, and always kind to the servants. Anyone who could marry such a wife must have knocked on hundreds of wooden fish in their past life.

Of course, these were Brian Carter’s own words. Eric Bennett knew that Brian Carter probably dreamed of being buried in the Cao family’s graveyard. Today, he finally had the chance to see the young lady in person, and felt that beneath Brian Carter’s weathered exterior was a childlike innocence, like a cartoon gourd boy.

This woman was indeed beautiful, but although Eric Bennett’s hormones were surging, his mind was no longer that of a naive youth. One look at her face, combined with what he knew of her daily life, and he could tell that if this woman lived in modern times, she’d definitely be a strong, independent woman who could arm-wrestle with men. Even seven gourd boys stacked together wouldn’t be able to handle her.

With a woman like this, it was better to keep some distance.

The others, however, were thinking differently from Eric Bennett. Most of them were eyeing the sedan chair behind the young lady. The curtain hung low, and a faint cough came from inside. The young lady’s expression seemed to be connected to the person in the sedan chair.

No one cheered. A man who looked like the steward stepped forward to flatter her, but the young lady just waved her hand. The steward wisely stepped aside. The sedan chair bearers continued forward, but suddenly a violent coughing fit came from inside the sedan.

The sedan chair stopped at once. The young lady dismounted, approached the sedan, and said something softly. The curtain flickered, and a hand reached out from inside, pointing to the side.

Eric Bennett felt a chill in his heart.

It wasn’t because the person in the sedan pointed in his direction—no matter where they pointed, he knew it wouldn’t involve him. There was a group of servants in front of him waiting for reward money; if there was work to be done, it would surely fall to them. Judging by the situation, there’d be no reward money today. He’d have to think of another way to get equipment. If he weren’t afraid of drawing too much attention, he would have gone back to sleep already.

As a successful person, you needed this kind of perceptiveness.

What really chilled him was the color of that person’s hand.

It was just past noon, early autumn, with the slanting sunlight shining down, casting that hand in a dusky, lifeless shade.

Others might not notice, or might just think it was an authoritative, somewhat aged and weary hand. But as an outstanding archaeologist—and an even better tomb raider—Eric Bennett saw far more than ordinary people ever could.