William Foster entered the study. The maid brought tea, and with the morning sunlight streaming in, a sense of tranquil leisure filled the air.

Absentmindedly fiddling with the paperweight in his hand, William Foster was pondering how he should proceed from here.

Just muddle along and wait for death?

That wouldn’t be so bad, but with no power or influence, if he caught the attention of the powerful, even having his property seized would be getting off lightly.

But the path of the imperial examination was already closed to him, cutting off his prospects.

As he was thinking, he happened to glance up and saw the somewhat uneasy Samuel Moore. William Foster pointed to the seat across from him and said, “Sit.”

Seeing that Samuel Moore didn’t sit down, William Foster said indifferently, “What do you want to learn? Don’t even think about the Four Books and Five Classics.”

At these words, Samuel Moore replied a bit defiantly, “Then what can you teach me?”

William Foster glanced at the textbooks he had compiled on the table and said with a beaming smile, “I can teach you practical knowledge for the world, so you won’t be a fool.”

Samuel Moore said a bit awkwardly, “But I’m not stupid!”

William Foster pointed to the sky and asked mysteriously, “Do you know why there’s thunder? Do you know why it rains?”

“Do you know why the earth dragon turns over?”

A string of questions left Samuel Moore a bit overwhelmed. He scratched the back of his head and stubbornly asked, “Do you know?”

William Foster grinned smugly, “Of course I do.”

“Then I’ll learn.”

Being able to learn such profound knowledge, Samuel Moore felt he shouldn’t miss the chance.

William Foster, full of ambition, looked at this somewhat rebellious child and said, “All talk and no action is just empty show. Today, I’ll open your eyes.”

Samuel Moore watched as William Foster fetched a boiled egg, then skillfully peeled it, placing the smooth egg on the table.

“What’s this…”

“This is a glass cup.”

Samuel Moore stared wide-eyed, utterly shocked.

There was already colored glass at this time, but the transparency was poor. If anyone saw the glass cup in William Foster’s hand, it would probably cause a bloody incident.

William Foster measured the egg against the mouth of the glass cup, then called the maid to pour in a cup of hot water.

Once the outside of the cup was hot to the touch, William Foster poured out the water, then placed the egg—which was a bit wider than the cup’s mouth—on top, and looked up to ask Samuel Moore, “Do you think this egg can go in by itself? And land in the cup intact?”

Samuel Moore shook his head, still absorbed in the transparent glass cup.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

William Foster tapped the table, telling Samuel Moore to watch the egg closely.

“Come a bit closer.”

Samuel Moore leaned over the table and saw droplets starting to form on the inside wall of the glass cup.

Then, something strange happened, making Samuel Moore rub his eyes hard.

“The egg—the egg went in by itself?”

Samuel Moore felt his whole worldview had been turned upside down.

The egg didn’t go in quickly, but it was steady.

With a “pop!” the egg landed at the bottom of the cup.

Staring at the egg, Samuel Moore asked urgently, “Mr. Foster, is this an illusion?”

William Foster wasn’t angry, just calmly put on airs, “No, this is science.”

“What is science?” Samuel Moore asked, bewildered.

“Science is what can explain why there’s lightning and thunder in the sky, why it pours rain, and why the earth dragon turns over. Basically, there’s nothing in this world that science can’t explain.”

William Foster stroked his nonexistent beard, looking every bit the earnest, soul-shaping teacher.

Samuel Moore said a bit awkwardly, “But I still have to go to town to study for a day every three days, so time is a bit tight.”

In these times, the imperial examination was the only way for the poor to rise, so William Foster didn’t intend to cut off Samuel Moore’s path. He said calmly, “I have some old notes and books here. When you have free time, copy them yourself to take home. Don’t ask me—self-study.”

William Foster looked a bit uncomfortable, and Samuel Moore immediately bowed and said, “Yes, I understand.”

Everyone in the manor knew one thing: William Foster could no longer take the imperial exams because of his father’s implication.

Samuel Moore felt a bit regretful. He thought William Foster was so talented, but unfortunately burdened by his father’s misfortune. No wonder he didn’t even want to mention the Four Books and Five Classics now.

After Samuel Moore left, William Foster stretched and called out, “Little White.”

Little White came running in magically, the way she lifted her skirt looking especially charming.

“You called for me, young master?”

Those big blinking eyes made William Foster lose focus for a moment, but he quickly said, “Tell Rose I want cold noodles for lunch.”

Cold noodles are easy to make: cook the noodles until almost done, then take them out and rinse in well water, add some seasoning, and you have a delicious meal.

William Foster took out a glass jar. The contents looked a bit odd, as if something was soaking in oil.

Lao Gan Ma! The world-famous table condiment.

“Come, come, this is diced chicken with chili. Add a bit and it tastes even better.”

The noodles looked a bit pale, but once the chili oil was mixed in, the red color instantly whetted the appetite.

“Husband, what’s this?”

Grace Bolton looked at the chili in William Foster’s bowl and asked curiously.