"Still watching? Your Young Master has already gone far." Aunt Harris nudged Widow Brooks, smiling as she spoke.

Widow Brooks's face instantly turned red, and she hurriedly lowered her head.

"Did you see that? Young Master actually cares about you. Even as he was leaving, he didn't forget to tell you to take care and recover. Young Master has made his intentions clear now—you can't just pretend not to hear, can you?" said Aunt Harris.

"So what should I do?" asked Widow Brooks, feeling extremely shy.

Aunt Harris said, "Let me think. Young Master won't be back for at least nine days after returning this time. In these days, I'll come up with a way for you, so that Young Master will accept you. But don't worry, as long as you don't back out, I will definitely help you succeed. Young Master is a kind and easygoing person. You just need to be bold—don't act all bashful like a maiden, or things might go wrong and that would be a real shame."

"Aunt Harris, don't worry, I understand," Widow Brooks replied softly, though her heart was pounding wildly.

With a fine steed, things were indeed different. It hadn't been long before Ryan Thompson could already see the outline of Guobei County's walls.

Guobei County was a large county, and in recent years, under the influence of the The Thompson Family, it could be described as flourishing. Aside from being a bit remote and the city being a bit small, in every other respect it was no worse than Guobei City.

When he arrived at the main gate of Guobei County, he saw a few listless soldiers standing at the city gate. Next to them stood a new sign, with a few words written on it: Entry Fee—One Wen.

In a basket beside them, there were quite a few copper coins, apparently the earnings from today.

"Since when does Guobei County have gate guards, and when did they start charging an entry fee?" Ryan Thompson frowned.

Edward Stone said, "Replying to Young Master, the county magistrate left office last month, and a new one has taken over. This is a new rule for this month—there's now a one wen entry fee."

Chapter Eight: Teasing

Hearing about the entry fee, Ryan Thompson's expression immediately turned cold. He didn't care about paying one wen to enter or leave, but what about the common folk who came and went for work? For them, one wen was a big deal.

He immediately barked coldly, "Absurd! According to the imperial regulations, only large cities charge an entry fee. I've never heard of a county town charging money."

He knew that in this world's ancient times, there were entry fees, but only for bustling big cities, like Guobei City, Jinling, Luoyang, and so on. Guobei County was just a county—there shouldn't be any entry fee at all.

"Young Master, this new county magistrate probably saw how prosperous Guobei County is, so he got this idea," said Edward Stone.

"The commercial taxes from my The Thompson Family are enough to cover a city's taxes. Even if half is hidden, it's still enough for the court. This new magistrate is truly greedy—so much money and still not satisfied. I'll have to find time to pay him a visit."

Ryan Thompson's face darkened, and even his casual words carried an air of authority. The guards nearby all lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

"Dismount. Return to the manor."

Without another word, he dismounted and entered Guobei County.

Everyone at the manor knew that Ryan Thompson had a rule: never ride a horse within the county town, always dismount before entering.

As Edward Stone passed the city gate, he tossed eleven wen into the basket as the entry fee.

"The horse counts as a person too, so you have to pay one more wen," said a soldier.

"Hmm?" Ryan Thompson stopped and gave him a serious look.

An older soldier nearby quickly kicked him and said with a forced smile, "Young Master, he's new and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it to heart. Collecting the fee is the magistrate's rule—we have no choice but to follow it. It's not like we want to do this."

"Your name is Old Slick, right? Since you're collecting entry fees, you must not be short on money. From now on, your monthly salary will be halved. When my The Thompson Family settles this matter, your pay will be restored." With that, Ryan Thompson led his horse away.

The old soldier called Old Slick was instantly on the verge of tears. Not daring to be angry at Ryan Thompson, he could only vent his frustration on the new recruit.

"You fool! Didn't you see who that was just now? Even you dare offend The Thompson FamilyYoung Master? Not only did you get yourself in trouble, you dragged me down with you," Old Slick scolded furiously.

The new recruit still had some backbone and retorted angrily, "So what? We don't eat The Thompson Family's food."

"You really are stupid! The court's salary was set hundreds of years ago—who can live on that now? Even if they pay every wen, it's not enough for you to eat rice for a month. If it weren't for the monthly rewards from The Thompson Family, I'd have quit being a soldier long ago. And do you think any of the money in that basket is for us? It's all for the magistrate. That magistrate is stingy as hell—if we had to rely on him, my whole family would starve."

Old Slick was so angry he wanted to beat the fool to death.

Guobei County was as lively as ever in the morning. Various breakfast stalls were bustling, vendors shouting nonstop. The well-rested townsfolk all got up early to eat breakfast, then hurried off to their day's work.

"I'm going to get something to eat. You take the horse back and let my father know I'm safe," Ryan Thompson said, feeling a bit hungry at the sight of all the breakfast snacks.