“Mm, I was just thinking of wearing the shoes you made for me, Mother!” Henry Clark took the handkerchief Grace handed over and wiped the corners of her eyes, then nodded, but also rubbed her little brother’s head, smiling as she nodded again, “I also want to see if the assignments I left for my little brother have helped him improve.”

The three of them returned to their room together. Knowing that Charles Bolton considered everyone in the manor to be his own people, and that his mother and younger brother, being just women and children, couldn’t possibly run away, he hadn’t sent Mrs. Smith to follow them today. Henry Clark understood how rare this opportunity was, so she sent Grace and Fangcao to stand guard outside, then crouched down and said to George Clark, “Sister has something important to discuss with Mother. Little brother, stay here and don’t let anyone in. If you can do this, then in the future, I’ll be able to come back and reunite with you and Mother, understand?”

“Mm, don’t worry, Sis!”

Seeing George Clark nodding vigorously, Henry Clark smiled and patted his forehead, then pulled Mrs. Clark-Lewis into the inner room. When the mother and daughter sat down together, she took a deep breath and asked directly, “Mother, how did you end up here?”

“It was Master Bolton who sent people to fetch us. I originally said I was used to living in the old house, but they insisted that the city was unsafe, and I couldn’t refuse, so I brought Little George and moved here.” Seeing Henry Clark’s troubled expression, Mrs. Clark-Lewis immediately realized something was wrong. “Did something happen to the The Bolton Family?”

“Godmother has passed away.” Seeing Mrs. Clark-Lewis’s face change dramatically, then a trace of joy flash across her face, only to be quickly suppressed, Henry Clark didn’t want to worry her mother with too many details, so she vaguely said, “But two marquis’ households from the capital have sent people to fetch me. Because godfather is worried, he wants me to go with them…”

“What!” Mrs. Clark-Lewis had hoped that with Mrs. Grant gone, she could bring her daughter home to reunite. Hearing this was like a bolt from the blue, leaving her stunned. After a long while, she finally grabbed Henry Clark’s shoulders, her voice trembling, “How could this be? Then… when will you come back?”

“I don’t know.” Forcing herself to say these three words that would so disappoint her mother, Henry Clark then held her mother’s hand and said, “Mother, while I’m not by your side, you must take good care of yourself and George Jr.… If Father and Big Brother send word, just tell them I’m doing well, don’t let them worry…”

“It’s all my fault, it’s all because I was afraid they’d never return from the war, so I agreed to let Mrs. Grant send you into the yamen!” Mrs. Clark-Lewis felt as if her heart was being cut by knives. She clutched Henry Clark’s arm tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, “It’s all my fault, I’m the one who harmed you… Little Henry, all these years, every time I dream, I see you calling for me. I regret it so much…”

“Mother, don’t say that. Everything that’s happened now started at the City God Temple back then. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me for meddling.” Henry Clark cut her mother off, then gently pried her mother’s fingers from her arm, and looked into those tear-filled eyes for a long moment before softly saying, “Mother, remember every word I’m about to say. After I enter the capital, if one day someone comes to you with my token, you must believe what they say and do exactly as they instruct. Don’t hesitate, and don’t ask why.”

At this, she took out a jade hairpin from her bosom, crouched down, and knocked the joint on the ground a few times. Seeing the hairpin break into two pieces, she wrapped one half in a handkerchief and handed it to Mrs. Clark-Lewis.

“Mother, this jade phoenix hairpin, we’ll each keep half. In the future, this will be our proof.”

Mrs. Clark-Lewis saw that her half of the hairpin still bore the finely carved phoenix pattern, and couldn’t help but say, “Little Henry, you…”

“I saved up for years to buy this from a jewelry shop, originally planning to give it to you for your fortieth birthday. All the other jewelry belongs to the The Bolton Family, and the silver hairpin you gave me, I couldn’t bear to break it, nor could I, so I can only use this as our token.” Henry Clark gripped the hand holding the half hairpin, smiling through her tears, “When these two broken hairpins are joined again, that will be the day our family is reunited!”

Mother and daughter had so much to say after their reunion. After sitting together for a long time, when they finally left the room, Henry Clark saw George Clark standing behind the curtain of the main hall, peering outside with full concentration. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow and called out to her little brother. George Clark turned around, and immediately ran back in delight, hugging her arm and calling out, “Sis.”

“Sister has to go far away for a while. Mother will be relying on you to take care of her.” Seeing George Clark’s shocked face and reddening eyes, she stroked his forehead, holding back her tears, and said, “Men don’t shed tears easily. Remember, a true man can bleed and sweat, but not cry. Mother only has you to depend on now!”

“Don’t worry, Sis!” George Clark wiped his eyes hard with his sleeve, then said resolutely, “Mother and I will wait for you to come back!”

Chapter Ten: Kindness