"One or two taels of silver?" Stephen Reed frowned. Naturally, he wasn't short of one or two taels, but the servant responsible for cleaning the entire courtyard at home didn't even get one tael a month as a regular wage.

"One or two taels of silver is surely nothing to you, Young Master Reed. Even Young Master Bolton from Jia No. 5 has entrusted this task to me."

Nathaniel Clark added, and this time Stephen Reed didn't hesitate. He and Matthew Bolton from Jia No. 5 didn't get along; their families had some business conflicts in Danning County. Since Matthew Bolton had agreed, if he didn't, wouldn't that mean the He family was inferior to the Zhang family?

"Come once a day from now on. Here are ten taels of silver."

To outdo Matthew Bolton, Stephen Reed directly tossed a silver ingot to Nathaniel Clark. Nathaniel Clark accepted it with a smile: "Thank you, Young Master Reed."

As for the discord between Stephen Reed and Matthew Bolton, Nathaniel Clark had noticed it by chance while eating in the kitchen. At that time, Stephen Reed and Matthew Bolton had almost gotten into a fight. He remembered this scene, and now it came in handy.

After collecting the money, Nathaniel Clark got to work on the spot, filling Stephen Reed's water vat and four buckets. He then repeated the process and went to knock on the doors of other Jia dormitory students.

Jia No. 7, Jia No. 5, Jia No. 4, Jia No. 3...

Jia No. 2.

Nathaniel Clark knocked on the door.

No response.

Nathaniel Clark frowned. Could it be that this person wasn't home?

Jia No. 2 was occupied by the only female student in their batch, who also ranked second in the entrance exam—Emily Turner.

"Stop knocking."

A woman's voice came from behind. Nathaniel Clark turned around. Dressed in a purple fitted outfit that accentuated her graceful figure, Emily Turner stood ten meters behind him, looking at him with a complicated expression.

Emily Turner looked at Nathaniel Clark. Earlier, she had gone to the backyard to ask Instructor Foster about martial arts. On her way back, she saw a man wandering around the Jia dormitory area, which piqued her curiosity. She didn't speak up, wanting to see what he was up to.

Then she watched as he knocked on Stephen Reed's door, talked Stephen Reed into giving him ten taels of silver, then talked Matthew Bolton into giving him twenty taels, and then collected more silver from other students.

"Young Master Bolton, there's something I need to tell you first. I have to finish carrying water for Young Master Reed before I can do yours. Young Master Reed gave me ten taels of silver at once."

"Andrew Price, there's something I need to explain to you first. Young Master Bolton and Young Master Reed gave me thirty taels of silver at once, so I have to finish theirs before I can do yours. Don't worry, I'm quick and efficient—it won't take long."

...

...

With this kind of pitch, he had already collected over a hundred taels.

Even when caught in the act, Nathaniel Clark wasn't the least bit embarrassed. Making money wasn't shameful.

"Hey, I can't help it. My family is poor and I have no money, and I'm not strong enough. If I don't earn some money, I'm afraid I won't be able to complete the three-month, five-hundred-jin assessment." Nathaniel Clark wore a worried look, then suddenly said, "Miss Turner is kind-hearted, I wonder..."

"You think you can enter the girls' dormitory?" Emily Turner knew what Nathaniel Clark was about to say and cut him off directly.

Nathaniel Clark was at a loss for words. He'd forgotten this detail while doing business. This wasn't the modern world where a single woman could just call a plumber to fix a clogged drain.

"My apologies for being presumptuous."

"And I advise you not to knock on Henry Collins's door either. Henry Collins hates being disturbed while practicing martial arts. If you knock, not only will you not get any money, you might even get beaten up."

"Thank you for the warning, Miss Turner." Nathaniel Clark cupped his fists gratefully. "To show my appreciation, I can deliver the water to your door for just half a tael of silver."

Emily Turner: ...

"It's already a fifty percent discount," Nathaniel Clark said sincerely.

"I don't need your discount. Here, take one tael of silver."

Emily Turner tossed over a money pouch. Nathaniel Clark caught it, felt its weight, and grinned happily.

"Miss Turner, rest assured, I guarantee you'll be the first to have water."

Emily Turner: ...

So am I supposed to feel honored because of this?

Chapter 7: A Letter to Chief Harris

Leaving the Jia area, Nathaniel Clark didn't return to the dormitory but instead headed to the gatehouse.

Each student could write letters here and have the gatehouse send them out.

In the two months since coming to the academy, Nathaniel Clark had written two letters home and also one to Chief Harris.

The letters to Old Aunt were mostly to let her know he was safe, so she wouldn't worry. The letter to Chief Harris focused mainly on his martial arts progress at the academy.

Nathaniel Clark saw himself as a poor college student, and Chief Harris as the philanthropist who sponsored his education. He reported his studies to the benefactor, so the benefactor would feel their donation wasn't wasted and could have a sense of accomplishment.

The benefactor might not expect you to become a great success, but at the very least, you should show gratitude. If, on top of that, you achieve excellent results, all the better.

Following the same pattern, after writing a letter to Old Aunt, Nathaniel Clark picked up his pen to write a second letter.

[Uncle Harris:]

[Nephew Nathaniel Clark respectfully writes.]

[As in the previous letter, I first thank Uncle Harris for his help, which has allowed me to practice martial arts at the academy. After a few words of thanks, I get to the main point.]