"Chong'er, now that our Zhou family has already fallen, and the whole household relies on you to support it, you absolutely must not act impulsively. If the Song family wants to break off the engagement, let them. When Charlie passes the imperial exam in the future, there will be plenty of chances to make them regret it!" Mrs. Walker was startled when she heard Charles Bennett's words and hurriedly tried to persuade him. But when she got to the last sentence, this usually honest woman also showed a hint of resentment.

"That's right, what Mrs. Walker says makes sense. Young master, you have a bright future ahead of you; there's really no need to stoop to the Song family's level!" Steward Evans also advised from the side. He was experienced in dealing with people and knew that, given the Zhou family's current situation, it was not wise to provoke the Song family any further.

Charles Bennett was no longer the bookish fool he once was and naturally understood the current situation. Now, the Zhou family could barely afford to eat, and they had no right to contend with the Song family. However, in his heart, Charles Bennett had already taken note of the Song family—today's humiliation from them would be repaid a hundredfold in the future!

"Alright, you don't need to persuade me anymore. I understand all of this. For the sake of our family, I won't act rashly." Charles Bennett took a deep breath and spoke calmly, " Steward Evans, lead the way. Come with me to meet the Song father and son!"

"Yes!" Steward Evans replied, turned, and left the small courtyard. The two of them, one after the other, made their way to the front hall of the Zhou residence.

As soon as they entered the front hall, Charles Bennett saw a middle-aged man in his forties and a teenage boy standing in the hall. The middle-aged man was dark, fat, dressed in a merchant's robe, with a lion-like nose, wide mouth, and small, beady eyes—his appearance really did not do him any favors. As for the young man, he was pale and thin, with regular features, but his eyes had more white than black, and when he looked at people, his gaze was raised, making him seem very arrogant.

There was no need to ask; these two standing there were definitely Master Song and the second young master of the Song family. The reason they were standing and not sitting was because all the tables and chairs in the hall had already been sold to pay off debts. The entire hall was empty, with nowhere to sit.

As Charles Bennett walked into the hall, his previously calm face immediately broke into a warm smile, as if he were meeting a highly respected elder. He stepped forward, bowed to Master Song, and said, "Uncle Song, thank you for visiting. I apologize for not welcoming you sooner—please forgive my rudeness!"

Seeing his young master's sudden change of expression, Steward Evans was also taken aback. He really hadn't expected that the young master he had watched grow up would have such depth. Just moments ago, he was cursing the Song family, and now he could greet them so warmly—this was completely different from the bookish Zhou family young master he remembered. Could it be that the family's decline had suddenly made the young master wise up?

Master Song was also surprised by Charles Bennett's enthusiasm. He had often visited the Zhou residence before and had seen Charles Bennett many times, but in his impression, Charles Bennett was just a bookworm who knew nothing about social dealings. However, although Master Song was surprised, he didn't show it too much and responded just as warmly, "No need for such formalities, nephew. I was saddened to hear of your father's unfortunate accident, and I hope you can accept my condolences."

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Song. May I ask if there is any particular reason for your visit today?" Charles Bennett asked, pretending not to know. On the way to the hall, he had already figured it out: with the Song family's cold attitude, even if they didn't break off the engagement, he wouldn't let his sister marry into their family. But since they were the ones to bring up the breakup, the initiative was now in his hands, and the Song family would have to pay a little price in advance for today's matter.

Hearing Charles Bennett's question, the dark, fat Master Song gave Steward Evans a meaningful look. He had already told Steward Evans his intentions earlier and didn't believe Charles Bennett didn't know why they were here. But since Charles Bennett was pretending not to know, he had to answer. So he suddenly grinned and said, "Nephew Zhou, you may not know, but with the year-end approaching, our workers are all waiting for their wages to go home for the New Year. Our Song family is just a small business and really can't make ends meet, so I hope you can repay the debt you owe us."

Master Song was indeed an old businessman—when it came to collecting debts, he was direct and unflinching, showing no embarrassment at all despite the two families being connected by marriage. Steward Evans, on the other hand, cursed inwardly. Although the Song family's business wasn't as prosperous as the Zhou family's used to be, it was still one of the top businesses in Songjiang Prefecture. Now they claimed they couldn't pay their workers—no one would believe that.

However, Charles Bennett put on a look of complete belief and sighed repeatedly, "I thought Uncle Song's family was wealthy, but it turns out you have your own difficulties too. The old saying is true: even the landlord's family has no surplus grain!"

Master Song and his son were both stunned when they heard this, trying to recall where the saying 'even the landlord's family has no surplus grain' came from. But Charles Bennett didn't give them time to think and continued, "Since Uncle Song has already spoken, of course our Zhou family will repay the debt we owe you."