George Thompson gave a bitter laugh and said, "I’d like to help you, but you know I only care for my drink. Right now, I still owe the tavern three strings of cash for wine, and I don’t have a single coin to my name. Brother, you’d better go try the clan leader. By rights, the clan leader should help the clan’s children go to school."

Brian Thompson shook his head. "Borrowing money from him is even worse than borrowing from the silver shop. Aside from not needing collateral, his interest is even higher than the silver shop’s."

"Why don’t you go check the bookstore in the county again? Didn’t Manager Clark ask you to work for him?"

"But Steward Brooks won’t give me leave!"

George Thompson immediately said angrily, "That dogshit steward is nothing! Just go to the county, I’ll talk to the clan leader tomorrow. I’d like to see what that Black Pig Brooks dares to say!"

Brian Thompson finally made up his mind. For his son to be able to attend school, he had to go to the county bookstore to copy books again.

Besides, there was an even more pressing matter he didn’t dare tell his son: he had written an IOU for fifty strings of medical expenses to Steward Brooks, ten strings had been stolen, and he still owed forty. The other party demanded he pay it back within a month. There were just over twenty days left, and he had to find a way to borrow those forty strings.

Steward Brooks had made it very clear: if he dared to default, he’d go after his son.

……

David Thompson had already run out of the ancestral hall’s main gate. The two small fish he’d just caught, weighing about two taels, were placed by the creek. He used mud to build a little enclosure and kept the two fish inside.

After waiting a long time for his father to come out, he simply started turning over stones in the creek again. He was in luck—he caught three loaches in a row. With nowhere to put them, he simply smashed their heads with a stone. Tonight, he could stew a pot of delicious loach and fresh fish soup.

Thinking of the spicy loach he’d eaten before, his mouth started to water.

Just then, he suddenly saw three children emerge from the woods. They were the same three brats who had thrown mud and stones at his father the other day. Leading them was Steward Brooks’s son. Judging by their sneaky looks, they were definitely up to no good. David Thompson quickly hid behind a large cypress tree.

"Edward Thompson, I told you, the offerings won’t be set out until tomorrow, but you wouldn’t believe me. My dad is the head steward—wouldn’t he know how things are arranged?"

"I’m just worried, that’s all. Didn’t you hear those punks from Lushan House are also after the white jade cakes? We have to act before they do."

"Frank, are the white jade cakes really that tasty?"

"Of course they are! Soft and delicate, they melt in your mouth, sweet to the core. You can’t even buy them in the county. My dad said they’re a special supply sent from the capital by the second master, meant for the upper class. Each one costs a string of cash. We’re not stealing many—just one each to try."

The three of them peeked around the ancestral hall entrance for a while. Frank Brooks kicked Edward Thompson next to him. "I told you the offerings start tomorrow, but you wouldn’t listen. Came here for nothing, didn’t you!"

"Isn’t that Frank? What are you all doing here?"

Brian Thompson happened to come out of the ancestral hall and ran right into the three brats who gave him the biggest headache.

Frank Brooks sneered, then suddenly raised his voice to the The Thompson Brothers, "Let me tell you something funny. A few days ago, a dog chased me, but it didn’t even bite a single hair off me. I told my dad I was bitten by a vicious dog, and guess what happened?"

Brian Thompson’s face immediately turned red with anger. "So my Dahei didn’t bite you after all!"

Frank Brooks ignored Brian Thompson and continued smugly, "My dad brought the servants and gave that dog’s owner a good beating. I heard he even soiled himself, and sprayed blood all over my dad. The funniest part was he had to kneel on the ground and crawl like a dog, crawling under the crotches of four servants. My dad was being kind—he only made him pay fifty strings of cash for medical expenses!"

"Your dad is way too kind. If it were me, I’d have made him pay a hundred strings!"

"I think it should’ve been a thousand!"

The three brats burst out laughing and swaggered off. Brian Thompson’s face turned red and white with anger, but he didn’t dare provoke them. Just then, he suddenly saw his son standing by the creek and was startled. He hurried over to block his son, afraid he’d lose his temper and rush over.

But David Thompson was surprisingly calm, not angry at all, just coldly watching the three brats walk away.

Chapter 0006: Conflict Intensifies

Leaving the ancestral hall, father and son arrived at the bustling little town. Brian Thompson glanced at the mule and horse market for a moment, then said to David Thompson, "Qing’er, Daddy still has something to do. You go home by yourself first!"

David Thompson didn’t say a word. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Daddy, are you planning to give Henry Brooks another forty strings of cash?"

"Well…"

Brian Thompson’s face flushed bright red. After a long while, he stammered, "Even though his son wasn’t bitten and there’s no need to pay medical expenses, I did write him an IOU, black and white on paper. I’m afraid I can’t just refuse to pay."

"If Henry Brooks gets in the mood one day and forces you to write an IOU for a hundred strings, black and white on paper, would you have to pay him too?"

"Of course not, that wouldn’t make sense!"

"Then does it make sense to pay these fifty strings?"

"This… this…" Brian Thompson was left speechless by his son’s questions.