David Thompson burst out laughing. Suddenly, he remembered something, so he fished it out from the corner and said with a smile, “Close your eyes, second brother has something tasty for you.”

Little Grace covered her eyes with both hands, but secretly left a gap between her fingers. “What delicious thing is it?”

David Thompson broke off a small piece of the white jade cake and stuffed it into her mouth. This was a piece he had specially saved for Little Grace.

“So sweet! Second brother, what is it?” she asked, her big, dark eyes wide open.

David Thompson put the little cake into her hand and smiled, “Let’s eat together. You eat the cake, I’ll eat the steamed bun!”

Little Grace held the white jade cake and nibbled at it in small bites, reluctantly watching as the cake grew smaller and smaller.

“Is it tasty?”

“Mm! It’s delicious. Second brother, what kind of cake is this?”

“This is called... Victory Cake. I bought it in town.” David Thompson didn’t dare tell her it was called white jade cake.

At that moment, Mrs. Harris’s voice called from outside, “Little Grace!”

Little Grace quickly stuffed the last bite of cake into David Thompson’s mouth, grabbed the empty basket, and dashed off. “Second brother, I’ll come find you to play later!”

After a good sleep and eating three steamed buns, David Thompson felt refreshed and clear-headed. He got dressed and went out into the yard, drew a bucket of water from the well to wash his face and brush his teeth, but then heard Mrs. Harris’s voice outside the gate: “Daqi isn’t home, there’s only the child here.”

“Hehe! We’re here to see David.”

David Thompson recognized this as the voice of his fourth uncle, George Thompson. He hurriedly splashed some water on his face and straightened his clothes. Just then, the courtyard door creaked open and several people walked in from outside.

Chapter 0011: Asking an Exorbitant Price

Three people entered from outside. Leading the way was fourth uncle George Thompson, still wearing that exquisitely made, snow-white robe. He was tall, with a long white beard and hair, giving him an especially immortal-like appearance.

One has to admit, appearance really does matter. Even though George Thompson had taken the provincial exam for ten years and failed every time, and never did any farm work, he was still the most comfortable and well-off person in Liwen Village.

Although he had seriously neglected his duty last night, resulting in the ancestral hall being burned, the fact that the clan leader still had him lead the way to Liwen Village today showed the trust placed in him.

Behind him was the clan leader of the Li family, William Thompson. He had barely slept a wink last night, his eyes bloodshot, but his spirits were high. Perhaps because he was a bit overweight, walking from the village entrance to here left him slightly out of breath.

The last to enter was Mrs. Harris. Daqi had entrusted David to them, and her son Charles Harris had gone to the county. Even though it was David’s uncle and the clan leader coming in, she still wasn’t at ease.

“David, the clan leader is here to see you. Hurry and come over to kowtow and pay your respects!”

George Thompson was afraid David Thompson would refuse to kowtow like he did in the ancestral hall, so he quickly reminded David Thompson, and even winked at him.

Heaven, earth, ruler, parents, and teacher—apart from these five elders, David Thompson wouldn’t bow to anyone. He stepped forward, making as if to kneel, but suddenly grinned and just couldn’t go through with it.

“Fourth uncle, my knee got hurt in the fire last night. It hurts so much right now!”

William Thompson chuckled, “David, there’s no need to be so formal. George, go get two stools.”

George Thompson rolled his eyes—this little rascal had dodged it again. Helpless, he went to find two small stools made from old planks, wiped them with his sleeve, and said, “Clan leader, please sit!”

But William Thompson gave the stool to David Thompson. “David, your leg hurts, you sit first!”

David Thompson unceremoniously took the stool and sat down. William Thompson also sat on the other small stool, while Mrs. Harris swept the yard with a bamboo broom not far away, occasionally glancing over with the corner of her eye.

There were only two small stools in the house, so George Thompson had to stand. Seeing that they meant no harm, Mrs. Harris quietly closed the door and left—she couldn’t care less about the Li family’s business.

“David, we really have you to thank for last night. To be honest, I didn’t sleep a wink, I was both scared and grateful. I never imagined our ancestors would really show their spirit.”

William Thompson spoke sincerely. Before coming, he had carefully asked George Thompson about David Thompson’s situation and learned that the child used to be a fool, but after falling into the well over a month ago, he had completely changed and now read and wrote like a prodigy.

Especially after George Thompson told him about David Thompson’s performance in the ancestral hall the day before, where he even guessed the great ancestor’s name, William Thompson suddenly realized there must be a reason the great ancestor chose David Thompson. It was very likely that the great ancestor’s spirit had possessed this child—how else could he have changed from a fool to a prodigy?

All the way here, William Thompson kept thinking about this, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. His heart burned with impatience, eager to confirm his guess.

At this moment, David Thompson was thinking about how to get the greatest benefit from this matter. He had already drafted his list of demands, just waiting for the clan leader to bring up the matter of thanking him.

He lowered his head and said, “Clan leader, I really don’t know what happened at the time. I’m still confused now. It felt like, in that moment, I wasn’t myself anymore.”

William Thompson probed further, “David, have you ever heard that voice before? For example... when you fell into the well?”