Mr. Bennett bent down and picked up the thin bamboo stick, shook off the dirt, and shook his head, saying, “So it was taken by that girl. No wonder I couldn’t find it. This thing is much more useful than a ruler.”

William Carter gave an awkward smile, poked his head into the courtyard, and felt his scalp tingle, suddenly overcome by a desire to escape.

“明远, you can’t leave, or that girl will force me to eat enough for two people.” Mr. Bennett suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve, saying with a half-smile.

Chapter Eight: The Father and Son Crying in the Paulownia Courtyard

William Carter was still being pulled by the sleeve by Mr. Bennett, who drove him into the Paulownia Courtyard with the thin bamboo stick. William Carter had a deep respect for this usually kind and amiable elder, who was a strict and serious teacher during lessons.

Outside the Paulownia Courtyard was a bamboo fence, as tall as a person, covered in lush climbing vines, pleasing to the eye and shielding from prying eyes.

The courtyard wasn’t large—three rooms, plus a kitchen and an outhouse, simple and elegant. In the yard paved with bluestone slabs, besides the hundred-year-old paulownia tree, there were two plum trees in the corner, now also full of green leaves. Beneath the trees was a stone table, but since Emily Bennett liked to practice swordsmanship in the yard, there were no other flowers or plants.

William Carter entered the courtyard, skillfully moved two rattan chairs under the shade of the paulownia tree, then went inside to fetch a pot of cold tea, poured a cup for the teacher, and another for himself.

The two of them listened to the clanging of the spatula from the kitchen, both with sorrowful expressions.

The teacher took a sip of cold tea, waved his hand as if to brush away the noisy, weapon-like clatter, and looked over with a smile, asking, “You just started at the academy today—are you getting used to it?”

William Carter downed his cup of tea in one gulp, set the porcelain cup on the stone table, lay back in the rattan chair, stretched comfortably, and replied with a smile, “It’s not hard to get used to. You know I can be comfortable anywhere. But that hunchbacked Mr. Harris seems to dislike me—he told me I don’t need to attend his classes anymore.”

“So Hunchback Harris gave you a hard time, huh? The older he gets, the smaller his mind. But you really suffered for nothing—Hunchback Harris just wanted to use you to get at me.” The teacher also set down his cup and reclined in the rattan chair, curling his lip.

Hearing this, William Carter couldn’t help but smile. Looks like the nickname he gave was spot on. Suppressing his laughter, he said, “I heard you turned down Hunchback Harris’s marriage proposal. Isn’t Olivia Harris pretty good? I think she should just marry him, or with that little demon’s temper, if she can’t get married, it’ll be a disaster.”

The teacher glanced toward the kitchen, then waved his hand and said, “Olivia Harris is talented, but a bit gloomy, just like his grandfather. He wants to marry Emily only because he’s after the Zeng family’s ladder to success. Besides, that girl doesn’t like him at all, and I don’t want to eat her cooking for the rest of my life.”

The teacher turned to look at William Carter’s swollen right cheek, smiled and nodded, saying, “I think you’re not bad. With a little tidying up, there’s really no one in the academy better looking than you. You may have a few crooked ideas, but you’ve traveled far and wide, which is better than those bookworms who only know how to bury their heads in books. Most importantly, you’re tough. All those who’ve been beaten by that girl avoid her like mice seeing a cat, but you’ve been getting beaten by her since you were little, and the more she beats you, the braver you get. If it comes to it, I’ll just settle for you.”

“Wow!” William Carter almost jumped up, sat up with a look of grief, and said, “Teacher, you can’t just play matchmaker like that! Every time she beats me, it takes me ten days to half a month to recover. If I married her, I’d be lying in bed every day!”

“Look at my face—when I go to class later, they’ll all laugh at me. People who don’t know better would think I have a fierce wife at home…” The more William Carter spoke, the sadder he became. But seeing the teacher turn his head and pretend to nap, acting like he wasn’t listening, William Carter immediately straightened up and changed his tone, saying seriously, “A good girl like Emily is way out of my league. I think, I think…”

“Stupid Mingyuan, what kind of person do you think is worthy of me?” At this moment, a chilly voice came from beside William Carter, the coldness in the voice seeming to cool the hot weather.

William Carter froze, cursing the teacher in his heart, and turned with an innocent look to see Emily Bennett holding one large and one small bowl. Emily Bennett’s beautiful face was expressionless, but the mocking, cold smile at the corner of her mouth made William Carter feel as if he’d fallen into an ice cave.

But William Carter was someone who had traveled the world with his master, so he quickly recovered, forced a smile, and said, “With your beauty that puts fish and birds to shame, and your clear sword heart, I think only the number one hero in the world is worthy of you.” As he spoke, he turned to the teacher pretending to sleep and asked, “What do you think, Teacher?”

“Hmm? Emily, you finished cooking so quickly?” The teacher finally opened his eyes and asked drowsily, rubbing his eyes as if just waking up.

“Eat.” Emily Bennett put the two bowls on the table, pushed the big one in front of William Carter, and the small one in front of the teacher. With that, she turned and walked back toward the kitchen.