Previously, there were quite a few idle men following him, making him look very impressive. But for an entire day, not a single idle man showed up. It was said that those idle men had either gone to join Guo Jing or started their own ventures. Perhaps, in their eyes, Edward Brooks was finished! Three hundred strings of cash might not mean much to those wealthy families, but in the eyes of the common folk, it was undoubtedly a huge sum—an amount so large that even if Edward Brooks used all his abilities, he still couldn’t pay it back. If he couldn’t repay this debt, Edward Brooks would probably find it hard to stay on Ma Xing Street. Since that was the case, what benefit was there in following Edward Brooks?

On the other hand, the neighbors and townsfolk would occasionally check in on him, showing Edward Brooks a bit of warmth... Among them, the second son of the old Cao family, who specialized in selling Dusheng Pills, came by specifically to buy four or five jin of cooked meat.

At the time, Edward Brooks was a bit puzzled, “Second brother, why are you buying so much cooked meat today? Do you have guests at home?”

The second son just smiled and said, “My father said, Little Yi, you’ve helped out us neighbors a lot these past two years. Now that you’re in trouble, we can’t just stand by and let your heart grow cold. My father said, as long as you’re on Ma Xing Street, our Cao family shop will buy five jin of cooked meat every day.”

“This... how could I accept this?”

“Why not?”

The second son sighed and said softly, “It’s a pity our family can’t help you more... With you on Ma Xing Street, those ruffians don’t dare cause trouble. If you leave, who knows what will happen... Alright, I’ll head back now. Remember to save five jin of raw meat for us tomorrow.”

The warmth and coldness of human relationships—this truly was the warmth and coldness of the world!

Edward Brooks had heard people say that the people of Kaifeng Prefecture were warmhearted, and today he saw that the reputation was well-deserved.

He silently remembered the kindness of these old neighbors and instructed, “Little Seventh Brother, starting tomorrow, deliver five jin of raw meat to the Cao family shop every day. Since they’re helping me, I can’t make them wear out their shoes for nothing. From now on, I’ll trouble you to handle this, and I’ll compensate you three wen a day for shoe money.”

Three wen didn’t sound like much.

But little by little, it would add up to a good pair of shoes.

Little Steven happily agreed and continued to busy himself. Before nightfall, all the raw and cooked meat in the shop was sold out. Edward Brooks collected the money, had Little Steven close up the shop, and then leisurely left the Yu family shop, heading straight for Chenzhou Gate.

In Kaifeng Prefecture, there was a city gate called Nanxun Gate.

On ordinary days, whether scholars or commoners, or even funeral processions, none were allowed to pass through this gate. It was said that this was because the gate faced directly toward the imperial city. But there were exceptions: people could not pass through, but pigs and sheep destined for slaughter—tens of thousands every day—had to enter the city through this gate.

Inside Nanxun Gate, there was a street-watching pavilion.

Pigs and sheep would pass in front of the pavilion before entering the city to be slaughtered by various households.

When Edward Brooks left Chenzhou Gate, dusk was just falling. From a distance, he saw a herd of pigs and sheep being herded in an orderly fashion by more than a dozen people toward Nanxun Gate. Presumably, Jack Ross had already arrived at the street-watching pavilion. Edward Brooks didn’t dare delay and headed straight for Wulidian. By the time he arrived, it was completely dark.

Wulidian, five li outside Kaifeng city, was a stretch of wilderness.

Edward Brooks sat down by the roadside to wait for Jack Ross. The wait was truly hard to bear. Just as Edward Brooks was growing impatient, he heard the stubborn sound of cart wheels in the distance—someone was pushing a small cart, heading his way.

Edward Brooks quickly got up and looked.

There were two people: one pushing the cart, the other carrying a lantern.

As they drew closer, Edward Brooks saw that the person with the lantern was actually Nancy Johnson, and the one pushing the cart was Jack Ross. The two of them were talking quietly as they walked, and in the blink of an eye, they were in front of Edward Brooks.

“Little Yi, you must have been waiting anxiously.”

Jack Ross said with a smile, “I bargained with Mark Cooper for quite a while before settling on twenty-two strings. I was in a hurry today, so I only bought two pigs. But Mark Cooper said that from now on, he can sell you three pigs a day... But, can you really sell five hundred jin of raw meat every day?”

Mark Cooper was the pig herder.

Edward Brooks smiled gratefully and quickly said, “I’ll do my best.”

“That’s good!”

As Jack Ross spoke, he pushed the cart forward.

Edward Brooks hurried to help, but Jack Ross refused. “Little Yi, this job isn’t just about strength—it takes some skill. Let’s go, it’s just another li ahead.”

Though Jack Ross was older, he was nimble, pushing the cart as he walked.

Edward Brooks walked beside Nancy Johnson and asked in a low voice, “Sister Jiu, why did you come?”

Nancy smiled slightly and answered softly, “There’s nothing much to do at home, so I came to take a look.”

In truth, she was worried.

Given Edward Brooks’s unreliable ways in the past, who knew if he’d stand Jack Ross up. Nancy Johnson was afraid! Whether or not she had feelings for Edward Brooks, the fact was, they were family now.

Volume One, Sixth Year of Xuanhe, Chapter 009: Pig Slaughter (Part 2)

Very soon, the three of them arrived in front of a rundown little courtyard.