It turns out that back then, George Washington's parents died early and didn't even have a burial plot. In the end, Edward Clark's grandfather, Frank Clark, gave a piece of his family's land to George Washington for burying his parents. This great kindness left George Washington deeply grateful to this day. So after founding the nation, he bestowed the title of Marquis of Righteousness and Benevolence upon Frank Clark. However, by that time, Frank Clark had already passed away, so the marquisate was inherited by Edward Clark's father.

Edward Clark's father was named Abraham Lincoln, sharing the same name as Emperor Guangwu of Han, but he certainly didn't have Guangwu's abilities. Relying on the favor left by his father, he once served as George Washington's personal guard. Perhaps George Washington felt that the name Abraham Lincoln was too illustrious and worried he couldn't overshadow him, so he had Abraham Lincoln change his name to Henry Clark.

Henry Clark didn't have great ambitions, so after the founding of the Ming dynasty, he resigned from his official post and devoted himself to being a carefree marquis at home, making him something of an oddity among the nobility.

Of course, Henry Clark was also William Thompson's uncle. It's worth mentioning that William Thompson's mother was also born of a concubine, making her and Henry Clark half-siblings with the same father. However, Henry Clark was still very caring toward his sister, Mrs. Thompson. The two families often visited each other, and William Thompson and Edward Clark grew up together as playmates, their bond as close as real brothers.

"This uncle is just a contented, ambitionless marquis. Although he once served as George Washington's personal guard, when it comes to matters like Samuel Thompson, I'm afraid he won't be of much help!" Lying in bed, William Thompson muttered to himself in a low voice.

Thinking about the impending execution of the entire The Thompson Family next year, William Thompson felt a splitting headache. Even ants struggle to survive, let alone people.

Yet no matter how hard William Thompson racked his brains, he found only dead ends. Marrying a princess was out of the question; in just half a year, with his current status, he probably couldn't even get close to a princess.

In the end, William Thompson thought so hard his head nearly exploded, but still had no clue. This made him so angry that he slapped the bedboard and shouted, "I'm done! I've already died once anyway—these six months are just a bonus!"

As soon as he said this, William Thompson actually felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his mind and body. It was just like in his previous life, when he removed the goals of buying a house and getting married from his life plan—suddenly everything seemed clearer, and the heaviness was gone.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll be a happy person—eat good food, drink good drinks, have fun, and every extra day I live is a day gained!" With that, William Thompson spoke to himself again in a relaxed tone, then closed his eyes and fell asleep. And this sleep was incredibly sweet—he didn't even dream.

The next day, with the sun high in the sky, William Thompson finally got out of bed. Mrs. Thompson personally brought him breakfast: a bowl of steamed egg, a serving of stir-fried greens, and two meat buns. Though simple, it was nutritious and well-suited for someone recovering from illness.

At dinner yesterday, William Thompson had been so preoccupied that he barely ate, and now he was truly hungry. So he didn't stand on ceremony—he swallowed the steamed egg in a few bites, then picked up a bun and took a big bite, eating half of it at once.

Seeing her son eat so heartily, Mrs. Thompson showed a look of relief. As she poured tea for William Thompson, she gently reminded him, "Eat slowly, don't choke. The doctor said your body is still weak, so you shouldn't eat rich foods yet. Once you're better, I'll make you something nice, and then we'll have a proper celebration!"

But just as Mrs. Thompson finished speaking, William Thompson choked on the bun. This startled Mrs. Thompson, who quickly fed him tea with one hand and patted his back with the other. After a while, William Thompson finally managed to swallow.

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you!" Mrs. Thompson scolded gently, still rubbing William Thompson's back to help him catch his breath.

"Th-thank you, Mother!" William Thompson replied with an embarrassed smile. Seeing the loving smile on Mrs. Thompson's face, a wave of warmth rose in his heart. But when he thought about the calamity his family would face in six months, he felt a hollow emptiness, as if something precious was about to be lost.

"Hurry up and eat, what are you daydreaming for?" Mrs. Thompson urged again when she saw William Thompson in a daze. After all, the weather was cold, and the food wouldn't taste good once it cooled.

"Mm!" William Thompson mumbled in response, then lowered his head and took a big bite of the bun. But the bun that had smelled so delicious just moments ago now tasted like wax in his mouth.

"Where's Father?" After finally forcing down the bun, William Thompson looked up and asked, while also, for the first time, carefully observing his mother in this life.

He saw that Mrs. Thompson looked to be in her thirties, with a round, plump face—she looked like a well-off noblewoman. But on closer inspection, there were strands of white in her hair at the temples and fine lines at the corners of her eyes—things that shouldn't have appeared at her age. But William Thompson had been ill for a whole year, and as his mother, she had surely suffered greatly.

"Your father holds an official post. Because of your illness, he has already taken many days off. Now that you're getting better, he went to the yamen today and won't be back until the afternoon." Mrs. Thompson replied with a smile, her expression content. As long as her son was recovering, the family could return to normal—something she had dreamed of countless times over the past year.