Ethan Grant hurriedly said, “Aren’t you just stating the obvious? For someone like Old Parker, who is so learned and knowledgeable, with a mind full of wisdom, all those things the sages said about acting bravely for justice, helping the weak against the strong, and upholding the will of heaven—of course, that’s nothing for him.”

One had to admit, Ethan Grant really got it right calling him a scholar. Old Parker was so delighted by what he heard that he couldn’t stop grinning, nodding repeatedly, almost ready to help Ethan Grant pay off his debts. But then he said, “Acting bravely for justice, helping the weak, upholding the will of heaven—did the sages really say that?”

Ethan Grant replied without changing his expression, “Besides the sages and Old Parker, who else could say such righteous words?”

“Well said.”

Old Parker shamelessly nodded in agreement. He was already old, and after reading books for decades, even the smartest person would get a bit muddled; his mind couldn’t turn as quickly anymore. Unwittingly, he ended up guaranteeing Ethan Grant.

Ethan Grant finally understood why Old Parker could never pass the exams.

Paul Miller also noticed that Old Parker had fallen for Ethan Grant’s trick and was about to speak up, but Ethan Grant wouldn’t give him the chance. He warmly turned to Walter Parker and said, “Old Parker, you see, we agreed in advance on when to repay the money, and it’s clearly written on the IOU. Paul Miller came here early to demand payment—if this goes to the authorities, who do you think is in the right?”

Old Parker thought for a moment, then nodded, “Of course you’re in the right.”

Ethan Grant looked at Paul Miller and said, “Did you hear that? If you want to force things, then I’ll just risk it all. Anyway, my life isn’t worth much—whoever ends up under my coffin won’t be at a loss.”

“Fine, fine, you’ve got guts, kid.”

Paul Miller pointed at Ethan Grant, gritting his teeth, but he was still a bit afraid, because Ethan Grant’s behavior today was just too strange. He felt uncertain, and with Old Parker standing as a guarantor, he could only threaten, “If you can’t pay back the money when the time comes, you’ll be sorry.”

“We’ll see when the time comes.”

Ethan Grant smiled lightly.

“Let’s go!”

Paul Miller, furious, left the Han household with his gang of thugs.

Because at this time, the spirit of the Zhenguan era was still ongoing, and the law was very strict. It wasn’t as if these landlords could do whatever they wanted—killing and robbing at will. They still feared the authorities, since the officials all had powerful backgrounds. However, if Ethan Grant couldn’t pay back the money when the time came, then the woman would definitely be taken away by Paul Miller. In fact, the law, to a large extent, protected the interests of these landlords.

Chapter 6: The Noble Lady

Sigh...!

Although Paul Miller had left, Ethan Grant still couldn’t feel happy. It was as if his execution had just been postponed; if he couldn’t pay back the money by the deadline, Paul Miller had every reason to reduce him to slavery, and no one could save him. After all, the Tang Dynasty was still a semi-slave, semi-feudal society, and many commoners became slaves because they owed money to landlords.

A slave!

The kind who could only endure even the worst humiliation.

Just thinking about it made Ethan Grant so scared he almost wet his pants.

When Ethan Grant turned around, he found all the villagers staring at him in a daze.

Today, Ethan Grant was completely different—brave, calm, unafraid of power, absolutely cool. If it had been the old Ethan Grant, he’d probably have hidden under the bed long ago, not daring to show his face.

It was like two completely different people.

Actually, Ethan Grant understood this better than anyone, but he couldn’t exactly say that the current Ethan Grant was no longer the old Ethan Grant—no one would believe him anyway. He cupped his hands and said, “Thank you all, uncles and elders, for your help just now. I truly have no way to repay you.” He really wasn’t just being polite; he wanted to repay them, but he was so poor he really had nothing to give.

“Oh, Little Ethan, don’t say that. Your father treated us well when he was alive. This is what we should do.”

“Little Ethan, don’t worry. The Han family’s business is our business.”

“That’s right, Little Ethan, we’ll definitely help you.”

...

Everyone spoke up to comfort Ethan Grant.

So touching!

Truly heartwarming!

What does it mean to see true feelings in times of trouble?

This is it.

Seeing all this, Ethan Grant was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. For the first time, he felt that ancient times were wonderful, and the people were truly kind. Choking up, he said, “Then, could any of you lend me a string of coins?”

Hmm... silence!

The villagers, who had just been so enthusiastic, instantly fell silent.

Sigh... I guess I was overthinking it. Ethan Grant forced a relaxed smile and said, “I was just joking. Such a small amount of money won’t stump me, Ethan Grant.”

So it was a joke!

The villagers immediately believed Ethan Grant, letting out a sigh of relief. They were really afraid he’d come to borrow money—not because they were stingy or unwilling to help, but because the recent flood had caused them all some losses, and they were all poor themselves, barely scraping by, living on the edge, not knowing if they’d have food tomorrow. How could they have money to lend to Ethan Grant?

Every family has its own hardships!

Still, the villagers said they’d take care of all the funeral arrangements for Han Dashan. They had no money, but they did have strength to offer.

For Ethan Grant, this was already a great help in his time of need, and he was deeply grateful.