Little Grace thought it made a lot of sense, her big eyes sparkling as she said, “Young master is absolutely right, we need to know ourselves and our enemy.”

　　But knowing yourself and your enemy isn’t easy, especially when night falls. In this era, there’s not much in the way of entertainment—the only amusement is probably just sleeping.

　　But even sleeping became a problem. The master and servant were very poor, having to split every penny in half to spend it. With no other choice, the two could only squeeze together and make do.

　　“Young master, young master, you sleep on the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor,” Little Grace said sensibly, diligently moving a layer of bedding down to the floor.

　　Charles Harper’s old face flushed slightly. No way, how could a grown man let a little girl sleep on the floor? He couldn’t help but offer some polite protest, saying, “Well… you sleep on the bed. I have thick skin, I’m not afraid of the cold.”

　　“But…” Little Grace bit her lip and said seriously, “But madam said I have to take care of your daily life, young master. You sleep on the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor, it’s fine. I’m not afraid of the cold.”

　　Charles Harper felt he’d been polite enough, secretly cursing himself for being too selfish. In the end, he quickly slipped under the covers, pulled the blanket over his head, and said, “Very good, Little Grace is very sensible. Alright, time to sleep!”

　　There was no need to put out the lamp—after all, the inn provided it for free. Charles Harper always felt he was being exploited by the innkeeper, so he was determined to burn the candle until dawn.

　　Little Grace set up her bedding on the floor and lay down.

　　Charles Harper closed his eyes, but couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was full of Miss Lu, his cheap parents in this world, and then he thought of his master from his previous life. His master had taught him so much, but…

　　He didn’t know how much time had passed before he managed to clear his mind. He glanced at the already sleeping Little Grace on the floor. Even in her sleep, Little Grace was grinding her teeth, making coughing and rattling noises, which was a bit scary. Maybe it was the dead of winter and the floor was too cold, so her small body curled up, and in the candlelight, her little face poking out from the blanket was turning blue from the cold.

　　Charles Harper decided to close his eyes and sleep.

　　But as soon as he closed his eyes, he felt a persistent unease. He tried to comfort himself: this is an old world where people eat people, you have to be at ease with yourself. If you don’t harden your heart, how will you ever live the good life?

　　These words calmed him down, and he closed his eyes to sleep.

　　On the floor, Little Grace turned over, her teeth chattering from the cold.

　　Charles Harper got angry, sat up with a start, and cursed, “What kind of world is this? How is a young master supposed to live like a landlord? How is anyone supposed to do anything wicked?”

　　Little Grace woke up, opened her eyes, and said, “Young master, are you talking in your sleep?”

　　Charles Harper ordered her, “Get up, roll up your bedding, and get on the bed to sleep!”

　　Little Grace was stunned for a moment and said, “Madam said…”

　　Charles Harper said angrily, “Madam is madam. Now that you’re here, you have to listen to me.”

　　He slipped on his shoes, got out of bed, and put the bedding from the floor onto the bed. He looked around the room and actually found a pair of scissors. Then he had Little Grace get on the bed, solemnly handed her the scissors, and said, “Now we’ll sleep together. If I do anything improper to you in my sleep, you stab my thigh with these scissors. But…” Charles Harper took a deep breath and said, “But you must remember, don’t stab my face. That’s how I make my living.”

　　Little Grace shook her head sleepily, “I don’t want the scissors, I trust you, young master.”

　　You actually trust me? But I don’t even trust myself. Charles Harper felt miserable. As a notorious rascal, being trusted so completely by a little maid was a real slap in the face.

　　Fine, time to sleep.

　　Charles Harper got on the bed too. The two squeezed together, and feeling the cold radiating from Little Grace’s body, Charles Harper actually didn’t feel cold at all—in fact, he even felt a bit at ease.

　　He drifted off to sleep, and in his drowsiness, he heard Little Grace talking in her sleep.

　　“Young master… please don’t kiss those improper women anymore… you have to listen to madam… madam worries about you so much…”

　　The next morning, Little Grace was tidying up the room, while Charles Harper went downstairs, fanning himself.

　　Charles Harper sat at a table downstairs and called out, “Waiter, bring a pot of tea and a plate of peanuts.”

　　There weren’t many customers early in the morning. The waiter was leaning sleepily against the counter, but as soon as he heard Charles Harper’s voice, he perked up, hurried over with a pot of tea, and brought a plate of peanuts, smiling apologetically, “Young master, our most famous dish is the braised…”

　　Charles Harper waved his fan impatiently and said, “Too greasy. Peanuts are my favorite.”

　　The waiter didn’t suspect Charles Harper was short on money, and just grinned, “Young master truly has unique taste…”

　　Charles Harper put away his fan, took a sip of tea, and then asked, “By the way, do you know about the Zhenjiang Naval Command?”

　　The naval command wasn’t far from here, and the waiter had seen plenty of people coming and going—of course he knew a bit about it.

　　The waiter’s eyes lit up, “So young master is here to apply for a teaching position at the naval command too?”

　　“Teaching position? What teaching position?” Charles Harper was confused.