"Young Master, let's just forget it. It's the dead of winter—if anything goes wrong, it'll be bad."
Snowflakes drifted down over the Henderson Manor. John Chou was already five years old, and for the entire Henderson Family, his presence brought both joy and sorrow.
The joy was that John Chou finally learned to walk at four, and could now utter simple words. Henry Henderson was overjoyed and threw a grand banquet, inviting many local notables and scholars. Victor Fan continued to teach John Chou as always, but what troubled Henry most was that this child seemed hopelessly slow-witted.
To assess the children's learning, Henry Henderson would often visit the school, pose questions, and observe their answers. Many responded just as the books taught, while some showed original insight—overall, things were good. But his treasured grandson John Chou was often dazed and far too playful, unable to answer even the simplest questions.
This infuriated Henry Henderson, but Victor Fan had said the boy simply lacked natural talent and there was no need to compare him to others. He promised to teach John Chou patiently and thoroughly, and if the child worked hard, he would not lag behind his peers as an adult.
After Victor Fan's reassurance, Henry Henderson became much stricter with John Chou—far more so than with the other children. Every day was study with almost no play, and he had to sleep and wake early. If he was even a little late getting up, Henry would surely punish him the next day.
Henry's method of punishment was simple: he made John Chou squat in the courtyard in a horse stance—a traditional martial arts posture where the feet are wide apart and the knees are deeply bent, requiring both strength and endurance—for hours on end, not allowing any rest.
Knowing that Zane Zhuang would sometimes lie to cover for John Chou, Henry now only had the servants supervise him each day.
Recently, Henry Henderson fell ill. Since it was winter, he allowed John Chou to sleep in a bit longer and wait for the sun before studying. But on such cold mornings, John Chou would try to sneak outside.
Once, his sneaking out was discovered—Zane Zhuang had a month's pay docked, and John Chou was punished with three days of confinement, forbidden to step outside even once.
"Forget it, Young Master. If the old master finds out, it'll be a disaster."
John Chou pouted, then broke into a mischievous smile.
"Mr. Brown, I know all about it. Every time you buy groceries, you skim a little off the top."
In an instant, Zane Zhuang clapped his hand over John Chou's mouth and looked around nervously. Luckily, no one was around, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Young Master, how did you know?"
"Heh, I checked the accounts, Mr. Brown. The numbers don't match the groceries, and the books always pass through your hands. I don't know about other places, maybe there's some skimming there too, but when it comes to groceries, there's plenty of fat to be had. The Henderson Family has over a thousand mouths to feed, and just in the Henderson Manor alone there are 641 residents. Mr. Brown, that's astronomical!"
Zane Zhuang's face went rigid. He couldn't fathom how a five-year-old could be so sharp. Suddenly, he remembered that when he was doing the accounts, John Chou had come by to avoid school, and he'd let him rest for a while. John Chou had picked up the bamboo slips and looked them over.
"Alright, Mr. Brown, hurry up and bow."
Zane Zhuang's face flushed red in the snowy courtyard. Being caught by a five-year-old was truly humiliating.
"Hurry up, Mr. Brown! Or do you want me to tell someone else—like my grandfather?"
Zane Zhuang sighed and bowed down. John Chou climbed onto his back.
"Young Master, what if someone finds out..."
"Don't worry. I've already given the maids who serve my mother some incentives. They'll just say I'm sleeping inside because of the cold. Plus, I made a straw dummy to look like me. My mother won't betray me—she can't speak, after all!"
Zane Zhuang blinked. Finally, he straightened up and lifted John Chou onto the wall. John Chou jumped down onto a pile of hay he'd prepared earlier.
"Come on, Mr. Brown, I know this little wall can't stop you."
John Chou called out from outside. Zane Zhuang, resigned, leapt over in a few steps, landing in the snow.
It was still early, the sun hadn't risen yet, and the streets were deserted. This place was less than ten li from Dingtown. Once just a failing village, it had flourished thanks to the Henderson Family, with more and more people arriving. Now it was a small town, thriving in just ten years under Henderson management. Life here was good, and everyone was grateful for the Henderson Family's benevolence. The area had become their fiefdom, thanks to Eugene Henderson's achievements.
The Henderson Family only collected a small tax to expand the town and cultivate farmland. In just a few years, many people had grown wealthy without heavy taxes.
Henry Henderson did all this after John Chou nearly died, hoping to bring blessings to the family through good deeds. Victor Fan advised him on every step. More and more people came, drawn by low taxes and opportunities for development—the village lay along a road connecting other countries.
Mr. Brown walked down the street, glancing around nervously and trying to avoid being recognized. If Henry Henderson found out, he'd be in real trouble.
Early this morning, John Chou suddenly decided he wanted to go fishing by the river.
"Young Master, it's winter— the river's frozen over. How are you going to fish?"
John Chou just chuckled, pulling some hooks and dried insects out of his pocket.
"Mr. Brown, do you know what the fun of fishing is?"
Zane Zhuang nodded and smiled.
"Young Master, it's too hard—I can't break it."
Zane Zhuang replied, hoping this would make John Chou give up and go home.
"If you break the ice for me, Mr. Brown, I'll tell you something that'll help you skim even more off the top."
Zane Zhuang looked at John Chou, tempted by the offer.
"Young Master, don't keep saying things like that. I'm not really..."
"Mr. Brown's brew is always more fragrant than anyone else's. Ah, it's just worms, not poisonous—no one's going to die from eating them."
Mr. Brown was speechless, staring wide-eyed at John Chou.
"Young Master, how did you know?"
"Of course I know. I know everything. Hurry up, Mr. Brown, or the fish will get away!"
With a sigh, Zane Zhuang walked over to where John Chou pointed and punched the ice, leaving a hole.
John Chou took a curved hook, baited it with a worm, and lowered it into the hole.
Zane Zhuang sighed and sat on a large rock by the river, watching John Chou happily fish. He drifted into memories of his own father. The Zhuang family had been ruined after making a bad gamble, their assets confiscated, all rewards revoked. Overnight, the once-powerful Zhuang family of Dingtown had fallen.
Zane Zhuang's father was now destitute and nearly starving. In the end, Zane chose to forgive the past—just as John Chou said, filial piety comes first. Victor Fan had once talked to Zane about this; his mother was a singer with no status, but at least his father took him to Victor Fan's house after her death and paid handsomely for his education. Victor Fan only agreed out of pity, but at least Zane's father didn't abandon him—otherwise, Zane might have died in the Zhuang house.
Now, to support his father and his own family, Zane Zhuang scrimped and saved every month, sending money to his father. But it was never enough, so he started skimming from the grocery money.
Eugene Henderson's death was partly related to his father, so the Hendersons harbored deep resentment toward the Zhuang family. After their downfall, Henry Henderson was merciful not to slaughter them all, and Zane dared not ask him for anything.
John Chou burst out laughing, pulling a fat fish from under the ice, flapping wildly. He beamed with joy as the sun rose. Zane Zhuang rested his chin in his hand, smiling warmly. To him, this child was more like a friend, sometimes even comforting him.
But every time, Zane just mumbled awkwardly. After all, a man in his thirties getting comforted by a five-year-old was absurd.
"That's enough, Young Master. Let's go home."
"Mr. Brown, do you know what the fun of fishing is?"
Zane Zhuang nodded and smiled.
"Of course, it's about quietly waiting for the fish to bite."
"No, it's the preparation—the choice of rod, the bend of the hook, the bait. Only when everything's ready can you catch fish. These worms, by the way, I soaked in wine. Smells great!"
Zane Zhuang exclaimed, suddenly remembering something.
"Young Master, so that's why there were worms in my wine jar—it was you!"
The influential Henderson Family, whose prosperity and benevolence have transformed their territory into a thriving town.
"Mr. Brown's brew is always more fragrant than anyone else's. Ah, it's just worms, not poisonous—no one's going to die from eating them."
Zane Zhuang sighed helplessly as John Chou took the fish and started searching around.
"What now, Young Master? Aren't we going home?"
"Of course we're going to grill the fish and eat it! Mr. Brown, hurry and find some firewood. Once we've had our fill, we'll head home. Freshly grilled fish tastes amazing."