Tang Xiaonan’s eyes were wide as she listened with great relish. She just loved this kind of juicy gossip. The love triangle between Zhang Taohua, Sixth Uncle, and her own grandpa... Tsk, tsk, this was way more exciting than any novel.

But—

"Xiaonan can barely keep her eyes open."

Felix Thorne said it again. This time, Tang Xiaonan heard him. She turned to see the awkward expression on his face and chuckled to herself. Still, she decided to play along and let out a yawn. Wrapping her arms around Phoebe Huxley’s neck, she rested against her lazily. ’Guess I’ll help my poor old dad out this once.’

Phoebe Huxley looked down and saw that her daughter’s eyes were indeed heavy with sleep, so she had to stop. She had just gotten to the part about the affair between Shane Thorne and Widow Wang. The widow was from Xavier Village, and Shane Thorne’s romantic history radiated out from Millstone Peak, leaving a trail of love debts in all the surrounding villages.

"Let your big brother take Xiaonan back to bed. Why are you going to sleep so early? What happened with Widow Wang and Old Sixth? Are they still in touch?" Raina was displeased. She was just getting to the good part, and being left hanging like this was a sure way to give her a sleepless night.

Phoebe Thorne chimed in. "Big Brother, you take Xiaonan to bed. And you can go to sleep too."

Phoebe Huxley hadn’t had her fill of the story either, so she thrust Tang Xiaonan into Felix Thorne’s arms. The mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and sister-in-law—three women who could make a drama all on their own—huddled together and animatedly continued their gossip session. The main character, of course, was Shane Thorne. His romantic history was so rich it couldn’t be fully told in three days and three nights.

Felix Thorne resentfully carried Tang Xiaonan away. He couldn’t afford to offend any of those three women, so it was best to just go to bed. ’Still, I’m pretty envious of Sixth Uncle,’ he thought. ’Now that’s what you call really living.’

But he didn’t have the skills for it. Sixth Uncle was handsome, silver-tongued, and well-educated—he definitely had a way with women. Felix had once believed that Phoenix Golding truly liked him, but now that one and only romance of his was buried.

Felix Thorne sighed and held Tang Xiaonan tighter. ’It’s better to just live a quiet life with my tigress of a wife. A life like Shane Thorne’s isn’t for me, and I couldn’t pull it off anyway. I need to earn more money to save up for my daughter’s dowry. In the operas, they always say a young lady from a wealthy family would have a dowry procession stretching for ten li. I can’t manage ten li, but I’ve got to at least prepare a truckload.’

Byron Thorne was playing chess at Shane Thorne’s house. Shane lived in a three-room, blue-brick, tile-roofed house that faced south. It was surrounded by open space, perfectly square. A few camphor trees were planted in front of the door, while the courtyard had pomegranate and osmanthus trees. There were also dozens of pots of orchids, all wild ones dug up from the mountains. Under Shane Thorne’s meticulous care, they had been divided and repotted into several dozen plants, all of excellent quality.

Third Grandma, Patricia Jacobs, served them tea and then returned to her room to do some needlework. She was about ten years younger than Raina, and though she was in her late fifties, she looked to be in her forties at most. Her hair was black, her figure slender, and her demeanor was clearly different from the other village women—elegant and gentle. While not as breathtakingly beautiful as Rosalind Green, you could still see the stunning grace she must have possessed in her youth.

"For now, we don’t make a move. We wait for the Public Security Bureau to arrest Sorceress Liu, and then we’ll have Third Sister-in-law go and raise a fuss. As for Phoenix Golding, we need to catch her in the act of adultery. Make it so she can’t teach and can’t even farm. She won’t be able to set foot in Millstone Peak anymore."

Shane Thorne placed a cannon piece on the board, his calm tone laced with a hint of ruthlessness. ’Anyone who dares to harm a descendant of the Thorne family can forget about ever living in peace. I will not let them off lightly.’

"I was thinking the same thing. Phoenix Golding has gone too far. If it weren’t for Xiaonan, my second daughter-in-law might have lost the baby, and who knows what else could have happened." Byron Thorne was still shaken by the thought. In front of his brother, he no longer hid his fear, his expression full of dread.