Young Master Li Mo, Please Help Matthew Show Off

The moon shone brightly that night.

The bed was large enough to sleep three people comfortably.

Helen lay on the far side, clutching Anna's arm, her whole body still trembling.

Anna gently patted her back, humming a lullaby...

Li Mo knew the lullaby too.

When they were little, he had asked Anna if she remembered anything else about her parents.

She had said she remembered nothing, only that song.

Old songs passed down through the ages really did work.

As Anna hummed, Helen gradually relaxed...

Anna pulled the blanket over her.

Li Mo rested his head on his arm and asked quietly, "Is she asleep?"

"Mm." Anna turned around. "Young master, it's your turn."

Li Mo clicked his tongue. "I'm all grown up. Do I still need someone to lull me to sleep? Honestly..."

Anna gently gathered him into her arms. "Thank you for all your hard work, young master. We couldn't have managed without you today. Sleep now, sleep..."

Li Mo obediently closed his eyes and soon grew sleepy.

Although the three of them slept together that night, nothing improper happened.

Anna slept in the middle like a mother, looking after one child on each side.

Early the next morning.

When Li Mo woke up, Anna had long since changed into her maid uniform.

Helen was awake too, sitting primly on the edge of the bed. She looked a little better than she had the night before.

Anna said softly, "Young master, your wash water is ready."

"All right."

Li Mo rolled out of bed, quickly washed up, and went downstairs to the living room.

Today, he finally saw his father.

Li En was saying, "Anna, I've already sliced the bread..."

Before he could finish, Li En froze.

Huh? Why is there an extra person here?

Helen?!

Li En quickly pulled his son into the storeroom.

"Son, how did you lure Helen home? All of Mendel Town was turned upside down looking for her yesterday. Don't tell me... you've been hiding her in our house ever since she disappeared?! You locked her up?!"

Li Mo said helplessly, "Father, have you been buying too many of those copperplate-printed booklets lately? You should read less of that stuff. It won't do you any good."

His father's weathered face reddened slightly. He wondered how his son even knew about that.

He coughed awkwardly. "What nonsense are you talking about? Hey, stop changing the subject. What's going on here?"

Li Mo gave him a brief account of what had happened.

Only after hearing it did Li En breathe a sigh of relief.

"So that's what happened... But Doctor Morris... he always seemed so polite. He was actually a criminal? Damn."

"You can know a man's face, but not his heart." Li Mo changed the subject. "By the way, Father, are you still busy dealing with the cotton situation at the factory?"

His father's face darkened.

"Yes. Last night, I asked someone to check the original records at the freight guild, and I got to the bottom of it. Matthew's damned father, Isaac Oliver, is utterly despicable!"

"Oliver knew half a month ago that the military blockade of the northern shipping route had cut off the raw cotton supply. He secretly used all his family's capital to buy up every last bit of raw cotton in stock at Mendel Port and the three surrounding warehouses. He even bribed the freight agents and the postal couriers to withhold commercial notices addressed to me!"

"And now look: apart from his family's warehouses, which are packed with cotton bales, every other spinning workshop in town is running idle. I don't have any spare raw cotton to keep the factory running either, and raw material prices have more than tripled! That old bastard is clearly trying to use this blockade to squeeze all his competitors out of business, then buy up their factories on the cheap!"

No wonder.

Li Mo thought that explained why his father had never received the news.

That was what a plain, unadorned business war looked like.

Buy off your opponent's people to keep them from getting firsthand information, and that information gap alone was enough to turn a profit.

"It's all right, Father."

Li Mo said, "The shortage of raw materials is widespread. The raw cotton he's stockpiled won't last the whole winter either. Has Sarah been working these past few days on the improved cylinder valve I drew up for her?"

"She has," Li En said. "The workshop hasn't had enough work these past two days, so she's been spending most of her time on it."

"Good. Father, don't worry too much about what Oliver's doing. This is a good opportunity. I'm planning to shift our spinning mill into a new line of business."

Li En was puzzled. "A new line of business?"

"Yes. A few days ago, I improved the worsted spinning machines, raising each machine's production efficiency by over thirty percent. In other words, to produce the same amount of yarn as before, we only need to use two-thirds of our machine capacity. With the raw cotton shortage on top of that, the factory can easily shut down half its old spinning frames and clear out the entire west workshop by the canal."

His father asked, "What would we use the space for? Do you have anything specific in mind?"

"I do. I guarantee it'll make you more money, but there's no rush. I'm still refining the drawings. I'll explain everything this weekend."

Li En looked at his confident son and seemed about to ask more, but ultimately held back.

Li Mo patted his father on the shoulder and said,

"Dad, take better care of yourself. Don't push yourself too hard. There's no need to panic over the business. I'm here."

Li En: "???"

He stood there dumbfounded.

Suddenly, his nose stung.

He quickly lowered his head to hide it. "You little brat... You're not even grown up yet, and you've got a big mouth. Come on, let's have breakfast!"

Li Mo nodded and walked out of the storeroom.

At the dining table.

Helen had already been won over by Anna's special sandwiches.

She quickly finished chewing in small bites, then said in a tiny voice, "It's... it's delicious!"

Anna poured her a cup of hot black tea. "Eat slowly, Miss Helen. There's plenty more."

Helen stole a glance at Li Mo as he approached and thought, So Li Mo eats this well every day! No wonder he's so smart!

"What's wrong?" Li Mo asked when he saw her looking at him.

Helen hurriedly lowered her head. "N-nothing!"

After breakfast, they changed clothes and set off for school.

As soon as they stepped outside, they saw Mr. Green.

He seemed to be leisurely enjoying his morning tea, but he was actually staring eagerly at Li Mo's front door.

Li Mo stopped and gave a slight nod. "Good morning, Mr. Green. Helen rested very well last night."

Mr. Green hurried to his feet and bowed to Li Mo. "Thank you for looking after her, Young Master Li Mo."

From across the fence, Helen quietly called out, "Father."

Mr. Green's eyes reddened, and he raised a hand to tell her to hurry off to school.

When they rounded the corner, Wayne was standing there.

He took out his pocket watch and said,

"A quarter past seven, not a second off."

Then Wayne went on,

"Helen, I know you must be wondering why the pocket watch I'm holding is different from my usual one. The answer is that Professor Bryce gave me this pocket watch as a little gift."

Helen timidly hid behind Anna.

Anna said, at a loss for words, "We know, we know. You're the greatest."

"Thank you for the compliment." Then Wayne paused. "Wait... how come the three of you came out together?"

Li Mo said, "Helen was a little frightened last night, so she slept with Anna."

"Oh!"

Wayne hurriedly bowed to Helen.

"Did you sleep well last night, Miss Helen? How are you feeling now?"

Helen stiffened.

She hastily lowered her head, pinching the hem of her skirt, and her face turned a little red.

Wayne was thoroughly confused. "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Li Mo elbowed him without changing expression. "Cut the chatter. Let's get to school."

The four of them walked side by side along the main road.

As they walked, Wayne produced a thick newspaper from his pocket and snapped it open with a rustle.

"Good morning, Mendel Town! Once again, the dashing Mr. Wayne is here to bring you all the latest morning news."

"Front-page headline: The Mondel Police Department struck swiftly last night, and the notorious 'Bloodletting Doctor' Morris was captured by a team led personally by Sheriff Sanders. According to the report, the criminal put up a desperate resistance in the woods on the western outskirts and was subdued at the scene by the police. He is now being held in the central stone jail for intensive interrogation."

Wayne muttered, "We were the ones who injured him last night. Surely we deserve some credit too?"

Li Mo said, "Sheriff Sanders only wants the merit. He usually shares the other benefits."

"That's good... Hey, Li Mo, this one's about textiles. It says raw cotton arrivals at the port have plummeted compared with last month because of the blockade of the northern shipping route. The Royal Trade Bureau predicts that prices for coarse-count yarn and ready-made clothing will rise across the kingdom over the next three months. The capital's chamber of commerce has already begun imposing quotas on yarn spindles... Tsk, Li Mo, looks like your family's spinning mill isn't the only one in trouble."

Li Mo nodded.

"Last, a report of victory from the war! The Kingdom Army Third Legion has torn through the enemy's trench defenses in the Valen Mountains in the north and destroyed three of their positions. The report says the Duchy of Magla's defeat is inevitable, and victory is only a matter of time."

As he reached this point, they arrived at the central square.

Li Mo saw the old flower seller again.

Business wasn't very good so early in the morning. She sat by the stone steps, gazing blankly in the direction of the steam train station.

Reports of victory appeared in the newspapers again and again, and one defensive line after another had been breached.

But when would the old woman's grandson on the northern front finally come home?

They reached the gates of Puxiu Academy.

The three decided to skip the observatory and return to class first.

They actually wanted to look after Helen.

But Wayne insisted on showing off, saying,

"A mature scholar must remain rooted in everyday life at all times. It is essential to return to class and sit for a while now and then, to get a feel for the mood of the people."

Anna clenched her fist, sorely tempted to punch Wayne... He was asking for it!

After returning to the classroom and sitting down, Li Mo prepared to work on the mathematics salon.

Suddenly, someone called from the doorway, "Excuse me... Is Li Mo here?"

Li Mo had never seen him before, but he went out and said, "I'm Li Mo. What can I do for you?"

"Yes!" the boy said. "Young Master Li Mo, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Charles Bowen, a second-year in the mechanics department. Sorry to disturb you, but someone asked me to come and seek your help with something."

Li Mo said, "What is it?"

Charles said, "It's an undertaking concerning dignity and honor. We'd like to ask you to help Young Master Matthew put on a spectacular show in front of Miss Helen."

Li Mo: "?"