Third Uncle Golding’s full name was Jethro Golding. He was the de facto patriarch of the Golding Clan in Millstone Peak, about the same age as Byron Thorne. Highly respected in the village, his life story was somewhat similar to Shane Thorne’s. However, Jethro Golding wasn’t as educated as Shane Thorne. He had once been an apprentice in a restaurant kitchen in the city, but he ran away after only six months.

The story went that the head chef was too vicious, frequently grabbing a large ladle to beat the apprentices. Jethro Golding had watched helplessly as an older apprentice was beaten until his head was a bloody mess, yet the boy didn’t dare make a sound. When the apprentice’s parents came, they still had to force smiles and flatter the chef. The other apprentices were willing to endure the abuse, but Jethro Golding couldn’t, so he took off.

After running away, Jethro Golding fell in with a group of beggars. After bumming around for over half a year, he managed to get a job at a large pawnshop in Alderidge. Though he lacked formal education, he was perceptive and quick-witted. He was also a smooth talker who knew exactly what to say to whom—precisely the kind of talent a pawnshop needed.

It was then that Jethro Golding’s luck turned. The pawnshop’s junior appraiser took a liking to him and accepted him as his disciple. Although this junior appraiser was also strict, he was much gentler than the restaurant chef. The worst he ever did was rap his apprentices’ palms with a ruler; he would never senselessly beat someone over the head. Jethro Golding studied diligently and treated his master with the same filial piety as he would his own father.

If it hadn’t been for the chaos of war, Jethro Golding would certainly have become an excellent appraiser. Unfortunately, the times were turbulent. Wars were raging everywhere, and destitute farmers were being forced into the mountains to become bandits. The pawnshop owner was kidnapped by bandits while returning to his hometown to celebrate his mother’s birthday. When the ransom couldn’t be collected in time, the bandits buried him alive.

With their leader gone—the owner dead—the pawnshop naturally went out of business. The junior appraiser returned to his own hometown to retire, and Jethro Golding, having not even learned half of his master’s skills, decided to return to Millstone Peak to farm as the city grew increasingly unstable.

However, because Jethro Golding was worldly-wise and quick-thinking, always able to come up with ideas when problems arose, he did quite well for himself in Millstone Peak. He gradually became the backbone of the Golding family, much like Shane Thorne’s position within the Thorne family.

The moment he heard "Third Uncle Golding" mentioned, Sherman Golding’s courage faltered. He knew that trying to steal the land was something that couldn’t be brought out into the open. An adult stealing from a child—Third Uncle Golding would absolutely chew him out for it, and the other clan members would point fingers and gossip.

Sherman Golding was kicking himself. ’I must have lost my mind. Why did I listen to that good-for-nothing eldest son of mine and try to snatch that little calamity Adrian Hawthorne’s land? Not only did I ruin my reputation and offend the Thorne family, but I also got beaten half to death and wasted half a day’s work. It’s a total loss on all fronts; I didn’t gain a single thing.’

"Felix, I know I was wrong. It was this rotten kid’s terrible idea, OW... Look, you’ve already beaten me up, and I don’t want the land anymore. Let’s just let this go, alright? Don’t drag Third Uncle into this." Sherman Golding’s expression changed in an instant as he forced a smile and tried to smooth things over. He then gave Bowman Golding, who was lying on the ground like a corpse, a vicious kick.

Tang Xiaonan frowned. ’Bowman Golding was the one who instigated this? That guy is a piece of work, but he’s so laid-back he wouldn’t worry if the sky were falling. He’d actually care about something as trivial as planting beans at home?’

"He’s lying! Bowman Golding is as dumb as a pig! How could he come up with a plan like that?" Tang Xiaonan shouted.

’Sherman Golding must be deliberately shifting the blame to his son. As an adult, it would be awkward for my dad, Felix Thorne, to argue with someone from a younger generation, so the matter would just be dropped. Hmph, what a clever scheme.’

Felix Thorne’s gaze turned cold. He had almost believed it for a second. His daughter was the smart one. That idiot Bowman Golding’s test scores were even worse than his own third son’s. How could an idiot with maggots for brains come up with such a scheme?