Lying in the lounge chair, Jackson lazily lifted his eyelids and saw that it was old Liston from the village. He was the type of person who liked to take advantage of small opportunities and, on top of that, was related to Jackson—he was his mother’s cousin’s younger cousin.

The bustling yard suddenly quieted down. While no one had openly considered asking for credit, they had all hesitated to be the first to bring it up. Now that someone had, a few others were beginning ...