The next morning, Huck finds himself in the middle of a conversation with his father, who has just returned from a meeting with the local military commander. Huck tells his father that he's just carried some money with him, and that he just wants to teach the military commander a lesson. Huck asks his father if he plans to go to the river, and his father replies that he doesn't want to go, because the river is so beautiful. Huck then asks if his father likes Mr. Lin, who bullied the young master, and Huck tells him that he does. He then asks Huck's father to help him with the matter, since he'll have to ask his brother-in-law for help. Huck says that his father is kind of a soft-hearted person, and he'd be glad to let him go. Huck wonders if the military commanders are giving false numbers about how many soldiers they have, and wonders if they really need to repair the river embankment, since they're so idle. Huck points out that there are ten thousand people in the city, and they don't seem to have any work to do, so why shouldn't they ask the soldiers to repair it? Huck then wonders where the money is going, since the city is so poor. Huck thanks his father for his kind words, and says that they'll be back to work soon.