The golden afterglow outside the window dimmed the surroundings. Klein looked into Melissa's eyes and for a moment, he couldn't find the right words to say. Because all the prepared lines didn't work.
He coughed twice and his mind raced:
"Melissa, this is not a waste of salary. When Benson and my colleagues come to visit, will we just entertain them in this place? When I marry Benson and have a wife, will we still have separate beds?"
"You don't have an fiancée yet? You can wait a little longer and save some money," Melissa said logically.
"No, Melissa, this is the rule of society." Klein felt quite troubled and could only resort to preaching. "Since you get a weekly salary of 3 pounds, you should have a decent living that matches that salary."
To be honest, he, who had once lived in a shared apartment, was not unfamiliar with the current living conditions. He was fully adapted to them. But precisely because of such experiences, he understood all the more the inconvenience such environments brought to girls. And his goal was to become extraordinary, to study mysticism, to find the "way" home, and in the future, he would surely have some magical rituals at home. The apartment was crowded and noisy, prone to problems.
Seeing that Melissa still wanted to say more, Klein quickly added:
"Relax, I haven't considered a single-family house. I'm planning to look at townhouses. In any case, it should have its own bathroom, and also, I like Mrs. Slin's bread, Tingen cakes, and lemon cakes. Let's first consider the area near Iron Cross Street and Narcissus Street."
Melissa pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and slowly nodded.
"And I'm not in a hurry to move. I have to wait for Benson to come back." Klein smiled and said, "Otherwise, when he opens the door, he will be shocked and surprised to say, 'Where are the things in my house? My younger siblings? My home? Is this my home? Have I gone to the wrong place? Goddess, please tell me if this is a dream. How come I came back after a few days and my home is gone!'"
He imitated Benson's tone, and as a result, Melissa unconsciously narrowed her eyes and showed a faint dimple on her cheek.
"No, Mr. Ferrance will always wait at the door and make Benson hand over the apartment key. Benson can't even go upstairs." The girl insulted the stingy landlord.
At the Moretti family, everyone loved to make Mr. Ferrance, the landlord, the main character of jokes. This trend was initiated by the eldest brother Benson.
"Right, he won't change the locks for the next tenants." Klein smiled in agreement and pointed to the door, saying humorously, "Ms. Melissa, shall we go to the Silver Crown Restaurant to celebrate?"
Melissa sighed slightly and said:
"Klein, do you know Selina? My classmate and my good friend."
Selina? In Klein's mind, a girl with red hair and dark brown eyes immediately came to mind. Her parents were believers of the Night Goddess, and they blessed her with the name of Saint Selina. She was under sixteen, half a year younger than her sister Melissa, and was a happy, cheerful, and outgoing girl.
"Um." Klein nodded, indicating that he remembered Selina Wood.
"She's brother Chris is a business lawyer. Currently, he also has a weekly salary of nearly 3 pounds. His fiancée works as a typist." Melissa described the situation first and then said, "They have been engaged for over four years. To have a stable and decent life after marriage, they are still saving money until today and haven't gone to the church. They plan to wait at least another year. According to Selina, people like her brother usually get married after the age of 28. You need to prepare in advance, save money well, and don't waste it."
Just going to have a meal at the restaurant? Why so many big ideas... Klein heard this and didn't know whether to cry or laugh. After thinking for a few seconds, he said, "Melissa, I have a weekly salary of 3 pounds now and it will increase every year. You don't need to worry."
"But we do need to save money to prepare for unexpected situations, such as when that security company suddenly goes bankrupt. One of my classmates had to leave school because his father's company went bankrupt. He could only find temporary work at the dock, and the family's situation deteriorated suddenly, forcing him to drop out of school." Melissa was earnestly persuading her brother. ... Klein reached out and covered his face:
"That security company, that one, has some connection with the government. It won't just go out of business easily."
"But the government isn't stable either. After every election, if the political party changes, most of the positions will be filled by new people, and everything becomes chaotic." Melissa persisted in her argument. ... Sis, you really know a lot... Klein rolled his eyes and chuckled:
"Well..."
"Well, I'll make a soup with the leftover ingredients from yesterday. You go to the street and buy a piece of pan-fried fish, a piece of beef coated with black pepper sauce, a small jar of cream, and bring me a cup of ginger beer. In short, let's have a little celebration."
These are the kinds of foods that the vendors on Iron Cross Street often sell. A piece of pan-fried fish costs 6 to 8 pence, a piece of beef coated with black pepper sauce costs 5 pence, a cup of ginger beer costs 1 pence, and a small jar of cream weighs about a quarter of a pound, which is 4 pence - buying a full pound of cream only costs 1 shilling and 3 pence.
The original owner would handle the purchase of household ingredients during holidays and was not unfamiliar with prices. Klein did a quick calculation in his head and figured out that he would need about 1 shilling and 6 pence. So he directly took out those two 1 shilling banknotes.
"Um." Melissa no longer objected and put down her pencil case, accepting the money.
Watching her sister take out the small jar of cream and the basin for other foods, she walked briskly towards the door. Klein thought for a moment and called out to her:
"Melissa, use the remaining money to buy some fruits."
Many vendors on Iron Cross Street would purchase poor-quality or over-aged fruits from other places. And the people here were not angry about this because the price was very cheap. You could still taste the deliciousness after removing the rotten parts at home. It was a cheap form of enjoyment.
After saying this, Klein moved closer quickly and took out the remaining copper pence from his pocket and placed them in her palm.
"Ah?" Melissa's brown eyes looked at her brother with confusion and bewilderment.
Klein stepped back two steps and smiled slightly:
"Remember to go to Mrs. Slin's place and reward yourself with a small piece of lemon cake." "..." Melissa opened her mouth, blinked her eyes, and finally just uttered a single word, "OK."
She quickly turned around, pulled the door open, and dashed up the stairs. ...
A river flows through, with pine trees and maple trees standing on both banks. The air is so fresh that it makes one feel drunk.
Klein, who came to handle the interview matters, carried a revolver and a walking stick. He got off the public carriage that cost six pence and walked along the cement-paved road, approaching the three-story brick-and-stone house set among greenery, which was the office building of the University of Tingen.
"Indeed, it's one of the most famous universities in the Kingdom of Ruen..." "For the first time" arriving here, Klein said with a sigh as he walked.
Compared to this place, the University of Hoy on the other side of the river is truly humble.
"Huh!" "Huh!"
The cries grew closer. Two rowing boats rushed down the Hoy River from upstream, with wooden paddles moving in neat and orderly rows.
This is the rowing sport popular in all the universities of the Kingdom of Ruen. Due to Klein's family's financial situation, which required him to rely on a scholarship to finish university, he had participated in the rowing club of the University of Hoy along with Welch and others, and was a good rower.
"Really young..." Klein stopped to look and sighed.
In another week, this situation will no longer exist, because the school is going on summer vacation.
Along the tree-lined road, he walked to the gray three-story brick-and-stone house, registered, and smoothly entered the interior. Familiarly, he found the office where he was last received.
Ding! Ding! Ding! He gently tapped the half-closed door with his fingers.
"Come in." A male voice came from inside the door.
Seeing Klein enter the door, the middle-aged teacher in a white shirt and black tailcoat furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
"Another hour until the interview."
"Mr. Stone, do you remember me? I'm the student of Senior Associate Professor Cohen, Klein Moretti. You've seen my recommendation letter." Klein smiled and took off his hat as he said.
Harvin Stone touched his black beard and asked doubtfully:
"Is there anything? I'm not in charge of the interview."
"Like this, I've found a job and won't attend the interview today." Klein truthfully stated his purpose.
"Well..." Harvin Stone understood and stood up, extending his right hand and saying, "Congratulations, you're a polite young man. I'll tell the professor and Senior Associate Professor about it."
Klein shook hands with the other person and was about to leave after a few polite exchanges, but suddenly a familiar voice came from behind:
"Moretti, have you found another job?"
Klein turned around and saw an elderly man with silver hair, deep features, but few wrinkles. His eye sockets were sunken, his eyes were dark blue, and the black tailcoat was straight.
"Good morning, mentor, Mr. Azek." He hurriedly bowed. "Why are you here?"
This elderly man was the senior associate professor of the History Department of the University of Hoy, his mentor, Mr. Quentin Cohen. Next to Cohen was a middle-sized, bronze-skinned middle-aged man. He held a newspaper in his hand, had no beard, wore a hat, black hair, brown eyes, gentle features, and his eyes showed an indescribable sadness. There was a small black spot that could only be noticed upon closer inspection on the lower part of his right ear.
Klein recognized him. He was the history professor of the University of Hoy, Mr. Azek, who often helped the former owner of the University of Hoy. He liked to argue with his mentor, Senior Associate Professor Cohen, and their viewpoints often conflicted. However, in reality, they had a good relationship, otherwise they wouldn't like to chat together.
Cohen nodded and said in a soothing tone:
"Mr. Azek and I came to attend an academic conference. What job did you find?"
"An security company that searches, collects, and protects antiquities. They need a professional consultant, 3 pounds per week." Klein repeated what he had told his sister yesterday and then explained, "You know, I like exploring history, not summarizing it."
Cohen nodded gently:
"Everyone has their own choices. You remembered to inform the University of Tingen about it instead of simply missing the interview. I'm satisfied."
At this time, Azek interjected:
"Klein, do you know what happened to Welch and Naya? I read in the newspaper that they were killed by a home-invasion robber."
The case has changed to a home invasion robbery? And it made the news so quickly? Klein was stunned for a moment and carefully chose his words:
"The specific details, I'm not too clear about either. Before, Welch got a copy of the fourth-century Solomon Empire Antigonus Family notes and asked me to interpret them together. I went there for a few days, but later I was busy looking for a job. The police even came to see me a couple of days ago."
He deliberately revealed "Solomon Empire" and "Antigonus Family" to see if the two history teachers would know anything.
"Fourth century... " Cohen muttered with a frown.
Azke, with his bronze skin and weathered eyes, was initially stunned, then took a deep breath and used his left hand holding the newspaper to rub his temples:
"Antigonus... feels very familiar... but I just can't remember where I've heard about it..."