At 7:30 p.m., at the dining table of Moretti's house.
"Klein, why do you, as an advisor, also need to arrive early? Could the urgent matters of the security company be dangerous?" Benson, taking a piece of the potato in the beef stew, casually brought up the events of the morning.
Klein carefully spat out the bones of the fried fish, and replied thoughtfully:
"A batch of historical documents that need to be transported to Beckland immediately. I must be there to count and confirm there are no omissions. You know, those guys who only wave their fists don't even recognize Gufosakwen."
Upon hearing his answer, Benson, having finished chewing his food, couldn't help but exclaim:
"Knowledge is truly very important."
Taking this opportunity, Klein took out the remaining 5-pound note and handed it to Benson:
"This is the extra payment I received today. You also need decent clothes."
"5 pounds?" Benson and Melissa both exclaimed.
He picked up the note, looked at it again and again, half surprised and half puzzled, saying:
"This security company is really generous..."
His salary for one week was 1 pound 10 shillings, 4 weeks totaling 6 pounds. It was only 1 pound more than this extra payment!
With such a salary, he supported his siblings and gave them decent accommodation, allowing them to have meat twice a week and several new clothes each year!
"Are you not doubting what I said?" Klein deliberately asked this question.
Benson chuckled and said, "I think you don't have the ability or the courage to rob a bank."
"You're not a liar," Melissa stopped her knife and fork and answered seriously.
I, now, am a habitual liar... Klein suddenly felt a bit ashamed.
Although this was the result of reality's pressure, but his sister's belief still made him feel a bit melancholic.
"Today's affairs are quite urgent and important. I played a very crucial role in it... This is the reason for the 5 pounds." Klein explained slightly.
In a sense, what he said was all true.
As for the upcoming 5-pound fund - the one previously prepared to join the divination club, he planned to keep it hidden. First, taking 5 pounds home would really scare his brother and sister, making them suspect what I was doing, and second, it was necessary to accumulate some money for the purchase of additional materials for the "diviners'" studies and mastery of mysterious knowledge.
Benson satisfiedly bit into a piece of oatmeal bread and thought for a few seconds before saying:
"My current job doesn't require very decent clothes. Well, to be precise, it's clothes with good fabric. The ones at home are enough."
Before Klein could persuade him, he took the initiative to say:
"With this extra income, we really have savings. I plan to buy several more accounting books for deeper study. Klein, Melissa, I don't want to live for another five years with a weekly salary still below 2 pounds. You know, my boss and my manager have their heads full of feces, and every time they open their mouths, it's a stench."
"An excellent idea." Klein agreed and followed up with a sentence, "Why not take a look at the grammar books in my room? To become a truly decent person and to obtain a sufficient generous salary, this is a very crucial factor."
Perhaps, it won't be long before the civil service examination appears in the Kingdom of Ruan, and preparing in advance can be of great advantage...
Benson's eyes lit up:
"I really forgot about this. Come on, let's toast to a bright future."
He didn't drink the rye beer but poured oyster clear soup into three cups and gently tapped them with his brother and sister.
After drinking the soup, Klein looked at his sister who was struggling with the fried fish and chuckled softly:
"Besides Benson's books, I think Melissa also needs a new dress."
Melissa raised her head and kept shaking it: "No, I think the best way is..."
"Save it." Klein helped her finish the sentence.
"Um." Melissa nodded vigorously.
"Actually, if we don't care about the fabric and the latest designs, it won't be too expensive. We'll save the rest of the money." Klein said in an unyielding tone.
Benson chimed in:
"Melissa, don't you think you'd look odd wearing an old dress at Selina's sixteenth birthday party?"
Selina Wood was Melissa's classmate and good friend. Her family was reasonably well-off. Her brother was a solicitor, and her father was a senior employee of the Beckland Bank in Tingen Branch.
However, the so-called party they were attending was just a gathering for friends to share dinner and chat, playing cards.
"OK." Melissa lowered her head and muttered in reply, then greedily picked up a piece of stewed beef.
There was a moment of silence, and suddenly she remembered something and hurriedly raised her head:
"The Mrs. Shad from the next door sent a business card through the maid, hoping to pay us a semi-formal visit on Sunday afternoon, at 4 p.m., tomorrow, to get to know the new neighbors."
"Mrs. Shad?" Klein looked at his brother and sister in utter confusion.
Benson tapped the edge of the table with his finger, seemingly thinking, "Mrs. Shad from No. 4 Water Lily Street? I've met her husband, a senior solicitor."
"A senior solicitor... Maybe he knows Selina's brother." Melissa said with a hint of joy.
We are at No. 2 Water Lily Street... Klein nodded slightly:
"Getting to know neighbors is a necessary thing, but you know, I still have to go to the security company on Sunday and can only rest on Monday. Please say sorry to Mrs. Shad on my behalf."
As he spoke, he recalled his childhood neighbors from the previous life and the neighbors he had when living in the apartment on Iron Cross Street, chuckling and sighing lightly:
"A semi-formal visit... Neighbors shouldn't naturally know and contact each other, right?"
"Haha, Klein, you don't understand. You've read quite a few newspapers recently, but you haven't come across those magazines for families and women, which define families with an annual income of 100 to 1,000 pounds as the middle class, praising it as the backbone of the entire kingdom, and praising that the middle class doesn't have the arrogance of the nobility and the rich, nor is as rude as the low-income class."
Benson explained with a relaxed and cheerful tone, "These magazines simplify many of the rituals in noble interactions, using this as a sign of the middle class. The difference between semi-formal visits, formal visits, and casual visits comes from here."
As he spoke, he shook his head and laughed:
"Generally speaking, those who consider themselves members of this class will pay special attention to such details. Their visits to neighbors and friends, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., are called morning visits."
"Morning visits?" Both Klein and Melissa asked in surprise.
What kind of morning visit is it from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.?
Benson put down his knife and fork, spreading his hands and smiling:
"I don't know why. I only read a few magazines brought by my female colleagues. Um, maybe it's because they need to wear morning gowns to visit... "
The original morning gown was the dress for masses and meetings, later referring to the daytime formal dress, different from the evening dress.
"OK, remember to buy some good coffee powder and tea leaves tomorrow morning, and buy some small muffins and lemon cakes from Mrs. Slin, you can't be impolite in front of the neighbors." Klein smiled and dipped the remaining bread in the gravy, put it in the potato, and put it in his mouth. ...
The next day, on Sunday morning.
Klein finished his last sip of the bad tea, put down the newspaper, put on his half-high silk hat, took the silver-studded black cane, and slowly walked out of the door. He took a public carriage and arrived at Zotlan Street.
He greeted Rosan, who had just finished her night shift and was planning to go to the lounge to sleep. As they walked down, they reached the underground.
At the corner, he met a member of the night shift team, "Non Sleeper" Lo Yau Leiting.
This was a lady who seemed rather cold, with long eyebrows, big eyes, and black, smooth hair like silk.
"Good morning, Ms. Leiting," Klein said with a smile as he bowed.
Lo Yau glanced at him with deep blue eyes and gave a barely perceptible nod of greeting.
As they were about to pass each other, Lo Yau suddenly stopped and looked ahead, saying:
"The ritual magic is a very dangerous thing."
Ah... Klein was stunned for a moment, then turned his body and could only see the receding figure of the other.
"Thank you," he frowned and called out softly to Lo Yau Leiting's back.
Turning left, he soon saw Old Neil, the guard in the weapons storage room, and Brett, who shouldn't have been here.
"Let's go to my house. I've already collected the corresponding materials, and Brett has agreed to keep watch for me," Old Neil said with a cheerful smile.
Klein was immediately astonished:
"Not here?"
Old Neil carried a silver box and gave a sniff:
"There is no space for practicing ritual magic here."
Klein didn't ask any more questions and followed Old Neil back to the surface. Then, the two took a public carriage and traveled all the way to the outskirts of the northern district.
Old Neil's house was a single-story house. In the front garden, there were roses, lemon balm, and other "materials" planted.
As soon as he entered, there was a carpeted porch, with two high-backed chairs and an umbrella stand inside.
Through the porch was a spacious living room. The walls were covered with light-colored wallpaper, the floor was painted dark brown, and there was a small carpet with printed patterns in the middle, and a thick round table.
Around the round table were comfortable benches, chairs, and a piano.
"My deceased wife loved music very much," Old Neil pointed at the piano and casually mentioned, "The sofa and coffee table are in the living room... Our today's ritual magic will be in the living room."
"OK," Klein replied somewhat awkwardly.
Old Neil put down the silver box and smiled:
"I'll show you a ritual magic first. Pay attention and remember."
While speaking, he took out a piece of parchment from the silver box and used a specially prepared, calming-smelling black ink to draw strange patterns on it.
Klein looked at it again and again, and found that Old Neil seemed, probably, might be, drawing a bill!
When Old Neil filled in the corresponding number "30" and the corresponding "pound" symbol in the corresponding position, Klein couldn't control himself any longer and asked in confusion and bewilderment:
"Mr. Neil, what ritual magic are you going to perform?"
Old Neil coughed twice and answered very seriously:
"I will use magic to solve the 30 pounds of debt today."
That's fine? Klein's eyes widened, and his mouth was half-open.