The golden afterglow outside the window was turning dark. Klein looked into Melissa's eyes and for a moment couldn't find the words to say, because all the lines he had prepared were useless.
He coughed lightly and his mind raced:
"Melissa, this isn't wasting my salary. In the future, when Benson and my colleagues come to visit, are we going to entertain them in a place like this? When Benson and I get married and have wives, are we still going to sleep in bunk beds?"
"You don't even have fiancées yet. You can wait a while longer and save more money," Melissa said logically.
"No, Melissa, this is a social rule," Klein said, feeling a headache coming on, so he had to resort to general principles. "Since I'm earning a weekly salary of three pounds, I have to maintain the dignity that comes with a three-pound weekly salary."
To be honest, having once lived in a cramped, shared rental, he was no stranger to his current living conditions and was fully adapted to them. But it was precisely because of this experience that he understood all the more the inconvenience such an environment caused for a girl. Moreover, his goal was to become a Beyonder, study mysticism, and find a way back home. In the future, he would inevitably conduct some magical rituals at home. The apartment had many people and mixed company, which could easily lead to problems.
Seeing that Melissa wanted to say more, Klein quickly added:
"Don't worry, I'm not considering a single-family house. I'm looking at rowhouses. In any case, we need to have our own bathroom. Also, I like Mrs. Slin's bread, Tingen biscuits, and lemon cake. We can first consider places close to Iron Cross Street and Narcissus Street."
Melissa pursed her lips slightly, was silent for a moment, and then slowly nodded.
"Besides, I'm not in a hurry to move. I need to wait until Benson comes back," Klein said with a smile. "Otherwise, after he opens the door, he'll be very shocked and surprised and say, 'Where are my things? Where are my brother and sister? Where is my home? Is this my home? Did I go to the wrong place? O Goddess, tell me if this is a dream. How can I go out for a few days and come back to find my home is gone?'"
He mimicked Benson's tone, and Melissa unconsciously squinted her eyes, revealing shallow dimples on her cheeks.
"No, Mr. Franchi will be waiting at the door and make Benson hand over the apartment key. Benson wouldn't even be able to get upstairs," the girl cracked a joke at the stingy and greedy landlord.
In the Moretti household, everyone always liked to make jokes about Mr. Franchi, the landlord, and this habit was started by their eldest brother, Benson.
"Right, he wouldn't change the lock just for the next tenant," Klein smiled in agreement and pointed at the door. "Miss Melissa, care to celebrate together at the Silver Crown Restaurant?"
Melissa sighed softly and said:
"Klein, do you know Selina? My classmate, my good friend."
Selina? Klein's mind immediately conjured an image of a girl with wine-red hair and dark brown eyes. Her parents were both followers of the Goddess of Night and had named her after the saint Selina as a blessing. She was not yet sixteen, half a year younger than his sister Melissa, and was a happy, cheerful, and outgoing girl.
"Mm," Klein nodded to indicate that he remembered Selina Wood.
"Her brother Chris is a solicitor and also has a weekly salary close to three pounds. His fiancée works part-time as a typist," Melissa described the situation first, then said, "They have been engaged for over four years. To have a stable and decent life after marriage, they are still saving up to this day and haven't entered the church. They plan to wait at least another year. According to Selina, people of the same status as her brother are all like this. Usually they can't get married until after they are twenty-eight. You need to prepare early, save money, and not waste it."
Is it really necessary to make such a big deal just for a meal at a restaurant... Klein didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought for a few seconds and said, "Melissa, I already have a weekly salary of three pounds now, and it will increase every year. You don't have to worry."
"But we have to save money to prepare for emergencies. For example, what if that security company suddenly goes bankrupt? I have a classmate whose father's company went bankrupt, and they could only find temporary work at the docks. Their family's situation deteriorated instantly, and she had to drop out of school," Melissa said earnestly, trying to persuade her brother.
...Klein covered his face with his hand.
"That security company is, uh, has some connections with the government. It won't just go bankrupt."
"But the government isn't stable either. Every time there's an election, if the party changes, most of the positions will be replaced, and it becomes chaotic," Melissa persistently refuted.
...Sis, you really know a lot... Klein shook his head, both exasperated and amused.
"Well..."
"Then I'll make a stew with the leftover ingredients from yesterday. You go to the street and buy a pan-fried fish, a piece of beef with black pepper sauce, a small jar of cream, and bring me a glass of ginger beer. Anyway, we can still have a small celebration."
These were common foods sold by vendors on Iron Cross Street. A pan-fried fish was six to eight pence, a not too large piece of beef with black pepper sauce was five pence, a glass of ginger beer was one penny, a small jar of cream about a quarter pound was four pence—buying one pound of cream directly cost only one Soule and three pence.
The original Klein was responsible for buying the family's groceries during every holiday and was familiar with the prices. Klein did a quick mental calculation and concluded that it would cost about one Soule and six pence, so he directly took out the two one-Soule banknotes.
"Mm," Melissa no longer objected to this. She put down her bag containing stationery and took the money.
Watching his sister take out a small jar for cream and a basin for other food, then walk briskly toward the door, Klein thought for a moment and called out to her:
"Melissa, use the leftover money to buy some fruits."
Many vendors on Iron Cross Street would buy fruit of poor quality or that had been stored too long from other places, and people here weren't angry about it because the price was very cheap. As long as they cut off the rotten parts after getting home, they could still enjoy the taste. It counted as a cheap pleasure.
After saying this, Klein quickly walked over, took out the remaining copper pennies from his trouser pocket, and placed them in his sister's palm.
"Ah?" Melissa's brown eyes looked at her brother with confusion and bewilderment.
Klein stepped back two paces and smiled slightly:
"Remember to go to Mrs. Slin's and treat yourself to a small piece of lemon cake."
"..." Melissa's mouth opened slightly, her eyes blinked, and finally she could only utter a single word, "Okay."
She quickly turned around, pulled the door open, and ran down the stairs with a clatter.