After dinner, full and satisfied, Klein leisurely sat on the living room sofa and used a small knife to open the letter sent by his mentor.
At this time, Melissa was sitting at the dining table, diligently solving problems from her textbook under the light of the gas lamp, while Benson was curled up in a single sofa reading "Elementary Accounting Tutorial".
Spreading out the three-page letter, Klein looked at it with some anticipation and some fear:
"...I am very glad to receive your letter, which reminds me of the past few years of life. Unfortunately, Welch and Naya have left us forever..."
"I attended their funerals respectively and felt the great sadness of their parents. These were two young people who should have had a brilliant and beautiful future..."
"Fate is always unpredictable. No one can know what will happen to us in the next moment. The older I get and the more I see, the more I feel the fragility and helplessness of being human."
"...Regarding the historical materials of the Hornachis main peak you mentioned, I remember that the archaeologist Mr. John Joseph once published a monograph, which described in detail his experiences on the main peak of the Hornachis Mountains. He discovered several ancient buildings over a thousand years old."
"What makes every historian and archaeologist feel ashamed is that we lack methods for precise dating, and can only make rough judgments based on architectural styles, mural characteristics, and a small amount of identifiable text."
"It is hard to believe that there would be human settlements on such a high mountain. Mr. Joseph has sufficient evidence to show that those humans developed their own civilization, a unique civilization. The specific situation is difficult to describe in a letter. I suggest you try to borrow the monograph from the Deville Library. Believe me, the library donated by Sir Deville has more collections than the one established by the city government."
"The name of that monograph is 'Research on the Ancient Relics of the Hornachis Main Peak', published by the Ruen People's Publishing House."
"In addition, there are some papers that mention related situations, which are published in journals such as 'New Archaeology' and 'Archaeology Review'. The specific names and issue numbers are..."
...
Klein read word by word and silently recited the names of the monograph and papers mentioned by his mentor several times.
Then, he took out a piece of paper, found a pen, and expressed his gratitude in written language.
"Melissa, help me mail this letter tomorrow. This is the postage." Klein placed the sealed letter and extra postage next to his sister's book.
Melissa glanced and pursed her lips: "Klein, the postage doesn't need to be this much."
"Yes, the postage doesn't need this much, but a girl needs some pocket money." Klein smiled in response. "I think Selena should have told you this."
Seeing that Melissa was still hesitant, he quickly added, "It can help you buy the materials you want, the tools you want."
"Tools..." Melissa repeated softly, her gaze shifting to the book, and she nodded almost imperceptibly, "Okay."
Klein's mouth immediately curled up. He walked back to the sofa briskly.
"Very good persuasion. You accurately found Melissa's weakness." Benson gave a thumbs up and lowered his voice with a smile.
Klein cleared his throat and answered seriously, "Then how should I persuade you? Your self-study focus should be on grammar and classical literature. Of course, basic math and logic are equally important."
Based on the curriculum of public schools and grammar schools, and based on the content of university entrance exams, Klein could almost grasp the general direction of the yet-to-be-born "civil service exam".
Benson touched his hairline and laughed self-deprecatingly, "In front of those books, I feel like a curly-haired baboon."
"But they are indeed useful enough." Klein said with a firm smile.
At that moment, Melissa put down her pen, stood up, walked to the sofa, and said, "Benson, Klein, this Sunday is Selena's birthday. She and her parents want to invite our family to a dinner party. Are you free?"
"I should have no problem." Klein thought for a moment.
It's also a good opportunity to meet my sister's friends, so if something happens to Melissa in the future, I won't have no one to ask!
"Same for me." Benson ran his fingers through his hair. "It seems we need to consider a birthday gift for Miss Selena."
Klein smiled and said, "Leave this matter to Melissa. She knows Miss Selena better than we do, and all we need to do is what a gentleman should do: pay."
"This is the first time I've heard someone describe laziness so beautifully." Benson shook his head with a light laugh.
Klein smiled back, "This is the use of grammar and classical literature."
"..." Benson didn't expect the topic to come back and was momentarily at a loss for words.
...
The next day, Klein wore his original cheap suit, held a black silver-inlaid cane, and climbed the stairs step by step to the door of the Blackthorn Security Company—his tailcoat had been sent to the clothing store for mending.
Klein was about to greet Rozanne when he suddenly saw Captain Dunn walking out from the partition.