This is the seventh one this year. Abigail counted the numbers silently in her heart. Aunt Rachel has been paying close attention to her life-long events recently and is always looking for outstanding men for her.
However, it is useless to be disgusted. For Abigail, whose parents have passed away, it is difficult to avoid contact with this aunt.
The other party took a bite of the cookie and continued to persuade: "You can't be idle all day now. You should think about your future. Believe me, Mr. Greg is your best choice."
Idle?
Abigail's expression was slightly awkward. If the other person was not her only relative in the world, she would have started to organize a long verbal rebuttal.
How come I, a reporter and writer from Capital Xinxing Daily, am idle?
"As a member of the Heman family, you need a decent marriage. This will prevent you from being called a down-and-out conservative aristocrat when socializing. If your father was still alive, I believe he would think so too.
”
As soon as she heard the other party talking about her father, Abigail always felt that she had some anger in her chest that she needed to vent. She organized her words and reached out to the wavy fruit bowl on the right, which was full of small biscuits.<
/p>
"However, in fact, apart from giving me the status of a nobleman, my father did not leave any property, so now I have to live on that one pound salary every week..."
Aunt Rachel fiddled with her left index finger and pushed Abigail's outstretched hand away.
"Don't complain about your father like that. Also, you have to control your appetite. In the future, your husband doesn't want his wife to change into an extra-large corset every week."
Abigail didn't get the food, and her face turned slightly red. She retorted: "What does it matter? My weight has not changed in two years."
Aunt Rachel refused to follow her lead and picked up a square post from the glass coffee table on her right hand side and handed it to Abigail.
"At six o'clock tonight, Mr. Gregg has made a reservation at the restaurant at No. 43 Becky Avenue. Remember to dress up nicely and put on the red dress I gave you last time."
Abigail looked at the text on the post and was so surprised that she couldn't open her mouth from ear to ear.
This aunt actually agreed to Mr. Gregg's invitation without consulting her at all.
"Mr. Gregg is deeply impressed by you. You must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and don't disgrace the reputation of the Hermann family. I believe you can handle the opponent."
There was a glimmer of expectation in Aunt Rachel's eyes, and she seemed to have begun to dream about the day when Abigail would shine on the lintel and revive the Hermann family.
……
However, the fact is that when Abigail went to the appointment, she almost fell off the carriage pedal. As expected, the reason was the bright red palace dress.
This experience was simply terrible. Compared to skirts, Abigail still felt that pants suited her better.
"Sorry ma'am." The coachman who greeted him had a panicked expression, which was exchanged for Abigail's embarrassed smile.
"10 pence, thank you for your patronage again." He helped Abigail get out of the car, and she did not forget to take her commission.
This is not a public carriage prepared for commuters. While Abigail thanked the other party, she complained about the high price of private carriages.
The attendant at the door welcomed Abigail as she entered from the left side of the door and came to the VIP seat next to the window, where she could enjoy the view along the street.
And the man who was serious and unsmiling, sitting upright like a stone sculpture, was already waiting for her.
Abigail sat down nervously. Mr. Gregg opposite her nodded to her, but there was still no expression on his face. He waved to the waiter to serve the meal.
"This restaurant is located in the most prosperous area of Velen. Their dishes are very popular. I hope you will like them too."
Mr. Gregg was very particular about putting a napkin on his chest. Although he looked directly at Abigail when he spoke, it was difficult for people to feel close to him. Abigail had to doubt the good things her aunt said.
Is it true?
However, in her eyes, Mr. Gregg did have a green halo on his head, which was seriously inconsistent with his attitude.
Does the other party really like me? Abigail is extremely unsure.
"Sorry, I have been busy with work recently, so I can only invite you over at this inappropriate time. Thank you, Mrs. Rachel, for your help."
Although Mr. Gregg is considered a popular man among the upper class, he always speaks dryly and deliberately when chatting with women.
Abigail didn't know how to answer the sentence. At this time, the waiter came over and mixed wine for the two of them.
"Since the last exhibition, I have been deeply impressed by you, Miss Herman."
The art exhibition in King Velen's Square was the place where they first met, and it was also the only time they met before. In fact, during that chance encounter, the other party had ten times more conversations with Aunt Rachel than Abigail.
"I heard you are a reporter now?"
Mr. Gregg was talking alone, and Abigail didn't react at all. She saw the waiters lining up to serve the food, and her mind repeatedly imagined how exquisite it was under those reflective arc covers.
Turkey plating.
Yes, Abigail is more concerned about what to eat tonight than the man in front of her.
"I wonder if your newspaper is interested in news about the financial world?" Mr. Greg didn't like to show his expression, but his words were trying hard to find something that would interest Abigail.
"The steel-related industry has been quite popular recently, and many speculators are looking for the right opportunity to invest. Regarding this, I have inside information that I can disclose to you, which may cause them to lose a lot of money, hahaha..."<
/p>
"Miss Herman?"
Finally, Mr. Greg noticed that the other party’s eyes had been staring at the table full of dinner. He frowned slightly and reminded him kindly: “What’s bothering you?”
Abigail came back to her senses and took a sip of wine.
"No... I'm sorry, the section I'm in charge of is about hidden history and academic aspects, sorry."
So much food must be eaten quickly, otherwise it will be wasted... Abigail thought to herself.
"Really? That's a pity. How many interesting things happen to us? I'm talking about your work." Greg tried to continue looking for topics.
Abigail started to use the knife and fork. She cut a large piece of meat and dipped it in the sauce. Suddenly she realized that her actions were a bit rude, so she looked at the man's reaction.
The gentleman showed no expression, and Abigail continued to eat cautiously.
"Hmm~ Actually, it's nothing special. I just followed the police to investigate a cult gang that smuggled cultural relics in the smelly sewers, and helped move boxes full of rat feces; I went to a cotton spinning factory a few months ago to inspect the bottom floor.
I wrote an article about the living conditions of the workers, covered in cotton shavings, and published it after I came back. A few days ago, I worked part-time to help my friend’s museum sort out the messy collections. There was dust everywhere on my body. I got one...
”
Abigail seemed to have opened up the conversation and told a lot of new things that Mr. Greg had never heard of. However, the other party did not understand it very well and was even a little shocked. In his opinion, according to Abigail's status, he should not have contact with her.
For this "dirty work", the color halo on the man's head also changed from green to blue.
Correspondingly, Abigail didn't care what the other person thought of her. While she was talking, most of the food on the table had been knocked over. When Mr. Gregg reacted, the other person was stunned.
.
How could she eat so well? Mr. Gregg was shocked, but he didn't say it out loud.
"Do you need me to order a few more?" Greg himself hasn't even touched the knife and fork.
Abigail pretended to be reserved and wiped her mouth: "Thank you..."
For Abigail, this dinner was just to deal with her aunt. Although the anecdotes she just told were a bit exaggerated, they were indeed her working and living conditions. In fact, she herself did not dislike Mr. Gregg, but she also talked about it.
Although they were both born into noble families, their environment has secretly widened the gap between them.
All in all, Abigail does not think that the other party will continue to pursue blindly after getting to know her, and she does not want to take advantage of the other party. She has already prepared half of the cost of the dinner and is preparing to settle the bill before leaving.
While waiting for the meal, Abigail forced a smile and sat upright. Suddenly, there was a slight sound from the window glass on the left. She looked sideways and saw a man standing across the street with his hands in his pockets and wearing overalls.
Young man with a crew cut.
Seeing that man, Abigail felt as energetic as if she had discovered a new world. She glanced sideways at Mr. Gregg, who was flipping through a newspaper.
"I'm sorry, I have some work matters, please excuse me..."
Abigail said hello to Greg, then left the table with her skirt in hand, walked out of the restaurant and ran towards the man across the street.
"How come you still have time to sit there and eat today?" The man saw Abigail in a bright red dress and showed a strange expression as if he didn't recognize her.
"When dealing with personal matters, you came to my rescue once. Sitting there almost made me suffocate." Abigail always felt awkward holding up her long skirt.
This man is her colleague, named Stephen Adams. He was born into a working-class family and does not have the honor of his ancestors like Abigail.
He looked around, and then said to Abigail: "About the statue you found before, there may be a place that can help you find some information. Come with me..."
After saying that, Stephen dragged Abigail into the side alley.
"Wait a minute! Mr. Greg is still waiting for me in the restaurant..." Abigail shook him off.
"It won't be long before we're back."
"Wait..." Abigail took two steps back and took off her fluffy skirt in front of Stephen, wearing a pair of light yellow trousers underneath.
"Huh... feel good."
Even people of Stephen's class were shocked by Abigail's actions.
"Is this the popular style of clothing this year?"
Abigail ignored him, wrapped her skirt and tucked it under her arm, and let Stephen lead the way. But Mr. Greg didn't know that the object of his admiration had been abducted by another man.
……
The two walked in tandem through the narrow and damp city alleys, which were filled with the atmosphere of life of the poor people at the bottom. There were also many homeless people huddled in the dark corners. Other upper-class people would never set foot in this kind of way.
Dirty and damp area.
But Abigail was used to it, and she didn't care.
"This bookstore is hidden in the most secret place in Velen. It will only be open at night. You will definitely be interested in it." Stephen explained while leading the way, "The statue has a long history, and the bookstore has many treasures dating back to the last century.
These documents cannot be easily circulated, so they will not be loaned out."
Abigail heard it, and Stephen seemed to be taking her to a bookstore that was only open at night.
Regarding the statue, Abigail has been particularly concerned about it since she came out of the secret place last time. She always felt that it was because of its relationship that she could have a glimpse of the secret place.
After Stephen learned about it, he helped Abigail pay attention to the secret documents related to it, so he discovered this place.
The two walked into a poorly lit street, located in an unattractive corner. The dusty windows revealed a soft yellow light, which must be where they were.
There is no sign outside the store. If Stephen hadn't led him in, Abigail wouldn't have been able to tell that it was actually a bookstore. It looked more like an ordinary residence.
There was a candlestick lit at the counter, and some wonderful exotic ornaments were scattered irregularly on the counter. Stephen walked to the counter and whispered hello to the dark corner behind the counter.
"Excuse me, we want to find some books."
In that place with insufficient light, there was a woman immersed in organizing the bookshelf. After she heard the voice, she turned around and came to the counter. Abigail saw that the woman had long wavy black hair and a string of rare and exquisite headdresses on her forehead.
The shoulder straps of three intersecting colors are draped on the body, spreading all the way, connecting to the colorful and exotic long skirt.
"Hello..." Abigail held her skirt in her hands and greeted the other party politely.
"You have brought a new face, Mr. Reporter..." The foreign woman glanced at Stephen, then turned to smile at Abigail, "I am Moran Tim..."
"Miss Moran..." Abigail nodded and was about to introduce herself, but the other party made a silent gesture.