Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Melissa

After confirming the plan, Zhou Mingrui immediately had a backbone, and all fear, hesitation and restlessness were huddled in a corner.

　　It wasn't until this time that he was in the mood to carefully examine Klein's remaining fragments of memory.

　　Zhou Mingrui stood up habitually, closed the pipe valve, watched the wall lamp dim slowly until it went out, and then sat down again, unconsciously stroking the brass wheel of the pistol, while pressing the side of his head, on the crimson-stained Quietly "aftertaste" in the dark, like the most attentive audience in a movie theater.

　　Perhaps affected by the passage of bullets, Klein's memory is like broken glass. Not only has it lost its coherence, but it is also obviously missing content in many places, such as where did the exquisitely crafted revolver come from, whether it was a suicide or a homicide, and the memory in the notebook. What does the phrase "everyone will die, including me" mean, and did you participate in strange things two days before the incident.

　　Not only these specific memories have become fragments and incomplete, but even the knowledge he has mastered is the same. Judging from the current state, Zhou Mingrui believes that if Klein returns to university, he may not be able to graduate, even if he actually left the campus For a few days, and did not relax in the slightest to myself.

　　"Two days later, I will have an interview at the History Department of Tingen University..."

　　"Universities in the Loen Kingdom have a tradition that graduates do not stay in the school directly... The instructor gave a recommendation letter from the University of Tingen and the University of Backlund..."

　　...

　　As Zhou Mingrui silently "watched", the crimson moon outside the window slanted westward, gradually sinking, until a faint light lit up in the east, and the horizon was dyed golden.

　　At this time, there was movement from the room inside, and soon, footsteps were approaching the isolation door.

　　"Melissa is awake...she is really on time as always." Zhou Mingrui smiled slightly. Affected by Klein's memory, he felt like looking at his own sister to Melissa.

　　However, I don't have a biological sister... He immediately complained.

　　Unlike Benson and Klein, Melissa did not complete her initial education in the Sunday School of the Evernight Goddess Church. When she reached the school age, the Kingdom of Loen promulgated the "Elementary Education Law" and established the Lower and Secondary Education Committee. , and specifically provide funding to increase investment.

　　However, in three years, under the premise of incorporating many church schools, many public elementary schools were established, strictly maintaining the principle of religious neutrality, and not involving disputes between the Lord of Storms, Goddess of the Night, and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery.

Compared with the Sunday school, which costs only one copper penny a week, the tuition fee of three pennies a week in a public elementary school is quite expensive, but the former only studies on Sunday a week, and the latter has a full six days a week. Come and see, cheap to almost free.

　　Unlike most girls, Melissa loved gears, springs, bearings and other things since she was a child, and she aspired to be a steam mechanic.

　　He himself has suffered cultural disadvantages, and his elder brother Benson, who understands the importance of education, supports his younger sister's dream just as he supports Klein to go to university. After all, Tingen Technical School can only be regarded as a secondary education, and there is no need to go to grammar school or public school. Do accumulation.

　　In July last year, 15-year-old Melissa passed the entrance examination and got her wish to become a member of the steam and mechanical department of Tingen Technical School, and the weekly tuition fee was also increased to nine pence.

　　At the same time, the import and export company Benson worked for was affected by the situation in the Southern Continent. Both the profit and the business volume had shrunk significantly, and had to lay off more than one-third of the staff. In order to keep his job and make a living, Benson had to Can accept more arduous tasks, must often work overtime, or travel to places with harsh environments, just like these days.

　　It's not that Klein never thought of helping his brother to bear the burden, but he was born as a commoner, and he was admitted to an ordinary grammar school. As soon as he entered university, he strongly felt his own shortcomings. For the children of the aristocrats, for the children of the wealthy class, it is something that has to be learned since childhood, but he didn't get in touch with it until university.

　　There are many, many similar aspects. Klein almost exhausted all his strength, often staying up late and getting up early, barely catching up with others and successfully graduating with medium grades.

　　Memories about his brother and sister jumped in Zhou Mingrui's mind. He didn't wake up until he turned the handle and the door of the inner room creaked open, remembering that he was holding a revolver in his hand.

　　This is a semi-controlled item!

　　Will scare little kids!

　　Also, the wound on my head!

　　Seeing that Melissa was about to come out, Zhou Mingrui pressed his temple, and hurriedly opened the desk drawer, threw the revolver in, and smashed it with a bang.

　　"What happened?" Melissa looked over suspiciously when she heard the movement.

　　She is at the most youthful stage, even if she can't eat any good food, her face is thin and pale, her skin is still full of luster, exuding a girlish atmosphere.

　　Seeing his sister's brown eyes looking inquiringly, Zhou Mingrui forced himself to be calm, picked up the things close to him, and then calmly closed the drawer, covering up the existence of the revolver, while the touch of the other hand on the temple made him sure of the wound. Already healed!

　　What he took out from the drawer was a silver-white pocket watch with a pattern of vines and branches and leaves. The top of the watch was lightly pressed, and the watch cover popped open.

　　It is the most valuable item left by the sergeant of the Royal Army, the father of the three brothers and sisters, but second-hand goods are second-hand goods, and problems have occurred from time to time in recent years, even if they have been repaired by a watchmaker. Benson, who used it to raise his status, made embarrassment many times, and simply left him at home.

　　It has to be said that Melissa may really have a mechanical talent. After mastering the theoretical knowledge, she began to use the tools of the technical school to tinker with this pocket watch, and recently claimed to have repaired it!

　　Zhou Mingrui watched the watch cover pop open, saw that the second hand stood still, and subconsciously turned the top, intending to wind the pocket watch.

　　However, he twisted it a few times, but there was still no sound of the winding being tightened, and the second hand remained motionless.

　　"It seems to be broken again." He looked at his sister without words.

　　Melissa glanced at him expressionlessly, walked over quickly, and took the pocket watch away.

　　Standing where she was, she first pulled up the button on the top of the pocket watch, and after only a few turns, there was the sound of the second hand moving.

　　Normally speaking, pulling it up shouldn't be an adjustment of the time... Zhou Mingrui's expression suddenly became dull.

　　At this moment, the bells of the cathedral in the distance sounded, six times in a row, long and ethereal.

　　After listening carefully, Melissa raised the button on the top of the pocket watch, and then twisted it continuously to adjust the time.

　　"Okay." She said briefly and without any emotion, then pressed the top button and returned the pocket watch to Zhou Mingrui.

　　Zhou Mingrui smiled back awkwardly but politely.

　　Melissa took another deep look at her brother, turned around and walked to the cupboard, took toothbrushes, towels and other things, opened the door, and went to the public bathroom.

　　"Why did her expression just now have a taste of disgust and helplessness?"

　　"The eyes of caring mentally handicapped brother?"

　　Zhou Mingrui shook his head and laughed lowly, closed the watch cover with a snap, and pushed it open again.

　　Repeating such actions, he thought of a question divergently.

　　Without the silencer, Klein committed suicide, um, for the time being, he committed suicide. The movement of his suicide was definitely not small, and Melissa, who was separated by a wall, didn't even notice it.

　　Is she sleeping too soundly? Or was Klein's suicide itself full of weirdness?

　　Crack, open, clap, close... Melissa came back from the shower, and what she saw was her brother's unconscious movements of opening and closing the pocket watch cover.

　　Her gaze was once again mixed with helplessness, and she said in a sweet voice:

　　"Klein, take out all the leftover bread and remember to buy new ones today, as well as meat and peas. You're about to participate in the interview. I'll make you lamb stew with peas."

　　While talking, she moved the stove out from the corner, lit a fire with residual charcoal, and boiled a pot of hot water.

　　Before the water was about to boil, she opened the bottom drawer of the cabinet, took out a can of inferior tea like a baby, and sprinkled a dozen or so tea leaves into the pot, pretending that it was real tea.

　　One person poured two cups, and Melissa and Zhou Mingrui shared two pieces of rye bread with the tea.

　　There is no mixed sawdust, not too much gluten, but it is still not tasty... Zhou Mingrui is now weak and hungry, relying on tea, and forcibly swallowed the bread while complaining.

　　After a few minutes, Melissa finished eating, brushed her black hair that reached to her vest, looked at Zhou Mingrui and said:

　　"Remember to buy new bread, it only costs eight pounds, the weather is hot, too much is easy to break, and there are lamb and peas, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com remember!"

　　Is he really caring for the nerd brother? I have to emphasize it again... Zhou Mingrui nodded with a smile:

　　"OK."

　　Regarding the one pound in the Loen Kingdom, based on the comparison between Klein's meat test memory and his own, Zhou Mingrui thinks it is close to the one catty he is used to, which is 0.5 kilograms.

　　Melissa didn't say any more, she got up and tidied up, packed the last loaf of bread for lunch, put on the worn gauze hat left by her mother, picked up the book and stationery bag she sewed, and was ready to go out.

　　Today is not Sunday, she has a whole day of class.

　　It takes about 50 minutes to walk from this apartment to Tingen Technical School. There are public carriages, one penny per kilometer, the maximum limit in the city is 4 pence, and the suburb is 6 pence. In order to save money, Melissa always goes out in advance and walks by herself .

　　As soon as she opened the door, she paused again, turned her body halfway and said:

　　"Klein, don't buy too much lamb and peas. Benson may not be back until Sunday. Well, remember that the bread only costs eight pounds."

　　"Okay, okay." Zhou Mingrui replied helplessly.

　　At the same time, he silently said the word "Sunday" several times.

　　In the Northern Continent, a year is also divided into twelve months, ranging from three hundred and sixty-five to three hundred and sixty-six days a year, and there are also seven days in a week.

　　The former is the achievement of astronomy, making Zhou Mingrui suspect that this is a parallel world, while the latter is derived from religion, because there are seven orthodox gods in the Northern Continent: Eternal Blazing Sun, Lord of Storms, God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Goddess of the Night, and Earth Mother Goddess, God of War, God of Steam and Machinery.

　　Watching his sister close the door and leave, Zhou Mingrui sighed suddenly, and quickly shifted his mind to the transfer ceremony.