“Frank, wait for me!” Frank Quinn, who was hurrying home, suddenly heard Samuel Brooks's voice from behind. He quickly stopped and a smile appeared on his face.

Ever since his family encountered misfortune, the once cheerful and lively Frank Quinn had become withdrawn and quiet. Other than spending time with his younger sister, he had no other friends. However, after coming to Cangzhou, he became good friends with Samuel Brooks.

That was one afternoon more than three years ago. Frank Quinn was returning home with his sister after collecting scraps, when a group of teenage boys blocked their way and jeered at them, calling them "scrap kings."

At that time, Frank Quinn had already been secretly learning martial arts for two years. Although he was undernourished, none of those boys were a match for him. However, Frank Quinn didn't care at all about their mockery and was about to leave with his sister.

Just then, Samuel Brooks, who had just been sent to the mainland by his father, appeared. He had practiced Bajiquan with his grandfather since childhood and was much more skilled than Frank Quinn. After a brief argument, he beat those boys so badly they ran off in a panic.

Perhaps due to different upbringings, Samuel Brooks never looked down on Frank Quinn. On the contrary, he greatly admired him for taking care of his sister alone. In private, he even taught him the secrets of Bajiquan, and the two became friends from then on.

“Samuel, thank you!” Frank Quinn turned around and said, “I'll bring my sister over tomorrow. Why did you chase after me now?”

“Tomorrow is tomorrow, but today has its own matters!”

As the most favored junior in the Liu family, Samuel Brooks usually behaved very properly in front of his elders, but around his friend, he was much more casual. He took something out of his pocket and handed it over, saying, “Frank, this is for you.”

“Money? Why are you giving me money?”

Under the dim streetlight, Frank Quinn saw the rolled-up ten-yuan bills in Samuel Brooks's hand, and his expression turned a bit unpleasant. He shook his head and said, “Frank, you've known me for so long—don't you know my temper?”

When his parents were alive, the thing Frank Quinn heard most often was his father's saying, “Sweat for your own bread. Relying on the heavens, the earth, or your parents doesn't make you a real man!”

After his parents passed away, Frank Quinn lived in poverty, but he never forgot his father's words. Over the years, he had collected scraps, helped with harvests, and planted rice for others, but he had never accepted charity from anyone.

If it weren't for watching his sister grow up day by day, and worrying that not going to school would ruin her future, Frank Quinn probably wouldn't have accepted the old man's kindness this time either.

So when he saw Samuel Brooks handing him money, Frank Quinn's face changed on the spot. If this wasn't his only friend, he might have just turned and left.

“You think I don't know your temper?”

Seeing Frank Quinn's reaction, Samuel Brooks couldn't help but laugh and said, “This is two hundred yuan. Don't look at me—I don't have that much money to give you. This is from my grandpa. He said it's what you deserve.”

“What I deserve?” Frank Quinn was completely confused by Samuel Brooks's words. “What did I do to deserve so much money?”

In 1992, a railway worker's monthly salary was just over a hundred yuan. Even giving three or five yuan as a wedding gift was considered generous. Two hundred yuan was a huge sum that Frank Quinn had never even dreamed of.

“Do you remember that snuff bottle you gave me?”

Samuel Brooks said proudly, “Frank, that's a real treasure. My grandpa said it's a porcelain-enamel snuff bottle made by 'Gu Yue Xuan.' It might have even been used by Emperor Qianlong himself.”

“Wait, let me think…” Frank Quinn seemed to understand. “You mean that clear glass bottle with a painting inside?”

A little over a month ago, Frank Quinn had found a glass bottle. After cleaning it, he discovered a beautiful painting inside.

The glass itself wasn't worth much, so he didn't sell it. Instead, he gave it to Samuel Brooks. Frank Quinn knew that his good friend often secretly brought food for Qin Jia, so when he found something interesting, he immediately thought of Samuel Brooks.

Seeing that Frank Quinn remembered, Samuel Brooks nodded repeatedly and said, “Yes, that's the one. Hey, Frank, my grandpa said it's a real treasure. If the bottle's mouth wasn't chipped, it could be traded for an apartment!”

“It's worth that much?”

Frank Quinn was dumbfounded. Even in this suburban area, an apartment cost several thousand yuan. How could that broken glass bottle be worth so much?

“What do you know? That's called an antique, not something you sell by the kilo like scrap paper!”

As he spoke, Samuel Brooks stuffed the money into Frank Quinn's hand and said, “My grandpa said it's not good for you to take too much money at once. From now on, you and your sister will live and eat at our house. The rest of the money will be made up to you that way!”

Chapter 0005 Change

“Live and eat at your house?”

Frank Quinn fell silent at these words. After a long while, he shook his head and said, “Samuel, even if that thing is valuable, it was a gift from me to you. This money... I can't take it!”

“Frank Quinn, you're just too stubborn. It's not like you could afford to give me such a valuable gift right now, and even if you could, I wouldn't feel comfortable accepting it. Stop being so obstinate—you have to take this money!”