No matter who David Carter is, after all, he’s still just a child, and today is his first day coming from the countryside. These two people were clearly after money, and they already had records at the police station—they could be considered notorious troublemakers.

“How can that be? Little David was just acting in self-defense. If someone’s robbing you, you can’t just cooperate, right?” Henry Brooks said indignantly.

“These two are repeat offenders. Let Peter Foster talk to them. Tonight, David Carter will have to stay at the police station, but tomorrow morning I’ll let him go,” said Grace Brooks. She knew her grandfather had only met David Carter today. Although her grandfather was warm-hearted, as his granddaughter, she didn’t want him to worry too much.

“Little David came to Tanzhou all alone, with no relatives here, and he’s still young. Suddenly throwing him into society isn’t ideal. I’ve decided to let him do some work at the museum. With his skills, he’s definitely qualified to be a security guard,” said Henry Brooks.

“That’s not necessarily true. Being a security guard, having good martial arts is important, but what’s more important is being diligent and responsible, and most important of all, having good character,” said Grace Brooks. Although she had only recently started working, she was very passionate about her job. When she was in college, Henry Brooks wanted her to study history and archaeology, but she insisted on going to the police academy. Because of this, she almost had a falling out with her family, and even now, her father Brian Brooks was still quite displeased.

“Are you saying Little David doesn’t have good character?” Henry Brooks said angrily. What happened tonight only proved further that David Carter had a sense of justice and was skilled—being a security guard was almost beneath his abilities.

“Mr. Brooks, who are you saying has bad character?” Samuel Foster walked in with a smile and asked. He was the “Peter Foster” Grace Brooks had mentioned, full name Samuel Foster, deputy director of the Hongxing Police Station, only a few years older than Grace Brooks. His father had once been Henry Brooks’s student. Because of this connection, he looked after Grace Brooks.

“Peter Foster, my grandfather wants that David Carter to work as a security guard at the museum.” Grace Brooks looked to Samuel Foster for help. In her eyes, anyone could be a potential criminal. If David Carter never caused trouble, that would be fine, but if he ever did anything shady at the museum, wouldn’t that ruin her grandfather’s lifelong reputation?

“Grace, how many times have I told you, when there are no outsiders, just call me Big Brother Foster.” Samuel Foster pretended to be displeased, but he fully understood Grace Brooks’s meaning. Turning to Henry Brooks with a smile, he said, “Mr. Brooks, David Carter is indeed skilled, but he’s only just arrived in Tanzhou, and the job of a museum security guard is important. Maybe you should think it over?”

“I’ll talk to Brian about this,” Henry Brooks said firmly. He had always been confident in his judgment. When appraising antiques for others, he rarely made mistakes. It was the same with people—David Carter’s clear eyes told him this was a kind and brave young man.

“To have Mr. Brooks’s favor, that kid is really lucky,” Samuel Foster said with a smile. Seeing Grace Brooks anxiously stomping her feet beside him, he waved his hand at her and then said to Henry Brooks, “Mr. Brooks, since David Carter is going to be a security guard at the museum, I think you should take him with you later. Also, Grace, there’s no need to file a report about tonight’s incident.” For anyone, having a criminal record is never a good thing. Even if David Carter was acting in self-defense, there are many kinds of self-defense.

“Grace, see? In the future, you should learn more from your Big Brother Foster.” Henry Brooks finally smiled. Tonight’s incident was minor, but for David Carter, it might be a big deal in the future. For him, it was a small favor, but for David Carter, it could have been a lifelong burden.

After David Carter entered the police station, he hadn’t said much. Even when Grace Brooks questioned him, he only answered briefly. He understood that if the police really wanted to make things difficult, he could be in serious trouble. But because of Henry Brooks, that trouble disappeared. This made David Carter even more grateful to Henry Brooks; he felt he owed Henry Brooks a favor. And what David Carter least wanted was to owe anyone a favor.

Chapter Six: Half a Brick

When David Carter was brought out by Grace Brooks, his face was calm, without the indignation or excitement typical of young people. Henry Brooks was once again surprised. Although David Carter was very young, his composure and calmness were rare qualities. Henry Brooks became even more determined to have David Carter work at the museum. There had been several incidents at the museum recently; maybe with David Carter there, things would change.

“Little David, where are you from?” Henry Brooks declined Grace Brooks’s offer to walk him home and strolled with David Carter. Since he wanted to help David Carter find a job, he naturally needed to know more about him. Of course, he could have just asked Grace Brooks for the information, but doing so would have been a subtle injury to David Carter.

“Erfeng County,” David Carter replied. In fact, he couldn’t really be considered a true native of Erfeng County—he just grew up there. As for his ancestral home, the old man had never told him.

“Why did you come to Tanzhou alone?” Henry Brooks asked.