Volume 1 - Chapter 2.3
After leaving the shop, Fabian rushed to the pier as fast as he could. He was going to try his luck at the casinos.
Time always flies when doing things that you like.
Luckily, Fabian still remembered to go to the stage carriage before dusk.
When he went out of the casino, Fabian was truly satisfied. It was different from yesterday, he had to go back to leila today. He didn't know when he could return to South Port again, so he didn’t have to hold back.
Fabian was like a greedy gambler today, engrossed on the gambling table. Higher his pile of money, more obvious the fierceness in his opponent’s eyes. However, he pretended not seeing it.
The gamblers and the bodyguards in the casino looked at Fabian like he's a dead man.
They knew that a man like Fabian would often float on the coast of the pier the next day, waiting to be scooped up.
When Fabian walked out of the casino, he was followed by a bunch of gamblers who had lost all their money and reveale vicious expression.
Fabian was carrying all his possessions. He had exchanged for one hundred and fifty gold coins in the casino. Although couldn’t afford a horse carriage, he could buy a horse and four legs. He was quite satisfied with the money he got during three days.
All he had to do now was to find a way to get rid of the gamblers that were eyeing him.
It was easy for a "gold finger" who had been preparing to run away all the day to get rid of some people who had clearly lost their minds and already enraged by the rage.
Fabian just simply let the murderous fellows catch the attention of sheriffs in civilian clothes , then got away.
With the biggest fortune in his life, Fabian went back to the waiting room of stage's carriage.
In the distance, he saw the boy pacing about uneasily.
Fabian could clearly see that when the boy saw him, his expression relaxed and his face was no longer rigid. There was even a hint of smile on his lips.
“You’re here, I … I thought you wouldn’t come, did you tell Aunt Betty that I was going with you? ” The boy asked urgently.
“Don’t worry. Of course I’ve done it. The path to your home is really hard to walk. The ground is covered with mud, and the smell is really bad. How can you stay in that place for so long? ” Fabian spoke nonsense.
However, the boy believed in this statement because it proved that Fabian had indeed visited his home.
A carriage was parked at the station, Fabian and the boy got in.
Actually, it was the first time that Fabian was sitting in a carriage. Sitting inside was much more comfortable than hanging behind the luggage rack.
Fabian sat by the window with the boy sitting opposite him. The carriage was not full of people, and there were two empty seats, so the driver didn’t plan to leave. There was an old lady sitting beside Fabian. She closed her eyes to rest, and the middle-aged man on the other side was anxious. He kept complaining about why the carriage hadn’t been set out and how many times he had been waiting. A couple sat by the door, chatting casually.
“I don’t have any money, should I…” The boy said uneasily.
“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for you. You can return the money to me later.” Fabian said.
He thought for a moment before asking, “I believe you are hungry, and I haven’t eaten yet. I’m not familiar with this place. You could buy some food for us.” He took out a gold coin and passed it to the boy.
“It's too much.” The boy was obviously terrified by the generous offer.
“I have no choice, only gold coins.” Fabian showed his pocket to the boy.
When seeing so much money, the boy’s face turned pale from fright. He said, “Be careful, what if it's stolen?”
Fabian almost laughed out loud. He thought to himself, "I’m the expert in stealing."
Which thief didn't he know in the south? Which thief didn’t know him?
However, these words were not something that could tell this ignorant boy.
Fabian said, “Don’t worry, no one looks like a thief in this carriage. Nothing will happen.”
“It’s better to be careful. How did you have so much money?” The boy asked with curiosity.
“Oh, I’m here to collect debt. Every month, our boss send me to come to South Port to settle accounts. It’s not going well today, we only received less than 30%.”
“30%? Here are one hundred and twenty or thirty gold coins. Almost four hundreds a month. What does your boss do? It's loan or interest? ” the boy asked.
When Fabian heard the boy asked so carefully, he was afraid the truth would be exposed. “Why do you ask these stuff?” he said impatiently.
“No, no, I didn’t mean it. I just have this problem. I like asking questions. Aunt Betty said it isn’t good. I need to change, but I can’t. Aunt Betty says that if you’re a rich person, it’ll be very promising. But we don’t have the money, we have no ability to go to school, and it’s boring to always ask questions. Please don’t take it in your heart … ”
Hearing the boy’s voice, Fabian turned to look out the window. He thought to himself, This kid was too long-winded. He’s always crying and babbling, just like a woman.
Maybe he found the wrong person, was such a fella fit for a new face?
Fabian hesitated.
The boy also shut his mouth tactfully. He jumped off the carriage and quickly ran towards the alley in the distance. Soon, he returned with a basket.
He jumped into the carriage and returned to his seat, pushed the basket to Fabian with some silver coins in his left hand.
“These should be enough, or I’ll go buy some more.” he stuffed the changes into Fabian's hands.
For a "golden finger" like Fabian, as soon as he held the coins, he knew exactly how much were there.
Fabian felt quite surprised. Such a basket of food cost only two silver coins. It was even cheaper than the food in the cheap inn where he stayed in the first day.
Looking at the puzzled expression on Fabian’s face, the boy said flusteredly, “I definitely didn’t take a coin for myself …”