Watching Nina run up the stairs briskly, Duncan didn't understand what was going on for a while, but scratched his hair in confusion: "What is this kid smiling at......"

Then he heard Old Mr. Morris's voice coming from the counter: "Honestly, you are very different from what I remembered, Mr. Duncan. ”

"Big difference?" Duncan raised an eyebrow, "What is your impression of me?" ”

As he spoke, he walked out from behind the counter and hung the "Temporary Rest" sign at the door, and moved a chair to put next to the counter - after confirming that the other party was a visiting teacher and not an ordinary guest, it was obviously inappropriate to let the family stand.

"Thank you," Morris nodded in thanks, and looked in Duncan's direction after sitting in his chair, with a gentle and elegant smile on his face, "I haven't met you, but I've heard about it from some sources...... Nina's family situation. Pardon my rudeness, but from the rumors I've heard, Nina has an alcoholic, gambler, and irascible uncle who lives in a bad family atmosphere that she has few friends at school — and the other students don't want to deal with her. ”

Duncan was brewing coffee on the side, and after hearing Morris's words, his movements subconsciously paused for two seconds, and then he finished his work unhurriedly, he returned to the counter with two cups of coffee, and pushed one of them to the old man: "I hope you don't mind that I only have this bargain here - the best coffee in downtown is just that." ”

He sat down across from the old man, one holding a steaming cup of coffee, the old dagger between them, but now both of them were clearly not focused on it.

"Strictly speaking...... These rumors are true," Duncan said slowly, "I had a previous illness, well, a more serious illness - I had to rely on spirits to numb my nerves when the painkillers didn't work, and it was a decadent time, unfortunately it also happened to be a crucial few years in Nina's adolescence, and it seems to have affected her more than I thought it would be. ”

Morris observed Duncan carefully for a long time before he spoke thoughtfully, "Is that so?" But I don't feel like you're a person who has just come out of decadence—but more like a gentleman who has never fallen into decadence, who has always been positive and optimistic, and the wit and humor you have in your conversations are not like they have been influenced by alcohol.

As he spoke, he took a sip of the coffee in the cup, and did not make any comments on the coffee, but just said casually: "I think I see people quite accurately." ”

"Maybe it's just that my mentality adjusts quickly," Duncan laughed, his tone was extraordinarily calm—he had to admit that the old man did see people accurately, but he believed that no matter how accurate his eyes were, he couldn't see the secrets in his shell, so he didn't panic at all, "Nina is almost an adult, I'm her only guardian, I have to show some sense of responsibility." ”

“…… Anyway, it's a good thing for that kid," Morris gave Duncan a deep look, "She's at a critical stage of her studies, and while many people say that you can only go to the factory to screw bolts after graduating from public high school, they always ignore the fact that knowledge itself is a precious asset, and it will always suddenly take on meaning one day in your life, and that is often after you have no chance to return to school." ”

The old gentleman said, shaking his head: "It's a pity that most of the parents I have dealt with don't agree with this - their focus is on getting their children to graduate and get a job as soon as possible. ”

As soon as Duncan heard this, he immediately felt kind: he knew what the old gentleman said! When he was a teacher, he often said similar things to students or parents, but no one listened to him......

However, he soon reined in this mentality of "meeting peers", and after thinking about the current environment he was in, he shook his head slightly:

"Because this is Downtown, Mr. Morris — your views are indeed wise and visionary, but most people here really need to pay their bills as soon as possible, and you can't just say they don't have a long-term view."

"It's true, many people actually want to look into the distance, but the high walls of life will always block our view from looking farther away," the old gentleman sighed, "I'm sorry, after soaking in books for a long time, I will always ignore the practical problems in life...... You're a very thoughtful person, and it seems that some of my worries are unnecessary. ”

"Worried?" Duncan frowned, "Speaking of which, is there something wrong with Nina at school lately?" Has her grades regressed? ”

"She's always had good results, but lately...... She's a bit absent-minded, indeed," Morris pondered her vocabulary, "and she's distracted in class, sleeping in self-study, and distracted in lab class — she even lit the lab table in chemistry class last week." This has never happened before...... At least never in her. ”

Speaking of this, the old gentleman paused, and added: "In the first two days of testing, her grades did not drop much, but if this state continues, it is difficult to say what will be her grades when she graduates—although the options for public high school graduation are indeed limited, assembling machines in a factory in downtown is not the same as maintaining a steam core in a church in uptown." As Nina's guardian, you should take it seriously. ”

"Nina has been getting distracted in class lately?" Duncan frowned, "She didn't tell me about it......"

"A girl of her age won't tell you much," Morris shook his head, "I thought at first it was something going on at home, or something her 'alcoholic uncle' had recently done that affected her at school, so she came to make this home visit, but now it seems ...... Not in this regard. ”

Duncan didn't speak for a while, just seriously recalled whether Nina had shown anything abnormal in front of him in the past few days, recalling Nina's daily routine, and Morris asked after a few seconds: "You are the person who knows her best, is there anything abnormal about the child recently?" For example, not having a good rest, not being in good health, etc.? ”

Duncan pondered for a long time, and could only spread his hands: "...... I'm ashamed to say that I can't think of an answer. ”

He couldn't think of an answer – he didn't even know Nina a week ago! How did he know how the kid had changed recently compared to before?

Morris's answer to Duncan didn't seem to be too surprising, it was probably because he had lowered his expectations of "Nina's uncle" according to rumors before he came, so he just habitually said at this time: "You should pay more attention to her - especially for a girl of this age, material support alone is not enough." ”

When Duncan heard this, an idea popped up in his mind: "Could she be in love?" ”

Frankly speaking, this idea is more or less based on "Zhou Ming's" experience as a people's teacher......

Morris showed a slightly strange expression when he heard this, and the old man looked at Duncan strangely: "That's a girls' school......"

Duncan thought for a moment and looked serious: "Girls' schools are also okay." ”

Maurice's eyes widened slightly.

This old gentleman, who has always been obsessed with academics, was shocked!

"Ahem, well, I'm just saying it casually," Duncan knew that the topic might be a bit out of line as soon as he saw the old man's reaction, and quickly interrupted the embarrassment with a dry cough, "I'll talk to Nina about it...... She should be willing to talk to me. ”

"Ah...... Oh, of course," the old gentleman reacted, and he seemed to be still immersed in some kind of shock, and his words felt half a beat slower, "as far as I know...... Nina is a very honest and honest child, and if you tell her well, she shouldn't resist too much. ”

Duncan nodded: "Is there anything else?" Is there anything else wrong with Nina at school lately? ”

"It's nothing other than being distracted and in a trance," the old gentleman thought for a moment and shook his head, "I'm actually here today mainly to talk about this matter, and by the way, to learn about her real family situation...... By the way, speaking of which, Nina's parents are because ......"

"The accident eleven years ago," Duncan said, "is officially documented as an incident, a leak from a chemical plant in the sixth block. ”

"I see," the old gentleman sighed, "I remember the accident, when my daughter and I happened to be near the cross block, and the chemical plant leaked so much that the affected people even rushed to the edge of the upper city for a time...... After the investigation, it was also said that many cultists were taking advantage of the opportunity to make trouble that night, and the chemical plant was also sabotaged by them......"

Duncan's heart moved, and he said casually, "Was there a fire in Downtown that night?" ”

"Fire? I don't remember any fires," Morris frowned, "Are you mistaken?" ”

“…… Looks like I'm mistaken," Duncan said with a smile on his forehead, "I really should stay away from alcohol." ”