Chapter 3

After returning home and having dinner, the sky gradually grew dark. Old Joseph, as usual, lit an oil lamp on the table. Scrooge could do his homework and read books under the lamp, while Old Joseph could continue his work by the light. Mother Laura mended an old pair of socks by the light, and the eldest brother, Carol, who had finished middle school and had been helping with household chores, read his old textbooks by the light.

The middle school homework of this era was a bit too simple for Scrooge, and he quickly finished it. Then he put down his pen and looked at his father. At this moment, Old Joseph was meticulously applying wax to a newly made pair of boots. His hands, perhaps from long-term work with leather, took on a color similar to that of tanned yellow cowhide under the dim light of the oil lamp.

"Father, I'm done," Scrooge said.

"Oh," Old Joseph looked up and glanced at his young son, "So fast today? Look, I haven't even finished these boots yet—do you want to read some more?"

"No, Father," Scrooge replied.

"Ah, then go to bed early. You need more rest now," Old Joseph put down the boots, carefully closed the wax box, and wiped his hands on the apron hanging over his chest. He stood up from his workbench.

"Father, I have something to talk to you about," Scrooge said. John Rockefeller was waiting for his news.

"Oh, what is it?" Old Joseph took out his old pipe, lit it by the oil lamp, took a puff, and then bent down to blow out the lamp. Although the Joseph family could afford the oil lamp, since Scrooge had finished his homework, they could save a bit.

As the warm, orange light of the oil lamp disappeared, the room suddenly darkened. Fortunately, the moon peeked through the window, casting its silver light into the room. So, the main things in the room were still visible. Old Joseph walked to his rocking chair, sat down, took out his old pipe, and said to Scrooge, "Well, go ahead, I'm listening."

"Father, I want to know how much money we have available," Scrooge said after some consideration.

"What, does the school need more money?" Old Joseph said indifferently, "We don't have much money, but we can afford your education. Don't worry about it."

"No, Father," Scrooge said, "It's that John is in trouble."

"Oh," Old Joseph said, "Tell me more."

"John's father told him he can no longer provide for his tuition, and he said John is old enough to earn his own living," Scrooge said.

"They have it tough too," Mother Laura interjected, "Joseph, Bill just saved our son, we should help his son. They have a large family, and few can work, so they are really struggling... John is graduating in June, we should help him at least get his diploma."

"Mother, John doesn't plan to continue middle school. A middle school diploma isn't very useful anyway," Scrooge said.

"Ah, John wants to find a job, then?" Old Joseph said, "What a sensible boy! It's not hard to find a job, but finding a good one is tough. I know a few old customers..."

"Father," Scrooge interrupted Joseph, "John wants to go to a business school first to learn accounting. He says there's a shortage of accountants, and learning this skill will earn him a higher wage."

"That's true! John is really smart! If he can be an accountant, he could earn about five or six dollars a month, enough for himself and to help Aliza... However, business school tuition isn't cheap... John wants to borrow money from us?" Joseph said.

"Yes, Father," Scrooge said, "The tuition is 40 dollars. Mr. Bill has the money, but he won't give it to John. He only lends it and charges 15% interest. John feels that if he has to pay such high interest on 40 dollars, even if he finds a job later, it will be very difficult to pay it back. So he wants to borrow from us. John says he can pay us 12% interest, which is much higher than the bank's."

"Oh!" Laura was surprised, "How can Mr. Bill treat his own son like this, it's really..." Considering that Bill was her son's savior, Laura couldn't use her usual words to describe Mr. Bill. She muttered for a while but said nothing.

"Yes, it is higher than the bank's. But John's credit can't compare to the bank's," Carol, who couldn't continue reading his textbooks, said, "But from my experience, John is reliable and should be fine."

"I can afford 40 dollars, and I trust John. When you fell, John was the first to notice and called for help. He has done us a favor. So lending him money isn't a big issue. But I'm not Jewish, how can I charge such high interest? And Mr. Bill might just want to put some pressure on John. I don't want Mr. Bill to think I'm interfering with his plan to educate his child," Joseph took a puff of his pipe, the red glow of the ember lighting up his prominent nose.

Scrooge was silent for a moment. He knew that Mr. Bill's intention to charge John Rockefeller interest was not what Joseph said, a "plan to educate his child." Having read Rockefeller's biography in his previous life, Scrooge knew that this Mr. Bill, who had saved his life, was not only a major fraudster selling cancer drugs but also a bigamist. He wasn't short of money; he had made a lot through fraud. However, he always spent the money on debauchery and mistresses rather than improving his family's life. Of course, the devout Aliza was also unwilling to take the "unclean" money from her husband. However, he couldn't expose Mr. Bill's secrets; he was his "savior," and he couldn't defame him.

After some thought, Scrooge said, "Father, how about this: I've fallen behind in some of my studies. We can hire John to tutor me after school until it gets dark. We can pay him a salary. I've only missed a few days of classes, so it won't take long to catch up. By then, John should already be studying at the business school, and we can still hire him to teach me and my brother what he learns. This way, John's burden will be much lighter. And accounting skills are important for my brother, who will be the pillar of the family."

Joseph didn't say anything, but Scrooge noticed that his brother Carol sat up straighter, the moonlight shining through the window and reflecting in his eyes.

"Um, this idea should work," Joseph said, "But Scrooge, we can't pay him too much, or Mr. Bill might be unhappy. I think 10 dollars for this part-time job should be enough, as he's not a certified teacher. Scrooge, you can talk to him tomorrow and see if he agrees."

...

The next morning, John Rockefeller, as usual, came to school with Scrooge. The two walked out of their homes and along the coal-dusted street toward the school.

"Scrooge, what did your family say?" John Rockefeller asked nervously.

"John, my father doesn't agree to lend you money. He suspects that your father is charging you high interest to train you, and he thinks we shouldn't interfere with your father's plan. He also believes that the interest you pay to your father still stays in the Rockefeller family, while if you pay us, the money will move from the Rockefeller family to ours," Scrooge looked into John Rockefeller's eyes. He noticed the slight disappointment in John's eyes when he said "my father doesn't agree," the mocking look when he mentioned his father's plan, and the unusual composure in his eyes after the disappointment. "Truly a man destined to become the richest man in the world!" Scrooge couldn't help but admire him in his heart.

"However, John, we are not abandoning you. We have another plan. Do you think it's feasible?" Scrooge said.

"What kind of plan?" John Rockefeller asked.

"We will hire you as my tutor, working from after school until it gets dark. We will pay you 10 dollars, and you must help me catch up on the classes I missed. Additionally, you must teach me and my brother the accounting skills you learn at the business school, especially my brother, until he masters them. What do you think of this plan?"

John Rockefeller stopped and thought silently for a moment. Then he said, "Thank you. I will do my best to teach you. If you don't learn it in the end, I will return your salary and pay interest at the bank rate."

"Very well," Scrooge said, "When do you plan to drop out? Also, we need to discuss the details of the work contract."

"I will go to the school to drop out today. I have already explained it to my mother, and she supports me. I will go to Bill to borrow the money tonight, and I can enroll tomorrow and start studying at the business school the day after. As for the details of the work contract, I will come to your house after I finish the procedures..."

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