“You… are you really giving me these two medical books?”
Alice believed she had seen it all. She’d been exposed to various extravagances and owned many unique medical texts at home. But these two classics in front of her were undoubtedly the most precious she had ever encountered.
She would swear that if these two medical masterpieces were auctioned, their value would be no less than a billion dollars. If these truly are volumes one and two of “De Medicina,” such items wouldn’t even be allowed to be auctioned in the world.
William also understood the significance these two classical texts would hold for the average person.
In history, Celsus is considered a significant figure. To William, his works might not be a big deal, but to Alice, they would be considered treasures.
However, since Alice had formally acknowledged William as her teacher, Celsus’ works might not seem as impressive in comparison.
“If you like them, take them,” William said nonchalantly. Seeing Alice’s reaction, he naturally abandoned the idea of writing a new volume just for her.
“So, these are genuinely the first and second volumes of ‘De Medicina’?” Alice still struggled to contain her excitement.
William nodded, “Yes, he wrote them.”
“The original?”
William nodded again, with certainty. “Without a doubt.”
Alice pressed further, “Are you sure?”
“Do you want them?” William asked. “If you want to study medicine, you can take these two classics home. They’re just sitting here with no purpose.”
“Alright!” While Alice still found it hard to believe these were Celsus’ originals – mainly because the parchment books were in impeccable condition without a hint of damage or stain – the content was succinct, and many of the treatments were unheard of.
“Do you know how to brew tea?” William inquired, taking out a tea set from his box.
“Of course!” Alice replied, then paused, eyeing the tea set on the table, which looked incredibly valuable.
She came from a distinguished background and had an eye for quality.
“Master, is this a medieval Pewter set?” Alice was no stranger to luxury. The tea set in front of her, delicate and adorned with exquisite patterns, looked strikingly like the Pewter from the medieval era.
Without lifting his head, William took out the tea leaves and remarked, “Probably. Just use this for brewing. I don’t have other cups at home. They’ve all been used by others. Once you’re done making the tea, throw out the plates, cups, spoons, and forks.”
“Understood.” Alice, who had rarely served anyone in her life, was truly intrigued by William. Not only had he gifted her the parchment books, but even this tea set caught her eye, and she was keen to examine it more closely.
As Alice reached for the tea set, she glanced at the items on the desk and couldn’t help but pause in astonishment.
On the desk, the inkwell, pen holder, and quill appeared to be quite old. Even though Alice didn’t have much knowledge about these items, at first glance, she knew these were all valuable.
As she went outside with the tea set, she took another look at the box placed beside the desk.
Could it be?
The box itself seemed expensive, yet William didn’t appear to be wealthy at all.
Alice wasn’t particularly skilled at preparing tea. She simply rinsed the leaves and brewed them, unaware that the tea in William’s box was Golden Tips, the very finest and most precious kind. Aside from a little bit she’d seen in the home of a world-renowned private collector (who had made her and her grandfather swear to secrecy), this was the only other batch.
This tea was far more valuable than gold, a treasure beyond price.
Alice hadn’t given it much thought at first, being too focused on the delicate tea set. But as the faint aroma of tea began to waft around her, she wondered if the tea itself might also be of significant value.
As William emerged from the house, Alice was brewing tea at a stone table in the yard. Her concentration, combined with her inexperienced technique, made the whole process look rather clumsy.
“I’ll be heading to work soon. Just make yourself at home. Add me on WhatsApp. I’ll message you when I need to reach you,” William said, taking a sip of the tea. She hadn’t brewed it well – it paled in comparison to the likes of Timothy Hill.
As Alice added William on WhatsApp, she asked, “Where do you work?”
If the manuscript William gave her was genuine, it would be worth a fortune. Why would he still need to work at night?
Sitting on a stone stool, William replied, “A bar.”
“Ah!” The word ‘bar’ got Alice thinking.
For wealthy individuals like them, working at a bar wasn’t really considered ‘work.’ It was more likely for fun, perhaps to flirt or to deceive women.
Although Alice’s attitude towards William had somewhat improved, she still wasn’t convinced he was a good person. 𝓫𝓭𝓸𝓋𝓁．𝓬𝓸𝓂
“Take the house key and make a copy for yourself,” William said, now treating Alice as one of his own since she had become his disciple. “Clean up the house properly. Don’t bother with the study from earlier.”
Without waiting for Alice to respond, he tossed her the key and left, leaving her standing there in bewilderment.
He just gave her the key? And he’s asking her to clean up again?
After William departed, Alice sat in the courtyard sipping tea.
“This tea… It’s quite good!” Alice might not have been a tea connoisseur, but she could tell this was a quality brew.
After finishing the entire pot, she went inside to tidy up. Once done, she discarded the old kitchen utensils and purchased three new sets from a nearby supermarket.
“Grandpa, I’ve taken him as my mentor,” Alice decided to report the situation to her grandfather.
Upon hearing this over the phone, Charles Turner almost jumped with excitement. “Really? Did he teach you anything?”
“He hasn’t taught me anything yet, but he gave me two parchment manuscripts. He claims they’re the first and second volumes of ‘De Medicina’. Though the content is excellent, I doubt they’re originals. He even said they were Celsus’ works.”
“That’s it then!” Charles Turner exclaimed. “They are definitely the volumes of ‘De Medicina’!”
“Grandpa, you haven’t even seen them. How can you be sure they’re genuine?” Alice was skeptical about the authenticity of the manuscripts, but she was puzzled as to why her grandfather was so certain.
Charles Turner confidently said, “If he gave them to you, they are definitely genuine! What else did he say?”
After pondering for a moment, Alice replied, “He… also mentioned writing a medical treatise for me…”