Chapter 21 A Strange Family
With Lucas opening the conversation this way, Mary quickly pushed the envelope back into Sophia's hands. "That's right, Sophia, you should keep the money."
Sophia clutched the envelope, her mind spinning in confusion.
She immediately said, "That calligraphy piece will be auctioned at school with a starting bid of five million dollars. The final amount will be donated to charity in my name, helping underprivileged children get an education. I've already gained the recognition. Lucas should keep this money."
Lucas shook his head. "No, no, Sophia, it doesn't matter whose name the donation is under. I'm already so happy that my artwork can help other kids go to school. My calligraphy wasn't worth anything to begin with, but you're the one who made it valuable, so you should keep the prize money."
James chimed in, "Sophia, Lucas is right. You're the one who made his calligraphy valuable. Whether it's five thousand or five million dollars, it's all thanks to you."
Sophia frowned slightly, unable to understand Lucas's peculiar way of thinking.
This wasn't going as she'd imagined!
What was wrong with this family?
Didn't they understand the concept of "fair exchange"?
Five thousand dollars had no connection to reputation, but she wanted the reputation, and they needed money—it should have been a perfectly fair trade of interests.
Unable to figure it out, Sophia simply stuffed the envelope and certificate back into her bag. Tomorrow, she'd buy Lucas a piggy bank and stuff it all inside.
Whether he wanted it or not, he was getting it.
...
After dinner, James suggested taking Sophia for a walk around the neighborhood to help her get familiar with the area and digest their meal.
Their parents took Lucas home for his bath.
The streets were brightly lit at eight or nine in the evening, with salespeople from various shops calling out their promotions.
James suddenly turned to look at Sophia, his eyes soft with warmth. "Sophia, we're family. We don't need to keep such a careful track of everything. That certificate earlier; it wasn't actually from your school, was it?"
Sophia's heart skipped a beat. "How did you know?"
James chuckled softly. "I know Silver Fir Academy never gives out cash prizes."
Sophia pressed her lips together, unable to argue.
James continued, "I won't interfere with your decisions, but you should know—we care about you not because we want something in return, but simply because you're our family. We're just hoping that someday you'll truly accept us as your family too."
Sophia fell silent, then nodded in acknowledgment.
They passed a boutique shop, where Sophia went in to buy a small ceramic piggy bank that only allowed money in, not out. James guessed what she planned to do, but didn't stop her.
That was Sophia's money for Lucas—he had no right to refuse it on Lucas's behalf.
After buying the piggy bank, the two sat in a corner booth at a coffee shop, folding the five-thousand-dollar bill by bill and stuffing them into the little pig.
"James, what do you want to major in?" Sophia asked casually while folding the bills.
"Law, probably," James answered readily, though he seemed somewhat uncertain. "Being a lawyer has good prospects. No matter how far technology advances, there will always be a need for lawyers. Plus, the income is pretty good."
Sophia stopped what she was doing and turned to stare at him meaningfully for several seconds, then shook her head. "I don't think it suits you."
She couldn't imagine someone as gentle as James engaging in heated legal battles.
James laughed softly. "How about studying education and becoming a teacher after graduation?"
Sophia shook her head again. "I think the students would bully you."
James burst into laughter, often finding that this Sophia had an endearing quality unlike anyone else, sweet and adorable.
Though it might simply be because in James's eyes, everything about Sophia was wonderful.
...
Lucas sat at his desk doing homework when suddenly a ceramic pig appeared beside his hand. He turned his head up to meet Sophia's smile, his eyes full of confusion.
"It's for you." Sophia leaned against the wall, saying, "This little pig only lets you put money in, not take it out. I've already put the five thousand dollars inside for you. You can save your future money in there, too, and if there's ever an emergency where you urgently need cash, you can smash it open."
Lucas blinked his innocent eyes in bewilderment. "What kind of emergency?"
"Well..." Sophia thought for a moment, then said, "Like last year when James accidentally hit his head. If the situation had been more serious, this money might have been needed to save his life. So save your money well."
She gently patted the top of his head, said nothing more, and walked away.
Lucas stared at the white piggy bank, suddenly realizing that money wasn't just for food and clothes; in critical moments, it could save family members' lives.
He carefully picked up the pig and stored it in the bottom drawer of his desk.
He would definitely save money well from now on!
After her shower, Sophia put on soft strawberry pajamas and got into bed, lying down and pulling the covers over herself.
The new bed was so comfortable; finally, no more back-breaking wooden boards.
After lying there for a while, she sat back up, turned on the floor fan by the bed, and leaned against the headboard to call Michael.
The moment the call connected, low laughter came from the other end. "What can I do for you? Don't tell me you actually missed me?"
"Just bored and wanted to chat."
Michael understood Sophia. Perhaps because she'd received so little affection in childhood, she'd always been reserved in expressing emotions—he'd never heard words like "I miss you" from her lips.
When she had business, she'd say so directly. When she said she was "bored and wanted to chat," it meant she missed him.
Michael's smile was radiant, his ears tinged pink. "Do you want the five-cent conversation or the five-dollar one?"
"You're charging now?"
"No, I'm paying. You called me first. I'm definitely the one who's winning here."
Sophia couldn't help but laugh. "Then I should charge by the hour. Five dollars an hour?"
"No friends-and-family discount?" Michael glanced at the time—9:30 now. "How about five hundred and twenty dollars for two hours?"
"You're quite the businessman." Sophia lay in bed, laughing so hard her chest shook. "How's everything going?"
"Almost done. All the documents that needed signing are signed, they'll be notarized tomorrow, and should be approved in two or three days." Michael stopped his work and leaned back in his office chair, focusing entirely on chatting with her.
"Mm," Sophia responded absentmindedly, then told Michael about tonight's events. She'd been puzzling over it for ages and still couldn't understand why the Johnson family wouldn't accept the prize money.
The last time Sophia had been this conflicted over a problem, it was about whether to invest in a certain clothing brand, involving five million dollars in market value.
Now she was actually spending an entire evening worrying over five thousand dollars. Michael found it amusing just listening to her.
"Are you scared?" His question sounded more like a statement, as if he understood her emotions better than she did herself.