Pitiful Situations

Irving Smiths stood in front of a window in his apartment, and scenes of his father giving him the seemingly life-hindering instructions were replayed in his mind.

"My son, you must study antique appraisal and restoration. And most importantly, keep this ancestral treasure appraisal secret book. It will be of great use in the future..."

Looking at the hospital bill of twenty thousand dollar on his broken phone, Irving punched the window frame hard. "Dad! I have been harmed by the dream you lay on my shoulders, all my life!"

Three years, from his graduation to his working life, Irving had always stuck to the antiques industry. The dream of his father. His other classmates had long since changed careers and were earning over ten thousand dollar a month.

Even when he was not making money, he was still trying to stick to his father's dream. But this time he really couldn't hold on to this dream any longer. He really needed a better paying job, or that would be the ending of him.

His sister's school expenses were getting higher, his mother's illness became serious again, and his girlfriend alongside her family were threatening to get rid of him because he had no money.

The high hospital bills had already drained away the family's financial resources, all within a short period of time. He was at the end point of his pitiful life at this moment. So, he decided to look for a better paying job. And there was no better job at this time than construction work.

He picked up his phone and dialled a number. "Hello Faye... yea, I know... Faye, do you still need people at your construction site?"

"Sorry man, we're full right now, but I'll let you know when there's an opening. I got to go now. Bye." Faye replied, and hung up.

Dejected, Irving, let out a deep breath. How was he going to do it now? He needed money, especially for his mother's hospital bills.

Throughout the night, he couldn't sleep.

Early hour of the next morning, he arrived at the antique shop where he worked. He did the calculations and realized that he still had close to ten thousand dollar to pay this year for his mother's care, and another ten thousand dollar for other important expenses.

But for now, he planned to sort out the hospital bills first and then think of a solution to his money crises later. It was a big headache for him just thinking about it.

"Boss, you haven't paid me my salary." Irving's voice was very soft and his posture was very low.

"What? You want me to pay you your salary? How dare you? What gave you the courage to ask me? Do I need to remind you of what you did? Then let me remind you. Two days ago, you accepted a fake product with no value at all. Do you know how much I lost because of that?" When Linard heard about the salary, he flew into rage. "I didn't make you pay for it because I was showing you mercy, yet you dare to raise your salary with me?"

"Boss, that fake product was collected by Julion." Irving frowned. Completely unhappy when he recollected what happened two days ago. "When they brought it, I clearly told him not to take it. I told him that the blue and white porcelain vase had serious traces of fake glaze, but he didn't believe my words and insisted on accepting it. He also threatened me, asking me why I was giving him random orders. How can you blame me for his mistake? You can't just take it out on me because he is your nephew..."

Linard snorted coldly, his eyes as wide as tower bells. He turned around, and said angrily: "What else is there to argue about? Pack your things and get out of here!"

"What of my salary? You've not paid me for three months now..."

"How dare you ask for your salary after all this? All your money have been confiscated!"

"You... you're..." Irving nearly collapsed from the shock. He held his own head firmly to steady himself.

"What do you want to say about me, hm?" Looking at Irving in front of him, Linard's eyes showed traces of disdain. "Do you want to insult me? You little scoundrel. Remember to pay all the internship fees before you leave. It's three thousand in total. If you miss one cent, I won't let you off the hook."

Great, not only was there no salary for his hardwork, but he also had to pay an internship fee. How could there be such a cruel thing in the world? Irving, who had been tolerant for a long time, finally couldn't bear it anymore. He took two steps forward and stared at Linard fiercely. "Boss, do you really think I don't know what you're planning? Why you're coming up with all these lies? This is all about you trying to take my money to pay your debt on horse racing, isn't it?"

""How dare you?" Linard slammed his hand on the table, and deepened his voice. "Leave right now, or I'll make you regret the day you were born."

"Is this the way to treat someone who has been working hard for you? Where's your humanity?" Normally, Irving was always polite and never harsh when talking to others. But now, there was really no other way. Even rabbits would bite when they were anxious.

"Where's my humanity?" Linard was stunned for a few seconds. With no humanity, that meant the boy was calling him an animal. He swung around in anger, and his backhand punch hit Irving on the left side of his face. "Get out of my way, and out of here before I strangle you to death!"

For a moment, Irving felt dizzy, lost his balance, and took several steps back before barely stopping. At this time, his mind was in turmoil. In order to save money, he had not eaten properly for several days. After eating one small meal a day, how could he still have the strength to withstand Linard's backhand slap?

"I warned you, fool." Following this, Linard was even more happy and rushed forward with all his teeth and claws. "You asked for this."

Irving was hit with a left punch, then a right hook, followed by left and right kicks. Irving was beaten until his nose was bruised and his face was swollen. His nose was bleeding, and he was unable to fight back. His whole body became numb, and he dropped on the ground.

At the same time, a yellow colored book slipped from Irving's pocket and landed just in front of Linard. This book was given to him by his father. He was told it was a secret book that could change his destiny, but no idea how.

"Huh? What is this?" Linard dragged himself forward, breathing heavily. He bent down to pick up the tattered paper, took a closer look, and suddenly burst into laughter like a grunting pig. "Secrets of treasure appraisal? Do you actually believe in such a thing?"

"Mine... give it... back."

"Yours? Only a fool like you would carry such rags in your pocket as a treasure. There's not even a production place on it. Everything inside is certainly fake. Hahaha..." The more Linard talked about it, the more he felt more and more satisfied, and he raised the book in his hand. "I'm afraid even a dog can become a treasure appraiser. At this age, why are you still acting like a fool? Put it in the store and maybe it can fool another idiot like you to buy it."

Irving struggled, trying to get up from the ground. But after many attempts, he failed. His eyes were now dim, and the things around him had become blurry. "You... please give it back to me."

Although he didn’t know what kind of secret book it was, the book was passed down to him from his father after all. Even if it was a scrap of paper, it was his family heirloom!

Irving's helplessness made Linard even more reckless. "And if I don't, what will you do?"

It was not that Linard fell in love with this tattered book, it's just that he couldn't stand Irving's face.

Graaah. Irving knew there was not getting away from this, so he rushed towards Linard like a wild beast, and the two grappled with each other.

"Uncle, I brought some friends to the store... ..." Just when the two were fighting fiercely, Julion walked into the store with a bunch of friends. "What's going on here?"

"Can't you see what's happening? Come and help me out!"

Those people were stunned for a moment, then quickly came to their senses and rushed to help.

"Yes, beat him up. He dares to fight me, with such a scrawny body as his? I would've crippled with only one punch!" Linard said to Julion fiercely. Then, he glared at Irving who was laying on the floor. "You really overestimated your own capabilities. Why don't you fight back now? Where did your arrogance go?"

This time, Irving was completely beaten to a pulp. The last bit of his strength was beginning to drain away. His consciousness began to blur. He felt so tired that he could no longer force himself to open his eyes. Blood flowed down his forehead to his cheeks, his arms were covered, and even his clothes were dyed red. When the blood touched the broken book, the already yellowed paper actually gave off a faint shimmer.

It was so faint that no one else noticed it.

Irving was wrapped in invisible white light, as if he had entered an astronaut test space.