Chapter 2 The Essence of the Problem is Lack of Money
Patisserie Valerie is a very famous chain dessert shop in the UK, but its establishment was actually an accident.
The founder, Miss Valerie, was Belgian, and only after marriage did she follow her British husband to settle in London.
Because she wasn't used to the local food, she had to cook for herself.
Her British friends tasted her cooking and thought it was good, especially the desserts, so they suggested she open a small shop.
Then, in 1926, she appeared on Frith Street.
Perhaps Miss Valerie's cooking indeed suited the British aesthetic, or perhaps there was nothing good to eat in a place that produced Stargazy Pie, but in less than a year, Miss Valerie opened a branch, and ten years later, PV's presence was all over Britain.
The shop had two signature items:
One was the Strawberry Cake;
According to locals, fresh cream paired with refreshing fruit brings immense pleasure.
The other was the Fruit Tart;
If one had to describe it, it's a bit like an egg tart, except instead of egg custard on top, there's fruit.
Perhaps Isabella brought her taste buds with her when she transmigrated? After a couple of bites, even though she felt PV's desserts were infinitely close to the 'not sweet' standard, after eating more, there was still that tiny bit of cloying sweetness.
She frowned slightly as she put down her dessert spoon, her subtly emerging bitter expression making Vivian want to laugh.
“Darling, have you had enough?”
“Yeah~”
“Not hungry today? You used to eat a whole one.”
“Oh~ Mom~ Maybe I've grown up? Because I suddenly realized you were right, PV's stuff is a bit sweet too.”
“Hahaha~”
Vivian covered her mouth and chuckled, pushing the teacup in front of her towards her precious daughter.
“So I guess you need a cup of black tea, no milk, no sugar, to rinse your mouth?”
“Of course!”
Isabella naturally picked up her mother's cup and took a small sip.
The next second, she felt the taste of home.
This was Qihong tea.
British tea culture began in the 17th century when a Portuguese princess married the King of England. Being fond of tea, she introduced it to the British court, and thereafter, tea drinking became a noble social activity.
Currently, Britain consumes a million tons of tea annually, and among these, the best quality comes from the mainland.
The fruity aroma clinging to her taste buds made Isabella close her eyes in comfort, but her joyful, enjoying expression looked a bit annoying to Catherine, who flashed a look of disdain and shifted her gaze to her mother.
“Mom, about this afternoon…”
Before Catherine could finish her sentence, Isabella, leaning against the back of her chair, sighed inwardly, thinking, “This really is bringing up what shouldn't be brought up!”
Vivian, having composed herself, looked back at her eldest daughter and said with a smile:
“Oh, Kaisa, the situation at the theater is a bit complicated. The Lyceum Theatre is indeed hiring this year, but they already found a suitable candidate a month ago, so the information we received is actually outdated.”
“But that's not important.”
“The Lyceum Theatre is just a preference, not the only option. Other theaters are also hiring. Tomorrow I will go check other theaters. Don't worry, Mother won't be defeated by a small difficulty…”
When Vivian didn't directly answer the reason for the celebration, her failure in job searching today was obvious.
Therefore, in Isabella's opinion, there was no need to confirm such a thing.
If Vivian wanted to say something, she definitely would have.
If she didn't want to say something, it could only mean one thing: she wasn't feeling well.
“Mom, I'm done eating. I want to go upstairs and practice the piano.”
“Okay, you go ahead. I'll call you when dinner is ready.”
Not wanting to stay in an awkward atmosphere, Isabella casually made an excuse and slipped away.
She thumped up to the second floor; the original owner's house was very large.
Although her cheap father had failed in his all-in gamble, he hadn't completely squandered the family's foundation. There were still some assets to ensure their livelihood, and the place Isabella was currently living in was a four-story villa that Vivian and Eric bought when they got married.
The first floor had an open-plan living room, dining room, and kitchen, with a public bathroom and two maid's rooms on the west side. Since Vivian disliked live-in maids and only hired a cleaning company for weekly tidying, the maid's rooms became storage rooms.
The second floor had a piano room, dance studio, gym, and a guest room, all with private bathrooms. Vivian had indeed left the stage, but her body management and dance skills were never abandoned, and the piano room was exclusively for Isabella.
The third floor had three bedrooms: one large and two small. The large one belonged to Vivian and him, and the other two belonged to Isabella and Catherine respectively.
As for the top floor?
The western room was Eric's meditation area, where he enjoyed thinking and reviewing reports. The eastern room was Catherine's art studio, where she dabbled in oil painting, watercolor, and sketching.
Four floors plus a basement, totaling 6500 square feet, or about 600 square meters.
This size would be beautiful in any first-tier city globally, and even more beautiful was the location of this area.
Mayfair.
Passing through two doors designed like a recording studio, a grand Steinway stood in the center of the spacious piano room. Sitting on the four-legged stool and lifting the piano lid, Isabella found the 88 hand-polished keys delightful to behold.
Her fingers glided lightly, producing a tone like pearls wrapped in velvet, which pleased Isabella immensely.
With a slight lift of her wrist, the lively notes of “Turkish March” emerged from the dancing of her slender fingers.
The original owner loved music, so she learned piano, and as for Isabella…
In her previous life, she actually had an artistic flair too.
Her family was involved in art, and she started learning erhu as a child. Later, she developed an interest in piano, so she specialized in this Western instrument, entered one of the top four art academies through entrance exams, and continued to work in the industry after graduation.
She had performed and taught.
Her income certainly couldn't compare to those famous big stars, but her life was quite comfortable with work every month.
After one piece, feeling refreshed, just as she was about to continue, the antique wall lamp on the front wall suddenly lit up with gaslight. This was a call bell that the original owner's father had specially installed when decorating the house.
She got up, opened the door, and the person standing at the doorway was Catherine.
Catherine's tense face prompted Isabella to speak first, “Something wrong?”
“Do you have time? I want to talk to you.” Catherine's tone was a bit stiff.
“Of course, please come in.” Isabella pulled out a chair for her elder sister.
After sitting down, Catherine went straight to the point, “Isa, I want to ask you, do you know what the family's situation is right now?”
“Uh… I know and I don't know…”
“Huh?”
“I say I know because I understand that Father is gone, which means we can't be as carefree as before. I say I don't know because I don't understand why you're asking me this question? How could I not know the family's situation?”
“Oh! My! God!”
As soon as Isabella's words fell, with a whoosh, flames seemed to erupt from Catherine's head.
“Isa! Since you know all this, how could you be smiling while eating PV and smiling while drinking tea just now?!”
Looking at her sister, who was seriously answering the question, Catherine just wanted to punch her several times.
“You know Father is gone! You know the former peace is gone! Then don't you know that after Father left, all the family's burdens fell entirely on Mother?!”
“Now Mother not only needs to take care of us, but also has to consider our future life!”
“So! Tell me!”
“Isa! Don't you feel any sympathy for Mother?!”
“Don't you have any intention of sharing the burden?!”
Catherine stared at Isabella without blinking.
Perhaps her emotions were surging, but it was also possible that she was still a bit breathless after just shouting.
The lion-like interrogation made Isabella purse her lips. To be honest, she could understand Catherine's feelings. The sudden disappearance of the family's pillar was a bolt from the blue for those who relied on him.
But…
“Kaisa, do you want some water?”
“More than water, I'd like to splash water on your face.”
“Oh~ You can totally do that~ But please don't splash it here, I'd be heartbroken if it got on the piano. This is the piano Father specially bought for me. To get it up to the second floor, Father even took down the corridor window and the room wall.”
“…”
“Okay, since you don't want water then I won't go get it… You ask if I feel bad for Mother? Before answering that question, I want to ask you one: I know you care a lot about the family, but can family matters be changed just by worrying?”
Isabella looked at her sister and said, “I know you want to share Mother's burden, but is a job what Mother lacks right now?”
“No, our biggest problem is a lack of money, and a large sum of money at that.”
“Because living requires money, studying requires money, and even if we're lucky enough not to get sick, the house we live in requires thousands of pounds in council tax annually. And these… are they things Mother can earn through acting?”
“No.”
“So, since we all know the outcome, why should we face Mother with long faces?”
“Must we constantly remind Mother that her efforts are useless?”
“Wouldn't it be better to smile at Mother more often and make her happy?”
Catherine fell silent.
Yes.
The biggest problem their family faced now wasn't a lack of income, but that no one could replace Eric's frantic money-making.
Or rather, their family's basic expenses were simply too high.
Take education expenses, for example. Catherine attended St. Paul's Girls' School, where tuition alone was £20,000 a year, with other costs separate. For arts and sports like equestrianism, one lesson cost £200, and equipment had to be provided by oneself.
A Shetland pony alone cost half a year's tuition.
Of course, there's a reason for the high cost. St. Paul's Girls' School has a 1000% chance of students advancing to super-elite universities (what people later refer to as G5) each year, and a 40% chance of getting into Oxbridge.
To put it bluntly, this is essentially early screening in a capitalist society.
To get her daughter into Oxbridge, Eric spent at least £100,000 annually on Catherine's education.
And this money…
How many operas would Vivian have to sing to earn that?
Of course, as the saying goes, life is lived no matter how you live it.
The rich have their way of living, and the poor have theirs, but…
People always strive upwards.
Who can accept a drop in social class?
Eric couldn't accept it, so he jumped.
Vivian couldn't accept it either, so she was pretending to try.
That's right, in Isabella's opinion, right now, her mother wasn't looking for a job, but rather seeking spiritual solace.
She knew she couldn't get her life back on track, but she had to put on a facade for her daughters, showing them, 'I can do this.'
Staring at her sister for a while, Catherine let out a heavy sigh.
“Isa… is that what you really think…?”
“It's a fact, not imagination.”
“I could actually drop out of St. Paul's.”
“But could Mother accept that?”
Catherine fell silent again.
At this moment, her expression also became melancholic.
“So we can only slowly die?”
She hung her head, looking a bit like a deflated beagle.
But Isabella, leaning against the piano, curved her lips into a smile.
“Kaisa, actually, if you hadn't come to find me now, I would have come to find you tonight.”
“Hmm?”
“You're right, family matters shouldn't be borne by Mother alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“It's simple, I think I have a way to make money, a way to make a lot of money, but you'll have to cooperate with me.”
“What??”
Catherine was a bit surprised, “Isa! Do you know what you're saying? Our family isn't short of just a little money!”
“Of course, I am completely sober right now, because of this.”
Isabella fumbled in her pocket and pulled out the newspaper she had ‘secretly’ bought that afternoon.
Spread open, the front page featured a photo of J.K. Rowling, and above it, a bold, black title read:
The main title was:
【Film Adaptation of Harry Potter Potentially Stalled? Casting Work Yields No Results After Months】
The subtitle was:
【Warner Bros. Unable to Tolerate Slow Progress, Demands Immediate Commencement of Film Project】