Miranda accepted Sam’s gift. The temptation was too great to resist. “Thank you,” she said. “Try calling me Sam, for once.” Miranda was speechless at his insistence.

It was 2:00 pm when they arrived at Elgerson. Miranda and her family were not seated in the same train car as Sam. After leaving the station, she was about to call for a cab using the ride-hailing app when she spotted Sam standing nearby. His tall frame made him stand out in the crowd.

Sam approached Lionel with a smile. “Mr. Sutton, my car is just outside. How about I give you all a ride?”

Lionel thought for a moment. “No, no. There’s no need to trouble you. We can call for a cab ourselves.”

“It’s on the way. It won’t be any trouble at all.” With that, Sam grabbed the suitcase from Lionel’s hand and headed out.

“Oh, well then. Sorry for the trouble, Sam.”

“No trouble at all.”

Miranda quietly closed the app and put her phone away.

In the car, Sam was in the driver’s seat, expertly maneuvering the steering wheel. Miranda sat in the front passenger seat, while Mindy and Lionel were in the backseat.

Sam glanced in the rearview mirror and asked, “Mr. Sutton, isn’t the book you’re reading a 2003 reprint of an older edition, The Comprehensive Governance?”

Lionel’s interest was piqued. “You know this book?”

Sam answered, “My grandfather is an expert on history, so I picked up a bit from him. If I’m not mistaken, the printed editions after 2010 had two historical chapters removed, but I believe there was another round of cuts before that too?”

Upon hearing this, Lionel’s eyes lit up. “Yes, not just once. This book has undergone three rounds of cuts! The most recent edit was the one you mentioned in 2010, and 2004 before that.”

“I’m not entirely sure when the first cut was made, but I remember there were 36 historical chapters when I first read this book as a child. The edition I have right now is from before the second cut, with 30 historical chapters. Four chapters were cut out in the two most recent edits, which means there had to be another cut before that.”

“1996,” Sam suddenly said.

Lionel was puzzled. “What?”

“It must have been in 1996 if there was another round of cuts,” Sam explained.

“Why are you so certain?” Lionel asked curiously.

He replied, “I wasn’t sure before this, but since you mentioned there was another edit done before 2004, that must have been the version my great-uncle oversaw back in 1996.”

Lionel was genuinely shocked. “What’s your great-uncle’s name?”

“Thomas Cooper.”

“What? Mr. Cooper Senior is your great-uncle?”

Sam nodded. “Yes. Have you heard of him?”

“Of course! Who hasn’t heard of such a renowned translator and scholar like him?”

As he steered, Sam’s gaze occasionally drifted to Miranda before returning to Lionel in the rearview mirror. “You can’t find pre-1996 editions on the market anymore. However, my great-uncle decided to migrate overseas when I was in high school. Before he left, he gave me all his out-of-print, limited edition books. I’ll look for the book when I get back. I should still have it around.”

Lionel’s eyes shone eagerly, but he still said, “This wouldn’t be too much trouble, would it?” After all, they weren’t family. Those were precious books left behind by Sam’s great-uncle. Why would Sam show them to him? Lionel still had some self-awareness.

Sam smiled and said, “Not at all. It’s far more meaningful for a book to be read by someone who appreciates it than to sit idle, collecting dust on a shelf.”

“Well, I won’t hold myself back then. Thank you so much!” Lionel chuckled.

Sam replied, “That’s more like it.” After all, they would be family in the future anyway.

Mindy listened to their conversation about books and glanced at her daughter in the front seat. She casually remarked, “Sam, it sounds like you come from a family of scholars. What kind of books do you usually enjoy reading?”

He answered, “We have many novels and poetry books at home. Personally, I prefer books that are more thrilling and unique. Mrs. Sutton, I just finished reading your new book, Seven Days, a few days ago. The ending… how should I put it? It was unexpected, but also made perfect sense. I was genuinely shocked.”