"Which butler school did you graduate from?"
Merkel shook his head, smiling as he said, "Butler school is not like university, there is no such thing as graduation. When I was in my second year at university in London, I was taken under the wing of an old butler from a hereditary butler family, and became his apprentice."
"There's a manor in the south of England that is dedicated to training us newly entered butlers. There were about six or seven people like me, and we called it 'Butler School'."
"So, you use an apprenticeship system?" Shiller asked.
Merkel nodded, "Those who want to enter this line of work know that the hereditary butler families hold all the connections. If you want to become a qualified butler, you can only learn from them."
"So are you the first generation of a hereditary butler family?"
Merkel laughed and said, "Your words are kind."
Just then, the doorbell rang with a clear sound. After traveling through the empty hall and the dim corridor of the estate, by the time it reached the study, it had garnered a touch of dullness.
Merkel hung up the iron, spread out the newspaper, then turned around and left to receive the incoming guests.
When he opened the mansion's large door, he saw a rather low-key black vintage car outside. The car door opened and Alfred stepped out holding Aisha. He first put down Aisha, then he went to open the door for Dick, who was still in the car.
Both children were dressed in thick winter clothes. Dick struggled to pull open the scarf covering half of his face, then said, "Is this the teacher's house? This is too extravagant!"
Merkel quickly stepped forward to welcome them. He helped Alfred pick up Aisha, and Alfred turned to re-adjust Dick's scarf. Together, they walked towards the mansion.
Once they reached the hall, the children were allowed to take off their scarves, hats, and gloves. Merkel hung up each piece of clothing on the coat rack. Alfred looked around the mansion and said to Merkel, "You've been working for a week now, right? How does it feel?"
"Quite good." Merkel nodded, "Mr. Rodriguez is much easier to get along with than I expected."
"Just remember this, Merkel. Don't express your opinions on your employer freely." Alfred lifted his eyelids, rolled his eyes, and looked at Merkel.
This butler was indeed very young. Although he looked like he was in his thirties from the outside, in truth, he was only 28 years old due to his mature demeanor, and his training period was very short.
However, his appearance was quite honest and his temperament was calm. At first glance, one would feel that this person was trustworthy. Alfred walked over and patted his shoulder, saying, "You are naturally suitable for this job."
"Thank you, Mr. Pennyworth. I thought my first job was still far off. After all..." Merkel shook his head, "Not many people trust young butlers these days."
They led the two children up the stairs. As they walked, Alfred said, "I heard from Bruce that Professor is a very kind person. That's why I recommended you to him. An older employer is more likely to tolerate some minor faults."
"To tell the truth, I've messed up a few things this week." Merkel sighed, somewhat embarrassed, "Mr. Rodriguez is a night owl, so I can't sleep early. But this makes me a bit distracted during the day. Last time, I almost knocked over a globe on the desk..."
"And, he instructed me to give something to eat to the newspapers boy every time he delivers newspapers. But I forgot once..."
"It's alright, Merkel. These are all very common small mistakes. You wouldn't believe the chaos I caused when I first started working as a butler."
Speaking of which, Alfred started telling some funny stories from when he first met Thomas Wayne, and the two of them began to laugh.
Dick, who was holding Aisha's hand in the back, said, "English accents are really difficult to understand, right?"
"Wah! Wah!"
"What? You want to learn? That won't do. If you speak like that, I won't be able to understand."
Soon, Merkel arrived at the door of Shiller's study, knocked on the door, and after Shiller gave a response, he opened the door and walked in.
Alfred stepped forward first, opened his briefcase, took out an exquisitely wrapped but not ostentatious gift box, and said,
"Hello, Professor Rodriguez. I heard on the radio this morning about your recent achievements winning another award..."
"I believe such good news is worth celebrating, so, I brought a little gift."
"Consider it a tribute to the academic dreams I failed to carry away from the rainy weather of London."
Saying this, the old man down-turned the corners of his mouth, revealing a somewhat comical sad expression, which made everyone laugh. Shiller accepted the gift box and handed it to Merkel.
Merkel unwrapped the gift to reveal several Hardcover copies of "The Complete Sherlock Holmes". Alfred gently rubbed his palms together and said, "Originally, I suggested to Master Bruce we present Shakespeare, but he said that you might prefer this."
Shiller took the books from Merkel and ran his fingers over the gilt lettering on the cover, smiling, "I didn't know that Bruce understood me so well. Normally, he gets along better with Professor Victor got me a little jealous."
Alfred also laughed. He turned around and brought Dick and Aisha closer. Dick was a little shy, staring at Shiller, seeming slightly scared of this teacher-like figure.
"Actually, I know Bruce must have caused quite a bit of trouble. His thinking has always been a bit too active. But I think Dick will be a good student. Although he started school late, his grades in all subjects are not bad..."
Shiller crouched down to Dick's level, looked him in the eyes and said, "I can tell. He's a good boy."
Then he patted Dick's head, stood up, looked at Alfred and said, "As I wrote in my previous reply to you, in the future, both he and his little sister can come here for three hours of lessons every week."
"I will teach Dick grammar and some basic knowledge of psychology and sociology."
"As for Aisha, as we discussed before, I will do some basic sensory integration training for her to promote the development of her language system as much as possible…"
"I look forward to working with you, Professor Rodriguez."