"Okay, Emerald Villa, right? Got it."
Alex responded calmly after seeing Raju's message.
Earlier, he had just received a bunch of texts and voice messages from Raju on WhatsApp.
Raju had gone out of his way to inform him that the class reunion tomorrow would be at Emerald Villa, one of the most expensive places in town.
Raju's voice note beeped again:
"You have to come! If you do not, the others will not be interested either. Do not skip it, okay?"
Alex typed a brief response:
"Okay."
A few seconds later, another voice message arrived. This time, Raju's tone became all dramatic, as though he were a victim of some grand expense. "Man, I have no idea who chose Emerald Villa out of all places. I hear it is very costly and it is a Dutch treat. Everyone pays their own way! My wallet will weep, haha..."
Alex read the note and smiled quietly. He did not bother to respond. He knew all too well what Raju was doing, pretending to be poor while showing off in that flashy Porsche.
Alex had caught it all in an instant, but he was not in the mood to spoil the charade.
See through, but do not say anything.
Go ahead then, Raju. Continue with your act. Faking poverty? You think you can deceive me?
Alex sat back, phone against his ear, a calm smile pulling at his lips. This reunion could prove to be more fun than he had anticipated.
----------------
Ancient Times
Ironhold City
City Gate, Hartwell Family Storehouse
With the time-traveling power of his security uniform, after going back to his villa, Alex sent all the provisions he had arranged back into the ancient period and deposited them securely in the Hartwell family's ancient granary beside the city gate.
The uniform would only be able to bring roughly 100 cubic meters at a time, but for the moment, that was sufficient for what he had in mind.
Once all was arranged, Alex walked through the maze-like streets of Ironhold, making a beeline for the Hartwell family residence. He still knew the way like the back of his hand.
He came to a stop at the old wooden gate and rapped twice.
"Who is there?"
The gate creaked open soon after, and Nathan Hartwell looked out. When he caught sight of Alex, his eyes widened in surprise and true exhilaration.
"Brother Alex! You are back at last!" Nathan smiled. "You have been away for two days. My sister keeps mentioning you a hundred times a day. My ears are going to fall off!"
Nathan exaggerated a face, shaking his head for dramatic effect. But before Alex could even smile, there appeared from nowhere a slim hand and seized Nathan's ear in a sharp tug.
"Nathan! What rubbish are you talking now?"
Lucy Hartwell stood behind him, her face flushed and irritable. Her firm hold on her brother's ear caused him to yelp.
"Ow! Ow! Lucy, that hurts! I was just joking. Do not take it so seriously!" Nathan wriggled free, rubbing his ear and giving Alex a beseeching look.
Alex chuckled lightly. "It is okay, Lucy. He was just kidding around. No harm done."
Nathan hastily filled in, "See? Brother Alex gets me!"
Lucy released him with an indignant huff. "Fine. I will forgive you this time, but if you open your mouth again, I will not!" She shot Nathan a threatening glare, and he beamed at her in obedient compliance.
Nathan swung the gate wider and beckoned Alex in. "Come in, come in! Father will be so delighted to welcome you."
Within the small but neat courtyard, Mr. Hartwell came out of one of the side rooms, leaning on a carved cane. His face lit up when he spotted Alex.
Due to Alex's gift of pure water, the worst of Mr. Hartwell's agony from the stones had faded away. He was able to stand and walk around again, a miracle in these dry years.
"Alex! I hope you have not had supper yet. Come in for supper with us. We do not have much in these lean times, but we have some little rice left." Mr. Hartwell spoke warmly but in an apologetic manner.
Lucy and Nathan looked at each other. During this three-year drought, rice was as valuable as its weight in silver. Even their family, who were once prosperous grain merchants, now protected the few remaining buckets of rice as if they were precious. Typically, they lived off wild vegetables picked on the hills.
Alex instantly noticed the faint unease on their faces. He understood exactly how precious that small offer of rice was to them. Seeing the Hartwells so open-handed, he could not be stingy himself.
"Wait here a moment. I will be right back," Alex said with a soft smile.
Nathan stared, confused, as Alex went outside. A few minutes passed, and the door creaked open again. This time Alex returned with two big cloth-wrapped packages.
He shut the door and unwrapped the first package on the small wooden table. A new, shiny slab of beef was inside.
Nathan's eyes widened. "That is... that is beef! Such a big piece!"
Lucy put her hand over her mouth in astonishment. Even Mr. Hartwell stopped for a moment.
But Alex still was not finished. He unwrapped the second package and out tumbled salted fish, pork ribs, eggs, prawns, fresh cabbage, beef meatballs, thin slices of mutton, chicken wings, apples, even a watermelon. Food none of them had laid eyes on in years.
Nathan stood there, mouth agape. Lucy's eyes sparkled with incredulity.
Alex laughed at their faces. "Come on. Since you were so kind to offer me your remaining rice, let us do better than that. Tonight is my treat. We will have a real barbecue. I even brought beer. Do you want a glass or two?"
The Hartwells drew in a sharp breath almost in unison. For a moment, the small house was filled with nothing but the smell of fresh meat and stunned silence.
In this time of famine, rice alone was a luxury, but meat, vegetables, fruit? That was unthinkable.
Nathan swallowed hard, then broke into a grin. "Brother Alex, you are incredible! We will never forget this!"