The rich man and the poor man

In the next few days, several people continued their journey.

The route is completely in accordance with the cowhide incense book of Merovie that Han Fu got from Grandpa Liszt.Merovie stayed in Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Warsaw and other cities, and it can be said that he visited the Axis-occupied areas during World War II.

Liszt drove Pei Zhen and Han Fu along this route in a luxury car that he got from nowhere, against the wind.

The grand square built in the 12th century by the Seine River, countless churches with a combination of Roman and Gothic designs, the windmill village and Tulip Park in Amsterdam... all the way to trace the footsteps of those two people.

Merovie founded Belle when he was 22 years old.

Perfumes, jewellery, bags and clothing under the brand quickly swept the Paris social circle and quickly became popular in several neighboring countries, especially in neighboring Germany.

At that time, there were still six or seven years before the Second World War.According to the biography of Merovey, it was precisely because the wives of several senior German generals were very addicted to Belle's luxury goods that Merovey was able to get a special pass by virtue of his identity as a designer during the war. Under artillery fire, they traveled unimpeded in the occupied areas.

Many of the addresses of the mansions that the designer lived in at that time have become private houses, some have become historical relics, and some have even been used as local city halls, and ordinary tourists are rarely allowed to enter. visit.

The few who can go in, the traces of the past have been wiped out by a long time and years, and most of them can't be found.

Furniture, letters... Most of them were lost in the war, and the rest were scattered in the auction house.

The two young men, Han Fu and Liszt, would look at the empty mansion every time and sigh.Pei Zhen felt that it was actually unnecessary.

Because in his opinion, the context of the story is already very clear——

Merovie and Eugene once loved each other purely and fiercely, but they were forced to separate because of family and social obstacles.

As for the later satirical works such as "jealousy", "tsarist aristocrats" and "dandies" and the books of scolding letters... probably just had to.

Merovie was locked at home, unable to meet his sweetheart, so he had to write to him desperately.

However, if the sincere letter was discovered in that era, it would bring disaster to the two of them. In the end, Merovie could only write some insincere and fierce words.As for what he really wanted to say, he carefully cut it out of the letter paper and secretly entrusted Greta to bring it to Eugene.

Therefore, the last tune of "Jealousy" is lingering, and there are also pre-cut poems "existing because of loving you" on the scolding stationery.

For four full years, the two of them wrote letters every day when they were frequent, and once every three or two days when they were busy.

Never broke.Just going back and forth like this has accumulated a thick book of scolding battles, almost making everyone around them believe that they are incompatible enemies.

But the truth of the matter was that the contents of the letter were of no importance to Merovie and Eugene.

What is important is that there is such a letter, what is important is the stroke by stroke, the meticulous handwriting and the unscented personal perfume mixed in the fragrance of ink.

That little bit of residual warmth, traveling through time and space, quietly confided, "I am still the same as before, and I have never stopped thinking about you."

Otherwise, how can a normal person be so leisurely, and talk endlessly with annoying people like this?

The control experiment was that there was an Italian perfumer who thought highly of himself, and he often wrote letters to provoke Melovy.For the war letter that the man had written for several years in a row, Merovie replied politely once, and the content of the reply was very concise.

To match the nationality of the other party, an elegant Italian sentence.

The translation is just one word, "roll".

……

Liszt was very disapproving of Pei Zhen's understanding of this relationship: "What is forced?"

"For several years, since Merovie has the time to write so many letters, create so many perfumes, and founded Belle, why can't he elope with the person he likes? I think, after all, it's just It's just a mouthful of 'I like it!"

"It's all hypocrisy. You can't bear to give up your comfortable status as the young master of a rich family, and you can't bear to let others go free. You are only as stupid as Eugene and you are willing to wait for him for so long!"

Pei Zhen shook his head and said, "No, you don't understand. At that time...they couldn't do anything about many things."

Liszt was dissatisfied: "Why is there no other way! Is it so difficult to pack a bag and fly away?"

Pei Zhen: "It's not as simple as you think."

Same-sex can be together openly and aboveboard, and even have a legal marriage, which is only something that has only happened in the past ten years or even in recent years.Before that, the society's discrimination and oppression of this kind of emotion like a scourge was beyond the imagination of a young man like him who was free and loved since he was a child.

"You should know Alan Turing, right?" Pei Zhen asked him.

"The genius mathematician who successfully deciphered the Nazi code during World War II was involved in a lawsuit because of his sexual orientation after the war, and was forced to inject hormones for 'treatment' by the government. In the end, he suffered physical and mental damage and died young."

This is what happened in the [-]s.

Since the society and government at that time were still so conservative and ignorant.It is not difficult to imagine that they were born in an earlier, more conservative and repressed age than that. If Merovey hadn't refused to admit it after being arrested and returned home, and later staged a scene of rivalry with Eugene, they would have What terrible pressure and persecution they will face.

Liszt: "Grass, the age of mental retardation!"

Some of him were angrily, buried his head in the kitchen of the caravan and diced carrots. After thinking about it again, he turned his head and insisted on his original point of view: "No, no matter how mentally retarded the times are, it still depends on the person!"

"If I were Merovie, I don't care about his crazy dark age background! Even if everyone is against it, even if I risk my life, I will definitely take Eugene to escape regardless, and never let him wait! I don't believe it , the world is so big, is there no room for two living people?"

Pei Zhen: "..."

Liszt: "You, what kind of eyes do you have?"

Pei Zhen looked at him with confusion and sympathy: "Liszt, I still say the same thing, Eugene is your grandfather no matter what, no, he is a grandpa. You must always maintain this awareness, you and him are absolutely impossible……"

Liszt blushed, showing grief and indignation while explaining his incompetence.Turning his eyes, he landed on Han Fu and quickly changed the subject: "Don't talk about me! He! If it was him, even if he was born in that era, he would definitely dare to elope for you. Believe it or not? He would never miss Mo Luo Wei is so cowardly, Han Fu, don’t you think so?”

The innocent Han Fu who was washing the vegetables was taken aback: "...huh?"

Liszt was angry: "I asked you if you are, what are you paying for? Why are you in a daze?"

Han Fu continued to be puzzled: "What is it?"

Liszt was so suffocated: "I just said, you can do it for him——ah! Forget it, you! You are usually so smooth when you are courteous and courteous, but why are you so distracted at the critical moment! We talked about it just now. You haven't listened for a long time, what are you thinking about by yourself?"

Han Fu: "Oh, I was thinking just now, we followed Mo Luowei's fragrance diary all the way, did we actually... miss the point at all?"

"What do you mean?" Liszt was puzzled.

Han Fu wiped his hands, picked up the leather notebook on the table and put it next to Liszt, turning the pages with his slender fingers: "Look, according to the route recorded in this incense book, we will travel along France, Belgium, , the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland have been traveling all the way, and they will search for the above address wherever they go, to see if Merovie has found Eugene."

Liszt nodded.

"But in fact, if we want to know whether he has found him or not, the place we should look for most seriously, isn't it the 'end point'?"

"..." Liszt was stunned for a while, and suddenly realized.

Yeah, that's right.

They searched and searched for everything along the way, and they searched for so many places, but the pursuit was just a "process".And the place where this journey finally ends is the end that truly bears the "end of the story".

Liszt snatched the leather book from Han Fu in a hurry, and turned to the last page.

The Xiangpu Diary ended up in August 1941.

That place is the northernmost tip of Eastern Europe, today's Estonian capital Tallinn on the Gulf of Finland.

After searching for two full years in the flames of war, Merowe ushered in the end of his journey in this city that belonged to the Soviet Union at the time.A month later, he went to the United States to avoid the war. After World War II, he returned to France and moved to an unknown country manor, starting his mysterious secluded life for the second half of his life.

Therefore, in Tallinn near the Gulf of Finland, which is full of medieval-style pointed red roofs, Eugene's life and death, and the future of the two, Merovie must have found the final answer.

……

That night, Liszt sat in the driver's seat with all his strength and drove wildly all the way from Poland to Estonia.

Around midnight, people were also sleepy, and the car stopped on a country road to rest.

He took a shower and came out to see that Pei Zhen and Han Fu had already fallen asleep.The starlight fell through the skylight, and the two of them hugged each other under a big fluffy blanket, with various expressions of peace of mind, peace of mind and sweetness.

...Grandma has a leg.

Single dogs are not friendly!

In fact, Liszt was also very sleepy, and when he returned to his cubicle, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.There was a copy of "History of Perfume" on the simple bookshelf. He frowned and turned on the yellow bedside lamp to take a few glances, and couldn't fall asleep.

What the hell, stupid author, stupid book!It blows up the heartless dandy Han Mo Luowei to the sky, blowing up a dozen pages, and the black and white photos!Why are you so much more handsome than me?Just because he is rich?

After finally writing about Eugene, I was reluctant to write more.It's not fair, only one page is given, and the portrait is so ugly.

Obviously the real person looks good.

Although he wasn't the kind of handsome in the general public's aesthetic, he had a restrained and charming temperament, and even the small freckles were just right and alluring.Static pictures can't reflect his charm at all. If you can see it with your own eyes, no matter who is stared at by those gentle light gray eyes, you will...

Wait, he jumped up cleverly.what am i thinking

There was a burst of thunder outside the window at the right time, and then it rained heavily.Liszt felt like he was struck by lightning, and his mind was about to explode.

do not!The old master Yu who burns glass and I are the only two straight men in the legend. Hey...

Fortunately, the phone rang just in time.

Tu Ya, the eldest lady of Huachun Hall half a world away, come to follow which country he has recently traveled to.

On the other side of the screen, the girl's bright eyes flickered and she smiled sweetly.She has recently grown her hair long, and she has also learned to wear light makeup. The diamond earrings around her ears are blingbling, and she finally has a bit of a feminine look.

Liszt secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, a beautiful and temperamental woman can still make him move carefully through the screen-so his essence has not changed.Thinking that Eugene is sexy or something... is purely an illusion!That's nothing more than worshiping the senior master, just worshiping!

Just as he was thinking, something hit the roof of the car with a "bang".

It should be a small animal, a squirrel, a lemming, a raccoon or something.

Liszt is not very afraid. Last year, he traveled around the world alone and stayed overnight in the deserts of Africa, in caves and in bats.Even so, he grabbed a rolling pin vigilantly and carefully opened the car door.

Tu Ya: "Liszt, what was that "yes" just now? Don't scare me, don't go out when it's so dark! Hey, hey?"

Cell phone signal cut off.

Tu Ya: "..."

On a thunderstorm night, in the wilderness.Whoever gets out of the car by himself will get the lunch box first, that's how horror movies are played.

……

On a rainy night, when the rain hit his sleeves, Liszt smelled a faint fragrance.

It seems to be the incense that grandpa gave Han Fu and the others.

When I came back to my senses, the rolling pin in my hand turned into a black umbrella.The pouring rain also turned into light rain. In front of him was a courtyard wall of white carved bricks in the style of decades ago. The golden retro street lamps were dark, surrounded by a small circle of light by the rain and fog.

At the end of the road, there was a mansion with two people standing in front of the tall black iron fence.

A thin man dressed as a commoner stood with his head bowed in the rain, and another young lady in a poncho was trying to hold a small lace umbrella over his head.

Liszt walked over there, and Eugene's deep voice was clearly heard in the rain. 1

"Please... give these back to Merowe for me."

"Just tell her that I met a girl I like and want to get married and have children, so I have to leave Paris. I will live a peaceful and happy life in the future, and I won't remember him anymore, just tell him that."

Greta grabbed him, her hair was curly and wet, and her face was anxious: "Eugene, the so-called Merovie's engagement is not what you think! It was only decided by his father, and Merovie never agreed , and absolutely will not agree!"

"Ok, I know."

Eugene nodded lightly, with a haggard and pale face with a disappointed smile: "I know all about it."

Greta: "Eugene, since you know..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a big black umbrella suddenly fell from the sky to cover Eugene's body in the rain. Under the umbrella, Li Sizt's face, which was aggressive but not angry, was exposed: "What are you doing? You are still in such a bad body." Come out and get wet in the rain, don’t die! Hurry up and go home!”

"Also, don't cry. Why don't you cry for that heartless guy! If he wants to marry someone else, let him do it. It's not like no one wants you for being so nice!"

Greta: "..."

Greta: "Wait, that's really not the case!"

……

The leather market slums on the outskirts of Paris.

Liszt was very fortunate that he had learned how to cook fish soup from Han Fu a few days ago, so he was able to show his hands to warm Eugene's body.

At the same time very melancholic.The roof leaked rain, the walls leaked wind, and now he has nothing on his body except an umbrella.

I regretted it very much. I thought it would be impossible to have any adventures after leaving Paris. If I had known that I could travel back to see this person today, he would definitely bring all the most expensive watches and gold chains to subsidize his life!

"I didn't cry," murmured Eugene.

Liszt was stunned.The gray-eyed Russian youth raised his face. Under the kerosene lamp, he did not show any signs of crying, but it was obviously a blank face that was desperately holding back crying.

Liszt had hated people before and never comforted them, so he didn't know what to say for a while.

In the end, he could only say bluntly: "It's okay not to cry! That kind of person is not worth it."

"Don't talk about him like that," Eugene said softly, "he has tried his best. These years...he has been working very hard, trying his best to protect and take care of me."

"He takes care of you?" Liszt looked around the surroundings of the house, and was furious.

There is nothing good, just a pocket watch on the table that looks pretty gorgeous, and there is actually a Cyclops that Merovie often wears next to it!Seeing Liszt's teeth itch even more, this Merovie is so insidious, when he doesn't do his job, he will send some flashy gadgets like this, just like this to deceive people to their hearts' content!

"No," Eugene coughed lightly, "he gave me a lot of help and care, and it was also because of the fame he brought that I had a job and income. It's just that a few years ago, my parents fell ill one after another and spent money. A lot of money, and the Great Depression these years, many people who used to live in the Paris area have also moved out..."

When he said this, he shook his head slightly: "Forget it, let's not talk about it. Anyway, I'm leaving here tomorrow."

Liszt was surprised: "Are you really going? Where are you going?"

In 1937, the perfume genius Eugene Aldoga left Paris and disappeared, as all biographies say.But now, Liszt found himself standing on the eve of his disappearance into history.

"Go to join the army." Eugene stood up, his gray eyes flashing with a calm and firm light.

"The government will give me money. After my mother passed away last year, my father recuperated in the countryside alone. This money is enough for him to live comfortably for a long time."

"Don't go!" Liszt became anxious immediately, "It's very dangerous! You don't know, after two years..."

Two years later, World War II broke out.Nearly [-] million people died worldwide. Joining the army at this time is tantamount to suicide.

is not it……

Is it because of this that he disappeared from the battlefield, and the whereabouts of a generation of young perfumers are unknown.

Can not be done.He couldn't just watch him make such a choice, and he couldn't just let him die in the war.

"You come with me, I will also make fragrance!"

Eugene: "..."

"I, I'll protect you from now on. I'm no worse than that Merovie. My villa is bigger than his, and I have my own helipad. The British croissants are even better! And..."

He was obviously so serious that he was about to cry.But Eugene laughed.

It was an obvious old grandfather's affectionate smile for the younger generation.Liszt remembers seeing a similar smile on his grandfather's face when he was in tears after getting into trouble as a child.

However, since they are all in their 20s, why does Eugene treat him like a child!

For the first time in his smooth life, Liszt felt deeply helpless.Yes, he can perfume and has a big house, but can he bring a person from the 30s back to his era?

cannot.What he can stay by this person's side is only a short night in thousands of time and space.

……

"Actually, from the first time I saw you, I felt that you resembled him." After a while, Eugene lowered his eyes and smiled.

"If he hadn't met me, that kind of personality... should be exactly the same as you now."

The gray-eyed young man raised his head as he spoke, and picked up the cyclopene from the table to draw on Liszt's face: "Look, it really looks a bit like it."

Liszt felt that life was really too hard.

The young man's gray eyes are so close, he is looking at him intently, suppressing the bright tenderness and longing, as if he is the only treasure in this world, seeing his little heart can't help but want to rush up to hug the thin physical impulses.

But of course he also knew that Eugene wasn't looking at him, but at some bastard through him!

What does it look like!

Apart from being blond and blue-eyed, where else do they resemble each other?

The rain didn't know when it stopped.The dark clouds dissipated, and lying on the bed, I could see a corner of the bright starry sky decades ago from the leaky roof.

The people around him were breathing evenly, and Liszt thought he was asleep.But suddenly he heard him ask him softly: "Do you know Mercurius?"

Mercurius, the messenger Mercury in Greek mythology, is also the name of Mercury in the sky.

Liszt raised his head slightly, remembering the astronomy knowledge his grandfather taught him: "You can't see Mercury at night. If you want to see it, you can only see it in the morning or evening if you are lucky."

"Mercury... is the closest planet to the sun." Eugene murmured, "But no matter how hard it tries to get closer, it will never escape from its own orbit and run towards the warm sun."

Liszt was breathless: "What nonsense. You are not Mercury, and he is not the sun."

Eugene didn't say anything, but got up, turned on the kerosene lamp, and looked for something.

Liszt also got up, but a brown paper envelope was stuffed in his hand.In the twilight, Eugene lowered his eyes and said: "When you were in the villa that year, you said that a friend of yours has always wanted the scent of the White Porcelain Queen. Thank you for making fish soup for me today. This is for me. You, I hope your friend is happy."

Liszt stared blankly at the envelope in his hand: "...I can't accept it."

Eugene smiled: "It's useless for me to ask for it in the future, just take it."

No, how could it be useless?

Liszt would like to say that you are the top and most talented perfumer of this era, and there are still many opportunities in the future, why give up.

...Because I already know that it is impossible to get what I really want in this life?

When Liszt woke up in the RV, it was already dawn.

He was still holding the incense book stored in the kraft paper envelope in his hand, and it was a little wet, but the writing on it was still clearly visible.

Pushing open the door and walking out of the room, only to find that both Pei Zhen and Han Fu were gone.