[Pride and Prejudice] Rich Lady

£50 is not a small sum, and £30 a year for a well-educated governess is quite satisfactory nowadays.Even in the middle-class Bennet family, it was the same.

The land Mr. Bennet inherited can bring him an income of [-] pounds a year, but these [-] pounds not only need to support the expenses of the entire family, but also maintain the operation of the farm. year emergencies.As far as household expenses are concerned, careful planning is required to maintain the dignity of a gentleman's family—on this point, Mrs. Bennet is quite competent.It can be seen from the fact that she never asks Mr. Bennet to move money for it, even though she envies and envies the jewels worn by other ladies and wives around their necks and fingers.

The family is not rich in money, a fact that even the youngest Lydia is well aware of.This is also the reason why everyone agrees that the Bennet girls are in dowry embarrassment, because everyone knows that the Bennet family's annual income of two thousand pounds is hardly left.As the number of people in the family grew, it would be foolish to try to save some past money for the dowries of the girls: unless the Bennet family was willing to lose their dignity.But if that's the case, I'm afraid there will be no good marriage partner willing to favor them.

This also shows Uncle Gardner's generosity, and also proves that Uncle Gardner's business in London is doing very well.

Uncle Gardiner had business in London and could not stay long at Longbourne.The next day, after a detailed discussion in the study with Uncle Gardner, Mr. Bennet set a departure date for Elizabeth:

Elizabeth will go to London with Mr. Gardner early tomorrow morning.

This is really beyond everyone's expectations!

Mrs. Bennet put all her complaints about Elizabeth behind her in an instant, and ran to the study with her long petticoat, shouting to her husband: "We are not prepared for anything, and we are too late! My dear sir, you It can't be like this! Even though I hate this stupid girl for being disobedient, parents really can't let her fall into an embarrassing situation and leave her alone."

Mr. Bennet was always calm, and asked back: "I didn't mean that. How did you find out what I didn't even know? I thought you were going to say that I was partial to Lizzie from the beginning to the end. In fact , and I'm doing the same."

It was Mr. Gardner who kindly explained: It turned out that the cost of Taoris College was so expensive, more than double that of the Northampton Academy that Gardner's students had studied.On the one hand, it is naturally because the life of the ladies is naturally more refined than that of the gentlemen, but on the other hand, on the other hand, some additional expenses such as the dress of the students are paid by the college uniformly, even the needs for the girls to learn embroidery, tailoring and knitting Both cloth and woolen thread are included.

All Elizabeth needed was a dress or two, to be changed and washed when they were not ready for the first few days.

Longbourn is only twenty-four miles from London, and only a morning's journey in a stagecoach.What's more, when Mr. Gardner came, he was worried that his niece might be going to Taolisi College, so he specially came to visit Longbourn in a four-wheeled carriage at home.They set off after breakfast, in time for dinner at Gardner's house after a visit to London.

It was a rare day with fine weather. Elizabeth carried a small suitcase, hugged her family members, reluctantly left the warm shelter, and embarked on a new road.

Mrs. Bennet burst into tears: "This stupid, disobedient bad girl, she took my heart away!"

Along the way, in order to ease his niece's feeling of leaving home, Uncle Gardner told Elizabeth about the scenery outside the glass window.His witty words and profound knowledge relieved Elizabeth's nervousness about the unknown and unfamiliar.

Gradually, the green hedges, carpet-like hillsides and crystal rivers are gradually left behind, and a kind of urban hustle and bustle, accompanied by crowds and unpleasant air, comes.

London at the end of the eighteenth century is just below your feet.

The jolt of the carriage was also more obvious.Elizabeth felt a little carriage-sick.

Uncle Gardner noticed it, but there was nothing he could do about it, "Lizzie, bear with me a little longer. This road we must pass is close to the East End of London, so we'd better not stay here, so as not to cause some unexpected troubles."

Then, he sternly warned his niece: "Lizzie, I want you to remember: here, and the real East End, is definitely not a place for a lady to set foot! Poverty breeds crime, and crime breeds violence. Believe me, you will never Would like to see those scenes. It is extremely inappropriate for even a young and strong gentleman to go alone without a retinue. In the East End, Scotland Yard is always one step ahead of danger."

As if afraid of scaring his niece, after the carriage turned around the road less than a hundred yards away, Uncle Gardner calmed down and said with a smile: "Now we can open the window. Lizzie, you must slowly breathe in the London air." The air, you know, the air in London is not that good. It's too easy for a newcomer to choke."

"The roads in the city are bumpier than in the country?" Elizabeth asked.

Uncle Gardiner laughed: "My dear girl, although some roads in the country are made of mud, there are few carriages and they are maintained by country gentlemen. There are many people and livestock in the city, and what we just passed is London. In poor neighborhoods, the road conditions are naturally worse. In the future, you may have a chance to take a look at the place where the aristocrats live in the west, and that is the most comfortable road, even on rainy days.”

While talking, the carriage stopped at the entrance of a well-decorated shop. Uncle Gardner smiled and invited Elizabeth: "It is a virtue for a gentleman to bring a little surprise for his wife when he returns home after a long trip. Although seeing Lizzie, you have given Mrs. Gardner the greatest surprise, but we need a little more romance, don't we?" As he spoke, he blinked, and the gentleman bowed to invite.

Elizabeth readily agreed, holding back a smile and helping her uncle get out of the car.While looking at the shop, he said softly: "Maybe it's because I haven't been to London, the decoration here seems to be different from other places?" It has some oriental charm.

Mr. Gardner applauded his niece's sharpness. Just as he was about to speak, a waiter came up to him: "Hello, what do you need?"

The waiter was very polite, and Mr. Gardner quickly asked, "Has the Golden Flower Black Tea arrived?"

The waiter was very thoughtful. While leading Mr. Gardner inside, he asked Elizabeth to go to the house, and he could introduce her to anyone who was interested.

——In fact, in addition to the fifty pounds of tuition fees, Elizabeth still has a "huge" wealth of more than 20 pounds in her pocket.Here, part of the pocket money she and Jane had saved, Elizabeth took most of both of them when she couldn't stand Jane's request; and ten pounds came from Mrs. Bennet, the awkward lady. Half of the face was complaining loudly about the pain Elizabeth had caused her, while the other half, hidden in the shadows, slipped ten pounds of private money to the 'bad' daughter.

Today, a maid's monthly salary is only one pound, and a long dress with generous cut and fine workmanship is only six or seven shillings, and one pound can be exchanged for twenty shillings. There is no doubt about the purchasing power of this money.At least that's what Elizabeth thought before entering the shop.

But when she saw that Uncle Gardner spent the three honors in exchange for only a hand-sized gilded porcelain pot, Elizabeth was a little uncertain.

Is tea so expensive?You must know that nowadays, whether it is an aristocratic gentleman or an ordinary rural family, they drink tea every day.Tea is not just a fashion, it has already become a way of life in this era.Especially for the middle class, the tea table represents a kind of culture, and it is the best recognition for women in the family: in the Bennet family, after every dinner, the most valued eldest daughter Jane is always responsible for making tea. Bennett.In upper-class families, the center of tea table culture is the hostess who enjoys the privilege of making tea for everyone.

Mr. Gardner is always so considerate, he whispered: "This is not cheap Indian tea, but the real Jinhua black tea from the Ming Dynasty! Your aunt doesn't like strong Indian tea, but prefers This kind of golden camellia tea with floral and fruity aroma." He shrugged: "Of course, ladies always know what to buy. This kind of tea is not only expensive but also difficult to buy."

Elizabeth suddenly felt that her own English was not good enough, and some words in Uncle Gardner's mouth were difficult to understand.

She was just about to ask, when suddenly she saw something familiar to her bones in the porcelain urn on the low shelf.Elizabeth blinked vigorously, and took a closer look, it was really rice!No, there is rice in London?How could there be rice in London!

In this era, there was no place to grow rice in Europe. Even in the UK, imported rice could basically only be bought in flower growers’ supermarkets, and the locals seldom ate it.

"Yes, this is rice from the tea country, and it only costs 4 shillings per pound." The waiter heard the rice in Elizabeth's mouth, and rushed forward to solicit it.

It's just that although Elizabeth was a little shocked, she had no intention of buying it.

After leaving the shop, Uncle Gardner asked, "Would Lizzie want to try rice? It's just that our cook may not be able to cook that kind of food. But after you go to Taolisi College, you may be lucky enough to taste it. I heard that the person who sponsored the college Nobles love Ming things very much.”

After the crisis of survival, or the chance of revealing his secrets has been greatly reduced, the longing for his homeland is burning again.Especially after seeing Rice in London, Elizabeth was so excited that she couldn't help but ask, "What is the Ming Dynasty that Uncle Gardner is talking about?"

Mr. Gardner remembered that his niece grew up in the country since she was a child, and this was the first time she had come to London. The country was closed, so it was inevitable that she had little experience.Quickly explained: "Ming Kingdom, the ancient empire in the east. Oh, maybe you are more familiar with calling her the Tea Kingdom and the Silk Kingdom.

"Ming? Why do you call her uncle like that?" Elizabeth was even more confused. Based on the time, this old country, which is difficult to return to in this life, should have entered the Qing Dynasty. The big braids on half of the forehead should be the flower-growing country in the eyes of foreigners. The most notable 'feature'.

"Of course it's because they call themselves 'Daming', just like the king's surname is 'Hanover'. Of course, the emperor of the Ming country is not named Ming. It is said that this is their country name." Uncle Gardner held the tea box and asked his niece Explained, "Most of the gentlemen in London like to call it this way to show that we are knowledgeable. In fact, we don't understand the root cause, why the emperor of the Ming Dynasty still has the 'year title' after the country title, or even the same Your Majesty will change the reign title in a few years. It's like no one knows how our Prince of Wales owed a huge debt."

Elizabeth felt her mouth was dry, and her mind was full of thoughts and chaos.

Uncle Gardner thought she was digesting new insights and was considerate enough not to disturb her.