[Comprehensive Classics] Killing the Classics

Balzac wrote in his book: Sometimes, innocence is happiness, but sometimes innocence is also compared with ignorance.

For Eugenie who did not know what her future fate would be, this sentence was undoubtedly the most objective evaluation of her.It was not surprising that Eugenie was brought up in such a way as a girl born in a closed town whose father cared almost only for his gold and whose mother was such a cowardly person.

Ah, the sky and the river are so pure and clear in this land of grapes.The stench of copper has not yet reached the point of rotting grapes, and the frugality practiced by the people is the opposite extreme compared with the extravagance of Paris.Eugenie naively thought that the world was equal to Saumer, and Saumer was indeed her world.Her family was poor and needed a deeper thrift.She and her mother did not work for a better life, but because their father needed their work, so they would sit at the window all year round and become female reds by the light.

Madame Grandet could not be called ugly, otherwise she would not have given birth to a daughter like Eugenie who had the kind appearance of a virgin.She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and should have enjoyed a rich life.However, whether it is her parents or her grandparents, the inheritance left by the practice of thrift has been remitted to the small treasury of the Grandet family, and Mr. Grandet has no concept of the unity of husband and wife at all.In his concept, suffering can be eaten together, and blessings can also be enjoyed together; but want to take away the money that has entered his hands?Don't think about it!It never occurred to him that it was also his wife's property. In his eyes, it was his gold.

Growing up in such a family meant that Eugenie was naive and ignorant.In her girlish heart, which has never been throbbed and has been oppressed by reality, the models of rich people who are ignorantly aware of are, in addition to the banker De Grassan, the famous uncle and nephew Croce in the city. There are three.

And these two families eventually became suitors of her, or the huge dowry that she should have imagined.However, rather than saying that they are counting on the dowry, it is better to say that they are rushing to M. Grandet's inheritance.Mr. Grandet is almost eighty years old, and it is impossible to have another son at this age. All his property must be inherited by Eugenie...Even if Eugenie is naive, she can realize these two things. The true face of the family.But if Mr. Grandet and Nanon hadn't commented on them, and the kind mother hadn't raised concerns from her own point of view, Eugenie could see clearly whether the desire in these people's eyes was for money or for people. , and it is impossible to discern the hypocrisy that people deliberately do.

Until she was 23 years old, Eugenie thought that she would obey her father's arrangement and marry either of these two suitors.Considering her age and appearance alone, she would of course be more willing to marry Xiaotai Grassan, but she knew very well in her heart that she had no love for the two.Which girl would not be happy to be able to enjoy the pursuit of others?Eugenie was no exception.Her world is paler than that of ordinary girls, so she cherishes every different place.Who said she wouldn't secretly confess her delicate moods during morning prayers?

Eugenie would not know that her fate was written by a pen, and the person holding that pen, Balzac, wrote an inscription for her on the title page with emotion: dedicated to Maria.

Your portrait is the most beautiful embellishment of this book;

May your name here be blessed boxwood,

I don't know which tree it came from,

But must have been sanctified by religion,

And renewed by pious hands,

So always green and verdant,

sheltered homes.

Balzac may have glimpsed the girl's fate from a dream, but Eugenie didn't know that her life, which was peaceful and almost without waves, would one day be thrown into a violent stone.On her 23rd birthday, Charlie came into her world.He knocked on the door of Grandet's house in the dark, and walked into the villa of Grandet's house like a prince in a gorgeous costume, and even walked into Eugenie's heart.His whole body is like a diamond, shining with indescribable brilliance, breaking the piece of glass that has been covering Eugenie's world for a long time, and she is caught off guard to meet the confrontation between the world and the world.Charlie was her uncle's son, a year younger than her, but so handsome and elegant.She couldn't help feeling ashamed of herself.If she had read Cinderella, she would have longed to have a magical hazel tree herself, or a beautiful white dove to help her and send her to her cousin like a prince; poor girl She will never know that it will not be the white dove that can really be the bridge between her and her cousin, but the shining golden franc.

Eugenie tried her best as a daughter's ability and convenience to provide her cousin with an environment that she thought was comfortable.But, apparently, her white candles, her foot-stove, and her elaborate arrangements did not even compare to some poor hotel in Charlie's eyes.But who could refuse Eugenie's kindness?She was so devoted to her cousin that even the harshest critics couldn't find fault with her.This innocence, simplicity and kindness are amazing qualities in Paris, in any place that has been corrupted by money.People will be willing to protect them, but there are also many people who just look at them indifferently.More people will look forward to what kind of devil a person with such a beautiful quality will become if he falls.Such malicious speculation cannot be applied to Eugenie, because she is Maria.

Eugenie's world is blown apart by the storm brought by her cousin.She entered the dreamland with an uneasy sweet mood, and had a beautiful dream that she had never imagined.In the dream, she was wearing a beautiful white gauze dress, becoming fashionable, laughing and laughing in the forest with her cousin.While Charlie was hunting with his hounds, she watched him from the lawn, laughing.This honest girl doesn't know how men and women get along, but as far as she is concerned, just looking at Charlie can make her feel unparalleled happiness.Yes, happiness, that kind of sweet and melancholy taste that has never been experienced before, isn't it the emotion that is crowned with the name of "love"?

Someone sighed: "Happy time will never last long." Eugenie was interrupted by an unexpected voice not long after she was immersed in this fictional joy.It seemed to be a woman's voice, but it was different from any female voice she had ever heard. It was sweet and translucent, but it seemed to have a faint mist. It was soft and could make people feel that this was a woman with a hard heart.She asked her, "Do you want to just look at his back like this?"

Eugenie was perplexed. Her nature made her easily satisfied, and every unexpected acquisition was regarded as a gift from God.She knew very well that Charlie and she were not from the same world, so what if she just looked at his back?Eugenie was quite satisfied.

When people are in a dream, they are probably not aware that they are dreaming.However, in Eugenie's expectations, this is the space for her and her cousin to get along with each other.Girls' thoughts are always shy and secretive.Therefore, when she found out that someone else was there, it is conceivable that she felt flustered.She panicked and asked who that person was, but got an answer that didn't bother to look for.That voice seemed to have a natural intimacy, tempting her, making her think along with what the other person said.Does she want Charlie?No, she can't get it.How much struggle she has experienced in her heart during this time, perhaps only the person involved can understand.

She suddenly realized that she was in a dream.She wouldn't have such a beautiful dress, and Charlie would never take her out hunting alone with such a gentle and affectionate expression on his face.She felt extremely uncomfortable and did not want to wake up from the dream.After she said this, she was delighted to find that her wish had come true, the mysterious man disappeared, and she was able to be happily with Charlie in her dream.Even if the two were simply sitting, Eugenie felt unparalleled happiness in her heart.

However, no matter how long the dream is, there will still be a day when you wake up.When Eugenie woke up from this long slumber, she was surprised to find that she had been imprisoned in the hut by her father and could only eat water and bread every day.She didn't understand what happened, but the change in the weather made her realize that her dream might have really passed for a long time.She had the courage to ask her father, but the result was an angry reprimand.The mother was very sad, but she was unwilling to say more.Only when Nanon sneaked up to give her mince pies did Eugenie hear sporadic news.

But to her, those news were like a bolt from the blue.Her cousin, Charlie, lost his father, his huge wealth, and was burdened with huge debts. He had to travel across the ocean to India with the help of his uncle.And before leaving, he actually fell in love with Eugenie.

Eugenie was very flustered, she thought she was possessed by the devil.Why did the whole world change when I woke up?Eugenie did like her cousin, but she only dared to think about being alone with him in her dreams. She never imagined that one day Charlie would have feelings for her.She has no memory of what happened during this period of time. The beautiful dream still has some aftertaste in the poor girl's mind. How does she know what Charlie did to make her father fly into a rage and die so quickly? Send him away?

After waiting quietly and anxiously for a period of time, Eugenie was released from the confinement and returned to her usual peaceful life.Madame Grandet and Nanon also talked more, revealing something that frightened her even more.Once, when she was gazing into the distance by the window, Nanon dared to say: "My lady, at that time all his words were your dowry, even if you really married him, there would be no What a good time."

Eugenie was very grateful to Nanon, and she knew that this faithful servant had his heart for her.After all, she didn't have much contact with Charlie, and the violent shock caused by love at first sight quickly calmed down, and this cousin soon became a hazy phantom in her mind.Maybe she still has dreams about Charlie later, and Charlie is like a sustenance for her girlish thoughts.But after five years passed, this sustenance was gradually obliterated by the long life.

During these five years, Mr. Grandet died, and Mrs. Grandet died shortly thereafter.Eugenie wears mourning for her parents, and at the same time begins to take care of the huge assets that are now her own.But unlike her father, money is just an indifferent number in her eyes.She buys and sells as shrewdly as Mr. Grandet was alive. Her assets are constantly increasing, and her business is becoming more and more convenient, but no one can enter the heart of this beauty anymore.Eugenie didn't know what she was waiting for, maybe it was just a childhood obsession, or maybe it was the push of fate that made her reject other people's marriage proposals and waited for that person's arrival.

Five years passed, and Eugenie was nearly thirty years old.She finally waited for what fate directed her to wait for, but it was a pompous and arrogant letter written in an unfamiliar handwriting.In the letter, he informed her of the fact that he was about to get married in that typical nouveau riche hypocritical tone, implicitly hinting at how her past actions and her family had hurt him, and then signaled her in an arrogant tone Return his dressing box.Eugenie rested her chin and thought about it for a long time, but she couldn't recall that she ever had such a dressing-case.She asked Nanon: "Do you know who there is a rich man named Charles de Aubrion?"

Nanon replied: "I only know of a poor boy in debt named Charles Grandet."

Eugenie finally remembered that she had lost a memory five years ago.She finally found the dressing-case.To be honest, this box is pretty enough, if it is used to store her gold coin collection, it will definitely complement each other.She made a calm judgment and sent the box back.Later, I heard that when Charlie’s cousin accepted the canonization, his true identity was discovered by his biggest creditor. All the property was used to pay off the debt, and it was not enough. He took his ugly wife back to India almost penniless. , Since then there has been no news.

It was in this year that Eugenie married de Pontifon—oh, or rather, Director Crochet.The director made no secret of the reason why he married Eugenie, and the two lived a life of mutual respect.Later, the director was promoted steadily with the help of his wife's financial resources and the inheritance of the two uncles, and Eugenie had a daughter with him.After dying at the pinnacle of her life, Eugenie took her daughter to the luxurious Paris and began her legendary life as the queen who monopolized the entire French wine industry.