Grasp the farming script in the famous book

Young vineyard owners yelled hard, but there were very few interested buyers.

"What kind of grapes are grown in this vineyard?"

Someone shouted to the owner of the vineyard.

The young man turned to his butler with a dazed look on his face.

The butler was also stopped by the question for a moment, and he was taken aback before answering: "Big...it's probably Pinot Noir."

Roland pouted behind the crowd.

Where is the Pinot Noir planted in the vineyard - the entire vineyard is planted with a grape called "Snake Dragon Ball".

This grape is said to be one of the oldest grape varieties in France, comparable to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.The red wine brewed from it is ruby ​​red in color, soft and refreshing in taste, and of high quality.

Historically, this grape has indeed gradually disappeared from mainland France since the 19th century. I don’t know if it has suffered the same fate as the vineyard in front of me.

But judging from the answers of the vineyard owner and the steward, these two really don't know anything about grapes and wine. They really shouldn't keep the vineyard. It would be better to sell it.

"I heard that the winery has produced a lot of good wines, and some years even won the gold medal in the Paris Wine Tasting. Are there any old wines left in the winery?"

The owner of the vineyard sighed with emotion: "It was so turbulent in the past few years... Everyone knows that if there is any drinkable wine in the wine cellar, it has already been shipped out..."

When the owner of the garden mentioned the turmoil in the early years, most of the people who heard it sighed.

In the era of "Great Turbulence", countless wealth was burned, countless farmlands were forced to be abandoned, and countless innocent people were buried in other lands... It is considered lucky that this vineyard can be preserved today, how can there be anything left in the wine cellar? liquor?

“I have very fond memories of this winery.”

The young owner stretched out his hand and compared, "When I was only this tall, my grandfather, who was the old owner in the past, once took me to play in the vineyard and winery, saying that he hid the wine for me here. gift..."

"After I took over the winery, I searched the whole winery carefully, cleaned every cellar, and finally found a gift left by my grandfather - a nutcracker so tall."

The garden owner continued to reach out and gesture.

His audience all laughed.

However, this also proves that there is indeed nothing of value left in the wine cellar.

Therefore, the value of the vineyard is really limited.

"Is it true that your vineyard can't produce grapes?"

"I think...probably, possibly...yes."

The young garden owner answered in embarrassment.

"The grapes in the garden are affected by a rare 'mildew leaf disease'. In May and June, when the fruit should be set, the leaves of the grapes will become moldy and the fruit will not bear fruit... We asked the local people. No one knows What is going on with this disease, naturally... there is no way to cure it."

The butler was embarrassed but honestly explained to the audience.

"Oh, there's no other way."

The only one or two buyers who were interested in the vineyard, upon hearing this, shook their heads and left with a sigh.

A vineyard that produces no grapes...is of no use to them.

The rest of the buyers are interested in the land itself.

"It's relatively close to the main road to Paris, and there are plains nearby. Let me think about what it can be transformed into..."

A well-dressed businessman in a top hat folds his arms and rests his chin on his fist in thought.

"I heard that an express station is going to be built near here."

The young owner of the garden was probably very interested in such a novelty as "Express", and nodded with glowing eyes: "You also know about the Express Station? In the direction to go..."

"Monlerita? The Ministry of the Interior might as well turn Montlerita into an express station..."

Some people familiar with the local situation raised different opinions.

The businessman doesn't think about these at all, but calculates quickly:

"A piece of ordinary land of ten hectares, plus the cost of digging out all the old grape vines, what can be done with this land in the future is not sure..."

"I would like to offer five thousand francs."

The merchant quickly made an offer.

The vineyard owner and his steward stood side by side, with ugly faces.

When the old owner bought this vineyard and winery, he spent at least 1 to [-] livres[-].Now to change hands, but only five thousand francs.

The owner of the garden reciprocated very unwillingly: "Ten thousand francs."

"You need to understand that this land has lost its value as a vineyard and winery..."

The businessman tidied up the white gloves on his hands slowly, and said while tidying up:

"Six thousand."

The owner of the vineyard was overjoyed and continued: "Nine thousand francs!"

"Six thousand five, not more than one sous."

"Eight thousand francs... I'm in no hurry, I can wait."

"Seven thousand..."

Seeing that the two were about to reach an agreement on the price of [-] francs, suddenly a bright girlish voice sounded from behind them: "[-] francs, I will pay [-] francs to buy this vineyard."

"what?"

Both the merchant and the vineyard owner turn around in surprise at the same time, searching the crowd for this "generous buyer"/"spoiler".

"The condition is that I will buy everything attached to this land, including the old grape vines, the winery, and the winemaking equipment in the winery."

"In two years, even if the vineyard can resume wine production, the original owner will not be able to claim it from me."

The crowd parted, and a young girl dressed like a village girl came out from behind the crowd.

She was tall and tall, with long, beautiful hair wrapped in a turban.

Her eyes are bright, her forehead is fair and even, and her black eyebrows are slender and swept into her temples.

Her vermilion lips were rosy, and there was a small smiley mole on the corner of her lips.

It stands to reason that it is impossible for these features to appear on a village girl, but she is indeed wearing the clothes of a village girl, with sleeves on her arms, and an apron instead of a pannier around her slender waist.

"Just you?"

The merchant cast a contemptuous glance.

The owner of the garden seemed to see hope: "Little girl, you... nine thousand francs, can you afford it?"

Roland nodded and turned to the notary.

"Can the conditions I just mentioned be written in the agreement?"

The notary nodded indifferently, and turned to the owner: "As long as the seller agrees..."

The businessman who originally bid [-] francs raised his hat and said, "To be honest, I think [-] francs is too expensive, since this chick... Miss claims that she can see the place where the vineyard resumes wine production." one day……"

The businessman turned and left.

The vineyard owner panicked and turned to Roland: "Miss, can you really afford nine thousand francs?"

He was deeply afraid that he would miss a fat chicken he got for a flying duck.

Roland turned around with a smile and looked at the road at the entrance of the winery: "Isn't this coming?"

On the road, a female student from a boarding school, holding a fluffy long skirt in one hand and a jewelry box carefully in the other, was hurrying over along with two female workers from Lina Village.

When the owner of the vineyard saw the jewelry box clearly, he immediately regarded Roland as Portia in disguise.The jewelry box is beautifully carved, and from the way the female student is holding it...you know it's very heavy, probably made of real gold.

In fact, before Roland followed the old farmer to the winery, he asked the female workers to go back to school to deliver letters, and asked Miss Louise de Amely to bring over the jewelry box she kept in the dormitory.

If there was one person in this plane that she could completely trust, it was Louise.

This girl's heart is as pure as crystal, and Roland can hear it from the sound of her piano.

So this jewelry box was handed over to Roland so firmly.

"I can trade in cash. The premise is that I can get the land deed, ownership certificate and notary certificate today."

The owner of the vineyard was overjoyed: "No problem, no problem...Miss, you may need to wait another day for the notary certificate, and the certificate needs to be sent to the Guild in Paris for signing and retention. In addition, the land deed and the winery's deed ... everything is fine!"

How could a silly girl suddenly fall from the sky to buy his vineyard.

The point is, this silly girl is actually rich.

She opened the golden casket, and inside was a thick stack of twenty-franc notes, and a few guineas.

Selling the vineyard left by his grandfather for [-] francs is indeed very painful for the young owner.

But this is still a lot more than the previous selling price of [-] francs—this gave the owner a lot of psychological comfort, as if he had earned [-] francs out of thin air today.

Then everything is simple, the two parties draw up an agreement and count the cash.

When the notary heard that Roland was still a female student in a boarding school, he frowned slightly.

But the owner of the vineyard repeatedly winks at the notary, reminding him that there will be a commission after the completion of the transaction—if the notary makes a fuss about the age of the buyer, the commission will be gone.

In this way, before sunset, all the formalities have been completed - the vineyard of Mont Leary is now Roland's property.

When the news spread, the villagers of Lina Village were all elated.

They have long regarded Roland as their "own person". Roland bought the vineyard, and in the future they can come and pick grapes together, stepping on grapes... waiting for the new wine, the one that flows out of the oak barrel one day.

On the way back to the boarding school together, Louise looked at Roland with admiration and regret in her eyes.

"Eugénie, you... have such a kind heart."

"In order to satisfy the wishes of the villagers, you did not hesitate to buy a vineyard that cannot grow grapes, a winery that cannot produce red wine..."

"You are such an angel."

Roland: ...No, I'm not an angel.

She bought the vineyard, of course, not to fulfill the nostalgic dreams of the villagers of Lina—she bought it to farm and make money.

On the way, she checked the old vines in the vineyard to make sure the roots were still healthy.

As long as the "mildew leaf disease" of the grapes can be solved before May and June, she concludes that there will be a grape harvest this season.With continued careful care in the future, the quality of the grapes will only get better and better.The winery must also be able to reopen.

This piece of high-quality "terroir" is bound to shine again.

Louise didn't know anything about it, thinking that Roland was using "money" to help everyone.

Roland: I'm really not that arrogant!

The next day, the notary sent the notarial certificate signed and confirmed by the association to the boarding school.

Only then did the school know that Roland bought a nearby real estate with a large sum of money.

"Mrs. Dupre, I have added a property nearby and I need to go out and have a look. Can I ask for leave to leave school in the afternoon?"

Roland now had an excuse to leave school openly.

Mrs. Dupre's reluctance of 120 points: "Eugénie, you hold the supreme talent bestowed by God in your hands, you must not disappoint..."

The teacher who teaches vocal music is still thinking about Roland's "talent" until now. She even wrote several letters to her friends in Paris, showing off that she had met such a "genius" student.

"Teacher, I won't miss the vocal class. I will take the time to work and leave school."

There was another result of the last competition: the other girls in the school undertook the labor for Roland and Louise for a semester.Roland and Louise can thus save a lot of time.

Mrs. Dupre thought for a while, and felt that Roland was still young, and excessive vocal training might damage her perfect vocal cords, so she reluctantly nodded.

Unexpectedly, Roland asked again: "Do you know any pharmacists in nearby towns? The more reliable ones?"

Mrs. Dupre: ...?

Roland asked the pharmacist, but she really had no other intention—she needed to prepare a "bacteriostatic agent" for the grapes to solve the "mildew leaf disease" from the grapes.

But before that, Roland still planned to go to the vineyard and winery first, check the situation of these two places on the spot, and complete the handover with the original owner.

Only the housekeeper came to hand over.He led Roland and Louise around the winery, showing her where the various winemaking tools and utensils were located—these were almost never used after the last grape harvest the year before.

He lit the torch again, and took Roland and Louise to look around the cellar of the winery.

Louise couldn't move her legs when she saw the dark and deep underground corridor, but Roland remained calm.She even reached out and touched the wall of the winery, and put her finger to her mouth to taste it.

"It turns out that the local terroir is like this." Roland said with emotion.

The housekeeper was very surprised by this: "You... If you weren't so youthful and beautiful, I'm afraid I would think you are an expert in grape growing and wine making."

Roland: ...I was originally!

"It seems that this winery is indeed suitable to be handed over to you. Our young master is not a trustee."

"If the old master lived to this day... Sigh!"

With a sigh, the butler couldn't continue talking.

A group of people came out of the dark cellar, and Roland lowered his eyes, allowing himself to slowly adapt to the strong sunlight during the day.

But the butler was about to leave: "Miss Tanglar, I have nothing else to advise you. Good luck!"

"Wait a minute!" Roland caught a glimpse of something and quickly stopped the butler.

She pointed to a small shrine recessed in the wall, where there was not a common statue of the Virgin Mary in the local area, but a... Nutcracker.

The butler blushed: "This is indeed a gift from the old master to the young master."

"Maybe...the young master left everything on this land to you in order to fulfill his promise to you...he left it here."

"But I won't be so unkind."

Roland thought: If it is a relic left by the old owner to his grandson, she can completely let him take it away.

"No, there's no need... the young master doesn't want it himself, I'll take it... what's the use of me taking it?"

The butler hesitated for a long time before saying that the previous owner, after receiving the [-] francs from yesterday, had already rushed to the southern port overnight, and was going to go to sea with his friends to participate in a speculative business.

Really impatient!

Roland shook his head, sent the butler away, and looked back: now the entire winery belongs to her.

Louise picked up the nutcracker in the shrine, and when she saw Roland looking up at her, she immediately smiled shyly: "When I was young, I also had such a nutcracker..."

The Nutcracker was made into an image of the French army wearing a blue military uniform, with big eyes, two mustaches, and epaulettes painted on the military uniform. I just don’t know what rank this is.

Louise turned the Nutcracker upside down and said, "I remember that its legs can move, and there is a box behind it that can hide things..."

The pianist's slender hand gently turned the military boots Nutcracker was wearing.

There was a "pop", and behind the nutcracker, the cover of a hidden compartment suddenly opened.The sound was loud and startled Louise a lot.

Roland was also stunned, and she pointed to the hidden space: "What is this?"

Louise replied innocently and terrified: "I don't know..."

Roland seemed to have no taboos, so he reached out and took out a roll of things inside.

——This is a roll of yellowed paper.

Roland slowly opened it and exchanged glances with Louise: "Topographic map."

Yes, this is a topographic map of vineyards and wineries, drawn from the top.

The fields of the vineyard, the wells, the houses of the winery, the wine cellar are drawn on the picture...everywhere is marked.The grape fields even indicate the length and width of the field, and where the pipes for irrigation have been buried in advance in the field.

"It turns out that the old owner wanted to give the entire vineyard to his grandson." Louise said with emotion.

It's a pity that the grandson didn't have the slightest interest in the vineyard, and he didn't even want to manage it well.

"No," Roland suddenly felt strange.

"Louise, how many cellars did the butler show us just now?"

Louise replied tremblingly: "I...how do I remember this?"

The little girl was almost scared to cry in the dark underground just now.

But Roland said decisively: "Four, the housekeeper took us to see four cellars, three big ones and one small one."

These four cellars are used to store red wine brewed in different ages.The three large cellars are full of oak barrels and are currently empty.

The small cellar is neatly arranged, all wooden frames, used to store the bottled wine after filling-the shelves are currently empty, not even the empty bottles can be seen.

However, on this topographic map, five wine cellars are drawn.

Roland stood up abruptly. On the table next to her was the oil lamp left by the housekeeper, which had not been blown out yet.

"Louise, if you are afraid, just wait for me here, and I will come as soon as I go and have a look."

Holding the lamp in one hand and the topographic map in the other, Roland got up and walked into the cellar.

Louise turned pale with fear, but she dared not just let her friend go to the cellar to inspect it alone.

She said tremblingly: "Eugénie...wait for me!"

Roland turned his head and smiled, and stood there waiting for Louise: "Come, come with me, let's go and see the gift that the old owner left us."