Grasp the farming script in the famous book

Atlanta's fire station was temporarily converted into a prison, and Brad, who was locked up here, did not look like a prisoner.

He was not wearing a prison uniform, but a cloak directly over his worn shirt.

He had one hand in his pocket, and the other held a glass—not brandy, not rum, it seemed to be just water, but the man put on a face that could drink ordinary water He also showed the posture of drinking fine wine.

"Scarlett, what are you thinking?"

Roland hurriedly withdrew her thoughts—she had just thought about the brandy, whiskey, and alcoholic beverage markets in this plane.

Tara - now is not the time to think about anything else, the priority now is to save Tara.

"Red,"

Roland stretched out his hand to the man, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed.

Is she doing a routine handshake before a business negotiation?

But Rhett took her hand naturally, and gently pressed his lips on the back of her hand.

There was a crisp and itchy feeling, probably because the beard on Rhett's lips was lightly pricking the skin on the back of her hand.

"Scarlett—I feel like you've come to negotiate with me."

"Could it be... My memory is wrong, we were married before, and you appear here now, do you want to ask me for alimony?"

Roland spat in a natural way, pulled his hand back mercilessly, and forced himself to smile: "Why, I heard that you were locked up here, so I stopped by to have a look."

"Miss, it's really easy to come here from Tara."

Rhett didn't care that she withdrew her hand at all, and continued to laugh at her insincere words.

"And in such a new dress--very, very pretty, and it suits you so well."

"It's made out of—a drapery that my mother left behind."

Roland replied abruptly.

This answer was beyond Rhett's expectation. He opened his eyes and stared at her for a while, as if he didn't recognize her.

"I came to Atlanta to borrow money."

Hearing the word "borrowing money", Reid's eyes obviously rolled around, showing a puzzled expression.

He seemed to be asking: "Who would borrow money from a prisoner like me in prison?"

He seemed to be saying again, "Scarlett, when did you mention the word 'borrowing money' so readily?"

Roland took off the green hat with rooster feathers on his head casually, weighed it in his hand, and showed it to Brad: "Since you want to borrow money, you must show some sincerity."

"So I made this dress out of the late Ellen's favorite drapes, I made the hat from the tail of the only rooster in the family, and I made it out of the most shiny and scrappy I could. The image appears in front of you, I hope you can feel a little sincerity."

Rhett immediately tensed his face.

He casually put the water cup aside, and walked up and down the empty old hall of the fire station with his hands behind his back.

"Scarlett, what happened to you after we parted, and how are you doing now?"

Roland thought to himself "after the separation" - have these two been together before?

Her biggest problem now is that she doesn't know what kind of person Rhett is, or what happened between him and Scarlett in the past.

She doesn't have any "negotiation skills", and can only "cross the river by feeling the stones". To be precise, she relies on her own intuition, trying to show her ability and determination in front of this man, hoping to convince him.

"How am I doing?"

Roland thought for a while, and replied with a smile:

"Mom passed away, Dad lost his mind, Tara was almost completely destroyed, but my family was still framed, and I had to pay a tax of 300 dollars, otherwise Tara would be auctioned off, and everyone would be driven to the road... ..."

"But at least I have freedom, I have health, and I can rebuild Tara with my own hands."

Standing in front of Rhett, Roland still straightened her back—even if she was borrowing money, she was borrowing money with dignity.

"So, Rhett, if you really have funds on hand, consider lending them to me."

"Look at my fighting spirit, and then look at my sincerity—"

As she spoke, she weighed the hat with the rooster feather in her hand again.

"You don't have to worry at all that I won't be able to repay the money in the future."

"300 US dollars, annual interest, monthly interest, or one-time repayment of the principal and interest at maturity, you can ask for any interest. I will provide you with sufficient collateral."

When Rhett heard the long words, he opened his eyes wide, stared at Roland with incredulous eyes, and finally said with trembling lips: "If I hadn't heard that so many things happened in your home, I might have thought that ...you have changed completely."

"Scarlett, I'd love to help you, but..."

Roland's heart tightened, thinking, it's over.

When refusing to help others, people often use good intentions to prepare their "cruel refusal".

"But now all the Yankees in Georgia are waiting to pry the secret of their fortune from me."

Rhett suddenly approached her and whispered in her ear.The hot air from his lips hit her earlobe lightly, making Roland very uncomfortable for a while.

"I do have money, but I can't use it right now—if I lend you money now, my property will be discovered. I will lose all my property. The money can be used for us together at the right time, and it is very easy Live well for many, many years."

Roland raised his long eyebrows, what does this mean?

--Together we will?

Could it be that Rhett wanted to live with Scarlett in the future?

But she directly ignored this almost "express" hint.

She replied to the man with an almost cruel candor:

"It's okay if you don't borrow it. If you know someone who has an investment vision and can take out a sum of 300 US dollars at once. Then can you point me to it, and I will visit them."

Rhett didn't know if he was offended by her words.

He raised two thick long black eyebrows, reached out and grabbed Roland's wrist, and dragged her to him with all his strength, and the two looked at each other.

"You just said that it doesn't matter if I borrow or not. You can let me introduce individual rich people, and you can go to others?"

His tone seemed to be asking: If I don't marry you, will you immediately find another rich man?

"Yes."

Roland has never been a master at talking about love, and he is even less good at listening to what's being said.

"Forgive me for my eagerness," Roland said with utmost sincerity, "I must save Tara."

"Red, can you understand me?—I'm a man of the land."

"Now Tara is mine and I will do anything to save it."

"Even if they are not from the southern states, even if they are from the north, military officers, politicians, businessmen...as long as they are willing to do business with sincerity...the price I offer will not disappoint them."

For those who farm, the land is all that is worth fighting for.This was the same for the Bennets in England, Miss Tanglars in France, or Scarlett O'Hara in Georgia.

But what Roland said, if placed in a special context, would be misleading.

"Scarlett, I really didn't expect that you would come today to tell me this—"

Rhett looked at Roland's face with a little shock and a little curiosity in his eyes.

What exactly has changed in this woman——

Rhett looked her up and down.

What did she just say?

It was only now that he slowly understood——

In fact, when he first saw her wearing that lovely green dress, he seemed to have returned to the time when he first met her a few years ago, and he just wanted to see her grit her teeth and stomp her feet in anger, or It's pouting and coquettishly flattering myself...

But as soon as she spoke, the feeling changed.

What did she say?

By the way, she wants money and saves Tara.

But she can borrow from anyone, whether it is a local rich man in the south or a Yankee, as long as she has money, she is willing to negotiate business with the other party.

she doesn't need him...

She doesn't need a man.

This was the most fundamental and biggest change that happened to Scarlett.

Ruide suddenly smiled, dragged a chair for the woman in front of him, and sat down himself.

"Tell me, what price are you willing to pay for your Tara."

The war between 1861 and 1865 was ostensibly about state rights and slavery—what the real reason was beyond Scarlett's sweet little brain.

All she knew was that many people died in this war, and that many more were bankrupt and suffering.

Others rose from rather humble positions, like the overseer whom Tara dismissed—he who had been called a "white poor man" by Mammy before, and who now wagged his tail at Jonesborough's After the Yankees are behind, they can tell stories at any time for their own benefit.

However, in Roland's view, this war was subversive for southern society. The old manor economy collapsed rapidly due to the emancipation of black slaves, and a new production model would soon be born.

A new upper class is also forming.People like Ruett Brad, who have made tens of thousands of dollars in speculative business, can easily make friends with the upper echelons of the military and political circles and consolidate their positions.

Therefore, Roland was not worried about Rhett at all. She felt that it was absolutely impossible for him to be hanged.

As long as this person is not so stupid as to hand over all his property to the authorities - the old saying is always true: only those who have no use value will be easily given up.

She intuitively felt that Rhett would be able to get out of prison, and even the time was up to Rhett himself.

Because of this, Roland seemed a little "ruthless" when he spoke.

Even Rhett himself would complain—

"Scarlett, dear--sister,"

Roland once lied to be his sister when he came to visit Rhett.

Rhett shamelessly called her dear.

"You seem to have no sympathy for your brother's plight."

At such times, Roland really wanted to reach out and slap him.

This guy obviously had a smirk on his face, and he stayed calmly in this temporary "prison", and the officers around him obviously regarded him as a poker and drinking buddy-he has nothing to sympathize with.

"Let's get down to business—$300."

The expression on Brad's face finally became serious.

"Scarlett, I can indeed introduce you to a rich man and let you talk about your 'investment'. But what collateral can you offer?"

"$300 is not a small sum."

Roland's idea was that she could use Tara's land as mortgage, and she could use Tara's cotton income in the following years as mortgage.

But as soon as these two ideas were uttered, they were completely refuted by Ruide.

"Scarlett, you are so naive."

"A well-established Tara estate may be able to mortgage a loan of 300 dollars. But even you said that Tara is now so dilapidated, and you have lost almost all blacks. There are many such plantations on the market now, People are eager to sell, but I’m afraid it’s hard to give it away for nothing.”

Roland said silently: Now is indeed the most inappropriate time to sell the plantation.

The original economic system has collapsed, and the plantations are unsustainable, but they have to pay various costs, especially taxes...

"You mentioned taxes. You took out a loan today, paid back the $300, and mortgaged the Tara. What about next year? Next year your adversary will continue to charge you $300 in taxes, as if your estate was in a Another thousand bales of cotton were produced within the year . . . what are you going to do?"

Roland had thought of this problem a long time ago.

She also thought about what to do next year.

But you always have to eat one bite at a time, and do things one by one.

Problems can only be solved one by one.

If she lost Tara now, tomorrow's taxes would be a complete nonsense.

She was just about to speak and explain her thoughts to Rhett, when she looked up, she happened to see Rhett's bright black eyes.There was an obvious smile in his eyes, and he even wrote clearly:

"Please, please, please—"

Roland's face froze immediately, and he began to cover himself with frost.

She doesn't like it.

Even in business, she has always been only willing to communicate on the basis of mutual equality.

Facing Rhett's "provocation", Roland held back his anger, put on a straight face, and made another suggestion.

"I have some mechanical drawings of cotton growing. These drawings are patentable."

"I can pledge these patent rights to the borrower."

This is indeed the case.

In the past few days in Tara, she has already felt that the cotton planting in this plane is too backward and cannot be tolerated at all.

It’s no wonder that a plantation of this scale requires more than 100 serfs to complete the planting—it’s true that all cotton must be picked one by one by hand, without machinery, it is impossible to achieve any degree of automation...

No wonder the plantation economy here is coming to an end.

As Roland, who participated in the "Farming Around the World" competition, designing a machine that automatically picks cotton is not difficult at all.

Although she still doesn't like to apply for a patent, but for Tara, she has to apply if she doesn't like it.

But Rhett was less convinced.

He squinted at her like she was an alien weirdo.

"Red, I know you may not believe it, but I did research it during this time..."

Rhett couldn't believe it anymore.

He smiled softly: "Scarlett, you should know that now that the war has just ended, funds are very tight, and no one is willing to lend money, but only receive this kind of meaningless collateral."

"If you have already applied for a patent, this matter has some meaning-you haven't even drawn the picture yet..."

"If it's a portrait oil painting of your pretty face, I'd be willing to pay $300 for my collection; but if it's a picture in your little head... $10?"

Roland bit his lower lip and smiled slightly at the other party.

--too strong!

She had never seen such a person who could annoy her to the point where she almost wanted to swear.

The "implanted emotion" implanted in her was right.Rhett is the kind of person who can make your teeth itch with hatred as soon as you meet him, and you want to pin him in the dirt and punch him a few times.

But the other party asked her to beg, but she refused.

In the worst case, it will be broken up, and she can sell Tara as soon as she turns her face, and take the people who live in Tara away together—anyway, as Rhett said, the plantations are everywhere now, and the price is cheap. The big deal is to buy another one when she makes a comeback.

She was not the real Scarlett Scarlett.

She said that Tara is her life, but the real her can do anything when she is crazy.

A truly powerful farmer can turn his hometown into his hometown no matter where he goes.

When she said this, those green eyes seemed to be on fire.So Rhett quickly saw her thoughts, shook his head and said, "Scarlett, don't mess around..."

"Red, I know you want to help too."

"So, do you have any advice for me?"

"Compared to me, you are more familiar with the officials and rich people who came from the north, their behavior styles, and their daily preferences."

"Red, can you tell me how I can borrow $300 from your rich friends."

This was probably the most peaceful and rational thing Roland had ever said when he saw Braide.

This can be regarded as a step down for the other party.

If the other party really wants to maintain this friendship, so as not to think that she will turn her face against him in the future, he should answer her well.

Who knows that Ruide is really not an ordinary person, he doesn't speak ordinary words.

"Let's put it this way, Scarlett, do you have an item that you can offer as a mortgage...it has to be special, it doesn't exist in the whole of Georgia, or even in the whole of the United States, and it's better if it has a touching name. Mouth, like your name, Scarlett..."

"It evokes fantastic associations, preferably exotic."

In fact, Scarlett's green eyes were such that many boys had told her that her eyes set their imaginations ablaze.

"By the way, in my heart, I really hope that it has the color of your eyes...they are really beautiful."

Rhett looked into the woman's eyes and said softly.

Roland suddenly laughed:

"I do have these—although they're not named after the color of my eyes."

"The fact that they have a... name that is sure to be known all over the world."

After hearing what Roland said, Rhett opened his eyes in surprise, showing a look of disbelief.

"Scarlett, this has something to do with your Tara estate. You're not kidding!"

"……how can that be?"

Roland sneered: "Of course not. As long as you dare to tell your friends, I will dare to mortgage it."

Rhett immediately clapped his hands and said, "Okay, since you dare to pledge it, I dare to tell it."

This conversation once again evolved into a process where the two confronted each other and challenged each other.

In the end, Ruide clapped his hands and called the soldiers who "guarded" him into the house, announced a few names, and then said loudly: "Everyone, please go! My sister wants to borrow money."

The lieutenant in charge of guarding Rhett: ...?