I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Aldrich Deville walked into the Rangers Club, nodded to several familiar high-ranking officers, and then sat down in his usual position with a glass of ice wine in hand.

Not long after, Lester, the eldest son of Baron Cecil, came over with a glass of wine. He sat down diagonally across from Aldrich, and comfortably lit a cigar.

"Hey, Aldrich, I heard that Earl Deville also received the work of the man called Paddington?"

Aldridge responded lightly, noticing that the word "also" was used in Lester Sissel's words, and raised his eyebrows in doubt:

"Lester, pardon my ignorance, but are there other families in London who have also been challenged by genuine and fake paintings?"

"Provocative? Aldridge, the others don't see it that way. They think it's a wonderful adventure story of an artistic genius, and they deserve credit."

Speaking of this, Lester Sissel's face showed a look of great interest.

"If you think about it, first you can hide the handwriting, and then you can imitate Mr. Steyn's paintings. What's even more surprising is that behind the copied work, there is another even better work hidden. Every link It's all so funny, and this Mr. Paddington is now the most talked-about figure in London. Anyone who has heard this wonderful story wants to see for himself his marvelous abilities."

Aldridge looked at his friend who was beaming with joy, knowing that if he didn't interrupt his conversation, the topic would be dragged further and further away.

"Lester, I noticed that you just ignored my question."

Lester was startled, and then suddenly smiled: "Haha, yes, I haven't answered your question yet, but I have mentioned some details that you already know. Hey, Aldridge, let me tell you that, except for your father De Similar things happened at the House of Lord Weir, MP Grington and Lord Justice Millston."

"You're well-informed."

Lester waved his hand: "It's not a secret, many people are talking about it now. Just now, when I left Lisa's place, her stupid little maid asked me in a low voice, which one will make the handwriting disappear and set the timer?" Does the Mr. Paddington who appears have mastered evil witchcraft, or has a fairy godmother? Hahaha, it really made me laugh."

"Lisa?"

"Ah, a new lady I met recently," Lester showed a gentle smile, "A very beautiful blonde girl with a good lady education, but it's a pity that her father and brother passed away early and did not leave enough for her. property."

Aldrich knew that this Lisa should be Leicester's new female companion, and he had no extra opinions on it, nor was he interested.

Bowing his head and taking a sip of his wine, Aldridge focused on another aspect:

"From last night to now, it's just a daytime. How did this matter spread to everyone? Even if it's a rare thing, it should be spread in a small area first."

"You do not know?"

"I have been in meetings since the morning, and then there are training and negotiations. I just ended today's official schedule an hour ago."

In other words, he has no free time today to listen to fresh gossip.

Lester nodded understandingly, knowing that this was the normal state of Aldridge's life.

The second son of the Deville family originally did not have the right to inherit the title, and he has a tough personality and does not like being arranged by the family for major life events.He began to seek his own future at a young age, and his life was always self-disciplined and busy, and later he went to the battlefield to fight for his life.

Now that he has returned with glory and suddenly become the heir to the title, he is definitely a winner in life, but he has no intention of relaxing at all.

"Aldrich, the thing is like this." Leicester was very happy to share the latest knowledge with his friends.

"Mr. Paddington sent a total of three packages. The earl's mansion and Mr. Greenton's mansion only discovered the handwriting after receiving the packages, but there were some minor accidents with Justice Millston. The person in charge of delivering the package ate something, so it was delayed for a little while. Who knew the delay made those handwriting revealed in advance. Therefore, during the delivery, many people knew a miracle, It was the claim that the Stein painting at the Millston house might be a forgery."

Hearing this, Aldrich's eyes moved slightly, and he had already guessed the subsequent development:

"Mr. Millston is a well-known private collector. He has always been proud of his unique vision, and he often talks about it in newspapers and magazines. Suddenly someone publicly said that a painting in his collection is a fake, or is it a fake? That kind of wonderful and flamboyant form will definitely attract the widest attention.”

Lester took a puff of his cigar, leaned back on the soft-backed chair relaxedly, squinted his eyes and sighed:

"Exactly. It's a pity that Mr. Paddington carefully planned the time. Alas, things were almost perfect."

"What a pity?" Aldrich shook his head, tapping the table lightly with his slender and shapely fingers, "I guess this little accident is more in line with that Mr. Paddington's wishes. He was originally for selling paintings, for He became famous, once this matter happened, he was completely famous."

Leicester wasn't stupid in the first place, and after Aldrich's analysis, he also grasped some key points.

He sat up a little bit, and his tone was a little excited:

"Aldridge, my wise friend, you are very right."

Aldrich drank in silence.

Lester was distracted and said quickly:

"The best thing is that he hasn't completely offended the three collectors, because he used expressions like 'maybe', 'seems' and 'as if' throughout. Finally, he used a more masterful His painting skills and Chen Ken's humble letter eliminated the little unpleasantness before. Haha, after all, I really want to meet this brilliant and talented gentleman in person."

Aldrich Deville raised his eyebrows noncommittally, but didn't say much.In my heart, I was even more wary of Mr. Paddington, who had only heard of him but never seen him.

——This man is cunning!

At this time, someone invited Aldridge and Leicester to play cards, and the two stopped discussing Mr. Paddington and began to participate in discussions on other topics.

Regardless of the reaction from London, at Nolan Manor in Sussex, Pei Xiang began to solve the identity problem.

Since she wanted to make money by selling paintings and could not expose Marianne Dashwood, of course she had to forge a safer identity.

——At the very least, the buyer must pay the fee smoothly.

She heard a lot of news by insinuating, and while Mrs. Dashwood took her and Elinor to go shopping in a nearby town, she talked with the owners of several shops about various rumors in the town for a while.There was a preliminary plan in my heart.

"Eleanor, I'll be in town soon, you and your mother can go and pick things out. I'm going to the bookstore to stay for a while, and then pick out a few books I like."

Elinor had no doubts, but asked with concern: "Marian, if you want to buy books, do you have enough pocket money?"

Pei Xiang nodded, and patted his handbag lightly:

"Eleanor, I have been recuperating in the manor before, and I have no chance to spend money. Therefore, the money for buying books is enough, so don't worry about it. And...the bookstore in our town is not big, I don't necessarily You can choose the book you like.”

"Well, if your pocket money is not enough, I can lend you some first."

The two sisters were talking, the carriage had already stopped in front of an old-fashioned grocery store, and there was the only bookstore in the town nearby, so everyone got off the car here.

After Pei Xiang said goodbye to Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor, he walked slowly into the door of the bookstore.Afterwards, according to the memory of the original body, she found the most secluded corner and stopped, and then pulled a book from the shelf, pretending to look down at it.

When the clerk and boss in the store thought she was going to concentrate on reading for a while, she took advantage of no one's attention and hid in the middle of the bookshelves full of books.

Pei Xiang quietly took off the cloak, revealing the elegantly colored and simple skirt inside, and then made a simple illusion for himself.

After everything was ready, Pei Xiang walked around to the other side of the bookshelf, and after turning a corner, she walked out of the main entrance of the bookstore slowly with her back bent.

Behind Pei Xiang, the clerk of the bookstore scratched his head in doubt, wondering when did such an old woman come in the store?

——I've been so busy all day, alas!

After Pei Xiang left the bookstore, he deliberately checked the location of Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor, and found that the two had just entered the first shop at the intersection and were picking floral cotton cloth.

Pei Xiang looked at Mrs. Dashwood's side face carefully comparing the colors, and smiled.

——According to their past shopping and shopping habits, there are at least five stores waiting for these two people to visit, so I still have enough time.

With no worries for the time being, Pei Xiang walked through a sloping alley, making several turns, and she came to the most chaotic dark alley in the town.

"Boss, I want three real vagrant identities, preferably those who have been missing for a year or two, who are about fourteen or fifteen years old now, and have no future troubles."

Pei Xiang's sudden appearance has already aroused the vigilance of some people, and she doesn't know some so-called code words, so no one pays attention to her.

Pei Xiang looked left and right, and put two round pearls on the dirty counter, which seemed to be temporarily removed from some jewelry.

The old man behind the counter lifted his eyelids lazily, and sneered with his mouth twisted:

"Look at this crazy woman talking nonsense, where is your family? Where did you steal the good things? , I can’t turn a blind eye to it. Old lunatic, let me put these two little things here first, and I will hand them over to Sheriff Laurie for you.”

When the old man was talking, a strong man with a beard stood up in the dark corner. The man smiled grinningly, showing some big yellow teeth, and stared closely at Pei Xiang and the pearls on the table.

Pei Xiang lowered his eyes slightly, and touched the fruit knife in his hand...

Half an hour later, Pei Xiang found eleven identity records, all of which were missing persons near the town over the years.According to the person who gave her the information, these people have actually passed away, but they were considered missing for various reasons.

At the same time, she "smoothly" exchanged two pearls and a few unremarkable jewelry into cash at a very reasonable price.

After leaving the hidden alley, Pei Xiang went left and right to get rid of the stalkers behind him, and then returned to the commercial street near the bookstore.

After seeing Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor concentrating on choosing their hats, she felt certain.

Next, Pei Xiang didn't do any more dangerous things, but stopped by a bank branch in the town to inquire about the deposit and withdrawal business and how the current interest is calculated.

Then, she went back to the bookstore.

On the second day after returning to Nolan Manor by car, Pei Xiang took the opportunity of going out for a walk, disguised himself as an adult man in his 30s, and knocked on the door of the pastor's house.

"Dear Pastor Peter, hello, I have something to ask for your help, and I hope to get the Lord's mercy."

Under the pastor's gentle gaze, Pei Xiang told him a simple story.

She was originally a resident of the town, and her life was very poor, so when she was a teenager, she left her hometown with a hope of prosperity.After wandering outside for many years, after several ups and downs and struggles, now he finally has the ability to settle down and come back.But he was timid because of his closeness to his hometown, and he dared not step into the small town of his hometown again.

She knew that Mr. Pastor was always willing to serve the people of the parish and knew a thing or two about the situation of the parishioners, so she thought of asking in advance how her relatives and friends are doing now?

Pastor Peter asked Pei Xiang's name and identity, and Pei Xiang narrated it according to the news she got from the black market, and provided some supporting materials.

At first, Pastor Peter didn't have much of an impression, but after carefully looking at Pei Xiang's disguised appearance several times, he finally recalled relevant fragments of the past with some vague memories.

"Poor lamb, I have to tell you some bad news. Your relatives have passed away one after another after you left, but there are still two of the childhood playmates you mentioned living in the town. You can meet them and talk about what’s on your mind.”

Hearing that her relatives had passed away, Pei Xiang showed a touch of sadness and disappointment, but after a long separation, she quickly calmed down and continued:

"Pastor Peter, I am no longer the street bastard I used to be. I met many good people outside, learned to paint, and have a decent job. So, before I settle down in my hometown, I plan to have a new job. Start."

"What kind of new beginning?"

Pei Xiang hesitated for a moment, and finally explained that she had changed her name to commemorate her benefactor who saved her, and now she was called Brown Paddington.

She hopes to repent before God with a new name and a new identity, and is willing to make some contributions to the parishioners at the right time, such as donations and the like.

After hearing the amount of donation promised by Pei Xiang, and checking the materials she brought, and considering Pei Xiang's appearance, Pastor Peter readily agreed to Pei Xiang's request and wrote a letter of proof for her .

After clarifying the ins and outs of this identity in the pastor's house, Pei Xiang returned to Nolan Manor.

A few days later, she begged Mrs. Dashwood to take her further to the Hemmertown bookstore.

Pei Xiang said that she didn't pick a good book last time, but the owner of the bookstore in the small town once said that the bookstore in Hemmer City had a new batch of books, and the quality was particularly good, which would definitely meet Pei Xiang's requirements.

Mrs. Dashwood was delighted by her second daughter, and soon agreed to her request.In addition, she really wanted to go to the city of Hemerhe.

After entering the city this time, Pei Xiang was still reading in the bookstore, while Mrs. Dashwood went shopping.

So, Pei Xiang took the opportunity to go to the Simpson Hotel near the bookstore.

"Mrs. Simpson, my master wants to rent a room here for a long time, and then ask your front desk to help send and receive some letters, is that okay?"

"Charter a suite? As long as you are a guest of the hotel, we will definitely send and receive letters for the guests, and provide breakfast."

"Oh, so, then, how much is it?"

"Little girl, are you literate? There is a price list here, you can take a look."

Pei Xiang nodded and looked at the quotation above seriously.

After a while, Pei Xiang rented a suite in the Simpson Hotel neatly and registered it under the name "Brown Paddington".

She then went to the bank across the street to open an account.

So far, Pei Xiang has confirmed the identity of "Brown Paddington", and the business of selling paintings is also on the right track.

Because she already has a good reputation, and her works do have a high collection value, the letters of custom commissioned paintings with specific themes gradually increased.

Not long after, Pei Xiang declined most people's requests for commissions with the saying that "the most expensive is the best, not the most expensive", and declared that he only painted what he was interested in.In this way, it made "Brown Paddington" more famous.

There was even a popular game called "Who Can Impress Paddington".

When the popularity of the game was at its peak, many people with leisure and money who were interested in art wrote to "Brown Paddington" and wrote down the art theme they wanted to custom commission.Then they looked forward to seeing who could get the "favor" of Mr. Paddington, who is a superb painter, and become the "lucky one" who was selected.

Of course, it is impossible to find out whether the author who first talked about the idea of ​​this game in a joking tone in the newspaper has anything to do with Pei Xiang.

At the very least, Aldrich Deville, who has been following "Brown Paddington" intermittently, heard something very interesting when he happened to meet the editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

It is the author who wrote related articles and reports recently made a small fortune and has already traveled to the European continent. It will take about a year or two before he lands on the British Isle again.

Of course, all this noise and heat can make a person successful, but also can easily destroy a person. Public opinion has always been a double-edged sword. "Brown Paddington" dares to play like this because he is absolutely confident in his own strength.

When Pei Xiang's carefully completed commissioned works were sent to London, no one questioned the artistic talent of "Brown Paddington".

So far, Pei Xiang has a stable source of income.

Moreover, compared with ordinary painters of this era, the famous and talented "Brown Paddington" has attracted more attention. Each of his paintings is expensive, and the supply is in short supply.

Winter goes to spring, half a year flies by.

No one expected that Mr. Dashwood fell ill and was even bedridden by a cold drizzle.

The doctor went back and forth to make a diagnosis, and the conclusion reached was nothing more than that the patient was old and his body became weak naturally, and the ordinary medical treatment was no longer effective.