I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

After dinner, Rochester's new valet, John Simpson, came in to report that Mrs. Grant from the Viscount Rio's residence had sent a thank you gift.

"Thank you?" Rochester was a little puzzled.

Simpson paraphrased what the visitor had to say:

"The servant at the Viscount's mansion said that in order to thank Miss Warren for her help to Master Theodore Grant, Mrs. Grant specially prepared an enamel crystal music box purchased from Italy. I hope Miss Warren will like it. In addition, Mrs. Grant also Sophie was given a pound for her good care and returned to Master Theodore Grant."

Rochester looked at Pei Xiang and asked silently.

After being slightly startled, Pei Xiang briefly told Rochester how she met Theodore Grant.

"I gave Theodore the beautiful ball I brought from Paris. Mrs. Grant probably thought I was a generous and good boy, so I sent a music box. Mr. Rochester, I can accept her gift ?"

"Since it's a gift you exchanged for your beloved baby, then accept it."

Pei Xiang didn't like this statement very much, she refuted Rochester:

"That colorful ball is not my beloved baby. I just like playing the game of throwing and chasing the ball with Sophie very much."

Rochester responded lightly, not wishing to argue with the little girl on similar childish topics.

He rang the bell to call Sophie, and asked again what had happened in the park that afternoon.

Sophie glanced at Pei Xiang, saw that the little master was busy tossing the flower arrangement in a big vase, without any special hint, so she talked about Theodore in detail.

As an adult, Sophie certainly saw the negligence and inappropriateness of the nanny Mary.Even though she couldn't understand what Mary said, she could see Mary's perfunctory and impatience towards Theodore.

After listening to Sophie's narration, Rochester's heart suddenly understood.

——The reason why Mrs. Grant specially sent a thank you gift was not just because of a delicate toy.In particular, she gave Sophie a £[-] reward.

——The viscountess was thanking Adele for her kindness to Theodore Grant, and thanking Adele for helping her discover the incompetence of nanny Mary.

——It's just... This little guy Adele has always been weird. Does she really not know the disturbance that may be caused after she sends the ball?

"Adele, Sophie doesn't quite understand the conversation between you, can you tell me carefully, what did you tell Theodore Grant when you gave the ball to Theodore Grant? Also, you Wasn't William Grant told about Mary the nanny? What was he going to do about it?"

Pei Xiang answered every question, and she repeated the conversation at that time verbatim.

Rochester had a half-smile: "Adele, do you really think Mrs. Grant's thank you gift is for the little ball you gave?"

Pei Xiang knew that Rochester would expose her, so she didn't feel embarrassed. She smiled mischievously and said to Rochester:

"William doesn't want to meddle in his brother's affairs, and I don't want Mary, the nanny, to bully Theodore all the time, so I hope Mrs. Grant can see Mary's true colors."

"Is this the purpose of you sending out the toy? Do you hope that the history of the toy will expose what the nanny Mary did?"

Pei Xiang nodded slightly, with a little pride on his face looking forward to praise.

Rochester poured cold water: "The idea is very good, but it may not be foolproof, and it is very likely to be a waste of work."

"Why?" Pei Xiang was not convinced.

After thinking for a moment, Rochester patiently explained:

"From the words you recounted, I tentatively speculate on the follow-up. Adele, even if Mrs. Grant has heard about Theodore Grant's getting the ball, she may not be as sure as you think that the nanny Mary neglected her duty.

"She may doubt Theodore's statement under Mary's sophistry. After all, that is a five-year-old child who does not have a clear understanding of many things, and some misunderstandings are likely to occur. Even, she will Think it's a child lying on purpose and framing Mary."

Pei Xiang was "surprised" and asked, "Are you adults so unwilling to believe your child's words?"

Rochester stared at the innocent Pei Xiang with his bright black eyes, and said meaningfully:

"If every child has ideas like you, you really need to think carefully. Not every child is a pure and innocent little angel. She may be a prank-loving little water monster with sharp ears on the Rhine. Little cleverness plays with honest adults."

Pei Xiang puffed his cheeks: "I'm only seven years old, and I can't understand your long and strange sentences. Also, I think that I would rather you use 'little water monster' as an inappropriate adjective." The metaphor of the little fairy, after all, you are an upright adult, and you speak truthfully."

Rochester sneered, then turned his head and told Sophie to leave.

When there were two people left in the room, Rochester waved to Pei Xiang:

"Come to me, Adele, and stop spoiling those poor flowers. A real fairy would not be so rude."

Pei Xiang immediately stuffed the bouquet in his hand into a white crystal vase, then walked cutely to the guardian, found a chair with a high back and armrests and sat down.

"What are your orders, Mr. Rochester?"

Rochester raised his eyebrows and asked: "Adele, I'm very curious. If Mrs. Grant doesn't believe her own son, and even thinks that a child is making a fuss, will you continue to take care of this matter? After all...William Grant Have chosen to stand by. What would you do if you were going to continue to help Theodore Grant?"

Pei Xiang tilted his head and looked at Rochester, and found that he was indeed interested in this matter. To be more precise, he suddenly felt a strange concern after hearing about the state of the Grant family's brothers getting along.

Of course, Rochester himself did not notice some of his psychological and emotional ups and downs.He just thought it was a conversation to pass the time, and at the same time, he was concerned about the little girl under his care.

Pei Xiang immediately thought of what happened to this person, and sighed slightly in his heart.

"Sir, if I can see Mrs. Grant, or get in touch with her, I will ask Sophie to describe what she saw to Mrs. Grant. Well, after that, I should leave it alone, right?"

"Meet Mrs. Grant? It's not easy. At least for a while, I don't plan to introduce you to more people. I have to seriously consider your identity. Can you understand, Adele?"

Pei Xiang was really surprised this time, what identity could she have?At most, Rochester would say to outsiders that this little French girl was his friend's child, and he was only responsible for raising her.

If someone carefully investigates Adele's life experience, she will find that she is an illegitimate daughter of an unknown father, with a very dishonorable background.

——However, now that Rochester said that he should think about it seriously, does that mean that he intends to fabricate a more decent background for Adele?

"Sir, I think I can probably understand your plan. In any case, even if there is no change, I think I am grateful to you, because I am very lucky now compared to the fate of a displaced orphan."

Rochester was not very good at dealing with such sincere and straightforward words of gratitude, he looked away uncomfortably, and his tone became impatient again:

"Since you are grateful, go read more books! Adele, don't waste your precious time and your talents. I don't want people to criticize me as an irresponsible guardian and let you waste your talents. You're reduced to a vain, shallow, stupid girl."

Pei Xiang was already used to this man's good and bad temper, so he generously decided not to care about the shy man.

Seeing that he didn't continue to ask about Brother Gretel, she didn't remind him, but followed his verbal instructions and nodded earnestly, and then picked up the unfinished books in the morning to read.

The room became quiet again, Rochester stared at the candles in a daze, and occasionally heard the sound of a little girl turning the pages of a book, and the room was lingering with the faint fragrance of flowers and fruits.Everything he looked at presents a rare sense of warmth at this moment, which makes Rochester feel relaxed and peaceful that he hasn't seen for a long time.

Pei Xiang turned over a page of the book, his thoughts wandered slightly.

When answering Rochester's question just now, she didn't explain in detail how to help that little fellow Theodore, but only put her hope of solving the problem on whether she could see Mrs. Grant.

At first glance, this answer sounds quite satisfactory, neither overly enthusiastic nor indifferent.There is quite a randomness to see whether the luck is good or bad.

But in fact, since Pei Xiang decided to "medd his business", how could he give up halfway.

Rochester didn't know exactly what the colorful ball she sent was because it was given to Adele by a former lover of Celina Varen. With the pride of this guardian, how could he look at it carefully? Something with a history?

Therefore, Rochester ignored a detail, that is, the colorful ball was exquisitely crafted, and it was considered a valuable toy.

——The leather made into a sphere is not very ordinary. The ribbon decoration wrapped around the leather is covered with gold and silver thread embroidery, and a few beautiful beads that are not cheap are inlaid in the center of the pattern.

In short, this kind of exquisite ball toy should never be given away by a seven-year-old girl—without the permission of the elders or guardians.

Pei Xiang believed that as long as Mrs. Grant noticed the ball Theodore was holding, she would ask about its origin.After that, she will definitely prepare a gift of slightly higher value to send back to Pei Xiang.

—This is the customary practice of well-bred and respectable families.

Once Mrs. Grant sent someone to deliver things, Pei Xiang would definitely be able to infer the progress of the matter from what the man said.

——If Mrs. Grant chooses to believe in Theodore, then everything will end perfectly.

——If Mrs. Grant chooses to believe the nanny Mary's sophistry, then Pei Xiang will ask Mr. Rochester for help to send a message to Mrs. Grant to tell the truth about the park in the afternoon.

——Now it seems that Mrs. Grant should know the true face of Mary, and she also realized that her son Theodore Grant was in danger of being lost.Otherwise, she wouldn't have given Sophie an extra pound.

Pei Xiang flipped a page of the book casually, and new doubts arose in his heart.

She couldn't figure it out. According to Mary's personality, she shouldn't have been defeated by Theodore Grant's "complaint". She should win Mrs. Grant's trust through sophistry and framing.

Therefore, Pei Xiang was already ready to trouble Mr. Rochester.It's not that she is particularly enthusiastic and likes to do good deeds, but because she really can't stand by and watch things like "the child may get lost".

She is willing to worry more when she can.

But what she didn't expect was that Mary was really exposed.

—Could it be... William Grant helping Theodore?

—It is possible.He is so old, and he is the heir, there must be a way to warn Mrs. Grant, it just depends on whether he is willing to bother.

——Or, Mrs. Grant is a mother who trusts her children exceptionally?It is possible, but not too great.Otherwise, that Mary would not have been Theodore's nanny.

Pei Xiang speculated for a while, then put aside other people's housework, and turned around to care about the guardian around him.

During the conversation just now, Rochester paid special attention to the relationship between the Grant brothers, which reminded Pei Xiang of some textual descriptions in the original book.

Yes, the original.

Pei Xiang has already realized that the Rochester next to her is the male protagonist in the famous literary novel "Jane Eyre", a typical rich man and poor man.

Mr. Rochester was born into a distinguished family and was the second son in the family.He should have been able to get some land property, but old Mr. Rochester was unwilling to see the family's property shrink a little bit—even if it was for his second son.

Roland Rochester, Mr. Rochester's elder brother, had the same idea as his father, that is, he was unwilling to divide the family property because of inheritance issues.

However, they were unwilling to see their blood relatives really impoverished. Regardless of whether this "unwillingness" was out of family affection or the maintenance of the family's reputation, they finally decided to find a wife with a generous dowry for Edward Rochester .

Later, they really made a marriage for Mr. Rochester who just graduated from college.It was a beauty, a pretty girl with a dowry of thirty thousand pounds, and everything looked perfect.

However, the Rochester father and son who facilitated this marriage concealed an important fact, that is, the girl's mother has been crazy for generations.

Rochester has never seen his mother-in-law. He thought she had passed away, but in fact she was imprisoned in a lunatic asylum.

But Rochester's marriage only lasted less than four years, and his wife, like his mother-in-law, fell into madness.

When the doctor pronounced Bertha Mason insane, Rochester lost even the right to a divorce.So far, except for death, God and the law require him to spend the rest of his life with such a wife.

What's more ironic is that the old Rochester and Roland Rochester calculated everything, but they didn't calculate the fate arrangement.In four years, these two men died successively, leaving the huge family property to Edward Rochester.

Thus, Mr. Rochester became a real rich man, but lost the chance of happiness through marriage.

Pei Xiang looked at Rochester with closed eyes and rested his mind through the candlelight, carefully scrutinizing his appearance.

The not-so-handsome tall man was probably more relaxed at this time, and the gloom between his brows dissipated a lot, but the inseparable sense of loneliness still lingered, which seemed to have become part of Edward Rochester's personality.

"Which aspect caused more harm?" Pei Xiang frowned and pondered, "Is it the deception and concealment of the father and brother, or the Bertha Mason who went from sober to crazy? Probably... or a relative..."

The next day, Pei Xiang went to the park as agreed.

To her surprise, besides Norton and William, Little Bean Theodore also appeared.Theodore brought many beloved toys, smiled sweetly and obediently, and kept inviting Pei Xiang to play with him.

Pei Xiang rejected Theodore's warm invitation, joined Norton and William's reading exchange group, and continued to practice French and English.

After playing alone for a while, Theodore felt very boring. The toys that attracted him in the past no longer attracted his interest at this time.

He fiddled with the little soldier for a while, and looked back at Pei Xiang who was reading with his head down; he pulled the small wooden bow, and turned to find Norton talking to Pei Xiang incomprehensible; he rolled the little ball, and turned to see William giving Pei Xiang reads poetry...

At some point, Theodore dropped all the toys, slowly came to Pei Xiang's side, and sat down quietly.

A few days later, Theodore took out a stack of exquisite literacy cards and began to study with the three older children.

William Grant saw his younger brother stumbling to recognize words, read sentences, and recite short poems, and finally couldn't help but give instructions aloud.Theodore blinked his eyes and looked at his elder brother who had always ignored him, and slowly showed a small smile.

Norton on the side snorted slightly, a little dissatisfied with his friend's soft-heartedness.

Ask him to say that even though this Theodore Grant is cute and obedient, as long as he is the son of the current Mrs. Grant, sooner or later there will be estrangement and differences with William.

——In that case, why bother to invest in feelings now?

In the evening of that day, Pei Xiang accidentally bumped into an elderly female steward next to Theodore who was admonishing the new nanny. The conversation between the two was faintly heard from the other side of the bush.

"Ella, remember the lesson of the last nanny Mary, don't think too much, otherwise, Madam will make you unable to get along in this circle, understand?"

"Yes, Mrs. Wendy."

"I saw you talking a lot with Mrs. Bleiman yesterday. What's going on?"

Ella's voice was timid:

"She's asking me about the park, and how Master Grant and Master Theo are getting on."

"How did you answer?"

"I, I said it's pretty good, just telling the truth."

Mrs. Wendy snorted: "Ella, from now on, no matter what Mrs. Boleman has said to you, you must report it. Remember, this is a requirement."

"Okay, Mrs. Wendy." Ella responded meekly.

Mrs. Wendy asked: "Do you find it strange?"

Ella shook her head quickly: "I'm not curious, I will definitely do what my wife orders."

Mrs. Wendy sneered: "Let me tell you clearly, that Mary got too much reward from Mrs. Boleman, so she didn't take Master Theo seriously, and went to cater to Master Grant instead. Madam can't put Bo What about Mrs. Lyman, but she can dismiss a maid who has two hearts..."

Hearing this, Pei Xiang stopped listening.She thought, probably it was those endless interest and emotional entanglements, there was never anything new under the sun.

——In other words, Mrs. Grant quickly dismissed the nanny Mary, and did not listen to her sophistry because she discovered the private communication between Mary and Mrs. Boleman?

Some thoughts flashed through Pei Xiang's mind, and he stopped thinking about it.For Pei Xiang at this time, these are all gossips that have nothing to do with her.

What she is most concerned about now is the upcoming trip to Thornfield.

—There, Bertha Mason in the attic.

——After a while, the heroine Jane Eyre will become my tutor.

—and my guardian, Mr. Rochester, should not have ended up blind and disabled anyway.