I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

On the day of the dance on Thursday, Pei Xiang and Laurie arrived at Moffat's house in a carriage and walked into the living room. They soon found Meg who was holding a folding fan and giggling coquettishly.

Meg looked quite different tonight than usual.

She was wearing a sky blue silk skirt with a narrow waist, and the neckline of the skirt was cut very low, revealing her white and graceful jade shoulders and looming chest.Her hair was curled, she was painted with lipstick, her neck and arms were powdered, she wore a full set of silver filigree jewelry, and she wore a pair of blue French boots with stiletto heels.The whole person looks very fashionable.

Seeing Meg dressed up like this, Pei Xiang and Laurie stopped at the same time.

Pei Xiang felt that his "prediction" had come true, and Meg really gave up the plain taradine tulle skirt and appeared at the ball in the beautiful costumes of the girls from the Moffat family.Her dress tonight is completely in line with some of the information Pei Xiang got from the "prophecy".

Thinking of this, Pei Xiang turned his head to observe Laurie's expression, and found that his companion frowned in surprise.Obviously, he didn't like the changes Meg made, especially when Meg was coquettish and giggling like some girls, and Laurie became serious all over.

At this time, Meg not far away also saw Laurie and Pei Xiang.For a moment, she seemed a little at a loss, and the charming smile on her face disappeared all of a sudden.But soon, she raised her smiling face again and walked towards Pei Xiang and Laurie.

"Amy, Laurie, I'm so glad to see you here. Laurie, thank you for the lovely flowers you sent, Amy, you look beautiful today, and this apple green tulle dress suits you very well."

"Meg, you are equally attractive today." Pei Xiang held Meg's hand affectionately, and gave some support and comfort to the girl who was a little nervous in her heart, "You should have tried different styles of dressing long ago. While you are young and youthful, you should show your beauty to the fullest. Hey, your hairstyle today is very delicate, Meg, can you teach me how to do it when you go back?"

"Of course, although Calella and Nannie helped me design it, I wrote down the steps."

Meg responded gently, she felt Pei Xiang's kindness and understanding, and the shame and embarrassment in her heart eased slightly.

It's just... She glanced at the silent Laurie seemingly inadvertently, and found that although the other party smiled politely, his eyes were not lying, and he was expressing his disapproval and indifference.

"Laurie, what do you think of me today?"

"I think Mrs. March would not like you to be like this. I heard those people call you 'Daisy', a new nickname, why? I think 'Meg', which is loved by family and friends, is fine , do you no longer like your original nickname?"

"Oh, come on, Laurie, it was just a little joke," said Meg dryly, and then immediately put on a big sister's look and smiled with pretended indifference, "the girls are clamoring to Dress me up, and I don't want to disappoint their kindness, so I agreed. To be honest, this dress is not comfortable. Well, after tonight, I will still be everyone's Meg."

Laurie breathed a sigh of exaggerated relief, and then said unhurriedly:

"That's good, Joe let me see how you are doing, but you have become so mature and beautiful tonight, so strange that I almost can't recognize it. I'm really worried that I won't be able to complete the task that Joe gave me."

"Jo would be very surprised if she knew I was dressed like this," replied Meg, with a forced smile.

Laurie tried not to look at Meg's exposed white skin, and said in a flat tone, "Jo's eyes will indeed widen."

The three were talking, when Belle and Anne Moffat, accompanied by Anne Moffat, interrupted the conversation between Meg and Laurie.

The two girls from the Moffat family greeted each other with Pei Xiang and Laurie, then pulled Pei Xiang to her side, and said with a smile that she would introduce other friends to her.

Pei Xiang glanced across Meg and Laurie, who had a vaguely stiff atmosphere, and knew that the small problems between the two still needed to be resolved by themselves.With her around, the two of them couldn't talk about some things.So, without much hesitation, she agreed to the Moffat sisters' proposal.

Meg is young and beautiful, and she inevitably likes fine clothes, jewels and flattery.And Laurie was born rich and noble, and because he had seen the hypocrisy and boredom of certain social situations, he admired and respected the simple and innocent character.

He likes the neighbors of the March family, loves and respects Mrs. March as a mother, and regards himself as a brother who protects the Miss Marches. Therefore, he especially hates the daughter of the March family becoming frivolous and vain.Even if it's just a small sign, he will feel very uncomfortable.

Before leaving with the Moffat sisters, Pei Xiang lightly touched Laurie's arm, signaling him to be more considerate and steady.

Laurie pursed his lips and nodded imperceptibly.

Not to mention how Laurie and Meg got angry and understood and reconciled after Pei Xiang left, just talk about Pei Xiang's side.

Under the introduction of the Moffat sisters, Pei Xiang first met several bejeweled ladies and ladies, and had a few conversations with Major Lincoln's mother and son. Then, she was introduced to Ned Moffat, a The young master who had been courting Meg all the time before.

Then, the romantic man suddenly changed the object of his courtship, and he began to try every means to persuade Pei Xiang to drink champagne and invite her to dance.

Pei Xiang did not immediately find an excuse to avoid the enthusiastic Ned Moffat.Because, when he was introduced to this idle young man, another wonderful idea popped up in Pei Xiang's mind, that is, Ned Moffat will have a relationship with Meg's friend Sally Gardner in the future. marry.

Then, in "The Prophecy," Sally's married life and Meg's married life become a less obvious comparison: one rich but empty, one not rich but warm and happy.

After receiving the champagne from Ned, Pei Xiang was not in a hurry to drink it.She smiled politely and listened to the not-so-funny jokes told by the other party, while she began to think about these few "prophecies" of her own.

——It seems to be related to the people of the March family... All the people and events that I can "prophesy" revolve around the March sisters.

——The strange thing is that my "prophecy" seems to be forcibly set in a certain moral standard, which has a certain sense of subjective preaching and lacks objectivity.

——For example, I don't think Meg's performance at the ball is so outrageous. What's wrong with a beautiful 17-year-old girl who likes fancy dress and jewelry?She didn't steal or rob, but just borrowed things from friends to enjoy the scenery for one night, and then she would return to ordinary and simple days, and continue to work to support her family and live a solid life.

——But while my "prophecy" let me "see" this matter, my attitude towards this matter is obviously not very supportive, and I even tend to deny the social life of the high-end event, and I have also sent a lot of Meg Feeling ashamed and regretful.

——If I am the subject of the "prophecy", then I only need to know the objective facts, and there is really no need to add moral preaching.This is a real and complicated life, everything has pros and cons, and it's not a storybook to persuade people to be good...

Pei Xiang subconsciously took a big sip of champagne.

The word "story book" hit like a gust of wind, instantly blowing away some fog in her heart, in a trance, Pei Xiang thought that she was about to catch that aura.

At this time, Sally, who was diagonally opposite, shook her fan lightly, and diverted Ned Moffat's attention from Pei Xiang with pink swaying tassels and a gust of fragrance. She said with a charming face:

"Ned, you just mentioned that there's a new play coming out at the Clyde Theater on Tuesday, is it called Mrs. de Winter's Dressing Table? Oh, I'm interested, but I haven't had time to see it yet. Can you and Shall I tell you the general plot?"

"Of course, I am very willing to serve you." Ned Moffat cleared his throat, ready to explain the young lady's doubts.

Pei Xiang needed to find a quiet place to sort out her thoughts at this time, so when she heard the conversation between Sally and Ned, she quickly smiled and said:

"Well, it doesn't look like I'm fit to stay here anymore, because I don't like being told about a new play before I've seen it, and it takes away my sense of surprise. Anne, Sally, and gentlemen Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to excuse you for a moment, and after you finish exchanging this topic for a while, allow me to join you."

As she spoke, she nodded slightly to the young men and women who were chatting and laughing together, then turned and walked towards the triangular sofa next to the pillar.

When Ned Moffat saw Pei Xiang leave, he wanted to catch up and continue pestering him, but was stopped by Sally who wanted to inquire about the plot of the new play, forcing him to fulfill his previous promise.

After Mr. Moffat quickly finished the general plot of "Mrs. de Winter's Dressing Table", he regretted to find that the beautiful girl who was sitting on the triangular sofa sipping champagne had disappeared.

While Ned Moffat was looking for a beautiful woman in the room, Pei Xiang had already left the ballroom taking advantage of the opportunity of no one to exchange greetings, and walked to the greenhouse of Moffat's house alone.Because she heard from a male servant that there is a rest area for female guests in the greenhouse, and the environment is elegant and comfortable, and it is very clean.

Walking on the path in the garden in spring, the suddenly quiet atmosphere made Pei Xiang fall into concentrating thinking.

She thought about her incompatibility with this world, about the magical skills she got in her dreams, and about the "prophecies" that appeared around the March family and the conversations just now, and she always felt that some truth was about to come out.

"Storybooks...watching dramas...spoilers in advance...yes, if all the 'prophecies' I get later are only related to the March family, and they are only within a certain range, isn't it like knowing in advance The storyline or script content?

"Then, when I watch the performance, I will know part of the fate of each character in advance, and I will know what will happen to the characters according to the plot arrangement...

"But outside of the plot, in the world where the story or the plot takes place, there are still many people and many things that have not been written down, so I cannot 'predict' those 'irrelevant' contents."

As soon as the idea of ​​the "person in the play" came up, not only did Pei Xiang not feel panicked or ridiculous, but his whole body suddenly loosened, as if some invisible shackles had been opened again, as if... She should have had This cognition.

Walking and walking, the warm and bright conservatory full of flowers has come into Pei Xiang's eyes, but the area in front is not as quiet and crowded as the manservant said, instead there are seven or eight gorgeously dressed ladies gathered.They were happily chatting and laughing, together with the servants serving these ladies, it seemed like a very lively place.

Seeing this, Pei Xiang turned his footsteps and detoured silently to another relatively hidden path.She was about to quickly cross a long, tree-lined narrow passage and return unobtrusively to the living room of the main house.

"If my idea is correct, or close to the correct answer," Pei Xiang thought to himself, "does that mean that I was originally a human being who did not belong to this world?"

Thinking about this, Pei Xiang's thoughts became more divergent:

"Well, am I human? Forget it, let me be a human being. So, I come from another world, a world outside the story? If so, what is my original identity? I have another world in another world." Are you friends or relatives? Are the skills I dreamed of in my dreams necessarily acquired by creatures from other worlds? In my hometown, can everyone fly to the sky? Does every cat love apple pie? Yes, Cui Cui is also in another world? Wait, how did I get here? Am I the only one here?"

At this moment, Pei Xiang had countless questions in his heart.Even though some answers appeared so naturally, there were still some truths hidden behind the fog, waiting for her to explore.

But no matter what, as soon as the idea of ​​"I don't belong to this world" came out, Pei Xiang had a new perspective on the problem.

She is not afraid of being different, but she is not willing to live in a muddle.

"Yes, live life!" Pei Xiang sighed silently, "No matter where I come from, no matter what my identity was before, the present life is real. Leaving aside the past and future, the present is the most important thing."

Thinking of this, Pei Xiang remembered the "prophecy" about Beth's early death.

"Caught scarlet fever from helping care for the Hummels' sick child..."

At this time, a burst of high and low intermittent voices came from the end of the narrow tree-lined avenue, which immediately interrupted Pei Xiang's meditation.

Pei Xiang took a closer look and saw that several strong temporary workers were carrying heavy objects.They exchanged occasional words with the standing Moffat valet, and mostly worked with their heads down.

And among this group of tall men doing physical labor, there is a small figure that is particularly eye-catching.

It was a child about ten years old, very thin, the clothes were worn out and didn't fit well, the sleeves were cut short, and the trousers were too big.He mingled with a group of grown men, carrying heavy loads to the carriage as they did.

Pei Xiang watched for a while, and found that the little boy's workload was no less than that of adults, and even faster in terms of speed.And the people around seemed to have gotten used to the child's great strength, and no one showed surprise.

At this time, the manservant in charge of directing the work was addicted to cigarettes.He looked around, and then he called two "smokers" who had a good relationship with him to smoke in a corner sheltered from the wind, while the rest of the hired workers continued to work.

Pei Xiang roughly estimated the efficiency of these people's work, and decided that it would not take too long, so he decided to wait.After walking forward for a short distance, she dodged and hid in a depression, using the darkness to cover her figure.

On the opposite side, a big red-haired man saw the male servant in charge go to smoke, his eyes rolled around, and his heart suddenly felt malicious.He tiptoed to the little boy's back, and suddenly stretched out his thick palm full of calluses and slapped the little boy's thin shoulder, regardless of whether the boy was struggling to carry a heavy object or not.

According to Pei Xiang's visual inspection, if the shot of the big red-haired man is real, the little boy will fall down in eight out of ten, not to mention whether the things in his hands will be broken or whether he needs compensation, anyway, the boy It will definitely hurt.

Just when Pei Xiang was about to kick a small stone to stop the red-haired man, the little boy who was working in silence suddenly took a big step to the left, dodging the red-haired man's palm that was about to fall on his shoulder in time.

The big man missed the move, and because he had malicious intentions and made great efforts on purpose, after the little boy successfully dodged, he couldn't help but staggered forward two steps, and then barely stood up while holding the arms of others. stable.

"Hey, you boy, your movements are flexible enough. Haha, I just want to say hello to you. Why are you hiding? You almost made me fall. Oh, forget it, I won't be with you, a kid whose father died early." Poor ghosts care about it."

This remark made Pei Xiang raise his eyebrows.If she read it correctly, just when the big red-haired man couldn't stand upright just now, the little boy was actually going to stretch out his legs and trip his bully completely.However, after others helped the red-haired man in time, he retracted his legs calmly.

"This is not easy to bully." Pei Xiang thought to himself.

At this moment, the Moffats' valet returned.Although the place where he smokes lazily is not far from here, it is impossible to be unaware of what kind of episode just happened, but he still acts like he doesn't know anything, just urging everyone to hurry up and move things in a loud voice, don't miss it thing.

Seeing this, the big man immediately showed a simple and honest smile, scratched his messy red hair and continued to work with his head down.

And that little boy was silent from beginning to end, never defending, arguing, or complaining.He finished his work quietly, and then waited with calm, cold eyes for the Moffats' valet to pay him.

The male servant did not withhold the hard-earned money of these temporary employees. He stuffed the boy's remuneration into the other's pocket, and said in a kind tone:

"Little Hummel, go home and rest quickly. This money is enough to support your younger siblings for a while. Fortunately, your mother's medical expenses are partly borne by charities. Otherwise, alas, your family will be even more difficult. .”

Little Hummel gave a "hmm", nodded to the servant, then turned and left.However, when passing by the big red-haired man, he turned his head slightly and glanced lightly, and the coldness in his eyes flashed past.

At the same time, his entire face was finally reflected in Pei Xiang's pupils, and her eyes widened in surprise.

——This little Hummel is like an enlarged version of Cui Cui!