I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

At the end of the party at Bingley's house, Mr. Hurst was so drunk that he collapsed on the sofa and snored softly from time to time. This state was obviously not suitable for taking a carriage home late at night.

Mrs. Hurst naturally wanted to stay and take care of her husband, so the task of sending Pei Xiang home fell on Mr. Darcy.

Because the carriages of other families are more or less inconvenient, but the carriage of the Bingley family needs to take Bennett, mother and daughter back.

"It just so happens that you all live in the area of ​​St. James Street, which is relatively convenient, Darcy, please take care of Miss Wilkes tonight."

After seeing off the Wilsons and the Smithsons, Mr. Bingley reminded Darcy with a smile.

His friend has always been stable and reliable, unlike his brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, who obviously didn't drink much at dinner, but inexplicably drank too much when it was time for supper.

Darcy nodded slightly, and after saying goodbye to everyone in the room, he walked out of the room first and stood in front of the carriage to wait for Pei Xiang.

After exchanging contact addresses with her new friend Sister Bennett, Pei Xiang left Bentley's house with a long soft cashmere shawl.In front of the carriage, Mr. Darcy held Pei Xiang's hand, sent her to the carriage, and then sat in the carriage himself.

After the coachman closed the door, Darcy's carriage rolled away, slowly melting into the thick night.

In the car, Darcy changed his reticence during the meeting and talked about the matter between Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet.

"Charles once asked for my opinion. He wanted to propose marriage as soon as possible. I asked him to consider it carefully."

"I don't think you objected to the marriage by telling Mr. Bingley about Miss Bennet's concealed affection."

"I told Charles this fact because I didn't want him to miss anything. However, he and Miss Bennett have known each other for too short a time. It would be a bit hasty to make a marriage contract now. The two of them still have many aspects to work on."

Pei Xiang smiled suddenly: "You still dislike Miss Bennet's family situation, I met Mrs. Bennet tonight, and I probably understand the worries of you and Mrs. Hurst.

However, I think that Mr. Bingley's sincere and cheerful personality may suit him to be relatives with such a bustling family.

If he were arranged with a Yue family who was harmonious on the surface but indifferent and powerful on the inside, he might feel very depressed. "

Darcy frowned and thought for a while, and finally admitted:

"I didn't think of this level, but you still have to be cautious when getting married. I think that besides Miss Bennet, there must be ladies with good backgrounds and harmonious family atmosphere who fall in love with Charles. He should have a better choice. "

These words caused Pei Xiang to snort softly.

"Mr. Darcy, the main reason now is that Mr. Bingley is fond of Miss Bennet.

No matter how good the other girls are, they are not in Mr. Bingley's heart, and he would not be happy. Otherwise, on Mr. Bingley's terms, he would have married a perfect Mrs. Bingley long ago. "

Darcy was startled for a moment, then quickly glanced at Pei Xiang, he cleared his throat, and said in a low voice as if explaining something:

"You are right, indeed, Charles's heart is the most important thing.

Although, um, young men and women have to consider all aspects in the choice of marriage, but for some gentlemen who do not need to marry, their own wishes are the most important. "

Pei Xiang tilted his head, glanced at the solemn English gentleman with a smile, and asked persistently:

"Even gentlemen who don't need marriage hope to marry a perfect bride.

Mr. Darcy, you have such high requirements for your friends' marriages, so you must have more cautious and strict standards for your own married life, right? "

Pei Xiang emphasized the tone of "Perfect" with a cool tone and a soft smile, which made Fitzwilliam Darcy nervous involuntarily.

At this time, he was not as strong as when he asked for the promise before. Although he still looked calm and calm, Pei Xiang knew that the people around him felt at a loss.

"Miss Lucy!"

"Ok?"

"What's your definition of 'perfect'?"

"Perfect? ​​Naturally, it means that in terms of body, appearance, temperament, talent, knowledge and education, etc., they all meet the most respected standards of the upper class."

Darcy retorted seriously: "I don't think so, let alone whether there are perfect young girls, just saying 'most admired' will cause a lot of controversy.

Miss Lucy, gentlemen never have the same requirements for their partners.Everyone has their own aspects that they value more. The life is their own, and the wife is also their own. How can they just drift with the crowd because of the evaluation of outsiders? "

"Then, Mr. Darcy, can you tell me what is most important to you in being a reasonable and steady gentleman?

I remember, you told me before that you have a girl you like. "

This time, Darcy didn't answer immediately, he rubbed the family crest pattern on the cane, and fell silent.

Pei Xiang silently waited for the other party's answer.

The carriage became extremely quiet, as if they could hear each other's breathing clearly. After a while, Fitzwilliam Darcy shook his head suddenly, looked at Pei Xiang and said slowly:

"Lucy, I don't know, I think, when guiding and judging other people's emotional problems, I can use rational logic and pros and cons to analyze the problem, but when it's my turn, I can't tell.

All I know is that one day I suddenly found myself stuck in it, and then, I felt that the other party was the right person, who was suitable everywhere, and could be valued by me everywhere, her every frown and smile were just right, compared with her , everyone else was overshadowed. "

Pei Xiang didn't look in the mirror at this time, otherwise, she would definitely be able to see her charming appearance with her cherry lips slightly parted, her eyes eager to stream, and a faint pink glow on her cheeks. Pei Xiang didn't know it, but she wanted to put on an indifferent expression Indifferent look.

She felt that her expression was extremely serious at this time, but she didn't know that in Darcy's eyes, she was also pretending to be calm and concealing her embarrassment.

The calm gentleman suddenly wanted to laugh, but he held back.

The girl who was trying to sullenly cleared her throat and began to speak:

"The momentary enthusiasm will soon dissipate. Moreover, the tempting may be because... I suddenly saw the difference in the other party, so I found it novel and interesting, and I couldn't help but increase my attention.

After a long time, the observers may be delusional because of this strong novelty, mistakenly thinking that it is an admiration that can lead to marriage.

If this is the case, I have to advise you that gentlemen must seriously consider the issue, recognize their true intentions, and then make a decision.

Because some out-of-the-ordinary behaviors are not necessarily due to the nature of the other party. She is very likely to be like most girls, longing for a rich and stable life, has vanity, likes fancy clothes and food, and likes to be praised and praised.

When she is out of the predicament, she will become ordinary and disappear from the crowd. Then, what should the gentleman who is attracted by her uniqueness do?How should he put down the feelings he had because of this?

Will the stream where passion gathers dry up in the daily necessities?

The former spouse has become a familiar stranger, and even, when another young, fresh and unruly girl appears, will he fall in love again without knowing what to do, and go deeper and deeper? "

Darcy closed his eyes, he didn't ask Pei Xiang how he knew that he fell in love with a different girl, some things, when he walked towards her, when she didn't avoid him, there was already a tacit understanding There is a tacit understanding, but the time has not come, he and she are waiting secretly, unwilling to reveal it immediately.

Darcy didn't discuss with Pei Xiang whether this relationship would last long and be loyal, but asked her another question:

"Lucy, assuming that you are the different girl you just mentioned, what will you do when you find that your love is weak and that the other party has not kept their promise of marriage?"

Pei Xiang replied without hesitation: "Abandon him, protect yourself, whether it is your soul or your property, you must protect yourself from all aspects.

Then, if we can break up peacefully, we will break up peacefully. If the other party is bullying too much, I don't mind using some unconventional revenge methods. In short, I will not complain about myself, nor will I compromise. "

There was a faint smile in Darcy's eyes, and he said meaningfully:

"Look, Lucy, people who are different will always be different, the pride and stubbornness engraved deep in the bone marrow will never be erased, and there will always be an attractive light on her body.

Moreover, there is thrilling beauty in being different in difficult and dangerous times, and there is also beauty in being different in ordinary life.

To be honest, compared with an adventurous life, a gentleman in England prefers a leisurely life in the mountains, rivers and countryside. How do you know that after returning to the plain and stable, his feelings will not accumulate day by day in the warmth and happiness, and finally accumulate Into an unshakable fortress? "

Pei Xiang didn't make a sound, but the corners of her mouth rose slightly because of these words, and an uncontrollable joy filled the corners of her eyes and brows.

After Darcy recovered from the initial bewilderment, his thinking became sharp again. He noticed the emotional changes of the people around him, and pursued the victory:

"What's more, Lucy, you just mentioned that a gentleman will meet another young, beautiful and unruly girl, and will repeat the throbbing process of his heart and love, that is to say, you are worried that he will empathize with others. In love with a similar, but younger girl, right?"

"It's very easy to happen, and in a way, it's ... human."

Darcy didn't care about the faint sarcasm in Pei Xiang's tone, and asked with a smile:

"Lucy, if you were this young girl, would you accept this kind of admiration? Would you not despise this man who had moved on? Would you feel at ease and even contentedly occupy the position next to the man?"

"Of course it is impossible, there is no doubt about it."

"That's the answer."

Darcy's voice was like gurgling water, nourishing Pei Xiang's ears:

"Lucy, a fussy gentleman won't like a poor imitation.

If the young girl accepts, she is far inferior in character to a gentleman's wife, and a gentleman ought not to empathize with such a person if he is not enchanted.

If the young girl refuses or even despises him, the gentleman is severely punished. "

"What kind of severe punishment?"

"Self-loathing and self-deprecation."

At this time, the carriage happened to arrive at Pei Xiang's residence, and the discussion between the two came to an abrupt end. Darcy jumped out of the carriage first, and then helped Pei Xiang down.

Before parting, Pei Xiang brought the topic back to the beginning:

"So, Mr. Darcy, are you still going to advise Mr. Bingley to be extra cautious?"

Darcy chuckled: "Yes, Miss Wilkes, although the discussion between you and me has deviated from the original topic, I still haven't forgotten the original intention of the topic, which is to hope that my friends can choose marriage carefully. .”

Pei Xiang puffed his cheeks, and quickly pulled his hand out of Darcy's.

Darcy went on to say: "Of course, I also considered your suggestion, I admit that I considered Charles' marriage more from the perspective of secular utilitarianism, and ignored Charles' true heart and getting along in married life.

Therefore, I decided that when giving advice to Charles, I would modify some of my wording and viewpoints, give more consideration to Miss Bennet's own upbringing and personality, and ask Charles to pay attention to how to balance the relationship between relatives and Yue's family. "

These words made Pei Xiang smile, Mr. Bingley was good to her, as a friend, she naturally hoped that he would be fine.

Of course, she didn't think that Bingley could be happy only if Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennett's marriage was facilitated according to the original book.

After all, the plot has changed a long time ago, and this world is also real. Every day, every moment, everyone is undergoing unknown changes.

But she did think those two were a good match and genuinely in love, and that was her point of view as a friend, and she would express it naturally.

Even if this slightly conflicts with Mr. Darcy's point of view, Pei Xiang will not deliberately cater to him, nor will she deliberately sing against him. She is more willing to discuss and even debate with him calmly, to see who can convince whom in the end.

Darcy's eyes lit up, and he felt something new from Pei Xiang's smile. He suddenly realized that the discussion on the Bentley issue was a small breakthrough in the way he and Pei Xiang got along.

Before, both he and she were concerned with troubles and dangers, accidents and conspiracies that were not common in daily life.

The coming and going between the two, in fact, is far from their real life, and is full of dramatic conflicts and strong colors.

But when discussing Bentley's relationship problems this time, the two people's mode of getting along and attitudes towards solving problems really fit into the trivial and real daily life.

About friends, about marriage, about daily necessities, this is the main theme of ordinary life.

——In the future, we will also talk about having children, about the education of the next generation, about how to manage manor tenants and various industries, about human relations, about recipes for breakfast, dinner, and supper, and about where to go on vacation ...

——However, there has never been any clear answer and promise between us.

——She...should have the same idea as me, right?

Darcy lowered his eyebrows and stopped the colorful thoughts in his heart. He warned himself that after half a year, he would be able to justifiably think about other more common and deeper problems.

"We didn't argue just now, did we?"

"No, we are all trying to convince each other." Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows with a shrewd expression.

Darcy lowered his head and pondered for a while: "However, we don't seem to have completely compromised, and we haven't reached the exact same opinion."

"But we're all more satisfied, aren't we?"

"Yes, I don't feel unhappy or bored. I even hope that I can get different suggestions from you next time."

"Me too."

The two said goodbye at the door. After that, they didn't see each other or contact each other for nearly a month.

On this day, when Pei Xiang came back from outside, the housekeeper handed her a letter from Miss Bennett. It turned out that after staying in London for more than a month, Bennett, mother and daughter, were going to return to Long, Hertfordshire. Born.

Before leaving, the Bennet sisters were going to visit Pei Xiang and bid farewell to her.

Naturally, Pei Xiang readily agreed. She not only wanted to entertain the two young girls warmly, but also planned to invite them to watch a new play that was staged in London recently.

After writing the reply quickly, Pei Xiang ordered the housekeeper to deliver the letter as soon as possible.

The next day, Pei Xiang received a reply, and the Miss Bennetts agreed to Pei Xiang's invitation.

At the same time, Miss Elizabeth wrote in the letter that when reading the letter, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Smithson and other friends were also around, and everyone was interested in the new play, so they planned to travel together and asked Pei Xiang if he would mind.

Naturally, Pei Xiang didn't mind, she immediately wrote back to Elizabeth, and made an appointment for a specific time and meeting place.

In the evening, when Bernard came back from the outside, Pei Xiang mentioned a few words to him and asked him if he would like to go together. After all, the two are still engaged to each other, so it is not good to keep showing up at the same time.

While pressing his sore shoulder, Bernard agreed to Pei Xiang's proposal:

"It just so happens that I also want to see what the girl who fascinates Mr. Bingley is like. If I don't go to meet this time, maybe I won't have the chance again in the future."

Pei Xiang stopped turning the pages of the book, and looked at Bernard in surprise:

"Have you decided? Do you want to go back and help that Majesty?"

"Yeah, since you have this intention, let's do it before it's too late.

Besides, old Bernard kept urging me to go back, and I was running out of excuses. I might as well go to Paris, so my old father would have no reason to let me go back to America. "

——Anyway, I have almost cleaned up the two parties in England, and there are three or two small people left, which are not good.

Pei Xiang hummed lightly, and still didn't inquire deeply about Bernard's various arrangements after that, but only cared about things related to himself.

"How are you going to get out? Don't leave too much trouble for me."

Bernard hooked his lips and smiled: "Don't worry, Lucy, I always remember your life-saving kindness, and I have never been stingy with sincere friends."

Pei Xiang glanced at Bernard lightly, waiting for him to give a specific explanation.

"Well, girl who is not to be fooled. Next month at Easter, I will invite Mrs. Albert to Bath. There will be an 'accident' at that time. You can wait in London for the funeral letter and my lawyer."

"lawyer?"

Bernard smiled flatteringly: "Because of the imminent death, you still need your help to take a look at some obvious properties. When the old Bernard sends someone to take over, I don't need to bother you anymore."

Pei Xiang calculated the time secretly, and felt that before the war between Britain and the United States, this trouble could be dealt with, and helping Bernard to take care of the property would be good for her plan, so she nodded and agreed.

She nodded so happily that Bernard was puzzled instead.

Therefore, Pei Xiang slowly added: "During the period of entrusting the property, I will share [-]% of all operating profits."

Now, Bernard felt at ease.