I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Time flies, the days of hard work and hard work pass by, and the harvest follows.After nearly five years of accompanying and caring for Aunt March, Jo finally gets her long-awaited reward—a trip to Europe.

In the living room of March's house, everyone gathered to share Jo's joy.

Jo couldn't sit still and talk to her sisters at this moment. Her eyebrows were flying with excitement, her eyes were shining, and she was pacing and talking rapidly about her excitement.

"I nearly jumped for joy when Aunt Carol and Aunt March told me about it. Oh, Meg, Amy, and dear Beth and Amy, you don't know how much I put up with it Hard work. God, I know that if I behave inappropriately, Aunt March may have to withdraw her generosity.

"So, for my Rome, for my Paris, I tried my best not to grin or dance, but to say thank you nicely. When I left, Aunt Carol was very pleased with me, and I That’s when I knew it was done.”

"Joe, you are so smart, you can definitely do everything well." Beth, who likes Joe the most, praised gently.

Joe puffed out his chest proudly, and waved his hand handsomely.

The little sister, Amy, chuckled, and unceremoniously "revealed" the smug Joe:

"But when you got home, you were so out of line, Jo. You laughed like crazy for a while, and whistled like a bad boy! I almost knocked over As soon as he picked up the paint box, Sister Hannah came out of the kitchen with a chicken that was being disemboweled."

There was a burst of laughter at this description, and Amy went on:

"Oh, Jo, I envy you this rare opportunity, but if you don't keep quiet, when mother comes back in the evening, I will hear from Sister Hannah about your 'excellent performance' today."

Mrs. March had always been the antidote to Jo being nice and quiet.So, as soon as Amy had finished speaking, Jo, full of excitement, stopped walking up and down the drawing room.

She first made a face at her little sister, then happily ran to sit between Meg and Pei Xiang, and said sincerely with her arms around Pei Xiang:

"Thanks to Amy for teaching me French and German. When I was with Aunt March, I could see that Aunt Carol was not very satisfied with me as an escort at first. She probably wanted to find someone with a more gentle and friendly personality. , but the attitude changed after learning that I spoke French and German well."

Pei Xiang accepted Qiao's thanks with a smile, and asked her about her plans and preparations for this long trip.

But Qiao was too excited before, and didn't have time to think about these details. At this time, when he heard Pei Xiang's question, he scratched his hair and began to think about it seriously.

Seeing this, Meg and the others helped Joe to sort out his thoughts. Whether it was the clothes or the pocket money needed for the journey, they needed to make good arrangements.

While everyone was having a heated discussion, Laurie, who had returned home from school, walked into the living room of the March family.

"Joe, are you going to travel to Europe with your uncle and aunt's family?"

After learning what everyone was talking about, Laurie's face was a little strange, and the brows were not completely happy.

Joe nodded, looking at her big boy strangely:

"Yes, Aunt Carol has invited me. I will go to Europe with their family of three, and the travel expenses will be sponsored by Aunt March. Teddy, your expression is very strange, don't you Are you happy?"

Laurie sighed and said helplessly:

"I'm graduating soon, Joe, and I thought we'd agreed that after I graduated, you and I would go to Europe, to Italy. There, I'd find inspiration for my music, and you'd immerse yourself in history. ups and downs."

At this time, Jo was not aware of Laurie's special feelings for her at all, so she only expressed pure regret for Laurie's proposal:

"Sorry, Teddy, I just made my first draft fee, and I was very ambitious. I thought I could earn enough to travel to Europe before you graduated. But, um, now it seems that it's a bit poor Erdo... Haha, thank you again for your generosity, Aunt March."

Laurie looked at Jo, who was in high spirits, and retorted silently in his heart:

"I never planned to let you pay for the travel expenses with the manuscript fee. My original plan was to propose to you after graduation, and then, we fiancés will go on a trip together. How wonderful that would be."

However, Jo didn't notice Laurie's thoughts at all. She was busy calculating the royalties she had saved in the past few years. Buy yourself some books that are hard to find in the US.

Joe's calm reaction made Laurie suddenly feel a little uneasy and uneasy. He thought that he and Joe had a tacit understanding on some things, but...

He subconsciously looked at Pei Xiang and asked her for help with his eyes.

Pei Xiang shook his head slightly, expressing that there was nothing he could do.

Laurie pursed his lips, thinking that Joe would be away for a long time and would meet more friends, a look of anxiety appeared in his eyes.He suddenly realized that in the days when the two were separated, everything was full of variables.

—I would never like to hear from Jo some day in the future, telling me that she is engaged to a man she met abroad, that would be too bad!

Feeling a sense of crisis in his heart, Laurie couldn't hold back any longer. On the morning of the second day, he asked Joe out and expressed his admiration to Joe.

Then, Jo rejects Laurie.

When Pei Xiang walked into the study, what she saw was a downcast big boy. She raised her eyebrows slightly and said clearly: "It seems that you didn't succeed."

Laurie snorted unhappily, and his eyes were full of sadness.

Pei Xiang sat down and took a sip of tea, and then said to Laurie who was about to get up and leave and bear the pain of broken love alone: ​​"Do you think Joe hates you?"

"Of course not!" replied Laurie at once.

"Then what is the reason for her rejection of you? I think, it should be that she can't regard the deep relationship between you as love, and also, Joe herself has never considered love and marriage. She was very surprised. She refused Quite simply, she said it didn't feel right, didn't she?"

Laurie sat down again, staring down at the patterns on the carpet, and after a while, he sighed softly:

"Amy, I suspect that you overheard my conversation with Joe."

Pei Xiang didn't take into account the fragile and sensitive emotions of the lovelorn, and said bluntly:

"I don't need to eavesdrop, I can come to this conclusion just by daily observation. In Joe's eyes, you are not only a brother, but also a playmate. Of course, you are still a bosom friend. Only the position of a marriage partner, she has never considered you Well, or in Joe's current state, she should not have considered any man. Do you feel any comfort in saying this?"

Laurie smiled bitterly, and couldn't help but glared at Pei Xiang angrily.

Pei Xiang reached out and patted Laurie's hand on his knee, and his voice softened:

"Are you particularly anxious to get married, have children, and settle down, Laurie?"

"Of course not," Laurie quickly denied, "I just, just want to be with Joe. I never considered that Joe and I would not have each other in the future. I always thought, thought... that there was no other choice."

"What about now? Joe rejected you. Do you want to heal the pain of broken love as soon as possible and welcome a new beginning, or do you hope that Joe can change his mind?"

Laurie answered without hesitation, "If Jo came now and said she regretted it, I'd be the happiest man in the world."

"Beyond chance, Laurie, do you think you have a good chance of being the happiest man? Is there any chance of any change in Jo's attitude towards you?"

Laurie was silent for a moment, and the expression on his face was sometimes painful and tangled, and sometimes full of expectation. After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice:

"Joe only said that she hadn't thought about these things for the time being. She seemed to be frightened by my confession. Before she left, she said that she liked me, but she didn't think that kind of like was love."

Pei Xiang nodded, and persuaded gently:

"In this case, cheer up. Don't be downcast, and don't give up on yourself. You know what kind of people Joe admires most, and what kind of boys he likes the most."

These words made Laurie's eyes brighten: "Amy, do you think I still have a chance?"

"I don't know," Pei Xiang analyzed calmly. "Emotions are the most variable and unpredictable. I can't promise anything just to comfort you. But I think you and Joe are too young. 20 years old , the age when everything has just started, how many people have not married at the age of 30. And Joe neither hates you nor has a sweetheart, even, your relationship is very close, you know each other..."

Hearing this, Laurie suddenly got up, as if stars were shining in his eyes:

"You're right, Amy. When Jo refused me, she wasn't so firm. She just said that she had never thought about it. She said that she still had dreams to achieve, and she didn't want to become a person who just surrounded The little lady from the family. But she never said that she doesn't love me or hate me. My confession this time is too hasty. I should wait until Joe longs for love and family."

Pei Xiang signaled Laurie to calm down, and then said slowly:

"Actually, according to my opinion, it's not just Joe who needs to think carefully and grow up slowly. Laurie, I think you should also be more patient, no, not waiting for Joe to make changes, but giving yourself time to grow.

"Laurie, you haven't graduated from college yet, and you are often confused and hesitant, not sure what you want to do in the future. I know you love music and want to be an artist, but you don't want to embarrass Mr. Lawrence, and you have 'compromised your fate' He is ready to become a businessman, but his attitude is rather lazy and negative.

"Laurie, after you have experienced more people and things, and become mature and stable, you will have a clearer understanding of how to deal with the relationship between you and Joe. Perhaps only after the temper and test of time, some things can Let it take its course and get a relatively happy ending.”

Laurie heard Pei Xiang's implication, and shook his head stubbornly:

"No matter what, my heart will not change. I really can't think of anyone who can take Joe's place in my heart. Without Joe, I will be alone for the rest of my life."

Pei Xiang raised his eyes and stared at the young man beside him, thinking of the scene that he "prophesied" that Laurie and Amy would finally get together, and sighed silently.

In fact, since Beth avoided the serious illness, many things no longer follow the "prophecy" arrangement.

Beth didn't suffer from the highly contagious scarlet fever, so Amy was not sent to Aunt March's house for quarantine, so Amy didn't have the experience of taking care of Aunt March instead of Joe for the next three years.So when Aunt March decides to sponsor a girl on a trip abroad, Jo is the first choice, and she gets the opportunity she's always dreamed of.

However, when the thread of fate stretched here, Laurie still proposed to Jo, even earlier than in the "prophecy".This time, Jo didn't misunderstand that Beth liked Laurie, but she still rejected her boy Teddy, which seemed to turn the thread of fate back to the original track.

But something is different after all.

For example, Joe's attitude of rejecting Laurie this time is much milder than in the "prophecy".Since she no longer needs to rush into the sweet love of her frail sister, and no longer thinks of herself as an "obstacle to be cleared," she now only needs to consider her own real feelings, so her answers are much more honest.

And does Joe really not have the slightest youthful heart for Laurie?

Pei Xiang didn't know.But from the fact that Laurie cheered up quickly, and changed his previous lazy and casual attitude towards studies, and instead became serious and hardworking, we can roughly understand that the feedback Laurie got from Joe is definitely not a cold rejection without turning around. .

By the time Laurie graduated from college with honors, his relationship with Joe had recovered a lot, and their correspondence became more and more frequent.

During this period, Laurie began to take the initiative to care about the Lawrence family's business, and worked hard to grow himself into a stable and responsible man.

And Qiao's life abroad is also very fulfilling. The scenic spots on the European continent make her linger and forget to return, and her creative inspiration bursts out suddenly.She also met many educated and open-minded young people. After getting along and talking, Joe consciously gained a lot of knowledge and broadened her horizons.

When Joe once again praised a certain young talent in a letter, Laurie, who had successfully graduated, could no longer stay in the country safely.

Under his persuasion and request, Mr. Lawrence decided to travel abroad with his grandson.Of course, although the grandparents and grandsons set off from China together, after arriving in Europe, they each have their own travel routes.Old Mr. Laurence was going to visit some old friends, while Laurie went straight to Jo, intending to accompany her for the rest of the journey.

Before departure, Mr. Lawrence also invited Pei Xiang to travel with him, but Pei Xiang refused.The reason is that she plans to concentrate on creating a painting recently, and she does not want to be disturbed by the external environment for the time being.

However, after Lawrence's grandparent and grandson boarded the big ship bound for Europe, Pei Xiang immediately put away his paintbrush and started to pack his luggage.She was going to take advantage of the time when old Mr. Lawrence couldn't control her, and go out for a while, for example, go to New York to visit the cruiser club with a navy background.

Early this morning, Pei Xiang, who was carrying a small suitcase, jumped over the back wall of the garden.After landing lightly, she first looked around to make sure that no one else bumped into this scene, then walked briskly towards the station.

——Every time I want to paint with peace of mind, I will lock myself in the room for ten days and a half months, so it is normal not to show up.

— Mrs. March has gone to take care of the pregnant Meg, and can't take care of me for the time being.Business matters were run by Brooke, and the servants of the Lawrence family were governed by informed stewards.

——In addition, the letter explaining to old Mr. Lawrence has been sent out across the ocean, and maybe I will return from New York by the time he receives the letter.

Well, everything is in order, there should be nothing overlooked, happy departure!

In front of the bustling station, Penko and others tried their best to assure Ace Hummel that they would work extra hard during the days when the boss was away on errands, and try not to make any mistakes.

Ace Hummel replied lightly, his brows were indistinguishable, seemingly calm and peaceful, but the air pressure around him was a bit low.

Peng Ke and the others exchanged glances with each other, and then, without waiting for Ace to say anything more, they scattered around to do things, leaving Ace alone by the side of the road.

When the disguised Pei Xiang appeared at the station, Ace turned to look at her strange face.

Pei Xiang blinked lightly, finally remembering what she had forgotten.

However, she had already suspended the boy from school before, so it's normal that she didn't notify him, right?

Pei Xiang was distracted thinking, what is this man doing at the station?

Then, she got the answer right away.

"Let's go, the car has arrived."

Taking the suitcase in Pei Xiang's hand, Ace walked to the outside of Pei Xiang, separating her from the hurrying passers-by.

"Are you taking me to the car?" Pei Xiang frowned, and his tone was very kind and natural, "It's really hard work for you, Ace, and I'll bring you a gift when I come back."

"No, I'll go with you to New York."