Bad days as neighbors with Sherlock Holmes

Elena looked at him who said this, and smiled slowly.

She handed him her gloved hand, "Then you can expect a little more."

Holmes took her hand. "For example?"

He also had a smile in his voice, which reminded Elena of the night before.

"For example," she went on, "if you want to..."

Elena lowered her voice and muttered a few words indistinctly.

Holmes didn't hear clearly, he approached her with some doubts, and asked again, "What?"

Then Elena grabbed him by the collar again, and she just grabbed the collar and kissed Holmes.

Elena, who quickly retreated after pecking, was completely unaware that Holmes' eyes darkened.

"Just like this," Elena said happily, "just call me Elena, why, do you want to call me Miss Elena forever?"

Her face was red, her eyes were crooked, and when she looked at Holmes, there were strings of stars in her eyes. She looked like a sensitive little animal, cunning and clever.

Feeling the warm and soft touch again, Holmes blinked extremely slowly, feeling a little dazed for a moment.

He looked sideways at Elena, who had a bunch of raised hair but didn't realize it at all, stretched out the hand that wasn't holding her, and gently smoothed her hair.

"Then what do you call me?" he asked. "Or Holmes?"

Elena pursed her lips.

"Sherlock?" She asked tentatively, "Sherlock."

Her voice was thin, tentative, and coquettish.

Holmes looked at her.

"Right now," he whispered, "I want to kiss you."

When he said this, he was slow and deliberate, not at all like his usual way of arguing loudly with others, but he also showed that concentration.

Hearing this, Elena turned her head to look at him unexpectedly.

But before she could react, Holmes' aura rushed towards her like an attack.

This Holmes was so strange, she almost subconsciously backed away, forgetting that she was in the carriage.

Already in a small space, Elena had nowhere to retreat and could only let Holmes move.

This kiss lasted for a very long time, different from Elena's previous light kisses, it also had a warm and uninhibited feeling.

As soon as the kiss was over, Elena almost blushed a little.

She blinked, and hastily withdrew her two hands that had hugged Holmes' neck at some point.

Holmes kissed her forehead comfortingly, and rubbed her ears and neck with his fingers.

Elena shrunk her neck subconsciously, "Itches."

"Eileen," he chuckled and shouted, his voice still a little lazy.

Elena responded, "I'm here."

When the two returned to Baker Street, Watson greeted them in a panic.

"Thank God, you are finally back..." He said halfway excitedly, and saw the two holding hands.

"Oh, my God," said Watson dryly.

He felt like he shouldn't be here.

Elena looked at him suspiciously.

"What's the matter?" she asked, and then naturally let go of Holmes' hand.

Watson looked at her, then at Holmes.

It was not until Elena had gone upstairs that he turned to Holmes.

"So you..." He asked a little bit dumbfounded, "Really?"

Holmes shrugged, "As you can see."

He slumped back to his seat, "So what happened, Watson?"

Watson thought again of what he was about to say.

"The man you brought to my attention has telegraphed back," he replied, and took another piece of paper from his pocket. "This is it."

Holmes took the paper and looked at it up to the light.

Elena threw the satchel on the side table first, then took out the matches in the drawer, and lit a lamp.

She took out a small box from under the bed, and took out a small notebook from it.

"Let me see," she said to herself, "how much is left..."

The items in the book are clearly listed, and it is the sum of money that Elena has saved from the very beginning to the present.

The clothes and jewelry were bought by the earl and sent to her. Elena usually doesn't spend much money, and these clients are not stingy, so she saved a lot of money.

Facing the candlelight, Elena took another piece of sketch paper and slowly calculated.

Her money is indeed enough to support the firm for a year, but other considerations must be considered...

After looking at this draft for a long time, she took out the design draft in the bag and continued to draw.

After a few days, Elena finally took the time to visit the East District.

She originally wanted to go alone with Eric, but after chatting with Holmes, she decided that she could go to the East End with him, and then go with Eric again.

Holmes asked her what she wanted, looked at her for a while, and then agreed.

The two discussed the time, and Holmes would wait for her downstairs.

Elena also specially changed into clothes that looked more convenient, but when she happily went downstairs, she was stopped by Mrs. Hudson.

"Where are you going?" asked Mrs. Hudson. "With Mr. Holmes?"

Elena nodded.

She answered honestly, "Go to the East End."

Mrs. Hudson frowned.

"Why are you going to the East District?" She asked a little displeased, "Are you curious? That's not a good place, Elena..."

"Because someone commissioned me to design a model house, Aunt," Elena hurriedly interrupted her long speech, "and then I plan to go and have a look first before deciding whether to accept the commission."

She hugged Mrs. Hudson's arm coquettishly, and said, "Auntie, I have to go, just promise me!"

Mrs. Hudson sighed helplessly at her action.

"Yes," she answered, "but the dress won't do. You come with me, and if you're going to see the East End, you'll need a change."

Elena followed her into the room, and then saw Mrs. Hudson digging out a set of clothes from the box that was pressed at the bottom.

She shook off the suit with some nostalgia, and handed it to Elena, "It was worn by your mother once, and I still keep it. Go try it."

Elena agreed.

She put on the shirt first, then folded a vest on the outside, then tied up the scarf, walked out and looked at the mirror for a while, it was like a normal family.

This suit is actually not very comfortable, but Elena thinks it is very convenient to move around.

She blinked at herself in the mirror, and the mirror blinked at her.

"Auntie, how is it?" She asked with a smile, "I seem to be still..."

But he stopped talking when he saw tears in Mrs. Hudson's eyes.

"Are you okay, auntie?" Elena asked a little flustered, "What's wrong?"

Mrs. Hudson shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said with a smile, then reached up and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, "You look a lot like your mother, and this dress suits you well."

Looking at the backs of Holmes and Elena leaving, Mrs. Hudson couldn't help but muttered, "It would be great if I didn't like architecture with that annoying Molson."

She sighed, and called the housemaid to hang out the clothes to dry, "It's a rare fine weather, let's take your things out to dry, Jenny."

When Elena arrived in the East District, she was completely surprised by the scene in front of her.

It's not that she hasn't been to the Eastern District, but she just ran over to take a look at it before, and it was far less shocking than it is now.

Holmes led her through the streets and alleys, and seemed to know every road here like the back of his hand.

Facing Elena's doubts, he simply explained, "Many clients live here, or have some relationship with this place. What's more, the East District... There are always plenty of information and clues here."

Elena remembered that when she was not very familiar with Holmes, the client she occasionally met downstairs was indeed from a different class and a different place.

She followed Holmes quickly through the streets, while he explained to her and greeted people he knew.

An old man poked his head out from the dilapidated and crumbling house next to them, and greeted him with a loud laugh. His dog also barked at that moment, as if responding to his master's words; several A woman with hair down, scantily dressed, and heavy makeup passed by the two of them, greeted Holmes briefly, then looked at Elena with a teasing smile, and teased her a few words; Cargo workers, tired-looking widows pulling children, and widows with black hairbands on their heads... These people seem to know Holmes, they call him "Sir", and look at Irene beside him with extra curiosity Na.

This surprised Elena a bit.

"You seem to be very famous here," she asked, reaching out to press down the corner of his turned-up collar.

"Yes," replied Holmes, "a lot of people know me because I am... 'Meddling Holmes'."

He has received many commissions from here. His sister passed away suddenly, his child disappeared, and his dependent brother died in a corner...

He smiled, and continued, "I pursue justice, but unfortunately this is probably the dirtiest place in the world."

Elena nodded half understanding.

"Probably so," she said instead. "There are too many people here, and the place is too small. I can't imagine living in so many people..."

She looked almost sadly at the child who ran past the two, "I don't think such an environment is good for the child."

Lack of infrastructure, poor sanitation, and almost no education, it is hard for Elena to imagine the future of the children here.

The schools she had seen and the residences she had designed were completely two extremes.

Elena actually missed the modern times for a while, at least for children, having enough food is not a luxury.

She kind of longed to do something.

"There is no way," Holmes seemed to read her heart. "They can't afford to send their children to school, and they don't have such spare money."

He also said with a little heavy, "Almost as soon as they reach the age, these children will go to work. It is terrible that this is a hotbed of crime... There are many child prisoners in Newcastle Prison, most of them are under the age of 18 I once received a commission, the thief is a child who is extremely intelligent, but unfortunately he has no chance to learn orthodox education."

"I wish there were fewer such things," said Holmes.

He sighed.

The two turned back around the vicinity of the Whitechapel, and Elena took the time to look at the model houses that had been built.

That obviously formed a stark contrast with other places in the East District—Eileenna used the excuse of renting a house, went in and walked around a little, and found that everything was built according to the current minimum housing standards, the sound insulation effect was not bad, and the rooms were small but Basically, sanitation facilities and basic heating are complete.

Most importantly, Elena keenly discovered that since these houses are divided into individual units for rent out, there is a situation where the sunshine and facility conditions of each individual unit need to be considered, so it has more architectural significance "Sense of Spatial Segmentation" on

Due to cost savings and the abandonment of false decorations, building blocks that look different in shape and enclosure have many similarities, and are more inclined to modern commercial residences.

This is not common in the residential designs she has come into contact with before, but it is closer to some modern elements.

Elena nodded thoughtfully, feeling that this was a surprise.

After discussing with Holmes, she decided to go back and change her clothes before going to dinner.

By the way, I may send another telegram to Eric, telling him that he has decided to accept this commission.

After eating, the two walked slowly on the way back.

The restaurant chosen today was very close, so the two simply gave up the carriage and chose to walk back directly.

The evening wind gently blew the corner of Elena's clothes, raising a romantic and soft arc.

Perhaps because of the cloudy day, today's glow is not as gorgeous and eye-catching as on a sunny day. Instead, it is mixed with a layer of gray, which looks a bit unique and gentle.

The sunset glow is like clouds mixed with fruity flavors, the color is like a half-cut grapefruit, but it is a bit like a peach, which looks sweet and waxy.

The two just strolled through the streets of London at dusk, holding hands, out of tune with the pedestrians around them. From time to time, someone cast a little surprised look at them, as if they were surprised by their bold actions.

But both are happy.

"I didn't actually think that I would fall in love with someone," Elena said frankly after a while, "I used to think about my drawings, my work, and the buildings that were born from my paper. For the rest of my life. In my life before I met you, I never planned love, and just spent my life simply like this."

Holmes froze for a moment.

"Me too," he answered, laughing. "I once told Mycroft I wanted only three things from now on. A pipe, a fiddle, and a job. A job would suffice, if less."

"It seems that work is really the biggest obstacle between us," Elena said with a smile.

She looked at Holmes with raised eyebrows, and said in a deep voice, "Is it important for me, or for work?"

I thought I would ask Holmes, but I didn't expect Holmes to ask in the same tone, "Is it important for me, or for work?"

Elena said vaguely, "It's all important, it's all important."

Her perfunctory answer was obviously soulful, and the two laughed again because of this sentence.

There was a church right in front of her, so Elena simply pulled Holmes and sat down by the stone steps of the church.

"Did I never tell you what kind of person I was there?" She turned her head and looked at Holmes.

Holmes shook his head.

"I don't know," he said, "but it doesn't matter."

Elena pursed her lips and laughed.

"I was an architect there, too," she said, looking at Holmes. "I grew up in an orphanage, a... fatherless and motherless orphan."

"In the orphanage, I had a very good friend who died because of some bad things... She was very good to me and I still remember her," she said. "And then I grew up, I got some funding, I got a scholarship, I went to a famous firm to do architectural work, work hard, work hard... I actually don’t have much time to spend on love.”

"I'm very lacking in emotion," Elena said frankly, "In fact, sometimes I feel that apart from engraving the traces of my existence on a small area of ​​the building, there is nothing worth my time. After all, it is related to the existence of the building. Compared with time, human life is short and ordinary.”

She looked at Holmes beside her and tilted her head, "I actually don't know what love is now, but I think I like you enough to make me like you impulsively. This makes me feel very guilty, and I occasionally feel I'm not good enough for you, or maybe someone else is better for you."

Holmes sighed.

"Actually, I think so too," he replied, "I'm not the most suitable person for you. I have my own job, my own affairs, and my family background is average. Needless to say I have a hard time taking care of myself when I'm so busy, I don't know if I can be considerate of your feelings in this situation. You should have better options."

Elena shook her head, "But those are not you."

She used to think that even if she had love, it was created through inspirational contact with people in the same industry, but she didn't expect to find him unique in the world in the somewhat unfamiliar profession of consulting detective.

They are too similar and yet too different.

These qualities make two people meet, attract each other, and admire each other.

Holmes reached out and took her into his arms.

"Yeah," he said helplessly, but also seriously, "those are not you."

He took out the letter that had been hidden in his arms, "I've actually been worried about something."

"It's also my first time to try love. It's a very deep emotion. I used to think that in order to keep my calm and objective thinking, I would never touch it. But things in the world are always unexpected, "He said gently, "Sometimes I worry that I will not do well, making you feel that love is nothing more than that."