[Gone with the Wind] Back to the beginning

Aunt Pete wrote to invite Rhett to come to dinner on Sunday. Scarlett was satisfied with what she wanted, and began to think about money again.

She now has gold coins worth almost 7000 yuan in Confederate bills.Confederate bills have depreciated rapidly since the start of the war, but gold coins have remained strong.These gold coins can be exchanged for federal banknotes, and you can get more than 800 yuan.In addition, there are more than 200 list salts hoarded.It is estimated that these salts will earn more than 160 yuan if they are sold for a year. I remind my mother that the dowry reserved for the two younger sisters can also be used in emergencies if necessary.With this calculation, Scarlett finally had a bit of confidence in the face of several predictable crises.But this confidence is still far from enough for Scarlett, and the money needed to rebuild Tara will never be too much.And Scarlett desperately needs more money to build a high dam in front of her and the disaster, and only more money can give her a sense of security today.Time is still pressing.

Now Scarlett still has a lot of jewelry on hand.She intends to sell the ones that are not small and light enough, but it is not easy to do so now!Ordinary stores would be willing to take over these jewellery, but they were paid for in Confederate bills, which became worthless every day.Instead of exchanging jewelry for Confederate banknotes, it is better to keep the jewelry and be valuable!During the war, the value of paper currency depreciated, and the value of gold skyrocketed.Gold, a hard currency, is becoming more and more popular.The Confederacy wants to buy guns and ammunition from overseas, and the gringos only accept gold.As a result, the circulation of gold among the people was prohibited, and people could only hold banknotes and bonds in fear, hoping that God would bless the South.

Before Scarlett was able to exchange Confederate banknotes for gold coins, it was thanks to the fact that the war started not long ago and Charleston was a port city with many businessmen, but things were not that simple in Atlanta.If there is a place where jewelry can be exchanged for value-preserving and easy-to-carry gold coins, then only the blockade office can try its luck!

Scarlett set off early in the morning.She wore a dark green taffeta skirt and Aunt Pitt's thin black velvet cloak over which she looked charming and stately.A black velvet bag hung from the wrist, containing not less than a pound of salt, an onyx necklace, and a garnet brooch.It is really helpless to do so, because although Scarlett knows very well that the price of salt will rise again and reach a peak next year, as a lady, she really can't find a way to sell two hundred salt overnight.Therefore, Scarlett could only endure the heartache, and slowly released the salt in batches.Even if you can't earn more, at least you can make money.Maybe Scarlett didn't have a heart to ask Rhett for help, but everything had to fall on her head after all, and it was always right to be fully prepared.When I came to the blockade office today, I also wanted to inquire about cotton by the way. ..

The blockade office is really busy, and the green-eyed beauty walks lightly and has a graceful figure.After standing hesitantly for a while, Scarlett chose the first shop on the left.This shop was obviously newly built with wooden boards, and it hadn't had time to paint, but the location is good, the storefront is clean, and the layout is neat.The light in the store was very bright, Scarlett took out a ladylike pie, and walked to the counter with slightly drooping eyelashes.

"Hello ma'am, what do you need?"

She was served by a young shop assistant in her 20s, who looked like she was inexperienced but kind-hearted.Scarlett was overjoyed, raised her eyelids a little and lowered them quickly, her black and thick eyelashes flickered like butterflies, showing the owner's shy and restless heart.She glanced at the young clerk hesitantly, her emerald green eyes full of trust: "Hello, sir——I want to sell some jewelry."

The young clerk quickly agreed: "Of course, of course!" Finally recovering from Scarlett's sweet dimples, the young clerk blushed quietly.This is really a beautiful and lovely lady!

Scarlett, with her eyelashes drooping, carefully took out the garnet brooch from her handbag and placed it gently on the counter.The demeanor was indescribably elegant and melancholy:

"Oh, I'm really embarrassed to do this. This garnet brooch... This garnet brooch was left to me by my fiancé, and he always praised how beautiful I wear it." I said sorry to Charles in my heart , "My beloved fiancé has now died in battle. Whenever I see this brooch, I can't help but burst into tears... Dear Sir, if, if I say that I hope to exchange this brooch for gold coins and dedicate it to Confederation, also dedicated to our common wish—" She looked up pitifully, "You, will you help me?"

"Ma'am, of course I'm happy to help you." The young clerk's face was already flushed, and he looked at her with admiration and sympathy.Scarlett was secretly happy: a typical southern boy, his luck is not bad!She continued her efforts, her eyelashes trembling slightly: "Please...you know, I don't understand anything, so I can only rely on your help."

"Ah, good, good, good!" The young clerk responded hastily.

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With brisk steps, Scarlett left the shop happily.She sold the garnet brooch at a price she was quite happy with—seriously, the chivalry of a Southern man saved her a lot of trouble!Of course, following the principle of earning the price difference, the clerk came back to his senses and stammered trying to raise the price with her, but everyone was caught by Scarlett's weeping eyes and pretendingly naive "Hey, I remember My father once bought a piece of similar jewelry for my mother, and the price seemed to be more expensive at that time," he said in a cold sweat.Scarlett weighed the heavy gold coins, thinking of which shop to go to to give away the onyx necklace—according to southern customs, a girl's family cannot accept expensive gifts from her fiancé.Although she had vaguely said about that brooch, it would really be suspicious if she sold two of them in the same shop.

Thinking with some regret that such a young and innocent clerk is not so easy to meet, Scarlett put aside her distracting thoughts and planned to go to the next shop to try her luck.As soon as she took a step, she heard a man's voice calling her name with a smile: "Miss O'Hara!"

Scarlett froze, and turned around as if nothing had happened. You can meet this guy everywhere!Looking back, she saw Rhett Butler coming out of the shop just now, Scarlett couldn't help being surprised, followed by overwhelming embarrassment.

As if to cover up the embarrassment, Scarlett snorted coldly, and stabbed lightly: "Captain Butler, it's surprising to see you." The words were sarcasm.

However, Rhett didn't seem to have heard it at all, and his expression was rather careless.He came to her within a few steps, his eyes were full of smiles, and he whispered:

"You surprised me, Miss O'Hara."

Scarlett's heart skipped a beat, and she was indeed seen by him!After staring at him for a while, Scarlett still couldn't hold back and asked first:

"Why are you here?"

A small light flashed in Rhett's eyes, and he replied casually: "Why am I here? Oh, I probably heard what you said yesterday, and I think it makes sense. Let's go from the port city to It's a pity that the price difference in Atlanta—" He made a tsk-tsk sound, and his black eyes were black and shining on her.He said softly, "So, I invested in a special shop, and simply pocketed the difference in the transportation price, what do you think?"

Scarlett: ...Suddenly I feel so sorry for the clerk just now, he will definitely be fired, right?

"But I didn't see you just now." Scarlett asked with some dissatisfaction.

Rhett smiled slyly: "Because I was sitting on the second floor drinking at that time... I can't think of it, Miss O'Hara." He lowered his voice, "Does your conscience feel guilty at this moment? You played a trick on a southerner Good boy. Seriously, I guess even if I don't mention that, he won't be able to do this job for long. Isn't the blockade office hiring southerners to work smoothly with customers, but the front line will be tight in the future. These southerners They're going to be enlisted after all, and they're so prim and straight, and—" He gave Scarlett a critical look, a white gleam under his black mustache, "have compassion for petite and weak ladies. So, When the gringos learn a few words from our side, they won't be willing to keep hiring Southerners."

"Enlisted in the army?" Scarlett didn't listen carefully to Rhett's words, she kept repeating this word in her mouth, this word brought her back to her painful memory for a moment.In an instant, the cloud of war enveloped the head again.That young, friendly clerk from just now would go out into battle, with a gun, and blood all over her face, just like her childhood companions.In this way, the war has crushed all the good times.

"Yes." Rhett thought she didn't understand what he said, and further explained, "There will always be a shortage of people in the war. We are different from the Yankees. The Yankees have plenty of money and can hire foreigners to fight for them. But we only have our own people... just wait," he said without thinking, but his expression unconsciously showed a trace of cruelty, "when the casualties are bigger, these young people will always have to get hotheaded Going to join the army."

"You're talking like patriotism is worthless!" Scarlett couldn't help accusing.If patriotism is really worthless, how did Rhett Butler end up on the battlefield?And left her alone in the same place—God!Although Scarlett never meant to dedicate herself to the Confederacy, she at least knew that those young people who went to the battlefield were protecting her Tara and everything about her—everything about the South.

"But that's worthless in the first place." Rhett lazily replied.His gaze crossed the ends of her hair to an unseen distance behind her.His eyes looked very much like Ashley at that moment, but the expression finally ended with a sneer, "The South is always going to end, I'm too lazy to be buried with him."