[Gone with the Wind] Back to the beginning

"Oh, oh, of course." Frank Kennedy replied casually. Seeing that Scarlett listened seriously, he quickly went out to buy goods, "Nowadays everyone is eager to build a house, and the price of wood is almost random-- Maybe it's not that exaggerated, but it's not too bad. However, it's still unknown whether the Yankees will call back to Atlanta, and if they come back, the house will be useless, and many people are watching."

Scarlett's brains are moving fast, and naturally she doesn't plan to let go of the thriving timber business she has done in her previous life in this life. This is a big market!However, there is no rush.But looking at Frank Kennedy's ginger-colored beard, Scarlett couldn't help thinking of his family history in his previous life—after the Confederacy surrendered, the train loaded with supplies stopped in Atlanta, and those supplies legally belonged to the Yankees, but no one cared about them.Frank rented a small shop, moved all these things there and sold them cheaply. Because it was a business without capital, he gradually made a lot of money.What a lucky fool!Scarlett thought that she must get a share of this business in her life, and the smile on her face became even sweeter.By the way, isn't there a warehouse in Meili's name next to the Atlanta railroad?

Thinking about his thoughts, time passed quickly.Meili asked Frank again about Honey and Indy, and asked them if they had any news about Ashley. Ellen also asked about which direction there was no Yankee army. She planned to let Polk drive out to buy some food with gold coins. High prices are fine too.There is no food these days, and we can't rely entirely on Scarlett's treasures.Frank answered one by one, but the news was mostly disappointing.Without any definite news, Ellen couldn't let Polk take the risk.Afterwards, the girls proposed to sing Christmas carols on the piano, and the soldiers agreed one after another. Only Frank Kennedy stayed to speak alone with Ellen and Gerald.Scarlett was worried that he was going to ask about Tara's food storage for collection, and she lingered at the door trying to eavesdrop, but Su Ailun gave her a blank stare.Meili smiled and took Scarlett's hand and dragged her away. Only then did Scarlett realize that Frank was going to propose marriage to the O'Hara's family in private.No wonder Su Alan's eyes are full of tenderness, her face is flushed, and she is actually a bit pretty--Scarlett reluctantly admitted, but she is still happy for Su Alan, after all, this is good news for Tara.

After obtaining the consent of Gerald and Ellen, Frank proposed to Su Allen that night, and Su Allen agreed shyly.It's a pity that the two agreed to get married after the end of the war, which made Scarlett, who was determined to marry her sister, very regretful.

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In April of the following year, General Johnson, who regained command, led the remnants of the Confederacy to surrender to the Union Army in North Carolina, and the war ended.But word didn't reach Tara until two weeks later.The people who brought the news were the two returned Fontaine brothers, Alex and Tony.The two brothers had only one pair of shoes, and had been exposed to the wind and rain for more than four years. They were dark and thin, and their beards were so unkempt that they were almost unrecognizable.

They hurried back to Mimosa, stopping only at Tara to kiss the girls and report the surrender.It's over, they both said, it's all over, and they don't seem to care about it and don't want to talk about it.All they wanted to know was whether the Mimosa estate had been burned down by the Yankees.On the way back from Atlanta to the south, they saw that there were only one chimney after another left in the homes of their former friends, so they didn't dare to hope that their home could escape the catastrophe.When they heard that their hometown was still there, the two brothers breathed a sigh of relief.Scarlett told them how Sally galloped past Tara with the news of the Yankees, and how she jumped over her fence, and they both slapped their thighs and laughed.

"Sally is really brave." Tony said, "Unfortunately, her Joe was killed in battle."

Scarlett probably remembered that Sally remarried to one of the two brothers later, so she didn't care too much: "That's really unfortunate. Tony, are you going to smoke some cigarettes? Dad's rabbit cigarettes packed in corncobs. "

"Oh, oh!" Alex yelled strangely, and Tony punched him quickly, seeing that Scarlett's face darkened again.Scarlett suddenly remembered that she was still an unmarried woman—hell, she was buried in farm work all day and almost forgot, and the gang of boys before the war were all chasing her.Thinking of the time before the war, Scarlett couldn't help feeling sad.And Tony had already shot back angrily: "Scarlett, how is Miss Dimiter Munro? God—Alex missed her all the way."

Scarlett laughed. "Oh, of course she didn't marry any brave colonel in the Self-Defense Forces. Don't worry, Alex."

Alex was a little shy, but in an instant his face showed exactly the same sadness as Tony just now: "Maybe it would be better if she married. What the hell—forgive me, Scarlett, a handsome man can't even pay a penny." Come out, how can you ask a girl to marry a beggar?"

Scarlett reassured him, saying that the whole county was in the same situation and no one cared about it, but everyone's interest was obviously not back to the previous one.Not long after, the two brothers bid her farewell, and took the trail back to Mimosa Manor.When Scarlett walked into the house, she found that the girls who had slipped away one by one gathered in Ellen's study sobbing, mourning their lost friends and the great cause of the South, and shedding tears for the collapse of their dreams.Scarlett stood at the door and listened silently for a moment without joining in.She turned and left.

"Anyway," she thought to herself, "the war is over, and everyone can start planting cotton in peace. The worst days are over, although the future won't be much easier—anyway, Rhett and Ashley They're all coming back!"

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The surrender of the army dealt a fatal blow to the southerners. Gerald became silent, and Karin became more dazed, as if the war for which they had sacrificed and lost had taken away everything.

Scarlett didn't know how to comfort them, and had no time to do so.April is the season of spring plowing, and the family is extremely busy.With mom around, there is no need to worry about dad's mind. On this point, Scarlett has almost blind trust in Ellen.She generously took out the gold coins she had hidden before (a portion was confiscated by the Yankees, but the loss was acceptable) and handed it to Polk, telling him to drive to Macon to buy as much food and clothing as possible.She sold the seeds that her family couldn't sow to her neighbors (in the form of gifts, of course, but how could the neighbors let her suffer) so that they could continue to produce--Scarlett thought regretfully, if a few more Black slave, the seeds she prepared will not produce more.

She took the niggers down to the fields and even worked herself, knowing that the extent of farming in the first year after the war would set the tone for Tara's rebuilding, so she did her best.She told Polk that if the road conditions were reassuring, it would be best if he could lead the animals back, and spend the gold coins given him boldly, as long as she had enough supplies to help Tara rebuild.Knowing that the war is over, the residents will soon be able to buy daily necessities normally again, and Scarlett is no longer stingy with the portion of each meal, and the supply of stored food has been opened, and Tara is rarely full since the war.

"When autumn comes, our cotton should be piled up to the sky!" She encouraged everyone like this more than once.But she also muttered in her heart more than once, if only there were more people!

This idea came to a head when she visited Pine Flower Manor and met Catherine.

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Cade Calvert has returned to Pine Flowers.Scarlett climbed the steps of his house, came to the house where she used to dance, and found Cade looking haggard and dead.He was sitting in an easy chair in the sun, with a shawl over his legs, coughing.When he saw Scarlett he insisted on getting up to welcome her, saying that he had only a cold in the chest from sleeping in the rain, but that he would soon be well enough to help the house then.

Catherine Calvert came out of the room upon hearing the sound, and met Scarlett's eyes over her brother's head, and Scarlett saw deep despair in her eyes.Cade may not know it, but the younger sister knows it in her heart.The Pine Flower Manor was overgrown with weeds and desolate, and pine saplings appeared in the fields.The house was also in a mess, and Catherine described it as emaciated.

The brother and sister lived in this deserted house with their Yankee stepmother, four younger half-sisters and the Yankee overseer Hilton.Scarlett had never liked Hilton, and now seeing him strutting over to greet her with an air of being equal to her, Scarlett hated him even more.Once upon a time, Hilton was like Jonathan Wilkerson, servile and arrogant.Now that Mr. Calvert and Rayford had died on the battlefield, and Cade was sick again, he became more and more complacent, and did not take his master's family seriously.Scarlett thought of how Catherine was tortured after marrying him in her previous life, and she didn't have any kind words towards Jonathan.

"Mr. Hilton is a good man, we couldn't get by without him," Mrs. Calvert said repeatedly.Scarlett noticed that the pale faces of Cade and Catherine turned red, and she realized that they had to owe the Yankee overseer, and she felt angry.She barely managed a few words from Mrs. Calvert, and walked down the corridor holding Catherine's arm as before, but the two of them obviously had nothing to talk about.

Catherine was wearing a faded plaid skirt that only maids used to wear, her face was pale, her expression was dull, and her steps were also stiff.Scarlett tried hard to find a topic, and as soon as she expressed her concern to Cade, Catherine said coldly that he could not last long.

"That's really—" Scarlett said uncertainly, "but old Doctor Fontaine is back, maybe we can ask him to have a look."

"It's useless." Catherine answered her, her eyes downcast. "Dr. Fontaine was here last week, and Cade can't help it."

Scarlett felt sorry for her: "Catherine, don't be too sad." She suddenly remembered about Hilton, and decided to remind her even though it was inappropriate, "Hilton, the supervisor of your family, doesn't look right at you, Catherine, you..." She Just as she was about to remind Catherine Hilton that she was not a good man, unexpectedly Catherine took a deep breath and immediately raised her head to look at her.After a long time, he smiled wryly: "So you all saw it."

Scarlett couldn't help being surprised, but fortunately Catherine was immersed in her own emotions and continued talking on her own, without paying attention to her: "So you've all seen it—" She suddenly sneered, her eyes were stern, as if to herself The situation seemed indifferent, and the voice sounded strange, "I'm planning to marry Mr. Hilton—don't scream, and don't pity me, Scarlett. I won't be able to bear it."

Scarlett then listened to her in silence.

"Cade is dying." Catherine didn't have any expression on her face, "I have to find a way to make him die peacefully, so I don't have to worry about who will take care of me when he dies. You must know that my stepmother plans to take her with her in two days. daughter to go back north. Well, that's it, nothing else."

It took Scarlett a long time to find her voice: "But, Catherine, have you ever thought about your future?"