[Gone with the Wind] Back to the beginning

Seeing that Scarlett changed the subject to ask about the situation of old friends, Peterpat showed joy, and his baby face was no longer full of tears.The old aunt suddenly counted the things about the old neighbor with great interest.

"You mean Mrs. Merriwether and Mabel? They've been back a long time ago, yes, yes, and René's back too, selling the Yankees every day with little pies baked by his mother-in-law and his wife. Oh, what a shame! I don't want to gossip about them, but I wouldn't deal with the Yankees even if I starved to death! The Meades are huddled in the attic of the Elsings, and Mrs. Meade says Darcy and Phil are dead , she doesn't want to build a new house anymore. Alas, what a pity, Mrs. Elsing and Fanny sleep in the living room, and Hugh goes to the top floor to save space for the tenants... Hugh's child can only be sold on the street now Matches! Oh, he's going to be a lawyer!"

Pete babbled on and on about these things, and was self-righteous.Scarlett braced herself and listened, while quietly bringing the topic to the place of real concern, secretly anxious in her heart.

"The world is so chaotic now, shouldn't there be lawsuits?"

"It's true, but who can pay for it! Hugh has to earn money to support his family—oh, yes! Scarlett, I'm sure I haven't told you?" The old lady slapped her thigh suddenly, "Speaking of lawsuits Right now, there is the biggest one." She lowered her voice and looked extremely excited, "Captain Butler has been arrested and sent to prison!"

"Rhett Butler!" Scarlett's heart skipped a beat, as soon as nothing happened to Rhett's trip to prison in her previous life, but hearing her sweetheart's name associated with the prison is never pleasant.Scarlett hurriedly asked, "Good aunt, what happened? What did Captain Butler do? How could he be sent to prison!" At the same time, she compared the vague memories in her mind.

"It's not him!" Aunt Pete blushed with excitement, and straightened her body. "He's in jail right now. It's absolutely true. Oh, maybe he will be sentenced for killing a black man." He's hanged! Come to think of it, Captain Butler hanged!"

For a moment the old lady noticed that Scarlett was pale and almost breathless.Seeing that her words had extraordinary effects, she became more and more proud.But before she could continue speaking, Scarlett stood up uncontrollably: "How can you say that about him!"

Aunt Pete was taken aback, and seeing Scarlett's green eyes widen, she curled her lips reluctantly, and said very aggrieved: "Oh, Scarlett, how could you be so cruel to your aunt? It's the truth! Captain Butler is about to be hanged—it wasn't my idea."

Scarlett's nails pierced her palms fiercely, and she didn't listen to what Aunt Pitt's mouth was opening and closing.All she knew was—suddenly, Scarlett found herself hating the old fool.Why did she—oh, why did she say that?Who gave her the qualifications!Listen, she thinks Rhett's going to be hanged, but she's only making fun of it!For a split second, Scarlett was so angry, so sad, because of Rhett.I still remember how many gifts Rhett brought to Pete during the war—although the purpose was to get close to Scarlett.But when they turned around, people still didn't regard him as a good friend, and they still watched him being hanged with a smile.Yes, Scarlett's memories from her previous life kept reminding her that Rhett was safe this time, but what about others?If Rhett Butler was really going to be hanged, wouldn't anyone sincerely feel sorry for him but her, Scarlett O'Hara?

Scarlett felt her eyes water a little, which made her whisper an obscenity.

"Damn it! Rhett won't take my gestures--he'll laugh at me, laugh at me and say he doesn't care what the good people think, and pretend I'm nice to him. But doesn't he care at all?" ?”

Seeing Pete's chubby face full of anxiety, Scarlett felt bored for a while.This old fool, living on the protection of others, is also conceited.Regardless of her previous life or this life, she, Scarlett, and many others were struggling on the red clay together, but she was still naive like a fool!Scarlett doesn't understand why others are willing to maintain this innocence, if it's Meili's understanding, it's all right, but Peter is clearly childlike and ignorant.Scarlett felt wronged for Rhett, even though she knew he was not at ease.Moreover, she thought of herself, and thought that it was the food she had worked so hard to save everyone, but everyone liked Meili more—of course she didn't blame Meili for taking Tara's food as a favor, but look Seeing Meili who was loved by everyone, Scarlett spread her scarred hands, feeling a little bit of grievance and unwillingness no matter what. This was one of the reasons why she hated Meili so strongly in her previous life.Scarlett, who is covered in mud and completely depraved, is of course not loved, but of course she hopes to be understood.

Rhett understood her, the thought crossed his mind.Rhett understands her, that's enough, and the situation in this life may not be as bad as the previous one.Scarlett slowly loosened her grip on the dress, and she also knew Rhett, knowing that the man would not be so easily crushed.He has her trust and understanding no matter what, doesn't he?Everything will be fine.

"No, Aunt Pete, I'm too sad to say anything." An apologetic and anxious look reappeared on her face, and Scarlett understood that she had to deal with Pete well, or she would be in endless trouble, and she had to Confirm the specific situation as soon as possible, "Tell me, what happened to him? Auntie."

"I forgot to write to tell you that he came back last week," said the old lady pouting, looking furtively at Scarlett, hesitating whether to go on or complain, until the desire to gossip overwhelmed everything. "The case hasn't been clarified yet. Someone killed a nigger who insulted a white woman. The Yankees panicked and captured Captain Butler. Recently, many bullying niggers have been killed. Dr. Meade said they wanted to make an example. Said the Yankees had to hang Rhett for their first good deed, Scarlett, the doctor said that first! By the way, Captain Butler came to my place a few days ago and gave me a cute one. Quail. He's asking me about you!"

"What did Rhett say?" Scarlett hurriedly asked.

"He said he offended you, and I don't know if you'll forgive him. I told him you'd been in Atlanta before, and you'd borrowed Uncle Peter on an errand, though I couldn't figure it out. Captain Butler went to Peter Uncle muttered for a while, then came back with a smile on his face and said that he knew everything, although Uncle Peter was angry... Ah, Scarlett, don’t you like him?” Aunt Pete suddenly patted her head and said, as if she felt that she had discovered The truth about Scarlett's gaffe just now, "Baby, really? God, don't get involved with this kind of person. Although he paid attention to you in the war, I thought you didn't put him in it." In my eyes, after all, there were so many boys chasing you before the war, and Butler had such a bad reputation...God, if you are really with him, how should I explain to your mother!" She burst into tears in anxiety.

"Nothing—" Scarlett reluctantly replied, but her mind was not on it, and she let Pete walk up and down nervously.There are already a lot of troubles now, and the difficulty of bringing up the marriage to my mother is even more troublesome.Thinking of how her mother reminded her boyfriend before leaving home, alas, I really want to tell the truth desperately.

Scarlett remembered that the real reason for Rhett's imprisonment this time was that the authorities were greedy for his wealth, which was exactly the same as the reason for him hiding abroad before.The matter of the black people is just a cover, and now the KKK members are running around everywhere, taking advantage of the night to teach the baggers and black people who bully others, and after intimidation, they kill.In Scarlett's eyes, their behavior was certainly a relief, but the high-pressure revenge from the Yankees was not worth the loss.Tommy, who drove her back not long ago, died in the 3K Klan's revenge for her. Of course, Scarlett didn't want to cause these things in her life, but the 3K KKK's deeds still gave her some headaches.

Aunt Pete next to her was still muttering, trying to convince Scarlett what an inappropriate choice she was.

"Honey, there's a lot I haven't told you. Captain Butler was such a sensation the day he came back to Atlanta, the whole town was buzzing. He rode a fine horse, drove a fine cart, and had a pocket full of money." .We all have a good meal, and this opportunist who always talks bad about the Confederacy is so fat. I asked him how he got the money, but he just laughed and said, "Anyway. It’s just that the road is not right’, you know he never has a serious word.”

If Rhett wants to come back, he will definitely be targeted by the Yankees, and it will be a matter of time before he goes to prison, so he might as well attack first.It is Rhett's style to be provocative and high-profile, and Scarlett is more assured of his judgment that there will be no major incidents this time.

"Scarlett, Tara is poor like us, isn't she? There is a big family. You see Captain Butler is so rich, and he has a very good life. But he doesn't even look at you except to ask questions. Wow. Anyway, I don't think Captain Butler is very reliable."

He went to see her to cause her trouble, and now Tara gave Jonathan too many tricks?Scarlett cursed to herself.This made Butler seem prescient, and he was—she admitted reluctantly.

"He spends the money he earns from running the blockade as he likes. Besides, even if he goes, can I let him come to my parents?"

"Oh, it's more than that!" Aunt Pete became excited again. "Everyone says he owed a lot of money to the Confederate government. It's true! Think about it, when President Davis was caught No money, nothing left in the treasury, but the money has to go somewhere! As far as I can see, it was taken by the blockade guys, and Butler was one of them. Didn't he ship some money for the Confederacy? Are thousands of bales of cotton sold in England and Nassau? The free agents working for the Confederacy should have sold the cotton to buy arms, and then shipped the arms back to us. But then the blockade was too strict, and the arms could not be shipped. The money for selling cotton Not even one percent was spent. So Butler and other blockade businessmen deposited the money in the Bank of England, hoping to wait for the blockade to be loosened. Of course, they can't deposit money in the name of the Confederacy. , will be confiscated directly! The money must still be well hidden in the bank now... After the South surrendered, everyone was talking about this kind of thing. Those who ran the blockade were really bad. The Yankees probably heard the rumors, I just ignored him and threw him into the big prison, but Butler didn't know he killed him. But the gallows of the Yankees is not a joke! Oh, Scarlett, why do you look so ugly?"

"Where is he locked up?" Scarlett managed to find her voice, "If there is such money, I don't see much difference between the speculators and the Yankees, and maybe the former is better. "

"Ouch, what's that! But who knows—he's locked up in the firehouse near the square, isn't he, the Yankees use that as a cell now because they've got too many people to fit in the prison?" There was a joke told to me yesterday, Butler was making a fuss about taking a bath, you know he's always well-dressed, it's a hell of a crime to be locked up! Then they took him to the manger in the square, Yankee He refused to go to the place where the soldiers bathed, saying that he would rather stay in the dirt of the south than smell of the Yankees..."

"Okay, aunt." After getting the information she wanted, Scarlett quickly interrupted her chatter, and said with a sweet smile, "Didn't you just say that Mrs. Bonnell invited you to talk in the afternoon? It would be too rude to accompany me." No. I'm a little tired too, let me go upstairs and rest for a while."

"Look at my brain!" Aunt Pete patted her head, "That's right, I'm so sorry, baby, I didn't prepare for your rush, or I would have stayed. Oh, let's not talk, Go up and rest quickly! You must be exhausted after such a journey... I have to go too!"

An hour later, the green-eyed beauty sat up in bed when she heard the door shut when Aunt Pitt left.