[Gone with the Wind] Back to the beginning

Because it was a temporary decision to come back, I didn't send a letter to my family before, and no one came to pick me up at the station.As soon as the train stopped, Scarlett calmly picked up the light luggage and got off the train.Stepping on the familiar red land made her feel kind, but thinking of the purpose of this trip, Scarlett's brisk steps slowed down again.

She's going back to have a serious talk with her mother, Ellen O'Hara.Scarlett was very convinced that what she had to do was not to simply let Ellen accept her changes, but...to make her at least to a certain extent agree with herself.It was very difficult, Scarlett knew, but this step had to be taken sooner or later.They are close relatives who cannot live without understanding each other and merely enduring each other's ideas.She had to... really show her heart, at least part of it, to her mother to believe that she had just found another way of life, and that way of life had its own justification.What's more... Scarlett vaguely realized in her heart that maybe she also needed Ellen's words very much, especially when she was exhausted by the atmosphere in Atlanta and Jonathan's targeting.Perhaps it was barely a good thing to have Jonathan focus on her instead of Tara?Scarlett thought wearily.

This probably explains the delay in her memory of Tony Fontaine killing Jonathan and fleeing.Scarlett didn't remember the specific details of her previous life very clearly. In short, Tony's killing Jonathan must have been the trigger for something that bastard did.Now that Jonathan is still in Atlanta, the chances of this happening again are getting smaller and smaller.She still had to face the threat of Jonathan Wilkerson head-on—a realization that weighed heavily on her heart.

In March, the light blue and long sky covered the surrounding fields, and the station that was burned in the war is now just a dark wooden shed, with no shelter on all sides.A few thin, saddled mules and horses were tied to stakes, and the dusty red dirt road was empty.A few strange calls came from a dilapidated tavern in the distance, breaking the vast silence.Jonesboro is pretty much the same as she left it—yes, who has the spare cash to spruce up the station these days?Why do the Yankees care about this!The cinders on the railway spread far away, and Scarlett could hear the creaking sound when she stepped on it.After walking a few steps, Scarlett realized that the creaking sound in her ears was not a solo, and looking back, Alex Fontaine was carrying a bag of oats, crossing the railway and walking towards a cart.

"God, it's you, Scarlett!" Alex dropped the sack and ran over to grab her, a look of joy appeared on his dark and miserable face, "It's good to see you, you just came back from Atlanta? Why is there no one there?" catch?"

Scarlett smiled at him. After all, she was happy to see an acquaintance: "I plan to buy a mule to ride back. Last time Will complained about the lack of manpower during the busy farming season and didn't want to delay the family affairs. I made a little money in Atlanta."

"That's great," said Alex awkwardly, with a look of genuine joy for her. "It's better to have some money to help the family. But then again, Scarlett, you look so changed."

"Really?" Scarlett was in a trance, "Where?"

Alex looked quite embarrassed: "I can't tell, but it should be a good thing, since your life is much better now."

Alex didn't know how to describe Scarlett now—the tenderness and coquettishness that had come naturally to her was gone, replaced by a grim, determined expression, even when she smiled sincerely.With piercing green eyes reminiscent of a cat hunting for food in the dark, she is like an unsheathed, coldly shining sword.This sword may have been hidden before, but now that it is out of its sheath, there is absolutely no possibility of taking it back.She is still a beauty, but very different from her previous beauty!What Alex didn't know was that under normal circumstances, Scarlett wasn't so cruel, but now was the toughest moment after the cold war between her and Rhett Butler!

Scarlett had mixed feelings about Alex's words. Before she could figure out how to answer him, Alex had already shouted happily: "Tony! Tony, look who this is!"

His dark-faced, fiery little brother, Tony Fontaine, appeared on the other side of the tracks, sweating profusely, his black hair wet to his face, his coat undone, and his eyes blazing with joy at the sight of Scarlett. shine.He also rushed over to greet her, shook hands with a smile and praised her for still being beautiful.

Scarlett looked at her best friend she hadn't seen for a long time—suddenly ashamed that she had expected him to kill Jonathan Wilkerson and go on the run.Yes, someone must stand up and bear the fate of rebelling against the Yankees and the rebels, but she can't take everything for granted because of the memory of her previous life.It's a good thing that Tony can stay, Jonathan's is another matter.No matter what, she can always face new challenges of fate, the important thing is that everyone is still by her side.She flashed a genuine smile.

"Hey, Tony," said Scarlett softly. "It's all going well—hope you're doing well."

--------------

The Fontaine brothers enthusiastically accompanied Scarlett to pick out mules. In their words, even though they had no money to buy them, it would be nice to have a look at them.Scarlett was grateful to them.Then she bid farewell to the two brothers and rode back to Tara on the mule they had carefully chosen.

It was just after one o'clock in the afternoon, and Tara had just had lunch.The first person Scarlett saw when she entered the door was Catherine Calvert who was cleaning up the dishes. She warmly embraced Catherine, whose complexion seemed to have improved. , Karin and even Sue Ellen's kisses.The girls huddled together and confided their thoughts to each other, and Mammy turned to serve the dried apples, shouting that Miss Scarlett must be hungry.

Scarlett learned from the sisters that Ellen is currently taking care of a sick black man in the black cabin—God bless, it’s not typhoid or something.While Gerald and Will were working the field, Ashley kept the books in Ellen's counting office.Scarlett asked Pork, who had just returned from chopping wood, to lead the mule to tie it up, and he immediately followed suit with surprise and joy, as if he saw something like the revival of the manor in the mule.Scarlett wanted to see if she could help, but was immediately restrained by Meili and Catherine.Mammy insisted that Scarlett go to bed first, but Scarlett had too many things to care about—how much cotton had been planted, how well the chickens and pigs were growing, how much the fence had been repaired.Ah, and how much Beau has grown, and how well Sue Ellen and Karin's wedding dress is doing!All kinds of miscellaneous things immediately flooded into her brain, making her sleepless at all.Even though she knew that it was all being handled now, Scarlett couldn't talk herself out of busywork, which she was used to.

She was almost forced to sit on a chair, eat a stewed apple, and listen to countless concerned greetings.Xiaobo is one and a half years old, and was forced into Scarlett's hands by Meili; Sue Allen and Karin also wanted to take Scarlett to see the wedding dress they made. Meili learned from her mouth that Dr. Meade's speech also spread to the county because of it.Catherine showed Scarlett her cocooned hands shyly and proudly—she was also working hard so that the manor would not regret taking her in.All in all, everything looked too good to be true.

But a moment of happiness cannot last forever, and everyone has their own things to do.Scarlett finished packing and went down the stairs.She wasn't used to being idle, so she decided to find something to do for herself.She remembered that she hadn't greeted Ashley—probably he was too absorbed and didn't hear the previous movement, so she walked in the direction of the cashier.

The door was ajar, which made Scarlett even more surprised that Ashley hadn't moved at all before.She pushed the door open while calling Ashley's name, but what she saw inside the door surprised her.

Ashley was standing at the window, his gray eyes gazing out to the end of the moor, and his face looked melancholy and uncertain, with an inscrutable determination.His blond hair was much more shiny than before, but he was still very calm, and he held a letter in his pale fingers.He turned to Scarlett and smiled.

"Scarlett, you're back."

"Ashley?" Scarlett said his name with some hesitation, and then sat down on the sofa facing him, "Are you okay? I thought you were..."

"You came just in time," Ashley said, as if he hadn't paid attention to her words before, and now he just came out of the illusion, "I have something to tell you, I mean, I just made up my mind-- I'm going to go."

"Let's go?" Scarlett jumped up from the sofa in surprise, and stood face to face with Ashley who was coming.Her face was full of undisguised surprise, "Ashley, where are you going? No—why are you leaving? Why don't you keep it?"

In an instant, Ashley's pale and tired face in the orchard came to mind, and Scarlett remembered his words at that time, "Of course I understand that you are kind enough to take us in, but I can't just pretend to be ignorant and accept it... I consider After a long time, I plan to leave."And what Will had said to her in a small talk not too long ago, when Will said:

"This isn't their home...Ashley's been thinking so much about it, it's not his home. He doesn't think he can work and support himself. He sucks at farm work, he understands. In good conscience, he Tried his best, but he wasn't made for it. Don't blame him. But he's an imposing man, living in Tara with his wife and kids, living off the kindness of his neighbors with nothing to give in return. Nice."

How did Scarlett answer back then?Oh, by the way, she said, "But what's there to think about? Mei Li is in such a poor state, they have to keep it. Ashley is just too worried, and no one blames him at all." And she is doing the same to Ah now. Shili said.

"Ashley, there's no reason for you to go. You're always too preoccupied--but you'd help us just as well if Tara was in trouble wouldn't you? Don't think too much of it, we'd all love you to live here. "

A gleam of pain flashed across Ashley's face.

"No, don't say that, Scarlett," he begged in a low voice. "It's not that, it's not my pride—I mean, I've got to go. I can't live on someone else forever, not even for Merry." No. I have to find myself a job..."

"Job!" exclaimed Scarlett happily, thinking the problem was over. "Job, it's not easy! Ashley, I thought you were going somewhere. Come back to Atlanta, and I can help you." Get a job. We're friends after all!" But, what kind of work could Ashley do?He managed the store in a mess in the previous life, Scarlett thought hard, otherwise, she would stop renting Meili's store and give Ashley back in advance to let him open a bookstore or something.People who buy books can't lie to him on credit, right?She cheered up. "Ashley, you must go to Atlanta. I can..."

"Stop it!" he snapped, realizing his impoliteness, and covered his face with his hands, "God...Scarlett, it's not this, it's not this." He was distracted As she spoke, she suddenly stood up and went back to the window, with her back turned to her, leaving Scarlett with a bewildered expression.Scarlett stared at the back, and found that his shoulders were trying to straighten, as if against some heavy burden.He took several deep breaths, and when he opened his mouth again, his breathing was steady.

"You still don't understand what I mean, Scarlett." He said slowly, with a gentle and sad tone, "You are so kind in wanting to help me and Mei Li, so I shouldn't be ungrateful. Belle, if I may ask—" he asked suddenly, "it's all about Meili, isn't it? I'm glad you're all doing well now, and that you care so much about her."

Scarlett was inexplicably embarrassed, because the main reason she wanted to keep Ashley so much was because she was worried about Melanie's body. After all, Melanie's miscarriage and death in her previous life cast a deep shadow on her. As for Ashley, it was the second time. wanted.

If there is no answer, it is acquiescence. Ashley smiled slightly: "That's really great."

Needless to say, both of them clearly refer to the fact that Scarlett came out of her unrequited love for Ashley and became friends with Mei Li.Scarlett could not hear any regret in Ashley's tone, but only a touch of emotion.She was in a trance, thinking of the last time in her previous life, the Ashley Wilkes who cried like a child in front of Mei Li after she died, and understood that this man never belonged to her, even if she was confused for a moment.Now this is really the best ending.

Then Ashley's words brought Scarlett into reality, and the pale, tired man said in a calm voice:

"I have decided to go to work in the north."