[Gone with the Wind] Back to the beginning

Although Scarlett was dissatisfied with Ritter and left halfway, curiosity eventually prevailed.

It had been a long time since Rhett had been at a gathering in the Atlanta social scene.And even if you meet a classy person on the street, they just nod coldly and reluctantly. It doesn't make sense that Tara can suddenly blend in with everyone—or what happened in the few days she left Atlanta?

For the next ten minutes or so, Belle Rises didn't bother to go to Rhett's side.As a bridesmaid and the eldest daughter of the master's family, she smiled and shuttled around the living room to entertain the guests like a flower and a butterfly, while secretly paying attention to their conversation.When people saw her, they greeted her warmly and came up to talk and laugh.When Scarlett saw Tommy Welburne, he was holding a bouquet, which she had just thrown, in his hands, somewhat absurdly.The neckline of his clothes looked a little messy, and he seemed a little embarrassed.But Scarlett was so focused on Rhett's mysterious performance that she didn't notice anything more.She chatted casually with Tommy and then went to the other side.

After a quick turn, Scarlett found to her dismay that she hadn't gained much.Now everyone's talking is focused on Tara's wedding, and no one mentions Butler's news at all.She couldn't help curling her lips, and looked over a row of decorative pine branches, and there she saw Mrs. Merriwether and several other ladies talking passionately, and there seemed to be disputes.And Rhett Butler was holding a wine glass in his hand, listening quietly not far away with a smile that was enough to be called respectful.

Scarlett's eyes widened involuntarily.

She pushed her way hastily, just in time to hear Mrs. Merriwether's voice sharpen in rebuttal:

"...Come on! It's not like you don't know how soft-hearted Mei Li is, and she is willing to look out for the good of others. Can speculators like that be changed? Have you all forgotten how he slandered Southern Daye? I don't believe it anyway. !"

The ladies whispered and discussed Mrs. Merriwether's views.Mrs. Meade now stood up and retorted:

"But Meili advised us to believe him in her letter. She said that Captain Butler joined the army later, and she and Scarlett even met his comrades in arms! That young man praised him so much, Meili couldn't possibly lie... "

"anyway……"

In the end it seemed that Mrs. Merriwether's side had the upper hand. Mrs. Meade didn't necessarily like Rhett very much, so she was eager to find more arguments for her words.She turned her head and grabbed Rhett Butler, and tried to turn her tone from being arrogant and mean:

"Mr. Butler—I suppose you'd like to talk to us about your heroic military career?"

But Rhett didn't seem to notice the maliciousness in her mouth, and he rubbed his hands a little uneasily.He is well dressed today.Butler said dryly: "Well, I guess that's not something to brag about, I'm afraid I—"

"Look, dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Merriwether, with a wink in her eye, "he can't tell!"

Rhett Butler didn't justify himself.He just sighed softly, looked a little sad, then bowed to the ladies with shame on his face, and walked away on his own.

So the ladies resumed their discussion.

"I think he's about to cry..."

"How is this possible...don't be stupid!"

"But he seems to be very sincere. If he really worked for the Confederacy, he really shouldn't have said that before!"

Hearing this, coupled with Rhett's previous demeanor, even the most determined Mrs. Merriwether was shaken.

"Okay, okay." She said reluctantly, "Who is going to find out his unit number? I can write to the officer and ask if there is such a person among the soldiers..."

"Dolly, you are wonderful!"

There was another whisper, but Scarlett hadn't bothered to listen, in fact her heart was pounding with the new discovery.Rhett Butler, doesn't look like he's trying to ruin his image anymore -- why?

Scarlett, of course, remembers Rhett's faux pas of playing "the hero of the blockade" during the war, but he got tired of the game shortly thereafter and deliberately played it (doubly badly) for himself.Such previous convictions made Scarlett unable to judge whether this was another game played by Rhett, or did she really have the idea of ​​improving her image?Scarlett hoped it had something to do with her, but she couldn't help muttering.Although she is full of courage, it does not mean that she is willing to experience disappointment many times - she has established a self-protection mechanism when she is not clearly aware of it, but this is reflected in another way. The performance in this aspect really made her sad (she didn't want to mention the word disappointment, after all, she was full of hope to go back to the past).

In the next few hours, Scarlett didn't talk to Rhett again, and the other party seemed to have no intention of communicating with her for the time being, and only occasionally cast a few smiling eyes.But Scarlett still looked up at Rhett from time to time between talking with others, almost watching him closely.I have to admit that his performance today is indeed stable and decent, personable, and very humble in dealing with people, even for those who have always been unfriendly to him.Scarlett felt a little uneasy happiness, but at the same time more worries were fed back.She wasn't sure if her mother had noticed her abnormality, but she certainly couldn't think of anything more right now.

Therefore, when the wedding banquet was about to end, Scarlett returned to her room, changed into a light green calico skirt after a brief wash, quietly walked around the hall where many people were drinking and laughing, and left the tower. Pull the door.

It is May, and the wind is very comfortable at night.Scarlett wasn't cold without a cloak—perhaps Mammy would growl about it.She was taking a walk in the moonlight, and the silence outside was in stark contrast to the noise just now.In the quiet night, the mind seems to have a voice, which can be clearly heard.While walking, Scarlett recalled what happened just now, thought of the expression on Ellen's face when he and Rhett exchanged greetings, thought of the meaning of Rhett's behavior, and thought of her sister's blessing and grand wedding. In short, she felt lonely.By this time she had gone a long way.

Suddenly Scarlett found herself on the long tree-lined avenue, a place she had loved so much.To get back to Tara from Jonesboro, you have to go through the climb here, and then you can see the whole picture of White Manor gradually appearing.In summer, this boulevard will be very cool and refreshing.And she used to ride here a lot—with Gerald, with Ashley, with the twins . . .

In a piece of memory, distant memories suddenly flowed back, breaking through all her defenses with a force that Peng Bai couldn't stop.Scarlett never liked to look back at the past, because it seemed meaningless and made people suffer instead.But now, in the soft, still moonlight, the memory of the Tarleton twins--the memory of the last time she had seen them--was all revived.It was here, here, that they were racing.They were all red-haired, with long arms and legs, and had loud, happy laughs.The sun shines on the ground through the gaps in the branches and leaves. Brent is riding a reddish-brown rooster, and Stuart's is black with mottled hair. Yangyang, waiting for Scarlett riding a white mare to catch up...

She will never catch up with them.

It is here.

It's only when you start thinking about old friends that you realize how much you've lost.Then you will be amazed how one can go on living in such a situation and most of the time as if nothing happened.Forgetting might really work.But when Scarlett recalls a race with her twin brother, other memories of riding come back.

"Ellen, watch me jump over this fence!" Gerald yelled in a high-pitched manner, but the horse flinched suddenly, and the old man fell headfirst, with his neck broken in an unnatural position... In a gorgeous manor with a mix of styles and the taste of nouveau riche at first glance, a little girl with black curly hair is riding lightly on the back of a pony, galloping the horse, her blue eyes are shining..." No, Bonnie, no!" cried Scarlett in despair, her little body frozen.

She fell to the ground all of a sudden, sweating coldly.

It had been too long, too long without recalling these pasts, so when the pain came again, Scarlett was almost defenseless.Then she immediately told herself that there would never be a second time in this life that Gerald and Bonnie fell to their deaths from a horse, and she would definitely do everything possible to tie them up... No, this hasn't happened yet... ...Only Brother Tarleton...never coming back.

There was a sob between his fingers.

Scarlett thought of many people, including Charles Hamilton, whose face had long been blurred (again).At the beginning of her rebirth, she knew that she could not save everyone, and she also suffered from the loss of her friends again, and then she made up her mind to cherish those who must be protected... Ellen, Gerald, Rui Te, Melanie, Bonnie... But she didn't seem to realize until now that the second death of those people was twice as painful for her.Because the first time she left everything behind and never thought about it, now she wanted to make up for all the regrets, but that was impossible... She thought of all her wishes for rebirth.Since not everything is remedied by rebirth, what about Rhett Butler?Why did she think that he would belong to her?Will her persistence and confidence be blind?She wouldn't have... Scarlett couldn't think about it.Moonlight always seemed to make her vulnerable.

"Scarlett," someone called softly.Scarlett turned her head, and Catherine's face became clear under the moonlight.