Chapter 8 Chapter VII

President Paul Ellison put down the conclusion of a recent safety investigation into Mary Ashley, saying, "There's nothing wrong with her, Stan." "I know. She's such a perfect candidate. Of course, the State Department is going to be annoyed." "Let's just send some tear towels. I just hope the Senate doesn't go against the grain." Mary Ashley's office in Kadger Hall was small but elegant.There are bookshelves along the walls, full of reference books about Central European countries, not much furniture, a large desk and a swivel chair.A small square table was placed in front of the window, full of students' examination papers.There are ladder rungs on the back of the chair and a lamp on the table.On the wall behind the desk hangs a photograph of Mary's grandfather, taken at the turn of the century, standing stiffly, with an unnatural expression and old fashioned clothes.This photo is of one of Mary's treasures.All of Mary's curiosity about what's going on in country A was instilled in her grandfather.Her grandfather told her many anecdotes and romantic affairs.What is the romance of Queen Mary, the baroness and the princesses; the husband Albert of the Queen of England and the Russian Tsar Alexander II and the moving deeds of other heroes.

We are of royal blood, and if there hadn't been a revolution, you might still be a princess.She used to have this dream. When Mary was grading the student test papers, the door suddenly opened, and Dean Hunter walked in. "Good morning, Mrs. Ashley. Are you free?" It was the Dean's first visit to her office. Mary couldn't help feeling excited.The dean came to her office in person for only one reason: he came to tell her that the school decided to hire her as a tenured professor. "Of course there is," she said. "Please sit down and talk." He sat down on the chair: "How is your class?"

"I don't think it's bad." She really wanted to tell Edward the happy news at once, and he would be ecstatic.It is rare for someone like her to obtain a tenured professorship at a university at such a young age. Dean Hunter's expression seemed unnatural. "Have you had any trouble?" This question caught people off guard, and Maryton felt at a loss. "Trouble? Me?—No, what's the matter?" "Someone from Washington came to me to understand your problem." Florence Schiefort's words rang in her ears: There was a federal agent from Washington . . . and he asked a bunch of questions about Mary.Judging from the questions he asked, it seemed that Mary was suspected of being an international spy... Was she a loyal American citizen?Is she a good wife and mother?

Clearly, the dean's visit has nothing to do with tenure.She found it hard to speak. "Dean, they, what do they want to know?" "They want to know about your reputation as a professor and also look into your private life." "I can't explain it, I really don't understand what's going on. All I know is that I haven't had any kind of trouble so far," she explained clumsily. He looked at her with obvious suspicion on his face. "Didn't they tell you the purpose of the investigation?" "No, on the contrary, they told me to keep it strictly confidential and not to spread it. However, I have always been frank with my subordinates, and I think it is only fair that I should inform you of this matter. If there is something I have the right to know, why don't you directly Tell me. Because any scandal involving any professor in our school will have a bad effect on the school's reputation."

She shook her head in despair and denied: "I, I, I really didn't do anything!" He looked at Mary for a moment, as if he wanted to say something more: "I hope so, Mrs. Ashley." She watched the dean walk out of the office, but couldn't figure it out: For God's sake, what evil did I do? At dinner Mary was silent.She wanted to wait until Edward had eaten, and then tell him the latest developments, and then they all guessed what was going on.The children rebelled again, and Beth's supper remained untouched. "People can no longer eat meat. Killing and eating meat is a bad habit handed down by cave dwellers. Civilized people don't eat live animals."

"It's dead meat," Tim argues, "so you can enjoy it." "Children," said Mary, almost in a panic, "shut up, Beth, and you go and make your salad." "She can just eat grass," Tim sarcastically said. "Tim! You eat by yourself!" Mary's head started to throb again, the pain was severe, "Edward..." The phone rings. "My phone," said Beth, jumping up from her chair, and sprinting for the phone.She picked up the phone and asked coquettishly, "Virgil?" She listened for a while, her face suddenly changed, "Oh, of course." She said extremely uncomfortable, put down the earphones and returned to the dining table.

"What's going on?" Edward asked. "A silly joke, the caller said, the White House talked to my mother." "White House?" Edward was very surprised. The phone rang again. "I'll pick it up," Mary said.She stood up and walked over to the phone, "Hello," and as she listened, her face became serious, "We're having dinner, I didn't realize it was a joke. Can you... what?... who? The President? "The room suddenly fell silent. "Please wait...I...ah, good evening! Mr. President!" She was at a loss for a while, and the whole family looked at her with round eyes. "Yes, sir, it's me. I recognize your voice. I'm sorry, but it was my daughter who hung up the phone just now. Beth, being naive, thought it was Virgil. Yes, sir, very much Thanks." She stood straight in front of the phone, concentrating. "What do you want me to do?" Her face flushed red.Edward crept up behind her, and the children joined her.

"Must be the wrong person, Mr. President. My name is Mary Ashley, a professor at Kansas State University. Also, have you read it? Thank you sir... I am honored... Yes, I believe so, She listened for a long time. "Yes, sir, I agree, but it doesn't mean I... yes, sir, I understand. Yeah, that's too much of a prize. Of course this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But I... ...Of course I would. I will report to you after discussing it with my husband." She took the pen and paper and wrote down the phone number. "Yes, I made a note, thank you very much President. Goodbye!"

She put down the phone slowly and stood where she was, amazed. "God, what's going on?" Edward asked. "It's really the president calling?" Tim couldn't believe it. Mary sat down on the chair: "Yes, that's true." Edward took her hand: "Mary, what did the president say? What is he going to do?" Mary sat still, transfixed.She finally understood the purpose of that series of investigations. She looked up and looked at Edward and the children: "The president said he had read my article in Foreign Affairs magazine and my book. He thought my point of view was very novel and completely suitable for him. People-to-people diplomacy platform. He nominated me as ambassador to country A."

Edward had a look of complete disbelief on his face. "You? How could it be you?" That's exactly the question Mary asked herself.But she felt that Edward should not have said something so inappropriate.He should have said: Great!You'll be an ambassador like no other.But Edward is not a hypocrite, why me?Why? "You have no political experience at all!" "I'm fully aware of that," Mary's answer was a little bit sharp. "This thing is ridiculous." "You're going to be an ambassador?" Tim asked excitedly. "So we're going to Rome?"

"It's not Rome, it's country A." Edward said to the children, "Eat, both of you, and let your mother and I have a good talk." "Why don't we let us vote!" "You can have absentee ballots." Edward took Mary's arm and led her into the library, saying, "Mary, I'm so sorry I spoke so aggressively, but..." "No, you're right, Edward. Why did they choose me?" According to custom, when Mary called him Edward, things were probably going wrong. "My dear, you may become a world-renowned ambassador, a female ambassador. No matter what others say, you have to admit that this is too sudden." "A bolt from the blue," said Mary softly, in the voice of a passionate little girl. "I still don't believe it." She laughed. "If you tell Florence, she'll die of horror." Edward moved closer to Mary. "You're very excited about this, aren't you?" Mary looked at Edward in surprise: "Is there any need to ask? Aren't you excited?" Edward said carefully: "My dear, this is indeed a great honor. I am convinced that they did not decide lightly, and there must be good reasons for choosing you." He hesitated again and again, "However, we must take this matter seriously and consider it. It will bring profound changes to our lives.” She read his mind, she thought, Edward was right to be considerate. "I can't stop the clinic and leave my patients alone. I can only stay here. I don't know how long you'll be away. If it's years and months, I think we might as well arrange it this way: you take your children abroad and I come to visit relatives when I'm free. ..." Mary said tenderly, "You're crazy. Do you think you can live without me?" "But, it's a great honor, and besides..." "As your wife, nothing in the world is more important than you and your children. I will never leave you. This city can't find another husband like you, but the government can just find someone better than me Ambassador, they just check the phone book." He hugged her: "Are you serious?" "No jokes. I am very excited to be honored by others, that's all..." The door swung open, and Beth and Tim rushed in.Beth spoke quickly: "I have already told Virgil that you are going to be an ambassador." "You'd better call him again and say I'm quitting again!" "Why not?" asked Beth. "Your mother decided to stay home." "Why?" Beth sobbed sadly. "I've never been to country A, not even far." "Me too," Tim agreed.He turned to Beth and said, "I have prophesied long ago that we shall be locked up in this place." "Stop talking about it," Mary declared to the two children decisively. Early the next morning, Mary called the number given by the president."This is Mary Ashley. The assistant to the president, a Mr. Green, is waiting for my call," she told the operator. "Please wait." A man's voice sounded quickly: "Mrs. Ashley? Hello!" "Hello," Mary said, "please convey to the President for me that I am honored to be supported by the President. Since my husband's work prevents him from leaving, it is difficult to comply with this appointment. I hope the President understands me. pains." "I will tell you exactly what I said," said a business-like tone, "thanks, Mrs. Ashley." The phone was put on hold. Mary put down her earphones too, and the matter was over.She had just been in a colorful dream, but it was a dream after all, and I had to go back to the real world and get ready to teach history in the fourth period. Among dozens of identical buildings, there is a whitewashed stone house without a name.Not far from it, there is a large open-air market displaying all kinds of goods.The homeowner was a businessman who sympathized with the cause being run by the Freedom Patriots. "We only occupy the house for one day." A strange voice told him from the phone.So everything was arranged.Right now the chairman is addressing a packed meeting room in the living room. "The situation is not optimistic. The recently adopted resolution encountered difficulties in its implementation." "What difficulty?" Bald asked. "The broker we chose—Harry Lanz, unfortunately died." "Dead? How did you die?" "Assassinated. His body was found floating in the water at the pier in Buenos Aires." "Have the police got a clue? I mean—is this going to come down to us?" "No, we're safe." Saul asked: "Has our plan been affected? Can we continue to execute it?" "So far so good, we don't know how to find Angel. However, the superintendent has given permission for Harry Lanz to disclose his name to Angel. If Angel is interested in our proposal, he will try to connect with the superintendent. For now, we can only be patient wait." The headline on the headline of the "Smart Daily" in Jiang Kexin City reads: Mary Ashley Refused to Be Ambassador. The news consisted of two columns, with a photo of her.On the afternoon and evening news, KJCK radio features the town's new celebrities.Had Mary accepted the position the President had given her, things might have been all right in a matter of days.She declined the promotion opportunity, and the whole city was in an uproar.The residents are very proud, because in the eyes of this celebrity, Jiang Kexin City in Kansas has a higher status than the capital of country A. Mary Ashley drove to the store to buy food for dinner, her name kept coming from the radio. "...Earlier, the president announced that sending an ambassador to country A would be the beginning of his implementation of the civilian diplomacy program and the foundation stone of his foreign policy. However, Mary Ashley refused to obey, which is bound to..." She tuned to another station. "...she was married to Dr. Edward Ashley. It is said..." Mary turned off the radio.That morning, she received countless calls from friends, neighbors and students, not to mention some strangers also took the opportunity to join in the fun, and even journalists in London and Tokyo made long-distance interviews.It's a big deal, Mary thought wistfully, and I'm asking for it, laying the rationale for the President's success in putting his foreign policy in the Six Nations.How long will this matter go on?It's best to end it in a day or two. She pulled into the Deeby gas station and stopped at the self-service pump. Just as Mary got out of the car, Blount, the gas station manager, rushed up: "Good morning, Mrs. Ashley! How can I let a female ambassador do it for me? Let me do it for you." Mary refused with a smile: "Thank you for your kindness, I am used to doing it myself." "No, no." With the gas tank full, Mary drove to the Box shoe store on Washington Avenue. "Good morning, Mrs. Ashley!" The clerk greeted her respectfully. "What is the ambassador's order?" It was unbearable, Mary could not laugh or cry.She retorted loudly: "I'm not an ambassador, thank you." She handed over a pair of shoes: "Please re-sole Tim's shoes." The clerk looked at the shoes, "Isn't this what we nailed last week?" Mary sighed: "It was nailed last week." Mary then went to Rance's department store, where Mrs. Huckel, the clothing manager, said to her, "I just heard your name on the radio. You put Jiang Kexin on the map. Madam Ambassador, I think only you, Eisenhower, and Orff Langdon, were the big political men in Kansas." "I'm not an ambassador," she said patiently. "I refuse to be." "That's what I mean." There was no use in explaining, so Mary said, "I'm here to buy jeans for Beth, preferably with iron trim." "How old is Beth? Ten?" "She is twelve years old." "My God! You're so big in a flash, aren't you? You're in your teens before you know it." "Mrs. Harker, Beth was born a grown-up." "And what about Tim?" "Just like Beth." Mary spent twice as long shopping this time as usual.She caused a stir in the small town, and everyone wanted to speak out in front of her.She entered Dillon's grocery store, and was just picking out the shelves when Mrs. Dillon approached. "Good morning, Mrs Ashley." "Good morning, Mrs. Dillon. Do you have something for breakfast without the mess?" "What did you say?" Mary looked at the shopping list in her hand: "These foods do not contain artificial sweeteners, alkalis, lard, sugar, caffeine, coloring, folic acid or flavorings." Mrs. Dillon studied the list carefully and asked, "Is there some kind of medical experiment going on?" "In a sense, yes. It's Beth's prescription, and she eats only natural food." "Then, why not drive her to the prairie and let her eat green grass?" Mary laughed. "My son suggested that too." She picked up a package of food, read the directions, and said, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have taught her to read and write." Mary drove home cautiously.Along the winding mountain road, we came to Lake Melfort.The temperature was only a few degrees, but with the cold wind, it felt like it was below freezing.The Great Plain stretches as far as the eye can see, and the bone-piercing wind blows over it unobstructed.There was thick snow on the lawn, and the ice and snow reminded Mary of the snowstorm that swept across the region last year. The high-voltage line was frozen due to freezing, and the power supply could not be supplied for a week.So, she and Edward huddled in bed every night and made love, and maybe this winter also had such a godsend opportunity.The thought made her laugh. When Mary came home, Edward was still at get off work.Tim hides in the study and watches a sci-fi show on TV.Mary put down her things and went straight to her son. "Did you do your homework?" "not yet." "Why not?" "Because it's too difficult." "Can you solve the problems just by watching "Difficult Interstellar Voyage"? Bring the textbook." Tim moved his fifth-grade math textbook. "These word problems are stupid," he said. "There are no stupid arithmetic problems, only stupid students. Come on, let's solve this problem together." Mary read aloud: "A train departing from place A carried 149 passengers. When it arrived at place B, another passenger got on the train, and the number of passengers reached 223. How many passengers got on the train at place B?" She raised her head , said: "It's very simple, Tim. Subtract 149 people from 223 people, isn't it?" "No, that's not how it is done," Tim cried. "An equation: 149 + N = 233 people; N = 223 people - 149 people; solution: N = 74 people." "That's so stupid!" Mary passed the door of Beth's room, and heard a commotion inside.Inside, Beth is sitting cross-legged on the carpet, watching TV while doing her homework and listening to rock records. "How can you concentrate with all this noise?" cried Mary.She turned off both the TV and the record player. Beth looked up at her in surprise. "Why are you doing that? It's a George Michael show!" The walls of Beth's room are covered with posters of singers.Keith, and Van Halen, and Motley Crue, and Aldo Nova, and David Lee Ross.The bed was covered with magazines like Teen Idol, and her clothes were thrown all over the floor. Mary looked around the room helplessly: "Beth, how do you live like this?" Beth looked at her mother, but couldn't hear: "What's the day?" Mary gritted her teeth: "I didn't say anything." She saw the envelope written by her daughter on the desk. "You're writing to a man named Rick Springfield?" "I'm in love with him." "Don't you love George Michael?" "I dumped him. I love Rick Springfield now. Didn't you ever dump a lover when you were young, Mom?" "When we were young, we drove around all day, busy with making ends meet." Beth sighed bitterly. "You know what? Rick Springfield had a rough childhood." "I admit absolutely honestly, Beth, that I have no idea." "It's terrible. His father is a soldier, and the family is running around, up and down. He is a vegetarian, just like me. He is really admirable." Behind Beth's insane dieting, there is such a thing. "Mom, I want to go to the movies with Virgil on the weekend night, okay?" "Virgil? What about Arnold?" The daughter paused for a while, and then said: "Arnold is very frivolous, always wanting to play tricks..." Mary tried to calm herself: "Tricky? You mean..." "I started growing and the boys thought I was a slut. Did you ever feel unwell?" Mary came up behind Beth and put her arms around her. "Yes, my darling. When I was your age, I had a hard time." "Menstruation, breast development, hair growing everywhere, it's annoying. Mom, why is that?" "Every girl has this stage, and you get used to it." "No, I can't get used to it." She broke away from her hug and said viciously. "It's okay to fall in love, but I will never have sex with men in the future. No one can touch me, whether it's Arnold, Virgil or Kevin Bacon... Monster!" Mary said seriously: "Is that so? You just decided..." "Absolutely. Mom, what did the President say after you told President Ellison you couldn't be his ambassador?" "He's taking it easy." Mary reassured her daughter. "Okay, it's time for me to make dinner." Cooking was the job Mary hated the most, so she was abysmal at cooking.Because of her strong nature, she wants to be superior to others in everything, so she is even more bored with cooking.Lucinda came in three times a week to help with cooking and cleaning, so that this bad habit would not be exposed.Today, however, is Lucinda's rest day. Edward rushed home from the hospital just as Mary, who was cooking, burned the beans.Mary kissed Edward: "Hi, dear, are you tired today, monster?" "You must have learned this sentence from your daughter. Things are indeed strange. This afternoon, I treated a thirteen-year-old girl who had herpes." "Oh, my God!" She dropped the beans and opened a can of tomato sauce. "I do worry about Beth." "Purely superfluous," Mary reassured him, "your daughter intends to remain a virgin all her life." At dinner, Tim begged, "Dad, can I buy a surfboard for my birthday?" "Tim, I don't want to spoil your fun, but unfortunately, you live in Kansas." "I know, Johnny asked me to come with him to Hawaii next summer, and his relatives have a beach house in Maui." "So," Edward pushed the boat along, "he can have a beach house, but he still needs a surfboard?" Tim had to turn to his mother: "Mom, can I go?" "We'll see then. Take it easy, Tim; Beth, you're on a hunger strike again." "There is no human food on the table." She looked at her parents. "I will officially announce that I have decided to change my name." Edward tentatively asked, "What's the reason?" "Because I decided to go to the shadows." Mary and Edward exchanged glances for a long time, but the expressions of pain and disappointment were still on their faces.Edward finally said: "Okay, let's see how capable you are."