Chapter 3 third chapter
"You saw her," Rice said, watching Jemin down a glass of wine. "What does she look like?"
The three of them—Tom, Rice, and Jemin—had been friends for many years.They have fought together and shared weal and woe.To outsiders, Jemin is perceived as gentle, polite and manipulative, but Les and Tom are well aware that if someone violates the rules, Jemin's temper will make the other party go round and round.
After getting along for so many years, Les and Tom knew that Jemin had a weakness: he thought women were angels descended from the world.Of course, with Jamin's appearance, women usually become as gentle as angels.No matter where he goes, no matter how beautiful or ugly the local women are, as soon as Jemin approaches, even a vixen will turn into a little sheep.
Les recalls being told once in France by a peasant woman with a rake to stay away.Jemin stepped forward, smiled at the peasant woman, and in a few minutes she dug up bottles of good wine from under the floorboards and offered them a feather mattress for the night—no, a feather mattress for Jemin to sleep on.As for Les and Tom, she pointed to the floor.
If Jemin had been a badass, he would have used his looks to his advantage, but he didn't.He is kind and polite, and most of the good fortunes that fly in are rejected. "Doing this will make someone's husband feel sorry." He said this sentence more than once, and all the men who heard it bent over with a smile.
In court, very few women—married or not—would want to seduce Jemin into bed, but Jemin mostly refused, not because he was prudish or celibate, he was just careful, "I don't want to die in battle, so why would I risk my life by sleeping with a married woman?" Jemin asked. "Or let the virgin's father hunt me down? And I can't afford a mistress!"
Although they are close and have been together for many years, little is known about Jamin's relationship with the woman.Sometimes for many nights his bed would be empty, and the next day he would yawn violently again, but he would never say where he went or who he was with.
Now Jaymin will consider getting married, which shows that he is very worried about the financial situation of the family.
"What does she look like?" Les asked again.The Mei family heir is a figure in the legend, just like or.From the day she was born, she was the stuff of people's daydreams because of her father's unimaginable wealth. "If I were as rich as the May heirs" is something every Briton will say at least once or twice in their lifetime, and even the Queen is said to have asked foreign ambassadors if she thought she was as rich as the May heirs.
However, no one would ever say "if only I were as rich as Mayboken", because there is no romance in it, especially since Mayboken is notoriously stingy.His stinginess with money is like a legend.It is said that he always wore the same suit until it fell to pieces; and that he was very emaciated because he refused to spend money to feed himself.He had no entertainment at all, was married only once (he had to marry his daughter because the bride's father refused to sell him a piece of land between the two lands he already owned), slept with the bride only once, His only daughter was the result of that one time.His wife died a few days after giving birth to the child, and he was reluctant to spend money on marriage.
Indeed, few people envy Mayboken, except his daughter, a motherless child who has never been seen in public, lives only in a mansion in the south of England, and even the villagers around her live Never saw her either.If a servant in her residence discusses her with an outsider, that person will "disappear" quickly, because there are eyeliners everywhere in the Mei family.
"Yes," said Tom. "Come on!" Usually Tom let Rice ask what he wanted to know, but this time Jemin's silence made him irresistible.
"She's a pretty little sparrow," said Jemin, his eyes wandering far away. "The big brown eyes can see through a man's mind, the breasts are plump, and the movements are as agile as a sparrow." A smile slowly spread on his face. "And she is eloquent, and eloquence alone can make a man bleed."
Les and Tom opened their mouths in shock, Les regaining the ability to speak first. "You fell in love with the heir of the Mei family?"
Jemin looked at them as if they were crazy. "Aya?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Jemin realized that he had talked too much, and some things were best kept secret. "Love? Love has nothing to do with this matter, I want to escort—"
"Busty sparrow?" Rhys said, laughing, biting Tom's ribs. "If he takes a fancy to the heir of the Mei family, we'll be fat this winter."
Tom didn't smile. "Who is Aya?"
"She's going to help me win the heart of the heir," said Jermyn sullenly.
"But I thought the busty sparrow was the heir," Rice said bewilderedly.
"No," Jemin looked at his mug. "The heir's name is Fran, and her beauty is as dazzling as the sun. I'm afraid I have never seen a more perfect woman: blonde hair, thick eyelashes, rose-colored hair." Her cheeks and small cherry mouth are the most beautiful in the world."
Les managed to understand, "Your words don't match your tone. You describe her as beautiful, but you sound like she's a shrew. How can a beautiful woman frustrate a man?"
"She couldn't read," Jemin said. "And likes people to draw her—"
Les smiled. "A real woman, if you think she is not good enough for you, maybe I can try."
Jemin's gaze silences Les. "I have to do what I have to do. I have to think about my sister. If this woman can win, I have to."
"That shouldn't be difficult."
"You don't see how beautiful she is," said Jemin. "I'm afraid it will take a lot of effort to catch her, because there must be many people chasing her."
"Compared with that plump sparrow?" asked Tom, observing Jemin.Both Jemin and Rice were under thirty, younger than Tom.Tom, who is nearly forty years old, has rich experience and knows that Jemin takes good care of his subordinates and is a master worth following.
Jemin didn't answer, just smiled. "Ah, hope to be free and marry the woman I want." He held up his mug. "To Liberty!" he said, and drank it down.
Les and Tom exchange words with God.No matter how long they had been with Jemin, they never knew him.He was one of the few people who had met the heir of the Mei family, but the reason why he complained was because she was beautiful.
"To Liberty!" they said, and drank it too.
"Did you see him?" Aya said, her face flushed with rage.
"I didn't see it." Todd replied, cleaning his nails with a pocket knife, his displeasure could not be concealed in his tone.Todd's heart almost stopped when he saw Aya being carried into the house unconscious.With a loud bang, he thought Aya was dead.He ordered the gardener to carry the young lady into the room, and sent a doctor to the village.But when Todd realizes that Aya is just passed out, he refuses to let the doctor in, and gives Aya a glass of strong drink, telling her to tell him everything that happened.As Aya described what had happened, Todd tried to hide his fear that she might be harmed by the intruder.
"He swaggered," said Aya, now fully conscious, pacing the room angrily. "It seems that he is the owner of this place. Why? Because he is an earl? Well, my father doesn't care about earls."
"That's because your father is rich and powerful."
Aya ignored his taunt. "If you saw the obsessive look he was looking at Fu Lan, you would definitely want to vomit."
Todd was skeptical, but he didn't say it. "You are very smart, tell him that Fu Lan is the heir, otherwise he may take you away."
"No, that Meng Jieming is not a kidnapper, he just wants to marry me—no, he wants to marry my gold." Aya sat heavily on the chair. "Why has no one seen me? My father locked me up as if I had done something wrong, and even prisoners have more freedom than me."
"No heiress or young woman of your stature chooses her own husband," said Todd, trying to calm her down.
"That's right, but there's no one like me, there are men over the wall just to 'take a look'! They..." Aya waved her hand, pointing to those people she had never seen outside the wall. "What do you think I do all day?"
Todd knew he had to play the clown role he was made to be at times, "eating hummingbird tongues drizzled with pearl sauce, counting jewels all afternoon, choosing silks for new clothes every day."
Aya didn't smile, but stared at him. "Are you telling the truth?"
"I've been hired to make you laugh, and what's funnier than the truth?" He had a hard time standing upright, his injured foot hurting him.
"Come here, sit down!" Aya said rudely, knowing that Todd didn't like people being nice to him. "The way you look annoys me."
"Then please forgive me." He slumped on a chair, it was a small, shabby room.Mayboken would buy the property because it was part of a larger piece of land he wanted.After Aya was born, he sent her here.For nineteen years, Aya had only two companions: Todd and Fran.Todd was only twelve years old when he first arrived here.Before that, he had been living in pain and fear, and he thought it would only be worse inside the high walls of the Mei family.But Aya, who was only eight years old at the time, seemed a precocious adult, deeply sympathetic to Todd's misfortune.Under her loving care, Todd learns to laugh and learns about friendship and kindness.No words are enough to describe his love for Aya.
"Is this Mr. Meng going to escort you tomorrow, or escort Fu Lan?" Todd's eyes (that's the only thing he really looks good) flashed, and he wanted to use a joke to divert Aya's dissatisfaction with real life.
"Fulan, what's the difference between me and you!" Aya said angrily. "He only wants the property of the Mei family! If I let you wear a wig, he will also kneel in front of you and woo you!"
"I'd like to see what it was like." Todd stroked the scar on his neck with his thumb.
Suddenly, Aya fell down on the chair like a deflated ball, her head was thrown back, all the unhappiness was written on her face. "Is it going to be like this all the way? From here to Lincolnshire there will be men lying to me? There will be young handsome men pulling me into the bushes and sweet talking to me, hoping to get my father's property?" She snorted One sound. "Father doesn't pay others, others pay him! Only the son of a rich man, like Boqueg, can afford enough money to marry my father's gold!"
Todd didn't chime in because he was totally on her side, but he never told her because that would only make it harder for her.Aya never left here, surrounded by people her father hired (for as little money as possible).Mayboken sent someone to monitor Aya and asked them to tell him about Aya's every move.To him, Aya was a valuable asset, and he certainly wouldn't give up his daughter's valuable virginity to some lowly servant.
Therefore, as long as Aya likes a certain manservant, he will be fired.In addition, since her friendship with women may also make her under the influence of each other, as long as anyone is closer to Aya, she will also be expelled.Except for Fran, only Todd can stay with Aya, maybe because no one thinks his looks will make people love.But in fact, Todd is the only person Aya loves.
"Oh, Todd," there was despair in her voice. "Do you know what kind of marriage is waiting for me?"
He was thankful that Aya was looking at the ceiling in need of patching, otherwise she would have seen the desperation in his eyes.He knew better than Aya what was waiting for her.
"There will be no love, I'm not stupid, the first half of my life as a prisoner has made my heart old. There must be something wrong with this Boquerague, so that his father has to pay to marry me , I don’t know if he has fertility?”
When she suddenly lowered her head and looked at Todd, he turned his face quickly so that she would not see his eyes. "Don't tell me!" she yelled. "I do not want to know!"
She stepped back from the chair and opened her arms. "I really want to live a real life, I really want to look into a man's eyes to see if he likes or hates me because of me, not because of my father's gold. I'm not like Fu Lan, I can't wait to tell others that she is Cousin of the wealthiest heir in the land. I'd rather talk to a cook than to old men my father sends to see me."
Todd blinked. "Aya dear, you'll talk to anyone outside the walls."
"Oh, I'd love to see the world," she said, turning her skirt so that it bell-shaped. "Oh my God, I really want to draw this world." She stopped circling. "But first I have to be an ordinary person, like... like Fulan! Yes, as ordinary as Fulan, I wish I could be like that!"
Todd bit his lip to avoid expressing his views on Fulan again.When Aya was twelve years old, she received a letter from her father, saying that she would let her cousin, who was one year older than her, come over to be her companion.Aya's excitement made Todd jealous, and she spent months furnishing the house, waiting for Fran's arrival.She moved out of her room—the best room in the house—and redecorated it.When Todd protested that this was too wasteful, Ayam replied: "I have to make her like this place, so she will stay."
Although Aya was always afraid of displeasing her father and ruled that she would not ask for anything, she was never hesitant to ask him to buy things for those in her care.So Aya asked for new curtains, new hangings, and new cushions before Fran arrived.And the closer the day drew near, the more Aya became wild with anticipation.
But on the day Fulan arrived, Aya disappeared!Todd searched for a long time before he found her hiding in the apple tree. "What if she doesn't like me?" Aya whispered. "If she doesn't like me, she'll tell her father, and he'll take her away." It took Todd a lot of words to convince Aya that no one would dislike her, and she came down to meet her cousin .
But Fulan doesn't like Aya.Todd, who is far more sophisticated than Aya, can tell at a glance that Fu Lan is the kind of person who can get as much money as possible.No wonder this man named Meng Jieming mistook Fu Lan for the heir, because Fu Lan felt that relatives who were the heirs of the Mei family should dress up noble and decent.The more Aya gave, the more "Queen Fulan" seemed to believe that it was her right.Fran has been here for seven years, and Todd often advises Aya not to let Fran get what she wants, but Aya just waves her hand and says, "If that makes her happy, why not give it to her? My father can afford it." Todd knew Aya would do this because she was afraid that if Fulan left, she would have to live alone with strangers again.All these years, even though Fulan never thanked Aya, Aya still took care of her.Aya's only revenge for Fran's ungratefulness is sneering and pretending she doesn't care.Also, Todd thought with a smile, the occasional prank, like drawing an ugly woman on Fran's mirror, or putting daisies under the pillow because daisies made Fran sneeze.
Aya's words brought Todd's thoughts back to the present. "I want to be Fulan."
"Yes, of course, just make your room like hers, with mirrors on every wall, and remove all those books you love. And of course, your pictures—" He stopped suddenly. "Excuse me, who does Fu Lan want to be?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he immediately knew the answer. "No! Your father—"
"I won't know, and I won't care. I'll tell him it's to protect his valuable merchandise. If anyone wants to kidnap the Mei family's heir, it will be the worthless Fulan—not me— Got caught, and I'm sure she'll tell the kidnappers soon. But we don't have to worry about that happening because we're protected along the way and there's no danger at all."
"It's the guy named Meng, right? He made you think of this bad idea."
"I don't care if he goes to hell. He's a man with no sense of honor, or morals."
Todd was well aware that Aya hated those who approached her for her father's money.Once she commented on Lun Fulan: "At least her friendship cannot be bought with money, because I have indeed tried."
Aya walked over to his chair and put her hands on the arms, close to his face.She was the only one who saw him without turning her face away in disgust, and love flooded his heart every time Aya got this close to him.
"Can't you see? This is my only chance," Aya would use Todd's love for her whenever the need arose, since Todd was her father's number one eyewitness.She gave Todd a sweet smile. "Of course, that's up to you to decide."
"Don't come near me!" He raised his hand and said, because he saw her plan.
"You think you'll be able to convince me to do anything. It's too dangerous, your father will throw a fit—"
"Would he be angrier if I got kidnapped and held for ransom?" Aya looked at him, lowering her voice and hoping he wouldn't catch her tongue--because she had just promised there would be no danger along the way. . "How would you feel if they tore me up because my father refused to pay the ransom?"
Seeing the twinkle in Todd's eyes, she knew she had won. She danced and laughed and said, "No one will know who I am! No one will stare at me! No one will stare at my clothes and food , ask me if I wear silk to bed! No one will judge every word I say just because it's spoken by Britain's richest heir, and three people propose to me in one day!"
That statement made Todd laugh.Of course, Aya was exaggerating, but it was true that there were often young men singing courtship songs outside the walls.They wrote love poems praising Aya's beauty, saying they fell in love with her hopelessly after seeing her in dreams or "from afar" or climbing trees.Every time Fu Lan heard such words, she always said: "They must have seen 'me'."
"Will Fulan agree?" Todd asked softly, trying to buy himself time to think. "You know how much she likes to throw cold water on you."
"Agree?" Aya asked in surprise. "Agreed! Are you asking me if Fu Lan agrees to have gold to match her beauty? Isn't this a waste of your question?"
Aya smiled happily. "Give Fulan to me!"
"God bless her soul," Todd whispered so that Aya would not hear.
Fran listened quietly to Aya's words. Her room was one and a half times the size of Aya's room, and her portraits were hung in expensive frames on every wall.
"You want me to pretend to be you?" Fu Lan asked. "Every bad guy in the country wants to take your father's gold, you want me to risk my life pretending to be you?"
Aya sighed. "You know that if the road is not safe, my father will not send me there."
Fran smiled at her. "It may be safe for you, but what about my safety if I am the heir?"
"Safe? You seem to think that bandits are going to rob us on the road. You know my father will send someone to escort me--escort us tomorrow. No one knows us, not even the servants who know us here will tell, after all, who would Care!" Aya said resentfully. "Not to mention, she'd give Todd enough money to gag everyone. England knows he's mean. No doubt our team will be shabby, and no one will think it's the Mays. Others will think I—you—are nothing but the daughter of an ordinary merchant. This is your chance—"
"Stop talking!" Fu Lan raised her hand and said.She left Aya and looked out of the window for a long while before turning around, her expression stern. "You always do what you want, don't you, Aya?"
"How can you say that about me? I'm living like a prisoner!"
"Prisoner? Ha! You don't know what a 'prisoner' is unless you've been poor! My family was poor, and I'm still poor, and you've never had to worry about food and clothing all your life. Whatever you want, just Speak to your father, and he will give it to you. And here, your word is law."
Aya clenched her fist, but said nothing.Everything Fran said was true, and Aya knew nothing about poverty.Many people are starving and suffering, while she is living a good life and wants to be free ungratefully.Fulan always knew which words would make Aya feel guilty.
"Okay, I'll let you know what it's like to have no power." Fu Lan said bitterly.
That sentence made Aya almost choke. "Power? You think I have power here?"
Fran laughed. "You are the queen here, and you don't know it."
"Negiate your flirting with the gardener, teasing the groom—"
"That's all I have!"
"Can't you see? You don't even have to say 'open' and someone will open the door for you. As soon as everyone knows who you are, they jump up and try to please you."
"I live economically, I hear—"
"I hear! Aya, you're stupid enough to believe fairy tales are true! Okay, shall we? Let's see what it's like for you to be a normal person, but I warn you, once we start, we have to play it out. Before arriving at the destination, I will be the heir of the Mei family. If you go back on your word, I will pretend that I don’t understand what you are saying, and only on this premise will I agree.”
Aya raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you think it's good to be a legend and never know who is friend and who is foe? I was almost kidnapped three years ago. Do you think it's good to live in fear every day?"
"Like I'm afraid of you? As long as you write and tell your father to send me away, I will become poor again. Even now, the money your father paid me to stay with you is sent to my father and sister. Live with you Together, I gave up all chances of marrying a good partner, but maybe my sacrifice can make my sister find a happy home."
"I won't send you away." Aya said softly, she had said this countless times, but Fulan didn't believe it.Every time the two disagreed, Fu Lan would always say: "Now you are sending me away, my family and I will starve to death."
After a while, Fulan smiled slowly. "Maybe we can make a deal, and you don't think I'd be stupid enough to risk my life for you for free?"
Aya smiled. "I can tell you frankly that I never thought you would do anything for me out of friendship. I made a list on my own." She unfolded a piece of parchment.
Fu Lan took the list and looked at it, then smiled slightly. "Not enough, I will not risk my life for this little money."
As always, Aya was mentally prepared. "Sit down and talk, okay?" she asked wearily. Doing business with Fulan always takes time.
A few hours later, gold, jewels, cloth, even the proceeds from land in Aya's mother's name passed to Fran.But frankly, these are still fewer than Aya originally expected.
Aya stood up and rolled up the parchment. "You wouldn't like being me," Aya said finally.
"You won't like being mine either." Fu Lan replied.
Then the two shook hands quickly and hesitantly, and the deal was concluded.
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