[Masterpiece Les Miserables] Paris Sparks

Combeferre has a gentle and calm temperament about him, which can make people infected involuntarily.When Corona shook hands with him, she forgot that she was wearing a disguise and needed to avoid physical contact with others as much as possible.They shook hands. "I'm Cole, Cole Carton." Corona replied, this was her name when she was wearing men's clothing.

Combeferre asked: "Are you a painter?"

"How did you see that?"

"I saw you sketching in this cafe, just two days ago. Besides, you have a pen callus on your hand."

Only then did Corona realize that although her hands were not as soft and boneless as many noble ladies, they were indeed more delicate and soft than the hands of men of the same age. "Indeed I am," she replied, and thought about how to remedy it, but Combeferre's face did not show any change, and it seemed that he was trying to cover up the subject again.So she quickly changed the subject: "What are you doing in Paris?"

"I plan to study in Paris for two years—if I can pass the exam. A few days ago, our school needed to be renovated due to an accident, and the students were temporarily suspended. So my friend and I took this opportunity to visit Paris. Let’s take a look and see this city where we will live for a long time in the future.”

"So you're here for a tour—if you have time, I'd like to be your tour guide. But please forgive me, I only know half of Paris."

"What about the other half?"

"The other half, I haven't had time to get involved in the future. I grew up in England, and it's only a year or two since I came to Paris with my father."

"If I still have time, I must invite you to go to those places that you have not had time to visit. Unfortunately, we have stayed in Paris for a week, and we will take the train back to Marseilles tonight. I have an appointment with friends to meet here , while away the last afternoon. In fact, I'd love to introduce you—ah, here he is."

Corona's seat was facing the window, so she couldn't see the scenery outside the window and the door.After listening to Combeferre's words, she turned her head and saw the young man coming in from the door.

It was as if the whole cafe was lit up by this one person.

Corona had never seen such a good-looking person.He has blond curly hair, deep eyes, and a cold expression, like a beautiful boy who only appears in ancient Greek mythology, a stone statue made by Michelangelo.But his brisk and quick steps, his rosy cheeks, and the slightly inquiring eyes that fell on Corona all added to him a youthful vitality and sincerity, making him more beautiful than a stone statue, more moving than a myth .He sat down at the table, and Corona inexplicably felt her cheeks warm.Her heart was pounding in her chest and she didn't know why.

"Ah, here you come." Combeferre greeted his friend with one of the most sincere smiles. "I came across this friend by chance and I was just about to introduce you—this is Cole Carton, who is I told you about the man who heroically saved my purse. This is my friend, Enjolras."

Enjolras did not shake her hand, but nodded politely.This was just right, if he really wanted to shake hands, Corona was really afraid that her hands would tremble.He sat down on the other side of Combeferre, just opposite Corona.Facing the soft sunlight from the window, his clear blue eyes, straight nose bridge, soft lips and sharp corners on his cheeks are all illuminated, and the light and shadow present an unparalleled beauty on his face .He turned to Combeferre, and Coronne was fascinated by it, until Enjolras coughed and glared at her, and she woke up suddenly, bowing her head in apology and shame. "I'm so sorry. You see, I'm a painter—or I want to be. You're so good-looking that I can't help but imagine how I'd be able to paint your face on canvas."

"You don't mind." Combeferre smiled and said, "Among those who stare blankly at Enjolras' face, you are by no means the first, nor will you be the last."

"Thank you for your kindness," said Enjolras, his tone a little harsh without sounding annoyed, "but if you want me to be a model, please allow me to decline the offer."

"I want to thank you for tolerating my rudeness." Corona said, and when she mentioned painting, she couldn't help showing a wry smile: "As for asking you to be a model...to tell you the truth, I'm afraid I can't draw at my level." How about you?"

"You are too modest," said Combeferre, smiling.Perhaps aware of the slightly awkward atmosphere, he changed the subject: "We went to see the Place de la Concorde this morning. You have lived in Paris for a long time, so you must be more familiar with it than us—during the Great Revolution, it was called the Place de la Revolution. "

"On the contrary, I seldom go there." Corona replied, "I heard that the guillotine was set up there during the Great Revolution, and thousands of people were executed there. I still feel that it’s too scary there.”

"Terrible, yes, but also great," said Enjolras gravely.

"great?"

In Corona's cognition, this word has never been associated with the Great Revolution.She had vaguely heard some old stories from her elders: about how Charles Darnay was almost killed unjustly during the Great Revolution, and escaped in a narrow escape.But compared to these unknown past events, what affected her more deeply was the attitude of the relatives around her: it was their gloomy faces when they mentioned Paris and the revolution, it was their pursed lips when they read newspapers and books about the revolution, It was the sudden silence at the dinner table and the embarrassment of hesitating to speak while chatting.No one had really slandered anything in front of her, but Corona didn't have a good impression of the Great Revolution in her heart.Because of this subconscious rejection, and because the collection of books at home has nothing to do with the Great Revolution, she never studied that period of history carefully. "Why do you think it's great?"

"Why? Isn't its greatness obvious? When you look back at that period of history, what you see is a nation, a country rising up against injustice, poor and unable to survive in order to survive and human rights. You can see the strength of the people, the cry of the whole society for fairness and justice, and the determination of the predecessors to shed blood and sacrifice to build a free and equal world. You should also see , the scope of this great revolution is not limited to France, it has inspired people all over Europe to resist tyranny and fight for freedom! Have you read the "Declaration of Human Rights"? Don't you think it is an extremely lofty ideal and pursuit?"

Corona was silent for a moment.No one had praised the Great Revolution so passionately in front of her, which was completely contrary to her previous impression—but the strange thing was that she couldn't help but be attracted and moved by every word of Enjolras.

"But the Great Revolution also wronged many innocent people, didn't it?" She asked back, her tone not as firm as before.

"Indeed," replied Enjolras, "that is the lesson it left us—but we must recognize its horror as well as its greatness. The crimes committed should not be to completely ban it, but to fight against injustice and win freedom in a more successful and progressive way in the future."

"If some people's lives must be exchanged for the rights of others, that's not called freedom." Corona retorted.Only she knew that her heart had been shaken.

"I believe that with the lessons of the Revolution, we can organize fairer trials and enact better laws. I won't tell you that we can guarantee that every trial will be [-] percent fair—there will be innocent People have been wronged, it happened in the past, it happens now, and I’m afraid there will still be in the future. But isn’t one of the pursuits of the revolution just to allow the people to be treated fairly? Can you completely negate the idea of ​​rising up and resisting for some atrocities in the Great Revolution? Is it necessary?"

Corona was silent for a moment. “I have to admit that I don’t know enough about this history to contradict you. But please allow me to maintain my point: I think there are times when we can accomplish the same goal in a less radical way.”

"I agree with you," Combeferre interjected with a smile. "I also think that it is not impossible to achieve social progress in a peaceful way. Combat, though quick and effective, is an atrocity. I believe more The people, if they are educated, will always realize the necessity of progress."

"Maybe." Enjolras said with a sullen face. He was about the same age as Corona, and he was not yet in college, but he had a seriousness beyond his age. "But there are always times when only the same unfair It is only through the struggle of the system that it is possible to fight for the rights that should belong to you. Mr. Carton, haven't you ever had such a time?"

Corona froze for a moment. "Please call me Cole, Mr. Carton sounds too unfamiliar - I always feel like I am calling my father." She said with a wry smile, "I have indeed had such an experience, and I have indeed fought for what I think is right." I've struggled -- but I'll tell you the truth, sometimes I falter and wonder if I'm too young and too overwhelmed."

"Have you encountered any difficulty in drawing?" asked Combeferre.

Corona turned to him in surprise: "Is it obvious?"

Her heart was pounding again, but it was completely different from the feeling just now - she was originally calm, and she was taught by the merchants and nobles whom her father brought to meet for a few months, and she could almost hide her emotions .If Combeferre had been so perceptive as to have guessed at once the source of her troubles, would he also have recognized her as a girl?

"Actually, it's not obvious." Gongbefer comforted her with a smile. For fifteen or sixteen-year-olds, the age difference between three and four is very big. After Enjolras, who was the same age as Corona, participated Gong Baifei, who is a few years older than them, looks more and more like a big brother, "It's just that I saw you in a better mood today. Thinking about the last time you looked at the drawing paper with a frown, it's not hard to guess."

Corona smiled wryly. "You guessed it right. It was painting. In short, my father intended to make me an early betrothal, and I did not wish to be married to a random stranger, so I refused."

"You are right," said Combeferre.

"After I refused, my father said, then I need to prove myself. So he made me study economics, law, various other things - things that you have to learn if you want to live well as a person. I Gradually, I found that my life was occupied by these things for too much time, and more importantly, my mood was affected too much by these things. When I stood in front of the drawing board again, I could no longer find the peaceful state of mind I once had. I can no longer simply and peacefully describe the beauty of the world. I don't know what to do: I can't let these things go, and I can't find a balance between the two. I long to get rid of what seems to me to be unfair. In the end, it just proved that I really can't take care of it."

She spoke these words bitterly, not expecting that Combeferre and Enjolras would understand.Even though they were obviously knowledgeable and thoughtful, it was impossible for them to really feel how she felt on the matter: they didn't know, after all, that she was a woman.

And she's just a 15-year-old girl.

The words she grew up with, despite her efforts to refute and fight, were not completely unaffected.On the contrary, Corona has grown up in the shadow of these words for 15 years.Caton dotes on her and obeys her, but it doesn't mean that other people will.She heard little Lucy's gentle complaint: "Oh, Corona, you should learn to be a little lady!" She heard the casual comments of other painters with Basil Howard: "Take a little girl." A student? You're getting weirder, Basil." She heard two guests chatting in a roadside inn: "Those girls should wash and cook at home. No, let her do that." Something, almost no big trouble!"

When a whole society whispers this in a woman's ear, it's impossible not to leave a mark on her.She used to be able to be confident and ask for further treatment than other girls because she actually proved that she can do it: her horse riding skills are not inferior to boys, her Latin reading and writing and math/operation are not inferior to boys. No worse than little Sidney, she was on a par with, or even better than, the other students in Basil's studio.So she can be confident: No matter what society tells me, I have proved that I can do it.

Now, she finally encountered a situation where no matter how hard she tried, it was still difficult for her to do so.

She was shaken.

Are there really fields that women really shouldn't be in?She seemed to be trekking alone in the wilderness, the road under her feet came to an end, surrounded by thorns and bushes, and she didn't know if she could continue to move forward, let alone whether she should continue to move forward.If this road leads in the wrong direction, is she really going to go on stubbornly?

"I beg your pardon, but I do not understand what you are thinking," said Enjolras, with youthful enthusiasm in his voice.

"Why pretend a serenity that doesn't exist? Why pursue a false peace? What's the use of describing beauty if you can't see it? You said you were fighting. Use the pen in your hand to fight, to Resist and shout!"

The author has something to say: Sorry to ask everyone for a leave.

After publishing the article, a lot of things suddenly fell from the sky, and the three-dimensional element was very busy, and the writing of this article has been very slow due to various reasons.For a while, I have been relying on saving manuscripts, but if I continue to update, I am afraid that there is no way to continue to maintain the frequency of updating every other day, because the time is really too late.

I don't really want to update irregularly every three or four days or at an indefinite period of time, after all, it will make everyone wait a lot of times.So please allow me to take a leave of absence for the time being, after dealing with the particularly busy time of the Chinese New Year and the unexpected things at work, and then try to save the manuscript to ensure future updates.

As a writer who uses love to generate electricity, there is really no way to put writing before other things in the three-dimensional world. Please bear with me.Swear with all the filled-in articles in my column that I will not cheat!I have the outline and ending in mind!

I will be on leave until April, and if there are no new emergencies, I will probably be able to come back to continue this article in mid-to-late April.Thank you all and happy new year everyone (bow