Continuation of "Gone with the Wind"

Chapter 68 Lanli's Past

Lan Li began to talk, her tone was calm, her speech was slow, without too much emotion mixed in - she was trying her best to avoid such things from getting into her words.She was telling her own story, but her calm self-deprecating tone didn't even sound like she was telling someone else's story she had heard, but something she knew would never happen.Her untimely teasing was not funny to Scarlett at all. Of course, she also knew that Lanli's purpose was by no means to make herself laugh, but to ensure that she would not be overly frightened or cry out.She listened carefully to every word she said, trying to find topics that might lead to major discussions and even debates in a while, and carefully organized words of comfort—although Lan Li might not need it at all.But Scarlett is like this, facing the people she loves, even if she can't help them at all, she always wants to do something.She had been surprised by this for a time, but now she accepted it openly.Love needs no explanation, but it needs constant action to prove.

The story of Lanli was finished, and it took less than 5 minutes, because she didn't want to talk about the shame at all. Although she survived, the shame is always a shame.She survived because of two incompatible but co-existing strong feelings: deep love for her daughter; hatred for the Yankee who was placed by her side by cruel fate, and she still called him "" husband".It was true that he saved her life, but she was not grateful at all; he was very kind to her daughter, but that was what she hated the most.And because he knew that Angela was not his daughter but still did this, he was even more hateful in her heart.The hateful thing about this guy is not just this star, to use a vulgar metaphor, it is as countless as the stars in the sky.Oh no, there are more flies than a pile of stinking garbage.He is considerate to her, but every time she thinks about it, she just feels as disgusted as being licked by a mangy dog; he never forces her, and every time he goes to a dirty prostitute, this makes her look down on him even more while she is grateful ; what made her intolerable most was his love for his only precious daughter.She never admitted that that kind of thing could be given such a sacred title, but what she couldn't understand was that her baby actually imitated his way of learning in a decent way.She took great pains to train her daughter to be the most noble lady, teaching her poetry, music, painting, literature, and many other necessary knowledge for a lady.But as for him, he only knew that she was used to her willfulness. She thought he was trying to please herself and ignored him at all, only to find out later that this was not the case at all.He had the audacity to take Angela into his big yard (which was almost as big as a race track), teach her tree climbing, horseback riding, and other things that only boys should learn, and encourage her to race with them.This is terrible, and what's even more terrible is that Angela has become addicted to playing.For the sake of her daughter's happiness, she couldn't say anything to him, so she could only pick up the lady's education when he was away, and dig out the wild seed he had planted in her daughter's body.The two of them quietly regarded Angela as a battlefield and a weapon, constantly using her various progress to compare whose education was more successful.A few years later, both warring parties could see that the biggest beneficiary of this battle was Angela.She learned both verbal and spiritual grace, as well as physical and courageous exercise.Originally, Landria planned to live with him like this. Of course, she didn't love him, and she never loved any man, including Angela's biological father who died in the battle. She married him just to follow the family's arrangement. In fact, She should call him cousin.He's supposed to love him, but that doesn't help that she doesn't love him.He joined the army after a month of marriage with herself, and she received the news of his death not long after. She had forgotten where he was buried, because that was the day she found out that she was pregnant.She just listened to the black nanny at home telling her what to pay attention to when she was pregnant. For his death, she was like a beach where someone stepped on her. Sadness and memory soon followed like incomplete footprints. The tide of time has flowed away.In fact, she didn't like the little life in her stomach at first, she felt that it made her waist thicker and restricted her movement, it was a complete burden, and she wished she could take it off sooner.It's just that my little sister is more happy about this than anyone else in the family. She sticks to her all day long, and often puts her little head on her growing belly and listens to the little guy inside. .Mammy was worried that the child was not serious, so she took care of her a few times, but was stopped by Landria.Her favorite relative in the whole family is this innocent and lively little sister.The mother passed away not long after giving birth to her, and their father was often away from home, and later died in battle with her two younger brothers. She is the eldest daughter of the family, and it is reasonable for her to provoke her with her own nun. Responsibility to take care of sister.She was not young at that time, and although she was not yet married, she had already shown mature elegance in her gestures, which was derived from the strict education of the Stoke family for many years.For her only sister, she didn't like her at first, because she felt that she killed her mother, but watching her grow up under her eyes, the hatred born of love quickly dissipated.Mammy's words may explain this strange change: "Miss Lanli, this child was carved out of the same mold as you were when you were a child." The little sister who knows nothing about the world.In fact, she didn't have anyone else to worry about. The men had all gone to the battlefield, and there were only two young girls left in Nuo Da's family, one of whom was still pregnant.She left very uneasy, although Miss Langley assured her that she would take care of herself and her sister.

Mammy's premonition came true horribly.Before the flames of war reached Savannah, the black slaves and servants in the family had already fled, not even a single person was left behind.Lanli didn't understand what was going on, and it was actually nothing difficult to understand. Although the Stoke family was very kind to their servants, the power in the family had always been controlled by the men. Mr. Stoke was gone, and no one regularly Sending money home, leaving only a pregnant woman who is about to give birth and a child who doesn't know anything, who else would stay there willingly?I don't know if it is for this reason that she is unwilling to hire servants.She felt abandoned, but she couldn't abandon others, especially her sister.Since then, she can only make a living by selling jewelry and antiques from sellers, but what does a rich lady know about the world?Although most people gave her a reasonable price out of sympathy, there were always some wicked people who fooled the poor girl and exchanged the price of cotton for the real bead flowers.After being cheated several times, Lan Li also began to learn to be smart.She has a natural appreciation for jewelry, what she lacks is the necessary precautions for others, and this kind of protection is easy to establish.Soon she was only trading with people she trusted, even though she knew that buying her jewels meant nothing to them except to satisfy her own sympathy.Although she felt uneasy about this and felt that she shouldn't add an extra burden to the neighbors, Angela and her stomach were the most important.She didn't have much idea about money, and she refused to say anything to wrong Angela. In addition to buying food and necessary clothes, she often bought Angela the toys she wanted, no matter how ridiculous their prices had risen due to the blockade. the point.So it didn't take long before their lives began to stretch.

Lanli didn't mention this past event to Scarlett before. The reason why the difficult life is mentioned is because people overcome those difficulties, so they can recall the sadness of the past in the present happiness.Of course, Lanli is also a person who has gone through those difficult years, but she always feels that she has not overcome them, and the current self is definitely not "happiness".All thanks to that guy.

Can't remember which day it was—in fact, she forgot it on purpose.Sitting in the empty house, I was bored, and I could only watch Angela happily play with the newly bought clockwork train. Although I still smiled at her, but my heart was just full of sadness: there are not many remaining jewels, and the neighbors Those who joined the army, those who fled, left behind either the old, the weak, the sick, or the women who had just given birth and their children who were waiting to be fed. .Maybe she should tell Angela about the situation at home, but facing Angela's ignorant smiling face, she really couldn't open her mouth.Besides, I have always spoiled her and didn't let her worry about anything. Even if I told her, what does a five-year-old girl know?

Someone is knocking on the door.She thought that the business had finally come to her door, and she was about to jump up from the sofa in ecstasy.Unexpectedly, Angela suddenly became sensible, and asked her sister to sit down with peace of mind, and she went to open the door.Landria was amused and moved to watch her sister hold the beautiful toy train tightly with one hand, tiptoe to reach the doorknob with the other hand, and struggle to turn it.Lan Li suddenly thought of her body, and quickly covered it with a large blanket.She used to entrust other people to help with the business, but since she was deceived, she no longer trusted those people, and would rather go into battle by herself.It's just that the huge belly is really in the way. She really regrets why she was pregnant at this time, but is this something she can control?Thinking of this, she hated that cousin whose appearance was blurred, and also started to hate everything man by the way.Why do women get pregnant and why do men get women pregnant?They don't care when a woman gives birth to a child in pain. They always only care about their own happiness.