Continuation of "Gone with the Wind"

Chapter 78 The decision to go north

She understands that she can't have no feelings for Ashley like she has for a complete stranger, but this kind of feeling has already turned into pure friendship, or it is more appropriate to say that it has deteriorated.It was a good thing for her, and thinking of him later would be very peaceful and reassuring.She even thought long ago that if one day she couldn't chase Rhett back, she could still be best friends with him.Loving someone is like soaking a piece of paper in water, no matter how much you dry it, there will always be traces that cannot be erased.Everyone is the same, even Rhett.Indeed, that was what she really thought.

"You are so rare and sensible." Disson was very happy to have someone support him. Seeing Lan Li's unwilling defeat and the faint jealousy, he almost carefully selected a sentence to remind Lan Li of her The woman's mind is on the wrong target. "Now it seems that Butler has a good eye." "What, you know Rhett?" Scarlett knew she had said something stupid as soon as she said the words, and everyone got the portrait that Rhett was holding. The relationship with him is definitely not shallow-unless he snatched it.

"Yes, I know him. He is also my old friend, but..." Before he could finish his words hesitatingly, Scarlett interrupted impatiently: "Where is he now?" The feeling of peace and security was all thrown away, and her heart was full of longing for Rhett's news.

"He's in jail." Without any words of comfort as a buffer, Disson directly told the cruel truth.This is the most direct way. Any comfort for this kind of thing is unreliable, and it is useless except wasting time.Besides he knew Scarlett wasn't going to be broken by it, Rhett had told him, and he could see it.

"What, prison?" Scarlett's face turned pale immediately, her legs were so weak that she almost fell off the sofa, but Lanli helped her up.Her mind was blank, and she tried to think of something to cope with the emptiness, but nothing could enter the emptiness.Her mind was a freshly painted wall, bare and hard, nothing could stay on it.It wasn't until Lan Li's concerned words were engraved into her eardrums like a letter engraving worker who was not afraid of hard work, that she slowly recovered her normal thinking.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Butler, to let you know about this kind of thing. But..." Deason wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Scarlett rudely: "Where is it, why, Please tell me quickly."

"The whole thing is actually not complicated, but it's hard to say. All I can tell you now is that he is being held in a prison in San Francisco. It happens to be where my army is stationed, but I'm going to change defense to another place next year." Scarlett heard Due to the seriousness of the matter, the meaning of Disson's last sentence is obvious. If he hadn't secretly helped, Rhett's situation would be worse than what he said now, but he would not be able to help him soon.

"San Francisco?" Scarlett vaguely remembered that Rhett had told her about this place. It was when she first arrived in Charleston. Rhett went to buy ancestral silverware, and later told her about Jack's origin, and also She didn't remember clearly what Chinese workers were involved, but she suddenly remembered that Rhett had no reason to go to San Francisco. If he wanted to help Jack, shouldn't he be in Hartford?It’s not that Jack has been to San Francisco, she doesn’t know how far that place is from Hartford (it shouldn’t be close, otherwise Lanli wouldn’t have chosen Hartford as a transfer), except for the old people talking about it The California Gold Rush, she had no memory of that place at all.Rhett had been panning for gold, she remembered hearing people say it before, but she couldn't figure out how it had anything to do with his being caught.It shouldn't matter to Paul, isn't he in New Orleans?

If she thinks about it any more, her head will explode. Three irrelevant place names are stirred into a pot of boiling porridge in her mind. The steam turns her thinking into an opaque frosted glass. A blur of shadows.I can't think about it any more, let's just listen to what Deason has to say.Since he told himself this, there must be no malice, and besides, he was willing to help Rhett.

"Thank you for telling me this, Deason." Scarlett called him "Mr. Walmont" because she was anxious, so she didn't bother to use honorifics or call him "Mr. Walmont" according to the general etiquette, but Deason thought it was a friend He smiled lightly when he called him a name that he would only use at that time. "What can I do to get him out? Please tell me, I don't care how much it costs."

Disson's smile was evaporated by the hot sun outside like a drop of water, his face sank, and his voice also sank: "To be honest, Mrs. Butler, it is very difficult to solve his matter with money alone. Because -"

He fell silent suddenly.The temperature of his face rose sharply like a flaming fire, and Lan Li beside him immediately put on a springy smile, as if nothing had happened.Scarlett felt strange. Looking back, Kevin and Jack with strange faces came down from upstairs.

"The operation is over?" Lan Li couldn't believe it was so fast, but what made her even more surprised was the reaction caused by this sentence. The two people upstairs stopped and looked at each other, and then cast their doubtful eyes on her, like Did not understand her words.

"What's the matter with you?" Lan Li hoped that someone could give her an answer.

"What surgery are you talking about?" Kevin originally wanted to call her sister-in-law, but he held back and omitted the title.

"Dison told me just now—" This was the first time Lanli called her husband's name, she felt weird, but if it was called "my husband", I'm afraid she would be even more awkward, "He said you——" She Suddenly he came to his senses and glared fiercely at Disson who was still smiling.

"He made a mistake." Kevin didn't understand what she meant at all, and just talked about what happened just now, "Jack and I just hypnotized Angela and gave her an injection."

"Hypnosis for injection?" Lan Li's surprise was beyond words.

"She is afraid of pain." Jack only said these three words.

"What about Angela?" Lan Li wanted to ask why Angela didn't come down with them.

"Sleeping." After Kevin finished speaking, he added, "Don't blame Jack, this kid has tried his best, but he is good at hypnotizing people, and there is no way to wake him up for the time being."

"It's nothing, so many unexpected things happened today, she should take a good rest." Lan Li's words were obviously implying that the two of them came at the wrong time, but Kevin and Disson pretended not to hear.

"It's just that this injection is not enough. Her illness is very serious, and because she interrupted her exercise—" Kevin gave Lan Li a reproachful look at this point, "Now her physical condition is very bad, and it will take a long time Only by proper conditioning and careful treatment can he recover."

"How long is 'a long time'?" Lan Li felt that this news was worse than Disson's telling her that Angela was going to have surgery. It wasn't all about Angela. She vaguely felt that she had fallen into Disson and Kevin. What kind of trap was set by taking advantage of Angela's illness.

"If you're lucky, maybe a year; if you're not lucky, maybe she'll have to live on injections for the rest of her life." Kevin's voice didn't sound like a joke at all.

"What, forever? My God!" This was said by Deason. Lanli almost rolled her eyes and fainted when she heard these words at first, but Scarlett supported her. "Are you kidding me?" He seemed more anxious than Lanli.

"Who would joke about such a thing?" Kevin asked back.

Disson sat down dejectedly, grabbed his hair and buried his head in thought, then raised his head quickly.Lan Li had already recovered from this sudden blow, she was waiting for him to come up with a feasible plan, but his first sentence was: "How did you plan, Landria?" He stopped calling her " Lanli" or "dear", right now he is completely discussing a difficult matter with her as calmly as possible.

"How do I know?" Lan Li's heart was completely disturbed by what happened in front of her. She originally hoped that Disson would make an idea for him, but she didn't expect him to give her the right to make the decision.Don't think that she doesn't know what he's up to, and she won't be able to say anything at that time, and then she has to listen to him-but there is really no better way right now.

"Then let me tell." Deason hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Kevin and I took Angela back to the north for treatment, and we will send her back when she is cured."

"No!" Lan Li flatly refused, "You don't want to take my child away. Don't think that I don't know what you are thinking, so I won't make you happy. Even if Angela wants to cure her illness, I have to take her with her. she goes."

"That's good." Disson's face darkened again, and he seemed very unwilling. "You take Angela to the north, and I'll stay here. I won't let you say that I have bad intentions."

"No way." Although Lan Li was still objecting, her tone was not as strong as before, "What will others say if you stay in my house as a northerner? This will ruin Angela's reputation." Di Sen noticed her I didn't call myself a "Yankee" like before.

"Look, you don't accept any of my suggestions. What do you want me to do if you want to think about it? Make a decision quickly. The child's illness can't be delayed." Di Sen looked at her helplessly.

Lanli turned her face to Scarlett and asked her what to do.She knew that Scarlett was inextricably linked to this matter, and might not give her an objective opinion because of her husband, but she was the only one she could trust right now.Moreover, only she and Jack are considered outsiders here. It is an eternal truth that outsiders are more objective than the parties involved. It is impossible for her to ask Jack what to do, right?

Scarlett was also embarrassed.She wanted to see Rhett very much, and it didn't matter if she went to Yankee territory, even if it was hell?But Lanli made it clear that she didn't want to go to the north. She was her good friend, and it would be a bit too cruel to force her to do something she didn't want to do.But after struggling for a long time, the longing for Rhett finally prevailed. She said to Lanli apologetically, "Why don't you go to the north with Mr. Walmont, the treatment is important. If you don't worry, we will Go with you." She lowered her head to avoid Lan Li's disappointed gaze.What a hypocrite I am, I want to see Rhett, but I still have to act like I care about my friends and children first.But this feeling of self-blame did not affect Scarlett's concern for Rhett. Anyway, she must go to see Rhett.Thinking of this, she finally had the courage to look Lan Li directly in the eyes: "Lan Li, I admit that I have selfish intentions. But this time, please do me a favor, please."

"You don't need to apologize, I understand." Although Lan Li was disappointed, she still comforted her. Then she turned her head to Disson and said calmly, "I'll go with you."

"I'll go too." Jack, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said the second sentence since he went downstairs.It's not a child's wishing "I want to go", nor a child's coquettish "I want to go too", but a straightforward "I want to go too", like an unreasonable adult, there is no room for negotiation Stay without fear of rejection.

"You must go." Kevin wasn't just supporting him, he was ordering.

"Angela can't live without you."

Disson's and Lanli's eyes obviously drifted because of Kevin's last sentence, but Scarlett found that Jack didn't have any expression, not even his usual politeness.

The fog that had disappeared for a long time returned to his eyes, and Scarlett could not see what he was thinking.At the same time, a feeling of uneasiness crept over her heart.This feeling is exactly the same as when Rhett left Tara.