Continuation of "Gone with the Wind"

Chapter 96 Changes

There was another loud bang, this time very close, and it brought in a gust of wind that almost knocked the candle down.Fortunately, Scarlett had quick eyesight and quick hands, and covered the soybean-like flames with her hands. Her hands were so close that she burned herself, but she didn't pay attention. She didn't put her hands away until she saw the flames slowly stabilize. He went back with a happy expression on his face.

Lanli didn't care to close the door, and hurriedly got up and went to the room to find medicine to scratch her, but Scarlett stopped her, her voice was surprisingly clear amidst the continuous thunder: "Lanli, what time is it?"

By the dim candlelight, Lan Li saw that the two hands of the grandfather clock intersected at right angles for the third time. "It's nine o'clock."

"When did I start like this?" Scarlett asked another unreasonable question.

"It's about five o'clock." Lan Li was puzzled by the question, not knowing what she was going to do.

"Then it must have been three hours, right?" Scarlett just wanted to confirm this question, and there was no need for a negative answer at all.Lan Li saw this and nodded.In fact, she felt that four hours had already passed.

"Thanks to the Virgin Mary!" Scarlett clasped her hands together and prayed.When Lanli just realized that what she just read might be the "Rosary", Scarlett said to her again: "You have worked hard just now, dear. Now you can turn on the light."

Although Lan Li was strange, she was very happy to see that the matter was finally over. It seemed to cater to her mood that finally got better. Before she could ring the bell to call for someone, the gas lamps by the wall suddenly lit up by themselves, illuminating the hall. Be brightly lit.Lan Li was stunned by the sudden light and closed her eyes, and it took a while to get used to it.When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the three candles that were completely outshone by the huge light—now there was only a little tail still lingering, and it even looked a little pitiful.

Lan Li's eyes followed Scarlett's to the door, and the shivering cold wind had been blocked out by the solid door again.Disson's back was facing her, his tall figure seemed a little stooped for some reason, and he kept shaking. The rain on his body was shaken into curtains, which fell onto the carpet with crackling noises.Lan Li didn't expect him to be soaked like this, but the strong smell of alcohol on his body stopped her from walking over and asking questions, so she could only ask someone to take him to take a shower and change clothes .It wasn't until Disson entered the room with a strange expression that she realized that he had brought an umbrella before he went out.

"It's raining a lot outside." Before Lanli could explain her doubts clearly, Scarlett suddenly spoke to her about the weather.

"Yeah, it's like a doomsday flood." Lan Li recalled the Bible story vividly.

Scarlett's face changed slightly, maybe because she thought of the ominous meaning of this story, but she immediately smiled and said to Lanli: "But there is always Noah and his ark."

"But how many people can that save?" Lan Li didn't know what Scarlett meant when she provoked these words. She was originally immersed in her own imagination, and she should have followed Scarlett's words and changed unconsciously. .She hurriedly added: "Of course, it's a good thing to save one more."

"You're right." To Lanli's surprise, Scarlett was not displeased because the topic she initiated didn't develop in the desired direction, but instead tolerantly expressed her agreement.She had known Scarlett for a long time, but frankly speaking, it was rare for her straightforward to hide her dissatisfaction so gracefully.Perhaps she was thinking too much, Scarlett was not dissatisfied at all.On the contrary, she felt ashamed of herself guessing other people's thoughts casually, which was a little too stingy.

The sound in the hall disappeared again, only the sound of the rain outside and the thunder that intervened from time to time made people feel that the world was still alive.Having nothing to say under the bright lights made Lanli feel awkward, so she tried her best to find something to say: "By the way, Scarlett, what are you doing like that just now?" She held back her question just now After a long time, I finally asked out all at once.

Scarlett’s expression seemed to have expected her to ask this question. She looked at the flames that could be extinguished at any moment, and said with a bit of sentimentality in her voice: “This is the native method that my mother taught me before she passed away. The purpose of lighting up the candles is to convey my heartfelt voice to the benevolent Virgin Mary, as long as the candles are not extinguished, my wish will always float to the sky along the smoke of the candles, and the Virgin Mary can always hear it."

"Really?" Lan Li's expression showed disbelief. She felt that Scarlett did this purely for psychological comfort.But she didn't want to spoil it either, so she said again, "I see. Our Lady will protect you for your sincerity."

"Thank you for staying with me for so long." Part of what Scarlett said just now was true, but the other part even she herself thought that Lanli would not believe it, so she didn't say it.On the night when Rhett left her——she knew that if it wasn't for the weird dream she had, maybe Rhett would not have made up his mind to leave, so although the dream only appeared once, she unexpectedly remembered it very clearly.This was not the same as the dream of running in the fog that had always haunted her before, which impressed her because of its constant repetition, although she didn't really want to experience this repetition at all; In her mind, like a dandelion falling with the wind, it took root, and it became clearer and clearer as her memory continued to polish, and she could recall more and more details from it.That dream seemed to be a prophecy. Rhett's departure, Charleston, which she could never accept, the appearance of Jack and Ashley, and Mammy's critical illness, all appeared in the future like two plays rehearsed according to the same script. Although it was not exactly the same, and it didn't have the final ending, she was already convinced of its accuracy.So when she recalled that in the dream, the nanny told her to prepare three long candles to pray for her illness, she did so immediately.It's just that the object can't be the nanny.Thinking of this, she felt sour in her heart, and quickly ordered herself not to cry at this time, otherwise the prayer would not work.

"That's nothing." Lanli finally regained feeling in her legs. She stood up and rang the bell, and said to Scarlett, "You should be hungry after sitting and praying for so long. I'll ask someone to prepare some supper for you." ?”

"No need, Lanli, thank you. I'm not hungry." Scarlett's eyes were originally on her, but after saying this, they passed over her head, and she also stood up, looking behind her Say, "Ah, Mr. Walmont, hello."

Lan Li turned around and saw Deason coming out of the inside in a different suit of casual clothes. His footsteps were not as scattered as before, and he regained his usual firmness.Seeing that he had sobered up a lot, Lan Li felt relieved to some extent—of course she knew what she was worried about, but this time she didn't want to attribute it to other places.

"Hello, Mrs. Butler." Deason's answer was very vague. There were some red threads floating in his eyes - the result of residual alcohol - but his face was very pale, and no one with his complexion would blush when drunk. normal, which is rare.It's just that even after taking a bath, there is still a not-so-light weird smell wafting around him, which is nothing to Scarlett, who is used to the smell of alcohol, after all, Gerald and Rhett were drunk. It looked like she had seen it a lot, but the smell was very uncomfortable for Lan Li, who never drank.She frowned, worry turned into blame again, and asked in a cold tone: "How much did you drink? How is the situation?"

Disson moved his mouth, but he couldn't say anything as he wanted. He drank too much and his tongue straightened. He took a little effort to bend it: "Sorry, honey, I made you worry about me I'm really sorry. I only drank two bottles, and it's not that much."

"Nonsense!" Lan Li knew that the previous sentence was Deason's intention to take advantage of her, but it was not because of this that she started cursing. "With your amount of two bottles, can you become drunk?" Whether she wants to admit it or not, she still knows a little about Disson, even though she didn't take the initiative.

"It's just that the governor forced me to drink these two bottles with a mixture of brandy whiskey, Russian vodka and other spirits." Deason thought of the glass after glass of colorless liquid with countless bubbles. With lingering fears in his heart, he didn't want to taste that taste again in his life, and would rather go to the front line and get two more shots.

"My God!" Lanli covered her mouth. She was really frightened. Even Scarlett at the side thought it was lucky that she could walk back this way of drinking. Wondering if Rhett could drink so much and get out of it.

"Then how much did that damn governor of yours drink himself?" In front of Scarlett, Lanli completely forgot the most important thing to ask. It's just playing with the stubborn temper of the southerners, and it's for Dyson.

"He drank more than me, five bottles. But they are all low-alcohol fruit wine. I heard that he has recently started to limit alcohol." Disson also gritted his teeth when talking about this incident, "It is said that he recently hired a new employee. A miraculous doctor is a personal doctor, and the whole person is about to be transformed into an ascetic by that guy."

"Ascetic monk? True or false? Isn't that—" Lan Li immediately thought of Scarlett after being told by Disen, and she felt that her hard work might be in vain.

"So—" Deason looked at Scarlett, who was confused, and continued, "If you want to get Rhett out of that guy's hands, you have to use another method."

"What way?" The two women said in unison this time.

Dyson's eyes turned from Scarlett to Lanli, then back to Scarlett, and finally stayed on her new fiery red evening dress without moving.

Usually, no matter how familiar two people are, if they look at each other for more than five seconds, if they haven't said anything, it will make the atmosphere look awkward.But Dyson's eyes were nailed to Scarlett and her red evening dress like a blood-sucking mosquito, looking at Scarlett so uncomfortable that she lowered her head and the whole face would melt into her body Not resting in the fire.Just when Lanli couldn't stand it and was about to protest, Deason finally spoke: "I must admit, Mrs. Butler, your suit is very noble, and it is very suitable for you to attend some luxurious banquets. But the situation has changed now , you should take it off."