His Excellency the Count of Grandet

While the port of La Rochelle was bustling with activity, three more riders came from the south.By the standards of people from Central China, the three people above all look too young, and they can be seen as Parisians at a glance.So when they pass through the crowded and noisy streets, they attract a lot of people's attention.

"Honestly, why do we have to stand here and watch?" the youngest-looking one asked first.Because the one in the lead stopped two or three hundred meters away from the coastline, and the people on the boats moored in the harbor could not be seen clearly at this distance. "Don't you have serious business?" In fact, there was only curiosity in his tone, without urging.

"Indeed, but it's really not in a hurry." The leader replied, but his attention was all on the surroundings, "Look here... La Rochelle seems to be different from all the ports I've been to before."

The one in the middle agrees with him very much. "Although I haven't been to enough European cities, I can at least be sure that there is a big difference between here and Paris..."

This is indeed not an exaggeration.Compared with the luxury and luxury in Paris, La Rochelle presents a completely different style——

Workers carrying large bales of cotton or wine boxes busily shuttled up and down the messy slabs, and the maids with flat bamboo baskets and straw hats were chatting with the small farmers who came up from the nearby countryside. , Even the same gorse flowers on the roadside and wasteland are more lively and crowded.

Measured by the Greater Anjou region in the traditional sense, La Rochelle is also part of the interior that Parisians call; however, does this condescending title by Parisians actually conform to the facts?Is the mainland really more backward?

In other words, others are likely to turn a blind eye to this difference, but all three of them are people with keen observation skills and are good at capturing what they want from the details.If one had to find a reason for this keenness, it would probably have to be that they were Hugo, Gellicot, and Delacroix.

The combination may seem odd, but it's actually to be expected.

Because they wanted to collect materials for the wine label, Jellicot and Delacroix stayed in the Bordeaux area for a while, and went out every day to find inspiration.When Charles left Bordeaux, they happened to visit a castle near Arcachon, and they did not return until several days later.

Without being able to meet the above, the drafts that the two each took out were not evaluated by anyone, and it would be difficult to continue with the next step.At the same time, they were curious about new things (they heard about Shire's plans in La Rochelle), so they came directly to La Rochelle, and didn't bother to write a letter to inform or anything-because Shire would definitely not It is possible to complete all the affairs of the shipyard in a short time.

As for Hugo, he was partly the same as the two painters—curiosity—and the other difference was that he had a vague feeling that Charles was different from everyone else; there seemed to be a kind of hope in Charles, or It is said that the ability to let people trust their expectations, because there seems to be nothing Ciel can't do.

This reason easily made Louis XVIII nod.The more knowledge you have, the more real your praise will be.

After all, the king just cares about saving face, otherwise why would he bring a poet when he travels?But at the same time, it must be emphasized that the problem of Louis XVIII is relatively minor among the nobles.

Jericho got off his horse and asked a few casual questions.Then he turned back, "Our dear Earl is still busy, and he probably won't have free time for ten days and half a month." Charles is so famous now that he really doesn't need to inquire about his whereabouts.

Delacroix pondered for a moment.Painting is a delicate job, and there is no rush. "Why don't we wait a few days to visit him?" he suggested. "I can think about my lines."

"That's what I mean too." Jericho smiled. "Also," he looked around at the bustle and bustle, "this place makes me want to do some sketches. Portraits would be nice too, if you have the right people."

The two painters have similar aesthetics, and both like to draw materials from life, so they hit it off without a doubt.So Jericho turned to Hugo, "What's your plan?"

"Then in a few days, I can have fun for myself." Hugo said he didn't mind at all.

He came from a wealthy family, and this trip has taught him a lot, and he is eager to see and hear more-how many realities will never be known to people living in Paris?How many ideas are completely different from his family education?He doesn't want to be a frog in a well!

So, before Charles didn't know it, he had already been jointly visited, and the members of the tour group became more and more famous.When he really saw these three people half a month later, he just felt that this matter was completely unexpected——

"You've come a long time ago, and you're not willing to tell me?" he asked, half astonished and half afraid, "Gentlemen, you've managed to ruin my hospitality this time! "But then he thought that he had done nothing to affect his reputation, even if the other party was an art and literary master he was not good at dealing with, it didn't matter.

"You don't know, so what does it matter?" Delacroix replied indifferently, "If you really mind, then I don't think any of us will tell!"

"That's right," Jellicoe affirmed this, "if we hadn't heard at the post station that you had a letter from Paris, we might have come to you in two days." He looked at Charles and asked: "What if If I'm not mistaken, you'll be back in Paris in a few days, right?"

"That's true." Charles had to express his amazement at the speed at which people spread information through their mouths. "If you guess this way, you must know that it is a letter from the cabinet?" Before Jericho could answer, he himself Continued: "The British ship will arrive at the Paris dock in a few days, and the Duke of Richelieu is urging me to go back to entertain the guests from afar."

Jericho and the three exchanged a look.Although their main area of ​​focus is not international economic exchanges, they took the same train and stayed in Bordeaux for a while, and they have heard everything they need to know——

The Duke of Decaz has already reached a preliminary agreement with the British in London, and is waiting for the British to come to the site to investigate and determine the final cooperation plan!

"They are really right, you are the miracle of France!" Delacroix said, with a warm tone and a sparkle in his eyes, obviously convinced by Charles. "If there are a few more people like you, France will definitely be able to win the glory it has never had before!"

"I believe there are several people like me in this dome living room." Charles laughed.Although the directions are different, isn't it the same goal in the end?

Hugo was taken aback. "This is really an extremely ingenious answer." After he finished speaking, he also smiled.

On the one hand, although he didn't answer directly, he would never deny that he wanted to be that kind of person!On the other hand, he has begun to really feel why Ciel can do things that others can't!

As for Jericho, because of his personality, he still smiled shyly.He thought of what Hugo thought of; recalling the situation on that winter afternoon, he only felt that he had made a wise decision that he had never made before—even if he guessed about the relationship between Charles and Victor That's right, so what does it matter?

That's right, with his keen observation skills, Jellicoe also vaguely felt that subtle aura.But he has a peculiar temperament—queer is a neutral word here, meaning it is different from the mainstream—it can be seen from the style of painting and the subject matter of his paintings, so his reaction obviously cannot represent the vast majority of people.Thanks to this rare character, it would definitely not be easy for Charles to change to someone who likes to make trouble.

"Okay, let's stop flattering each other," Charles resumed, putting an end to the topic, "I plan to leave for Paris tomorrow, and I will explain things to others later," he rolled his eyes, one by one He took a look, "Gentlemen, do you want to go together?"

There is no doubt that all three readily agreed.Because they came here for Shire's affairs, it's normal to walk together.Moreover, if you leave with Charles, he will take care of everything, relaxed and comfortable - they have already verified this when they came.

Because it has bought [-] barrels of wine for three years, Shire has initially established a wine purchase line along the Loire River, and there are people stationed in places with slightly larger wine production, so as to make a reasonable evaluation of the purchase price.Arranging hotels along the way is done by members of the trading company, which is really not a difficult task.

However, just as Antoine was packing his luggage, another letter from Charles arrived.

Ciel raised his eyebrows when he saw the location above.For it came from Saumur, but not in his cousin Eugenie's handwriting.That is to say, his dear uncle?

With such doubts, Charles removed the wax seal on it.Envelopes and ink are all provided free of charge by the post station, and the habit of the old grape plantation owner is also fully reflected at this time——

"Dear nephew, we haven't seen each other for more than a year. The last time we met, you came to Saumur to celebrate Eugenie's birthday, and then we parted happily. During this period, Eugenie and my wife went to Paris , also depends on your multi-faceted care. I am very grateful for the troubles. I have specially prepared a thin table, please be sure to treat me to a light meal, so that we can talk about the friendship between uncle and nephew..."

……etc?Papa Grandet wants a treat? !

Charles rubbed his eyes, looked again, was convinced that he had indeed seen "a light meal," and was shocked.Assuming that the arc of his raised eyebrows was one before, and now it has doubled directly——

Yes, more and more people are willing to invite him to dinner, he is used to it; but this time it is none other than his world-famous miser uncle!

Is it raining red?Snow in June?Is the sun coming out from the west?

For a moment, Charles's mind was full of this.But the point is, why on earth did his uncle invite him to dinner?