I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Before leaving Millcote, a densely populated city, Pei Xiang got a free shopping opportunity.

She asked Sophie, the nanny, and the hotel boy to take her to a shop specializing in oriental spices and groceries, and bought some miscellaneous things.

After that, they went to a well-known local jewelry store and ordered some silver pin objects with special shapes.After she ran out of pocket money that should have been used to buy clothes and toys, the group returned to their residence.

Rochester glanced at the large and small parcels in the hands of Sophie and the servant, and did not ask in detail what Pei Xiangdu bought, but suggested quietly:

"Adele, it's time to say goodbye to your friends. We'll be leaving here for Thornfield the day after tomorrow."

Pei Xiang nodded, walked to sit beside Rochester, raised his head and asked about Thornfield's specific situation.

Rochester has very complicated feelings for his ancestral home, Thornfield. In the past ten years, he has always come and gone in a hurry, and each time he stayed for no more than two weeks.

"It's a three-story building with lawns and gardens and stables and . . . everything you can imagine for a decent home.

"The exterior of the house is gray, and there are no people around. When it is cloudy and rainy, from a distance, Thornfield looks like a cage isolated from the world, which always makes people feel depressed or irritable. Of course, if you If you know how to enjoy solitude, you may find it a wonderful retreat."

Pei Xiang silently glanced at Rochester, thinking that if you introduce Thornfield like this, won't you worry about the seven-year-old girl's resistance or fear?

"Are there flowers in Thornfield's garden? Are there fruit trees around? Are the living and dining rooms in the house spacious enough and beautiful? Are there chandeliers and thick Turkish rugs? Are the curtains purple or dark green? How is Mrs Fairfax, who is in charge of me, and how are the other servants at the estate?"

"Adele, you have so many questions, I don't have the patience to satisfy your curiosity."

"Mr. Rochester, please tell me some specific and warm details. Tell me about the pattern on the furniture and the color of the wallpaper. In short, please say something pleasant. You just said that Thornfield is like a cage, which scared me a little bit. I'm going to have nightmares tonight."

Rochester snorted coldly, thinking that children are troublesome.

He thought that he was determined not to change his consistent evaluation of Thornfield House unprincipledly in order to accommodate a little one.

"Adele, you have to know that life is not always smooth, and having nightmares is an inevitable experience for everyone growing up."

Pei Xiang said dissatisfied: "But I'm only seven years old, and I'm as fragile as a lamb."

"I've never seen such a cunning little lamb like you." Rochester twitched the corners of his lips mockingly, "However, in order to fulfill my guardian's responsibility, I will forcefully tell you about other aspects of Thornfield, in case you The little lamb was so frightened that it cried."

Pei Xiang immediately made a gesture of all ears.

Rochester took a sip of coffee and said slowly:

"Because I don't go back all the time, there are not many servants in the house. Mrs. Fairfax the housekeeper, a maid named Leah, John the coachman and Mrs. Mary the cook, and Mrs. Grace Poole who does the needlework." .

"Adele, Mrs. Fairfax was a widow. The late Mr. Fairfax was somewhat related to my mother. She was good-natured, and, though lacking in wit, was capable of being a housekeeper. I'm more assured that she will take care of your daily life."

Pei Xiang asked: "Will Mrs. Fairfax dislike me because of my mother? Just like that Albert."

"She doesn't know your background, and you shouldn't talk about the past with other people. After I go to London to go through some formalities, you won't be Celina Warren's daughter, understand?"

Pei Xiang nodded quickly: "I understand, Mr. Rochester."

After finishing speaking, she showed a happy and sweet sincere smile towards Rochester, looked at her guardian with a pair of shining eyes, and expressed her gratitude very frankly.

Rochester immediately turned his face away from Pei Xiang, and after a while, he suddenly raised his voice and shouted:

"It's already this time, Adele, shouldn't you go back to your room to rest, don't stay in the living room and ask questions."

Pei Xiang smiled and said hello, she got up and hugged Rochester who was full of displeasure, and then bounced away.

The next day, Pei Xiang bid farewell to William, Norton and Theodore.

The next day, she got into the carriage to Thornfield.

After arriving at the new residence, Pei Xiang had his own bedroom and small study.

Because of her strong request, Sophie did not live in the same room with her, but was arranged by Mrs. Fairfax to a small room next door.

After dinner, Mr. Rochester told Mrs. Fairfax to take good care of Pei Xiang and find her a qualified tutor.He himself will rush to London to deal with some matters on the second day, and will not stay in Thornfield.

"Adele, I have inspected your talent, whether it is in language, or in art fields such as painting and music, you are very aura. Of course, you should not be too proud, because the aura talent in childhood is not always used. Inexhaustible. If you waste the gift of God through indolence and arrogance, you will become a mediocre and impetuous person."

Pei Xiang was sitting upright, listening carefully to the guardian's instruction.

Rochester continued:

"So, I will ask Mrs. Fairfax to arrange a tutor for you as soon as possible, and let the other party give you some basic enlightenment. After two or three years, if you still have excellent potential, I will find a way to help you find A more professional teacher or school allows you to receive a more systematic education."

"Mr. Rochester, please rest assured that I will not disappoint your kindness."

"It's best like this," Rochester murmured softly, "I hope you can grasp some really important things, and don't let stupidity, superficiality, and impulse control your life, just like me."

The man looked a little tired, and since he walked into Thornfield, the lingering sense of melancholy and loneliness on him became even stronger.

In this house, delicious and rich dinners, gorgeous and bright rooms, and respectful servants could not make him look good. He was sitting on wealth, but he trapped himself in the thorn swamp.

In the early morning of the next day, Rochester set off on his black horse Maeslow, accompanied by a long-haired dog named Pilot, who disappeared in the mist of the morning light.

Pei Xiang sat on the window sill of an empty room on the third floor, watching Rochester leave.

After a long while, a dull and strange strange laughter came into her ears. The voice was intermittent, hoarse and unpleasant, and combined with the melodious and mellow bells of the church not far away, it made people feel creepy and trembling for no reason.

"Bertha Mason..." Pei Xiang was slightly lost in thought as he looked at the colorful autumn scenery outside the window.

During those days in Millcote, her internal strength cultivation had already laid the foundation, and now it is slowly growing.In another two or three months, there will probably be relatively good results.

——At the very least, it allows me to easily restrain a tall and strong crazy woman with the body of a seven-year-old child.

Just when Pei Xiang was thinking about something, the weird laughter suddenly stopped, and after a while, there was a burst of footsteps approaching from far to near, and then Mrs. Fairfax was heard In the corridor outside the door said:

"Grace, it's too noisy, remember your duty."

"I'll see, Mrs. Fairfax."

"You have been drinking less recently. Mr. Rochester has left his protégé in Thornfield. It is a weak little girl of seven or eight years old. She is alone. Don't frighten her."

"I'll be careful, ma'am," Grace reassured, then fell silent.

Mrs. Fairfax did not expect Grace to say anything more, and after reminding Grace Poole, she left.

Pei Xiang sat cross-legged on the window sill, basking in the autumn morning light while meditating and exercising. It wasn't until after the internal energy had run for a week that she jumped onto the floor without a sound, avoiding the early servants and returning to her bedroom.

When the morning sun completely filled the room, the nanny Sophie came to wake Pei Xiang up, and a new day officially began...

A month later, Pei Xiang met her tutor, Miss Jane Eyre.

This is a thin and pale girl, wearing a simple black dress, her hair is neatly combed, and she has no extra accessories on her body, as if she is a devout Quaker.

Miss Ai's every move seems to be well-behaved, even a little cautious, but if you think that she is a dull girl who is submissive, it is a big mistake.

Anyone who observes this young governess carefully will notice from her eyes and her plain but distinctive face that this girl has a world of her own in her heart, she is free and stubborn, and Life is full of curiosity and unyielding courage.

"Miss Eyre, are you my tutor?"

"Yes, Miss Warren, I will be responsible for teaching you language grammar, music and painting from now on."

"Call me Adele, I like my French name, may I call you Jane?"

"Of course, Adele."

At this time, Pei Xiang is not like the little girl in the original book, who can only communicate with people in French.She already speaks very fluent English, at least, daily communication is no problem.

Therefore, Mrs. Fairfax did not ask Jane Eyre to ask about the little girl's life experience, but directly led the teacher and the student to the big study.

"Mr. Rochester ordered that this place can be used as a temporary classroom. The tone of the upright piano is not bad, and you can teach Adele to play the piano. There is an easel in front of the window, and there are paints and painting supplies in the box. By the way, those books in the bookcase , you can look through anything that is not locked, and then put it back in its original place, Jane."

Jane Eyre was very satisfied with the new classroom, and after asking a few more questions, she began to test the students' level in order to arrange future teaching plans.

Everything is gradually on the right track, autumn and winter come, and it is cold January in a blink of an eye.

In recent days, Pei Xiang's internal strength has reached a small bottleneck period, and she needs most of the day to concentrate on breaking through the barrier.So, she ran to Mrs. Fairfax to act like a baby, saying that she was too tired from studying recently, and she hoped to relax for a day.

The old lady has always been kind and gentle. She heard the sweet and lovely little girl talking about wanting to rest, so she agreed without thinking too much.After finishing the work at hand, Mrs. Fairfax turned to Jane Eyre and asked the little girl for leave to intercede.

Because Pei Xiang has always performed well, Jane Eyre also felt that it was time for her students to relax for a day, so she agreed without hesitation.

When Pei Xiang finally broke through the bottleneck of internal strength cultivation and his strength increased a little, the quiet Thornfield suddenly became lively.It turned out that Mr. Rochester, who had been away for three months, had returned.

Of course, the house was so lively not only because of the return of the master, but also because the strong master sprained his foot.

As soon as he came back, he sent someone to find the surgeon Carter, and ordered his servants to take care of his precious black horse, and then asked someone to help him upstairs to change his clothes... In short, under a series of orders, the whole Thornfield Mansion became busy.

Pei Xiang heard that Rochester was injured while riding a horse, and that Jane Eyre had gone out to send a letter today and hadn't returned yet, so she realized that today was probably the day when the hero and heroine met for the first time.

She subconsciously glanced in the direction of the third floor, thinking that now that she has made a small breakthrough, she can approach the crazy person without being hurt.In any case, she had to find out what was wrong with Bertha Mason.

"I heard them say, Mr. Rochester, that your foot is sprained?"

When Pei Xiang walked into the study, Dr. Carter was checking Rochester's ankle.

Rochester looked at the little girl whom he hadn't seen for three months, and nodded in a good mood:

"Dr. Carter is examining me. The bone should not be broken, it's just a sprain."

Pei Xiang went to the doctor's side and looked at Rochester's wound, and was slightly relieved when he saw that the injury was indeed not serious.

"Adele, while I'm free now, I need to check your recent study progress."

Pei Xiang smiled and nodded:

"Jane is very responsible. She taught me a lot of basic knowledge and common sense. Mr. Rochester, you will find out right away that I am a good boy who is both smart and serious."

Rochester twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking that he hadn't seen him for three months, but the child's self-confidence hadn't diminished at all.

"Jane? Is that the name of your governess?"

"Yes," Pei Xiang replied while motioning Sophie to pick up her latest homework, "Miss Jane Eyre is my tutor, Mr. Rochester, have you met her?"

Rochester raised his eyebrows and replied: "If the Miss Jane Eyre you're talking about is a short, pale young woman in black clothes that are too plain to be plain, I think I've seen her before. When I fell, I also got her help. Well, although I think that it was her sudden appearance that frightened Mashiro, which caused me to fall off the horse."

Pei Xiang hurriedly asked: "Did you meet on the road? Then, when the black horse Meshiro fell, did you hurt my tutor?"

"Adele, what a worry you are!"

Rochester sneered: "Don't worry, your thin, pale tutor is safe and sound, otherwise, how could I leave her alone on the way."

Just as Pei Xiang was about to say something, Sophie walked in with a stack of homework practice papers. Dr. Carter had also finished dealing with Rochester's ankle at this time, so the topic of falling stopped abruptly.

Rochester adjusted his leaning posture and carefully checked Pei Xiang's homework.

Half an hour later, he selected Pei Xiang's paintings individually and put them on the coffee table, and returned the remaining stack of homework papers to Sophie, and signaled everyone else in the room to leave temporarily.

"Adele, do you think you've done your best?"

Pei Xiang blinked, and replied ambiguously:

"In some ways, in a way, I've done my best. Of course, I've made sure I'm not wasting my time doing what I think is right."

Rochester was silent for a while, and said slowly:

"About painting—although I haven't seen that lady's work yet, I think that Miss Jane Eyre is no longer able to teach you. This has nothing to do with her personal ability, but your talent is too outstanding. Ah Dele, I sometimes feel... you're a little monster."

Pei Xiang looked at Rochester sincerely, trying to defend himself:

"You can think of me as a little fairy, elf, little angel or something, it's better than a little monster."

Rochester raised his eyebrows slightly, and carefully looked at Pei Xiang with a pair of deep black eyes. After a while, he suddenly said:

"I don't know what the future holds, and I don't know whether today's decisions will affect anything. But my little conscience tells me that some worldly prejudices should not kill your future.

"Adele, to be honest, I hesitated when I was in London. I asked myself if I was going to take some risks that didn't seem to benefit me much? But I don't have much regret at the moment. I never I would like to see vulgarity and philistines defile the olive branch on the crown of art, even if... it is just a small bud, and the future is still unknown."

This passage was nonsense, even somewhat cryptic, but Pei Xiang understood it.

One of the things that Rochester went to London this time was to solve her identity problem.Listening to him talk like this now, Pei Xiang's eyes flashed with curiosity.

"Mr. Rochester, what do you want to tell me?"

"I violated the God-given virtue of honesty, cheated some pampered gentlemen, and found you a pair of parents with a good reputation."

"Who are they? Are you giving me up to strangers?"

"No, Adele, you will not see them until you are called by the Lord. They are a French couple I met in my travels, because they are not used to the heat, humidity and diet of the West Indies. , died of illness in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Before they passed away, they gave their only child to me and asked me to raise them on their behalf.”

"Where is that child?"

"That child didn't exist, Adele, do you understand? But now, you have become that child."

Pei Xiang was silent for a while, and continued to ask: "Are they also surnamed Warren?"

"What a coincidence." Rochester shook his head, "Adele, I'll just tell you about it once. It doesn't matter whether you remember it or not. Anyway, when you grow up, you will naturally know how to say it. "

"What should I say?"

"I brought you back to France and let a French woman surnamed Varen take care of you. Of course, I did this because I had a relatively close relationship with Celina Varen at the time. But later, Celina doesn't want to continue to take care of you for me, and you have begun to remember things, and it is really not suitable to continue living with a French dancer. So, I brought you back to me and brought you to England. "

"That is to say... I am not my mother's biological child now?"

"If you think it is, then it is, if you think it is not, then it is not. Anyway, you don't have the first memory. It's no big deal to mix up some things, or slip up. Because people will always forgive a stupid seven-year-old children's."

Pei Xiang immediately said "oh", looking a little silly indeed.

Rochester rolled his eyes in his heart, doubting certain facts again.

——How could a vain woman like Celina Warren give birth to such a strange child full of hearts?

"So, Adele, you are now a legitimate child. Although your 'natural parents' have left you no inheritance and relatives, their union is legitimate and blessed. And, you met me This is still a guardian of some property, from now on, no one will make irresponsible remarks about you."