[Comprehensive classics] Darcy or Brandon

Although life was difficult for Anne and Lucy, the two of them couldn't wait to pack their bags that night.In fact, there are not many things, just some long-wearing clothes and a few pairs of shoes. You must know that they don't even have a few decent jewelry, and the only decent jewelry that can be worn to the prom is left by their mother. Although their styles are a bit older, they can still be sold in the countryside. After all, those who can participate in the dance are also worried about their livelihood.

The Steele sisters borrowed their uncle's carriage and set off early the next morning. The journey would take several days on the road, much to Anne's dismay.Hurrying was a bit too difficult for Annie, because she didn't like this kind of carriage without shock absorbers at all. The feeling of trembling all over her body and the throbbing pain of her internal organs hitting her ribs was really terrible.

The carriage was running fast on the road, and Lucy rested her head on Anne's lap, staring at the Pratt Manor slowly going out of the window, and said to herself, "I really wish I had such a house. Even if the manor is only half the size of this place, I am satisfied."

Annie pulled the shawl on her body, looked sideways at the tall mansion, smoothed Lucy's curly brown-red hair with her fingers, and said, "You will have such a beautiful manor, I Lucy. You're pretty enough to have a beautiful manor, make good use of it, Lucy."

Fortunately for the Steele sisters, the weather was fine along the way, and they were not delayed on the road, and they arrived home five days later.

The Steele family lives in Ramsgate, which is very close to the sea, and the sea is less than ten miles away from Steele's house.The temperature in Ramsgate is much warmer than that in Plymouth, but it is still difficult for Anne and Lucy to live in winter. They live in an old two-story house. The Teals hadn't been repaired since they died, and had all the flaws of an old house, and it was always damp and cold in winter.Annie and Lucy have no money to hire servants to take care of their lives. In winter, they have to buy firewood from nearby farmers. To save money, they can't light the fireplaces in the whole house, and they usually order the living room during the day. The fireplace, the fireplace in the bedroom is single-pointed at night, so that the room is colder.

The carriage stopped in front of the gate of Steele's house, and Anne smiled as she looked out the window at the small house whose outer wall had become dusty in the wind and rain, although this house was destined to become someone else's in the future , but now it is still her home for Annie.

"Finally back!" Lucy opened her arms and cheered cheerfully, and ran to open the courtyard door first.

Annie also couldn't wait to get out of the car. Now there was a very strong cold wind blowing outside, and Annie's hair and clothes were blown up. Although it was very cold, Annie's heart also fluttered a little.

Finally home, and finally able to live freely.

The coachman helped the two sisters carry their luggage to the house and left in a hurry. Today's wind is particularly strong and the weather is a bit gloomy. He has to arrive at the hotel in the town before night. In such weather, he sleeps on the road at night. If you do, you will freeze to death.

Lucy quickly closed the door, then grabbed the hood of her cloak and went back into the house.Annie had already lit the fireplace, and Lucy quickly took off her cloak and ran to the fireplace to dry off her red and swollen cold hands, sniffed and said, "It's really cold today, I think it might be cold tomorrow. Snow."

Annie fiddled with the firewood in the fireplace a few times with the tongs to make the fire burn hotter. "I think so. Lucy, we don't have enough firewood. Later you go to the village to find old Tom and ask him to send enough firewood for the whole winter, and then buy more vegetables and fruits from the farmers. I Going to the market to see if I can get some meat back, but I'm terrified, we may only be able to buy some leftover small fish today."

"Oh, it will cost money when I come back." Lucy sighed, took out her handbag from the luggage, counted the coins inside, and there were more than 30 pence, which was enough for her to buy a large basket of vegetables up.

The two sisters went to the kitchen to get two big baskets, came out from the small door at the back of the house, and went to buy food for the past few days separately against the strong wind.

Annie wrapped her face in a thick scarf, and the direction of going to the market was against the wind. Annie couldn't open her eyes due to the cold wind, and her skin exposed outside the scarf was also tingling.Anne's cloak was made of the most common woolen fabric, which couldn't withstand any wind at all. She shook violently, scooped the basket in the crook of her arm, stuffed her hands into the sleeves, and ran against the strong wind.

The market was originally lively only in the morning, and there were basically no stalls in the afternoon.It was very windy today. When Annie arrived at the market, there were only two or three stalls left. The meat stalls had left long ago, but there was still one fish stall. After picking up two big ones, I hurried home.

There was some distance between the peasants and the squires, and it was nearly dark when Lucy returned with old Tom.Old Tom was pulling a cart full of neatly cut firewood, and a little pile of vegetables that Lucy had bought.

Old Tom pulled off his hat clumsily but politely saluted Anne. With a flattering expression on his face, he smiled and said to Anne: "Miss Steele, do you think this firewood is enough? It was said that it would be longer, so I stretched it a bit more, and if you think it is too much, I can pull it back a bit.”

The weather at this time in the past two years was not as cold as this year, so this year's winter will definitely be longer than usual. Anne also intends to buy more firewood, so she asked Old Tom to pile up a whole carload of firewood in the kitchen .

The gap between the rich and the poor in this era is huge. Farmers can earn more than ten pounds a year to be considered rich, while gentlemen who earn two to three thousand pounds a year feel that life is embarrassing.Squires usually hire a few servants in their homes, and the firewood in the house is cut by the handyman. Few people spend money on firewood like the Steele family. For the Steele family, the firewood cost is only A small amount of money is a good income for the farmers. It is a great joy for Old Tom to get such an errand every year, so the firewood is cut finely and neatly, and it is pushed down when it is moved down. Neatly.

Annie looked at the amount, counted the money with satisfaction and handed it to Old Tom, while smiling, she said, "Old Tom, you gave me all these firewood, isn't it enough for your family?"

Old Tom stuffed the money into his pocket with a smile, rubbed his callused hands and said, "Where is it not enough? Our family lives in the woods, and we can chop firewood anytime we want. It just takes some effort." .”

Anne felt that if she had lived near the edge of the woods or the fields, she would have cut the wood and weeded herself, and could have as many fireplaces as she wanted.Annie looked up at the sky, and said to Old Tom: "Dark clouds are beginning to gather in the sky, I think it may rain heavily later, Old Tom, you should go back quickly, don't miss dinner."

Old Tom nodded in response, and then said: "Hey, Miss Steele, if you and Miss Lucy need anything, just tell Old Tom, Old Tom has taken care of it properly."

After old Tom left, Anne and Lucy locked the back door, and then went into the kitchen to cook dinner.Annie's cooking skills are very good, and she is responsible for cooking. Lucy has almost no cooking skills, and she hasn't learned it after several years of learning, so she can only start.In fact, Annie knew that Lucy couldn't learn it, she just didn't want to learn it. She felt that she would be a noble lady surrounded by servants in the future, and a noble lady didn't need to learn cooking skills at all.

"Annie, let's make that sweet fish, I like to eat that." Lucy said, looking at the two sea fish.

Since the two sisters fired all the servants in the family a few years ago, Anne began to take charge of the kitchen. At that time, Anne had not been here for a long time, and she hadn't eaten much British food, and she couldn't cook it, so she had to make improved ones. Chinese food.The taste of the British is relatively light. They are used to asking the chef to add only the most basic oil and salt when cooking food, and then add various seasonings by themselves when eating.But Annie is used to eating all kinds of dishes, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, so even though the food has been improved, it still tastes rich. Lucy was not used to it at first, but later she liked it after eating too much. I often quietly complained to Annie that the food was too bland and unappetizing.

"Okay, let's do that, and you go to light the fire." Annie cleaned up the two fish with a few quick hands, and was about to put them in the oil pan.

Lucy pulled up her skirt and tied it around her calves before sitting in front of the stove. She stuffed a handful of firewood into the stove hole and muttered, "We have to clean up the stove tomorrow, otherwise my skirt will sit here The hem is going to be dirty."

"You have been wearing this skirt for two years, and the hem of the skirt is about to be worn out. While we are free in winter, I cut off the bottom part, cut off the cuffs and neckline, and replaced it with a new one for you." Annie looked at it. Said, looking at the beige muslin skirt on Lucy.

Lucy pulled the hem of the skirt and said, "Put the old skirt with new lace, wouldn't it look twisted, and our lace doesn't match this skirt. Forget it, just wear it like this."

Annie thought about the fabrics and laces at home, and they didn't seem to match Lucy's skirt very well, but there were a few old skirt fabrics that matched Lucy's skirt quite well.Of course, Annie was reluctant to cut off the old skirts that were in good condition. She and Lucy wore these old skirts at home, but she had a brown skirt that was accidentally splashed by sparks in the fireplace last year, and the skirt was burnt. I cut a palm-sized hole and couldn’t wear it anymore, so I said to Lucy: “If you don’t want a new one, just cut off my brown skirt that was accidentally burned, and sew a circle on your skirt, the color You can also match the old and the new, and I will make two rose-shaped buckles with brown ribbons for your neckline, so it will be beautiful."

Lucy lowered her head to light the fire, and her eye circles turned red when she heard Annie say that, but she knew the situation at home, so she nodded and responded vaguely, then buried her head and concentrated on lighting the fire.