[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

Lydia offered to help for a reason.

Mary is not surprised at all. If her little sister really suddenly changed her mind and said she wanted to let go of everything, she could let go of her self-esteem and take the initiative to seek reconciliation with Mary... Just thinking about that scene makes Mary feel goosebumps all over the floor up.

When she moved to London, Lydia knew Mary had rented the apartment in Serpentine Street.Although the living expenses of the two younger sisters are still paid by their parents, Lydia is much more stable after all living in Mary's territory.

In the past few days, Mary has been busy, and Lydia is not chatting with the landlady, going out with the old lady with Catherine, embroidering at home without saying a word, or going to Mr. Bingley's house in London to accompany Jane. Sit down, to be honest, it's outrageous.

Now that she offered to help read the letter, Mary naturally had no reason to refuse.

She did not abandon her two younger sisters to do her own business, but the Miss Bennet family got busy reading letters together.The three girls opened and read the letters, and their efficiency improved a lot.

"I read these," Lydia said, splitting the letter into two parts, keeping one part and pushing the other to Catherine. "You read these, and Mary reads the comments and news."

Mary looked at her in surprise: "Have you read my serial?"

Lydia pouted and replied angrily, "Of course I read it."

Mary: "..."

Can't see it!

I don't know when she read "Beach Magazine".After all, Lydia has always had little interest in books and magazines. When Mary first submitted a manuscript, she and Lydia were having a fight over Wickham. Even if the little sister takes care of the sisterhood with her feet.

"Then you," Mary said with a little interest, "what do you think?"

"It's boring."

Lydia said bluntly: "I don't like suspense novels, they are scary to read."

Catherine was not happy: "How can you say that, Mary's serialization is obviously very good, and many reasoning veterans who have written a lot of stories are not as good as her."

Lydia: "All the suspenseful numbers on the market are meaningless."

Well, it's not Lydia's fault, I have my own reading tastes.Catherine likes suspense reasoning, who stipulates that Lydia must also like it, isn't it?

Mary could tell that Lydia's words were blunt but not malicious, not aimed at herself, but that she really didn't like the subject matter of suspense novels.

"It doesn't matter."

So she said: "You know the plot, it's good to know if the feedback is good or bad. I'm busy these days, and I may not be able to take care of you and Catherine. If you live in Serpentine Street and you are really bored, go find Jane, ask her to take you to the Salon Ball, to meet more ladies and gentlemen."

"Let's talk," Lydia said, "I'm helping the landlady sew a hat, and it won't be too late to go to Jane after I finish sewing the hat."

"..."

She won't really change sex, will she? !

Mary could hardly believe her ears: Miss Lydia Bennet, the most frivolous of the Five Golden Flowers, the most inseparable from society, balls and attention, had said "sew your hat before you go to society" "Words come?

Mary wouldn't be surprised if she was also suddenly pierced by the soul!

Maybe it was because Mary's gaze was too obvious, Lydia frowned, and raised her chin provocatively: "Why, you are only allowed to think about what you like, and I am not allowed to be busy with embroidery?"

"No."

Mary withdrew her surprised expression, and replied earnestly: "It's best if you are interested, and I support you, not to mention that your embroidery work is really outstanding."

Lydia was taken aback by her straightforward praise, perhaps because she didn't expect Mary to recognize her, Lydia didn't realize it for a while: "Uh..."

The face of the little sister of the Bennet family changed, and finally said awkwardly: "Thank you. Your serialization is actually very good. Although I am not interested, receiving so many letters is enough to prove that your creation is liked by others. .”

Mary hooked her lips.

It is not good!

Even though Mary felt that she and Lydia could recognize each other's abilities, if it came back to Wickham's matter, there would inevitably be another quarrel.

However, compared with the past, this is already a big improvement.Mary tried to talk to Lydia calmly, instead of being irritated by her and quarreling.

... I hope she can hold on.

However, Mary did not forget what Lydia said just now.

"You said you want me to help you," she asked, "what do you want me to do?"

Lydia paused after hearing the words, and put down the letter in her hand.She hesitated, but finally said, "How much money do you need to open a millinery shop?"

Mary: "..."

Lydia: "You said that if I can earn enough money from embroidery, you will be the first to support me in everything I do."

Mary: "..."

She was right, but it had only been a few months since Mary had finished speaking!

Wanting to be financially independent, wanting to open a millinery shop, that's fine, it couldn't be better.But it wasn't that Mary looked down on her younger sister, but that she felt... that if she could ask this question frankly, Lydia still didn't have the ability to run a store independently.

Not to mention anything else, she doesn't even know how much money is needed to open a store, so what kind of business is she talking about?

"I don't know either," Mary replied truthfully, "If you have any plans in this regard, I can help you find out, but I'll put my ugly words in front of me. The pounds I earn now are only enough for me to live on myself, and I have no money to lend you. as principal."

"I don't borrow money from anyone."

Lydia has a lot of backbone: "You can make money by yourself, why can't I? At worst, I'll start as an embroidery worker, and I'll always earn the principal."

Is this still the Lydia in the original book who brazenly asked Elizabeth for money and help after marrying Wickham?

Thankfully not anymore.

It seems that Milton and the London party are indeed useful.Hearing Lydia's childish rhetoric, Mary felt relieved.

It doesn't matter if you are immature, you will become mature with more experience.Mary didn't worry about her sisters being childish, she worried about them being unmotivated.

As for Mary herself, she works hard to write, and after running, all she wants is to eat and drink without worrying about it.But I didn't expect that my behavior actually aroused Lydia's competitive spirit - since she was a child, Mary, who was inferior to her in all aspects, could do it. How could Lydia Bennet not be able to do it?

Mary didn't mind Lydia's comparisons either.

She disdains to compete with Lydia in terms of appearance, social interaction, and whose beautiful clothes look better, but who can go farther, climb higher, and be more progressive on the road of life, so why not do it.

but……

"Start as an embroiderer," Mary couldn't help shaking her head. "The annual salary of an embroiderer is only around [-] pounds. Even if you don't eat or drink, how long will you have to save?"

"I can--"

"Don't rush to argue with me, Lydia," Mary interrupted the little sister calmly, "I definitely don't support you, you want to be financially independent, that's fine. But you're lucky to be reincarnated as the daughter of a squire Instead of the worker's daughter, why start with the worker's daughter?"

Lydia was so emotional that she didn't understand what Mary was saying.She still wanted to refute, but Catherine grabbed Lydia first: "What Mary means is that you don't have to start from scratch, you have more choices."

"what?"

Lydia, who was caught, blinked before she could react.

It is still too emotional, but the character problem will not be resolved in a short while, Mary did not speak out to reprimand Lydia, but chose to continue: "I don't lend you money, it may not be that Jane and Elizabeth will not lend you money , besides, you still have a dowry of [-] pounds. If you can persuade Dad to give you the dowry in advance, that's fine, but I don't suggest you do that. "

"why?"

Before Lydia could speak, Catherine couldn't hold back: "I thought it was a good idea."

"Because Lydia is good at handwork, but does she know how to settle accounts? Do you know where to buy cotton, linen, and other raw materials? Do you know where to find reliable embroiderers? Opening a shop is not only about craftsmanship and ability. Yes, if it fails, how should Lydia pay back the money?"

Mary's series of questions made Lydia fall into silence.

"So my suggestion is," Mary thought for a while, "If you have an idea, go slowly and start with the design draft."

"design draft?"

"Hats, skirts, and other patterns of clothing," explained Mary, "and send them to Jane and Elizabeth, and let them choose what they like and make them themselves. Our two brothers-in-law are rich, and as their Wife, Jane and Elizabeth are much more likely to come into contact with noble ladies. Any kind of hat or dress is favored by rich people. Even if Lydia doesn’t need to open a store, she can still make a name for herself. And this is just the first step , It will not be too late to consider raising funds to open a store after we have accumulated word of mouth.”

And even if they can't get it out, Lydia won't lose anything—Jane and Elizabeth will never be stingy about not giving Lydia the money.

Mary's thinking is simple.

She feels that not all famous designers start from scratch and work hard step by step, or become the hottest and ultimate celebrity in the fashion circle after a catwalk.

There are always some people who are favored by big bosses and thus become famous, right?Mary didn't know the rules of the fashion industry very well, but in the nineteenth century, this was the best path she could think of for Lydia.

For one thing, even though the atmosphere at the end of the nineteenth century was much better than the time Jane Austen actually lived in, doing business was still the choice of the "upstarts" in the eyes of the gentry and nobles, not to mention Lydia was still a little girl, unmarried and childless. Opening a shop and speaking out will affect her reputation.

Secondly, as Mary said, Lydia Bennet is the daughter of a squire, and she has two older sisters who married rich people. Ms. Chanel is much richer, why not take advantage of it?

Moreover, Lydia's women's clothing design is aimed at rich families.It's easier than starting from scratch with her ignorant.

"If you can do it," Mary added, "if you take out design drafts instead of clothes that are on sale, the ladies will think you are a talented lady instead of a shopkeeper, and even if they don't buy them, they will treat you Impressive. If you find a rich gentleman as your husband because of this, wouldn't the principal be paid?"

However, these words did not comfort Lydia, and she couldn't help muttering at the end: "I don't want to rely on others to give me money, I can do it myself."

But in the end she accepted Mary's idea.

"Isn't it just a design draft?" Lydia readily accepted the challenge, "I can do it, I have a lot of ideas!"

so good.

This may be the first time Mary and Lydia have had a long, peaceful conversation since Wickham came into the lives of the Bennet sisters.

Half a year ago, she wouldn't believe that even if Mary was killed, Lydia would one day listen to her rambling explanation.

Although she felt that Lydia still hated her, this was a big step forward.Mary relaxed her mind and picked up the letter in her hand again: "Now you have to help me read the letter carefully, I—"

The following words came to an abrupt end when the landlady knocked on the door.

Mary opened the living room door, and the decent and gentle lady looked worried, as if asking if something was wrong?Before Mary could question, she saw Detective Lestrade behind her.

There is a clue.

She immediately calmed down and raised a smile to comfort the landlady: "It doesn't matter, ma'am, this Inspector Lestrade is my friend."

After appeasing the old lady, Mary invited Inspector Lestrade to enter.

The inspector was not polite, he nodded politely to Mary, took off his police cap and went straight to the point.

"We have identified the victim," he said. "She is Nancy, she lives near the Whitechapel area, and the killer fled the night of the dumping."

The author has something to say: Your Jiang Hua's knowledge of the history of the fashion industry is basically 0, it's all made up casually, please don't delve into it!

The victim is from "Orphan Twist", but it doesn't involve too much plot. Some girls guessed it. It's the same as the theft case in the previous case. It's just an introduction to a big case. I just borrowed a plot point to draw out the religious case. .It doesn't matter if you haven't read the original work, just treat it as original like the theft case at the beginning of this article.