Wild North America 1846

Chapter 558 Night Banquet

Author: Portuguese toothless

"So Miss Anna is from England, a woman who ran away because of love, just like the heroine Catherine in "Wuthering Heights", a tragic character. But judging from your current situation, it seems that you are doing well?"

"Then are you Heath Cliff or Hindley? Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tease you, Mr. Li."

I believe that what a woman says is either an idiot or stupid. What she says is not intended to tease, but Anna's eyebrows and eyes are full of love.

As long as you hook your little finger slightly, you will fall into Richard's arms.

Li Chahun smiled nonchalantly and discussed the characters in the book matter-of-factly.

"Catherine ruined Cliff's life. On the one hand, she was not afraid of the world's view, and she was entangled with Cliff, who loved her deeply, and made all kinds of extraordinary actions.

On the other hand, due to the prejudice of his secular disciples, he accepted the marriage proposal from the noble and wealthy Linton. He was intoxicated by the luxury of the upper-class aristocratic life, and abandoned his former lover Cliff like a worn-out shoe.

She wants to have love, but also wants to have the upper class life of aristocrats, this is the contradiction between Catherine, she wants too much.

The release of human nature leaves women at a loss as to what to do, what do you think?"

Anna obviously did not expect to discuss such a profound topic. She choked for a moment and hesitated before replying: "Well... maybe, is there anything wrong with that?"

Richard took a leisurely sip of coffee and said;

"If you don't love me, don't hurt me.

Catherine can choose to marry the noble and wealthy Linton. That is her right, but she should not hurt Cliff, who still loves her deeply.

The night before Catherine married Linton, even though she knew that Cliff was hiding by the door in great pain, she still said to the maid: "Cliff is so mean and rude, marrying him will only lower your status."

Such heartless words completely tore Heath Cliff's heart, which was deeply in love with her.

from this moment on

The evil of human nature has blinded pure love, and the angels who once fell into hell are what makes this book so fascinating.

Miss Anna, what do you think?"

Miss Anna is already stupid at this time. She just occasionally wants to find a beautiful encounter. Now you are talking to me about the release and transformation of human nature in literature. Should I tell you that you are not good at it?

"Perhaps...one of my companions is a governess, and she can give you the answer you want." Anna looked a little embarrassed and pointed to another table, where three elegant white women were sitting.

, they came together.

After a while

City workers holding long poles and ignition lights outside the window lit the kerosene street lamps on the roadside one after another. The dim dusk fell and night fell.

Richard summoned the waiter, settled the bill with the lady's table of coffee and snacks in a very gentlemanly manner, stood up, said goodbye, and was about to leave.

He had just shown a little bit of knowledge in front of the four women, which had already shocked them into not wanting to do anything else, but they were still confused.

At this time, the private female teacher Lillian suddenly woke up and stood up and said: "Oh... please wait a moment, Mr. Li, my boss Sir He is hosting a grand dinner tonight. I believe he will welcome such a learned gentleman like you very much."

Come. I would like to extend an invitation to you on his behalf. If possible..."

"Isn't this... abrupt?" Richard looked slightly hesitant.

He had never really attended a businessman's dinner, and he learned from Lillian that the owner, Sir He, was the vice chairman of the Royal Chang'an Mint and a senior manager of the royal business.

His knighthood is for a large number of social elites that Richard personally approves every year.

They are called "country squires" in villages and towns, and "gentry" in cities. They do not belong to the real aristocracy. They are just awarded some encouragement medals to encourage outstanding people in various industries and some philanthropic people who are enthusiastic about public welfare. Therefore, they are respectfully called

"Jazz".

Richard had no impression of this person and was quite undecided.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Li, Sir He is a very hospitable person. I have been teaching German and music art classes here for more than 4 years. I get along very well with Sir He and his wife. Anna and the others were also invited to the dinner by me.

Yes." Lilian persuaded.

Anna and others also encouraged him, and finally Richard made up his mind to take advantage of this businessman's meal.

The more lady guests there are at the dinner party, the more fun the invited important guests will have.

The white women who were panning for gold in Chang'an, the imperial capital, were one of the important groups who frequently attended various dinner parties.

It is precisely because of the generally conservative and strict hierarchical traditional concepts of Chinese-American communities that Chinese ladies from well-known families cannot go out, let alone participate in these so-called social things. What kind of decency is that?

Successful men in China are always very honest. The more lavish they are in social situations, the better. When marrying a wife, he must marry a lady from a wealthy family.

For example, Anna, a wealthy British girl who ran away from home, and Lillian, an unmarried female private tutor with good temperament and good looks, became a popular group at the dinner parties of celebrities and wealthy businessmen in the imperial capital, commonly known as socialites.

It's around seven o'clock in the evening

In the imperial capital of Chang'an where land is precious, even though he is one of the well-known social figures in Beigang District, Sir He's mansion is not very big. It covers an area of ​​about half an acre and consists of a large Victorian-style single-family villa building and three bungalows.

Composition of auxiliary buildings.

There is a courtyard in front and a private garden in the back.

For a house of this size, it would cost at least hundreds of thousands of Tang Yuan to purchase, which is an out-and-out huge sum of money.

But compared with the real upper-class nobles of the empire, they are like an insect competing for the brightness of the bright moon, not on the same level at all.

The banquet venue consists of the lobby on the first floor of a single-family villa and the private garden at the back, covering an area of ​​more than a thousand square meters. The second floor is where Sir Ho's family lives. There are servants standing at the stairs blocking the way, and guests are not allowed to visit.

When their carriage arrived, seventy or eighty people had already arrived at the banquet.

"This is Sir He and this is Mrs. He. They are highly respected social sages." Lillian, the private female teacher, introduced the host and his wife, holding Richard's sleeves and introducing them;

"This is Mr. Li Mingjian, an outstanding young man from the Empire who graduated from Friedrich Wilhelm University (Berlin University). He has taught at the university for many years. He recently returned to Chang'an, the imperial capital, and accepted a teaching position at the University of California. He is a

A very talented gentleman."

When Lillian introduced him, her eyes looked fieryly at Mr. Li Mingjian, who exuded masculine charm, from time to time.

This cannot be blamed on her. Mr. Li Mingjian's appearance, conversation, knowledge and extremely charming temperament are all top-notch. He stands out from the crowd and eclipses all the guests present.

Richard also underestimated his own charm. Even though he tried his best to hide his clumsiness, the temperament of a superior person occasionally revealed was enough to amaze people.

"Sorry to bother you, Sir He." Richard said politely.

Sir He was a stout middle-aged man with a usual businessman's smile on his face, and he said enthusiastically: "Where is it... Mr. Li, a young and talented man from the empire, cannot be invited on weekdays. You must have a good time today. Oh,

excuse me……"

Seeing the new guests arriving, Sir He and his wife exchanged some apologetic greetings and then went up to receive other guests.

Richard originally wanted to keep a low profile, but when Anna on his left, Lillian on his right, and two white ladies walked into the hall behind him, he inevitably attracted the attention of the people around him.

There was envy, jealousy, and curious and probing glances from women, all cast on him.

Perhaps women have a keener sixth sense. From this tall man, the female guests present quickly noticed the slightest bit of inconsistency.

What does it feel like?

As if he were the master returning home, or a lion king patrolling his territory, he couldn't pretend to be so confident.

The dinner was a buffet style buffet. Sir He, who was born in the Guangdong and Guangxi areas, thoughtfully prepared a variety of soups for the guests, which happened to be in line with Richard's wishes.

There were various colors in the teacup-sized soup bowls. Richard stood here chatting lightly. After a while, he had finished three bowls of hot soup. He was drinking the fourth bowl of eight-jean deer whip stew when he saw a very charming man.

The Chinese woman walked towards me.

This woman was about twenty-six or seven years old, with a charming appearance. She was wearing an expensive and decent dress, which must have been the latest fashion in Paris before the fall of Paris.

"Sir, are you originally from Cantonese? Do you like the delicious soup here?" The woman came over and selected a cup of turtle soup that suited her. She picked it up and stirred it gently with a small spoon, her red lips lightly parted.

I asked unintentionally.

"Li Mingjian, a scholar who returned from Europe."

"Fan Hongzhi, the widow of an army officer. My English name is Chris. My friends all call me that, and Mr. Li can do it too." Fan Hongzhi intentionally or unintentionally turned aside the soup in Richard's hand, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

On the beautiful face.

Obviously, she recognized this cup of health-preserving soup.

Richard finished the two sips without changing his expression, put down the soup cup in his hand and said with some regret, "The soup is really delicious. I can drink 20 of such a big soup bowl. It's a pity that I have to change it to save my image."

I can’t come back until after the circle to have a few more drinks, which is a little troublesome!”

Fan Hongzhi laughed loudly, and the soup cup in his hand tilted and made a crashing sound, and was about to spill out.

The soup cup had a lid, and there was a blue and white porcelain saucer underneath. The woman was laughing so hard that she couldn't hold it steady.

With quick eyesight, Richard quickly took a step forward, stretched out a hand to hold the soup cup firmly and said, "Miss Chris, even for the sake of the fine Jingdezhen celadon from these masters, you must hold the soup in your hands steady."

Cup, we are guests, not vandals."

And his big hands inevitably wrapped around Fan Hongzhi's delicate jade hands. The woman's laughter became smaller, but a trace of red cloud quietly flew up on her charming face.

The pretty widow reacted to the direct physical contact.

On the contrary, Richard looked calm. He had seen countless beauties in the backyard of the palace, but he would not lose his sense because of the charming widow. He retracted his hand in time and said, "If Miss Chris regards this as rescuing a rare bird,

Maybe the celadon bowl will feel better?"

"Mr. Li, have you always been so cold-hearted?"

"Please forgive my presumption, I have to protect myself with coldness, because there are too many people who covet me, including Miss Chris."

"ah……"

Although Fan Hongzhi can be said to be a socialite in the circle of celebrities and rich businessmen, she has never seen such a hard move, and she was immediately put off.

The surprised red lips turned into an "O" shape, and she couldn't finish the conversation at all.