Woman In Irish Linen Shirt

"My dad is the first businessman in the whole family. Of course, his original intention is very disgraceful. My dad wants to earn money because he wants to live independently in the UK, and the reason why he has this wish is because he wants to eat. Steak." Miss Pande smiled with trembling shoulders, "You know, my grandfather repeatedly told him before he went abroad,'Ritish, secretly try meat and fish, you can, but you must not drink alcohol, eat beef, or have foreigners. Relationship, you know?' My dad has offended these orders all the time."

I was amused by her tone and asked, "But if it's an Indian from another caste, it doesn't matter?"

Miss Pan De nodded: "Yes, because he is a male, this aspect is more relaxed."

These words gave me some sense of sight. I turned off the subject: "At that time, your relatives were all vegetarians?"

"It's the same now. My brother doesn't eat meat or any egg and dairy products. He is a vegan." She paused. "Remember that cousin just now? His father is our uncle. My brother and I are there. He was raised and brought up."

I frowned: "Where are your parents?"

"That's why I said this story is very long." Miss Pande looked at the corner of the sofa and spoke slowly, "We are half-brothers. My brother's mother has no relationship with my dad. Later, my dad spent time in the UK. Longer, they separated. The divorce is a very later thing, because it is difficult for our family to achieve, and the woman’s reputation will be greatly affected. They unanimously agree that Rajiv—that’s my brother— —I was taken back to Pande’s house to raise, and my dad is a bad example, so my brother must stay in India. He was not allowed to go abroad until university."

I took a breath: "Well, Rajiv."

"Um?"

I recalled the name of the textile group and said, "That's the industry your father founded, isn't it?"

Miss Pan De covered her mouth: "Are we so famous?"

"Uh." I looked at her and confessed what I had accidentally discovered before, "I didn't mean it on purpose. It was just the first time I saw such a shop sign with the customer's name and I searched it on the photo wall."

There was no irritation in her eyes, she just said vaguely: "You are really good at capturing the point."

I again apologized seriously.

Miss Pan De rubbed the top of my hair: "No one is blaming you. But weaving labels are not as expensive as you thought. My tailor ordered them in Huzhou, with my brother, mine, and two relatives. One thousand per person. Do you know Huzhou?"

I nodded: "It's across from Suzhou. I haven't been."

She squinted: "Suzhou is in Zhejiang Province?"

"In Jiangsu Province." I gestured.

Miss Pan De shrugged.

"Have you run out of woven labels?" I asked.

"It's still very early." Miss Pande laughed, "I only use it on suits. Rajiv asks to sew this on shirts. He always has this very strange request. In short, his thousand years are long. I ran out and ordered the second batch."

I followed with a smile: "Perhaps it is for corporate image?"

"He said the same. But who would look at the internal standard of your shirt?"

"You are right." I nodded. "By the way, you mentioned before that your tailor is a friend of the family? What is a ‘friend of the family’?"

Miss Pan De whispered: "It is the people who have lived with us for generations and provided some services."

Oh. servant.

I felt curious and afraid to offend her, but I still asked, "You even have a caste that means ‘people who make clothes for the Pande’s family’?"

She shook her head: "No. Traditionally, she can't do anything other than providing cleaning services. Making suits is her ambition. My dad just happens to be happy to do everything to go against the house, so she sponsored several people. Study abroad."

I listened carefully: "I think he must have tried to win. About you and your brother..."

Miss Pan De was silent for a long time.

After a while, she said: "My dad is thirteen years older than my mom. When he first became a successful businessman, my mom was still running at Edgine Park all day long-well, it was the home stadium of a local football club in Manchester, my mom. Except for dancing, it's watching the ball."

"How did they meet?"

"I don't know." She blinked, her tone brisk again, "My mother claimed that he looked too brave in the Manchester City uniform, so she unceremoniously asked him to stand a little further away, while my dad said Said that his first impression of my mother was that I quoted the original words,'A beautiful Manchester United fan crazy woman.' They met at the match where Manchester City beat Manchester United 5-1. I think the two of them fell in love at first sight."

"I know Manchester City." I said. Sun Jihai played in Manchester City. At that time, the men's football was not completely lonely, and occasionally I could hear about the Premier League game from the mouth of his classmates.

Miss Pande explained with a smile: "These two teams are rivals. My dad didn't watch football at the time. He went with a business partner that day. At that time, less than half a year after the Hillsborough tragedy, Liverpool faced Nottingham Forest. The stands unfortunately collapsed and some fans lost their lives in the tragedy... Anyway, I am grateful to them for grabbing the tickets. Otherwise, I won’t be there."

"Wow." I exclaimed. "You sound like an expert on football history."

"I am not. But my mother is. You will certainly not believe that until the Maine Road stadium was demolished, my mother took me to the door every summer to take pictures-wearing a Manchester United uniform. The game where they met happened. On Maine Road." She kept smiling, "but I still want to thank her, it is because of this that I did not celebrate my birthday in India: I went to the United States afterwards."

I calculated it: "So the game happened in...90 years?"

"One year before." Miss Pan De leaned her face, "I know, it's a bit surprising. They are indeed flash marriages, and they have me all at once."

"Your parents are so romantic." I said.

"Pregnancy and childbirth have a great impact on my mother. I mean physiologically." Miss Pan De's smile faded. "She retired as a referee before I went to elementary school. We don't see each other every day. My dad is also very busy. He has thought about taking me to the UK. He has part of his business there, and his grandparents and one of my aunts are also in Manchester. They can take care of me and even expressed their willingness to take care of Rajiv. . But this plan failed to finally be implemented."

I nodded, didn't ask much, just held her in my arms.

"Later it became that my mother usually lives in Mumbai or Manchester, including Ahmedabad. My dad ran back and forth between the three places because of business; my brother and I were in Ahmedabad on weekends and went to school in Mumbai."

I frowned. "Mumbai and Ahmedabad are not in the same state? You have to take at least one daytime car?"

Miss Pan De looked at me: "It's about an hour by plane, and it's okay."

By plane?

I think back to my life in the nineties.

"Which part are you shocked?" Miss Pande's expression changed, "'Wow, there is an airport in a small city in India.' Or do I and my brother fly back and forth?"

I curled my neck guiltyly: "Can I say'both'? Frankly speaking, considering the age, it was still a matter of taking pictures when my family took an airplane once."

"First, Ahmedaba is not a small city. As far as I know, the local airport was built before the 1940s. Second, not everyone has this condition, whether it was more than 20 years ago or now. . I don’t want you to underestimate or overestimate India." Miss Pande lowered her eyelashes, "And I also know that I have enjoyed privilege since I was a child. I am not proud of it."

She looked a little sad when she said the last words.

"Thank you, Sonia." I said immediately. "Thank you for not blaming me for some funny stereotypes."

Miss Pan De shook her head slightly: "I want to thank you too."

I hesitated: "Thank me for telling my stupid conjectures?"

"Thank you for believing in me." She rubbed my face with the back of her hand, "You are much braver than I thought. As long as I point out a problem, you will immediately make corresponding improvements. I'm really happy. You can say it directly and keep my explanation in mind. You make me feel very warm, Yao."

"It's okay." I was a little embarrassed, as if the kid who had received credit by mistake, "Maybe it's because I'm still smarter."

She shook her head again: "I think it's because you have courage."

"Okay." I pursed my lips, "I think you and Rajiv must also be very brave children. The other side of the year-round running is that you can stay with your parents from Monday to Friday."

"I don't know what Rajiv thinks. He and my mother are still in agreement, but it is always difficult to associate them as mother and son. Rajiv is most likely to worry about this problem when I was in elementary school, even if he wants to talk about it. , Will not pick me." She shrugged, "But I am happy. Because I am not enough—" She was a little guilty, met my sight, and immediately changed the word, "In order to enhance my purity ', I was forced to recite a lot of verses. The Vedas are almost all poems, and have very high requirements for tone. You can imagine what life would be like if I stayed in Ahmedabad."

I nodded.

"From a more positive perspective, this at least shows that uncles are treated equally." Miss Pan De looked away. "Apart from this, he is still a respectable elder. And he is really good to us, and he is also very educated. Bother--albeit in his way."

I raised my hand: "Do you want me to correct the term ‘bastard’ to ‘part of his bastard’?"

Miss Pan De laughed: "That's not necessary. I also cursed him face to face, swearing that I will never learn Sanskrit or Hindi, and I will never write even a Devanagari in my life."

She was silent for a while, then said, "He died of a heart attack a few years ago."

That rebellion seemed to be fleeting in the wind of time, and at this moment, the sadness in her eyes began to freeze again.

"Oh." I stared at her, "I'm sorry."

Miss Pande shook her head: "I'm just thinking that the end of this birthday is curious. I hardly talked about these things, even to Rajiv or Peter, and tonight is like a punctured balloon. I told you all about the same."

"I'm glad to hear you say this."

She glanced at me, concealed her smile, and said, "I would hope that this is your truth."

"Besides."

"Um?"

I blinked: "Your birthday hasn't arrived yet."