Chapter 21 Chapter 21 The mark left on the left hand seems to be a mark of the devil...
The full moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the quiet Winston Manor.
After dinner, Hermann had to deal with unfinished business as usual.
Greta pushed open his door, holding a cup of hot milk tea in her hand, "Go to bed early, Hurley."
"Leave it there, go to sleep first." Hermann didn't even raise his head and responded perfunctorily to his mother's concern.
Greta didn't leave, but took out the medicine box and motioned for him to hold it out.
Hermann paused, put down his pen, took off his gloves, and extended his left hand.
——A horrifying scar runs through the entire palm, leaving a burn mark on the back of the hand.
Greta applied the medicine while whispering, "Oh, I knew you'd be so busy you'd forget about anything else. Even if it's not for your own health, you have to get your hand healed for the sake of the nobles you've won over. Otherwise, how can you integrate into the family..."
"Mother," he interrupted coldly, "Don't worry about these things."
Greta's words were stuck in her throat for a long time before she nodded hesitantly, "Okay."
Under the kerosene lamp, the wrinkles at the corners of his mother's eyes became more and more obvious, and her hands, covered with frostbite, carefully applied the ointment evenly on him.
Hermann suddenly remembered those water-blue eyes.
She probably had never seen two hands like this in her life.
In the slums of Ermei, the young woman with a child was the lowest of the low, but she relied on her hands to survive one hard winter after another.
Hermann looked at the horrific burns and scars on his palms, and the gray memories came flooding back.
He never minded others mentioning his past.
This poor creature, born in the darkest place, relied on his own hands to snatch food from wild dogs, fight against bad neighbors, protect his mother and make her alcoholic and domestically violent husband disappear, dig out gold from a bottomless mine that seemed to bury his whole life, and escape from the fire of the gold grab, and cross the ocean.
Every penny he made was stained with blood, his own and other people's, but he didn't care.
He was only thirteen when he escaped the fire, and the mark left on his left hand was like a deal he made with the devil.
He sacrificed his conscience, emotions and even his soul, to survive, and to use his remaining life to stand up, climb up, and reach the highest peak.
"Hurley."
Herman's mother's voice brought him back to his senses.
Greta put away the medicine box and sighed softly, "We have been living a life that we could never have imagined before. Mom hopes that you will have another kind of happiness."
She paused, "Miss Norman is not the same as the aristocratic woman I imagined. I think she is a good girl. You..."
"Whether she's a good girl or not is none of my business," Herman said calmly. "As long as her last name is Norman and she's married into the Spencer family, I'll marry her."
"But even if we start with this name, we may still be able to achieve good results." Herman's eyes moved slightly.
I remembered the blonde girl holding her chin and looking at me with a smile on her face.
The taste of blueberry jam seemed to surge onto the tip of my tongue again - sweet, wet, and disgusting.
"Mother, in other words, perhaps you can understand better." He sneered and spoke again, "If there were no debt relationship, would a noble lady from a baronial family voluntarily marry an upstart?"
Greta was stunned and fell silent.
She was not aware of the conventions among the nobles, nor did she think her son was any different, but she understood that in the Principality of Ceylon, there were invisible boundaries between people.
Even if Herman was rich enough, he couldn't break that barrier on his own.
We are originally from two different worlds and we are united for the sake of interests, so don't expect too much.
It is enough that she can take care of Greta as attentively as she does today, whether it is sincere or fake.
The conversation ended in nothing, and as it was late at night, Greta got up and left.
Before leaving, she hesitated for a moment, then said, "Hurley, no matter what, since she's married you, you have to treat her well and give her the respect she deserves."
Herman's hand paused as he signed.
When I came to my senses, my mother's footsteps had already gone far away.
-
On the way back to the bedroom, I passed by a room with a half-open door.
Hermann, who had already walked over, took two steps back and looked inside.
Under the flickering light, the blond head was tilted on the table, snoring soundly, the quill pen in his hand was still dipped in ink, leaving a smudge of ink.
Herman picked up the letter and read two lines. It was just like the last time, a daily account - "Dear Audrey, I'm writing to you... I made blueberry cakes today, and they were a huge success. Mrs. Cooper praised my talent, and even Mr. Herman was so engrossed in the food that he had no time to speak..."
Herman sneered. After reading this, he knew that the whole article was nonsense and full of imagination.
"...Another unexpected discovery: we're getting married on the same day! This is so surprising! It's a heaven-sent coincidence! I hope you'll wear the sapphire crown then! If possible, I'd like to hire an artist to record the scene of that day, so that Mom, Dad, and my aunts can..."
As I write this, the ink becomes a mess.
Herman's gaze lingered for a long moment, and he put the paper back, while simultaneously moving her arm back to its original position.
The long silver-gray hair brushed against the girl's snow-white cheek.
She felt itchy in her dream and scratched it.
Hermann had already turned and left.
The summer night was filled with a cool breeze. After taking two steps, he paused and looked back at the window sill that was not closed tightly and her thin clothes.
-
The next morning, Audrey was awakened by the first rays of sunshine.
She had fluffy blonde hair and rubbed her eyes. Just as she was about to get up, her arm, which had been numb from being pressed, suddenly felt sore.
"Ah!" She cried softly, attracting Lucy.
Seeing the situation in the house, Lucy knew what was going on.
"Miss, this can't happen again." Lucy said seriously, "The maid on duty last night was so irresponsible. How could she let you fall asleep at the table? If you get sick, it's no joke."
This is an era where a minor illness can be fatal if ignored.
Audrey didn't dare to talk back and just smiled and coaxed Lucy.
When her arm recovered, she stood up and a blanket slipped off her shoulders.
"Did anyone come to my room last night?" Audrey picked up the blanket and smelled it. It had the scent of cedar.
Lucy shook her head and looked at the closed window, her expression looking better.
Audrey: "Maybe a maid passing by?"
Lucy was helpless: "Oh, my lady, if they are so kind, why don't they just wake you up?"
Audrey was speechless and quickly put the matter behind her.
Mr. White's mother has arrived. The wedding is about to come, and her top priority now is to discuss with Hermann to see if she can hire a painter!
I ran excitedly to the study on the second floor, but before I got close, I heard voices coming from inside.
"Oh! Mr. Employer, what a beautiful morning! Perfect for a lazy nap! You called me here so early this morning. It must be something important, or my wife will curse you behind my back."
"Stop talking nonsense and buy all of these."
"A sapphire crown? A diamond-studded wedding dress? And we need to hire a painter?!"
Audrey widened her eyes, quietly moved closer, and peeked through the crack in the door.
The silver-haired gentleman was cold and ruthless. He handed over the check and asked, "Is it difficult?"
"Not difficult!" Charles blinked and said sarcastically, "As expected, young bachelors always have their minds open."
Outside the door, Audrey was stunned, her mind racing to think about what this sentence meant. As she lost focus, the hem of her skirt revealed her whereabouts.
Inside the door, silver-gray eyes caught a glimpse of the lace skirt that flashed by, and said coldly: "Mrs. Cooper ordered that she hire a painter to paint a portrait for the wedding day."
It is not uncommon for wealthy families to hire painters nowadays.
Audrey quickly accepted this statement.
She's happy again! Mrs. Cooper is so understanding!
Seeing that the hem of the skirt hadn't disappeared yet, Herman frowned and tapped the table with his knuckles. "How long are you going to eavesdrop?"
Charles' expression turned serious, and he immediately walked out and faced the guilty Audrey, "Ms. Norman?"
Audrey extended her hand in greeting, her smile forced: "Hi, Charles."
Herman glanced at Audrey, who was being carried in by Charles, with a blank expression on his face: "You heard everything just now. If you have anything to add, tell Charles."
Audrey was stunned by his sudden generosity and counted on her fingers for a long time: "No, no, that's too many! Can I go back and make a list for you, Mr. White?"
Herman raised his eyes and asked, "Do you think I'm someone who has time to shop for you?"
Charles took off his hat and nodded tactfully: "At your service, ma'am."
Audrey smiled shyly, then listed a long list without any hesitation.
Charles was also under no pressure, and the two of them teamed up to spend Herman's money.
Fortunately, Mr. Capitalist is the least stingy when it comes to money and allows them to squander it.
When Charles had almost finished recording, Audrey was still reluctant to leave. She mumbled, "Mr. White..."
Herman glanced at her twice, then spoke icy words with a 37-degree angle of his lips: "The last person who took three minutes to spit out a few letters has been fired and is now picking up cow dung on the estate. Do you want to do some voluntary labor?"
Audrey immediately spoke quickly: "Can you give me some pocket money! I want to buy..."
Before she finished saying "buy", a check was torn off, held between Xiushui's fingers, and handed to her.
"Walk."
Seeing the string of zeros above, Audrey felt that the pair of cold silver-gray eyes opposite her were extremely warm!
"Yes, sir!"
Audrey turned around and walked out, holding the check and kissing it twice!
She had only wanted a few hundred dollars, but here she had a thousand Ceylon rupees! It was enough to buy a small house!
Herman White! Great man!
Audrey spun happily in circles in the hallway, her lace skirt blooming like a flower.
Behind him, Charles smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Look, this is what a young child should be like. I hope her happiness can infect you, young but old-fashioned Mr. White."
"Thanks, but it's not necessary." Herman looked away. "You should tell the young girl to cherish the time when she can still buy happiness with money."
Charles laughed and looked again at Audrey, who had already circled downstairs.
In the hall, Audrey finally came out of the joy of making a small fortune.
Suddenly, she sniffed the check again.
In addition to the smell of money, there seems to be a faint smell of... cedar?
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Herman: I'm so poor that all I have left is money.
Audrey: I can't bear to spend my sister's money. Hurley's?! Spend it lavishly!
Zongbao's manuscript box: Extra, Extra~ Important things should be said three times. Tomorrow, the 16th, I will not update for a day. I will not update for a day tomorrow. I will not update for a day tomorrow! I will continue updating on the day after tomorrow, the 17th, and I will become a V the day after tomorrow, the 18th! There will be a 10,000-word chapter for you then! I will update every day after becoming a V!
Thank you again for your support~ (bow with the protagonists) [dog head holding a rose]
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