Chapter 34: Country Life 28: Symphony of Destiny
"So you're going to join the army?"
The man in the black trench coat left, and the Bennetts returned to their house. Mrs. Lucas hurried home to tell her husband the news she had just heard, and Longbourn returned to its usual peaceful state.
Lucy and Jerry hid beside the haystack behind the house, talking in low voices.
Jerry nodded. His hair was messy, his face a bit dirty, but his eyes were frighteningly bright. "Right. Perhaps this was all fate. I happened to run into that group of soldiers while strolling around yesterday afternoon. I happened to be asked to be their guide because I was familiar with the path back in the mountains. I happened to push that soldier during the gunfight, helping him avoid the bullet. And then I happened to hear about the conscription."
Lucy looked at him with her large, lake-green eyes and asked, "What about us? What about our engagement? We originally agreed to get married in the next two years."
Jerry met her gaze without flinching and said, "Lucy, is your dream still there? I remember when we got engaged, you came to me and asked me if I wanted to go with you, saying you had to live in London. You said you'd asked my brother, but he wasn't willing, and if I wasn't willing, you'd find another fiancé."
Lucy said, "Of course I remember. I also remember your serious promise at that time. Even if it meant working as a groom or a laborer in London, you would help me realize my dream."
Jerry chuckled softly and gently brushed the messy hair away from Lucy's face. "Yes, but I later learned that even being a stable boy or a coolie wouldn't be a job for a country bumpkin like me. And even the worst kind of brown bread in London would cost me the money I'd saved up in a month."
"So you don't want to go?"
"No, we will go. I don't want to stay here either. There's endless farm work and a monotonous life here. Besides, my father will transfer all the rented land to my brother in the future, and I won't even be able to be a tenant farmer. Lucy, I want to go out and explore the world more than you do."
Lucy looked at him in confusion, still not understanding why he wanted to join the army.
Jerry told her, "When I was with that group of soldiers yesterday, I heard them say that if you serve overseas for three years, you can get a five-pound bonus and colonial land. Most importantly, you can get a retirement allowance every year after you return."
He pulled out another medal from his pocket. "Look, this was given to me by the soldier I saved yesterday. He said he has some connections in London, and if I can successfully return in the future, he can help me get a position in the Thames Water Police with my overseas service experience. But even if he breaks his promise, with the retirement bonus, we can still settle down in London on our own."
Lucy was convinced by the bright future he described. She wanted to go to London so much and leave this monotonous life that she could see the end of.
The Bennetts were not bad people, and the Miss Bennetts were kind and friendly. But in the future, this house might have many owners, but tenants like them would be forever tied to the land, just like the stone pillars attached to the house.
Lucy had one last worry. Although she was not sure whether she had the kind of romantic feelings for Jerry that an engaged couple would have, they had grown up together and had long been family in each other's hearts.
"Will you be in danger if you go overseas? I heard the war is very intense right now and many people never return."
Jerry patted her head and said affirmatively, "No. That's the front line, and I'm going to the Indian colonies. I heard that the soldiers there are mainly responsible for suppressing rebellions in the princely states or guarding trade routes, and the casualty rate is much lower than on the European battlefield. The only thing to worry about is some tropical diseases, such as malaria, but I've always been in good health, I'm sure I can make it."
Lucy nodded and finally laughed heartily: "That's good, that's good, you didn't have dinner yesterday, come in with me, I'll ask Mrs. Molly to get you something to eat."
With blushing faces, they quietly held hands and slipped into the kitchen, only to be caught by Reina who was guarding the door.
Finally, when there was no one else in the kitchen, Lena gossiped about the young couple, then left them some space with a sense of unfulfilled desire and returned to Heather.
After hearing this wonderful story, Heather was a little worried. India's sanitary conditions and high incidence of diseases were really impressive. She thought about it and just said something to Lena when a new visitor came to the door.
Mary was telling Julie a story when she heard someone else coming. She immediately said, "Hey Julie, that must be your dad coming to pick you up."
Julie jumped up from the sofa excitedly and looked out shyly.
Sure enough, not long after, Major Brown came in.
He walked in with a bag on his back that was even bigger than the one he had yesterday. After a night, he looked much more haggard and even had stubble on his face.
Mrs. Bennet asked in surprise, "Major Brown, why do you look like you haven't slept all night? Oh, you don't know, a big thing happened in Longbourn yesterday, and the whole village was worried and didn't sleep well all night."
Major Brown placed the bundle in the corner, gave Mrs. Bennett a brief greeting, and then explained, "I'm sorry to bother you. The mission was rather difficult last night. Actually, I came here today to ask for another favor. I received a last-minute notice to change my station, and it might not be convenient to take Julie with me. Could you please take her in for another night? I've already sent a letter to a relative in the neighboring county, and she won't be here until tomorrow to help send Julie back home."
The news was so sudden and outrageous that even Mrs. Bennett was speechless for a moment. Everyone in the living room looked at Major Brown, which made him lower his head in silence.
Heather frowned and asked him, "It shouldn't be time for the militia to change guard yet, so why do they have to change their base so suddenly? And is it safe to let Julie go home alone with some relatives?" Mary also hugged Julie and patted her comfortingly.
Major Brown looked at Heather deeply, a trace of tangled pain on his face. He hardened his heart and continued, "It's my fault. I received a last-minute notice of an opportunity to serve in the regular army in Birmingham. This opportunity is very precious to me and I can't give it up. That relative is Julie's mother's sister. She will definitely take good care of Julie."
He squatted down and waved to Julie, whose eyes were red. Julie was rarely in a bad mood and was unwilling to come over.
Mary sighed, but still pushed her from behind.
Major Brown held Julie in his arms and whispered to her, word by word, "I'm sorry, Julie. Daddy is truly sorry. It's my fault for not giving you a safe and happy upbringing. Please trust me, this is the last time. Daddy is going to the big city to join the regular army. Once I'm able to stay here, we won't have to be apart again, okay?"
Julie started to cry, but finally nodded sensibly and made a pinky promise with Major Brown to meet as soon as possible.
Mrs. Bennett took out her handkerchief, wiped her wet eyes, and whispered to her husband in a light tone: "What a touching scene! Fortunately, our Heather didn't marry him. Who can bear to change her address every day like this?"
Her husband looked at her speechlessly without comment.
Major Brown's schedule was extremely urgent. He only spent half an hour giving Julie detailed instructions, handed her a small cloth bag from his backpack, and then hurriedly said goodbye.
When he reached the door, he took a step behind and approached Heather while Mary was wiping Julie's tears.
"Mrs. Lawrence, fate is so unpredictable. I'm leaving now. I know our relationship may be coming to an end. I just want to ask, if I officially settle down in Birmingham a year later, will I still have a chance to be your candidate?"
The fragile and struggling expression made Major Brown look much more handsome than usual. At least he no longer looked like a robot following the plan of getting married and having children step by step.
But Heather was not moved at all: "No, and you were never a candidate. Major Brown, I told you a long time ago, you should not have forgotten. Julie is a good child, be nice to her."
This decisive answer made Major Brown completely give up. He mounted his horse, took a last look at Longborn with emotion, and turned away.
"Bye Julie!"
The wind carried away his voice and covered up the girl's crying.
Lucy heard the goodbyes coming from outside in the kitchen and finally couldn't help crying.
Jerry suppressed his reluctance and held her in his arms. He had never eaten anything good since he was a child. He grew up in the countryside like a weed. His thin shoulders were not yet able to grow into a girl's support.
He had no attachment to anything in Longbourn, except for the girl in front of him, the girl who had jumped into his heart and taken root unscrupulously since he didn't know how old she was.
"Lucy, I will come back. I will definitely come back. If it takes me too long, don't wait for me, but I swear, no matter what, I will come back to see you."
It was getting late, and Jerry had no horse, so he had to walk to Longbourn. He didn't even take a piece of clothing, and set out on his journey empty-handed.
Jerry and Lucy said goodbye reluctantly at the entrance of the village. When Jerry came back, he asked the doorman of the Bennett family to help inform his family, but he never waited for his parents to come out to say goodbye. Only his youngest sister held a piece of bread and stuffed it into his hand at the entrance of the village.
He took one last look at his fiancée and sister, then turned and walked back toward the main road.
"Wait, wait!"
Lucy turned around and found that it was Reina who had chased after her. Fortunately, Jerry had not gone far.
Reina was so afraid of missing them that she ran a few hundred meters at her fastest speed and almost collapsed to the ground. Lucy rushed forward to support her.
"Mrs. Lawrence... let me... give this to you." Lena handed the brown bottle in her hand to Jerry, took a few deep breaths, and finally calmed down.
"It's a tincture made from a certain plant. Madam said it's not quite ready yet, but it should be ready in half a month. Remember to shake it up from time to time. It has some immune-boosting effects, is anti-inflammatory and analgesic, and can be used in the early stages of a cold. I can't quite remember the details. Anyway, Madam said that malaria in India must be very serious. If you really get sick and there's no medicine to treat it, try adding this to hot soup and drinking it. At least it won't make the condition worse."
Jerry thanked them solemnly, waved to them, and turned to leave.
The sun finally broke through the shackles of the clouds, peeked out from behind the hillside, and mercifully illuminated the boy's path forward.
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