Chapter 33 Touch the vibration of her vocal cords...
"Then you can be my catwalk model, and I can kiss you."
Irene half-jokingly imitated Leo's tone.
The boy wrote in confusion. 'What is a model?'
“It’s the people who wear the clothes I design and show them to the audience. Clothes only have vitality and life when they are worn by people. Models can better show the beauty of clothes.”
"Do you know Worth? He opened a fashion store in France in 1858 and hired a group of models to display his works. Since then, the modeling job has existed." Irene's eyes sparkled when she said this.
"I want to do the same. I also want to have my own fashion store and brand. This is my lifelong dream."
Leo nodded thoughtfully, "Shall we go to Rochester?"
"It's me, not us." Irene was unwilling and didn't want Leo to pay for her dream. She stared into the boy's eyes and said seriously: "I will do what I want to do, and you do what you want to do."
Leo's breathing hitched, Irene's words made him feel uneasy, as if they would be separated in the next second.
He wrote hastily, 'What you want is what I want, I don't want to leave you.'
Irene discovered that when Leo got anxious, he would start to write poorly. Either words were missing or there were a lot of grammatical errors. He almost just piled words together.
It’s obvious that the time spent studying was wasted.
"I didn't say we were going to separate," Irene tapped Leo's forehead with amusement. "You don't understand design, store operations, balancing income and expenditure, securities and bank guarantees. How can you help me?"
One after another, unfamiliar words came out of Irene's mouth, like a heavenly book, words that he had never come across before.
A strong salty taste rose in his mouth, Leo clenched his fists tightly, and his face turned pale.
Leo knew what Irene meant, so the despair caused by the age and education gap seemed even more profound.
He had not received a formal education and could not help Irene in worldly affairs. This thought pierced his heart like a sharp thorn.
This was the first time the boy faced such a desperate situation.
He can still run away if he is hit, and he can kill the opponent if he is injured, but how can he make up for the gap caused by time?
Unless...Unless...
Leo lowered his head in embarrassment, with a cold light in his eyes.
Irene looked at him and sighed silently in her heart.
Love cannot offset everything. Leo has to have his own life, and so does she.
Besides, Leo is just the right age now, which can fully satisfy her needs for the training system...
Bah, bah, bah, Irene spat on herself fiercely. She could obviously start studying from scratch.
She has money now and can definitely send Leo and Hannah to school.
So first of all——
"You have to go to school first. You can learn arithmetic, music, religious knowledge and so on. The more you learn, the more you will find out what industry you really want to work in. If you still want to help me by then, it will be never too late," Irene said to Leo with a smile.
The pie is so big that it can’t fit in a word.
She continued, "I will only be responsible for making clothes, and you will be in charge of all matters in the store."
Leo lowered his head, his expression gloomy. Irene couldn't see his expression, but only heard an unclear "hmm".
He should agree. After all, who wouldn't want to study? Irene thought uncertainly.
She shook her head and turned her attention back to the work in her hands. She couldn't let herself ruin the cutting of such expensive material.
After making the pattern and cutting it to the right size, the only thing left was sewing. Irene stretched her body.
It has been a long time since she made clothes so smoothly. It's a pity that there is no sewing machine on the ship, otherwise she would have been able to make this dress for Leo today. Now Leo has to wait a little longer.
The next day, the ship finally docked at the port of New Orleans.
What caught the eye were black-skinned slaves and yellow-skinned laborers. Some of the slaves were shirtless, with the marks of slavery clearly visible on their chests - traces left by red-hot irons.
The strong wind blew up chalk powder and dust composed of the remains of plankton, and the whole city seemed to be shrouded in gloomy mist.
The dirty black water flooded the land, and before it reached the shore, you could smell the stinky beer mixed with the stench of urine, like vomit fermented in high temperature.
The port where they were about to dock was near the French Quarter, and the blue and white spires, colorful walls, and hollow wrought iron railings could be seen from the ship.
Irene held onto the railing and looked out at the New Orleans that she was fairly familiar with. Her junior during graduate school worked here after graduation, and she was also invited here to watch several shows he curated.
The junior brother has been secretly in love with her for a long time, and Irene knows it very well, but the junior brother doesn't confess his feelings and doesn't cross the line, which is good, so Irene pretends not to know about it. This perfect tacit understanding between adults is fully reflected in them.
The New Orleans now is somewhat similar to the one she visited in her previous life, but it is also completely different.
Maybe it’s because the people around me are different, so the scenes I see are completely different.
However, Irene curled her lips and said that the coast here has been almost as dirty as it has been for the past two hundred years.
I wonder if the delicious spicy Boston lobster restaurant in Greta's neighborhood is open yet. When her junior took her there before, the owner claimed that the restaurant had been open since 1721.
Irene tried hard to hold down the hem of her skirt that was fluttering in the air due to the sea breeze. She stood under the ship's flag, looking at the city in front of her in a daze with a look of nostalgia in her eyes.
What is she missing? Leo wondered, he remembered that it was Irene's first time in New Orleans, but why was she looking at this city with such nostalgia in her eyes?
Leo didn't understand.
"Miss Irene—"
A woman's breathless voice came from behind.
Irene turned around when she heard the sound and saw a maid running towards her.
It was Mrs. Irene's maid, why was she here? Irene was a little puzzled.
"This is what my lady asked me to bring to you," the maid panted, handing Irene an envelope, "She also said that when you settle down in Rochester, send her a telegram and she will be your first customer."
"Because she has to start mourning today and cannot see guests for a year. There are so many people on the ship now, so it's not convenient for her to come to see you in person."
Mourning? Edward died so soon!
Irene accepted the envelope with surprise and said with a smile, "Please help me thank my wife. I'll wait for her in Rochester."
The little maid waved to her and disappeared into the crowd.
Suddenly, five consecutive gunshots were heard on the shore. It was relatives and friends on the shore bidding farewell to their family members who were about to go on a long journey.
Irene looked towards the location of the lady's room from a distance, and vaguely seemed to see a woman in a pure black dress flash by.
It seemed that she was going to have a third new friend. Irene clutched the envelope, breathed lightly, and a smile appeared on her face.
Although this new friend doesn't seem to be someone who is easy to get along with.
Oh, it’s not that she’s difficult to get along with, but she’s the type of Black Widow who kills her husband decisively.
The smile on Irene's face suddenly froze. Wait, she suddenly realized something. Hannah killed Booker, Leo killed John, and Mrs. Irene killed Edward.
She doesn't fit in among the four of them!
What should I do if I am the only good person among my friends?
In the envelope was the promised $3,000 and an invitation letter.
"St. Charles Avenue Rose Garden
New Orleans, Louisiana
May 3, 1860
To the Honorable -- Your Excellency:
With the warmest southern courtesy, I invite you to the Rose Manor to attend the dance to be held on the evening of May 3rd. This dance is hosted by..."
An invitation to a noble banquet? Irene raised her eyebrows. Madam was giving her a great opportunity to make friends with the noble ladies.
There was a note under the invitation letter, with a line of neat and exquisite italic English in front of her eyes.
'Show them what you can do, and don't embarrass me, my namesake.'
The signature is Irene, which has the same meaning as her Erin, both meaning peace, but Irene comes from Greek, while hers comes from Scottish Gaelic.
It's quite a coincidence.
Irene felt a little emotional as she flipped through the invitation. This occasion was so important to her, a little-known designer who wasn't even famous yet.
The invitation is light and the favor is heavy.
How to return the gift? Irene pondered for a while and decided to make her a black velvet dress to show her the aesthetic taste of three hundred years later.
However, there are only five days left until May 3rd. What should she do to make a splash at the banquet? Irene began to worry again.
We have to see what's popular in New Orleans first.
But before that, they had to go to the doctor introduced by the lady to have Leo's throat checked.
French Quarter, Bourbon Street.
The doctor's reception room was clean and tidy. The bookshelves were piled high with large and thick books, and there were many extra notes sandwiched between them. It felt like the spines of the books were about to crack.
It turns out that no matter what era, those who study medicine have to study hard books. Irene glanced at the bookshelf in admiration, and her mind was drawn back to the consulting table.
The doctor held the laryngoscope and looked at it for a long time. After a while, he changed to a tool that Irene didn't recognize. The more things he took out, the more scared Irene became, until the doctor touched his delicate glued beard and frowned tightly.
Irene was so frightened that she had difficulty breathing, as if the doctor was pulling her lungs instead of her beard.
The doctor asked, "How old were you when this started?"
'Seven years old.'
"No wonder, I see the vocal cord muscles are atrophied a bit." The doctor put down the laryngoscope and carefully felt Leo's neck muscles, and concluded,
"Your voice loss is caused by psychological reasons, right? I see that the structure of your vocal cords is normal. Did you lose your voice after being frightened suddenly?"
Leo's eyelashes trembled, and his deep blue eyes looked a little cold. He didn't write anything and nodded.
“Has there been any intervention before?”
Leo shook his head again.
The doctor hesitated for a moment and said, "I think there is hope for recovery."
Irene breathed a sigh of relief.
"but……"
Irene's heart suddenly jumped up again, hanging high in her throat.
"The intervention process is very laborious. You have to learn to speak again and you have to deal with the psychological barriers."
Leo held the pen in his hand, "The psychological barrier has been resolved."
Irene suddenly remembered John's fate.
Could this solution Leo was talking about be a physical solution?
"Then how do we train this voice?" Irene asked anxiously.
"First of all, he needs someone he trusts to accompany him, reduce his fear of vocalization, and learn how to vocalize. He has not vocalized for more than ten years, and he must have forgotten the feeling of airflow passing through the glottis."
"He has to learn from others how his vocal cords vibrate."
Hannah and Leo's eyes fell on Erin.
The doctor instructed them on their first voice training, "Put your two hands together and place them loosely on the concave part of her collarbone. Press gently and see if you can feel a flexible strip."
Leo nodded stiffly, his fingers hovering loosely over Irene's vocal cords.
"Little girl, you let out an 'ah' sound."
Irene did as she was told.
"How about it? Do you feel the vibration of your vocal cords? Does it feel like a trembling rope?"
Leo's fingers were trembling, and he was about to lose control of the two fingers on Irene's collarbone. He had pinched many people's throats in a similar position to the one he was using now. If he used a little more force, Irene would die on the spot.
Erin exposed such a vulnerable part to his hands, as if she trusted him enough not to hurt her.
But could he really avoid hurting Irene? Leo was not sure.
And why was he still so nervous when he touched Irene's exposed skin even after they kissed each other? He was so nervous that he forgot to think.
His fingertips could clearly feel the distinct and powerful beating of Irene's warm skin, and the vibration was transmitted all the way to his heart through his fingertips.
Leo could clearly hear his own deafening heartbeat, and the doctor's voice seemed to be coming from far away in the sky.
Is this vibration? he wondered blankly.
The doctor looked at the boy's dazed look and said helplessly, "Why don't you touch my vocal cords? You are too nervous in front of this girl."
"Look at you. How come you're sweating all over your forehead in just a short while? Is my clinic that hot?"
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