Gulu, Gulu.

The trivial sound of tires rubbing against the ground swayed slightly, and the cabin fell into a brief silence, as if time had suddenly come to a moment's standstill.

Philip waited for a moment, not waiting for Lan Li's response, his eyes did not drift to the rearview mirror, but looked straight ahead, and continued to say, "This is a deliberate decision, I am already old, and if I continue, there will be no more years, it is time to retire and enjoy my old age." ”

Lan Li still didn't speak, just listened quietly.

Philip couldn't help but faintly breed a little nervousness, this is Lan Li's ability from childhood to adulthood, Lan Li is always able to show calmness and wisdom beyond his age, and the aura suppression brought by it can always make people uneasy, even George and Elizabeth are no exception.

But Philip quickly calmed his mind and continued, "It wasn't an easy decision. I hope to be able to tell the young master and young ladies in person. I informed Miss Elf in London, Miss Edith in Istanbul, and then Master Arthur in Los Angeles. ”

Eventually, he came to New Orleans and told Lan Li in person.

There was silence in the carriage again, and Lan Li turned his head to look out the window, quietly watching the gurgling cityscape, like a shimmering stream, faintly seeing fields and rivers running through it, and the whole city had a powerful and wild force rushing towards him.

In New Orleans, a city that has inherited the past and accommodated change but has always refused to change its essence, a city that has inherited the aristocracy and embraced slaves but never really moved forward, and a city that has awakened Lan Li's memory of London and has always been out of place, Philip said goodbye to Lan Li and announced his decision to return to his hometown.

New Orleans, London; These two completely different cities blurred the line in Lan Li's sight at this time.

"What are your plans after retirement?" Lan Li finally spoke.

Philip was still intently staring straight ahead, concentrating on driving, but his reaction was not slow at all, "Originally, I thought about going to the Lake District to retire, turning over the soil for my garden, and then taking an occasional walk by the lake, trying to see what it would be like to relax and live." But this time, I changed my mind a little, and when I left the continent and experienced a different culture and a different scenery, I thought it might be time to see how much the world has changed. ”

"Well, you should at least learn how to use a smartphone. Lan Li quipped, and the atmosphere in the carriage seemed to relax slightly.

Philip followed with a slight chin of his head, "Maybe." ”

Lan Li retracted his gaze, turned his head to look at the side face of Philip in the driver's seat, and watched quietly like this, for a long time, he said calmly, "Philip, do you remember? Once, I asked you, why do you like the profession of butler, is it just because the son inherits the father's business?"

"I still remember your answer. The corners of Lan Li's mouth outlined a shallow arc, as if he was caught in a memory, "You said, you like things to be in order, everything has its own order and order, and everyone has their own persistence." Some rules will inevitably disappear with the progress of the times, but persistence will not, maybe stupid, maybe rotten, but everyone should have their own beliefs that they want to adhere to. Even if it is eliminated by the times. ”

The plain and simple words did not have too many grandeur or ups and downs, just quietly recalling those passing years.

But Philip could feel the weight on his shoulders stacking up little by little, as heavy as a thousand pounds. The hint hidden in the words made him faintly uneasy, and Philip was about to speak again and make some excuses, but Lan Li took the lead, "Philip, you know what? ”

Philip subconsciously glanced in the rearview mirror, and then saw Lan Li's clear and bright eyes, and the eyes collided like this.

The corners of Lan Li's mouth rose slightly, as if to say: I have caught you.

This left Philip a little embarrassed.

Philip knows Lan Li, he knows Lan Li very, very well, Lan Li has never been an untargeted personality, his sensitivity and wisdom are always able to detect those details that others will not pay attention to, so, in order to successfully deceive Lan Li, he is fully prepared, and rehearses it over and over again, just hoping that he can deceive Lan Li with his whole body, without causing any splash, and without arousing any suspicion.

He was almost on the verge of success, just a little bit.

Looking into Lan Li's eyes through the rearview mirror, Philip opened his mouth and tried to make a final effort, "...... Young Master Lan Li, I'm just ...... I'm just tired. Denice Stevens has retired, and now, it's my turn to retire. Or what you told me, life is still facing parting after all, the difference is only that earlier and later, but in any case, we can't be ready, we can only accept it calmly. That year, you were seven years old. ”

Lan Li just looked at Philip silently, and did not speak: he did not believe it.

Philip once told him that if he could, he would like to be a butler who would always be on standby, until the day he could not walk, like an actor who wanted to die on the stage, and they all dedicated their lives to their dream of persevering and trying to be the best.

Philip also once told him that housekeeping was not a job for him, but a pleasure, and that he could feel a sense of satisfaction that he had never felt before, even more than any kind of joy and happiness, when he saw that everything was in order and smoothly according to his own arrangement.

He didn't believe that Philip would want to retire early, just as he didn't believe that he would one day get tired of the stage and the camera, which were the only source of joy and enthusiasm in their lives. The moment they give up, they also declare death, a direct death on the soul level.

Maybe others can't understand it, but Lan Li can resonate.

Philip realizes that he has failed, he can't convince Lan Li, and for the first time ever, there is a gap in his image of the perfect butler.

"Who would make you choose to retire early?" Lan Li whispered softly, "It's just George." ”

"Sir didn't push me. I volunteered. Philip's words are extremely firm and flawless, because it is true.

But Lan Li caught another flaw, "You didn't say it wasn't him. ”

Philip was stunned.

Philip just said that George didn't force him, but didn't say it wasn't George. This is the flaw, Philip also tried to quibble, he could respond in many ways, he was prepared with all kinds of arguments, and even thought about the back hand of the lie, but he did not have the confidence to deceive Lan Li.

Lan Li knew that he had guessed correctly.

There are no flaws in Philip's story, all the beginnings and turns can be said to be perfect, Lan Li is not Sherlock Holmes, and he has no way to cut it straight, but Lan Li knows Philip, those reasons are perfect without a trace of fireworks, there are no flaws from the inside to the end, the only doubt is that he is not "like" Philip at all, the personality behind those stories can be someone else, but not Philip.

Lan Li was just guessing. Unfortunately, he guessed right.

"It's George and Elizabeth, right?" The mystery had been revealed, and a light smile appeared on the corner of Lan Li's mouth, but it was full of bitterness and loss.

"Because of the ceremony? I refuse to accept the award, and they hurt me by hurting you? No, they can't be so stupid and so low, are they forcing you to hurt me, or are they trying to convince me, obviously, they don't want to face this problem, or they don't want to lose face, so they put the problem on the others, it's all their way, and when I returned to London, they sent Elph. ”

"But you refused, or did you not want to talk to them at all, so you just chose to retire? You don't agree with their approach, because they go against the true aristocratic spirit, for the sake of honor and profit, even at the expense of destroying the family honor, and finally evolve into a selfish monster, right? This kind of Hall family is no longer the Hall family you serve. So you chose to return to your hometown. ”

The details are still a bit off, but the basic framework has been completely hit, and there are not too many deviations in the ins and outs and the ups and downs. Philip could not refute and could not justify it.

Silence was the best answer, Lan Li knew that he had guessed correctly, but deep down there was no joy or joy in his heart, only a coldness, and that anger began to roll like never before, even more angry than the humiliation at the Earl of Oxford's party, because this time, it was not him who was hurting, but Philip.

He could even imagine that the next step would be Edith or Arthur, or maybe even Matthew. In order to achieve their goals, they will not hesitate to do so, even at the expense of the means.

How ridiculous and ridiculous it was, but the reality was not funny at all, only a bleakness, and the anger was burning mightily.

At this moment, looking out the window of New Orleans again, everything becomes ironic: the aristocratic lords have been overthrown and disintegrated here, the former aristocracy no longer exists, they are forced to live with the commoners, lose their money and honor, and lose their status and class, but they still maintain the Creole tradition in their bones, stubbornly and radically adhere to the inheritance of history.

"I knew I didn't like New Orleans. Lan Li said calmly, a faint tremor faintly revealed in her soothing and plain voice.

Philip looked in the rearview mirror again, and then saw a faint water glint in Lan Li's bright eyes.