Zai Ze recommended a foreign language teacher to knock on the door of Xie Mansion the next day with Zai Ze's handwritten letter, at that time Xie Daoyong had already gone to the foreign affairs yamen office, Mrs. Feng looked at the letter, although half skeptical, but still enthusiastically welcomed people into the inner garden.

"My grandfather said a few days ago that he was looking for a foreign language teacher, and you will come to the door today," Mrs. Feng said with a smile: "Thank you so much Grandpa Guo." ”

This British teacher's Chinese was very blunt, but she could understand other people's words without difficulty, she bowed shallowly to Mrs. Feng and smiled: "Madam, you're welcome, I once taught Ze Gongfu Jin to learn foreign languages." ”

Mrs. Feng was stunned for a moment, and then laughed again: "The letter says that your name is Annie, right?"

Anne nodded, "My name is Anne Thompson." ”

Wanlan and Huaichang got the news early, Mrs. Feng took Anne to the study, and the two sides greeted each other, Wanlan had never seen a foreigner, and looked curiously from the moment she entered the door. Anne's skin is extremely white, really white and snowy, the bridge of the nose is straight and towering, the eye sockets are deep, and the color of the pupils of the eyes is much lighter than that of the Chinese, which is almost the same color as the color of golden hair. She looked at it for a while, turned her head and whispered to Huaichang: "Strange is weird, but it's good-looking." ”

As soon as her voice fell, she listened to Anne's words with admiration: "This young lady, you are really the most beautiful Chinese woman I have ever seen." ”

Wan Lan turned her head in surprise, Anne's eyes were still fixed on her face, and said, "I have studied Chinese poetry to describe beauty, powder is too white, Shi Zhu is too red, right?"

Wanlan was a little shy, first pursed her lips and smiled, then nodded, and said softly: "Yes, you learned well." ”

Anne smirked: "I didn't understand it before, but I only understood it when I saw you today." ”

Wanlan bowed her head slightly, bowed and said, "You have an overreputation." ”

Anne worked as a teacher in England, and now in China she still relies on working as a foreign language teacher in a wealthy family to earn money for living in China, and her teaching methods are very interesting, and she uses a lot of English nursery rhymes to cultivate students' interest in English and language sense, so she is famous in Beijing.

However, Wanlan's interest was not in these nursery rhymes, she always asked Anne a lot about British society, especially surprised that Anne was a woman, but she was able to travel thousands of miles away from home to China alone.

"All men are created equal in Europe, and there is nothing that men can do but women can't, except for having children," Anne explained to her in English what she was interested in, forcing Wanlan to practice listening: "A woman who has a job is respected." ”

Wanlan even guessed what she meant, often understood the plausible, Huaichang couldn't look at it, so he translated it to her, Wanlan sighed in English half envious and half jealous: "This is not good in China, a young lady with status must not go out to work in front of her." ”

"China will gradually get better," said Anne with a smile, "Miss Wanlan and Mr. Huaichang studied English with me on the same day, and he is able to translate for you today." ”

Wanlan said suddenly: "Huaichang has always been smarter than me. ”

"He's been studying hard, and you're always distracted by other things," said Anne, "Miss Wanlan likes the customs of England very much, so it is better to travel to England for a few days and experience it for yourself, which is much more intuitive than what I have relayed to you." ”

Wanlan smiled: "In China, you are not even allowed to go out to work, how can you be allowed to travel abroad? Anne, in my lifetime, I don't know if I will have such good luck to be able to live in a foreign country like you." ”

"You may not believe it," said Anne, "just a hundred years ago, England, as in China, did not allow aristocratic women to go out to work, and the daughters of marquis and earls studied the appearance and Latin every day, and bought jewels and diamonds to dress up beautifully, in order to marry themselves to noble men of equal status or good reputation." ”

Huaichang translated for Wanlan from it, and he couldn't help asking: "It's only a hundred years, how can there be such a big change?"

"God only saves those who save themselves," Anne tilted her head and looked at Wanlan: "I heard that you and Mr. Huaichang applied to study abroad together, but only he was allowed, if I were you, I would fight until the elders agreed." ”

"I've tried my best to fight for it, otherwise I won't even have a chance to see you," Wanlan said: "Anne, I heard that you also have an emperor, but the power of the country is in the hands of the prime minister and the parliament, won't an emperor who has lost his power fall from the throne?"

"Of course not, we all respect our king," said Anne, "and besides, the king has only handed over executive power to the public, and the people trust the minister more, and have not lost his power." ”

"Your ministers are elected by the people?" Huaichang said in surprise: "What if there are traitors who deceive the people and steal state power?"

"Educating all reduces the likelihood of being blinded. Anne explained: "Besides, the prime minister is not in office for life, just like the old Chinese saying, over time, the people will see the people's mistakes, and there is a chance to change them." ”

Wanlan looked at her and said, "You like China very much?"

Anne raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Who doesn't like ancient and elegant peoples? When I was a child, my father bought a set of blue and white porcelain from a merchant at a high price, which was very delicate and extremely exquisite, and the neighbors were very envious, and I thought that Chinese artists must have been specially taken care of by God to make such beautiful things, and later I came to China to know that my father's collection of porcelain was just ordinary things, and it was easy to buy." ”

Wanlan was a little proud, so she said: "It's nothing, I have a lot of good porcelain in my house, if your father likes it, I'll give you a few." ”

Huaichang shook his head with a smile and said in Chinese: "This is because your father is not in front of you to dare to be so generous, and take his old man's treasures as favors." ”

Wanlan glanced at him: "What do you know, I'm here to pull a relationship for you, you go to study in England in the future, and you have a few friends in the UK, who will always be better than your own eyes, I really don't know good people's hearts." ”

Huaichang hurriedly surrendered his hand and begged for mercy: "Being a younger brother is ignorant, and he has worked hard in vain for the eldest sister to ask for punishment." ”

Before Wanlan could say anything more, a little maid knocked on the door and came in, first greeted the person in the room, and then said to Xie Huaichang: "Second young master, Master Jiang Fangzhen Jiang is here to visit, and he is waiting for you in the front hall." ”

Since Xie Huaichang followed Anne to learn foreign language after a small success, Xie Daoyong often introduced some students who returned from studying abroad to intersect with him, this Jiang Fangzhen is one of them, he graduated from the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School, and as soon as he returned to China, he was hired by Zhao Erxun, the governor of the three eastern provinces, to go to the northeast to train soldiers, is a rare young talent, and Xie Huaichang is quite in love, often meet to travel.

He got up and told Anne and Wanlan that he was missing, Wanlan was a little envious, so he said without yin or yang: "Since Huaichang came to the capital, he has made a lot more friends. ”

Xie Huaichang heard the unclear feelings in her tone, and he was not annoyed, but smiled and said, "When will Sister Lan appreciate her face, and also come to our Yaji to sit." ”

Wanlan regretted a little after saying that, lest Xie Huaichang be too careful, but he didn't expect him to resolve the embarrassing atmosphere so lightly, so he followed his words and went down this step: "I will definitely do it when I am free." Go ahead, don't make Master Jiang wait long. ”

Anne watched the conversation between the siblings, and when he left, she smiled and asked Wanlan: "I have a friend who is a knight of the Spencer family in England, and his father and brother are both members of the House of Lords. ”