"Hey! Finally able to stand on land! ”

In the cool breeze of early autumn in St. Petersburg, Fran, who had stepped out of the ship, greeted the building outside the harbor and said in a cheerful tone that was almost relieved. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

After a journey of nearly half a month, they finally arrived in Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire.

As far as her eye could see, tall and wide buildings stood silently in front of her eyes, as if everything had fallen into eternal silence. And in the deepest part of the line of sight, the palaces are also in the shadows.

Ever since Peter the Great, who was obsessed with access to the sea, defeated the Swedes and seized the hard-won Baltic estuary, he could not wait to build a new city here, and the capital of the Russian Empire was moved from Moscow to this city.

Since then, it has become the center of the entire empire and a window for the empire to absorb all the culture and ideas from the West. After more than a century of painstaking management by successive emperors, the city has developed into a metropolis dotted with a large number of beautiful palaces.

In particular, the Winter Palace, built by Empress Catherine II and inhabited by successive tsars, is even more magnificent and not inferior to any palace in Western Europe.

Because of the distance, the silhouette of the Hermitage can only be faintly visible, but as far as the eye can see, the buildings and roads are very spacious, and the decoration and painting are very careful, with a grandeur not found elsewhere, as if in the classic Russian style, and in the reliefs and subtle decorations of these buildings, you can see the shadow of Western Europe. The ubiquity of Russian grandeur and Western European influences are a fitting blend of beauty, and perhaps that's the beauty of the city.

"This place is so beautiful!" After indulging in a moment of indulgence, Fran sighed to Mary next to her, "We must have a good tour of this city when we have a chance." ”

"You have a chance, miss, and since you are here as our guest, we will do everything we can to make your stay here enjoyable." At this time, Andrei Bezukhov, who was standing next to them, said with a smile, "But for now, I can only say with great regret that you had better come with me to our house and settle down." ”

"Yes, sir." Fran smiled, then followed him.

During this journey, she and André had made friends, and although he seemed very frivolous, she found that he was very reliable when it came to serious situations, and he was more composed than most people - in short, the kind of person not to be underestimated.

Not long after they waited on the docks, they were approached by several carriages, which were delicately looking and had a family crest engraved on them, which appeared to be the carriages used by the Bezukhov family.

As soon as the leader saw Andre, he immediately saluted, and André only waved at them, and then urged his guests to get into the carriage, and when Fran, Mary, and the salutes they were carrying were put into the carriage, the carriage began to move again, and began to run again along the way they came.

Because it was driving outside the city, the road was not crowded, there were not many pedestrians in sight, and the horse-drawn carriages were very fast, and the originally tall and compact buildings began to thin out, and slowly began to show the scene of the fields.

When she came to the fields on the outskirts of the city, Fran only saw that she was surrounded by fields and forests, and these green plants swayed in the bleak wind, filling the world with cold colors, and the vast green fields that could not be seen added to the sense of self-sighing and insignificance.

Perhaps, when my grandfather went deep into Russia, he would have thought the same as me? Fran thought to herself.

Grandpa liked to talk about the war experience, but he rarely mentioned his own experience in Russia, which must have been too unbearable for him.

Is my brother going to war with such a country? Can you really win? It's really worth worrying about.

"It's a vast place." In the midst of the spontaneous worry, Fran suddenly sighed. "Your country is too vast."

"This is Russia." Andrei shrugged.

"When will we get to your house?" Mary asked.

"Actually, we're already at my house now." André laughed wryly, "Just about a quarter of an hour ago, we were already at my family's estate. ”

"Huh?" Fran was a little surprised.

She looked around again, but there was still no one there. After driving at such a fast speed for a quarter of an hour, but not seeing the mansion, it is really hard to imagine how big this manor is. "Your home is really big."

"A radius of more than ten miles is our territory, which should be considered big in France...... But it's not really much in Russia, our family is in the south, and there are much bigger estates in Ukraine. Andrei continued with a smile, "In Russia, unlike in France, everyone only regards land as wealth. ”

Fran and Mary glanced at each other, both secretly amazed at the vastness of Russia and the wealth of the Bezukhovs.

"It's true that it's rare to see such a huge estate in France, after all, we have a lot of people and a lot of land." Fran nodded, "But I'm a little confused, since your family is already so rich, why do you want to make a revolution?" The Duke of Orleans made a revolution to become king, but your father doesn't look like ......"

This question is a bit rude, if it weren't for the fact that she has been familiar with Andre for a while, she wouldn't have asked him.

"This question...... Weird, right? Actually, I don't understand either. André laughed, as if he thought it was funny, "But since my father wants to do this, of course as a son should follow him." Some people are born with a bit of idealism in life, and there is no way to do it. ”

"That's right...... For the ideal. Fran nodded, wondering what she should do with the Earl later.

As a realist by nature, she felt that she was still a little inexperienced in dealing with such fanatics, for fear of upsetting the Count.

While they were talking, the Bezukhov mansion finally appeared in the greenery, and the speed of the carriage seemed to be a little higher.

When the carriage stopped, Fran found that the mansion was larger than she had imagined, and that it would have rivaled the palace if it had not been for the austere decoration.

Andre, who returned home, did not look very happy, but looked much more dignified, and even his smile was gone, more like a child of a family who had received a strict education. Silently but politely, he led Fran and Mary all the way to the mansion.

The temperature in Russia has always been cold, and although it is only early autumn, it is already quite cool, and the mansion is very airy, so Fran always feels a little cold, and hurriedly ties her clothes tighter.

When they reached the living room, they were greeted by an old woman.

The woman was about sixty or seventy years old, dressed in a very conservative black dress, a little chubby, with mostly gray hair, and a warm hat. Her face was wrinkled, and her nose was even more elevated, like an eagle's hook, and only eyes full of love and excitement could see some enthusiasm that did not belong to her age.

"Andrey!" As soon as she saw Andrei, she shouted, then opened her arms, hugged Andrei's waist, and kissed him on the cheek. "You're finally back!"

"Mom, Mom, I'm back." Andre also smiled, and then hugged the old woman, and his tone was very warm, "I'm so happy to see you so healthy!" ”

"At this age, what else is there to say about health! I'm happy to see you all around me. The old woman smiled and let go of her embrace, and looked at Andre affectionately, as if to confirm how much weight she had lost since the last time they had met.

"You went to France and didn't go home for a few years, which really worries everyone."

"Young people, you have to make some business." Andrei smiled awkwardly, he himself knew how ridiculous his 'career' was.

Then, he looked at Fran next to him, and then introduced her.

"She is Countess Natasha Rostova Bezukhova, my mother."

Then he introduced them to his mother, "Madame, this is Mademoiselle François de Treville, my guest from France, and her companion, Mademoiselle de Léoland, both of whom have traveled to Russia at my invitation. ”

Fran and Mary hurriedly saluted the countess. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"A noble lady of France?" It was only then that the Countess focused her attention on the two women, and then her eyes lit up, evidently pleased with their looks and manners.

"Bastard, I have some vision now!" She suddenly said to Andrei with a smile. "At this age, do you finally remember what you should do?"

There was a huge embarrassment, so that the three young men and women didn't know what to say all of a sudden.

"Mom...... They were just my friends, and they came at my father's invitation. Andrei explained with some difficulty, "They were just traveling to Russia to visit their father, and they had no other meaning." ”

"I see! I understand! It's good to come, Russia will always be liked. Andrei is also a good tour guide, anyway, he has been idle since he was a child. The Countess suddenly realized, but still looked at the two young ladies, and said something meaningfully, "Ladies, I am glad that you have placed so much trust in my son, and our Bezukhov family will certainly try to make you feel at home." ”

"I'm convinced, ma'am." Fran smiled and nodded.

"I'll take you to see the room, you have come all the way here, you should always rest." The Countess said with a smile. "In the evening, we'll have a Russian dinner!"

"Mom, go arrange a room for them, I need to take them to meet Father." Andrei hurriedly said, "I'll talk about other things later." By the way, how is Dad now? ”

The Countess felt that the two women's intentions were a little unusual, but she didn't ask much, but just answered. "Well, then I'll arrange it, and you go see Pierre. But Andre, be careful, he's not in a good mood today......"

Then she nodded politely to the two young women, and then turned away, apparently on her way to entertain them, and as she was leaving, a group of children followed her, and she picked one up in her hand, and teased them to the point of laughter.

Here you can only see a loving and funny mother and grandmother, where can anyone think that this was once a slim, lively and beautiful girl!

"That's her grandchildren." André explained to Fran, "My mother likes to spend time with her family and take care of her children, so she always has them by her side. ”

"Oh, that's enviable......" Fran looked at the countess's departing back with a little envy, "I wish I could have such a day...... By the way, doesn't she know about our coming? ”

"She doesn't know." Andrei shook his head, "My father wouldn't let her get involved in this kind of thing. Well, let's go, don't keep my father waiting! (To be continued.) )