It was not only Mr. Bentley who came to visit him, but also his friend Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy was a very proud and serious young man, who did not like to talk and was very unpleasant. Even though he earns twice as much as Mr. Bentley every year, in the eyes of the ladies and ladies, the warm and kind Mr. Bentley is even more lovely.

Since his initial greetings with the Lucas, Mr. Darcy sat on the couch and looked at the Lucas home and the family in silence. The furnishings of Lucas's house were mostly to Maria's liking—who told her to make money—warm and stylish, completely different from those of the rich man in the country, which made Mr. Darcy curious and satisfied.

Looking at the Lucas family, although Sir Lucas himself is a little more tactful, he is kind and much more knowledgeable than the rest of Meriton, and is worth associating. His wife and two sons, though a little stupid, were not badly mannered and educated, and they had some knowledge—Mr. Lucas went to London every year to sell things, and occasionally brought his family with him, and he had a lot of knowledge, and there was an excellent sister to compare them to, and Alston and Albert also worked hard to improve themselves, although in the eyes of Mr. Darcy was barely enough, but in the eyes of the people of Meriton, both of them were quite good young men. If it weren't for the fact that Auston himself didn't want to marry so early, which girl he had a crush on, that girl would never refuse him.

Sir Lucas had three daughters, the eldest of whom was busy in the kitchen and did not see him, but only the second and third daughters. The third daughter doesn't look much different from an ordinary girl, and she is very timid in the face of strangers. The second daughter impressed Mr. Darcy with the feeling that this girl was not an ordinary person. This girl's temperament is very good, even better than that of those noble ladies in London, but the presence of such a person is very weak, and if he does not see her, even if she sits beside him, he will not pay attention to her.

Mr. Darcy was curious. However, he was a typical gentleman, and even though he was curious about her, he did not keep staring at her, and after only a few glances, he politely looked away.

Maria smiled faintly. She had a better impression of the unlikable Mr. Darcy than the likable Mr. Bingley. This one's character is even more admirable, and he is a true gentleman.

Charlotte came out of the kitchen and smiled and said to everyone, "Gentlemen, ladies, lunch is ready, please taste it together." ”

Mr. Darcy finally saw the eldest daughter of the Lucas, who was said to be a well-known old girl in Meriton, who had not been married by any man because she was not good-looking and had no dowry. Now, in Mr. Darcy's opinion, this girl is not a beauty, but she is not ugly, but her facial features are too soft and too plain, so that Westerners who are accustomed to seeing deep facial features think that she is not good-looking. Mr. Darcy had seen people from far away from the East, and their features were very soft, and if the eldest lady of the Lucas family had grown up in the East, she would have been called beautiful.

Moreover, Miss Lucas's temperament is gentle and elegant, which is very commensurate with her facial features, and she has a bit of an Oriental aristocratic lady's taste.

With that in mind, Mr. Darcy was led to sit down at the long dining table. The table was full of food, except for the potato goulash, bread, and salad, which neither Mr. Bingley nor Mr. Darcy knew.

"Oh, these dishes look delicious, but I don't even recognize them. Sir Lucas, could you please introduce us to us? Mr. Bingley began.

"My pleasure, sir." Lucas smiled, with smugness in his eyes, and introduced Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, "This dish is called white chopped chicken, this dish is honey char siu, this dish is roast duck, this is crystal meat, this is Sixi meatballs......"

Mr. Bingley had a good eye for the dishes, and the names of these dishes were so strange that he couldn't understand them at all.

Mr. Darcy, who has more insight than Mr. Bentley, asked, "These are all Chinese dishes?" ”

Sir Lucas gave a thumbs up: "Mr. Darcy is very knowledgeable, these dishes are indeed Chinese cuisine, and my Maria saw the recipe from the book, and told my hungry eldest daughter Charlotte, who learned to make it herself." ”

"Oh, the magic of China, the magic of uh Huaxia cuisine." Mr. Bingley exclaimed, "Miss Charlotte is so ingenious that she can make such a delicious meal just by reading a book." ”

Charlotte smiled slightly: "Mr. Bingley, you are too famous, let's dine first." ”

"Okay, I can't wait to try these delicacies."

No one can resist the charm of Chinese cuisine, and Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were completely conquered by the food on the table, and let go of their appetites, and their lower abdomen almost protruded.

Mr. Bingley hugged his stomach and sighed: "Miss Charlotte's cooking skills are simply amazing, I have not eaten such a delicious meal in more than twenty years of life." Catherine: They're going to regret it. ”

Mr. Darcy nodded in agreement, and said, "The chef in the palace can't cook such a delicious meal." ”

"Has Mr. Darcy seen His Majesty?" Sir Lucas was pleasantly surprised, "I have also met the king, but unfortunately I have not eaten a meal cooked by a chef in the palace. ”

After speaking, he began to show off his experience of visiting the palace, which was the thing he was most proud of, and he talked endlessly. Charlotte noticed the patience in Mr. Darcy's eyes, and hurriedly gave Maria a look, so that Maria could open her mouth to distract Sir Lucas, and she found a topic to talk to Mr. Darcy.

"Mr. Darcy seems to know a little bit about Eastern culture?"

Mr. Darcy said, "Not as much as Miss Charlotte, but your family seems to be very fond of Oriental culture, and even the living room is covered with Oriental embroidery. ”

That embroidery doesn't look cheap.

Charlotte's eyes flashed with a hint of pride, this embroidery was not bought, it was embroidered by her sister.

"Oriental China is a mysterious and rich country, and its questions are very attractive." Charlotte said.

"Miss Charlotte is very much like an Oriental lady in her own right."

Mr. Darcy had a great time chatting with Charlotte, a very knowledgeable and knowledgeable lady who was able to pick up whatever she was talking about. If a man has such a wife, he not only has a virtuous helper, but also has a friend who can talk to heaven. It's a pity that the men in Meriton are too discerning, and only pay attention to the external appearance of women, and cannot see the inner beauty of Miss Charlotte, making her an old girl who cannot be married.

Although he felt sorry for Charlotte, Mr. Darcy had no intention of marrying this girl with extraordinary knowledge. Mr. Darcy is also a man, and he is more fond of beauty.

A few days later, a ball was held at Lucas's house, and people of some position from all over Meriton came, all wanting to get to know the young and handsome Mr. Bingley. As a courtesy, Mr. Bingley invited Charlotte to dance with him for the first dance, and he invited Jane, the eldest lady of the Bennet family, many times in succession. It was evident that the young and enthusiastic gentleman was fascinated by Jane's beauty.

Mrs. Bennet proudly showed off in front of Mrs. Lucas, Mrs. Lucas was very angry, but there was no way, who called the eldest lady of the Bennet family to be a recognized beauty in Meritun!

"Charlotte, wait until Christmas, and ask your father to take us to London. The men of Meriton don't see your good, and I don't believe there are no men in London who don't see your good. The men of London are much more knowledgeable than the men in the country. Mrs. Lucas said to Charlotte angrily.

Charlotte smiled lightly: "Mom, don't worry about me. Perhaps, as Mary said, my destiny has not yet come. When fate comes, I will be able to marry immediately. ”

"Fate? That kind of ethereal thing is something that only you sisters can believe. Mrs. Lucas said.

"Dear mother, you really don't have to worry about me. Let's pay more attention to Auston. Charlotte said.

"Auston? What happened to him? "Mrs. Lucas was successfully distracted.

Charlotte said, "I saw him dance two dances in a row with Miss Kim. Mom, maybe our family is going to have a happy event. ”

"Miss Kim? The Miss Kim with a dowry of 20,000 pounds? Mrs. Lucas was delighted, "Auston has a good eye, and I will go and tell your father the news at once." ”

With that, Mrs. Lucas left happily.

Charlotte turned to the pillar to the side and asked softly, "Why doesn't Mr. Darcy go to dance?" ”

Mr. Darcy turned from behind the pillar, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hear you and Lucas, but I was standing behind the pillar and came a little before you. ”

"I know." Charlotte nodded in understanding.

Mr. Darcy was curious, "You found me early in the morning?" I think I'm hiding fairly well, how did you find me? ”

Charlotte laughed, "I heard Mr. Darcy breathing?" ”

Mr. Darcy was even more surprised: "You can hear my breathing so far away?" Can you tell it's me? ”

Charlotte said: "My sister Maria has read a book about Chinese kung fu, and we have all practiced with her for some time. Although he said that he had not practiced great skills, he was deaf and clear. ”

"I've always heard you mention Miss Maria. Miss Maria seems to love Chinese culture more than you do. Mr. Darcy said.

Charlotte smiled, "Maria really likes Chinese culture. Even for the sake of Chinese culture, she broke her promise not to read anymore and asked her father to buy her a lot of Chinese books. ”

"The promise to stop reading books?" Mr. Darcy didn't know why.

Charlotte said: "Don't look at Maria is very lively now, but before she was ten years old, she was a little nerd who only knew how to read, and she read books every day except for eating and sleeping, which made her father and mother worried, but fortunately she finally put down the books." ”