Three days later, early in the morning.

Paris train station, square in front of the station.

Da Da Da –

A carriage slowly stopped,

From above stepped a middle-aged man in an overcoat and a bowler hat.

He is quite handsome and looks like a handsome old man.

This man is Pergau's father—

Katrina Pergaard.

The coachman whispered, "Sir, do you want to buy you a copy of Le Figaro now?" ”

Old Pergau took out his pocket watch and glanced at it,

"No, I don't. Little Louie's train is coming soon, so I'll wait here so I don't miss it. Besides, the 'toilet paper' of Le Figaro does not have to worry about not being able to buy it, so there is no need to rush it. ”

The coachman nodded,

"Where am I going to wait?"

Old Pergaard waved his hand and said, "Go ahead." ”

The coachman urged the horses to stop at the stables beside the square, and then ran back to wait to carry the young master's luggage.

The sun is getting higher,

Sunlight shines through the old glass windows and onto the stone pavement, illuminating the interior of the station.

Old Pergaard squinted his eyes and looked at the hurried travelers,

finally

"It's coming!"

He saw his son, who could get into trouble—

Louis Pergau.

He waved on tiptoe and shouted, "Little Louie! Come here! ”

Little Pergaard's ears visibly turn camel red, and even intensify, until they are finally shiny, and it is not surprising that steam will come out of the piercings in the next second.

He obviously heard his father's nickname for him,

"Don't call me 'Little Louie'!"

Young people, with a strong sense of self, can't stand this the most.

Old Pergaard pouted,

"Then I'll call you 'Little Bastard!?"

Little Pergaard muttered, "I'd rather you call me this, it sounds a little more normal." At least, not like a woman. ”

Old Pergaard "hum~",

"Then tell your mom her name. But, then again, you've done a pretty good job this time. What did you say when you sent me a telegram? Why has it become this unmanageable situation now? ”

Before, my son said it well, but he just spoke out through newspaper channels,

It's good now that it's an open fight with the award jury.

Look at those three people:

Lu Shi, Wells, Verne,

Which one can afford to mess with?

Little Pergao showed a helpless expression and said innocently: "I don't have a problem." This was Uncle Alfaro's idea, and I was forced to catch the ducks on the shelves. ”

Ségniol Alfaro, Editor-in-Chief of Le Figaro,

Of course, he was also a good friend of the elder Pergaard.

"Tsk......"

Old Pergaard staggered,

He stared at his son with a stern gaze, as if he could see through it.

Knowing the son Mo Ruo Father,

He knew in his heart that Alfaro might have really made a tough request, but little Louis was by no means what he called "chasing ducks to the shelves", but pushing the boat along the river.

This kid must be looking forward to wrestling with the three core judges of the Jules Verne Prize.

Old Pergaard took out his pipe, took a puff,

"You're not convinced, are you?"

Little Pell nodded,

"The primary election was brushed off, and of course I won't be convinced."

"Whew~"

Old Pell exhaled,

As a result, it was sprayed on his son's face, causing little Pergaard to cough again and again.

"Ahem...... Don't you do it...... Impolite! ”

Old Pergol laughed,

"You're too embarrassed to say the word 'polite'? Is it polite to make groundless accusations against the jury? ”

As he spoke, he shoved his pipe into his son's mouth,

"You take a puff. Like an adult. ”

Is smoking an adult?

Little Pell was one head and two big, and he thought his father was ridiculous.

He took out his pipe, shoved it back into his father's mouth, and argued, "Mine is the proof!" Father, haven't you seen "The New France"? At the level of that book, can't pass the primary? Isn't this shady, what? ”

This is recognized by the elder Pergaard.

It is true that his own kid is not old enough and his writing is immature, but he will not fail the primary election.

The tastes of those judges are too tricky.

Old Pell sighed,

"But there's no need to make things so ugly. Let's not talk about Professor Lu and Monsieur Wells, just Master Verne, you know, he is the Académie de France...... Ah, by the way, he is not an academician, but he is called the 'forty-first seat' of the Academy of Sciences. You've made it hard to end up, and you'll ...... later Alas......"

The father broke his heart for his son and sighed deeply.

Little Pergaard didn't appreciate it,

"Father, this is Paris, France. I put down my graduation thesis this time and rushed here to 'smash everything that should be smashed'! ”

Old Pergaard was speechless,

"It's so frizzy, that's why I said you're not an 'adult' yet. Well, it's too late to say anything, so let's go buy a copy of Le Figaro and see how well your Le Nouvelle de France appears. ”

After saying that, he nodded to the coachman,

The latter understood and carried the young master's luggage onto the carriage.

Father and son paced down the street towards the nearest newspaper store.

Soon, they were at their destination.

But strangely, the owner of the newspaper shop was not seen in the open window, only a girl under the age of ten sat there, buried in the newspaper.

Old Pergaard knocks on the glass,

"Kid?"

"Ah......h

The girl raised her head,

Seeing two handsome guys, an old man and a young man, she smiled,

"Buy books?"

Old Pergaard took out his right glove with his teeth, then reached into his pocket and picked out a few coins.

"A copy of Le Figaro."

Girl spreads her hands,

"Sorry, it's out of stock for the time being. Sold out. ”

Father and son: ???

They're all a little confused.

Ever since Le Figaro began using full-page advertising, they haven't had a newspaper run out of stock.

What's going on today?!

The girl saw the confusion of the two and continued: "The reason why I am here to see the store is because my father went to buy the goods. He's supposed to be back soon, do you want to wait? ”

Little Pergaard didn't want to wait,

He looked at his father,

"Otherwise, let's go to ...... first"

Before the words fell, old Pergaard interrupted his son's words with his eyes, and then raised his eyebrows in the direction of the girl,

"She's reading the newspaper."

Little Pergaard suddenly realized, turned to the girl,

"Can we watch it with you?"

Girl: "Huh? With a sigh, he carefully looked the father and son up and down,

That look, it seems to be weighing whether the two of them are bad guys.

After a while, she said, "My name is Merry~"

Little Pergaard was puzzled,

"You suddenly told me that my name was...... Hiss ......"

He gasped as his father kicked him in the calf from behind.

I saw old Pergau smiling brightly at the girl,

"Thank you, Miss Merry."

Merry crisply "um",

"Come in."

She jumped out of her chair,

From the open window of the bookstore, there was the sound of footsteps.

Not long after,

Squeak –

The door opened.

Merry poked her head out and beckoned to them,

"Come on."

Old Pergaard nodded,

"Here it is."

Then, he pulled his son and couldn't help complaining: "Your mother and I are both pure French, romantic and warm, how can you give birth to such a wooden pimple!?" No wonder you haven't had a girlfriend since you were a kid. ”

Pergaard Jr.: "......"

Feeling personally attacked.

Old Pergaard shook his head,

"Alas...... I'm going to criticize you when it comes to that. Your "New France" is good at everything, from science fiction to political fables. But let the French leader marry his own female teacher......"

Little Pergaard was about to cry,

"Father, I know...... I really know it's wrong! It's my fault that it's written absurdly! ”

Old Pergaard patted his son on the shoulder,

"Knowing that mistakes can be corrected, and good is great."

The two were chatting, and Merry poked her head out again,

"Why don't you come in?"

Father and son hurriedly said, "Here it is!" ”

They went into the newspaper store together.

Little Pergaard looked over and saw that Merry was reading "The New France".

Alfaro was very face-saving and put it in the fifth edition.

Even if it's a short story, it's hard to finish it in one page, so the words look like dense Buddhist scriptures, and the handwriting looks like tangled Sanskrit.

Pell Jr. said in a low voice: "Is it well written?" ”

Merry sighed like a little adult:

"The words are too dense. I'm struggling to read it, and I haven't finished reading it yet. But it's almost ......."

So saying, she sat back,

"You read it too."

Of course, father and son have already read it,

Little Pergao said: "It's okay~ It's okay~ We'll accommodate you." ”

Merry nodded,

"This is like what a French man should say~"

Little Pergaard cracked on the spot,

Unexpectedly, the little girl dared to joke in person, obviously because she had just heard her father complain that she was a "lump of wood".

"Poof~"

The elder Pergau couldn't help but sneer all his life, but noticing his son's expression, quickly lowered his head, and seemed to have a strong interest in the surface of his feet.

Merry waved his hand,

"Don't talk yet. I'm going to finish reading it. ”

She buried her head in the reading.

After ten minutes like this, she finally raised her head and said in a tender voice, "It's really good." It's been a long time since Le Figaro had such an interesting section~"

Pelegau Jr. corrects:

"It's not a 'layout,' it's a ''.'."

Merry pouted,

"You don't look like a French man now~"

Little Pergaard was stunned and honestly shut his mouth.

Old Pergau asked for his son, "Miss Merry, what do you think of this one?" Is it good-looking? ”

Merry nodded,

"It's pretty. However, I felt uncomfortable after reading it. ”

The elder Pergaard asked: "Is it because the future prime minister is married...... Ah......h

He stopped.

I saw Merry shake her head like a rattle and said, "No, no, no." I think it's very romantic and hot. ”

Father and son looked at each other,

Unexpectedly, in the eyes of the girl, an outrageous marriage is not a shortcoming.

Little Pergaard asked, "Then why do you feel uncomfortable?" Is it badly written? ”

Merry spreads his hands,

"No, of course not. It should be said that it is precisely because it is written so well that it has an uncomfortable feeling. ”

She looked at "The New France" and fell into deep thought,

"The French people of the future will all have a unified mind, endure hardships and sacrifices for the country, and make France great again...... It's a good ending, but I always shudder. Can that really be done? ”

Little Pergaard was ecstatic,

That's what you want!

Even the little girl felt something......

He could already imagine Jules Verne's jury bowing and apologizing to himself.

Merry said: "In that 'new France', the citizens don't even have the right to speak, it's really scary~"

Little Pell said solemnly: "Please remember this fear. ”

Merry helplessly,

"Why are you still educating me? Are you an author? ”

Little Pergaard immediately wanted to admit it,

However, he felt very embarrassed to show off in front of a little girl, and finally did not say anything.

He said goodbye: "After reading the article, then let's go~"

Old Pergau on the side even handed out a coin,

"It's the money to read the newspaper."

"Ah......h

Merry was a little surprised,

"Aren't you going to read it? My father said that the latter article was the reason why Le Figaro was out of stock today. ”

Pergau the Elder: !!

Pelgau Jr.: !!

An ominous feeling rose up in my heart.

The two said in unison:

"Later article?" ×2

Merry nodded, turned the page back, and then showed a big smile and said, "This typography is right~ It's not tiring to look at." ”

Little Pergaard looked over,

The title of the article is "Animal Farm",

The next line of small print is the author's name -

Lu。

With just two English letters, it was like a spell on little Pergaard, making him stand on the spot.

Merry didn't notice it, and continued to stab a knife in little Pergau's heart,

"Le Figaro is really a bully~ Why can this 'Lu' article be typeset normally? The number of words in this article must be more than that of "New France", but the line spacing and word spacing are larger, and five pages are used. ”

Little Pergaard almost vomited blood when he heard this.

He looked at his father,

"This ......"

Old Pergau's face was pale,

At this time, he had already decided that he was being put in a position by his old friend Señol Alfaro,

That bastard, he actually used his own son as a step into the body,

"Damn !!"

Old Pergau couldn't help but curse.

Merry looked up,

"Uh...... What's so surprising about this? It's not a matter of a day or two that Le Figaro is out of order. ”

Old Pergau realized that he had said too much in front of the little girl,

He smiled,

"It's fine. Let's read this one carefully~"

Merry nodded,

"Okay."

She focused her attention on the article, and it didn't take long for her to read it.

It's a little girl after all,

She prefers a well-spoken pig to be the leader of the "revolution" than the French leader who married her teacher.

The latter is much more interesting than the former.

Moreover, in terms of plot setting, "Animal Farm" has too many surprises,

At first, Merry thinks that the protagonist is Mr. Jones, a farmer, but she soon discovers that this is not the case.

The real protagonists are the animals,

The phrase "Comrades, how do we live?" Let's face up to this problem" revealed everything.

And what makes it even more interesting is the precept given by the animals in the second chapter,

——

The Seven Commandments:

Whoever walks on two legs is an enemy.

Anyone who walks on all fours, or who grows wings, is a friend or relative.

No animal is allowed to wear clothing.

No animal is allowed to lie in bed.

No animal is allowed to drink alcohol.

No animal may harm other animals.

All animals are equal.

——

When the last clause, "All animals are equal," appears,

This one has become a work of art.

The Seven Commandments were proposed by the oldest and worst-tempered pig on the estate, and discussed by the animals.

Of course, there are animals that do not recognize,

Pigs used intoxication, and drugs were used to get opponents to agree.

Merry whispered: "Watching 'The New France', I think it's terrible to lose the right to speak; Watching "Animal Farm", I found that losing the right not to speak is even more terrifying. ”

The father and son of Pergau were stunned when they heard this,

None of them expected that a little girl's book review could be so spicy and sharp.

Perhaps, this is the advantage of children,

It's like "The Emperor's New Clothes", children can't see what adults can see,

The reverse is also true,

Children can see what adults can't.

Although he could already guess the conclusion, little Pergao couldn't help but ask: "Merry, which of these two books do you think is better?" ”

Merry sighed again like a little adult,

"Although I only read two chapters, I really feel that Animal Farm is better than New France. Because reading Animal Farm makes me feel a deeper scare. Like I said, what do you think? ”

Little Pergaard can't give an answer,

Admitting in my heart that Lu Shi's article is better, it's not a big deal,

But it is indeed impossible to let him say it himself.

Merry was curious,

"By the way, you seem to be paying attention to my comments?"

Old Pell laughed and said, "Miss Merry is smart, and your comment is certainly worth listening to." ”

Merry: "(ˉ▽ ̄~) cut~~"

Of course she didn't believe it,

"Don't slap my ass. I just like to read the newspaper, read a lot, naturally ......"

At this moment, a man's voice suddenly came from outside: "Merry, I'm back, have you finished reading...... Hmmm......"

A man stood in the doorway,

"Who are you?"

He looked at the suspicious father and son.

Old Pergau said, "You're the shopkeeper, aren't you?" Hello sir. We wanted to buy Le Figaro but found it out of stock. Kind Miss Merry invited us in and read with her. Of course, we'll pay for it. ”

As he spoke, he pointed to the coins on the table.

Merry smacked her lips in dissatisfaction,

"When did you put the coins there?"

She didn't want to take money.

Her father, who was also an upright man, saw that Pergau and his son were not bad people, so he put away his hostility and said, "I'm sorry, I just walked a dozen streets, but I didn't get the goods, and Le Figaro sold too well." ”

As he spoke, the shopkeeper shoved the coin back into the old Pergaard's hand,

"I can't take your money."

Old Pergaard was speechless,

After a moment of silence, he pulled his son's arm, and then said goodbye to the shopkeeper father and daughter,

"In that case, we'll have to try our luck elsewhere."

Merry was even more upset when she heard this.

It is rare to meet two book friends who are willing to listen to her book reviews, and the little girl naturally wants to stay with them for a while.

But old Pergaard has the eyesight to see his son, and it is impossible to stay and disturb the father and daughter,

He took his son out of the door, and while secretly placing the coin near the window, he said: "Now we have two things: first, buy today's Le Figaro and finish Animal Farm; Second ......"

Old Pell took a deep breath,

"I've got to settle accounts with that good friend of mine!"

When he said the word "that good friend", it was almost a syllable, and he gritted his teeth and spit it out.

(End of chapter)