The flavor of blueberry pie appeals to everyone.
When the three little guys saw Karenin who was already sitting on the dining table, they all felt strange in their hearts, especially Andrei and Charlie, and the two even winked at each other.
How could Karenin not see their small movements, he just pretended not to know.
"If anyone is slow, I don't guarantee that this delicious blueberry pie will be left to him." Anna blinked.
These are not very interesting words, and even if no one cooperates, it will look a little ridiculous.
But this is neither Moscow nor Petersburg, and no one expects children to behave as if they are at a party, and besides, no matter how mischievous they are, they will not suddenly become wild children in the mud.
Charlie cheered and ran over first, and Andre fought for it not to be outdone, but Alexie remained a little reserved.
"Etiquette," said Karenin, frowning.
Charlie and Andre quickly sat upright, but looked at Anna from the corner of the eye.
Anna smiled, and squeezed Karenin's fingers as she passed by Karenin's side. This small gesture was caught by several children, who secretly smiled.
Karenin looked a little embarrassed. He clenched his right hand into a fist and coughed.
"Eat, the rules of Petersburg are not enough for you to enjoy," said Anna, who was sitting next to Karenin, who looked at her disapprovingly, but said nothing more.
Charlie grinned, always the boldest one. He told Andre about the games they played in the afternoon, and he said he had won several games.
"I thought Alexie was very powerful. He looks very smart." Charlie said without malice.
"He made it to you, idiot." Andre swallowed the food in his mouth and revealed it calmly.
Charlie was a little taken aback, his green eyes widening.
"It's impossible!" he said, and then looked at Alexei as if asking for proof, but the latter looked a little embarrassed.
"You lied to me." Charlie pouted, looking unhappy.
Alexie seemed a little at a loss. His originally pale complexion seemed to have completely disappeared at this moment.
"Don't make fun of him." Andre swallowed the blueberry pie again, calmly exposing his friend's lies.
Sure enough, the blond-haired, green-eyed little devil put away his pathetic disguise of being deceived, and grinned: "But I'm really sad, you can win me, but you let me. God! This really underestimates me I'm not Andre, I cry when I lose."
"I didn't cry!" Andre didn't swallow the blueberry pie this time, he held up a fork and hissed a bit out of manners to defend himself.
"That's because I hit my toe when I turned around and it hurt!"
Charlie waved his hand, with a perfunctory expression: "Well, yeah, it should be quite painful." A generous look that I know you can't afford to lose so I won't irritate you.
Andre knew that the other party did it on purpose, but he just couldn't help it. Charlie's expression was too much to be beaten.
"Okay, stop meaningless disputes." Karenin said, the farce just now still did not interrupt his mood to enjoy his afternoon tea.
He took a sip of tea, then looked at the blond boy, and said, "Hiding your strength is necessary, but it can only fool stupid people."
"It is the smartest way to give others what they want to see."
It means that in the face of stupid and arrogant people, you can only please them by belittling yourself. In the face of smart people, only by revealing a bit or two of their true talents can they satisfy their desire to control.
The boys all remember this.
After Karenin returned to the study, Charlie sighed: "I envy you for having such an uncle, and I envy you too, Alexei, Mr. Karenin is your uncle."
Andre wanted to keep his face expressionless, but he couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.
Anna asked these children to help clean up. She didn't want to really cultivate a bunch of young masters who didn't work hard. At least they have to learn a little bit of survival skills in places where the upper class people can't see.
"Oh, is he my husband?" Anna said leisurely to the three boys.
For the first time, the three boys thought at the same time: "Women, you really are overweight with jealousy!"
"Boys, come and help with the dishes!"
"Here we come!" Andre replied unhappily, but got up anyway, which was what they promised.
In addition to a few days of pleasant play time, you must also be a good child, and the so-called good child starts by helping with housework.
At first, Andre refused.
"The servants will do these things." He didn't understand why they wanted to take the servants' jobs.
"If we did their thing, wouldn't they have a job?" Charlie was also puzzled by this.
"You don't always take your servants with you. At any time, if you are alone and there is a pile of food in front of you, but you are starved to death because you can't live or cook? Don't you think it's ridiculous?"
This seems to make sense, but it is not enough to convince these stubborn boys, so at that time Anna said another sentence.
"No one is born to serve others. We are just a little luckier than them and can pay the wages, which they need to buy their bread."
"Oh, of course, I just want you to remember these words, and while I might prefer that you understand, that's asking too much. So just remember? Of course, you're stepping on what I'm telling you to do. Don't let other people know when you go out into the world. It will be very troublesome to explain."
"Once you step into the social world, you represent not only yourselves, but your family. Therefore, this is why some people would rather go hungry and have decent clothes to attend a banquet. Although it is a bit ridiculous, But for the time being, there is no way to shake those rules.”
These nagging words made Andre feel that this aunt was really strange, and, inexplicably, he also began to have a mysterious sense of awe towards Anna.
In his young mind, he seemed to understand that his aunt was very different from other noble ladies.
Although he couldn't fully understand it, in short, the child's intuition told him that this was good, so he believed it completely.
Then all they need to face is washing the dishes.
"I still don't think this is very good." Sasha said naggingly, always wanting to pick up the bowls and chopsticks.
"Dear Sasha, give the boys some credit."
"But they might break." Sasha complained, it turned out that what she really cared about was the bowls and chopsticks, not the tender little hands of these young masters.
Anna smiled and said, "You heard that."
"We're not idiots," Charlie grumbled, and slipped his hand.
"careful!"
Alexei took the plate.
Anna also breathed a sigh of relief.
Andre said blankly: "Let me correct you, 'we' are not idiots." He pointed to himself and Alexie, excluding Charlie.
"Hey, it's rude, it was just an accident!" Charlie found a step for himself, "My hands are very slippery, you can't blame me." I couldn't help smiling.
After the dishes were cleaned, Andre and the others couldn't help rushing to the back garden to destroy the creatures there. Alexey volunteered to stay and help Anna and the others dry the dishes.
"Do you like them?" Anna asked, passing a plate over.
Alexie took the plate, wiped it and said, "Like a brother."
"I'm glad you really feel that way." Anna said with a smile, and then asked uncertainly, "You really are?"
"Yes." Alexey showed a slight smile, that smile was somewhat fragile on his delicate but thin face, as if it would be blown away by the wind, but it was a sincere smile after all, Dazzling like the rising sun.
"As long as you like it." Anna said, returning a smile.
How nice, she thought, seeing Alexei's smile was like seeing Karenin.
She hoped that at that time, there would be someone who could make him smile as much as possible, even if that person wasn't her. She just doesn't want no one to encourage him in that lonely and helpless time, even if he seems to have much more than ordinary people, or he seems to be far stronger than many adults.
"Alexie."
"What?"
The young man raised his eyes to look at her, his pale pupils were no longer so gray, but a little angry.
She felt very happy about this, so she said: "If you feel happy now, in the future, when you meet someone who needs help, and while ensuring your own safety, if you can, try to help others."
The blond boy slowly showed a smile, very beautiful, and he responded.
"I'm glad you feel happy now. You are a good boy. What you have is far superior to the intelligence you show. You have a kind heart, so please protect it well, and at the same time, let more worthy people see it." to it because it is so precious and sparkling and deserves to shine even brighter in this world."
This passage was not told by Anna herself to Alexie, it was given to him later along with a gift.
For a long time in the future, it almost accompanied the boy's life.
After that, he also left such words in his own notes:
"No matter what the original intention of doing good is. Maybe it is not noble, it is just a kind of selfish desire, but if there are one or two people who benefit from it, we should not forcefully analyze the original intention of a person. A good heart should not Criticism, at least, should not be denied by irrelevant people. If there are one or two people who are not smart enough to take into account their own safety and cause misfortune and pain, they can be accused of stupidity and imprudence, and only those who are truly People who love them, not us, irrelevant people. Don't be in a hurry to deny a kind gesture, just let him understand that you care more about him than others, so next time, ask him first Take care of yourself and love others.”