Anna decided to put a little distance between herself and her husband, otherwise she felt that she would not be able to talk about it properly next. The best reading experience is in[]）
Karenin watched his wife's movements almost with connivance as she did so. The latter didn't see it, she was sorting out what she was going to say later in her mind.
"It's Alexei's birthday next week and I want to help him celebrate."
Karenin didn't speak immediately. He knew that since his wife brought this up specifically, it meant that she wanted to hold more than just a birthday party for that child.
"You can tell he likes it here, and I like it, and we could have a cookout here early. After all, he's going to start school soon."
After Anna finished speaking, she waited for Karenin's reaction. The latter frowned slightly and tapped his fingers on the edge of the table.
After a while, Karenin nodded slightly in agreement.
Anna smiled and kissed each other on the cheek. She planned something, Karenin provided the list, and they actually had quite a few "guests" in the village.
If what Anna wanted was not a Petersburg banquet, then Karenin naturally knew what kind of guests he liked.
The next invitation letter about the guests was ghostwritten by Anushka and signed by Anna. The servants sent were chosen by Karenin.
The cook Sasha drew up the menu. Her face was flushed, she looked very simple and healthy, and she even had a lot of voice. Because considering that these guests were not those elegant and decent people who had been entertained by her husband before, but peasants with generous hands and simple hearts like herself, she felt that even the bottom of her heart was happy.
The stomachs of high-class people are usually as thin as egret legs, and those delicious delicacies can't get into their delicate stomachs, which makes people angry, and she has been angry about it for many years.
Sasha, in command of the servants in the kitchen, made a promise to Anna.
Although this was a somewhat imprecise banquet, and it came extremely suddenly, with Karenin's assistance, things went smoothly.
By the time the children returned, the matter was almost completely settled.
"A picnic? Oh! That's fine, I think it's very interesting," said Charlie, with little stars in his eyes.
"Does that mean we don't have to wear those dresses?" Andre is more concerned about this issue. Although the dresses make him look more decent and beautiful, he prefers freedom.
"Okay." Anna reassured the boy.
Andre looked down for a moment, then shrugged: "Then I think it should be good."
"Don't forget to prepare a present for Alexei." Anna said to the two boys, "This is an early birthday party for him."
"No problem." The two said in unison, and seemed a little excited.
Because of their status, they are not often allowed to prepare gifts themselves, except for each other. Because any banquet where a family is invited is not as simple as giving gifts in private.
The adults will rack their brains to make a fuss about these gifts, and the family that receives the gift will also decide how to treat another family based on this.
So every time he goes to a banquet, Andre is bored. Although Charlie is not as surly as he is, he also hopes to become a little more free.
"Give him a surprise, so don't tell him what you will give him." Anna said with a smile.
"Understood!" Again in unison.
Therefore, after Alexei came out of Karenin's study, he was so sensitive that something happened, but he couldn't know it right away.
"Come here, Alexei, I have to give you a birthday present in advance." Anna beckoned the boy over.
"We want to see it too," said Andre, and added, "Can you?"
"Yes." Anna said the words of request to Andre, and gave her an appreciative look.
They went to the master bedroom on the second floor, and Anna took out the clothes.
"Try it," she said, and took Andre and the others away. When they re-entered, Alexei was fastening his cuff buttons.
It was a very respectable suit, but unlike a traditional suit, the ermine smooth fabric kept it from looking overly dignified. A suit and vest tightened the waist, outlining the slender and straight waist of the young man.
Alexei stood by the window, the afternoon sun slanting down, gently stroking his blond hair. Even the fine dust in the air was transformed into flying sparkling fragments by this gentle light, dancing in mid-air.
"Need help?" Anna asked with a smile.
Alexei also smiled and nodded.
He stood up straight with a little restraint, because he was still in puberty, and he was not much taller than Anna. From the perspective of grade, the person in front of him was not much older than him, but at this moment, Alexei did feel a strange feeling. As if the person in front of him was his mother.
She is gentle, optimistic and meticulous, fulfilling all Alexey's fantasies about a mother.
She is a relative, an elder and a long-lost friend. His always sad heart seemed to have been healed now, and when countless good expectations turned into emotions and settled inside, he became warm and stable.
"Alexey gave you these cufflinks."
Anna stroked the cufflinks.
Unlike the luxurious gemstone cufflinks used by most nobles, the cufflinks presented by Karenin are silver.
The prismatic lines appear sharp, while the popular rounded lines are different. The decoration around it can be said to be very simple. At first glance, the person who made it seems to have a sense of carelessness, but if you look closely, you will find that every line has been carefully crafted. The width ratio is almost the same.
Andre and Charlie heard this, and then took another look at Alexei.
They all know what that means.
In the eyes of the poor, luxurious clothing is an important certificate to distinguish classes. But in upper-class circles, the jewelry worn is the symbol of the family. Families with a truly ancient history will know how to judge their master by a pair of tiny cufflinks.
It's the same even if their descendants are the kind of high-ranking little bastards.
Karenin's behavior had shown that he would take Alexei under his wing. The latter hadn't been so clearly aware of this before, but now he understood it.
Although he didn't have parents like Andre and Charlie, he now has protection.
In this world, no matter how talented a person is, it is difficult to stand out. Only when someone leads, can we have more access to the top level of power. This is why there is always an insurmountable gap between the poor and the nobles. This is what intelligence cannot make up for. Although those talented people from poor backgrounds don't believe it, it is the case.
Between these two classes, apart from the arrogance brought about by power and wealth itself, there is always something deeper that the poor cannot touch.
This was the second lesson Karenin taught Alexey.
The day the picnic began was a fine day.
Because it is approaching early summer, the trees are starting to look lush. In the yard, the shade of the beech trees covered the spring heat, and there were many thick oak trees.
The picnic was held in the courtyard. The open space makes people feel more at ease.
The nearby farmers and women sent a lot of things.
There were fresh blueberries and someone even delivered early strawberries. Small and full, the juice is sweet.
The one who brought the strawberries was a mother and daughter, the little girl was about eight years old, her red hair was tied into two braids, her eyes were the same color as forget-me-nots, and her mother tied her a bow with the same color as her eyes , is satin. It can be seen that she has a pair of parents who love her.
Anna originally wouldn't come to the back kitchen at this moment, but she suddenly remembered that she hadn't talked to Sasha about the honey yet. When she came over, the mother and daughter seemed a little cautious.
The little girl hid behind her mother, but soon poked her head out curiously, with a slightly shy expression.
"Nastya." The young woman greeted her child.
Then the little girl named Nastia came out. She stood up straight nervously, opened her thin diamond-shaped mouth, and first uttered an empty syllable before saying hello to Anna.
Anna nodded with a smile. When she saw the little girl's braids, she couldn't help touching them, and said, "It's so beautiful."
The little girl's eyes were wide open because she was praised, and then her face was flushed, and she said with some pride and naivety: "Because Nastya is like her mother."
The mother was a little nervous, apparently not used to greeting a lady like Anna, and worried that her daughter's words would offend her.
But Anna didn't mind, she just smiled and nodded, agreeing with the little girl's words.
"I can tell."
As if encouraged, Naska took the strawberry, held it again, and held it up high for Anna to see.
"My mother and I picked these strawberries this morning. We planted them together. They are very sweet. Here they are for you, ma'am."
She thought for a while and then said shyly: "I, I don't have any money. I picked it myself. It's for my little brother... This is a gift for the young master." Nastia seemed to have just remembered her mother's teachings, and finally He changed his tune a little bit.
Anna understood what this pause meant, but she didn't say anything, still smiling.
She took the strawberry and asked, "May I give you a kiss in return?"
The little girl nodded shyly.
Before the mother and daughter left, Anna said to her mother: "You taught her so well." The latter was stunned for a moment, and then returned a deep respectful thank you.
"Look, money isn't everything," Sasha muttered, with some self-deceiving comfort.
Anna took the strawberries to Alexey.
"This is?"
"A gift from a little girl. It's nice, isn't it?" She saw the blond boy smiling lightly. He held the book like a poet, but the intelligence in his eyes was like some kind of sharp edge. weapons.
It's a pity that he could have lived his life with nothing but books. But again, luckily, he still has a choice.
Anna pitied him, but admired him at the same time.
She knew at this time that she was not a brave person, at least not as brave as they were. However, she has no regrets, because she knows what she can do. For example, love herself, love her life, love her husband, love anyone or anything she thinks is worth it.
Whether it's the pure heart of a little girl or the smile of a teenager, they are all like crystals, which make people happy because of their purity. And this feeling, Anna is always eager to share with Karenin.
His life is too regular, too calm, too serious, like black and gray.
Anna knew that Karenin didn't think there was anything wrong with this logical and controllable life, but sometimes, it's okay to add a little sunshine and flowers to it, right? And the most fundamental reason is that when she did so, the latter gave permission.
The so-called marriage is probably like this.
Whether it is giving or receiving, if it is "forced", it has nothing to do with whether the thing itself is beautiful or not.
"I thought" is not a good start, and that usually means failure ahead. At the very beginning of this marriage, Anna, who seemed to be fearless, was actually a little apprehensive.
In this marriage, for a person like Karenin, you need a lot of courage to choose to approach him through that layer of calm appearance.
Failure is not shameful, what is difficult is to continue to get more and more courageous. At this point, Anna gave her own face a positive approval. But in fact, no matter how excellent the strategies and methods are, they are not as good as the other party's "willingly".
If there is not enough love, any giving will be just belittled carelessly. And what Anna has, all the love and trust she has for Karenin in this marriage, is actually rooted here.
"People can't find their husbands all the time. Would you mind if I told them that I never bothered about this?" Anna pushed open the door of the study and found Karenin.
The latter took off his jacket and only wore a slim waistcoat. The golden pocket watch was carefully placed in the inner pocket, exposing the watch chain. He frowned slightly at first, but he let himself relax after seeing Anna coming in.
Obviously, he is having some problems in government affairs.
As the wives of officials, especially the wives of high-ranking men like Karenin, there is one thing that needs to be understood. Just as women want men to separate work and life, Karenin is obviously not like Anna's brother, Oblonsky, who likes to talk about government affairs with his wife, although it is probably some interesting things.
Anna never delved too deeply into Karenin's work.
She knew him well, and knew that if she asked for something, he probably wouldn't refuse. But that's not what he wants most. And what Karenin didn't want, Anna was more reluctant to make him worry about it than anyone else.
She pampers and cherishes her husband in her own way, and fortunately, the husband also knows how to reciprocate.
"It's delicious." Anna held up the thing in her hand, walked briskly to Karenin, and told her the origin of the thing in detail.
The woman's voice was soft and gentle, and her eyes were clear.
And the relaxation that could have been forced, gradually turned into real comfort with the sound and smile at this moment.
Sunshine, strawberries, and wife, after eating, it is full of sweet juice. A little sourness didn't make the official frown again.