"It's very stupid."
When Anna heard these words, she paused while sipping black tea. She knew what reaction the other party wanted, but she didn't do it immediately, but continued to drink two sips of tea in the cup calmly, and then put down the cup.
She raised her eyes slightly and looked at Vronsky, whom she hadn't seen for some time.
The teenage boy has grown a lot, with dark pupils under his extremely deep eyelids. When he said this, he looked like a peacock with its head held high, with an awe-inspiring aura.
"That's not very polite, my dear Alexei." Mrs. Betsy chuckled lightly, and caressed the young Vronsky's face with her soft little hands, and kissed her cousin affectionately. The younger brother jokingly said, "The military school has made you a barbaric child, pick up your civilized language quickly, otherwise the girls will be so sad."
The laughter of these ladies caused the few men present to laugh too, except for Vronsky, who even maintained a tense expression, looking at Anna with dark blue eyes.
Anna didn't want to be stared at by this gaze, so she also smiled easily.
She casually glanced from Vronsky to Alexei who was quiet beside him. The latter still maintains a youthful and lush figure, but is thinner than before, and now his porcelain-white skin has become firmer.
"Why do men's matters always get mixed up in our tea party?" Anna said with a smile, "It's not enough to discuss during the meal, do we have to talk about these things when we enjoy afternoon tea now?"
"Who says otherwise?" Mrs. Betsy opened her little folding fan and smiled.
"It's just that what your husband actively suggested a while ago is a bit novel." Mrs. Betsy smiled coquettishly, and closed her folding fan.
"You know, we've always been more used to having afternoon tea with people we know well. We'd be a little at a loss when we had to invite people from the semi-high society over for tea. There's so much to prepare, Guess it has to start from birth."
After Mrs. Betsy finished speaking, she added some tea to Anna, and she acted gracefully, without spilling a drop of water.
The weather was a bit hot, and her naked arms seemed to be covered with a layer of water vapor. They looked sweaty, but very attractive.
As if thinking of something. "Alexey, go and ask the kitchen to bring over chilled grapes." Betsy instructed Vronsky, and lightly patted Vronsky on the arm, then said those words to everyone with a smile on her face. The origin of grapes has aroused everyone's interest in grapes.
When everyone started discussing other things, Betsy got up and went to talk to them about making wine from this grape.
Before leaving, she asked, "Alexey, aren't you coming?"
"Go." Anna said with a smile, Alexie nodded lightly, like a young gentleman, and led Mrs. Betsy towards the crowd.
Anna knew that this was an invitation from Mrs. Betsy. Although Karenin did not like to see some of Betsy's behaviors, it cannot be denied that in this circle, one Betsy is sometimes worth the support of three men. .
Politics and women are always inseparable.
Men look down on women, powerful women will not directly refute this point, but just smile coquettishly and say one more word to another powerful man, and this sentence can determine the rest of most men's lives.
It should be said that Betsy's words made it clear that she did not agree with Karenin's suggestion, but as two closely related circles, she would not be so stupid as to directly turn against Anna. Betsy's olive branch also showed Anna what she could do to help them.
Betsy understood, Anna understood, even Alexei understood, but obviously there was someone in the circle who didn't understand.
"You haven't answered me what I said before."
That somewhat harsh tone made Anna roll her eyes in her heart.
It can't be said that she didn't know at all, but compared to Vronsky who cared too much, Anna herself cared more nervously about some inexplicable connections called fate.
She looked at the young man in front of her and thought, his name is Alexei too. An arrogant boy. They have the same name and even the same eye color. But so what
"Mr. Vronsky." Anna looked up, still smiling, as she had done to him a long time ago.
"I'm just an ordinary woman, I don't understand politics."
If it was the past, Anna's indifferent attitude would only make Vronsky give up, at most he would be a little annoyed in his heart, but this time he obviously didn't intend to do so.
"It is a genius idea to allow the poor to read." Vronsky sat down. He didn't make any noise, but said indifferently.
If he is a few years older and has more experience, he can do this better, or hide his emotions. But after all, he was a well-born young master with a charming face. In this circle, Betsy's vague doting made Vronsky not yet learned to be too tactful.
"You should know the rumors these days. Everyone is saying that your husband is buying people's hearts, but to be honest, madam, what's the use of buying those poor people's hearts? They have neither money nor prestige. A family even Can't spare a dime for a pint of beer."
"You are clearly in the same circle as us, how can you ignore your own identity."
Anna smiled, and gently stirred the milk in the black tea with a silver spoon in her fingers.
"I don't understand what you're telling me."
"Then you should at least..."
Before the words, "Admonish your husband," were spoken, Vronsky was interrupted.
"However, if my husband makes any decision, the wife will always support him. As for whether the decision is good or not, I think, I just need to listen to my husband's words." Anna picked up The spoon, after sitting for a while without the tea dipping, she gently rested the spoon on the saucer.
She glanced at the steaming tea with nostalgia, and then withdrew her gaze mercilessly.
Anna looked at the stunned boy on the opposite side, and smiled: "I suggest that we better join that side. How to make wine is obviously more interesting to me."
After leaving Mrs. Betsy's house, Anna told Peter that she would go to the flower shop first.
Betsy said that she would take Alexei and Vronsky back to school together in a carriage. Anna did not refuse, and she only nodded slightly after seeing Alexei's questioning eyes.
She was thankful for the child's intelligence, and somewhat sighed in her heart.
There was not much difference in age between Alexei and Vronsky, but the former was obviously smarter, but this smartness was somehow more pitiful.
On the other hand, after Anna left, Betsy saw Vronsky leave the scene, and while going to the dressing room, she found Vronsky on the balcony.
"What are you doing here alone?" asked Betsy, putting her little hand on the boy's shoulder.
Although Vronsky was disturbed, he would never take it on Betsy, who had treated him better than his own sister.
"I just came out to get some air," said Vronsky.
Betsy rolled her eyes. Even if a smart woman like her didn't know the real story, she would never be wrong about who it was related to.
She looked at Vronsky with pity. If Vronsky had come of age now, Betsy would not have said nothing.
"It's hot outside, it's better to go inside to cool off." Betsy said with a smile, holding the boy's hand.
The little indifference to the world that Vronsky had collected was melted away when Betsy drew her into the noisy hall.
He was sitting on a soft chair, holding a chilled grape in his hand, and listening to everyone's discussion, the depression in his heart dissipated, and another kind of comfortable and full emotion occupied his heart at the moment.
He affirmed once again that different classes should never be crossed.
Vronsky thought with the cold arrogance typical of a young nobleman. He could chat with the common people in the stable, he could give a little money to the little flower girl, he could kindly help the old man go home, but it was absolutely impossible. Sitting face to face with a man in rags talking about farming or milking cows.
"No matter how hard a child from a poor family works, even if he can step into our class, how can he understand the noble culture and family connections. Give them votes and rights, and there is no guarantee that a cow will sit on the throne."
As Vronsky said, although the former may think that Anna did not listen to anything, in fact, Anna did. It's just that the boy probably hasn't had time to learn one thing, and Anna has no obligation to listen to his talk.
After all, what do they have to do with each other
In Vronsky's proud and young mind, he may be sensitive to some of the preciousness of a woman like Anna, but in his words, he bluntly exposed some of the bad roots of this era.
If it's just like this, that's all. The most important thing is that a young master like Vronsky who has never suffered setbacks and has been in his cousin's circle early on, he doesn't really realize that those high-ranking Petersburg officials are in Anna's heart. weight.
Anna would have nothing to say to Vronsky.
No need, no need, her world had nothing to do with Vronsky.
When she got home, she learned from Kearney that Karenin had returned and was talking with Sludin in the study.
"It seems that he is very satisfied with Srudin." Anna said to the butler with a smile.
Her mood always becomes particularly good when she returns home. Here, the place where Karenin is present is Anna's world.
Since Karenin was discussing business with Sludin, Anna left them alone. She took the flowers and scissors to the living room by herself, and spent the next half hour in it.
"you are back."
Srudin's voice made Anna look up from the book, and she looked at the green and tender secretary student for a while.
"You've been taking up my husband's time for a long time recently!"
If Mr. Secretary was a few years younger, he might reply with a grimace, but he is already a working person in a suit and bow tie, so he also laughed a little bit.
"I return my lordship to you now, madam."
Sludin pointed to Karenin who came down from the second floor, and the latter seemed accustomed to their less serious conversation.
Anna got up, picked up a white rose tied with a ribbon, and went to Srudin.
"Take it."
Sludin was a little surprised, looking at his lord, he didn't dare to stretch out his hand for a long time.
Karenin's expression had always maintained a certain habitual indifference, but at this moment it was indeed a little tense.
Anna glanced at her husband, laughed, and looked at Srudin again: "Don't get me wrong, when you are going to meet people later, only one gift can't please everyone .” After she finished speaking, she gestured to Srudin’s pocket with her eyes.
"You're well dressed today, and you didn't stay for dinner. As far as I know, you don't have any lovers right now." She said with some reservations.
"In this way, I dare to accept it." Sludin deliberately breathed a sigh of relief, took the white rose, and put it in the pocket of his coat.
After Sludin left, Anna took Karenin's hand and prepared to enter the hall from the courtyard.
She didn't move much on the surface, but she was counting quietly in her heart.
"One, two, three..." At the ninth time, as expected, Karenin's voice sounded.
She raised her head to show that she was listening to the other person's words, and actually couldn't help laughing in her heart.
"That white rose, very carefully, Anna." Karenin said, with a rare hesitation in his tone. He realized that his wife went to the flower shop to pick flowers on purpose. Although he said it was to help him, he hadn't received flowers from his wife yet.
"I know your identity is sensitive now. As Sludin is your secretary, it would be better for him to handle some things on your behalf." Anna said, deliberately blurring the rose.
"En." Karenin responded, and then continued to walk with Anna.
After entering the lobby.
"That rose..."
Karenin mentioned it again, and Anna finally couldn't help laughing.
Anna's laughter woke up the smart official immediately, his expression tensed up instinctively, but he relaxed again after a while.
"You went to the flower shop to pick flowers on purpose."
But not for me.
"You used blue ribbon."
Blue is a very special color.
Every time Karenin said a word, Anna guessed in her heart and added another sentence, and before Karenin said the third sentence, she tiptoed and kissed her husband directly on the lips.
"The one for Sludin is incidental. I went to the flower shop for you." Anna said with a smile. She took her husband's hand and led him upstairs to their bedroom.
On the round table of mahogany wood, clusters of blue daisies are arranged in vases. The curtains were pulled up, the wind from the balcony and the sunlight outside the window comforted these blue elves.
Anna made her husband sit in the chair, and she sat beside her, brushing her fingers over the pages of daisies.
"I don't know what flowers you like, but when I saw them I thought you might like them."
"You like flowers?" asked Karenin.
"I like it," Anna said, looking at him with raised eyebrows, "I know what you're thinking, Alexei, but it's okay."
Anna folded her hands, smiling lightly and warmly.
"I feel very happy. Finally, there is something that you haven't started to do for me, but I can give it to you first."
"But I should." Karenin frowned slightly. He didn't care about these at first, and he didn't think it was really necessary to do so.
"There is no right or wrong. I wanted to do it, so I did it. Just like what you did for me." Anna said, "No one said that a man must send flowers to a woman, but it cannot be a wife's gift." Flowers for my husband!" she said with a smile.
Karenin looked at his wife's smiling face, and his expression became gentler.
He stretched out his right hand, held Anna's hand in the palm of his hand, then approached himself, and kissed gently on the knuckles.
"You like it right?" Anna was a little embarrassed, but she didn't flinch, but continued to ask with flushed cheeks.
"Yes, I like them, Anna," said Karenin.
Like it or not, Karenin hardly appeared in his life dictionary, and he didn't think it was necessary to reserve places for them, but in the future, he thought, these places might be necessary.
Seeing Karenin staring at the daisies, and the slightly upturned smile, Anna rested her chin on her right hand and thought tenderly—I love this man, even if he is not the best in the world, but in my world, He is unique.