Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 104 This is the daily life of the French
Lionel had been writing "The Curious Cases of Benjamin Buton" until the early hours of the morning every day, so when he was abruptly awakened by a commotion of footsteps, loud slogans, and rousing music, his anger was palpable.

He picked up the old pocket watch from the bedside table, glanced at it, and realized it was only 10 a.m. So he angrily jumped out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and looked down.

This is what daily life is like for the French:
Lafitte Street was already packed with long lines of people, including veterans wearing old military caps, college students waving tricolor flags, workers holding up banners that read "Liberate Alsace!", and women dressed in black, who were arched at the front like icons.

There was also a band in the procession, playing "The Second Lieutenant's Song," a mournful, somber, and stirring melody that accompanied the parade as it slowly moved forward.

At this moment, Lionel also clearly heard their slogan:
Down with Germany!

"Alsace and Lorraine belong to us!"

"A humiliated France will rise again!"

"Never forget! Never forgive!"

"Long live the Republic! Long live revenge!"

……

Lionel then realized that it was almost May and the signing date of the Treaty of Frankfurt was approaching.

In this humiliating treaty, France ceded Alsace and Lorraine to Prussia, and imposed war reparations of up to 50 billion francs.

This is an indelible shame in the hearts of the French people of this era.

The woman in black at the front of the procession was likely an exile from Alsace and Lorraine, or a war widow.

Although Lionel wasn't as emotionally charged as the average Frenchman when he heard these slogans, he still felt a unique connection to them because he had learned "The Last Lesson" since childhood.

When Daudet's "The Last Lesson" was first introduced to China, it was regarded as a model of patriotism; after the internet became popular, people ridiculed Daudet for distorting the truth, pointing out that Alsace and Lorraine were clearly speaking German.

But the reality is far more complex than simply labeling.

Although Alsace speaks German, it is a dialect of German that is largely incomprehensible to standard German. The middle and upper classes speak French in their daily lives, while the lower classes identify more with the French system and laws.

Lorraine is a bilingual region, with French spoken in the west and a different German dialect spoken in the ceded northeast, and both parts tend to remain in France.

Therefore, after the signing of the Treaty of Frankfurt, approximately 10 to 15 people from the two regions chose to "flee" to France, and the elite—civil servants, teachers, businessmen, and intellectuals—were almost entirely wiped out.

Although Germany annexed the two regions, it was a thorn in its side and took a long time to digest the situation.

From 1874 onwards, Alsace-Lorraine held 15 seats in the German Reichstag, and for many years the local voters elected members who explicitly supported the "return to France," who were known as the "disobedience faction."

Therefore, Daudet's "The Last Lesson" actually had a strong popular support at the time, and "Mr. Hamel" was just one of the hundreds of ordinary French teachers in the area.

However, the people in both places were not in a hurry or eager to learn French when they were in France, so the "little Franz" in the novel was initially late in a nonchalant manner.

On the contrary, after being ceded to Germany, various secret French language classes flourished in both places, and the public's enthusiasm for learning French was unprecedented.

"What a mess..." Lionel could only conclude in the end, after all, no one would be in a good mood if their dream was disturbed.

When I left the bedroom and came to the living room, I found Patty sitting at the dining table with a gloomy face. On the table was a large basket with only a few baguettes inside.

Upon seeing Lionel, Petty pouted, looking aggrieved: "Young master, the market is closed today, so I only managed to buy a few loaves of bread."

In Paris, most markets will close for a day if a large-scale demonstration takes place, to prevent looting.

Petit usually goes to the St. George Market near the Opera House and the Old Opera Street, which is full of vendors, to buy groceries. The round trip takes less than 20 minutes on foot.

For markets further away, one would have to take a public carriage, and Petty's basket would likely be emptied by petty thieves before it even reached home, so Lionel strictly forbade her from going far.

Lionel, now accustomed to enjoying Petty's cooking every day, frowned upon hearing this: "What else do you have at home?"

Petty counted on his fingers: "There are a few slices of bacon, a string of sausages, two bunches of parsley, a bag of potatoes, and..."

Lionel quickly interrupted, "Alright, alright, let's go out to eat today—hopefully the restaurants are open." Hearing Lionel say this, Alice poked her head out of the bedroom: "Which one?"

Since she spends most of her time cooped up in her apartment, Alice cherishes every opportunity to go out, especially her last trip to Jersey, which broadened her horizons and she still misses it dearly.

Petty's eyes were also shining, not because she was craving the food in the restaurant, but because the food always gave her some inspiration for cooking.

Without further ado, the three changed into their outdoor clothes and, following the "Hobboux Food Guide" in the Little Daily, found a restaurant called "Marquis" at the intersection of Rue de la Opera and Boulevard Montmartre.

This restaurant is known for its affordable fish dishes, especially its "Marquis-style sea bass," which is famous in Paris and is said to be exceptionally delicious.

After enjoying the delicious food for 9 francs, Lionel took the two to the nearby "Le Bon Marché" department store, where they bought each of them a new outfit and some daily necessities before returning home laden with purchases.

200 francs were gone in one trip, which made Alice and Petty very distressed.

But Lionel didn't care—with the swindler brought to justice, the 5000 francs in his house would be mostly recovered, and even if he couldn't get it all back, he figured he'd still have 3000 francs.

Consider the remaining 2000 francs a lesson learned.

His biggest financial crisis was finally over, and he also had 5000 francs in cash and commissions for novels in two periodicals, Le Petit Parisien and Modern Life, with weekly serial fees of no less than 700 francs.

Looking at the whole of Paris, he would definitely be considered a high-income earner, almost higher than most professors at the Sorbonne.

So Lionel felt he needed to splurge a little.

Lionel didn't eat dinner at home either; instead, he went to the "Orby Trading Company" in the second district to see Sophie Deneuve in the afternoon.

The swindler has been brought to justice, and Sophie deserves credit for that; she must be treated to a sumptuous dinner.

Of course, you shouldn't go to "Seine Sunset," but rather to "Cárdérén de la Cité," which is particularly famous for its broth, pork knuckle, stewed beef, and mushroom chicken liver, and also offers free bread and wine.

This time, Sophie did not make excuses about her mother waiting for her at home, but obediently accepted Lionel's invitation.

Under the warm lights of the restaurant, Sophie's already fair skin appeared exceptionally delicate, like the finest porcelain with only a touch of blush.

After they finished their after-dinner drinks, Sophie suddenly asked Lionel, "So... is this the last time we'll see each other?"

Lionel was taken aback: "Huh?"

Sophie lowered her head: "The swindler has been caught... You don't need to 'update' me anymore, do you? Actually, I saw it in Le Petit Parisien..."

Lionel put down his glass: "Uh... aside from con artists, don't we have a lot to talk about?"

Sophie looked up, her gaze intense: "I also read your novel in the newspaper...it's wonderfully written. You'll become a great writer someday, won't you? Like Mr. Zola, Mr. Flaubert, Mr. Eugène Sue?"

Lionel seemed a little "shy" when asked the question, and replied hesitantly, "It's not that easy..."

Seeing his expression, Sophie chuckled, then composed herself and said calmly, "Thank you for dinner tonight, it was delicious. It's getting late..."

Lionel suddenly seemed to understand, looking into Sophie's eyes and asking, "Can I take you home?"

After a while...

"it is good."

The lights outside the window shone like warm sunlight, illuminating the long, quiet street.

This is also part of the daily life of the French.

　Sorry, I had something to do today and I'm a little late.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)