Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 465 Use the main gate, not the narrow gate! (Bonus Chapter 16)

As soon as there was a knock on the door, Petty, who was on holiday at home, darted over and opened it like a nimble sparrow.

Then her surprised voice came: "Mr. De La Ruwak? Good morning!"

Lionel and Sophie exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised. Notaries usually don't come uninvited, especially in the morning.

A short while later, Mr. De La Ruwak came in.

He was still impeccably dressed, his hair was neatly combed, and his expression was serious.

Upon seeing Lionel and Sophie, Mr. De La Ruwak bowed slightly and greeted them: "Good morning, Mr. Sorel. Good morning, Ms. Sophie."

Lionel stood up and shook hands with him: "Good afternoon, Mr. De La Ruwak. Please have a seat."

Mr. De La Ruwak sat down on the sofa, a rare smile appearing on his face: "First of all, please allow me to congratulate you, Leon!"

"The Café" was a huge success! I was there last night, and it was incredibly moving. This is not only a victory for art, but also a victory for ideas.

Lionel nodded: "Thank you, Mr. De La Ruwak, but you didn't come all this way just for 'Café,' did you?"

Sure enough, Mr. De La Ruwak opened his briefcase and took out a neatly bound document: "That's right, this is the main reason I came here."

He handed over the document, "This is a confirmation of compensation, totaling 4 francs."

If you agree to the above terms, the money will be transferred to your name after signing.

Lionel took the document, unable to hide his astonishment: "4 francs?"

This is indeed a huge sum of money. You have to understand that an average Parisian worker earns just over 1 francs a year.

Mr. De Larouca confirmed, in a flat tone: "Yes, 4 francs."

Lionel quickly flipped through the documents, his brow furrowing slightly. "I don't understand. The villa in Vernef, I bought it for 18,000 francs."

The subsequent renovations, including the lighting system, brought the total cost to no more than 25,000 francs.

Where did this 4 franc compensation come from?

He calculated in his mind that even if he included all the destroyed books, furniture, and personal belongings, the total number would still be far less than that.

Mr. De La Ruwak smiled coldly at his question: "Leon, you're too kind. That's not how you do it."

This includes not only compensation for the loss of the house, but also an assessment of damage to reputation, security threats, and various potential losses arising therefrom.

You were forced to go to England, enduring a long and arduous journey, and lost more than a month of precious writing time. How much would that be worth, if it were a full-length novel?
If it weren't for the possibility that excessive compensation could be exploited and negatively impact public opinion, this figure could easily double.

Lionel: "..." The old litigator is indeed not to be trifled with.

He flipped through the documents and discovered that the bulk of the compensation came from the Charles de La Rochefoucauld-Leoncourt family.

They hoped to use the money to secure Lionel's forgiveness in court and to drop any further charges against the La Rochefoucauld family.

Of course, the judicial process will not stop because of this, but when sentencing, the judge may take into account the fact that the defendant has actively made amends for the victim's losses.

Lionel immediately grasped the key point: "You mean, if we sign this, Charles and his gang will get a lighter sentence?"

Mr. De La Ruwak chuckled and shook his head: "A lenient sentence? No, I've already found out—"

Even if they don't go to jail, they'll be sent to garrison in Tonkin or Guyana; they're all going to be officers.

North Kyiv... Lionel immediately pictured a sweltering, humid tropical jungle teeming with mosquitoes, not to mention the elusive rebel army.

Throwing a group of pampered young nobles in a place like that in Paris is not much different from slow suicide.

He could almost picture the miserable state Charles de La Rochefoucauld-Lioncourt was in there.

Lionel nodded without further hesitation: "I understand."

He picked up a pen, signed his name at the end of the document, and handed it to De La Ruvak: "That's it."

Mr. De La Ruwak checked the signature before returning the document to his briefcase with satisfaction: "Very good. The payment will be settled within this week."

"So, next question, Lionel, how do you plan to use this money?"

Lionel leaned back into the sofa: "Do the factory and lab need funding recently?"

Mr. De La Ruwak shook his head: "Not for now. I've already invested the $30,000 you gave me in installments as you instructed."

The production line expansion for the 'Sorel-Peugeot' bicycles and 'Sorel-1' typewriters is progressing smoothly, with ample orders and rapid cash flow.

The laboratories of Mr. Tesla and Mr. Curie do not have any projects requiring particularly large investments in the near future. Our cash flow is currently very healthy.

He paused for a moment, then made a suggestion: "In that case, why not consider using this money to rebuild the villa in Vernef?"
The place has a nice environment; it's a good place to stay for a while in the summer. Besides, it's your property after all; it wouldn't be good to leave it abandoned forever.

Lionel picked up his coffee, took a sip, and looked up at Mr. De La Ruwak: "What's wrong? Who's putting pressure on you?"

Having his thoughts exposed, Mr. De La Ruwak showed no embarrassment, but instead nodded calmly: "Yes, it was the local police and municipal authorities."

They've spoken to me several times already. Your villa has practically become a tourist attraction. There are always curious people going there to point and stare.

This is giving them a real headache; they want the villa repaired as soon as possible. Maintaining the status quo is putting them under immense pressure.

Lionel pondered for a moment. Given the slow progress of the Seine River cleanup project, the air quality in Paris was unlikely to improve for several years, and a summer retreat was indeed needed.

He nodded: "Alright. Then let's use the 40,000 francs to rebuild the villa in Vernev and demolish the original house."

However, since it's a reconstruction, I need a good designer. I need to be comfortable living in it after it's finished, otherwise the money will have been wasted.

Mr. De La Ruwak seemed to have been waiting for this question, and immediately replied, "As for the choice of designer, I do have a suggestion."

"Oh? Who?"

“Charles Garnier.” “Pfft—cough cough!”

Lionel nearly spat out his coffee, quickly covering his mouth with a handkerchief and coughing several times. Sophie, standing beside him, also stared in surprise.

Charles Garnier! The architect who designed the Paris Opera? He's the most sought-after architect in Paris today, no, in all of France!

Lionel looked at his notary in disbelief: "Mr. Garnier? Are you sure? Doesn't he only take on large public buildings like opera houses, memorial halls, and libraries now?"
"Let him design a country vacation villa? That... wouldn't that be a huge waste of his talent?"

He simply couldn't imagine that the master who designed the Paris Opera would be interested in his villa on the banks of the Seine.

Mr. De La Ruwak said with a confident expression, “You don’t need to worry about that, Leon. I have a way to get him to agree to it.”

Although Mr. Garnier is a man of great renown, he has always been very interested in working with 'special clients' like yourself.

Looking at Mr. De La Ruwak's confident demeanor, Lionel knew that this shrewd notary must already be certain of his success.

If Garnier could be persuaded to relocate, the rebuilt Villa Vernef would likely become a timeless work of art.

Lionel put down his coffee cup and made a decision: "Then let's do it. My requirements are simple: comfortable, practical, and beautiful."

Also, it must have complete water supply and drainage systems, and sufficient electrical wiring must be provided. I will participate in the design as appropriate.

Mr. De La Ruvak nodded and stood up: "I will finalize a time with Mr. Garnier as soon as possible."

He picked up his hat and cane, and bowed again to Lionel and Sophie: "Well then, I won't bother you any longer. Congratulations again!"

After seeing Mr. De La Ruyak off, Lionel closed the door and returned to the living room.

Sophie looked at him with an incredulous expression: "4 francs, and a villa designed by Garnier, it feels like a dream."

Lionel also remarked, "Yes, life is so incredible. Bad things can turn into good things, and houses built on ruins are even more beautiful."

Just then, Patty walked over: "Young Master..."

Lionel asked gently, "What's wrong, Petty?"

Petty said timidly, "Two friends are coming to see me this afternoon. I... can I go out and play with them for a little while? Just for a little while!"

Lionel asked with some curiosity, "Friends? Our Ms. Petty has her own social circle now? Are they classmates from school?"

Petit shook his head: "Not from school, we met during Mr. Debussy's piano lessons."

Lionel looked at Sophie: "Debussy, has he gone back to Paris?"

Sophie explained with a smile, "Not long after you went to America, he came back from Russia and is now the most popular musician in Paris."

Many people try every means to get their children into his piano lessons. Petty, well, he was the one who specifically 'invited' her to take lessons.

Lionel laughed: "Going to Debussy's school for lessons these days isn't cheap, is it?"

Sophie laughed too: "I offered to pay, but Debussy insisted on not accepting it."

He also felt bad that he couldn't come to their home to give Petty a lesson.

Lionel nodded and turned to Petty: "Alright, Ms. Petty, you can go. Don't go too far, and be careful."

He felt that Petty was growing up and should have his own friends and social circle, so there was no need to restrict him too much.

Patty's face lit up with a bright smile: "Thank you, young master! I promise I won't go far!"

------

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the doorbell of the apartment was gently rang.

Before Sophie or Lionel could get up, Petty rushed out of her room like a gust of wind and quickly opened the door.

Lionel was also curious about what Petty's friend looked like, so he followed him into the foyer.

Two boys stood at the door, both dressed in thick winter clothes and wearing leather hats with ear flaps.

One was slightly taller, about eleven or twelve years old, and about the same age as Patty;

The other boy was much smaller, probably only nine or ten years old, with a pale face and a thin body.

The two boys smiled when they saw Patty: "Patty!"

Petit turned around excitedly and introduced Lionel: "This is Andre, and this is Marcel."

The two boys clearly knew Lionel and immediately stood up straight, looking rather stiff.

The tall boy spoke first: "Mr. Sorel, good afternoon. I am Andrei, Andrei Gide."

The thin boy quickly added, "Mr. Sorel, hello, I am Marcel Proust."

Lionel paused for a moment, then smiled. "Good afternoon, Andre, Marcel. Okay, go have fun. Remember to be back before dark."

Petty loudly assured them, "We'll be back on time!" and immediately put on his thick coat and snow boots by the door.

The three children were overjoyed to see Lionel so agreeable, their faces beaming with happiness as they turned and ran off.

Lionel suddenly remembered something and called out to them, "Use the front door and let Mr. Bonjaman open it for you; the side door is too narrow and you might bump into it."

André Gide immediately turned around and agreed: "Yes, Mr. Sorel! We'll go through the main gate, not the narrow one!"

Watching the three children disappear down the stairs, Lionel gently closed the door and turned to Sophie, saying, "In the future, Patty might really become 'the respectable Lady Patty'!"

(This is the fourth update today. Please vote with your monthly tickets!)

(End of this chapter)