Fox of France

　　 The Bonaparte family is a very traditional Corsican family. This also means that in their home, women are not very concerned. Letizia is a very good wife and a very good mother, even when it is difficult, she can always bear it silently. But she is also a very traditional Corsican woman, she is silent when she needs to make a decision.

　　 So after Carlo's death, almost all decisions in this family have to be made by Joseph. When brothers and sisters have anything to ask their mother, she always said: "Go ask your brother, and see what he says." Just like when Carlo was still there, she said to the children, "Go ask. Your father" is the same.

　　 So Joseph immediately got busy, first arranging the funeral of his father, and then dealing with the inheritance and debts. Fortunately, the uncle is helping with these matters, and the existence of Bishop Miniaye makes those who want to take advantage of this family without adult men have a lot of worry. So these things went very smoothly.

　　 On the third day after the funeral, all the remaining things were basically handled. That night, Joseph called his mother, uncle, and several younger siblings together.

"Mom, uncle, and brothers and sisters. Father's funeral and related matters have basically come to an end." Joseph said, "After losing his father, the situation of our family has changed a lot. Our original lifestyle will definitely change a lot. We must adapt to such changes and make preparations in advance. Now, I will tell you about the possible changes in our family."

　　 Everyone listened to Joseph's speech quietly.

"After my father passed away, his salary was naturally gone. As you know, our family’s land property is very small, and the production is also very limited. If there is no father’s salary in the Governor’s Mansion, we will only rely on the remaining land property of our family. The output of our family will be reduced to one-third of the previous income. This means that our income can only be used for subsistence. Brothers and sisters, your pocket money, and even education funding will have problems. Napoleon , You are a military academy, and you will naturally serve in the military when you graduate in the future. You don’t need to spend any money in military academy. But the pocket money for you will probably be cancelled."

　　 "There is no problem," Napoleon said.

　　 "I have learned about your results in recent years." Joseph continued, "Your mathematics, geography, and history are very good. But your language performance disappointed me."

　　 "Mathematics, geography, and history are all useful in war. Language..." Napoleon was a little unconvinced

"My stupid brother, language is also a tool of battle!" Joseph cast a glance at Napoleon. "Do you know how Octavian defeated Brustu? The ability to use language has always been good for a good person since ancient times. For the general, they are all indispensable."

　　 Hearing that Joseph used Emperor Octavian as an example, Napoleon stopped refuting it.

But Joseph was unwilling to let Napoleon go. He continued to stare at Napoleon and said: "For example, our family is experiencing temporary difficulties now. In order to earn more money to support the studies of other brothers, we must Someone can stand up to replace my father. You know, I have one year to graduate. But now, we are facing difficulties. If I drop out now, I can find something to do. Of course, my income will be much lower than my father. If we can continue Persevering for a year, waiting for me to find a job after graduation, so that my income will probably double, of course, this is still not as good as when my father was still alive. But this figure can barely support the family life. Obviously, In the long run, dropping out of school now is not the best choice for me or for my family. But we can’t ignore the current life. So I have a flexible plan. I have a classmate named Amang, who is Nephew of Mr. Lavoisier. Napoleon, I mentioned this guy in your letter. He has a lot of translations of scripts and poems on hand that can be transferred to me. This way I can continue reading while at the same time. , You can also have some income, and my classmate Lucien can also lend me some money. If the family is more frugal, it should not be a big problem to support one year. Of course, if Napoleon, your language scores are better, maybe you too Being able to join in and do some things within my capacity is a way of helping the family, and I can also relax a little bit. However, with your current achievements, I dare not leave such things to you."

　　 "I know, I will work **** this in the future." Napoleon lowered his head.

　　 Then Joseph turned to his other brothers.

"Lucien, although you are still young now. But you also need to know that you are also a man in the family and you have to study hard. Although our family has the title of noble, it is not the French who can lie down and eat without doing anything. Noble. The men in our family must have skills. Lucien, do you know where the skills of those outstanding characters come from? They all come from learning, from overcoming difficulties. Now you should also receive some education. I’m older. I will try to ensure that your education will not be affected by financial difficulties, but you must also work hard.

　　Louis, so are you. Wait until next year, when I graduate and find a good job. If possible, I will take you and Lucien to Paris for education. In the educational environment, Paris is much better than Corsica after all. "

"Joseph, I will graduate by the end of the year. But now I have a chance to be selected to the Paris Military Academy. After graduating from there, I can get a higher position and better development. I don't know..." Napoleon said. .

"My stupid brother. What can you hesitate about this kind of thing? Are you doubting your brother's ability to provide for the family with your insignificant wisdom? You can just go to the Paris Military Academy. Just leave it to me," Joseph replied.

　　 "Joseph, where am I stupid? I'm just..." Napoleon rarely protested the "stupid" attribute that Joseph gave himself.

　　 "Oh?" Joseph immediately said, "Napoleon, your geometry is the most prominent of all subjects. I need to give you a question to let you know yourself correctly?"

　　 Napoleon was stunned, and after a while, he said in pity: "Joseph, you are not a good person."

　　……

　　 It took a few days to basically arrange things at home, and then set off again back to Paris. In these days, and along the way, as long as there was free time, even if it was only about ten minutes free, Joseph took the time to translate the things he was holding. When the next morning in Paris, Joseph went to school to cancel his leave. Then they found Amang and handed him a volume of manuscripts.

　　 "This is a translation of "Tim of Athens". Look at what needs to be changed, and I will change it again." Joseph said to Amand.

　　 "Joseph, did you get this thing out so quickly?" Aman was taken aback, "It's impossible for me if it's not more than half a year."

　　 "Your slow speed is because of fine work. And I do fast, but it is a lot rougher." Joseph said.

"Joseph, I love to hear what you said. However, I know myself that I am slow not because of meticulousness, but because I am too lazy and unwilling to do things, just like the lazy king in history (seventh century, Frank A series of kings who ignore state affairs). But you are a diligent person. Moreover, the translation of literary works is actually best done in one go. Only in this way can emotion and momentum remain coherent. Well, I will have some time. Check it out. As for the cost, I'll give it to you in a few days."

　　 Amon has always been delayed in doing things. He said that the fee would be paid in a few days, and Joseph was ready to wait for half a month. What was unexpected, however, was that after only three days, Amon paid the commission for the translation of this work-a total of fifty francs, to Joseph's hands. UU reading www.uukanshu. com

　　 "Joseph, the quality of the manuscript is good. If you can maintain this quality and speed, then you can earn 600 francs every year. With your scholarship, right, how many brothers do you have?"

　　 "Four, of which three are at the age of education. But the eldest one is in a military academy and does not need to spend money like me." Joseph replied.

"Ah, so there are only two younger brothers who need you to spend money..." Amon thought about it in his heart, "Oh, this little money is not enough. With this little money, Joseph, you can't drink beer anymore. , As for the foie gras, you want to see them again. Even the bread you eat can’t be buttered. You can only eat a lamb chop a month. You must eat this lamb chop for three days. On the first day you eat lamb. The meat on the steak, the next day you eat the fat from the lamb chops, and the third day you gnaw the bones. When you are working, you can’t smoke or use black tea for refreshment. You can only use the lowest grade coffee, and the portion must be There are limits... Oh my god, can't you have one less brother?"

Joseph replied: "In Corsica, there is a common saying:'When we have to deal with foxes, we know that there are too few hounds; when we have to deal with enemies, we know that there are too few brothers.' So we Corsica People never complain about too many brothers, never complain about too many friends."

"This sentence is very interesting." Amon said, "It's just that it's too verbose, in fact, it can be more refined. Ah, maybe after you translated it from Corsican dialect to French, the taste has changed. I think Your translation is like this. Although it is very accurate, it is a bit long-winded in many places. If it were me, I would translate this sentence like this. We in Corsica have a saying:'Dogs hate less when they are used.'"