Audrey Hepburn was so moved by Fang Lang's words that she threw herself into Fang Lang's arms without hesitation and gave him a passionate kiss.
But Hepburn's mother seemed very stubborn. She didn't even give Fang Lang the face of her son-in-law and said directly:
"No, this will not only bring shame to the Fang Lang family, but also bring shame to our Hemstra family. I will never allow such a thing to happen.
If you like to dance ballet, you can dance it at home or show it to Fang Lang, but you are absolutely not allowed to go to the opera house and show it to everyone. "
It turns out that Hepburn's mother's full name is Ella van Hemstra. The Hemstra family is a direct aristocratic descendant of the Dutch royal family, and its family can be traced back to the early 16th century.
Hepburn's maternal grandfather was Arnard van Hemstra, a lawyer with a baronetcy.
Hepburn's father's full name was Joseph Victor Anthony Hepburn Ralston, who was the general manager of the Brussels branch of the Bank of England.
It can also be seen from here that although Hepburn's mother's family has aristocratic status, there are no prominent figures among the family members.
But sometimes it is this kind of people who are particularly concerned about their aristocratic status and family glory.
As for why the other party would rather accept Audrey Hepburn being with Fang Lang as a lover than accept Audrey becoming Fang Lang's lover and showing up in public, Fang Lang also couldn't understand.
After listening to her mother's words, Audrey Hepburn was obviously very dissatisfied. Fang Lang had no objection at all. Why would you, as your own mother, stand up against me realizing my dream?
He sat up from Fang Lang's arms again, looked at his mother with a stubborn look and said:
"What you say brings shame to the Hemstra family. Does the Hemstra family still exist now? A noble bloodline that has completely declined is worth mentioning and repeatedly emphasizing."
The young Audrey Hepburn's words were unexpectedly fierce. Fang Lang didn't expect that she would say such words to his mother. Although Fang Lang didn't care about the so-called aristocratic blood, at this moment he had to He quickly stood up and stopped him:
"Audrey, we must respect our elders and don't talk to our mother like this."
As he spoke, he did not forget to drag the other person back into his arms, patted the other person's back, and signaled the other person to calm down.
Although Audrey Hepburn obediently leaned back into Fang Lang's arms, he did not really calm down, but continued to hum "Humph!" with a dissatisfied look on his face.
When Fang Lang saw this, he gently stroked Hepburn's back in a funny way. Turning to Hepburn's mother, who wanted to say something else, she said:
"Auntie! Don't worry, come and sit down, can we have a good chat?"
Hepburn's mother, who had already finished washing the dishes, glared at her daughter, nodded, walked over slowly, and sat on the sofa next to her.
Fang Lang felt that he was holding Audrey Hepburn and chatting with her mother like this, which seemed to be a little disrespectful to her. He gently patted Audrey on the back, and then patted his side, signaling Audrey to do her best. around.
Unexpectedly, Audrey, who looked very cute and cute, directly rejected Fang Lang's request this time. She still sat in Fang Lang's arms, put her hands around Fang Lang's neck, buried her head on Fang Lang's shoulders, and looked at herself The mother snorted softly to express her dissatisfaction.
When Hepburn's mother saw this, she was not as angry as Fang Lang imagined, but her face didn't look good either. She coughed lightly again to remind her daughter.
But Hepburn was clearly feeling awkward, and still buried her head on Fang Lang's shoulder regardless, pretending she didn't know what her mother meant. This made Hepburn's mother's face even more ugly.
Fang Lang coughed lightly when he saw this, and said softly to the girl in his arms:
"Be good, don't be willful, let me have a good chat with your mother and see if I can convince your mother, okay?"
Only feeling that her neck was touched by two warm lips, Audrey Hepburn reluctantly got off Fang Lang, sat next to Fang Lang, and put her arm around Fang Lang's arm. .
Seeing that the girl could listen to him, Fang Lang breathed a sigh of relief. Before he had time to savor the touch on his neck, he smiled apologetically at Hepburn's mother and said:
"Auntie, I just heard you mention the Hemstra family. Is this your family? Is it convenient for you to tell me in detail?"
Hepburn's mother is not an unreasonable person. Although she directly rejected Audrey Hepburn's dream just now, she still respects her prospective son-in-law very much.
When he saw that his son-in-law wanted to know about his family's situation, he certainly couldn't refuse.
In fact, Fang Lang, who came from a later generation, had heard that Audrey Hepburn had aristocratic ancestry, but he had not seriously studied the situation. Now that Hepburn's mother took the initiative to mention it, of course he wanted to take the opportunity to find out more.
"Yes, our family is a direct descendant of the Dutch royal family. My father, Mr. Anand van Hemstra, holds the title of baronet and is a lawyer.
He served as Deputy Prosecutor General and Assistant Judge in the Ministry of Justice of Arnhem, and also served as the first mayor of the city. He also served as the Governor of the Dutch Guinea colony and Suriname in South America. "
Fang Lang was a little surprised when he heard this, obviously not expecting that the other party actually had a real noble status.
Fang Lang actually knew something about the Netherlands, but his understanding was only superficial. Of course, what impressed Fang Lang most deeply in this life was the Dutch colonies in northern Brazil, Guyana and Suriname. Both countries bordered Brazil. .
Fang Lang, who came from a later generation, would also go to the Netherlands to load and unload cargo and rest in port during ocean voyages. Of course, what impressed him most was the red light district with Dutch characteristics. It was not, it was the open girls, nor, it was the windmills.
Yes, there are windmills and tulips.
In Fang Lang's impression, the Netherlands is not large in area, but it is a properly developed country. This country's agriculture is very developed, especially in flower cultivation, which ranks first in the world.
Of course, the Netherlands also has excellent pastures, as well as photolithography machine manufacturing companies that will become famous in later generations.
He knew that the Netherlands was also a very important recipient of aid in this European aid plan. I was just thinking about finding an opportunity to go to the Netherlands to investigate!
I didn't expect that Audrey Hepburn's hometown was the Netherlands. Now I might have a chance to visit the Netherlands.
"Oh! Do you know if you have any relatives in the Netherlands?"
Regarding this noble status, Fang Lang just let it go and didn't take it too seriously, so he just nodded and didn't go any further.
Hepburn's mother was very proud of her family when she talked about it, and she couldn't help but want to pick it up and enjoy the praise from her prospective son-in-law. But who knew that Fang Lang didn't care about this background at all.
Instead, he asked about his sadness. This made his somewhat proud expression immediately become lonely.
"No more. My brother and family were captured and executed by the Germans during World War II. Audrey and I are the only ones left in our family."
As he spoke, the circles under his eyes began to turn red unconsciously, and he looked like he was about to cry. Audrey Hepburn, who was beside her, seemed to have thought of something. Her eye circles also began to turn red, and her arms holding Fang Lang became a little harder.
Seeing this scene, Fang Lang felt a headache, and he coughed twice and said:
"If there is a chance, should we go back to our hometown and see."
Hepburn's mother obviously did not expect that Fang Lang would suddenly bring up this topic, and looked up at Fang Lang with some confusion.
"But there is nothing left at home, and even the house in my hometown has been destroyed by the war. We have no objections to going back."
"I see that you seem to be very concerned about the identity of the Hemstra family. According to you, if only aunt and Audrey are left in the Hemstra family now.
So is there any chance that you can go back and inherit this title? "
Fang Lang asked seemingly curiously.
"There's no chance. The Dutch nobility system is passed down from male to female. My eldest brother is the last generation of Baron Hemstra. Since his family was killed by the Germans, the entire family has no baronial title. .”
Although she didn't know what Fang Lang meant, Hepburn's mother felt that Fang Lang seemed to want her to return to the Netherlands. In his heart, of course he hopes to go back and see it, at least it is his home.
But Arnhem, as one of the important battlefields for the Allies and Germany, has been basically destroyed. Unless forced to do so, who would be willing to leave their homeland and come to the UK to wander?
Now that I am living under someone else's roof, how can I have the chance to return to my hometown?
In fact, what Fang Lang cares about is not the so-called noble title, but to see if he can use the other party's identity to establish some relationships with local forces in the Netherlands, and purchase from the Netherlands in the upcoming European aid plan. Some quality assets.
You must know that although the area of the Netherlands is not large, its strength is quite good. In terms of agriculture alone, it is worth the Nice Company's investment! The two world-famous infant milk powder brands of later generations, Meisujiaer and Noyouneng, are both from the Netherlands.
"Auntie, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter whether you have a noble title or not. What matters is that this is your hometown.
Now that Audrey has decided to be with me, I naturally have to consider your life. If you wish, I can buy you a property in your hometown, such as a farm or an apartment.
Or if you don't want to go back to that sad place, I can also help you buy a property in the UK or other countries in Europe.
If you are willing to follow Audrey and I to settle in Brazil, I am very welcome and can help you buy a property in Brazil. "
Although Fang Lang provided many choices to Hepburn's mother, what he most hoped for was that she could stay in the Netherlands so that he could make plans in the Netherlands in her name.
As for the possible separation of Hepburn and her daughter, Fang Lang is not worried. At worst, after his company's business has established a foothold in the Netherlands, he will take the other party to Brazil to stay with Hepburn!
Hepburn's mother was a smart woman who received an aristocratic education since childhood. He could feel that Fang Lang's words had his own purpose, but for a while he couldn't figure out what his real purpose was.
After all, Fang Lang's every word was considered for her.
After pondering for a while, she decided to let nature take its course. Since her daughter had decided to follow this prospective son-in-law, the other party would definitely not hurt her even for the sake of his daughter.
Moreover, she herself could feel that Fang Lang had no ill intentions towards their mother and daughter. She believed in her intuition very much, otherwise they would not have been able to escape the Germans' brutality.
You must know that long before the Germans attacked her brother's family, she had already sensed the crisis and changed Audrey Hepburn's name to a less British name. If the brother could listen to her advice, maybe the brother and his family could escape the disaster.
"Now that Audrey has decided to follow you, I believe you won't leave me alone.
So, I want to hear your opinion. "
(End of chapter)
