Chapter 154 Visiting
After leaving the Netherlands, Shen Long wandered in France and Germany. These two countries were devastated during World War II and were in short supply of various necessities of life. Shen Long took this opportunity to reach an agreement with the local underground world and establish several New smuggling lines, supply them with these things, and they pay in precious metals, art, or dollars.
For this business, Shen Long went back to New York, and after a detailed discussion with old Vito, he terminated his marriage with his current wife, but she can still live in the Corleone mansion and receive support from the Corleone family.
During this period, Audrey Hepburn made several phone calls to Shen Long. She seemed very interested in this opportunity, but her mother was unwilling to let her go to the United States.
Shen Long knew about Audrey Hepburn's family. Her parents supported the Communist Party in the early days. Later, when the Communist Party launched a cleansing of the Jews, Hepburn's mother changed her position because of her Jewish ancestry, but her father became even more fanatical. Abandoning their mother and daughter to go to the motherland, and never saw her again.
Her mother fled around with Hepburn, and later changed her name and surname to the Netherlands. The mother and daughter depended on each other. After Hepburn got married, she still lived with her mother, which shows that her mother had a great influence on her.
It seems that I have to visit and persuade Hepburn's mother in person. Hey, the girl has to go to see her mother-in-law before everything is settled. Why does it feel more troublesome than Qin Ling's back then? Shen Long felt quite helpless.
After arranging the smuggling routes and the supply of goods in New York, Shen Long returned to Europe, went to Germany and France first, and dealt with the business thoroughly. He just arrived in Anheng, the Netherlands, and called Hepburn.
Now that she has completed the filming of "Seven Lessons in the Netherlands", she has returned to school to learn ballet. When she received a call from Shen Long, she was very happy and immediately invited Shen Long to come to her home as a guest.
Shen Long was invited to go there and met her and her mother. The Hepburn family's financial situation is not very good now, but her mother Ella Van Hemstra still maintains aristocratic temperament. Speaking of which, her mother is indeed from a poor background. They still have the title of baroness, and their family lineage can be traced back to King Edward III of England, but now this title is only a nominal title, which cannot bring them actual economic benefits, otherwise Hepburn would not Not going to make a short film to raise money for ballet tuition.
"Dear Madam, it's a great honor to pay a visit." Shen Long handed the gift to Hepburn's mother. It was the first time we met. He didn't give an overly expensive gift, just a bouquet of flowers and pastries from An Heng's most famous dessert shop. That's all, he remembered that Hepburn had a huge sweet tooth.
"Thank you, Mr. Corleone, please sit down for a while, I'll prepare food for you." After entering the room, Hepburn's mother brought him coffee, and then went to prepare dinner, leaving Shen Long and Hepburn alone space.
"Audrey,
I haven't seen you for more than a month, I feel that you are beautiful again! "Shen Long praised, this is not nonsense, after a short career as an actor, Hepburn's temperament is even more charming.
"Fredo, how do you know that I like this kind of pastry?" Audrey Hepburn looked at the desserts on the table and liked them very much.
"Actually, I don't know. I just walked on the street and saw this store. I don't know why I couldn't help but walked in. I chose these types. I didn't expect it to be just right for your appetite. Maybe this is God's arrangement. Let's go!" Hepburn is only eighteen years old this year, and girls of her age must like this kind of romantic tone.
"Actually, I am also very good at making some desserts. If I have the opportunity, I will make them for you." Shen Long said along the way. Needless to say, Chinese dim sum, Liao Jie's craftsmanship is top-notch, and with his chef With a solid foundation in art, most Western-style desserts can be guessed about how to make them after tasting them. After a few trials, they may be able to overwhelm the original creators.
"Really? You didn't lie to me, did you? You are a businessman, you can write scripts, and now you can even make desserts. How many things do you know?" Hepburn was moved.
"Audrey, in front of you, I will not tell any lies; I will live in Anheng for two days, if you have time, you can try it tomorrow, we will go shopping for eggs, flour, fruit, and then How about making dessert together?" Two people doing the same thing together is a great way to strengthen your relationship.
"But I still have a ballet class tomorrow morning." Hepburn was a little tangled, she wanted to go, but she felt that it was too fast? After all, this was the second time she saw Shen Long.
"It's okay, I can wait for you to finish class; then we'll talk about movies." Shen Long added fire, "Tell me the story of Princess Anne."
Hepburn was moved, and nodded in agreement; at this time, Hepburn's mother also prepared meals and brought them up. Although the material is relatively scarce now, Hepburn's mother still did not let go of her elegance, and prepared exquisite food as much as possible.
It just so happens that Shen Long is also a chef. Hepburn's mother couldn't help but smile because of his proper praise, and her impression of Shen Long has improved a lot, but she is still reluctant to let Hepburn go to the United States, "Mr. Corleone, Mr. Audrey Ballet has been dancing for almost ten years, and I don’t want her to give up so many years of hard work, I have already contacted the British ballet school, and maybe next year or the year after that I will go to the UK to study.”
"Excuse me, Mrs. Hepburn, Audrey is 1.7 meters tall now, right? This height is not easy to develop in the ballet world. I remember that there is an unspoken rule in this industry. If you are taller than 1.7 meters, you cannot be the chief. Because if you are too tall, you can’t find a suitable actor to do the lifts.” Shen Long remembered that Hepburn had to give up ballet due to height and physical development problems, and after returning to New York, he specifically asked someone for consultation.
"Yes, but Audrey is exactly 1.7 meters, maybe you can try it." Mrs. Hepburn was a little frustrated.
"I know that ballet has always been Audrey's dream, but the reality is sometimes so cruel. Not only is Audrey's height a problem, she is also too thin, and her muscles are obviously poorly developed. It is impossible for her to withstand the high intensity of ballet. Training and performance needs." Shen Long said slowly.
The eye circles of both mother and daughter turned red at the same time. This was all due to the damn war. During the war, Hepburn could only rely on eating tulip balls to maintain her life, which caused her long-term malnutrition to delay her development.
"Ms. Hepburn, Audrey, when God closes a door, he will open a window for you; although it is difficult for Audrey to become a ballet principal, she can shine on another stage; opportunity It rarely appears, once it appears, you must catch it." Shen Long deliberately quoted Hepburn's favorite quote.