Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 6 Pig Butchering Scam
Stunned by the news, Lionel stopped in his tracks, pulled out the entire sheet of paper from the stairs, and couldn't wait to see what was inside.

Just then, a voice came from the next room: "Good evening, Mr. Sorel." It was as clear and melodious as a wind chime.

Lionel put away the letter, turned around, and forced a smile: "Good evening, Petty."

The one who greeted him was Patty, the youngest daughter of the Millais family who lived on the second floor. She was only 10 years old, and Lionel had taught her to read before, so the two had a good relationship.

Petty laughed happily: "Anything new happening today?"

Lionel thought for a moment before saying, "Perhaps someone treated me to a 'communal meal'?"

Petty's eyes lit up: "A 'communal dining table'? I heard a meal there costs at least two francs! Is it good?"

Lionel nodded: "It's delicious, at least the beef is chewable..."

Petty covered her mouth and laughed: "Don't let Mrs. Martin hear this..."

Leon smiled and asked, "Patty, what's new for you today?"

Upon hearing this, Patty's face immediately fell: "Mom said she'll send me to ballet lessons next month..."

Lionel's heart sank. In this era, what it meant for a poor person to send their child to learn ballet was something anyone with a little social knowledge understood.

Ballet is outdated, so only poor families send their daughters to full-boarding ballet schools. On the one hand, this saves the family money on food and lodging, and on the other hand, they hope that their daughters can supplement the family income after becoming professional dancers.

Ballet schools implement strict military-style management, and the girls who study dance are often malnourished and thin, and are jokingly called "rats".

This is when some "kind" benefactors appear—they either hide behind the curtain or move around the theater backstage, selecting their favorite girls...

Before Lionel could say anything, a gruff woman's voice came from inside the room: "You little bitch, get in here and get to work..."

Petty looked terrified, nodded to Lionel, and hurriedly went back into his room.

It was already dark by then, and the old "middle-class apartment" built in the 18th century had very poor lighting. The residents here were even more reluctant to light candles, let alone gas lamps.

Lionel watched as Petit's frail figure disappeared into the deep darkness, and could only sigh inwardly, unable to do anything.

He is now like a "mud-covered saint crossing the river, barely able to save himself."

He made his way up to the attic, back to the cramped space under the sloping roof, and lit the candles again before he could finally read the rest of the letter.

The reason his family made him drop out of school was simple: his sister had found a good marriage last October. Her fiancé was a senior manager at "Orby Trading Company," who not only had a high income but also owned a large farm in Guyana.

In this era, a generous dowry was essential for women who wanted to marry men of higher social standing than their own families.

Many families raise their daughters to be "old maids" precisely because they cannot afford this expense.

Maupassant, who had just treated Lionel to a lavish meal that day, described a similar situation in "My Uncle Jules"—

The protagonist, Joseph, has two daughters who are both quite old and still unmarried. It wasn't until their father, Joseph, wrote a letter to a young man promising him a happy marriage that they reluctantly agreed to marry the older sister to this clerk.

Now that his older sister is getting married to a higher social class, the money the family had prepared for her is probably far from enough, and his parents will have to dig into their savings to afford it. The letter didn't specify the exact amount, but Lionel guessed it would be no less than 3000 francs—more than his father's entire year's income, almost equivalent to the dowry of a middle-class family in Paris.

If you add the cost of preparing a dress and wedding for the sister, then the Sorel family could be said to have emptied their coffers just to welcome this son-in-law into their home.

Lionel couldn't help but wonder, what was the point of spending so much money to marry off his daughter? Could it be at the expense of his son's future?
The answer is given on the second page of the letter—

Emil, who is about to become your brother-in-law, has secured an opportunity to invest in the Panama Canal Global Company. He has promised to use a large portion of our dowry, along with our family savings, to purchase shares and bonds in this promising company.

Once the Panama Canal is successfully constructed (expected to take only 5 years), these investments will snowball like a snowball in the Alps, completely lifting our family out of our current predicament...

You don't need to worry about your future after dropping out of school. Emil has already promised you a job at the Provence branch of "Orbi Trading Company," with a monthly income of at least 260 francs, plus an annual bonus.

Come back, my dear Léon. What good will it do you to graduate from the Sorbonne? The job market is terrible right now, and you studied literature... that stuff is only good in good times...

The letter ended with a 20-franc banknote in cash and a train ticket back to the Alps two weeks later.

Lionel held the letter, lost in deep thought—"Panama Canal"—of course he knew about it. Before his rebirth, he had just experienced the farce of the Li family selling the port, and the core of it was this canal.

However, he knew little about the history of the canal's construction and whether it was actually built by the French.

If this so-called "Panama Interoceanic Canal Global Company" really exists and actually digs the canal within 5 years, then this investment can indeed be described as extremely profitable.

However, as a socialist youth who has installed anti-fraud apps on his phone, he doesn't believe that there are really free lunches.

Besides, the person who fell was a living, breathing person, young and wealthy. Not only could he make a fortune with his whole family, but he could also solve his brother-in-law's employment problem.

He searched through the original owner's memories and found that the "older sister" was just average-looking, with quite a few freckles on her face—in comparison, she wasn't even as handsome as her younger brother.

No matter how you look at it, this is definitely a pig butchering scam!
However, judging from the enthusiasm, joy, and anticipation overflowing in the letter, it seems that the whole family has already firmly believed it, and no one knows what kind of spell this "Emir" has cast on them.

Lionel clutched the 20 francs and the train ticket, lost in thought.

Dropping out of school was out of the question, and leaving Paris to return to the Alps was even less likely, especially since he had only just met Maupassant.

If the conman "Emil" disappears after succeeding, the entire Sorel family will face annihilation...

He hurriedly pulled a piece of paper from his desk, dipped his quill pen in ink, and began to write a reply:

Dear Father, Mother, and Sister:

I'm so happy to hear this news...

He knew that if he wanted to dissuade his family, directly saying that "Emil" was a fraud would be a bad idea, as his family would only think that he was "wild," "disobedient," and "disregarded the family's well-being." Therefore, he could only subtly remind his family to investigate the man's background.

At the same time, he was also thinking about ways to make money, since the possibility of getting tuition and living expenses from home in the future was extremely slim.

(End of this chapter)