Chapter 458: Revised: Chapter 458 Shire’s Girlfriend is a Belgian
Lucia’s family encountered quite a few difficulties on their way to Antwerp.
They first went to the train station, but the ticket seller politely told them, "Sorry, sir. The earliest train to Antwerp is tomorrow morning."
"Why?" Mr. Jilard was confused, "I remember there used to be many trains."
It was just 59 kilometers to Antwerp.
"There are only two trains now, sir," the ticket seller replied, "You just missed the last one for today."
"Only two trains?" Mr. Jilard was dumbstruck.
The ticket seller explained, "Antwerp is the frontline, sir. Shire is organizing a defense line there, and we must prioritize military supplies getting to the soldiers. So, all other schedules have been converted to transport supplies."
Mr. Jilard was speechless. He looked back at the others, who were also helpless.
It was understandable; during wartime, military supplies had to come first.
After a moment of silence, Mr. Jilard gritted his teeth, "We’ll call a taxi."
"But taxis aren’t cheap right now, Dad," Lucia hesitated.
"We should go anyway." Jilard didn’t turn back as he walked out of the train station.
There were a few taxis parked outside the station. When Jilard asked the fare, his expression changed instantly, "That’s impossible, it used to be about 100 francs, and now it’s 500 francs?"
(Above is a Belgian franc, issued in 1851, replaced by the euro in 2002)
Madam Jilard came up, and after understanding the situation, she asked the driver, "The Germans have already surrendered, why is it even more expensive now?"
"And five times more expensive!" Stein glared angrily at the driver, "It must be the capitalists taking this chance to make a fortune!"
"Heh," the taxi driver looked at Stein with dissatisfaction, "We’re not capitalists, kid. We’re just making a meager profit to feed our families."
"The reason it’s so expensive is because during the war, all the fuel in the country was collected for Shire’s troops."
"Even now, the fuel available is still pitifully scarce and incredibly expensive because we still have to ensure Shire’s tanks and armored vehicles can operate, as well as military trucks, etc."
"Do you have any objections to that?"
Everyone looked at each other, understanding that this was also necessary.
Lucia sighed inwardly. Why did everything have to do with Shire? He seemed like an unforgettable nightmare in her mind, or a shadow, always felt even when not in sight.
"I don’t have that much money," Mr. Jilard looked at Lucia with a wry face, "I only have 270 francs, which is all our savings."
"Then we’ll wait for the train tomorrow, Dad," Lucia comforted him.
Jilard nodded, it seemed he had no other choice.
Just then, someone shouted from behind, "Hey, Lucia, is that you, Lucia?"
It was a fashionable blonde woman holding a small suitcase in one hand and a coat in the other.
"Roasted!" Lucia recognized her, surprised and delighted. She greeted Roasted and ran up to hug her.
Roasted was Lucia’s middle school classmate and they hadn’t seen each other in years.
"Where are you going?" Roasted glanced at the nearby taxis.
"We’re planning to go to Antwerp, but..."
Roasted instantly understood, "You’re going to see Shire, right?"
Lucia forced a bitter smile, realizing more people knew about this than she imagined, even Roasted.
But it wasn’t surprising; once one classmate knew, the news spread quickly to all who could be contacted.
The reason was that Shire was so famous, especially in Belgium, he was practically a savior.
Roasted looked around, seeming to guess what happened. She stepped forward, politely greeted Mr. and Madam Jilard, then took out money and handed it to the driver, "To Antwerp, keep the change."
As the driver took the money, Roasted tilted her head and smiled, "You’re in luck, sir, the person standing there is Shire’s girlfriend."
The driver’s eyes widened instantly, his hand froze mid-air. He looked at Lucia, then back at Roasted, "No, this can’t be..."
Roasted nodded slightly with a blank expression, "Would anyone dare joke about this? That’s Shire! And why don’t you ask their destination?"
Stein stepped forward, puffed out his chest, and proudly said, "We’re going to Antwerp Airport, sir, General Shire should be there."
The driver was stunned for a moment, then quickly returned Roasted’s money and jumped out of the car. He respectfully walked to Lucia and eagerly took the luggage from her hands and placed it in the car:
"Sorry, miss, it’s a pleasure to serve you."
"I promise to get you to Antwerp safely..."
"No, no, I’ll wait and bring you back as well. It’s hard to find a car in Antwerp, as it’s the frontline, and even if there are cars, there’s no fuel."
"No, no, no charge... It’s my honor!"
He whispered under his breath as he finished, "God, Shire’s girlfriend, she’s in my car! Unbelievable!"
...
At Antwerp Airport, the taxi slowed down and eventually stopped at the entrance.
Stein jumped out before the car came to a complete stop, almost tripping amid Madam Gilead’s exclamations and reprimands.
But he didn’t care, looking up to shield his eyes from the sun, he tried to see the warplane just taking off from the airport, letting out an "Wow!"
"That’s the ’Camel’, that’s the ’Camel’ fighter!" Stein was gesticulating at the sky, yelling to everyone, "That’s the fighter Shire invented, it has no rival in the air, the German planes are no match for it!"
Mr. Jilard grunted, adjusted his suit after getting out, frowned, and glared at Stein. This was no place to act uncouth. Would he embarrass them in front of Shire?
As soon as Lucia got out of the car, the guard standing at the door recognized her and immediately approached, "Lucia, are you here to see the General?"
Lucia nodded.
"Please wait a moment," the guard said, "I’ll go report to the General!"
"Okay," Lucia said, "Thank you!"
With just a few simple words, her relatives and the driver all looked at Lucia with faces full of admiration.
Mr. Jilard nodded slightly, unable to hide his pride.
Madam Jilard covered her mouth in excitement, nearly crying out with joy, her chest heaving as if she could hardly breathe.
Stein gulped hard, staring at his sister, seemingly thinking about how to curry favor with her.
Though they had believed Lucia’s words, they found it hard to believe it was actually true. It seemed too fantastical!
However, the guard’s reaction confirmed the truth.
The driver felt the same, slightly worried he had been tricked, but now it appeared everything was true; this lady named Lucia was indeed Shire’s girlfriend!
"God, Shire’s girlfriend is Belgian!" the driver shook his head in disbelief, "Tomorrow, everyone will go crazy over this; I’m going to be a star!"