Joya arrived at the destination around noon near Florence.
The horses pulling the carriage have stopped, and the coachman's cheerful voice can be heard outside the carriage, "Miss Boggie, we have arrived at Totti's residence in Florence."
The noontime sun in the Apennines during summer is basically scorching, accompanied by annoying cicada chirping, while in Florence, perhaps because the light rain has just stopped and the clouds have not yet completely dissipated, the power of the summer sun has been gradually weakened. Joya had already prepared to step out of the carriage, expecting to be baked by the sun, but when she half-emerged from the carriage, she felt a breeze with a touch of coolness passing by her cheek.
"Are you Joya's sister?"
Before she had a chance to look around, she first heard a slightly childish voice with a Tuscany accent. She turned her head and looked towards the source of the sound, and saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed little boy, about seven or eight years old, looking up at her.
The sunlight on this day was too gentle, which made Joya, who had been taking care of children every day since she was young and even got a headache when seeing them, have a very subtle feeling for this boy who seemed to have walked out of an egg painting.
A middle-aged man wearing a Great Robe of the Haubled with ivory white gold trim was standing next to the boy. Although he was not as handsome and powerful as Rodrigo, he had a certain approachability that was unique to the Boggie family. His slightly downturned eyes made him appear to be a gentle-tempered person.
His hand naturally rested on the young boy's shoulder, and when he saw Joya, he smiled and said, "This must be Joya, right?"
He did not speak in a completely Tuscany regional accent, but rather switched to a Rome accent in order to accommodate Joya.
Almost as soon as he opened his mouth, Joya was certain that this person was Martina's husband, Ricardo Totti, and that the little boy was Martina and Ricardo's only son, Marco.
Vanozza briefly introduced Martina's story of leaving Rome to find a new life in her letter.
This era was not very tolerant of foreign single women. Martina had briefly stayed in Subiaco and Perugia, but left for one reason or another. She heard that Florence, under the rule of the de' Medici family, was least influenced by the Roman Curia, so she decided to go to Florence to make a living. However, while passing through a relatively isolated village on her way, she was mistaken for a witch by the locals and arrested.
Just as she thought her new life had not yet begun, it was suddenly cut short, a Florence merchant who was also passing by, planning to go to Rome to do business, spent five Frolin gold coins to buy her from the pyre.
That merchant was naturally Ricardo.
However, according to the letter Martina wrote to Vanozza, she did not marry Ricardo to repay a debt of gratitude, as she was not the kind of person who would sacrifice herself in that way. Rather, it was because she saw in Ricardo a freedom that she had never experienced before.
That was the thing she had been longing for ever since she took up her office.
Joya originally felt that the "freedom" mentioned in Martina's letter was too vague and illusory, but when she actually set foot in the Totti estate, she truly felt what the freedom that the people of the Renaissance period, who were already quite free, yearned for.
Ricardo runs a family bank and also has several shops, including two pharmacies, a wool shop, and other small and large stores, and is extremely wealthy. The Totti family also has a long-standing family background, with several members of the family having held important positions in the city hall in the past, and can be said to be quite a famous noble family in Florence.
The Totti residence is located on the Arno River, with a view of the Vecchio Bridge and the lord's palace from the second floor of the house. It can be said to be situated in the heart of the city of Florence. Not far from Florence, in Arezzo and Volterra, there are also several expansive country estates.
This prominent Florentine family, influential in both business and politics, had by midday reduced to just an elderly maid attending the ailing lady of the house, while the vast manor stood empty but for Joya and Ricardo, father and son, and three The person's short shadow at noon.
Since there was no one else in the house, Joya's luggage was taken over by Ricardo. When he got it in his hands, he weighed it and raised his eyebrows, saying, "I didn't expect you to bring so much stuff, and it's a bit heavy. Actually, you don't really need to, as the things you can find in Vatican, you can also buy in Florence."
Joya lowered her head a little shyly: "I brought a few books to take a look..."
"You like reading books, don't you," Ricardo said proudly, "and those are the ones that are available at the Vatican, and can even be bought in Florence, and what's available in Florence may not necessarily be available at the Vatican."
Although he said that, he still picked up Joya's luggage, which was filled with several books, without any complaint and left, while Marco was jogging behind him, occasionally turning his head to look at Joya.
Joya looked at the well-dressed Ricardo carrying her luggage and hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "In this mansion, is there... just one maid?"
Ricardo paused and then turned to Joya, smiling as he said, "Oh, of course not, there is a carnival on the other side of the river at Lords' Square today, and I've given all the young people in my household the day off to go and have some fun."
"..."
This... is truly a good boss who practices people-oriented management.
"Of course, Joya, you don't need to worry about not having anything to eat." Ricardo patted his chest with the hand that wasn't carrying any luggage, "In fact, when it comes to cooking, I'm always very confident."
Joya silently looked at the elaborate Great Robe of the Haubled he was wearing.
Wearing this large robe in the summer is incredibly hot. Just the thought of wearing this large robe while living in a cramped kitchen is already quite remarkable.
Oh no, what is really amazing is that as a nobleman, Ricardo actually cooks.
"You don't need to feel surprised, Joya." Ricardo seemed to have noticed the confusion in Joya's eyes, as his downturned eyes squinted again, "Every Totti family member has been learning to cook since they were little, in fact, it was with my culinary skills that I won Martina's affection."
"..."
Not... not a surprise that he is Italian, he was able to successfully pick up a girl using one hundred different ways to cook Italian pasta.
When Joya was reading Boccaccio's "Decameron", she had already appreciated the luxury and natural atmosphere of the Florentine aristocratic villa from the text, but when she truly stepped into it, it was another kind of experience.
Totti's residence is located in the city center, with a smaller land area compared to a rural villa, but the intricate corridors, the fountain in the courtyard, and the climbing plants and potted citrus trees dotting the space, create a miniature version of a noble country life amidst the bustling city.
However, upon opening the door, one can hear the bustling traffic and the lively chatter on the street outside.
This is a refined and elegant contrast to the grandiose the Papal Palace and Orsini Palace.
You will definitely love Florence.
Ricardo led Joya to the room prepared for her, smiling as he spoke.
Martina fell asleep after having the food prepared by Ricardo earlier, and when Ricardo told Joya, he said in a tone that expressed equanimity, compassion, and indulgence: "She has been having a hard time sleeping soundly lately, so let's let her rest for now, and when she wakes up in the afternoon and sees Joya, she will surely be very happy."
Joya, although she had a little curiosity about this birth mother she had never met, she was not as excited and overwhelmed as most people would be. She gave a slight smile to Ricardo and then pushed open her own room door, just about to go in, when Marco, who had been staring at her but hardly said a word, suddenly reached out and grabbed her sleeve.
She was stunned for a moment. Ricardo gently patted Marco on the head and asked softly, "Marco, do you have anything you want to say to your sister?"
Marco just tilted his head back and stared at Joya's face without blinking for several seconds, then opened his mouth with some difficulty and said, "I, in the morning, in the yard, picked a few white, white roses, and put them on my sister's pillow."
His pronunciation was somewhat unclear, in contrast to the words he used when previously inquiring about Joya.
Joya was in a state of confusion when Ricardo had already squatted down in front of Marco, cupping Marco's face in his hands and saying with a smile: "Our little Marco is great, he has been able to express what he wants to say. With more practice and communication, he will be able to speak more fluently."
Upon hearing Ricardo's words, Joya had a rough idea of what was going on - it seemed that Marco had some kind of illness, which made it difficult for him to speak fluently. That's why Ricardo had been encouraging him to express his thoughts as best he could. And the previous question "Are you Joya's sister?" was likely something Marco had practiced for a long time before being able to say it smoothly.
Although the straight man has always been confused about why the Venus in the famous painting is always not wearing clothes, when facing such a hardworking child, he still feels.. My heart softened a little.
And what's more, this child is really beautiful!
The looks-obsessed Joya suppressed the urge to stroke Marco's hair, her faint smile unwavering, and she looked at Marco with a detached yet gentle smile, then said sincerely, "Thank you, Marco."
Marco blinked at her blue eyes, released his hand, and let go of Joya's hem, then said, "You're welcome."
This sentence is also very fluent, it seems that Marco often receives gratitude from others.
After discovering that Joya did not reject Marco, Ricardo obtained Joya's consent and left Marco by Joya's side, while he went straight to the kitchen, declaring that he would personally cook and serve his masterpiece to Joya, the guest who had come from Rome, and also prepare an afternoon snack for Martina.
Martina will be unhappy if she doesn't get to eat the cheesecake I made for her after she wakes up.Ricardo said this with a smile, then hurried downstairs.
Joya placed her hand on Marco's shoulder and looked at Ricardo's back, silently sighing that the Totti family's cook must be worried about losing her job.
She pulled Marco into the room that Ricardo had prepared for himself, and first saw a ray of sunlight streaming directly from behind the clouds onto her feet through the blinds opposite the door
On the edge of the floor.
Under the influence of sunlight, everything inside the house has become dark, only the scenery outside that one window is exceptionally bright.
She could see the overlapping red roofs, yellow brick walls of the city of Florence, and the blue river flowing calmly between the harmonious red and yellow
The Arno River, with its gentle flow, reflects the delicate lotus leaves and the small waves, all shimmering with sparkling light.
These colors, constitute the foreign yet highly captivating Florence in her eyes.
This is another city, completely different from Rome.
