I was a god in the 18th century

Chapter 337 The First Person to See Pride and Prejudice
Xia Qingdai was sitting in the study and had just flipped through a French original book when the door opened. It was the fire girl who came to clean the fireplace and re-light the fire.

She seemed startled to see Xia Qingdai sitting at the desk.

"Good morning." Xia Qingdai greeted her with a smile on her face, "Are you here to work so early?"

The fire girl was a little embarrassed to appear in front of Xia Qingdai. After all, the housekeeper Lim had repeatedly forbidden her to appear in front of her master. For a moment, she was a little stuttering when she greeted her.

Xia Qingdai smiled and said, "Not really, are you so nervous seeing me? Relax, I'm not that strict."

She made a joke, which seemed to have little effect in easing the girl's nervousness, so Xia Qingdai stopped talking to her.

She is busy with her own things and she is watching her own things.

The days are getting shorter and the weather is colder. A warm and nice bed often makes people unable to muster the courage to leave. Most servants will not get up until after 6:30.

The fire-making girl quietly cleaned the fireplace, lit new firewood, then saluted in the direction of Xia Qingdai and quietly retreated.

She was going to change the firewood in the fireplace in her master Owen's room.

Like Xia Qingdai, Owen also couldn't fall asleep.

But he was lying on the bed in the bedroom, so he didn't run into the girl who was busy making fire in the living room, which made the latter feel a lot more relaxed.

She was really worried that Mr. Owen was sitting at the small desk in the reception room reading a book like her cousin.

If that were the case, she didn't know how she would answer if the housekeeper Lim asked her about it today.

Although Owen did not see the fire girl, he heard everything she did in the reception room.

He had never noticed before that the servants in the castle started working so early.

He was thinking in his heart, wondering if the goddess was like him, lying on the bed listening to the noise in the reception room. The image of the fire burning in the fireplace would involuntarily pop up in his mind, and then he would think of the two people sitting in front of the fireplace drinking tea and chatting.

If it snows again today, they can sit in front of the fireplace and drink tea and chat again.

Maybe he should think of something fun today, otherwise he was afraid that if he just chatted, the goddess would become drowsy, just like last night.

He was telling her seriously about Xue Yun, but she fell asleep without realizing it.

I don’t know how long I was thinking about this and that in my mind, but sleepiness finally crawled onto Owen’s eyelids, causing him to slowly close his eyes and fall asleep.

He always sleeps very soundly when he takes a nap. When Owen woke up and rang the bell to get up, it was already half past ten.

At this time, Xia Qingdai had already returned to the modern era. She had dinner with her brother and talked for a while, then returned to the castle and took a French class with Miss Bai, listening to Jane read a French book to her.

Jane Austen, who had not left last night, could not leave today because the snow had piled up on the ground after a night of snowfall.

There were no carriages on the road at this time, and people might slip if they walked on it.

Jane Austen was not in a hurry to go home. Anyway, there was nothing to do in this kind of weather, just sit in front of the fireplace, read a book, and chat with her sisters.

Staying at Fucui Villa, you can also play the piano and talk with Xia Qingdai, which is also very interesting. Jane Austen recently started writing the first edition of Pride and Prejudice, a few years earlier than the historical record, which records that the first draft was completed in 1797.

Of course, the dates of the first drafts of Pride and Prejudice recorded in history are not necessarily correct. Sometimes history is just a little girl who can be dressed up by anyone.

When Xia Qingdai heard Jane mention the name Darcy, her eyes lit up.

"Oh, my dear Jane, my good sister, my friend, my idol, are you writing Pride and Prejudice?"

"Pride and Prejudice?" Jane Austen was a little confused. "No, I'm not writing about what you said. I want to write "First Impressions."

"Ah, yes!" Xia Qingdai nodded repeatedly, "First impression, yes, that's the name. Where are you now? Can I see your manuscript? I'm really curious."

Xia Qingdai was indeed curious, because the Pride and Prejudice she read later had been revised repeatedly by Jane Austen.

She had no chance to see the original version of "First Impression".

However, she did not have high expectations for the first draft, after all, she had already had a preconceived idea. If the first draft was very different from the final Pride and Prejudice, she might not like it.

"It's okay for me to show you the manuscript, but please don't spread it outside." When Jane Austen was alive, she never published any works publicly under her own name, but always wrote under a pen name.

For women in this era, working or writing is not considered a decent thing.

The works she published when she was alive did not cause much sensation nor bring her much wealth.

She even sold all the copyrights of "Pride and Prejudice" to a bookseller. Xia Qingdai felt regretful whenever she thought of this.

No matter what, in this time and space, she must get the copyright of Jane Austen's works into her own hands.

Although those works during her lifetime did not bring much improvement to Jane Austen's life, after her death, her literary status in Britain continued to rise, on par with Shakespeare, and even the king liked to read her books.

Her books are still bestsellers 300 years later, and her stories about overbearing CEOs are still the best in the romance world.

Xia Qingdai thought, no woman could refuse a domineering president like Darcy!
Jane Austen asked her not to spread the story, and Xia Qingdai naturally agreed.

"Pride and Prejudice?" Jane muttered these two words, and suddenly laughed, "It seems that these two words are indeed very suitable for the hero and heroine I wrote."

Jane looked at Xia Qingdai: "Dear Xia, you are really amazing. I always feel like you know the thoughts and stories in my mind. Have I ever mentioned to you about Elizabeth and Darcy?"

Xia Qingdai smiled mysteriously and said, "That's why we are so close! This is what natural friends are like!"

Jane looked at her with suspicion, and she was actually a little confused.

She was sure that she had not mentioned anything about the manuscript to Xia Qingdai, so why did she seem to have expected it?

"Jane, how many pages have you written now? Show me quickly!" Xia Qingdai was a little impatient.

"I didn't bring it." Jane was helpless as readers were urging her to update online!