It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

After a series of questions and answers, the package was reduced to one-fifth of its original size, which showed just how many fancy little trinkets Susie had collected.

Li Cheng was speechless: "Why did you pack all this stuff in there? We're leaving tomorrow, and all this useless stuff is just adding to our load on the road."

Susie, clutching her discarded pile of junk, said, "These are all my treasures."

Li Cheng shook his head helplessly: "Alright, stop wailing here. Give away what you can, otherwise it'll all be lost."

------

1667, April 1.

It was a little before dawn; the moon had already set, and the sun had not yet risen. It was a very unfriendly time of day for humans.

With their luggage lighter, Li Cheng and Susie set off for the agreed-upon location.

He had already made many arrangements for his affairs in London (which sounds a bit strange), such as the factories he had originally established, which he had indirectly handed over to specialists to manage.

Newton wanted to go back with him; she had been completely convinced of his plan after Li Cheng's personal appearance and persuasive speech. She decided to follow him to his family's estate to start their farming business.

Anne wanted to go too, but her reason was that London was too dangerous without Li Cheng's protection. If her father found out she was an actress, he might break both her legs. It would be better to go somewhere far away from London to continue her unfinished career and maybe even start her own theater troupe.

As for Lavoisier, Li Cheng sent her a farewell letter, informing her that he would be leaving London anonymously for a long time. He told her to continue her research in London without worry. The notebook Li Cheng left behind would also keep Lavoisier busy for quite some time.

Li Cheng had also heard about what happened with Harley. Because he invented a better soap, it indirectly caused his father to go bankrupt. To be honest, he was speechless about it. This was probably what they called the butterfly effect.

So, out of a sense of partial compensation, Li Cheng granted Harley's father special sales rights, which essentially meant taking a fixed percentage of the profits. Since Li Cheng's original soap factory was positioned as a high-end business, this wouldn't lead to internal competition; instead, it would generate extra income.

However, what he didn't know was that this behavior should have caused Hooker's hard work to go down in flames. Halley was immediately reassured by Newton and didn't have any reason to confront Hooker.

The original plot should have been that Hooker, upon learning the truth, would grit her teeth and vow to never forgive Li Cheng... However, things took a strange turn. Out of gratitude, Halley decided to sacrifice himself to repay Newton, so he approached Hooker again, hoping she would admit Newton into the Royal Society—a classic example of someone practically offering themselves up...

In the end, Halley resolved the bankruptcy crisis, Newton became a Fellow of the Royal Society, and Hooke happily prepared for his date with Halley... It seems that a world where no one was hurt was thus achieved, except for the illegal businessmen who were affected by the patent action.

As for Roy, one of Li Cheng's trusted subordinates, he also learned that Li Cheng was not dead.

Regarding his arrangements, Li Cheng decided to let Roy continue working in London for a few more months, and then make further plans after things had stabilized in both London and Lincolnshire. After all, the loom business was booming, and with the involvement of the merchants' guild, Earl Anderson had recently started losing his hair frequently, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow for a middle-aged gentleman.

Finally, on Veronica's side, Princess Veronica was used as a tool by Li Cheng for several days, but in the end, she was no match for Edward the ruthless old man. He burned the last clue of Charles II's body to ashes, leaving no room for doubt that the coincidence was too great.

Although Li Cheng also sent a letter informing the other party of his upcoming itinerary and some of his plans, and encouraging him to continue to cultivate relationships with the bourgeoisie as originally intended, this was merely a casual gesture, and Li Cheng didn't have high hopes for it.

After all, Veronique is clearly going through a low point in her life, and it's hard for anyone to believe or cheer her up with his empty words. As for things like 'a promising future' and 'a three-year promise'... it's best to avoid making such promises.

In conclusion, Li Cheng has made all the necessary arrangements in London during this period.

However, he had to check out before leaving.

The boss, who was practicing his woodworking skills, got up very early today. He sat behind the counter, with a table full of wine bottles to welcome the new year.

The British also have the custom of celebrating the New Year. On New Year's Day, every household must have wine in the bottle and meat in the cupboard. They believe that if there is no leftover wine and meat, the coming year will be poor. In addition, the British exchange copper coins on New Year's Day, believing that doing so will not only bring wealth to the recipient in the year but also bring good luck to themselves.

Upon hearing the requirements for checking out, the owner skillfully calculated the expenses: "You stayed for ten days in total, in two rooms, plus lunch and dinner... Excluding the deposit, I'll refund you 3 shillings and 4 pence."

Li Cheng took the money and casually handed it to Susie: "Happy New Year, don't be so gloomy."

Because Li Cheng had discarded the wood carving, a bunch of amulets and crosses, and many other odds and ends, Susie remained somewhat sullen. After all, these were souvenirs from her first visit to a big city, and they were quite valuable keepsakes.

In comparison, it's just a little bit of change...

"Thank you, thank you."

Susiet happily took the change, carefully counted it, and put it into her pocket after confirming that it was correct.

It's easier to fool than I thought... Li Cheng's lips twitched, and he swallowed back some of the words he was about to say.

The hotel owner then noticed Susie. He had a good impression of the girl who had helped him run errands a few times, and said with a smile, "Susie, if you ever come to London, remember to visit me!"

Unlike the cross amulets that couldn't be returned, Susie naturally returned the wooden carving to the hotel owner, explaining that she couldn't take it with her because she was traveling.

Susie nodded seriously: "Don't worry, boss, I'll definitely come to see you next time I'm in London."

After checking out of their room, the two went to the agreed-upon location, where two carriages were already waiting quietly, one for passengers and the other for cargo. Apart from the coachman, a blond-haired boy, a black-haired maid, and a brown-haired girl stood by the carriages, chatting idly.

"Over here, over here!"

Annie noticed Li Cheng first and waved to him.

Newton also shouted at him, "You idiot, you're too slow!"

"That's because we've come this far."

As Li Cheng spoke, he took out the prepared coins from his pocket and stuffed them into the hands of Newton, Freya, and Annie respectively: "Happy New Year!"

Annie casually put it in her pocket, looking a little surprised: "Today is actually the first day of the new year, I had completely forgotten."

Newton clearly forgot this point as well, which just shows that they didn't really care about the concept of the New Year.

In contrast, Christmas Day on the 25th was much more important to them. Unfortunately, Li Cheng spent that day at the hotel with Susie. Dinner that day included meat pies and goose, which was all he remembered.

Looking at the group of people he hadn't seen in a long time, Li Cheng smiled and said, "In my hometown, the first day of the new year is a very lively occasion."

Annie scratched her head: "What can I do? I just forgot."

Fortunately, there was a reliable maid here. Freya took out the prepared copper coins from her pocket and gave them to Li Cheng.

"Happy New Year, Mr. Li. I wish you plenty of luck in the new year."

Just as Li Cheng sighed that Freya was still the most reliable person, Susie behind him suddenly became aware of his presence, took out the change she had just received from Li Cheng, and distributed it to the three of them in a very professional manner.

Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Happy New Year!

Susie offered her congratulations as she handed out the gifts. She barely knew the three of them, but she didn't know that the villa they had visited belonged to Li Cheng until she asked.

It was only then that Anne noticed that this was the messenger who had delivered letters several times recently, and she was quite surprised, saying, "You're with us too?"

Newton frowned and looked at Li Cheng, somewhat suspiciously, and asked, "Where did you find her? What's your relationship with her?"

Before Li Cheng could speak, Susie introduced herself without any hesitation: "Hello, hello, my name is Susie. I used to live in a place far outside London. Because I didn't want to stay in the village anymore, I insisted on following the witch... cough cough, Holmes is out here, and now I'm his squire."

Her explanation only made everyone more confused.

Seeing this, Li Cheng said, "Let's get in the car first. We can talk about everything on the way. There's plenty of time."

There's something that's been bothering Susie: why did he agree to take this country girl out, and why did they go to that remote little village? Li Cheng can't exactly say it's because she saw him come back to life... He can only get in the car and set off first, and make up a story later on the way.

After all five people were on board, the two carriages began to slowly accelerate and head towards the city gate, accompanied by the coachman's shouts.

Their target is Lincolnshire to the north.

At this moment, a glimmer of light gradually appeared in the dim sky, and looking towards the distant horizon, a hint of dawn could be seen.

★ Act Three ★

Chapter 160 It's okay to be a little poor

Lincolnshire is located in eastern England. By population, Lincoln is the only city, Grimsby is the largest town, and Scunthorpe is the second largest.

After several days of travel, Li Cheng and his party finally arrived at Newton's estate.

"Aaaaaaah! We're finally here!"

As soon as Anne got off the carriage, she started shouting, successfully startling several sparrows on the books.

Having grown up in London, she had never experienced such a long journey before, so after the initial curiosity, Anne became quite bored throughout the trip.

Later on, with nowhere to vent her energy, she would often run alongside the carriage. If the carriage hadn't been slow, her actions would have been considered utterly reckless.

Li Cheng, Newton, and Freya had all endured long hikes and had no interest in running and sweating it out. Susie, on the other hand, often went down to run with Annie, and the two quickly became acquainted.

After shouting and venting her frustration, Anne observed the vast land around her and the scattered farmers plowing the fields with oxen or horses. She turned to Newton and said, "Your estate is quite large."

Newton lifted his little leather boot and stomped on the dry, hardened ground, scoffing, "But it's barren; you can't grow much at all. On the contrary, that guy next door's territory is much richer than mine... Tch, what's so great about it? He always comes to show off in front of me, but in the end, he's only good enough to show off in front of me."

Hearing this, Li Cheng looked down at the barren, pale yellow land, then at Newton's chest, which was as flat as the earth, and thought to himself that it was indeed very barren, and that the land reflected the man.

Freya said she'd been feeding Newton milk all this time, but it doesn't seem to be working. His height and other features... Is Newton destined to be this way for life? Will he always be a flat-chested loli?

With deep sympathy and concern, Li Cheng reached out and ruffled Newton's smooth blond hair, comforting him, "It's okay to be a little poor."

?

Newton looked at Li Cheng suspiciously, feeling that there was something wrong with his tone, and that he didn't sound like he was talking about land.

Upon hearing her area of ​​expertise, Susie's ears perked up: "Can't grow many things? Then you can use it to raise sheep. Such a large area can raise a lot of sheep."

Sheep farming is indeed a good idea. With the expansion of overseas colonies, wool prices have been rising steadily, making it much more profitable than simply farming. Not to mention, with the reform and expansion of the textile industry and the gradual application of flying shuttle looms, wool prices will visibly rise further.

Newton didn't like Susie much, but he didn't dislike her either. She simply replied, "I can't, and raising sheep is too much trouble."

Everyone except Freya: "..."

Freya, on the other hand, remained completely unmoved. Her only belief was that her mistress was always right, and she fully supported all of her mistress's decisions—except for painting.

After a brief silence, Li Cheng wiped away a cold sweat, marveling at how damn true the answer was. Rather than letting Newton fuss over sheep he had no interest in, it was much better for her to simply rent out the land and collect rent—she could just sit back and collect the money.

However, it would be a waste to use such a vast area only for farming. Li Cheng came back this time intending to make good use of it.

The reason for leaving London was partly for personal safety, and partly because there was Newton as a ready-made piece of land to mess around with, instead of having to go through the trouble of buying or renting land.

Against the backdrop of colonial expansion, coupled with the advent of the flying shuttle loom, the rise of the bourgeoisie was unstoppable. What Li Cheng needed to do next was to strengthen his own power and that of the bourgeoisie, and find ways to intensify the contradictions and use their strength against them.

The so-called general trend, the so-called open strategy.

'Edward VII, your cunning and treacherous schemes are utterly insignificant before this power.'

Li Cheng thought to himself silently.

As for Roy, Li Cheng planned to wait until the expansion was nearly complete, then bring most of the Merchants' Guild under his control before sending them the blueprints for the Spinning Jenny. This would both further stimulate the development of the bourgeoisie and solidify his position within the Merchants' Guild.

He used to just want to stay quietly behind the scenes, but now he wants to take a more proactive approach to pushing things forward.

At this moment, Annie stopped looking around and suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, Li Cheng, what will happen to those factories you opened in London when you go back to Lincolnshire? Are you just going to abandon them?"

Upon hearing this question, Newton paused, then looked at Li Cheng with a threatening gaze, his mouth slightly open, revealing sharp fangs.

The reason she acted this way was because the factory Li Cheng left in London was registered under Newton's name. Yes, with Roy's cooperation, it was supposed to be taken over by Newton, his 'fiancée,' as part of the inheritance... This little bean sprout was shy for a long time; Li Cheng begged her for ages before she finally agreed, albeit very reluctantly.

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've arranged everything."

Newton then withdrew his threatening gaze and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

Susie, who hadn't said much, was startled: 'A factory? The wizard has a factory? Thank goodness I insisted on staying.'

The group chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at Newton's little stone castle.

Because Newton's return was so sudden, the steward Lurengar, who was left behind, was completely unprepared. Furthermore, to save expenses, the castle was usually maintained by only a few servants while Newton was away, so sanitation was neglected.

Fortunately, the remaining servants all recognized Newton and Freya, so they were not stopped along the way, only asked questions out of curiosity.