It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

"It's finally quiet."

Li Cheng let out a long sigh, took out the original manuscripts that could be considered the root of all evil from the drawer, and continued his arduous typing work—in truth, he had brought this job upon himself; why did he have to drink alcohol?

Life is tough; besides working hard in the fields, I also have to write erotic novels on the side.

Fortunately, Veronica was quite rational, and the relationship between the two sides did not deteriorate. Li Cheng could also use her name to accelerate his own development, and there would be no problems for at least one or two years.

It's worth mentioning here that Western politics differs from Eastern politics. Western politics rarely involves thorough purges or the execution of entire families; instead, there's a peculiar, unwritten rule. Even during wartime, if a noble is captured by an enemy, their family is allowed to pay a ransom for their release.

Even Cromwell, after sending Charles I to the guillotine, did not eliminate Charles II completely, but instead sent him to Scotland to serve as an official.

Even when Charles II revolted again, which was subsequently suppressed, Cromwell only exiled him to the European continent, without exterminating him completely.

Chapter 208 This is Fashion

After several days of rough seas, the merchant ship carrying Mitchell and Lavoisier arrived safely at the Port of Lincoln.

After all, it was a legitimate merchant ship arranged by the university, and they knew the ship well, so they didn't encounter any difficulties along the way.

There were minor troubles, such as Mitchell, who had vowed to help take care of Lavoisier, getting seasick. He vomited almost to the point of unconsciousness just an hour after setting sail, and spent almost the entire journey resting in his cabin, only occasionally going up to the deck for some fresh air.

Not to mention taking care of Lavoisier, on several occasions Lavoisier was the one who helped deliver his meals.

Besides that, the ship's first mate tried to strike up a conversation with Lavoisier, but after being politely rejected, he didn't linger and left readily. His sister, however, came over, quite embarrassed, to explain her brother's rash actions.

"Sorry! My brother is just like that, he rushes up to chat up any pretty woman he sees!"

The first mate's sister was a strong woman with arms as thick as a man's, and her skin was tanned dark like that of an ordinary sailor from her long life at sea. She also spoke in a rough and rugged tone.

Lavoisier politely said it was alright, and the first mate's sister struck up a conversation.

"I heard you're traveling to Lincoln. That's not safe for you!"

"If you don't bring more people, what if you get robbed in the wild? Not everyone is like our fleet, doing legitimate business."

The two became somewhat acquainted over time, and it was good that they had someone to chat with during their journey.

However, this was not something to be overjoyed about, because short voyages in coastal waters were not difficult to endure. On the contrary, it was almost the only way to enjoy sailing in the Middle Ages—there was no need to worry about encountering too many storms and being unable to escape, no need to worry about getting lost, and no need to worry about lack of food.

There's no need to worry about food preservation; you can stock up on plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, and other food instead of eating bread and cured meat all day. The cleanliness of the cabins and personal hygiene can also be maintained within an acceptable range. And most importantly, the short-term sea scenery is always fresh and won't get boring.

It was a relaxed and enjoyable time, except for Mitchell, who was seasick.

"Ugh...uh, ugh..."

Even with his feet on the ground, Mitchell hadn't fully recovered from the three days he'd been in a daze.

He rubbed his temples, feeling dizzy, and asked, "Professor Lavoisier, what are your plans next? Will you stay in the dormitory arranged by Lincoln University for the time being, or will you rent a hotel outside?"

"If it's the former, you can just bring your bag and come with me; if it's the latter, I'll ask someone from Lincoln University to help with the introduction."

These issues should have been discussed on the ship, but Mitchell spent almost the entire time seasick and was really lacking in energy.

Moreover, because he was in such poor condition, even Lavoisier offered to help him with his luggage out of sympathy, but Mitchell resolutely refused, clinging to his already dwindling sense of pride...

"I'll have to stay at Lincoln University for a couple of days."

Lavoisier thought for a moment and then said his plan: "I have a very good old friend in Lincoln, but I don't know exactly where he lives now. I will move after I find his house."

"A very close old friend?"

Mitchell asked, somewhat puzzled, "I've never heard you mention this, Professor. And if you have such an old friend, why didn't he come to greet you? Didn't you contact him beforehand?"

Lavoisier shook his head slightly and gave the excuse he had already prepared: "I didn't contact him beforehand because I wanted to give him a surprise."

Huh?

Mitchell said with some surprise, "I didn't expect Professor Lavoisier to be so witty. I'm sure that friend will be very happy to see you."

Lavoisier replied uncertainly, "...probably."

After such a long wait, Lavoisier herself began to waver. On the one hand, she wondered if Li Cheng actually disliked her, which was why he had been ignoring her; on the other hand, she doubted whether she really liked Li Cheng.

As the saying goes, long-distance relationships are unreliable. Once you can't see each other, it's easy to overthink, and the feelings can really fade away.

"It's not just a guess, it's a certainty. It's not easy to see an old friend after a long separation."

After giving a firm affirmation, Mitchell sighed with longing, "I wish I had such an old friend."

After a moment of reflection, an interesting idea suddenly popped into his head, and he joked, "Professor Lavoisier, do you think it's possible that your friend actually knew you were coming and had already made preparations in advance, just waiting to surprise you when you arrive?"

“How could that be, Professor Mitchell? You must be joking with me.”

Lavoisier gave a wry smile. She didn't believe Li Cheng would know that she had secretly come to Lincoln, or even that he was planning to give her a surprise. Such a good thing could only happen in a dream.

However, Lavoisier felt that Li Cheng was someone who brought her one surprise after another, and each time it was a surprise that she thought was completely impossible.

Will it be the same this time?

Lavoisier quickly shook his head, rejecting this naive wish that seemed too much like something a child would make while playing house.

------

The morning sunlight shone on his face, and Li Cheng slowly opened his eyes.

It was another new day, but he was a little annoyed that he had to take a horse-drawn carriage to the city again. He thought to himself that the lack of transportation was a real hassle, and he wished he had a car.

After washing up downstairs, Li Cheng went to the restaurant to have a meal and was surprised to see Newton and Susie already inside.

Normally, due to their different schedules, the three of them would take turns having breakfast at different times, but today they were able to get together.

Newton woke up early, excited because he was willing to accept the job of acquiring the coal mines in Dalena's territory. Susie, probably because she didn't have much work to do, stayed in bed a little longer than usual.

"My second uncle is the most capable person in the village. He knows a great deal, and he traveled to many countries when he was young..."

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity to be alone with Newton, Susie tried hard to ease the tension between them, constantly trying to talk about topics she was good at, such as funny things that had happened, the weather, and the werewolf and vampire stories she had heard in the village.

Speaking of which, Susie's hair is no longer sticking out of its tufts today, so she must have washed it yesterday afternoon.

"Ah."

Newton initially seemed indifferent, occasionally offering a casual reply. But when Susie brought up werewolf and vampire stories, Newton's head tilted slightly towards Susie, as if he had become somewhat interested.

Susie keenly noticed Newton's change in demeanor, so she spoke even more enthusiastically: "Hmph, listen carefully, my lord, what I'm about to tell you is all based on my own experience, not a single word is false."

It seems like every ghost storyteller says the same thing, right? Like, 100% true, based on personal experience, I never lie...

While Li Cheng was inwardly complaining, Susie had already imitated the mannerisms of her second uncle when he told her stories, speaking in a low, somber tone:

"It was an ordinary noon. After finishing my bread porridge, I thought I'd find some fish to have some meat, so I followed the river upstream."

"Because there has just been a three-day downpour outside, in addition to mud and sand, the upstream river will also wash down a lot of debris from the forest, such as broken branches, pine cones, stunned small animals, and of course, stranded small fish."

"But the villagers aren't stupid. They had already picked up most of them when the rain stopped. I searched along the river but couldn't find a single one."

"In order not to return empty-handed and lose face, I continued to go further in, and finally just went into the forest."

"Because of this rash decision, I encountered the momentous event that changed my life..."

Susie then paused to suspense, smiling as she asked Newton, "Guess what I found in the forest?"

The buildup had created enough anticipation, and the atmosphere was just right. Miss Newton couldn't contain her curiosity and blurted out, "What did you discover?"

Huh~

Susie gave a brief, smug smile, as if to say it was simple and easy.

However, she quickly concealed that expression and changed to a mysterious tone, saying, "I found... a completely dead corpse in the forest!"

Li Cheng: "???"

thump—

Hearing this, Li Cheng lost his temper and quickly slapped her on the head—"Is this your so-called rigorous sense of secrecy? Is this what you call never revealing a secret to anyone?"

"what--"

Susie was suddenly struck hard. She clutched her head and cried out in pain, then quickly turned her head to see who had hit her.

But when she realized that it was Li Cheng standing expressionlessly behind her, Susie lowered her hands from her head and said awkwardly, "Um, it's not what you think, Li Cheng... I really just wanted to tell the lord a story..."

"It's quite lively today."

Li Cheng casually uttered this greeting, then nonchalantly sat down to Newton's right and waited for the chef to serve him breakfast.

Compared to the usual arrival of Li Cheng, Newton was more interested in the story she had just heard, and she pressed on, "And then what happened?"

later?

Susie glanced at Li Cheng furtively and said cautiously, "Next time, my lord, I'll tell you something else next time..."

Why next time?

Newton was very unhappy with this kind of failure at a crucial moment: "I want to hear it now, and only this matter, or I'll send you to pound garlic!"

Now she knows what a terrifying punishment pounding garlic is, and she's quite skilled at using it.

???

Susie glanced at the displeased Newton, then at the calm Li Cheng, caught in the middle, speechless with grief and indignation: "I, I..."

"Actually, it's like this."

Li Cheng stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "Because the story goes way too far and too bizarrely. The corpse first came back to life, married a villager, and then turned back into a corpse after a while, causing panic throughout the village."

"That's really weird."

After hearing this so-called ending, Newton frowned first, then complained to Li Cheng, "As expected, perverts like to hear perverted stories. You can actually listen to something this perverted."

After being called a pervert so many times, Li Cheng got used to it and complained, "What did I do? Why am I being called a pervert again?"

What did you do?

Newton seemed to remember something and gave a disdainful look. "Do you think I didn't notice? These past two days, when I've been sitting on the sofa warming myself by the fire, haven't you been staring at me for several minutes at a time?"

?

Li Cheng asked, puzzled, "Is there anything wrong with me looking at you a couple of times?"

Not only Li Cheng, but Susie also found it strange and began to look at Newton with confusion.

They both felt that Newton's statement was completely grammatically incorrect, to the point that it was equivalent to a wife calling the police to arrest her husband for indecent assault.

"But you're staring at my stockings!"

Seeing the two of them looking at him like that, Newton shouted, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, "Do you know that staring at my socks like that is really weird?"

If Li Cheng simply stared at her for a long time from time to time, Miss Newton would accept it as perfectly natural, and might even feel a little proud.