It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

"Freya told me."

Li Cheng shrugged, indicating that he was innocent.

Newton retorted, "I didn't tell Freya."

"Who knows, maybe she's a witch and secretly did it," Li Cheng said, not forgetting to diss him. "So why are you running around outside alone without packing your things? It's dangerous."

Newton proudly puffed out his chest and said, "I'm all grown up now, and I can decide where I go."

Hmm... Looking at the tiny, 1.5-meter-tall kid in front of him, whose height was indistinguishable in the dark, Li Cheng was too lazy to even complain in his mind. He simply echoed, "Yes, yes, yes."

"What do you mean?"

Newton's anger was precisely provoked, but just when Li Cheng thought she was about to explode, she suddenly calmed down.

"Forget it, I can't be bothered with you."

She muttered something, then continued to gaze quietly at the two tombstones in front of her, lost in thought.

Li Cheng shrugged, picked up a rock near Newton's statue, sat down, and asked, "What are you thinking about? Tell me."

"Humph."

Newton ignored him.

Li Cheng persisted, saying, "I've told you so many stories already, tell me one now."

Newton sighed and said helplessly, "I don't like running a manor; I prefer exploring the natural sciences."

“I know that.”

"I have a very bad relationship with my stepfather."

"I know that too."

“I hated my mother. I hated that she had always tried to get me to work in agriculture, and I hated that she remarried that old man who was thirty years older than her for money. I was so angry that I went to live with my grandmother.”

"This I..."

Newton was immediately enraged, turned his head and glared at Li Cheng: "Why don't you give the speech?"

Li Cheng raised his hands in pleading, "I was wrong, please tell me, I won't say another word."

Newton's chest heaved violently for a moment, then slowly calmed down and he regained his composure... probably.

She added, still worried, "I told you, no one is allowed to interrupt."

"Anywhere except the mouth is fine...?" Li Cheng nodded: "Yes."

This time, Newton didn't try to recount her life story. Instead, he went straight to the point and revealed the real reason she had spent the morning in the cemetery—a true bombshell.

Newton said, "I want to sell the estate and focus on my studies."

When he said this, Newton's eyes were calm, showing no emotion whatsoever, clearly the result of deep thought.

Li Cheng: ? ? ?

What? Why are you suddenly selling the estate? Do you know how much houses were worth back then? You're just selling such a big estate like that?

Looking into Newton's calm eyes, Li Cheng pondered for a moment and asked, "What's the reason?"

Newton did not answer directly, but pointed to the tombstone on the left: "This is my stepfather's estate."

Oh? Is it the manor where you don't want to see those annoying people again?

“But your stepfather has no relatives, so now it’s your estate, both legally and morally,” Li Cheng analyzed. “You know, the returns from an estate can be very high.”

Newton could only point to himself again: "I won't be coming back; there's no one to manage it."

Li Cheng continued his analysis: "Then you can entrust someone else to manage it. Who was that... Butler Lurengar has been managing it for you all along, hasn't he? Even if you don't trust others, it's not too late to sell it when the manor turns into a loss. There's no reason for land to depreciate."

"You're so annoying!"

Newton was displeased and shouted, "I don't want this estate anymore, is that not allowed?"

...What happened to the promise of a well-thought-out decision? Isn't this still an impulsive one??

"all in all."

Li Cheng shrugged helplessly: "So, you're actually reluctant to sell—at least not so soon. But you can't find anyone you can entrust with this, right?"

Newton shrugged: "I guess so."

Li Cheng: "......"

He actually admitted it... No, I have to find a way to dispel this guy's ridiculous idea.

Li Cheng's eyes darted around, and he said, "Then how about this, I recommend someone who I guarantee can be trusted."

"You're not thinking of recommending yourself, are you?" Newton asked warily. "Let me tell you straight, no way."

Li Cheng waved his hand: "No, no, no, it's impossible to bind me with a mere country estate."

He spoke with extreme confidence, and his gaze seemed to be fixed on something far away.

Newton was intimidated by Li Cheng's imposing manner, and after a moment he muttered, "I almost believed it... Well then tell me, I'll listen first."

"Okay, then listen carefully."

As Li Cheng spoke, he leaped down from the rock, walked up to Newton, and pinched her chin with his right hand.

Newton: ?

She blinked her long eyebrows, not understanding the purpose of the action, but she did not resist.

"Pay attention, you've never heard of the people I'm recommending."

Li Cheng smiled, then suddenly said, "How about having a son, and then dumping all the troublesome things on him?"

After saying that, he pouted and tried to lean in... Newton was still thinking about the meaning of his words and hadn't fully realized what was going on, so he was easily taken advantage of.

"Ugh...!"

Newton stared in shock, then a hint of confusion appeared on his face.

Li Cheng could feel that her lips were very soft and moist. Although they didn't have that electric feeling, they tasted very good, a bit like cool, refreshing food... Although the description was strange, that was really the first thing that popped into Li Cheng's mind.

But then again, since the lips are in constant contact with food, it's not surprising that they taste like food, right? Probably?

Just as Li Cheng was immersed in analyzing the connection between food and lips.

boom!

A heavy punch landed on Li Cheng's lower abdomen, causing him to vomit acid and stagger back several steps.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Newton himself was blushing to the roots of his ears, looking as if he were about to steam. She shouted, barely containing her embarrassment, "Who do you think you are to me? Don't make such important decisions so casually!"

"My fiancé," Li Cheng said, clutching his stomach and forcing a smile, "is still in the trial period, after all."

"Uh..." Newton choked for a moment, then stomped his foot. "Ugh, this is so annoying! It just won't work! You wish!"

After saying this, she abruptly turned around and ran straight towards the castle... ran away...

Li Cheng didn't try to chase after it, but watched the figure grow further and further away until it completely disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn his gaze away and mutter to himself:

"Finally, I've gotten rid of this guy's ridiculous idea... But I still prefer something bigger than that tiny little thing."

Li Cheng glanced at the tombstone on the right, which bore the name Hannah Escour.

Although Newton's mother made many mistakes, such as wanting Newton to farm, at least her intentions were good... In addition, if she really didn't care about Newton remarrying, why would she carefully choose a 60-year-old man who had no relatives and was on his deathbed?

But these things are useless to Newton; they will only arouse her rebellious mentality.

It's better for Li Cheng to do this than to wait until Newton grows up and regret why he hastily sold the estate.

Tick.

A raindrop fell obliquely and landed on Li Cheng's forehead.

And this was like a signal, as a light drizzle gradually began to fall from the originally gloomy sky.

England's weather is always gloomy, influenced by westerly winds and the sea year-round, with frequent rain throughout the year. Even umbrellas are not very useful (although there are no umbrellas in England at this time), because the rain often blows horizontally.

"Headache. I was hoping to spend a little more time outside..."

Forced by the rain, Li Cheng hurriedly started running, and ran faster and faster—if he didn't run faster, all that awaited him was to get soaked.

Chapter Twelve: First Steps into London

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

From here, it is about 200 kilometers south to reach the city of London.

......

May 18, 1666

London.

In its previous life, London was the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and a global financial center.

But now, it is a pitiful city, ravaged by plague and with tens of thousands dead. Other than that, it is the capital of England, the center of power for the nation.

After several days of travel, Li Cheng, Newton, and Freya finally arrived in London. After visiting Newton's house, which was temporarily uninhabitable, they were now traveling by carriage along a less busy main street to Newton's friend's house.

"When I left, there were still a lot of people here."

Looking at the empty street, Newton muttered to himself.

In Newton's description, London before the outbreak was the most prosperous place in all of Britain, with pedestrians everywhere on the streets and frequent carriage jams. But now, there are hardly any carriages, and even the main thoroughfares are deserted with only a few pedestrians. The doors and windows of the houses on both sides of the street are tightly closed, rarely opened.

Newton shook his head: "It's so desolate, the whole city is like it's dead."

Li Cheng interjected, "I think it's fine."

He noticed something different about it.

Although the passersby did look pale and listless, one could still see hope for the future in their eyes. They believed the future would be better and were willing to work towards it.

In this London filled with the deathly aura of plague, a seed of hope was quietly sprouting...

"arrive."

The coachman's shout brought Li Cheng back to reality. The carriage had already stopped at the gate of a villa.

This is a three-story building with exquisite decorative embellishments on the roof and window sills. The garden outside the house has some neatly arranged green plants, showing that they are carefully tended to every day.