Chapter 10

"It's already four o'clock."

Old Hunter took out his pocket watch to check the time and nodded at Hans, saying, "Prepare the carriage. It will be dark by five o'clock. We'll only know if the electric lights are as good as Edison claims once it gets dark."

The butler looked a bit troubled and smiled bitterly, saying, "Sir, Henry just checked, and there are really too many people today. It might not be convenient to go by carriage... Besides, the hotel is very close, just a fifteen-minute walk."

"Hmm..."

After a brief hesitation, Old Hunter nodded and said, "Alright, let's walk there today. Also, invite Mrs. Stone and Miss Emma and ask if they would like to join us."

Although he found Mrs. Stone's gossip annoying, Old Hunter still strictly adhered to the gentlemanly virtue of taking care of the women he knew.

Soon, the enthusiastic Mrs. Stone agreed to Old Hunter's invitation.

Unlike their lunch attire, the mother and daughter had changed into different outfits. Because it was cold in the evening, they both wore fluffy scarves, which made their elegance even more pronounced.

As they walked, they naturally split into three small groups.

Old Hunter and Mrs. Stone walked and chatted at the front, with the butler Hans carefully following and leading the way. John and Emma naturally walked together, with the servants following behind.

This reflected the social hierarchy.

In this era, just like the relationship between whites and blacks after the Civil War, there could never be true equality between masters and servants. Even if John himself had modern ideas and did not care about such things, the servants would not risk being scolded or fired by overstepping. Even Hans, who had a relatively high status in the Hunter household, would not dare to do so outside.

The distance between the small groups was not far, but it was enough to provide a relatively safe space for conversation.

"Are you really proficient in both German and Latin?"

After walking in silence for a while, Emma suddenly turned her head and stared at John, asking seriously in not very fluent Latin.

"Um, yes, I'm quite good at both languages."

Out of reflex, John also answered in Latin, then realized and asked back with some confusion, "Why, is there a problem?"

"No, no."

Shaking her head quickly, Emma tightly closed her mouth, but her tender lower lip instantly turned pale!

There was no need to continue probing. Seeing that John could speak Latin spontaneously without preparation, Emma knew she was far behind. As for German, she didn't even know it, and considering the Hunter family's German heritage, she knew John had no reason to lie.

John gave Emma a puzzled look but did not continue to press the issue. He had no interest in the thoughts of a young girl; his mind was already filled with excitement and anticipation, especially since Mrs. Stone had already agreed to take him to meet Edison. His heart raced, and even in the cold weather, his palms were slightly sweaty.

After all, that's Thomas Edison!

In his previous life, Edison had become a symbol, almost universally known, especially the quote "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration," which, along with his photo, was hung on the walls of many school buildings! Now, having the chance to see this great inventor in person and witness the invention of the electric light, John had every reason to be excited.

Seeing that John was not paying attention to her, Emma pouted after a brief moment of disappointment.

Emma, who had entered puberty, was in a sensitive period. As a lady, she had few opportunities to interact with boys her age other than her brother. At this moment, she naturally hoped to chat more with John. His excellence made her feel a different kind of emotion.

"Looks like you're really looking forward to the electric light?"

After a while, seeing that John did not speak first, the slightly hurt Emma pouted and asked.

"Um, I've always been interested in new things."

Learning from his previous conversation with his grandfather, young Mr. Hunter was very cautious and did not say much, just smiling and giving a vague response. He had not noticed Emma's emotional fluctuations, not because he was insensitive, but because he was too excited to pay attention to a girl his "age."

However, John did not realize that his vague response had sparked Emma's competitive spirit. In a moment of heat, the little girl even asked without considering the consequences, "At lunch, I heard Mr. Hunter say that you've learned a lot, like physics and chemistry. But I really can't imagine how you have the time to learn so much. And in that backward and ignorant country, can anyone really teach you these things?"

"Ignorant and backward?"

Hearing this, John's face immediately darkened.

Although he knew that due to Chinese laborers taking many jobs from white Americans and the influence of unscrupulous media, ordinary Americans had a poor impression of Chinese people, hearing such an insult from a young girl still made John extremely angry!

At the same time, a deep sadness rose in his heart.

In this era, China was still under the rule of the Qing Dynasty, and its overall development was indeed behind that of Europe and America, especially during the Second Industrial Revolution, when the gap was growing. However, John would never agree that China was ignorant and backward! In his view, a country's level of ignorance could not be simply judged by its scientific or economic standards, ignoring the brilliance of Chinese culture!

Unfortunately, the hardworking and diligent qualities of the Chinese were overlooked, and Americans had labeled them with various stereotypes. In New York's entertainment works, Chinese were always portrayed as short and ugly, eating rats, smoking opium, and stealing clothes from laundries. Even a girl like Emma, who should have had a pure and equal view of the world, had been indoctrinated with such ideas!

For a moment, John...

No, Liu Zecheng's mind was in a chaotic mess.

Since his rebirth, Liu Zecheng had not thought much about these issues. On one hand, he was too young and in a very special environment with no opportunities. On the other hand, he was very clear about his own abilities. Apart from some knowledge and experience from the future, he was just an ordinary person in terms of charisma and action. In this special era, what could a person with white blood do?

But at this moment, after hearing the doubts of an ordinary white girl, Liu Zecheng's thoughts wavered...

"Isn't that so?"

Because it was getting dark, Emma did not notice the drastic change in John's expression. She blinked and asked, "I heard that in that country, women start binding their feet at a younger age than me, which is very cruel. Isn't that ignorance and backwardness?"

"Yes, I also think that foot binding is a very cruel practice."

Taking a deep breath, John tried to calm himself and said coldly, "In fact, in terms of the physical harm to women, I think it is only second to the corset in the civilized world."

"Corset? How can that be?"

Instinctively, Emma touched her tightly bound waist, her face full of shock.

"Isn't that so?"

At this moment, John Hunter had forgotten that he was talking to a girl of only eleven or twelve years old. His eyes flashed with a cruel light, and he responded coldly in the same tone as Emma, "I heard that in Europe and America, women of your age generally start wearing corsets, and some even die from the pressure of wooden boards, whalebone, and metal strips. Isn't that even more cruel than foot binding?"

"Ah?!"

Feeling the inexplicable coldness in John Hunter's tone, Emma Stone's heart was shaken, and she was so frightened that she suddenly stopped walking...

...

In late 1879, on the night when Thomas Edison was about to showcase his greatest invention to the world, neither the psychologically mature John Hunter nor the still forming worldview of Emma Stone could have imagined how this day would profoundly impact their lives and the intersections they would have in the future...

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