Chapter 15

"Have you heard that there are also many excellent gardens in the East? Have you been to any of them?"

As the carriage entered Central Park, the usually taciturn old Hunterl suddenly asked, "Compared to Central Park, what do you think are the differences?"

"I have seen some gardens in the East."

John, who was seriously looking out the window, responded nonchalantly, "I think the gardens in the East focus on the artistic conception... how to put it? It's the spiritual expression, where every blade of grass, every tree, every stone, and every pavilion has a special meaning to the designer. As for Central Park... I'm sorry, I know very little about it, so I can't say much."

"Hmm."

Old Hunterl responded indifferently and fell silent.

The carriage drove for about ten minutes in the meaningless conversation between the grandfather and grandson, finally stopping by a lawn.

"Sir, we have arrived."

Henry quickly jumped out of the carriage, opened the door, and respectfully said.

John got out first, and as his feet touched the ground, he involuntarily tightened his collar. Although there was no wind and the sun was shining brightly, stepping out of the carriage still made him feel a slight chill.

"They are over there."

Just as John was about to shrink his neck and admire the surroundings, old Hunterl had already spotted the Stone family not far away. He gently tapped his cane, signaling John to follow him.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning!"

The two families greeted each other warmly, and old Hunterl even hugged his old friend, Mr. Rafael Stone, tightly. The Stone family had four people today, besides Mr. and Mrs. Stone and Emma, there was also a young man in his twenties. This young white man was not very tall, at most five and a half feet, but he was quite sturdy, and his facial hair was extremely dense, just like Mr. Stone.

"This is my son, Joshua."

The kind-faced Mr. Stone smiled and introduced the young man, "He has been studying in London for the past few years and has just returned to New York."

"Hello, Mr. Stone, it's nice to meet you."

Hearing that the other person had studied in Europe, John raised an eyebrow and extended his right hand.

In this era, America was somewhat similar to China in his previous life, developing and rising rapidly, but lagging behind Europe in almost every field, including higher education. Therefore, the 18th and 19th centuries were essentially the history of American young people studying in Europe, and it was quite normal for those from well-off families to study abroad.

"But in just a few decades, Americans will turn the tables."

Thinking about how Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1874, and the development of American higher education was not far off, John looked at the newly returned student and sighed inwardly.

"Hello."

Joshua extended his right hand and lightly shook John's, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. He smiled and said, "I'm also very happy to meet you, Mr. Hunterl. I've been hearing your name quite often recently!"

"Oh?"

John was slightly taken aback and his gaze involuntarily drifted to Emma behind Joshua.

The little girl had been standing quietly behind her father and brother after greeting them, not saying a word, her head hanging down as if she hadn't seen him.

With a wry smile, John didn't say much and casually asked, "I wonder what field Mr. Stone studied in America? Why didn't you go to Germany for your studies?"

In John's memory, Germany was the center of higher education in the second half of the 19th century, and American higher education was largely modeled after the German system, so he asked the question without thinking.

"Hehe, I studied law."

Joshua smiled and explained the first question.

John didn't get an answer to the second question, but when he saw Joshua's smiling face, he immediately understood and laughed.

Indeed, why would an American studying law go to a civil law country?

After a few simple words, the two young men quickly became friendly.

At this time, the facilities in Central Park were still very simple, so besides walking, the main activities were gatherings and picnics. After the servants laid out the woolen blankets on the grass, old Hunterl and the Stones chatted on one side, while John, who was very interested in Joshua's European studies, quickly asked a series of questions.

What was surprising was that Joshua didn't treat John like a young boy of his sister's age but rather like a peer, enthusiastically introducing everything he knew.

Among everyone, only Emma sat alone on the side.

"This damn guy!"

Seeing John and her brother chatting and laughing, getting along better and better, Emma almost ground her small white teeth to pieces!

She found John increasingly unbearable.

Her brother Joshua was a university student, and a law graduate from Cambridge University in England, who would undoubtedly be a future elite of society, and he was actually chatting enthusiastically with such a despicable person?

How could the always proud Emma accept this?

"Mr. Stone..."

Sitting on the comfortable woolen blanket, John felt much more relaxed after his first pleasant conversation in New York, and even the annoying cold seemed to disappear instantly.

"Ha ha, John, call me Joshua."

Joshua waved his hand and smiled.

"Alright, Joshua."

Seeing the determined look on Joshua's face, John didn't mind, shrugged, and smiled, "Forgive me for being forward, but your accent is very pleasant... is it a London accent?"

"Hehe, having a British accent while studying law has its advantages."

John's slightly teasing tone didn't embarrass Joshua; he just smiled and his tone was somewhat proud. As a descendant of British immigrants, he had always been proud of his British heritage, but growing up in New York, his accent had gradually been influenced by the locals. Correcting it was no easy feat.

In fact, not just them, after the Second War of Independence, the American upper class's fondness for Britain quickly recovered and even rose to a level of almost worship. For example, speaking with a pure London accent was a source of pride, dressing to follow London fashion, and even inviting British actors for operas...

For the "noble" profession of a lawyer, if you didn't have a London accent, you couldn't make it in New York's upper class.

"Are you planning to study in London?"

At this moment, the usually silent Emma suddenly raised her head and asked with a complex expression. Her immature soul didn't know how to hide her feelings, making it obvious what she was thinking.

It was clear envy.

"Hmm?"

Noticing the unusual look in Emma's eyes, John was first slightly taken aback, then suddenly understood why he had felt a sense of familiarity when he first met her, a feeling that seemed out of place for this era: stubborn and competitive, these were not the virtues of a lady in this era.

Involuntarily, John felt a bit of goodwill towards the little girl.

Initially, due to the incident in West Orange, John had a very poor impression of Emma. Although he later understood that she was just a parroting little girl and there was no need to hold a grudge, some impressions, once formed, were hard to change. Now, when John realized that this girl was different from the women he usually saw, who were only concerned with their husbands and children, and had her own thoughts like many women in his previous life, his goodwill naturally grew.

Smiling, John said gently, "I don't have any plans to study abroad for now, and if I do, I would go to Germany. Yes, I think Berlin would be a good choice."

"Why?"

Emma pouted, clearly不服气 (unconvinced), and asked, "Is Germany stronger than the British Empire? What university in Berlin can compare to Cambridge and Oxford?"

"This isn't about which country is stronger."

John shrugged and smiled, "After all, our Hunterl family is of German descent, and I've heard that the universities in Berlin are excellent..."

The sun was warm and comfortable on his skin.

While using his German heritage to soothe the little girl's unbalanced and wounded pride, John calmly enjoyed the tranquility of the winter day. Just as he blinked, thinking about whether to tease the little girl, a piercing scream suddenly broke the peace by the lake in Central Park.

"Help!"

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I posted a chapter at noon, originally intending to update three times today, but the backlog is too large, almost equivalent to rewriting, or even more difficult.

I won't force it; please allow me to write carefully.

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