Chapter 28

"Knock! Knock!"

"Mr. John, it's time to get up!"

With two crisp knocks on the door, the butler Hans's voice rang out as accurately as ever from outside.

"Alright, I know."

John responded loudly as if by reflex, then closed his eyes and yawned widely, slowly sitting up from the warm bed.

"Ah!"

The cold air made John shiver, and he immediately opened his eyes wide, instantly feeling more alert. The temperature in the bedroom was enough to make him want to crawl back into bed, but thinking of the stern old face of the family patriarch, John quickly dressed himself as fast as he could.

"Hmm, feeling good!"

After getting dressed and standing in front of the mirror, John nodded in satisfaction.

Thanks to his rebirth, John's body was only eleven years old. Even after just waking up, he didn't have that feeling of having not brushed his teeth for three days. His body, nurtured by his mother, had grown very healthy, and after waking up, he naturally felt full of energy...

"Ah... Spit!"

Spitting out the sticky, greasy toothpaste water into the bucket, John hurriedly rinsed his mouth with several gulps of clear water, finally restoring a fresh state to his mouth.

"This feeling is terrible."

While carefully examining his snow-white, shiny teeth in the mirror, John muttered to himself.

When he first returned to New York, he thought Colgate toothpaste was pretty good, but after using it for a while, the greasy texture of this old toothpaste made him uncomfortable, and the toothbrush made from animal bristles made him curse "damn" every day!

"Is there any hope of living a comfortable life in this life?"

Looking around the bathroom, John felt a sharp pain in his freshly cleaned teeth.

The Hunteral family's three-story house had four bathrooms. Apart from the old and young Mr. Hunteral having their own private ones, the others shared two. However, the structure was the same in all of them: a cabinet for storing things, a mirror, a flush toilet, and a large wooden bucket.

Bathing water had to be heated and used immediately. The young Mr. Hunteral, who was particular about cleanliness, was unwilling to go to public baths, so he could only bathe once every two weeks, each time making the two servants work for a long time.

"Fortunately, there's a flush toilet, otherwise..."

Thinking about having to carry a bucket full of his own waste out every day, John shuddered, secretly grateful that he hadn't been transported back twenty years earlier. The sewer system in New York City was only built twenty years ago, and the Hunteral family, being in a bustling area of Manhattan, had it installed early, so they had flush toilets. However, other places, like crowded apartments, didn't have such good conditions.

Even so, John was quite dissatisfied.

The toilet didn't have the familiar water tank, and he had to fetch water himself each time he flushed. The bathroom's drainage pipe also lacked an S-bend, so he often smelled a sour odor.

"Just bear with it for a while."

Thinking about the electric light he had "invented" but was still in Joshua's hands, John felt a deep resentment and silently resolved: "As soon as I get the money, I'll improve the flush toilet first, then research the toothpaste problem, and improve the facilities in the house. Maybe these inventions will be a new source of income..."

...

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, John."

When John entered the dining room, old Hunteral was already seated at one end of the table, drinking tea and reading the newspaper. After exchanging greetings, old Hunteral glanced at John and asked casually, "You came back late yesterday and didn't have time to ask. How was your week?"

"Pretty good!"

John glanced cautiously at old Hunteral and replied in a somewhat uneasy voice.

"Is that so?"

Old Hunteral put down his newspaper and stared at John for a while, until John started to feel uncomfortable. Then he hummed lightly and returned his gaze to the newspaper.

John felt a cold sweat.

For the past week, or rather, five days, it had been quite a struggle for him.

The British literature teacher was naturally a challenge for John, who had no literary talent. The science teacher and the theology teacher had already developed significant opinions about John in just two days: this boy almost fell asleep in their classes several times!

John felt quite innocent about this.

A Chinese atheist meeting a devout Protestant minister, and a college student from over a hundred years later encountering an 1880s science tutor, it would be strange if John didn't feel drowsy in class.

The only exception was Miss Philip.

In just five days, this French "noble" quickly figured out John's background and realized that the young Mr. Hunteral severely lacked artistic talent. Not just in piano, but also in violin, which she was also proficient in. After a week of assessment, Miss Philip almost gave up hope, thinking she would be fired by old Mr. Hunteral soon. However, she found a lifeline: the young Mr. Hunteral was very interested in painting, especially in the basics of sketching, which he studied very seriously, giving Miss Philip a glimmer of hope!

Interest is the best teacher.

Perhaps the educators of this era hadn't summarized this principle, but Miss Philip had a simple understanding: with interest, there was at least hope...

"Today is Saturday. Do you have any plans?"

Old Hunteral quickly changed the subject, not dwelling on the previous question.

"I have plans. I'm going to learn shooting!"

Sitting down at the other end of the table, John took the coffee that Lina served and said with a clear mind.

After enduring the long five days, he naturally wanted to go out and enjoy this wretched life. Last week, John had planned to go shooting, but it was delayed due to the telephone installation. This week, he couldn't afford to miss it.

Old Hunteral nodded, not opposing the idea, and asked, "Are you going alone?"

"I invited Joshua."

John answered honestly, "He's a member of a shooting club and agreed to take me there."

After the telephone was installed, John's first call was to Joshua's house, and they talked for over ten minutes yesterday, discussing places to visit. Unlike with ordinary teenagers, Joshua didn't show impatience and even offered to accompany John to the shooting range, which surprised and delighted John.

"Alright."

Old Hunteral maintained his habit of being sparing with words, nodded, and fell silent.

The two began to eat breakfast.

Perhaps because he planned to go out today, John had a good appetite and quickly finished four white bread rolls and two eggs!

After breakfast, John was eager to leave.

However, just as he wiped his mouth, politely bid farewell to old Hunteral, and was about to leave the dining room, his grandfather called him back: "John, wait a moment."

"What is it?"

John blinked, somewhat puzzled.

"Here."

Wiping his hands, old Hunteral took an envelope from his pocket and handed it over, saying slowly, "Since you're going out, you should take some money. Take it and spend it..."