Chapter 1 Mr Howlett
As the first batch of colonists who came across the sea, Mr. Howlett has a strong aggressive nature, tough, stubborn and full of oppression.
He considers himself one of the pioneers of this great era. Yes, he considers himself not only an adventurer chasing dreams but also a new aristocrat who brings the spark of civilization to barren lands, even though his father is just an old man. Chief mate of an ocean-going whaling ship.
This man has his pride.
In 1763, Britain brought Canada into its colonial back garden. In the early summer of 1802, Mr. Howlett came to this unsettled land alone at the age of 17, with only one rod inherited from his father. Old-fashioned flintlock guns and 3 pounds 15 shillings, while his elder brother got the second-hand whaling boats and "family" whaling business that belonged to the Howlett family that the old Howlett had accumulated throughout his life.
More than forty years have passed, and no one in Edmond knows Mr. Howlett. He is the largest farmer and rancher and landowner in western Canada, and he is also one of the richest among all British colonists.
For many years, people only know him as Mr. Howlett, but few people have heard his name. He also only calls himself Howlett, thinking that only he can represent the real Howlett family.
What bothers Mr. Howlett the most today is that the family is not prosperous. Although he worked **** women's bellies when he was young, he is now sixty years old and has only one son, John, and a young boy in his teens. Grandson James.
"Is Jamie better?" Mr. Howlett said dully while biting his pipe.
"Father Hans has seen it. He still has a fever but he stopped coughing. He woke up for a while, fed some water and fell asleep again." John carefully comforted his father. He knew that he had lost a grandson in this place. How important James is in the eyes of his old father.
Mr. Howlett sucked hard twice, spit out a long mouthful, and said angrily: "When I was ten years old, I could already carry a harpoon and send it to a blacksmith to remove rust. A calf that weighs 1,000 pounds is running around, how come it looks like a premature lamb when it arrives at Jamie's place!"
"Now the child may not be as strong as before, Tony is so young..."
"He was infected with the disease! Those damned black animals brought the dirty things from that evil continent. Since then, no black thing has been able to serve the Howlett family! No more!" Hao Mr. Leete stared at John and said every word, the knuckles of the pipe he was holding turned white. John regretted mentioning the deceased son, blushed and asked his father to rest assured, and dragged Mr. Howlett to the living room rest.
"James" lying on the bed listened to the conversation in the corridor verbatim, and felt that it would be safer to pretend to be asleep at the moment. After waking up, he asked for some water instinctively, and then he closed his eyes and thought blankly about the current situation.
If a person dies and is reincarnated, there must be a process, like walking through the underworld, or being squeezed out of the mother's body, but the current situation is like the time travel that has been popularized by movies and novels. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to wake up from the nightmare, trying to make himself distinguish between illusion and reality.
Perhaps the young child was too weak after experiencing a serious illness, so he fell asleep again unconsciously, but his mind kept flashing back to the scene of boxing practice.
During the struggle between life and death, his weak body could not sustain his breath, and the child named James had only a few years of childhood, the lovely little maid Rose, the strong body but a little bully that he had always envied. Victor, the beautiful mother Elizabeth who doesn't get along very often...
The condition of the little grandson on the tip of his heart made Mr. Howlett feel much better, which also made the whole manor deeply relieved. In fact, the servants and slaves are used to such a depressing atmosphere from time to time. Master James He has always been weak and sickly, and often has a high fever and drowsiness. At this time, all the subordinates will be careful in doing things and speaking, and mistakes that they usually don't care about are easy to be punished.
However, such a situation can hardly affect the half-grown children, especially the gardener Thomas Logan's son Victor, who loves to stay aside when James is sick.
After dinner, Mr. Howlett heard that James had got up and ate some toast and fruit, so he went up to visit with great interest, and opened the door to see his little grandson looking up with his head up and looking around in high spirits.
"Jamie, how do you feel? Are you still uncomfortable?" Perhaps only in front of this grandson, the old man could see such a complicated expression on his face. He tried hard to maintain his usual serious and disciplined demeanor, but it was difficult to conceal his urgent concern. .
"Grandpa, Grandpa, I'm much better, my head doesn't hurt at all, I'm sorry to worry you again..."
Mr. Howlett looked at his grandson with complicated eyes. James looks very much like his mother Elizabeth. He is a "beautiful" child, and he is very sensible and polite. His dark hair and eye color were exactly the same.
"The days should be stable, and it's better to be gentle." Mr. Howlett was thinking about it, and then he gave James a few words and left the room.
Old Howlett seemed to feel that his grandson had undergone some inexplicable changes. The tone of his speech alone had become much sharper, and he was not as hesitant as before. He babbled, bit his pipe and went downstairs.
After coping with the old man, "James" slumped on the bed with mixed feelings, looking at the 19th-century European-style layout around him, and silently accepted the fact of this new identity with his fair and young hands.
From now on, there will be no more Baifeng from the previous life. The revenge has been avenged. Although he died with his frail body, there is no regret left, let alone a sorry teacher. There is only a little Mr. Howlett, James Howlett.
I feel that James' memory is full of illness, high fever, and weak life memories. He felt resentful in his heart, couldn't it be the turn of a normal and healthy body even after traveling through time and space? Cursing silently, only hearing a rush of going upstairs, the door was suddenly pushed open.
"James! I heard you recovered?"
"It's still hard, but it should be fine, thank you, Victor."
Victor Logan paced around the room carelessly, clutching a knife in his hand, sat down beside James' bed, and began to trim his excessively thick and long nails. Respect and humility in front of the young master.
James was not angry, but just watched with interest as the older child used a knife to file off the long nails like cutting wood.
"You are always like this James, always so sick." Victor cast a disdainful glance at the delicate doll-like boy leaning on the bed, but at the age of fifteen or sixteen, Victor already had some light beard On the temples and cheeks, the thick frame already looks like the size of an adult man.
"I heard that you were always sick when you were a child?" James asked subconsciously.
Victor paused for a moment with the sharply cutting knife in his hand, and did not answer, "A batch of fine-bred foals are coming soon, if you continue to act like this, don't even think about riding them, let alone Mr. Howlett." I'll let you touch it."
Victor stood up with his head held high, patted his trousers from which some nail crumbs had fallen, and strode out of the room without even closing the door.
James propped himself up with some difficulty, pinched a piece of nail that fell on the bed, and looked carefully, there was something faintly shining in his eyes...
(end of this chapter)