Mrs. Wells is a foreign merchant, and although she is in a pitiful situation, from the position of the Zhao family, she will not let her visit her lightly. No matter how rich she is, she is also a businessman, and the Zhao family has the Zhang family, but it is a legitimate county mansion.

But Zhao Xiu was a little moved. Wells's relics, she thought she could keep them forever, so she studied the things in books and dictionaries with extra care. Although she has a good score in English, in this era, not all books from abroad are in English, and even English is very different from the modern English she is used to. Little by little, she was trying to learn English and Latin of this era, so that she wouldn't have too much trouble reading books from abroad. After two years of study, she has only learned a little scratch, she has reviewed her English well, she has no big problems with listening, reading and writing in ancient English, her spoken English is only average, and she can read some simple sentences in Latin. Now that the books and dictionaries had been returned to Mrs. Wells, she was not sorry for her, and it would be so good if she could find a new edition.

Although the current Da Chu seems to be very prosperous and developed, he still doesn't know much about the outside world. She didn't know if the rulers of Great Chu would make the mistakes of the monarchs in history who closed off the country, but when she was still alive, she still hoped to have a little more understanding of the culture, economy, and science of this world. If she could, she would even be willing to translate this knowledge into her own language, so that more people in her country would know what was going on in the outside world. When the outside world changes dramatically, don't be confined to your own circle. They will fall behind others, and then when they interact with foreign countries, they will suffer such and such losses.

Zhao Xiu went to ask his grandmother Zhang. Zhang frowned: "A living person who has never dealt with each other." Since I just want to ask for the relics of my deceased husband and give her the things, that's it, what else do you want to meet? She wants to thank her, just kowtow outside the door, and she has to come into the house to see you, which is too much. She wanted to see. Are you going to have to see her? It's really a foreign barbarian, and he doesn't know the etiquette. ”

Zhao Xiu could only persuade her: "She is an Englishman, and the customs must not be the same as in our country." You don't have to worry about these etiquettes or anything. The granddaughter was interested in meeting her, inquiring about some overseas news, and besides, the granddaughter returned all the books to her. But I haven't finished reading it yet. I want to ask her if she can buy a few new ones, so as not to give up halfway. ”

When Zhang heard this, his brows stretched a little: "I see, it's okay, in fact, those foreigners' languages and writings, you don't have much use after you learn them, what if you give up halfway?" If you are interested in overseas news. It's nothing to call a foreign businesswoman to talk. It's just that we don't know the details of her. I don't know what her temperament is, so I first sent someone to Nanhui to inquire about her personality, and then asked Lu's mother to take a look at her. If it's not too rude, call her again. ”

Finally got his grandmother's permission, Zhao Xiu secretly wiped his sweat.

Mother Lu took her two mothers-in-law and followed Zhao Qixuan to Nanhui and came back, and reported to Zhang and Zhao Xiu: "I have inquired, that Mrs. Wells is not a vulgar woman, I heard that her mother's family is also a gentry family with a head and a face in England, and there are elders in the family who have been officials." She has learned poetry, calligraphy, piano and painting since she was a child, and it was only because of her family's decline that she married into a merchant family. Her deceased husband was not a gentleman's brother, he said that he studied in some public school for many years, and later entered the university, and was called a learned person among his relatives, only because his parents died, and no one inherited the family business, he gave up his studies and went to business with the caravan, but he died in a foreign country. When Mrs. Wells heard of her husband's bad news, she sold her family property, took her husband's relatives, and followed other caravans to Dachu in order to bring her deceased husband's remains back to her homeland, and also to find out the cause of his death and avenge him. The little one talked to the lady for a while, although she couldn't understand what she said, and could only rely on translation to relay it, but looking at her elegant posture, she really looked like the daughter of a good family. But at the age of twenty, he was widowed, and it was pitiful. ”

Zhang sighed when he heard it: "In this way, it is not an unbelievable person. So he agreed to let the other party come to the door.

It had been three days since Mrs. Wells came to the second room of the Zhao family. Zhao Qixuan led the way, she didn't bring any male relatives, only an English maid, a mother-in-law hired in Nanhui, and a female interpreter, who came by boat and took a sedan chair on the shore, according to the style of the local women of large families, and went to the door of the second room of the Zhao family very low-key.

Zhao Xiu stood on the second door to greet her, and from a distance, he saw a young blonde beauty wearing a black dress walking over. This beauty looks very much like the temperament of a classical British beauty, just like the ladies in those ancient British paintings, with white skin, a high nose, big dark blue eyes, a little melancholy, blonde hair very obediently coiled behind her head, and a simple low bun. She was a little plump, but not fat, and wore a wide black cloth dress, with long sleeves at the lantern cuff, a V-neckline, and a white lace-trimmed scarf that reached her neck, and an ivory pin pinned to the neckline. She also had a large hat pinned to it with a long black feather and black satin, which she had probably just taken down after entering the gate.

Zhao Xiu looked at her, showed a smile, and greeted her in English: "Good day, Mrs. Wells, welcome to my house." ”

Mrs. Wells had a look of surprise on her face, but soon smiled, "Thank you for having me, Miss Zhao." Thank you very much for your generosity, you let me get my husband's precious relics back, I really don't know how to express my gratitude to you, you are such a kind little lady, may God bless you. ”

Zhao Xiu smiled and said: "You are too polite, this is nothing, the people in our country are very friendly, willing to help friends from abroad, Mrs. Wells, I also feel very honored to be able to help you, Mrs. Wells." ”

Mrs. Wells looked at her admiration: "You speak English so well. Please call me Gwyneth, that's my name. ”

Behind her was a strange woman in a green dress and a blue dress, who did not look like a servant. Presumably the female interpreter was also looking at Zhao Xiu with a stunned expression. She thought that she would be very busy today, and she would have a chance to show her face in front of the daughter of the county mansion. As a result, people don't need her at all?

Zhao Xiu smiled slightly, turned around and invited the guest into the second door.

Zhao Xiu did not entertain guests in the courtyard where she lived, but invited her to the west courtyard next door to the main courtyard, where there are also three main houses, set up as a small flower hall, and the east and west wings can be used to keep guests, and she and her grandmother will sometimes summon female relatives who are not close to the clan or relatives and friends here.

Zhao Xiu politely invited Gwyneth to take a seat. Ordered tea and snacks to be served. She specially took into account the other party's taste, and made people on Min Hong, which is still authentic Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea. Most of the dim sum is also pastry, with a sweet flavor.

Gwyneth's eyes lit up when she smelled the tea: "God, this is black tea!" It must be the best, right? ”

This sentence doesn't need to be translated, Zhao Xiu understands it. smiled: "It's just a better Fujian black tea." I've heard that you English people love this tea, too, so I got it for you. ”

Gwyneth seemed to be moved: "In our country, only royalty and nobility can afford to drink this kind of black tea." ”

Zhao Xiu was puzzled, she believed that only the royal family and nobles could afford this kind of tea in Britain, but if Gwyneth was just a merchant's wife, how could she conclude that this was Min Hong just by relying on the fragrance of tea? Unless she drank it too.

At this point, the female interpreter, who had not been able to interject, finally found something to talk about: "This Mrs. Wells." Her mother's family used to be a large official family, and she went to the English Palace when she was a child. ”

Zhao Xiu was surprised. If Gwyneth had ever had such a scene, how did she become the wife of a merchant?

As the conversation deepened, Zhao Xiu learned more about Gwyneth's situation. She was really not an ordinary woman from a merchant family, her father and uncle had been officials in the government of James II, and a few years before the Glorious Revolution had happened, James II had fallen from power and gone into exile, and her father and uncle were unemployed. With the new monarch in place, her family, in order to protect themselves, changed their original political position, even changed from Catholic to Protestant, and married their daughter to the son of the Wells family. The Wells family, although merchants, was well known as a Protestant family.

It was only at this time that Zhao Xiu knew the exact date of the Common Era. History textbooks have said that the Glorious Revolution took place in 1688, and England has since become a constitutional monarchy. According to Gwyneth, this happened five years ago, so the current year is 1693 AD.

Zhao Xiu was a little depressed, in 1693 AD, the industrial revolution had not yet happened, the steam engine had not appeared, the Jenny spinning machine had not appeared, the United States had not yet become independent, and even the cowpox method had not yet been invented. Even Western medicine may not have developed to the stage of science yet, right? It may not be much better than Chinese medicine.

For Western medicine, what she can use is to let people find a little cinchona cream to prevent malaria, and she doesn't know how to do penicillin.

The conversation lasted only an hour, and Gwyneth offered to leave. She thanked Zhao Xiu again for her hospitality, and asked her maid to send a beautiful large cardboard box, which contained a set of stationery, several Yingluck, Laing, and English-French dictionaries, a brand new Bible, and two English poetry books, one Sidney's and one Shakespeare's, all with beautiful covers, Zhao Xiu recognized the handwriting inside, which should have been transcribed by Gwyneth herself.

Gwyneth said, "This is a thank you gift, doesn't Miss Zhao like to learn English and Latin very much?" That's all I have for now, and I'll be sure to send you more books when I find them. ”

Zhao Xiu hurriedly said: "These are enough, you don't have to work hard." ”

Gwyneth just smiled and shook her head: "Please take it, this is the heart of a friend, don't you need it?" I'm sure you'll help me if I need something too. ”

When she said this, her expression was a little strange, and her eyes seemed to reveal a bit of sadness. Zhao Xiu's heart jumped, and he always felt that something was wrong.

After Gwyneth left, she always felt uneasy when she thought about it, so she asked Bilian to find Zhao Qixuan: "Ask if Mrs. Wells has been in any trouble lately?" ”

Bi Lian said, "Girl, maybe she is worried about the enemy, right? ”

Zhao Xiu looked at her in surprise: "How do you know?" ”

Bilian said: "Just now, the girl talked to Mrs. Wei about it, and there was no need for a female interpreter at all, so Mrs. Wei's maid asked her to help me and ask me about something." She asked a foreign merchant surnamed Matt and said that she had a deep friendship with the aristocracy in Shanghai. When they heard that our family was the most honorable family in the neighborhood, they asked us if we knew the man. The maid said that it was this guy who deceived her aunt in the first place. (To be continued......)