Canada in 1845 had recently achieved unification and was the largest overseas colony of Britain.
Edmonton, where the Howlett Family resided, was the largest city in Alberta, and while the distant British nobility across the ocean would never consider colonial landowners worthy of standing alongside them as peers, it was undeniable that in this region, the Howlett Family were the most powerful, wealthy, and influential noble lords.
The summer in the Midwest was the most unbearable; the towering and long Rocky Mountains blocked the frigid climate of the northern tundra, and the cool winds from the east also hesitated at the foot of the mountains, unwilling to advance. The rooms in the manor had enough ice to cool them down, and even the large animals in the stables enjoyed such conditions.
But the workers and slaves in the pastures and fields could only let their sweat become the sweet spring Water irrigating the land.
Mr. Howlett believed they were naturally adapted to such an environment, stating that it perfectly aligned with his consistent rhetoric of being "strict and fair," because the vast majority of them had dark skin and thus naturally belonged under the sun.
James had just recently adapted to some aspects of the daily life of the so-called aristocratic class. He now had a private tutor who taught him writing and arithmetic, accompanied by instruction in aristocratic etiquette.
This teacher was a high-salaried hire Mr. Howlett brought from London, an Oxford graduate with a bachelor's degree in literature and history, fluent in French and Latin.
Mr. Howlett could not allow his grandson, the future heir of the family, to grow into a cowboy who only knew how to rope cattle and shoot guns in this uncivilized land. The Howlett Family was to become true British nobility, and James, from a young age, should have the best education. For this, he paid a weekly salary of 13 pounds.
Every day, young James would study arithmetic for an hour with Mr. Daniel, English and history for another hour, and French and Latin for an hour each.
Mr. Daniel, unusually, gave him a 15-minute break between each subject, primarily because James's learning progress and effectiveness had significantly improved over the past month.
Although he had always been a well-behaved and obedient child, it must be said that at this age, he was full of curiosity about the outside World, and books were never as appealing as ponies. It was only because the little maid Rose, who always studied with him, performed much better than James that Mr. Daniel couldn't ease up on his homework.
"Alright, James, that's enough for today. Very good, especially the arithmetic. I think in a few more weeks, you'll be able to help Mr. Howlett with his accounts! Your French still needs work; it's a very important language in Britain."
"Yes, Mr. Daniel, I'll be going now." After a polite slight bow, the little maid Rose O'Hara also subtly lifted the hem of her skirt, performing a perfect lady's curtsy, and followed James out.
"I heard you can see fireflies by the threshing floor tonight! Young Master James, do you want to go?" O'Hara, with her vibrant red hair, looked at James expectantly. She had some freckles on her nose, which were so noticeable on her brilliantly White skin, making the young girl appear even more charmingly naive.
"Sorry, O'Hara, tonight I need to review the homework Mr. Daniel left for me. I can't go with you," James replied somewhat distractedly, unmoved by his little maid's cuteness.
"It's like this again... you still call me O'Hara. Isn't calling someone by their surname what strangers do?!"
Hearing the distinctly aggrieved and indignant complaint beside him, James couldn't help but soothe her, his head aching: "Because O'Hara sounds cuter, and it suits you better."
"Really! Young Master James, you think I'm cute?" A child's temper changes like the weather at sea; just moments ago, a downpour was brewing, and now the sky was bright and clear.
"Yes, you're the cutest in the manor."
O'Hara giggled contentedly, completely forgetting about the fireflies by the threshing floor, and after saying goodbye to James, went to the servants' quarters for dinner.
Even James, who had never had children in his previous life, was truly bothered by this little shadow that followed him every day. O'Hara's mother was Mrs. Elizabeth, who was James's mother's personal maid.
Ever since his brother Tony, who passed away before he ever met him, the Howlett Family had never again used Black servants. O'Hara and her mother had come from Northern Ireland to Canada to make a living; it was quite difficult for a widow with a young daughter to arrive here after a two-month voyage.
Many British commoners facing financial hardship and unable to make ends meet would choose to come to the colonies to serve the wealthy and manor owners. Although life here was not as rich as back home, the income was substantial, and more importantly, to some extent, they could experience the taste of being upper class.
Fortunately, James managed to secure a lot of alone time in his room in the mornings and evenings by claiming to be studying, and his rapid progress in his studies also proved that his "words were not empty."
Everyone in the manor knew that Young Master James's greatest hobby now was studying diligently alone in his room; otherwise, he couldn't think of how to explain why a twelve or thirteen-year-old child would spend four or five hours alone every day, instead of chasing ponies or climbing banyan trees as he used to.
James's true hobby was certainly not reading and studying. The level of education in the 19th century was very limited, let alone in colonial areas. Even a highly talented Oxford graduate in a non-mathematical or scientific field at this time would find it difficult to compare their mathematical skills with those of future students with a solid basic education.
Bai Feng's English in his previous life was ordinary, but his vocabulary of several thousand words far exceeded a child's language proficiency. The only things that required some effort were the two unfamiliar languages, French and Latin, but setting aside the restless nature of a child, learning two languages diligently was not difficult.
After dinner, having dealt with the casual inquiries from his grandfather, father, and mother, James politely requested to return to his room to review his homework. After Mr. Howlett, with a face full of grateful wrinkles, nodded his permission, he went upstairs and gently closed the door.
He stood still, closed his eyes for a moment, and let out a long breath. He then stood with his feet apart, slightly squatting, and his hands lightly resting on his waist, standing somewhat strangely in the room.
The balcony doors and windows were wide open, facing the bright and numerous moon and stars above. His body slowly rose and fell with his breathing. After a while, when his body felt slightly warm from standing, he stopped and lifted his shoulders, instantly balancing on his tiptoes, stretching out his body flat, and with the orderly sounds of his joints, he twisted his spine, bent his waist, and bowed forward.
He continued to change through more than a dozen such movements, for a full hour, before finally standing upright and collecting himself. After a few casual stretches, he collapsed onto the bed, his mind constantly calculating.
"For almost a month now, I've been doing the foundation stance every day. In the morning, I perform a set of Eight-Section Brocade, patting all my joints and acupoints. In the evening, I practice a basic set of Muscle and Tendon Changing Qigong (a Chinese system of physical exercises and breathing control related to tai chi).
This body isn't as bad as I imagined; it should be no different from a healthy child's. Why did I always get sick inexplicably when I was young? Is it really just a severe allergic constitution? I don't think practicing martial arts can even fix that…"
James lay on the bed, his mind blank, planning how he should conduct himself in such a strange World.
Perhaps it was because his boxing skills had reached a profound level in his previous life, and his spiritual and psychological cultivation had also reached a certain state of "insight" making him exceptionally adaptable to the astonishing events of temporal reversal, reincarnation, and body possession.
Moreover, although his former self had exceptional comprehension, he was born with a deficiency of vital energy and blood and extremely poor root bones. In professional Western medical terms, he had congenital heart disease and kidney failure from birth, and his bones were also very slender and fragile.
This sickly body, destined for an early death, had miraculously improved its constitution step by step by practicing martial arts.
Even so, his physical function was only comparable to that of a generally robust ordinary person. Excessive exertion of energy would still overwhelm his heart, and it was precisely because he forcefully used his power to kill his fellow student, avenging his master, that he died prematurely due to myocardial failure.
Now, although it seems like his original World has reversed by over 170 years, and he has arrived in the mid-19th century in the very backward British colony of Canada, at least his family is extremely well-off, and it appears he will be free from worries about food and clothing this lifetime.
Although there are still some unclear problems with his body, it is certainly much better than his previous life.
Thump-thump… Two soft thuds. Elizabeth pushed open the door and asked softly, "Jamie, are you resting?"