Chapter 9: The Beauty's Grace, Hard to Resist
"Tatar? My goodness, Isabel, you can't possibly be falling for this Tatar, can you?" Mrs. Duran said, her mouth half-open, displaying a look of bewilderment.
Roman, the Countess kissed the cheek of the matron and then introduced Zhu Jishi: "This is my sister, Lady Duran—this is Jason Zhu (during breakfast, Zhu Jishi had already informed the Countess of his 'peculiar' Tatar surname) he is a very distinguished surgeon who has just arrived from Germany
"My goodness, did he kill Mr. Churchill?" exclaimed Mrs. Duran
He is a Tatar. The Countess said with a smile to the maid, "Please tidy up the third floor, Jason will be staying here for a while."
Roman, please help Jason choose a decent outfit; his current attire does not resemble that of a gentleman. The customs officials and the members of the medical association are all quite superficial, judging people by their clothing and hats
It is a great honor to meet you, Mr. Zhu... The lady blinked her eyes, curiously observing Zhu Jishi, "Are you... an Oriental person?"
The third floor of the small shop is not empty; rather, it serves as a warehouse for fabrics, with various colors of wool and silk piled up even on the stairs and walkways. The young man opened the door to a room facing Dover Street, where some fabrics were also stacked, but not in large quantities. Together, the two quickly cleared the room. Subsequently, the young man brought in a camp bed from somewhere and set it up inside the small room. Additionally, there was a wooden table, two chairs, and a wardrobe in the room, but no other furniture. Fortunately, Zhu Jishi had little luggage, making this small room quite suitable for settling down. The young man, named Henry Rabigonli, seemed to have just arrived from France; he could not speak English or German, and Zhu Jishi did not understand French, so they communicated only through simple gestures. Fortunately, Zhu Jishi had little luggage, making this small room quite suitable for settling down. The young man, named Henry Rabigonli, seemed to have just arrived from France; he could not speak English or German, and Zhu Jishi did not understand French, so they communicated only through simple gestures.
"Isabelle, my dear, the breeze has brought you here." A charming voice rang out as the door of the Deneuve clothing store was suddenly pushed open. A woman emerged, wearing a white headscarf and a black dress with a large white apron over it. She appeared to be in her early thirties, possessing a captivating oval face similar to that of the countess, with very fair skin and cascading golden waves of hair. Her figure was even more voluptuous than the countess's, with a prominently elevated bust, exuding a certain mature charm. If she were to be ten years younger, she would likely be a beauty for whom men would duel.
"That fat man didn't die; he was saved by the Tatar from upstairs!" The Countess took a sip of her coffee and gently hummed, "However, the Duke of Marlborough will not let this go easily. Wilk will definitely be dismissed from the army, and he will have no future for the rest of his life. Moreover, that duke will no longer allow Robert to pursue me. This time, it truly is a great loss. Fortunately, I discovered this Tatar..."
The Countess smiled gently: "Jason, as long as you like it, you can stay as long as you wish."
For less than 3 pounds, Zhu Jishi changed his casual suit and jeans into a heavy and thick formal outfit, and Mrs. Duran also gifted him a cylindrical top hat large enough to fit a rabbit and a somewhat worn wooden cane. Subsequently, Zhu Jishi and Isabel boarded the carriage, heading straight for the customs at the London port
"Will you really spend your whole life as the social butterfly of the Almark Club?" Lady Duran forced a smile and said, "Isabel, you are still young; why not find someone who loves you and get married?"
"What is special about this Tatar?" Lady Duran handed the Countess a cup of freshly brewed coffee
The woman scrutinized Zhu Jishi with a peculiar gaze, then called out to Henry Rabigonli from her small shop—a quiet young man who appeared to be around 20 years old—and instructed him to take Zhu Jishi up to the third floor
How does it compare to that Will?
Perhaps, the Countess gently rotated the small coffee cup in her hand, a slight smile appearing at the corner of her mouth, "It might be a highly profitable investment."
After obtaining her passport, Isabel took Zhu Jishi to the location of the Physicians' Association under the Royal Medical Society. The examination for the medical license is not held every day. Zhu Jishi completed the examination registration procedures with a clerk who had a look of disbelief on his face, preparing to take a medical qualification exam in three weeks. He then purchased several large medical textbooks at a bookstore next to the Physicians' Association. Although Zhu Jishi found the content to be mostly nonsense and errors, he thought it would not be an exaggeration to call it a guide for murderous doctors. However, in order to obtain the medical license, he still needed to burn the midnight oil for several days to review thoroughly. The final examination went very smoothly; after all, Zhu Jishi's medical knowledge was quite extensive, and he had over a decade of experience in examination settings. Handling a 19th-century murderous doctor's license exam was a piece of cake for him.
The carriage passed through several intersections and came to a stop at the roadside after a turn. Isabel asked Zhu Jishi to get off. Once he alighted from the carriage, Zhu Jishi noticed that the entire street was lined with shops, each one exquisitely decorated. Zhu Jishi turned to Isabel and said, "Isabel, this place is ... ... "
Isabelle smiled faintly, looking at Mrs. Duran, "Roman, I told you I will no longer consider marriage"
"Roman! How could I possibly like a Tatar..." At this point, she suddenly paused, then sighed and said, "Roman, do you still not understand my feelings? I will not marry again"
Meanwhile, while Zhu Jishi and Henry were busy upstairs, on the ground floor of the small shop, the Countess was also conversing in French with *Tu* and her sister about something.
"Are you still thinking about those men from the British upper class?" Lady Duran shook her head and sighed, "But will they marry you? Isabel, do not forget that you are merely of common birth; your title of countess means nothing to them!"
Zhu Jishi was completely in the dark about London in 1842. He looked around at the surroundings, which were quite nice, and the transportation seemed relatively convenient. Moreover, he did not have to pay rent, so he expressed his gratitude to the Countess, saying: "Isabelle, thank you so much. I am very satisfied with this place."
The countess furrowed her elegant brows, her face filled with disgust, "Will is finished; that rascal actually went to duel with Winston. No matter how I tried to persuade him, he wouldn't listen! As a result, he ended up shooting a hole in Robert's stomach with a firearm"
At this moment, there was a sound coming from the stairs. Unaware that she had already become the Countess, Zhu Jishi, who had settled into her new home in 1842, came downstairs with a heart full of gratitude.
"Those who love me? It's not difficult to find a poor boy like Will Haiming, but do you think I can endure such a hard life again?" Isabel gently bit her red lips, fell silent for a moment, and then changed the subject, "Doctor Blonstein believes that this Tatar's medical skills are exceptional and that he will surely become a renowned physician in the future. Roman, consider him; at the very least, keep an eye on him. Which renowned physician in London doesn't earn a few hundred pounds a year?" "Doctor Blonstein believes that this Tatar's medical skills are exceptional and that he will surely become a renowned physician in the future. Roman, consider him; at the very least, keep an eye on him. Which renowned physician in London doesn't earn a few hundred pounds a year?"
"Can you give it to me? A... wwwhetushu.com... Tatar?" Lady Duran pouted, seemingly dissatisfied. After a while, she sighed and said, "Alright, let's keep it for now. If he really can become a renowned doctor, it might be worth considering, and besides, he is quite good-looking."
The process of obtaining a passport was even quicker and simpler than expected. The British customs officials only asked Zhu Jishi where he came from and where he was headed, and then issued him a passport that resembled a notebook. They even briefly noted Zhu Jishi's physical characteristics on the second page of the passport, and that was that. It seemed they did not care at all how long this 21st-century illegal immigrant intended to stay in the UK, whether he planned to work, study, engage in business, or even participate in terrorist activities. Thus, on the second day after arriving in 1842, Zhu Jishi successfully resolved the issue of lacking identification.
This is Dover Street, where my sister has a small shop. " Isabel pointed to a tiny clothing store with a sign that read 'Duran Clothing Store.' 'Duran is the surname of my late ex-husband. The third floor of the shop is temporarily vacant, and you can stay there without paying rent. However, if you would like to share meals with my sister and have her assist with some household chores, you can simply give her half to one pound each month.
The Countess smiled charmingly at Zhu Jishi, saying, "My sister and Henry are both excellent tailors. The clothes here are all handmade by them. I hope you don't mind taking care of their business, do you?"