The shops were mainly general stores, bakeries, an inn, a lumber yard, and a martial arts hall. He even saw a storefront with a fortune teller.
Henry occasionally heard them speaking, which seemed to be mostly cantonese, Teochew, or Hokkien, but unfortunately, he couldn't understand any of them.
The Chinese residents of Chinatown, seeing Henry, who looked like a small giant, were also filled with apprehension and generally watched him with unease.
Henry knew that in his previous timeline, in three months, this Chinatown would be razed by a group of over 3,000 white thugs and hooligans, killing one person and injuring hundreds.
This Chinatown would cease to exist from then on.
He knew this because when he traveled here before transmigrating, he happened to catch the mayor of Danfu City apologizing for this riot more than a hundred years later.
There was still enough time; Henry had only been transmigrated for ten days.
This time, he was just here to investigate, feeling as if he was witnessing history by traveling through time.
He didn't know if the past riot would occur in this parallel timeline, but since he was here, he couldn't tolerate such a situation happening.
The key to solving the problem was not in Chinatown itself, but with the Security Maintenance Association and gang enforcers outside, or even higher up.
While Henry was strolling, William received the telegram he sent.
The telegram mentioned Henry's annihilation of the Dodge Gang and the Spanish gang and his rescue of Richard and his wife, then, in a rumored tone, spoke of the black market and the McKinley family's manor, and reminded William and William's youngest son in Denver, Gavin, to be careful during this period.
Finally, he told William that he would return after sending Linda to New York.
Upon reading the telegram, William immediately sent two telegrams to his youngest son, Gavin. Besides instructing Gavin to strengthen security during this period, he also told him to send someone to Melon Manor to deliver the second telegram to Henry.
--
Henry hadn't gone directly to Gavin before because their relationship was average, and going uninvited might have been a thankless task.
Danfu was like a large construction site now; only the city center within half a mile was relatively prosperous. Henry easily explored it all with a casual stroll.
The only thing he accomplished was ordering 1,200 6-inch, 3-ounce small Flying Daggers and 1,200 12-inch, 13-ounce Flying Daggers from a German-owned general store.
Henry could use the latter type of 12-inch Flying Daggers to accurately hit targets within 50 meters with a spinning throw.
These Flying Daggers were all made of steel and would take 12 days to complete.
However, this general store had an inventory of 320 12-inch, 12-ounce Flying Daggers, which Henry bought entirely.
Unable to endure the various fragrant smells and dust, Henry returned to Richard's manor around 3 PM.
Upon arriving at the manor's entrance, Henry handed his horse to Locke to lead into the stables, then walked through the main gate.
Becky and Andre were playing in the small garden, which was over two hundred square meters.
Seeing Henry, Becky scurried over on her short legs.
Henry stood still, letting her embrace his right calf.
Becky looked up, her big eyes sparkling as she gazed at Henry.
Henry understood.
He waved his right hand and then opened his palm in front of her—two Samuel candies lay quietly in his palm.
Becky cheered, tugged at Henry's right sleeve, making him bend down, then gave his right cheek a smacking kiss before taking the two candies and scampering back to Andre, sharing one with him.
Not bad, she was a generous child.
Henry deliberately took out two candies to see what Becky would do.
Just then, Henry noticed two bright gazes from his right—Edith was sitting on a wicker chair, holding a book with her ungloved hands, her bright eyes fixed on him.
She was wearing a white morning dress bustle skirt, with semi-transparent thin gauze draped over her shoulders and an exquisite pearl necklace around her neck, highlighting her delicate collarbone. A cute bow on her chest accentuated her youthful, girlish charm.
She looked elegant, graceful, and stunningly beautiful.
Henry offered her a slight smile, then slowly walked to her side and sat down on a wicker chair about a meter away.
Edith watched the tall, handsome, and imposing Henry, her heart involuntarily beating rapidly a few times.
"Good afternoon, Miss Edith," Henry said politely.
Edith smiled sweetly, as if a hundred flowers had bloomed.
"Good afternoon. Are you done with your tasks for today?"
"Yes, there wasn't much to do today. Is reading your usual hobby? What kind of books do you like to read?"
"The novel 'Jane Eyre.' I usually enjoy reading, playing the piano, horseback riding, and archery. I like to read historical biographies and novels written by modern women." Edith raised the novel in her hand.
"'Jane Eyre' is indeed a very influential novel, expressing women's desire for freedom and equality," Henry commented.
Edith's eyes suddenly widened, and she said in surprise, "You've actually read it? You like reading too? Do you also believe in gender equality?"
Henry smiled slightly and said with a definite tone, "Women are very important to the stability and development of a family, no less than the role men play. So, why not?"
Edith couldn't help but cover her red lips with her right hand, observing Henry carefully, finding his handsome face serious and composed.
"Forgive my shock; this is the first time I've heard an excellent man agree with this view," Edith said sincerely, lowering her right hand.
"I understand. However, the most important thing about the female protagonist in the book is that she is strong and independent enough. If you demand equality, then you must strive to be independent. I think that's the key, Edith, what do you think?"
"Yes, that's it, I think..."
As Edith began to share her thoughts after reading, Henry slowly guided her to elaborate on her past experiences and various feelings at the time, occasionally agreeing appropriately or showing a slight hint of doubt.
Anyone who has coaxed a girlfriend knows that letting her talk more is the correct way to go about it.
In any case, Edith was very happy now; her silvery laughter even startled Madeline and Linda, but neither of them went to disturb the perfect pair.
Henry also felt quite good—a bright summer afternoon, teasing a girl who fit his aesthetic, smelling the fresh scent of grass and trees in the garden, truly made him feel relaxed and greatly relieved the tension that had been building in his mind since his transmigration.
Edith also felt very pleasant, feeling that Henry was her soulmate, and he was so handsome, knowledgeable, mysterious, powerful, and understanding.
No matter what she talked about, Henry could naturally and purposefully respond, and just a casual remark could pique her interest.
Later, when they talked about music, with just a few sentences, Edith felt that Henry's musical literacy was extremely high—as the saying goes, an expert's move reveals their skill.
She said regretfully, "It's a pity there's no piano in this house, otherwise we could try playing a duet."
Henry said softly, "A piano is too big; I can't conjure it out of thin air. Would you like to hear a harmonica?"
Edith replied in surprise, "Of course, can you really?"
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