Goodbye Hooke

Three days later.

It was noon.

Thump-thump-thump--

On a road about four to five meters wide, of considerably higher quality than ordinary rammed stone roads, a hay cart was swaying along in a southeastern direction.

The creaking of its joints sounded like a worn-out old harmonica, singing of life's hardships.

Besides potatoes and vegetables, the hay cart was now carrying three men in the back.

The leader in the middle was a middle-aged man, and the other two were young men. One of them had black hair and black eyes – it was Little Ox. Xu Yun and William were the three.

Since receiving seven guineas from Reverend Yarlin three days ago, William's family, who had relatively more money, first spent ten shillings on some daily necessities and food, enjoying a lavish meal for the first time in a year.

After resting for another day, they found a hay cart heading in their direction this morning and were heading towards Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire.

"County" was the second-level administrative division in England, divided in nature into ceremonial counties and metropolitan counties.

In 1665, there were 27 of the former and only 4 of the latter—by the 21st century, this number would become 34 and 6.

Lincolnshire was a standard ceremonial county, with a Lord Lieutenant representing the British Crown but holding no real power, serving only as a geographical designation and coordinating a few civil affairs within its jurisdiction.

The county seat of Lincolnshire was Lincoln, a very, very small city by local standards, so small that you might not find it without adding the prefix 'England' when searching.

The hay cart traveled under the sun for a while. After about half an hour, the carter pulled the horse:

"Gentlemen, we've arrived in Lincoln."

The three of them, Xu Yun, Little Ox, and William, exchanged glances and stood up one after another.

They shook off the potato dust clinging to their clothes, picked up their bundles, and neatly stepped off the footboard.

Then, William walked to the front of the cart and took out a small piece of dried meat from his person:

"Mr. Wenger, this piece of venison is the agreed-upon fare. Thank you for the ride."

The carter, addressed as Wenger, was a thin, dark-skinned old man. After taking the dried meat from William, he opened his mouth and revealed a large, yellow tooth in a bite:

"Mr. William, you're too kind. Shall we meet here again tonight?"

William nodded:

"See you tonight."

After settling with the carter, William turned around and waved to Xu Yun and Little Ox:

"Alright, Isaac, Mr. Fat Fish, let's head into the city."

Fat Fish and Little Ox both responded with an "Oh" and followed William towards the entrance.

In 1665 England, there was no city entrance tax for people entering on foot, but if you owned a house in the city, you had to pay a 'hearth tax'.

Besides that, there were freight wagons like Wenger's; empty carts were not charged, but those carrying goods would be stopped.

Accompanied by the phrase "goods are not allowed," you would have to obediently pay the money.

Xu Yun and the other two had no trouble with the city entrance tax, so they easily walked into Lincoln.

The total population of Lincoln's main urban area was about forty to fifty thousand. In this era in Europe, it wasn't large, but it wasn't small either—in China, it was the 4th year of Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty, and the combined population of Hunan and Hubei was only a little over five hundred thousand.

At the same time, compared to the town of Grantham, Lincoln's buildings were much more upscale, with landmarks like the opera house and restaurants being quite conspicuous.

If you observed carefully, you could occasionally see some richly dressed wealthy individuals passing by in carriages.

In short, arriving at the county seat, one could somewhat feel the aristocratic atmosphere of the 17th century.

Of course.

The two tallest buildings were still the clock tower and the church.

After entering the city, William looked around and pulled Little Ox and Xu Yun to a magnificent multi-story building, saying:

"Little Isaac, Mr. Fat Fish, this place is very easy to recognize. Let's use it as our meeting point. We'll rendezvous here in three hours. Is that okay?"

Xu Yun and Little Ox nodded in unison:

"No problem, Uncle (Mr. William)."

The three then parted ways.

William's purpose for coming to Lincoln this time was to purchase sugar—although they had granted the right to produce ketchup to Yarlin, William and the others couldn't possibly leave no backup plan. Making some ketchup for emergencies was the best choice.

And to make ketchup, sugar was naturally an indispensable ingredient.

Due to different sources and transportation costs, the price of sugar varied between towns, counties, and even the capital in England at this time; it was cheapest in the county seat and fluctuated considerably in towns.

Furthermore, the amount of sugar William intended to buy this time would not be less than three guineas, which was too unsafe in a small town of a thousand people like Little Grantham.

The English also understood the principle of not flaunting wealth.

As for Xu Yun and Little Ox's purpose in coming to Lincoln, there was naturally only one:

To find Hooke!

"The Song of Songs Inn, southwest of the city."

After parting ways with William, Xu Yun and Little Ox followed the address Hooke had previously left, finally stopping in front of another three-story building.

The building was located in the affluent district southwest of the city, where the streets were relatively cleaner. At least, you wouldn't be walking along and suddenly have someone approach you with a bucket to splash a puddle of "olive oil" next to you.

At the very top of the building's facade was a cross, indicating it was church property and had official origins.

Below the cross hung a plaque inscribed with the Hebrew characters for "Song of Songs."

"The Song of Songs Inn, this must be it."

In this era, inns had no doormen. The so-called "lobby" was only about twenty to thirty square meters. Little Ox and his companion easily reached the front desk.

"Hello, excuse me, is Mr. Robert Hooke staying here?"

The innkeeper, a short, stout, middle-aged man with a goatee, looked up as he heard them.

"Mr. Hooke? Yes, he's staying here. What business do you have with him?"

Confirming Hooke was present, Little Ox tightened his grip on the hand hidden in his sleeve and said, "We have an appointment with him. Could you please contact him? Tell him Isaac Newton, a student of Barrow, is looking for him."

The stout man put down his pen and scrutinized Xu Yun and Little Ox again, a hint of hesitation appearing on his face.

It was noon, and without knowing if the guest was napping, he had to weigh the potential risk of a complaint. This was church property, and he was merely a highly-empowered employee, akin to a lobby manager.

As the top hotel in Lincoln City, he had encountered many people who learned of guests' names through certain channels, seeking either money or connections.

After more than ten seconds, the stout man finally made up his mind.

He picked up a pen from the desk, quickly wrote a few words on a piece of paper, and handed it to Little Ox.

"Barrow, and Isaac Newton, are these names spelled correctly?"

Little Ox took the paper and glanced at it a few times, nodding.

"That's right."

The stout man took back the paper, placed it into a small basket beside him, and shook another string.

Soon, a response came from the second floor.

Someone pulled the rope from above, slowly drawing the basket up.

A moment later, footsteps could be heard from the roof.

Ring ring ring--

After another two or three minutes, a bell to the left of the front desk suddenly rang out clearly.

The stout man breathed a slight sigh of relief.

There were two response bells at the front desk: the left one indicated the guest agreed or permitted, while the right one signified refusal.

He then checked the ledger again and gave Little Ox and Xu Yun a room number.

"Second floor, room 233. Someone will escort you after you go upstairs."

Xu Yun thanked the innkeeper on behalf of Little Ox, and the two then proceeded up the stairs.

The stairs to the old attic creaked and swayed, giving the impression of a dilapidated building.

If the WenRead Platinum Writer's Salon were to be held at this inn, it was estimated that two or three authors would collapse it just by walking on it.

However, Xu Yun and Little Ox's combined weight was less than that of an earplug, so they easily reached the second floor.

As soon as they arrived upstairs, a short attendant greeted them.

Under his guidance, Xu Yun and Little Ox walked straight down the narrow corridor, eventually arriving at a room.

The door to the room had already been unlocked from the inside and was slightly ajar, with a faint smell of tobacco wafting out.

The attendant gestured for Xu Yun and Little Ox to knock themselves, bowed slightly, and then turned to leave.

After the attendant departed, Little Ox stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Mr. Hooke, it's Isaac Newton."