Chapter 645: Contrast

“Come, Steven, follow me… round is O, pointed is A…”

In the nursery, nanny Jenna was playing with Wu Ming’s two younger siblings, amusing them with toys, while Mrs. Sterling formally began teaching Wu Ming pronunciation and how to recognize letters.

The language system of this world was somewhat similar to the Western alphabet, albeit slightly altered and more complicated. Wu Ming had long since mastered the language, and with a bit of effort, he had also memorized these letters and characters.

However, to avoid being seen as a prodigy or oddity, he still needed to half-heartedly go along with Mrs. Sterling’s lessons.

Even so, his displayed talent was sufficient to be called genius-level.

“Very good, out of the thirty-five letters, you already know how to pronounce them all…”

Mrs. Sterling proudly said to Jenna beside her, “Did you see that? My little Steven is a genius!”

“This child is indeed quite clever, madam!”

As a nanny, Jenna wasn’t a servant, so she didn’t have to address Wu Ming as young master or similar titles, thus displaying a certain level of equality, which was a sign of social progress.

Of course, it was also possible that Wu Ming was simply ignorant; given the wealth and status of the Sterlings, they might not afford true servants. After all, establishing a personal dependent relationship and cultivating loyalty requires generations of education and indoctrination. Otherwise, it would always carry a hint of nouveau riche.

Before he knew it, Wu Ming’s current body had already turned three years old. As he ran about energetically, he displayed the intense curiosity typical of all boys at this stage. Using his babyhood as cover, he had explored the entire house, especially showing great interest in the tall bookshelf in James’s study.

“The Hundred Techniques of Salesmanship,” “The Choice of a Successful Man,” “Master Debaters,” “From a Newspaper Boy to a Millionaire – The Autobiography of Franklin”…

Wu Ming stepped on a stool and pulled down several books, looking at the covers with a sense of disbelief: “All books about sales techniques? Could James be a salesman? No wonder he’s always so busy…”

He was somewhat disappointed at not finding any books related to geography or history.

“Oh! Steven, what are you doing?”

Mrs. Sterling finally noticed Wu Ming’s mischief, letting out a shriek as she ran over and picked him up: “Be careful not to fall, Jenna! Come quickly and change Steven’s clothes!”

“Were you reading books?”

She glanced at the sales manual Wu Ming had opened and laughed again: “Don’t mess up your father’s things; he’ll get angry… He’s off today, so we’re going on a family outing to the riverside park to enjoy a leisurely time, afternoon tea, cherry cake, and honey milk tea… Little Steven, you can’t eat too much, or you’ll get cavities…”

Jenna came over and dressed Wu Ming in a light blue plaid shirt, gray overalls, and a pair of small black leather shoes.

If he had a gray cap added to that, he would look exactly like an American kid from the 80s or 90s in his previous life.

Wu Ming looked at himself in the mirror, silently grumbling inside.

“Alright, let’s get ready to go!”

Mrs. Sterling, however, was very satisfied with his outfit. She then opened a lace-edged parasol, and with Jenna, pushed the stroller out the door.

Clap! Clap!

On the road in front of the garden, the black little car was parked quietly by the side. James was pressing the horn with the airbag, producing a sharp sound, clearly very pleased with himself.

Owning a steam-powered car was undoubtedly a symbol of wealth, and at least Wu Ming could see a strong sense of admiration in Jenna’s eyes.

“Ladies and gentlemen, a wonderful time is about to begin!”

James announced with a smile, quickly getting out of the car to open the door for Mrs. Sterling: “Dear, be careful not to hit your head…”

Huff! Huff!

The boiler roared, and huge plumes of white steam spewed from the rear of the car, as the small automobile slowly started moving, speeding down the highway at about the same speed as a galloping horse.

The scenery on both sides quickly receded.

Reinforced concrete apartments and office buildings, upright pines and birches, more steam-powered cars, and all sorts of ordinary people…

Warm and gentle sunlight poured down, shining on their bodies, making them feel cozy.

Just as Wu Ming was beginning to doze off, a little girl dressed like a princess, wearing a red dress and holding a small red umbrella, flashed past the car window. Although he couldn’t see her face clearly, her sweet smile still stirred something in Wu Ming’s heart.

If before he had felt like he was living in a set of old Western black-and-white photographs from the 70s or 80s, now the black-and-white tones suddenly faded, and the entire world became vivid and colorful.

“To travel through time and space, experience the differences of myriad worlds, and appreciate the vastness and magnificence of the universe, how wonderful…”

A sudden surge of emotion rose in Wu Ming’s heart.

…

About half an hour later, James’s car entered a park through its gates and stopped on a green lawn beside a river.

A few cars were parked sporadically along the roadside. Several large parasols had been set up by the riverside, with people fishing underneath. On the lawn, several adults and children were playing a game similar to baseball, while others were walking dogs or having picnics… various people occupying different spaces on the grass, all enjoying themselves leisurely, in stark contrast to the hard labor at the nearby large factories.

“Jenna, come and help!”

James took several baskets, a parasol, and a large picnic cloth out of the car and worked with Jenna to spread it on the grass. Then he took many pastries out of the baskets and placed them on the cloth.

“I want it!” “I want it!”

Brandon and Angelina stretched out their four little hands, their eyes fixed on the cherries on the cakes, clearly impatient.

“Hehe… You two little gluttons can only have a little bit of cream. Steven, you too, don’t eat too much!”

Mrs. Sterling chuckled.

Wu Ming stood on the soft grass, and the rare outing made him feel quite cheerful. He gazed at the blue sky, white clouds, and the lush green meadow.

If it weren’t for the numerous chimneys in the distance and the dark smoke blotting out the sky, his mood might have been even better.

James seemed quite tired; after eating and drinking his fill, he lay on a reclining chair and soon fell asleep.

Mrs. Sterling wisely didn’t wake her husband but instead leisurely sunbathed while playing with Wu Ming’s two younger siblings.

“Jenna, do your family often go out to play?”

Wu Ming, watching the somewhat dazed Jenna beside him, suddenly asked in his childish voice.

At present, he displayed a level of mental maturity similar to that of a seven or eight-year-old child, speaking quite logically. This was the benefit of his long-term genius act, which the Sterlings happily accepted.

“No!”

Jenna’s eyes looked somewhat distant: “We’re always busy at home. My parents work all day, from morning to night without rest. I have two older brothers and an older sister, who have to get up before dawn to deliver newspapers and milk on the streets. Sometimes we go hungry and even have to rummage through garbage piles…”

“Hehe… Why am I telling you all this? You wouldn’t understand anyway!”

Jenna turned her head with a somewhat dispirited expression, her eyes seeming to hold a few glimmering tears.

Perhaps, for her, the life of the Sterlings’ family was almost like a dream paradise?

However, as she turned her head, her body suddenly froze.

“Hmm?”

Wu Ming also looked up and immediately saw several small black dots in the distant sky growing larger.

“Mom, what’s that?”

He tugged at Mrs. Sterling’s sleeve and pointed at the sky.

“Airships!”

Mrs. Sterling looked up: “Perhaps it’s a transport ship from some airline company, but how can it come here? There’s no route established here. Could it be lost? Or encountered a storm?”

Suspended in the sky were indeed some large, olive-shaped airships.

As they drew closer, Wu Ming gradually saw the full view of these airships.

They looked menacing, painted entirely in black with a metallic sheen. On top was a layer of paint depicting sharp white teeth, resembling a shark’s open mouth. This instantly reminded Wu Ming of the Kirov airships from a certain game in his previous life.

“No, those aren’t transport ships, they’re armored warships! And there are way too many of them!”

Mrs. Sterling’s expression changed, and she quickly shook her husband awake: “Dear, wake up quickly!”

“What’s going on?”

James, who had worked all night, rubbed his eyes, which were still bloodshot. But when he saw the fleet of armored airships in the sky, he immediately jumped up: “These are military airships. Why would they come here? Wait… Look at those flags. That’s not our kingdom’s fleet, it’s the military of the Crape Myrtle Federation!”

He screamed, his face unusually serious, suddenly grabbing Wu Ming into his arms and telling Mrs. Sterling to take the two children and rush back to the car, leaving behind a large pile of stuff.

“Damn it, how could the armed fleet of the Crape Myrtle Federation come here? I have a bad feeling!”

James turned pale, looking at his wife and three children beside him, and managed a faint smile: “It’ll be okay. Our kingdom’s royal fleet is also very powerful and will definitely protect us! Right!”

He seemed to be hypnotizing himself: “Let’s go back to the city first. At least there are anti-aircraft guns, as well as the protection of the army and police!”

The small car quickly started up, spewing out a thick plume of smoke as it sped back to their original apartment like it was fleeing for its life.

And only by then did more and more people notice the threatening airships, undoubtedly causing a huge commotion.

Screaming, running away, all sorts of people, and because of the struggle for the roads, a series of chain collisions occurred…

Fortunately, because they noticed early, the Sterlings did not get caught up in the chaos and successfully returned to their apartment villa.

Soon after, wave upon wave of police and soldiers appeared on the streets, loudspeakers announcing the curfew orders. In the middle of the night, the gas supply was also cut off. James broke open a wooden board and lit a fire, and the family spent an unforgettable night huddled around the fire.

The next day, James returned from going out, his face pale, bringing back a piece of news: the war had begun!