A Reincarnator’s Guide: How to Survive a Victorian-ish Era

Monday was a busy day.

While the meeting was being held, news of the successful bazaar sale had already spread within the domus. It quickly rippled out into the neighbourhood through Josh, who had followed his master’s instruction to carry the good news to everyone who had contributed to the crafts production.

Once the meeting was dismissed, those who held control over the expenses – Sister Miriam, Sister Geenia, and Brother James – quickly headed to the market to scout for the best offers, utterly determined not to waste a single coin the students had earned through hours of hard work.

Father Rochester summoned Mother Annie to his study to decide who should be assigned to the roster for overseeing the upcoming workshops – nuns for the ladies’ craft, and monks for the paper craft.

Clara shared the news with Mrs. Whitcombe. The widow once again dissolved into tears, weeping for her late husband and thanking the Light that Clara would now be able to find a suitable husband, given her new reputation and accomplishments.

A few boys – likely those who first received the news from Josh – approached Brother Milo, requesting to become helpers in the malt room. If Jade had been there, she would certainly have considered them the clever ones. They had smartly chosen the maltroom, which housed a skilled candy craftsman but had no helpers, instead of the bakehouse which already housed numerous students, or the yet-to-established workshops.

The young monk thought about Miss Jade’s bakehouse, which had begun with a very similar pattern, and so he went to Father Rochester to ask for further instructions. Perhaps not long after, the maltroom would become another busy workhouse belonging to the domus, housing the ragged school students by providing industrial training, a daily meal, and a penny as wages – just like Miss Jade’s bakehouse.

Miss Arrowot, together with the other teachers, discussed the methods and schedules required to lecture the paper craft workshop’s students in drawing and painting. Although these particular students had not accomplished quite as much as the ones who produced the screens and accessories, they had still earned a significant amount – enough to sustain themselves and even their families. If they could be equipped with better drawing skills, the prospect of them escaping the slums was highly expected.

All of these were happening while Jade was racking her brain to steer Ashborne’s attention away from another tedious – and perhaps dangerous – attempt to challenge another social norm and regulation.

Down in the dining hall, Josh had almost finished his dinner – which he was having much later than the others, having only just returned from town. He cast glances toward the entrance every now and then, wondering what was taking his Sensei so long in her meeting with their school patron. Normally, she would have concluded the meeting before dinner, and he was surprised to see her portion still waiting at the service station. She was always incredibly punctual when it came to eating, for the sake of protecting her stomach from gastric… or something like that. Josh could not accurately recall the exact term she had used, but he understood it was likely some form of ailment.

He was sitting beside Brother James, having followed the monk to negotiate with traders for secondhand furniture right after he finished spreading the news. Though he had learned a lot from the monk, he still preferred to follow Jade. Learning from his Sensei was an entirely different experience, one he simply could not get with anyone else.

The sound of footsteps came from the entrance. Josh raised his gaze and found his Sensei looking exhausted.

“Sensei, over here!” He immediately rose, waving his hand while pulling out a stool for her. Once his master had settled down, he dashed over to the service station, quickly grabbed Jade’s portion of dinner and brought it back to the table.

“Thanks, Josh.” Jade said, her head still dipped as she rubbed her forehead with both palms.

Josh had gotten used to her acting this way.. He had been startled the first time he saw it, thinking she might have a severe headache or had fallen ill, but he later realised she was always like this when he ran into problems that required a lot of heavy thinking.

And more often than not, she ended up in this state right after meeting with their school patron. Therefore, in Josh’s perspective, although Lord Ashborne was their incredibly generous patron, he was also a very troublesome one who constantly caused his master a headache.

Knowing he probably would not be able to understand the problem himself, he offered, “Does his lordship demand something too hard to achieve, Sensei? Perhaps Father Rochester could help?”

“I don’t think Father Rochester could help with this …” Jade sighed. She did not think the determined Mr. Rich Sponsor could easily be restrained by a mere chief clergy. However, Father Rochester might at least be able to contact Mr. Rich Sponsor’s father – the older, greater nobleman whom Jade remembered as shrouded in a very powerful, formidable aura…

So, should I tell Father Rochester to remind Mr. Rich Sponsor’s dad to pay closer attention to him? Would he think I’m being nosy? Does that powerful noble even care what a commoner like me has to say? Jade shut her eyes, once again cursing her uncontrollable tongue.

Josh frowned for a moment, observing her distress, and decided to distract her from the problems with some good news. “Sensei, Wendy’s parents agreed to let her stay at home. She doesn’t need to work as a farmhand anymore!”

“Hm?” Jade pushed away all her lingering thoughts regarding Ashborne, blinking as she turned her full attention to. “Why? We were still in the middle of discussing the workshop while you were out spreading the news, right? Did she already know she wanted to join it?”

“No, but they do intend to send Wendy to a seamstress if Sensei has no further plans for them,” Josh explained. “Wendy said that if she wants to apply for a position at any shop that handles silk, she must keep her hands intact so the rough pricks on her skin would not snag or damage the delicate fabric and thread.”

Josh then recounted exactly what he had witnessed while delivering the news across the parish.

Everyone cheered when they learned that the crafts they made had earned such a massive sum of money, and that they would soon have milk, eggs, and meat in their meals, alongside proper caps and books for their school lessons. Josh had not informed them about the workshop since the plan was not confirmed at the time, but even without that guarantee, many of the girls had already decided to leave their grueling farmwork behind to aim for positions with local dressmakers or milliners.

Among these determined girls, Wendy was simply the first to successfully persuade her family to pull her from the fields.

Josh recalled Wendy’s exact words: “Miss Jade likely has a plan for us. But even if she does not, I can apply for a position using my ability to make velvet flowers and other trinkets. The fact that our craft sold for such a high price at the auction, and was printed right on the papers, will serve as my best character for any position!”

“Good thinking,” Jade nodded approvingly, gulping down another spoonful of bean porridge. “Yeah, if I can’t get the workshop up and running, I’ll definitely write them an endorsement letter and send them to the shops to try their luck. I mean, the shops where you guys go to source the scrap fabrics from in the first place.”

Josh mimicked the motion of rubbing cream into his palms. “Before I left Wendy’s house, she had already gotten some hand cream and started softening her prickled skin. I even saw a small basket of rags and thread by her side; she was probably planning to practice her stitches the moment I walked out the door.”

“Clever girl,” Jade muttered around a mouthful of pie. “She’ll survive and thrive. Just like you.”

Josh chuckled as she nudged his cheek.

“Also, latest update,” Jade’s hand flowed smoothly from Josh’s cheek to give his head a light pat. “We’re moving into our Landlord’s kitchen the exact moment I resign my post and you graduate.”

“The estate’s kitchen?” Josh’s eyes widened in sheer surprise.

Brother James, who had been quietly eating his meal beside them, paused mid-bite as he overheard the revelation.

“But,” Josh blinked, confused. “I thought Sensei wanted to open your own shop?”

“Yeah, that was my original plan,” Jade sighed, and shrugged. “Welp, turns out I legally and technically cannot own a shop of my own here. So crossing that option off the list, we opt for plan B.”

“To our Lord’s estate?” Josh did not particularly care where they worked, so long as he was following his master, so he bobbed his head cheerfully. “Then at least we won’t need to pipe hundreds of biscuits or bake hundreds of cakes per day from dawn to dusk!”

“Yeah, but…” Jade narrowed her eyes, her shoulders slumped slightly. “That also means I don’t get to decide my own working hours or when I can take a day off.”

Josh tilted his head. “And what would Sensei do if you have a day off?”

Surf the internet all day lon–and there’s no internet here. Jade rubbed her chin, and contemplated. Yeah, what else could I do if I have a day off? No more lesson planning, no more grading students’ homework… Oh, I could read books. But then what? Not that I like to walk on the horse-dung paved streets and breathing in smoky, polluted air … Hm.

“Good point,” Jade blinked. “I just realised I have absolutely nothing to do even if I do get a day off!”

Brother James tapped the table lightly to signal he was listening, speaking up the moment he had Jade’s attention. “Perhaps you could take a walk to the bookstore on your days off, Miss Jade. Remember, you were once on the very verge of collapse. When you no longer reside within the domus, no one will be there to oversee your schedule, and you must care for yourself. Rest as you need.”

Josh immediately snapped back from his joyful nodding. “How could I forget! Yes, Brother James, you are absolutely right. Sensei must have regular days off!”

“It’s alright, I think–” Jade began, not believing the workload at the estate would truly burden her. The real reason behind her near mental breakdown before was simply because she had lacked confidence in navigating matters outside her expertise, combined with the fact that the opportunity to showcase her actual skills had arrived at the worst possible timing.

But Brother James cut her off before she could dismiss it. “I trust that his Lordship has not sent you a formal contract yet? Good. Then the contract shall be signed with Father acting as your witness. Before the final drafting, terms can – and should – be negotiated.”

The monk looked sternly into Jade’s eyes. “His Lordship has always deeply appreciated your wit, Miss Jade. Therefore, your well-being and your sharp mind are your utmost assets. A day of rest once a week, or at least twice a month, is a non-negotiable must. Should you ever require a haven, Sister Miriam and Sister Geenia would undoubtedly welcome your return here.”

It was only now that Jade realised just how much the people within the domus worried about her, to the point that they were actively plotting how she should negotiate her time off with their long-time patron.

“Thanks, Brother. I will,” Jade nodded with a small smile. Then, with a not-so-subtle steer of the topic, she added, “You guys seem very supportive of me joining our Lord’s kitchen?”

“Indeed,” Brother James replied, his tone honest and completely genuine. “Miss Jade, your talent shines entirely too brightly. Though the domus would gladly shelter you for as long as you require, we are simply a temporary station for those in need. His Lordship is the only other trustworthy venue we deem capable of providing you a level of safety that others simply cannot.”

“My safety?” Jade tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t see any danger?”

“You have just earned a fortune,” Brother James said, raising a hand to gesture for Jade to remain quiet and listen. “I know you downplayed your own role during the bazaar. Perhaps the general public would never connect the success of the ragged school with you, yet one can never be too cautious about lurking danger. There will always be those who are cunning enough to trace the success back to you through unnoticed details. Or perhaps, there will be men who come targeting you simply because they calculate that courting Miss Whitcombe and Miss Arrowot is far too challenging compared to pursuing a common schoolmistress.”

Jade took a moment to process the information, then pointed a finger at herself and gasped. “You mean, there will be men who view me as an easier target compared to Clara and Miss Arrowot, even though they probably don’t even know I’m the one who led the team in earning the big money??”

She paused, voicing her thoughts again in the same unbelievable tone. “There’ll be guys trying to court me just because they view me as an accessible money dispenser? Even though I’m just a peasant??”

Jade’s eyes widened as Brother James calmly nodded. She uttered, “But… I thought those fortune hunters only aimed for the rich ladies.”

Josh played the words over in his mind as well, and an alarming realisation suddenly dawned on him. “Ladies have chaperones or servants following them everywhere, and they live in secured places. Interacting with Sensei – a young woman receiving aid from a domus that is easy to locate and access – would undoubtedly make it much simpler for a trickster to operate.”

The skinny teenage boy puffed out his chest with a determined expression, “Worry not, Sensei, I’ll never leave your side whenever you have to go out to see a stranger!”

Jade shook her head. “Brother, you must be exaggerating. I mean, with Clara’s beauty and Miss Arrowot’s status right at the forefront, no one is going to notice a plain background character like me.”

Brother James sighed, tidying up his empty meal plate before standing up from the bench.

“We have experienced it once. We have seen the aftermath.”