Chapter 245 Hopeless People
Silesia, Katowice.
Mr. Philpot's house is so tall that it is almost as tall as several churches in the city. Standing on the highest point and looking down, you can have an unobstructed view of the old city and the crowds in the distance (the steeple of the church in this period usually represents a city) the highest point). Spring has arrived, and as usual in previous years, weavers lined up to hand over their finished products.
It's just that these people's status determines that they are not qualified to enter through the main entrance, and can only use the small door on the side. What comes into view after entering the courtyard is the iconic main house and a small house next to it. Through the glass window, you can see that the wooden shelves are filled with woven cotton and linen.
There is a long table indoors, where the weavers will neatly place the finished cloths they have woven on top and spread them out, and then the experienced masters will inspect them.
The old master's name was Bengt Jung. He stuck his reading glasses on his eye sockets (I have talked about how to wear monocles before, so I won't go into details here), then took out a ruler and compass to carefully measure and twist them with his hands. Check whether the cloth is qualified.
Afterwards, it is classified into first, second and third grade products and handed over to the apprentice next to him. After another inspection, the apprentice puts the cloth on the scale and reports the weight, which is recorded by Mr. Malte, the accountant on the side, and also informs the weavers of the wages they deserve. number.
The weather outside was hot and the cicadas were chirping, but the inside of the house was not affected. Except for the sound of the accountant reading accounts from time to time, and the occasional burst of tears, the house was enveloped in an eerie quiet atmosphere most of the time.
The weavers in the room looked like a group of walking zombies with expressionless faces, their eyes were dull, their faces were sad, their backs were hunched over, their legs could not stand straight, and they looked so anxious and painful in front of the inspection master, as if they were Like a father waiting for his child to be born.
Bengt Jung seemed to enjoy playing with their psychology. He always deliberately classified the goods as third-class goods to embarrass the other party, then pretended to put on an almost desperate expression, and then put them back. Stay in your original position and accept the other person's gratitude with peace of mind.
Although Bengt Jung was once a weaver, he is no longer one of those groveling beggars. Bengt Jung knew very well what those humble people feared and feared, and always found the right moment to bully them, so he was highly appreciated by Master Philpot.
The members of the weavers also include women, but most of them seem to be in poor health. They either have flat chests, cough constantly, or have gray faces. Even young girls lack the charming temperament that normal girls should have, leaving people with The most profound impression is probably his disgusting complexion and gaunt and abrupt figure.
At that time, Prussia and Austria not only used currencies with different silver contents, but also had different currency values. In fact, Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, and Baden all had their own coins, but this book only mentions those of Prussia and Austria.
Prussia: 1 pound = 12 guilders = 6 kingdom thalers = 36 Groschen (Prussian Groschen is a silver coin, while Austrian Groschen is a bronze coin, so there is a big price difference.) = 360 pfennig (Prussian Groschen Fenney uses nickel, while Austria uses copper, so the price is different)
A weaver's monthly income is usually 5-7 royal thalers, some would say this does not reach 150 florins a year. In fact, weavers usually have other ways to make money, including but not limited to helping people herd sheep, collecting firewood in the forest, raising livestock and poultry, collecting excrement, etc.
(At that time, poop was a very valuable fertilizer, and picking up poop was not uncommon.)
"Sir, can I advance a few copper coins? My family needs money so much!" said a well-rounded woman.
"I also need money. It would be great if someone gave me a few hundred kingdoms of thalers!" Bent said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Sir, I really need money. Please be kind for the sake of God." The woman said with a slight cry.
"Hey! Don't cry! I tell you, I have no control over this kind of thing. You can go and talk to Mr. Philpot face to face." Bent said with a slightly mocking tone without any compassion. This situation has long been commonplace, and usually as long as you send it to the boss, the other party will take the initiative to shut up.
"Then can I see Mr. Philpot?" The woman was still reluctant.
Bente cast a very displeased glance and then snorted coldly.
"You don't even look at what you are! Mr. Philpot has so many things to do that he doesn't have time to see you! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"
"Please sir, for God's sake" the woman begged.
"Your stuff is worth 5 thalers. When God comes, it will be worth 5 thalers! I said it! Now you can either take five thalers and leave! Or give your money back and get out with your garbage." !”
After hearing Bente's words, the woman was silent for a long time and finally chose to leave silently.
"With just a few words, that guy shut up her bad mouth. You really have your Mr. Bent!"
"You are really experienced!"
"Mr. Bent, don't feel guilty. I heard that woman is a prostitute and her words are all lies!"
"With the way she looks, my boar won't choose her when he's in heat!"
The apprentices and weavers in the house praised Bent endlessly, while at the same time devaluing the poor woman as worthless.
Even if they are at the same bottom, it does not prevent them from laughing at those who share the same problem with them. The law of the jungle, favoring the superior and suppressing the inferior seem to have been engraved in the genes of this group of people.
The poor woman had three children at home and a husband with a broken leg to support. She was only paid five kingdoms of thalers for this delivery, and after excluding the money for raw materials, only one thaler was left. Eighteen pfennig.
Even if the money is used to buy the cheapest feed potatoes, their family of five cannot survive for a month.
Feed potatoes refer to potatoes that are not good in appearance and taste, but have high yields and are specially used to feed livestock.
(Actually, I haven’t found out what it is. Anyway, it is a very cheap food.)
The woman returned home sadly, and her children were very excited because today was the day when wages were paid, which usually meant they could have a good meal.
There are two boys and one girl. The eldest boy is five years old and his name is Tommy. When the children opened the package in the woman’s hand and found those weird-looking potatoes inside, they inevitably let out a sigh of disappointment.
But then the smile broke out again. After all, there is nothing happier in the hearts of these children than staying by their mother's side.
While the woman was away from home, five-year-old Tommy and four-year-old daughter Ellie were actually helping to spin the cloth. This frightened the woman so much that she slapped her daughter on the face. The girl sat down on the ground in confusion.
Then, the woman anxiously checked the condition of the cloth. You must know that their family's wages for the next month will depend on this linen. Mr. Bent's vision is notoriously vicious, and it is basically impossible to fool him.
Once flaws appear, the quality of the entire piece of cloth will be reduced, and the previous hard work will be in vain.
That situation did not occur at all. Thanks to Ellie being a very smart and capable girl, the quality of the cloth she knitted was even better than that of her mother.
The woman hugged her daughter and burst into tears. At this time, the man with a red and swollen forehead and bruises on his face came back. He saw his wife holding the children and crying bitterly, and shed tears unconsciously.
"Evra, I'm sorry, I am an incompetent husband. My relatives are unwilling to lend money to me, a lame man, and there is no job for me."
The man choked up when he said this. He was a veteran who participated in the Polish uprising, but was expelled by the army because he refused to carry out the commander's order to burn down civilian houses.
Avra said sadly after hearing the man's words.
"How can we live like this!"
The man's clenched fists were almost bleeding, and he gritted his teeth and spoke word by word.
"Go to Austria, I will protect you." The man hugged and kissed the foreheads of the woman and the child.
Thanks to book friend 20221014001131291 and Master Tarasha for their rewards.
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