Chapter 245 Hopeless People
Silesia, Katowice.
The house of Master Philput is so tall that it can almost be compared with several churches in the city. Standing at the highest point and looking down, you can see the old town and the crowd in the distance (the spire of the church usually represents the highest point of a city during this period). Spring is coming, and as usual in previous years, the weavers line up and tremble to hand in their finished products.
However, their status and identity determine that they are not qualified to enter through the main gate, and can only go through the small door on the side. After entering the yard, what comes into view is the iconic main house and a small house next to it. Through the glass window, you can see that the wooden racks are full of woven cotton and linen.
There is a long table in the room, where the weavers will neatly place their woven finished cloth on it and spread it out, and then the experienced master will be responsible for inspection.
The master's name is Bent Jung. He put his reading glasses on his eye sockets (I have talked about how to wear monocles before, so I won't repeat it here), then took out a ruler and compass to carefully measure and used his hands to check whether the cloth was qualified.
After that, the cloth was classified into first, second and third grades and handed over to the apprentice next to him. After the apprentice inspected it again, he put the cloth on the scale and reported the weight. The accountant Mr. Malte recorded it and told the weavers the amount of wages they deserved.
The weather outside was hot and the cicadas kept chirping, but the house was not affected. Except for the accountant's voice reading the accounts from time to time and the occasional crying, the house was shrouded in a strange quiet atmosphere most of the time.
The weavers in the house looked expressionless and looked like a group of zombies. They had dull eyes, sad faces, hunched backs, and legs that could not stand up straight. In front of the auditing master, they looked so anxious and painful, like a father waiting for the birth of his child.
Bent 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 a look of despair, and then put it back to its original place, accepting the other party's gratitude with peace of mind.
Although Bent Jung was once a weaver, he is no longer one of the servile "beggars". Bent Jung knows what those humble people are afraid of and always finds the right opportunity to bully them, so he is highly appreciated by Master Philpot.
The members of the weavers also include women, but most of them seem to be in poor health, either with flat chests, constant coughs or gray faces. Even young girls lack the charming temperament that normal girls should have. The most profound impression left on people is probably the disgusting complexion and the withered and abrupt figure.
At that time, Prussia and Austria not only used different currencies with different silver content, but also had different currency values. In fact, Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, and Baden all had their own coins, but this book only mentions Prussia and Austria.
Prussia: 1 pound = 12 guilders = 6 kingdom thaler = 36 groschen (Prussian groschen is a silver coin, while Austrian groschen is a bronze coin, so the price difference is very large.) = 360 pfennig (Prussian pfennig uses nickel, while Austrian pfennig uses copper, so the price is different)
A weaver's monthly income is usually 5-7 kingdom thaler, and some people would say that 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, picking up feces, etc.
(At that time, feces was a very valuable fertilizer, and picking up feces was not uncommon.)
"Sir, can I advance a few copper coins? My family needs money so much!" said a pale woman.
"I need money too. If someone can give me a few hundred thalers, that would be great!" Bent said sarcastically.
"Sir, I really need money. Please be kind for God's sake." The woman said with a tearful tone.
"Hey! Don't cry! I tell you, I can't control this kind of thing. Go and talk to Master Philpot in person." Bent's slightly mocking tone did not contain any compassion. He had long been accustomed to this kind of situation. Usually, as long as he sent it to the boss, the other party would shut up on his own initiative.
"Then can I see Master Philpot?" The woman still insisted.
Bent glanced at him with displeasure, and then snorted coldly.
"Don't you see what you are! Master Philpot is so busy that he has no time to see you! Go! Go! Go!"
"Please, sir, for God's sake," the woman begged.
"Your stuff is only worth 5 thalers, and even if God comes, it will be worth 5 thalers! I said! Now you either take the 5 thalers and leave! Or return the money and get out with your garbage!"
Hearing Bent's words, the woman was silent for a long time and finally chose to leave silently.
"Just a few words made that guy shut up her stinky mouth, you are really good, 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 her appearance, my boars won't choose her when they are in heat!"
The apprentices and weavers in the house flattered Bent tirelessly, while at the same time devaluing the poor woman before.
Even if they are at the same bottom, it does not prevent them from laughing at people who are in the same situation as themselves. The law of the jungle and flattering the weak seem to have been engraved into the genes of this group of people.
This poor woman had three children and a husband with a broken leg to support. She was only paid five thalers for the delivery. After deducting the money for the raw materials, she was left with one thaler and eighteen pfennigs.
Even with the cheapest feed potatoes, this money could not keep her family of five alive for a month.
Feed potatoes refer to potatoes that are not good in appearance and taste, but have a high yield and are used to feed livestock.
(In fact, I didn't find out what they are specifically, but it is a very cheap food.)
The woman returned home sadly, and her children were very excited because today was the day to get paid, which usually meant they could have a good meal.
Two boys and one girl. The oldest boy was five years old and his name was Tommy. When the children opened the package in the woman's hand and found that it was still those weird-looking potatoes, they couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.
But they smiled again immediately. After all, in the hearts of these children, there is nothing happier than staying with their mother.
During the time when the woman was away from home, five-year-old Tommy and four-year-old daughter Ellie actually helped weave cloth. This terrified the woman. She slapped her daughter in the face, and the girl fell to the ground in confusion.
Then, the woman anxiously checked the condition of the cloth. You know, their family's wages for next month depend on these linens. Mr. Bent's vision is notoriously sharp, and it is basically impossible to fool him.
Once there is a defect, the quality of the whole cloth will be reduced, and the previous hard work will be in vain.
Fortunately, that situation did not happen. Thanks to Ellie, who is a very smart and capable girl, the cloth she weaves is even better than her mother's.
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 crying while holding the children, and he also shed tears unconsciously.
"Avra, I'm sorry, I'm an incompetent husband. My relatives are unwilling to lend money to me, a cripple, 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 from the army because he refused to execute the commander's order to burn down civilian houses.
After hearing what the man said, Avra said sadly.
"How can we live like this!"
The man clenched his fists, almost squeezing out blood, and he gritted his teeth and said word by word.
"Go to Austria, I will protect you." The man hugged and kissed the woman and the child on the forehead.
Thanks to the book friends 20221014001131291 and Talash Mage for their rewards.
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