I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 84 The Foundations of Britain 2

"...When I worked in Mr. Wilson's shoe factory, I earned 1 shilling and 5 pence a day and had to work from dawn to dusk, with only a 15-minute lunch break."

Mary worked as a weaver in Mr. Hunter's weaving workshop. Her wages were one shilling, and she would have her pay docked if she didn't meet her quota!

Since giving birth to little Anne, her health has been poor. I was worried that she would overwork herself, so I let her work in old Rom's restaurant. She works in the kitchen, not as a waitress. Although she won't get tips, she won't have to worry about being harassed by those jerks.

Thank God! By then, Mike and Chris were able to help out at the shoe factory, and that's how we got through it...

The rent for this house is 12 shillings a month, which is considered a pretty good house on this street. Spring and summer are fine; we don't need to buy coal for heating, and we can save 10 shillings a month. But when winter comes, in order not to freeze to death, we have to exchange all the money we save for coal..."

Frank Glenn's description was somewhat trivial, but Chen Wenbin listened patiently.

Looking at the burning coals in the fireplace, he suddenly remembered the stove the old fat man had boasted about to him, that new invention called the Franklin stove, which was said to be able to retain hot smoke for heating with great efficiency... In reality, it was just a vertical cast iron stove, with slight modifications, and its thermal efficiency was much better than that of a fireplace.

In addition, honeycomb briquettes, which were promoted in China in the 1950s and could burn continuously overnight with little smoke, did not exist in this era, and seemed to be a good business opportunity.

He continued, "...Frank, Mary, besides wages and heating, what other problems do you most want to solve, or what do you most hope to obtain?"

Your answers can help the company better address the living problems of its employees!

Upon hearing this, Frank immediately said, "...And there's the water problem! There's only one well on Sakuk Street, and we have to get up very early every day to queue for water!"

"Yes, water is indeed important..."

Frank added, "Street thieves and pickpockets are also a headache!"

And the shoemakers' guild members—they're in cahoots with those bosses!

"The Anglican priests won't officiate our wedding for free!" Mary suddenly interjected, seemingly still bothered by it.

"Many women die in childbirth, and even those who do give birth often succumb to puerperal fever!"

"Allicin is too expensive; only the rich can afford it. The cheapest tube at the hair salon costs £1, which is far beyond our means!"

Once the couple started talking, they said a lot, and Chen Wenbin had Samuel Adams write it all down. He then asked many follow-up questions about their daily lives and work.

He didn't leave Frank Glenn's house until noon.

On the way back, Samuel Adams flipped through his notes and, unable to contain his curiosity, looked at Chen Wenbin sitting opposite him and asked, "...Robin, why do you care about these poor people?"

If they can't survive in the UK, they can simply sign a contract to go to North America!

Once the contract expires, they'll receive at least ten acres of land...isn't that a better option?"

Chen Wenbin looked at him strangely. "Samuel, do you really think they have a choice? Or rather, do you think the bigwigs in Britain will let these poor people, driven into London by the enclosure laws, leave easily?"

Samuel Adams paused, then hesitated, "But I've seen many new immigrants to the New World come this way!"

Chen Wenbin said calmly, "So, in the last twenty or thirty years, who were the majority of contract immigrants to North America? Were they mostly English, or Irish and Scottish?"

Boston should have relevant data, right?

Samuel Adams had worked as a town accountant in Boston and lived there all his life, so he knew that in the last ten years or so, nearly half of the people who immigrated to North America each year were Irish, and there were also quite a few Scots. Only the English, not only did not see an increase in immigration with the Enclosure Movement, but their proportion actually decreased!

"...Robin! You mean...they, they deliberately trapped the poor in England?!"

His voice trembled, and he felt a chill run down his spine. His eyes were fixed on Chen Wenbin. Although he was asking a question, he already believed it completely.

He absolutely believed that the British rulers were capable of such a thing!

Chen Wenbin sighed, his gaze falling on Westminster Abbey, which he happened to be passing by, and his eyes lingered in reminiscence:

"...When a country wants to develop its manufacturing industry, it always needs a large amount of cheap labor."

If Britain opens up immigration and allows the poor in the cities to go to North America, who will work hard to power Britain's manufacturing industry?

The Irish are different. They are Catholic, making it difficult to convert them into true British citizens. So, the more Irish people go to North America, the fewer problems London faces in its rule over Ireland. Moreover, they can be used to develop North America... You see! The logic of how a nation operates is that simple and clear: strengthen your power while clearing away obstacles!

It's cold-blooded, but extremely practical!

Samuel Adams remained silent.

Sometimes, he felt that his forty years of life experience hadn't made him rid of his naivety.

He took a deep breath and pressed on, "...But you still haven't answered my question, Robin. Why do you care about those poor people? Is it for your reputation?"

He regretted it as soon as he finished speaking. Questioning his boss and powerful backer was not a rational thing to do.

Chen Wenbin hadn't expected him to ask that, but he still smiled and said, "...Samuel, my friend, who in the world doesn't crave honor?"

Of course, that includes me; I also crave people's praise.

But honor is not the only reason I care about the poor. I remember telling you this before!

I hope that the company I build can operate for at least a hundred years. This requires us not only to pursue profits, but also to follow a set of values ​​and culture that transcend the logic of profit and can be sustained and inherited.

I believe that rationalism and humanism perfectly meet this requirement.

Rationalism allows us to make the most of tools and knowledge to create and produce goods that humans need.

Humanism, on the other hand, reminds us not to forget that humanity is the end in itself, not a means to an end.

Modern Britain has forgotten this point; they only care about profits, not the people who create them.

Goods are always produced to be consumed. If one day British goods occupy all the markets in the world, then British workers will probably be one of the most miserable groups of people in the world!

Because the goods that can dominate the world's market are either advanced and necessary enough, or cheap enough.

Since the cheapest option can't be raw materials, it must be labor costs!