It was only five days before the New Year's Eve that Claude brought his sister Anna, her students, and Lady Sonia and her son back to Anna's ranch in the Amphiston Territory. There is no New Year custom in the French world, but New Year's Eve is almost the same as New Year's Eve. The three days before the New Year's Eve and the four or five days before the New Year are just like the Spring Festival in Claude's previous life. They become a holiday for people to relax, visit relatives and friends, and go to the temple to pray.
The well-behaved and smart little Mark is very much loved by Claude. This is his first son, but he is an illegitimate son. He also takes the surname of Lady Sonia. When he grows up, he will inherit the family business of Master Bird and Lady Sonia. . Compared with the two naughty and mischievous children in his own family, little Mark is simply a role model for other children. Even his sister Anna was full of praise for little Mark, especially his magic talent. He was the only genius similar to his sister Anna.
If possible, Claude would like to stay in the ranch and spend this welcoming night with Lady Sonia and her son. But not this year, because Claude's family had just moved out of Veblen Manor and moved into the Field Manor built for Claude in the war zone. He had to spend the first welcome night in his new manor when he moved to his new home. And if nothing else, many people will come to visit, and Claude needs to entertain the guests warmly at home...
You can't help it. It's not that the higher your status, the more power you have, the more freedom you have. More often than not, you are still bound by various human relationships. Claude could only reluctantly say goodbye to Mrs. Sonia and her son, and took his sister Anna back to Field Manor in Lanhu Town to report to his mother, wife and children.
The newly built Field Manor is located in the villa manor area of Lanhu New City, which should be the highest place in the city. Originally, there was a small rocky hill here, but the top of the hill disappeared as the original residents of Blue Lake Town dug out the rocks to build houses and roads. When Lanhu City was expanding, the planners took a fancy to the remaining terrain of the hill. In addition, the war zone transplanted tall trees from the wild regardless of cost, turning this desolate small highland into a quiet and beautiful high-end residential area.
Following the spacious and flat carriage road, Claude and others soon arrived at Field Manor on the shores of Lan Lake. Since Claude's family loved the scenery of Lake Orchid, he chose the site for the manor to be built on the lakeside. The designer cleverly planned a path leading to the lake and built a small pier. Today, there are two small wooden boats tied to the wooden piles of the pier...
The big snow dog, half the height of a man, ran over excitedly and circled around Claude, lowering his head and sniffing the scent of his pants and body. When her sister Anna got out of the carriage and saw the big snow dog, her eyes lit up and she said "little snowball", and the big snow dog ran over to show his courtesy, abandoning Claude and ignoring him. However, several young black and white puppies ran over from behind, barking at Claude, trying to drive away the two-legged beast that had invaded their territory.
This is the puppy born from the big snow dog Pluto and a black female hunting dog sent by Mr. Veblen. Claude has seen it in the letter home from Caifeni. Originally, Kaifani wanted to match the big snow dog Pluto, but the female snow dog Pluto who was found by someone was completely uninterested. She ignored them, stepped on them, and refused to let these female snow dogs enter the manor.
On the contrary, one time Mr. Veblen and others went hunting rabbits and brought a group of hunting dogs. They happened to meet Kaifani walking with her mother in front of the door. Mr. Veblen dismounted and greeted her. After chatting for a few words, he was about to say goodbye. Pluto, the big snow dog, kept circling around a black female hound and refused to let Mr. Veblen take it away. Mr. Veblen laughed and kept the female hound. Then the female hound soon became pregnant and gave birth to seven puppies, all with black and white fur.
These are all things that happened to Claude when he was on the front line. Kaifni wrote these things to Claude as anecdotes. It's just that Claude was extremely busy after the war and didn't stay at home for a few days. When he came back this time, he was treated as an intruder by these seven little guys. Claude thought these little guys were very funny, so he squatted down and teased them a few times. Sure enough, these little guys immediately forgot about Claude's identity as the intruder and played with Claude happily.
"Wow, little Snowball, are these your children? They are so cute..." came the exclamation of my sister Anna from behind, and her figure passed by Claude, hugging both of them with her hands. The puppy, who didn't understand what was happening, was held in his arms and teased excitedly.
After touching the head of Pluto, the big snow dog who was a little proud beside him, Claude straightened up, nodded to Butler Alec who came out of the house, and ordered: "Prepare hot water, I have to take a shower first. Take a shower and prepare some food for me and the guardsmen."
"Okay, sir. The hot water will be delivered soon. Madam and the two young masters have just taken a nap. Do you want to wake them up?" Butler Alec led the way.
"No, you can just send the food to my study." Claude said: "By the way, Yarrick, there is a big box on my carriage. You can ask someone to send it to me too." Go to the study room."
After taking a nice hot bath, Claude went to the study. There was an exquisite dining cart in front of the desk, filled with sumptuous food. Claude picked up two slices of white bread, sandwiched a piece of venison breast between them, and started to chew on them. I came all the way and missed my lunch, so I am really hungry.
There was a large box on the ground, which contained a handmade cigarette rolling device invented by his sister Anna. Of course, this thing had also been instructed by Claude. In his previous life, when he followed his boss to a private club to deal with clients, he saw an antique handmade cigarette rolling machine placed in the club. It was said to be left behind by the famous Nanyang Tobacco Company in modern times. Sometimes the club would also use this antique. A handmade cigarette rolling machine makes a batch of cigarettes for customers to take.
After filling his stomach, Claude drank black tea while thinking about who should be responsible for the cigarette business. Don't tell Claude that smoking is harmful to health. Tobacco is still a popular luxury consumer product in this era. You can't enjoy the fun of smoking without a certain amount of financial resources. Even for some pharmacists, tobacco is a herb with refreshing and brain-clearing effects. It has a good effect on mental depression, dizziness and loss of appetite...
Mike is not good, he has developed very well in the army. After this post-war evaluation, he can be promoted to colonel, and he will definitely become a general in the future. His younger brother, Brovik Claude, shook his head. This boy definitely didn't want to retire from the army. Neither can her sister Anna, who needs to educate her students so that the Field family can master a dark magical power. Mrs. Sonia is already in charge of the Blackstone Gun Manufacturing Workshop, and she can't get out of it at all.
Claude is not prepared to cooperate with others to share this hugely profitable business, so there is no need to consider Mr. Veblen and others. This tobacco business will accumulate a wealth of gold and silver for the Field family. In overseas jurisdictions, Claude believes that with his status and ability, he can protect his family's monopoly on this hugely profitable industry, but what is needed now is a few executors who meet the requirements.
During dinner, my mother began her usual nagging, directed at her sister Anna. The mother said that Pluto, the big snow dog, has seven children. How come you have been married to Michael for several years and there is still no movement in your stomach? Both of you should go to the pharmacist to check whether there is any physical problem. Some diseases should The treatment must be treated, and we cannot delay it like this...
Sister Anna had a black line on her face and looked at Claude in distress. Claude knew exactly what she meant. This was why sister Anna disliked going home less and less. But Claude had no choice but to shrug his shoulders, saying that there was nothing he could do and there was nothing he could do to help.
However, Kaifani helped her sister Anna a lot and chatted with her mother about her younger brother Blovik's marriage, which changed the target of her mother's nagging. Claude believed that his younger brothers, Blovik and Michael, who would not return home for the holidays in two days, were both in trouble. One would be forced by his mother to go on a blind date, and the other would be forced by his mother to seduce his eldest wife... . ...
After dinner, Claude invited Caifeni, Butler Alec, and the family's first retainer, retired Staff Sergeant Kuster, to the study.
"Yarrick, I remember that your eldest son Svenson is already thirty-one years old. He is learning butler skills from you, right?" Claude asked.
"Yes, sir, now I leave the stables and kitchen in the manor to him to manage and train his ability to control the servants. Is there anything wrong with him?" Butler Alec asked with some worry.
"No, he did a good job." Claude shook his head and said, "But I am going to remove you from the position of housekeeper and let your eldest son Swenson take over."
Butler Yarick's face suddenly turned pale: "Sir, I am only fifty-three years old this year, and I can still work for more than ten years. And Svenson is not experienced enough, so it is easy for him to make mistakes if he is a butler now... . ... "
"No, I'm sorry, Yaric, you misunderstood. I didn't mean to drive you away." Claude stretched out his hand to signal Butler Yaric not to be so excited. He forgot that Butler Yaric once had a count who was served by three generations of his ancestors. The adult had the experience of being kicked out of the family, so he was particularly sensitive to this matter.
"You have become the most trustworthy person in our Field family, Yarrick. I have always seen your loyalty and diligence in the past few years. You have become our family, and we will not drive you away." Lord comforted him. Seeing that Butler Alec calmed down quickly, he nodded and continued.
"The reason for removing you from the position of housekeeper and letting your eldest son Swenson take over is because I have a more important matter to entrust you with. This matter is related to the fate of the Field family for a hundred years. I can't think of anyone else except you. A candidate that satisfies me.”
Claude pointed to the big box in the middle of the study: "Sergeant Buster, take the contents of the box to the desk."
Sergeant Kuster, who was standing aside, stepped forward, opened the box, and moved the cigarette rolling machine contained in the box to the desk.
"You all come here." Claude greeted Kaifuni, Butler Alec, and Kester to the desk, and then introduced: "This machine is called a cigarette rolling machine. It was just invented by Anna. It Its function is to roll cigarettes. You still don’t know what cigarettes are, but you will understand after I demonstrate it.”
"The small wooden box above contains chopped tobacco. There is a switch here. When you break it, some tobacco will fall to the bottom, which is exactly the size of a cigarette. This thin white paper is cigarette paper. For rolling shredded cigarettes. We put this cigarette paper on this curtain and put it like this. Then apply the Qingmihu in this small bottle to the edge of the cigarette paper, turn the switch, and the shredded tobacco on it falls on The middle of the cigarette paper. Now we turn the crankshaft of the curtain. You see, the curtain automatically rolls up, and then loosens it, and a cigarette is automatically rolled... "
Claude picked up the cigarette: "You should be wondering what to do with rolling tobacco like this. Sergeant Kester, you like to use pipes, now you have a taste of this cigarette. By the way, I still have it here. There is a cigarette holder, put the cigarette in it, light the other end with a match, and take a puff."
Sergeant Kester soon became intoxicated with the nicotine in the cigarette: "Sir, this is much more convenient than using a pipe, and the tobacco aroma is very rich, intoxicating, and so enjoyable."
At this time, Kaifuni and Butler Alec understood what Claude meant. Kaifani asked: "Claude, do you want Butler Alec to be in charge of this cigarette business?"
"Yes, this will become the biggest source of wealth for our Field family." Claude nodded and said, "Don't underestimate this tobacco business. Think about it, if it becomes a supply for the army, even one cigarette can earn a black Iron pennies, if one hundred thousand soldiers each consume one cigarette a day, that is one hundred thousand cigarettes, but they cannot consume only one cigarette. Those who like it will smoke twenty or thirty cigarettes a day. So if you do the math, three cigarettes a year How many cigarettes do we need to consume in one hundred and sixty-five days, and how much profit can our family get?"
The bodies of Kaifuni and Butler Yaric trembled involuntarily. They naturally calculated clearly how huge benefits Claude said contained. This could still become a supply in the army. If it is extended to the civilian population, smoking The more people there are, the greater the benefits will be. On the contrary, Staff Sergeant Kuster only indulged in smoking because he was illiterate and not good at mathematics.
"Here, how many cigarettes can such a cigarette rolling machine produce in a day?" Kaifani asked.
Claude replied: "Anna calculated it. If you adapt quickly, you can produce at least ten sticks in one minute, and six hundred sticks in one hour. If you work ten hours a day, you can produce at least five thousand sticks. If you are skilled in the movements, you can even turn one. times..."
In this era, there is no such thing as an eight-hour working day and two days off a week. Generally, employees hired by private workshops have to work at least twelve hours. Only technicians will receive preferential treatment, but most of them work about ten hours.
Like the workers at the Blackstone Gun Manufacturing Workshop, Mrs. Sonia originally wanted to work day and night, so just two shifts of workers would be enough. It was Claude who persuaded Mrs. Sonia to recruit three shifts of workers and implement an eight-hour work system, saying that long working hours would make it easy to get distracted, which would reduce production efficiency, and he also needed to prepare skilled workers for future expansion of the workshop. The workers regard him as the most stupid and soft-hearted boss.
"I have the production drawings of this cigarette making machine here. I can find someone to copy it." Claude picked up the leather bag he brought and took out a folder from it. Opening the folder, in addition to the production drawings of the cigarette making machine, there is also a plan.
"Master, I feel a little dizzy after smoking." Sergeant Kester said.
Claude knew immediately that he was drunk. In the past, Sergeant Kuster would put some tobacco in his pipe and take two puffs. How could he smoke such a cigarette in one breath like today.
"This is Anna's refined tobacco. You idiot, Kester, this puff is as good as the pipe you usually stuff. Of course you will get dizzy if you smoke more than ten pipes at a time. You will be fine if you lie down for a while. "Claude could only shake his head. He just wanted Sergeant Kuster to take a few puffs, but he didn't expect that he would finish the entire cigarette quietly.
Clicking on the plan in the folder, Claude said: "There are five tobacco formulas here, all tested by Anna. There is mint flavor, suitable for women to smoke, and there are four tobacco qualities, from From high to low, we can produce five kinds of cigarettes. The highest quality tobacco can be used to produce cigars, which is what it looks like. It is purely handmade. This kind of green bark paper needs to be customized, and the wrapping shape is different from that of cigarettes, but this kind of It can be sold at a high price as a luxury consumable.
The next four types can all be made into cigarettes, with a pack of twenty cigarettes and different prices. Cigarettes made from tobacco residue are the spiciest, have the strongest flavor, are the lowest priced and have the least profit. However, this kind of cigarettes relies on volume. I believe it will be very popular with the lowest level people. Some medicinal herbs can be added to the production of the remaining three types of tobacco to reduce the smell of smoke and make the smoker's breath fragrant. The recipe proportions have been written here, just follow this recipe. "
Claude handed the plan to Butler Alrick, who was very excited: "Master, do I really have to be responsible for this?"
Claude nodded: "Of course, you are the most trusted person in our family. This business is related to the prosperity of our Field family for the next hundred years. If it is not left to you, who will be responsible?"
"Master, madam, I promise to do my best to complete this mission and not let you down." Butler Yalik expressed his determination.
"Kafni, how much money do you have left at home?" Claude asked.
Kefni replied: "There are still more than thirty-four thousand gold crowns."
"I will go to the bank tomorrow and transfer 70,000 gold crowns to you. To prepare for this cigarette production workshop, our family will invest 100,000 gold crowns first." Claude thought for a while and said, "You are responsible for the finances, and Butler Yaric is responsible. Coordinate and arrange the production management outside, and you will review and handle all necessary fund allocations. Kester asked him to be responsible for the security of this cigarette production workshop. By the way, there is also the old man named Zach Karassen, what are you doing at home now?"
This Zakarason was the old man who was the envoy sent by the governor of Tiersim to persuade Claude. As a result, he received three big slaps from the big man Germi, and was tied up by Claude and taken to Tiersim. Directly administered territory. After the three direct-administered territories were brought under the jurisdiction of the war zone, the old man saw the opportunity early and took refuge with Claude. He also played some credit in the purification operation of forcing the Nikancha people from the three direct-administered territories to go north.
Later, when Claude left the Tiersim Direct Territory, he wanted to make this old man Lakarason an administrative civil servant in the Tiersim Direct Territory based on this credit, and planned to let him have a public meal and be more stable. But I didn't expect that this old man relied on his mouth, had no ability in his hands, and kept making mistakes in his official duties. He soon couldn't stay any longer, so he resigned and joined Claude. Because he could talk and chatted with his mother, Claude simply thought that he had raised a housekeeper, and he was not inferior to him as a freeloader anyway.
"Sir, Zach Karassen is teaching the eldest young master how to play chess these days." Butler Yarick replied.
"Tesore has the temperament to learn how to play chess." Claude said in surprise: "You might as well just say that old man Zach Karassen is playing with Tesore. Tomorrow you ask Zach Karassen to report to you. This old man is so arrogant. If you are eloquent, ask him to go to the Arturas Direct Territory to buy tobacco. By the way, I remember that there is still a lot of tobacco stored in the dock warehouse area of Decopichus Port. You ask Zach Karason to find General Skerry and ask the war zone Are you willing to sell the tobacco there..."
"Okay, sir, I'll let him do the work tomorrow." Butler Yarick said.
Claude waved his hand: "That's not necessary. Just let him spend the New Year's Eve before going about his business. The same goes for you."