Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 456: The Business of Cigarettes

Claude returned to Anna Ranch under Amphiston only five days before New Year's Eve with her sister Anna and her students, as well as Mrs. Sonia's mother and son. There is no New Year's Eve custom in the French world, but a New Year's Eve is about as good as a New Year's Eve. The first three days of New Year's Eve and four or five days of New Year's Eve are like the Spring Festival of Claude's past life, becoming holidays of relaxation, visiting family and friends, and praying in the temple.

Nice and clever little Mark was very fond of Claude, his first son, but he was an illegitimate son, and followed Mrs. Sonia's family name, and will inherit Master Byrd's and Mrs. Sonia's family business when he grows up. Little Mark is an example of someone else's child when compared to two naughty, troublesome bear children in his own home. Even sister Anna praised little Mark, especially his magical gift, as the only genius similar to sister Anna.

Claude would love to stay on the ranch with Lady Sonia's mother and son for this new evening, if possible. But not this year, because Claude's family just moved out of Viberon Estate and moved into the battlefield estate built for Claude. The first new night of the move, he had to spend in his new estate. And if not unexpectedly, there will be a lot of visitors, Claude needs to warmly entertain guests at home...

It is not that the higher the status, the greater the power, the freer it is, but that more often it is bound by all kinds of human relationships. Claude couldn't help but say goodbye to Lady Sonia's mother and son and take her sister Anna back to Field Manor in Langhu Town to report to her mother and wife and children.

The newly built Field Estate is located in the Villa Estate area of Lake Lan New City, which should be the highest in the city. Originally there was a small stone mountain here, but the original inhabitants of Blue Lake town opened the mountain to take stone, built houses and built roads, and the mountains disappeared. When Lanhu City expanded, planners saw the remainder of the hills, along with the costly grafting of tall trees from the wild in the war zone, transforming this desolate little highland into a secluded and beautiful high-end residential area.

Along the spacious and flat carriageway, Claude et al. soon arrived at the Fields estate on the shores of Lake Lan. Because Claude's family loved the view of Lake Lan, the address he chose for the estate was built on the shore of the lake. The designer craftily plotted a path to the lake and built a small pier, which is now stuck with two small wooden boats...

Half-height snowdogs ran around Claude excitedly, lowering their heads and smelling his pants and body odor. Sister Anna stepped out of the carriage and when she saw the big snowdog, her eyes lit up and she shouted "little snowball," and the big snowdog ran up her ass and offered her hospitality, abandoning Claude and ignoring her. Instead, a couple of little black and white hairy puppies ran up the back and yelled directly at Claude “Wow," trying to get rid of this two-legged beast that had invaded their territory.

This is a puppy born of a black female hunting dog sent by Mr. Bruto and Mr. Vibran, whom Claude has seen in a letter to his family by Caffrey. Kevin wanted to pair Brutus the big snow dog, and Brutus the female snow dog he was looking for was totally uninterested, ignoring and not letting the female snow dogs into the estate.

Instead, on one occasion, Mr. Viberon and people went hunting rabbits and took a bunch of hunting dogs past the door and ran into Kevin walking with his mother with a big snowdog. Mr. Viberon stepped down to greet his mother and spoke with her and was about to say goodbye before he realized that Brutus the big snowdog had been spinning around a black female hunting dog and wouldn't let Mr. Viberon take it. Mr. Viberon laughed and left the hounds behind, and the hounds soon became pregnant and gave birth to seven puppies, all black and white in fur.

That's what happened when Claude was on the front line, and Kevin wrote to Claude about it as funny. It's just that Claude was so busy after the war that he didn't stay home for a few days, and this time he came back as an intruder by these seven little guys. Claude thought these little guys were fun, so he crouched down and made fun of them. Sure enough, these little guys immediately forgot who Claude invaded and had fun with Claude.

“Wow, Snowball, are these your kids? That's so cute...” Behind me was the scream of sister Anna, who swept past Claude and hugged the puppy with her hands in her arms who didn't understand what was going on, excited to tease her.

Touching the head of Brutus, who was a little proud to be around him, Claude stood up and nodded to Arik's butler, who welcomed him out of the house, and said: "Prepare the hot water, I have to take a shower, then prepare something for me and the Guard soldiers. ”

“Yes, sir. The hot water will be here soon, ma'am. The two young men have just had a nap. Should we wake them up?” Alec Butler leads the way ahead.

“No, you can send the food to my study.” Claude said, "By the way, Alec, there's a big box in my carriage, and you sent it to my study. ”

Claude arrived in the study after a painful hot bath, and there was a fine dining car at the desk filled with plenty of food. Claude picked up two slices of white bread and stuck a piece of venison in the middle and chewed it up. I came all the way here to miss lunch, and this is really going to be a little hungry.

There's a big box on the floor with a handmade cigarette roller invented by sister Anna, and of course this thing went through Claude's fingertips. When he followed his boss around with a private club in his past life, he saw an antique handmade cigarette roller in that club, said to have been left behind by the famous Nanyang Tobacco Company of the modern era, and sometimes the club used this antique handmade cigarette roller to create a bunch of cigarettes for guests to use.

With his stomach full, Claude drinks black tea and thinks about who's going to take care of the cigarette. Don't tell Claude that smoking is harmful to health, tobacco is still a popular luxury consumer in this era, and you can't enjoy smoking without some financial resources. Even for some pharmacists, tobacco is a refreshing herb that works well for mental depression, dizziness and loss of appetite...

Mike? No, he has developed well in the army. He can be promoted to Colonel after this post-war evaluation, and he will certainly be a general in the future. Browick? Claude shook his head, and the boy was definitely reluctant to retire from the army. Neither can her sister Anna, who needs to educate her students so that the Fields can master a magical power in the dark. Mrs. Sonia is already in charge of the Blackstone Firearms Manufacturing Workshop and she has no way out of it.

This profitable business Claude is not prepared to share with others, so there is no need to think about Mr. Viberon or anyone else. This tobacco business will accumulate gold and silver sea-like wealth for the Fields. In overseas jurisdictions, Claude believes that his position and abilities will protect his family from monopolizing this abusive industry, although what is needed now are only a few qualified executives.

At dinner, the mother began to nag routinely, targeting her sister Anna. Mother says Brutus the Snow Dog has seven children, how come you've been married to Mike for years and his stomach hasn't moved, both should go to the pharmacist to check if there are any physical problems, some illnesses need to be cured, can't be delayed like this...

Sister Anna looked at Claude with anguish, and Claude knew exactly what she meant, which is why sister Anna was getting reluctant to go home. But Claude had no choice but to shrug his shoulders, indicating that there was nothing he could do to help.

Kevin did her sister Anna a a favor and talked to her about her brother Browick's affair, which diverted her from her nagging goals. Claude believed that it would take two days for his brother Browick and McJackie to get home from vacation. One would be forced by their mother to go out and kiss each other, and the other would be forced by their mother to make a big wife's stomach...

After dinner, Claude recruited Kevin, Alec Butler, and the family's first minister, retired Sergeant Kester, all three of whom were in the study.

“Alec, I remember your eldest son, Swanson, was 31 years old, and you were learning butler skills, right?” Claude asked.

“Yes, sir, now I have entrusted the stables and kitchen in the estate to him to manage, exercise his ability to control the servants, is there something wrong with him?” Yarik's butler asked with some concern.

“No, he's doing great.” Claude shook his head and said, "But I'm going to remove you as your housekeeper and let your eldest son, Swanson, take over. ”

Yarik's face suddenly turned a little pale: "My lord, I'm only fifty-three years old and I can still work for over a decade. And Swanson doesn't have enough experience, he's a housekeeper now and leaks easily...”

“No, I'm sorry, Alec, you got the wrong idea. I'm not kicking you out.” Claude reached out to tell the Yarik Butler not to get so excited. He forgot that the Yarik Butler had been expelled from his family once by the Count, who had been served by his grandchildren for three generations, so he was particularly sensitive to the matter.

“You have become the most trustworthy man in our Fields family, Alec, and your loyalty and diligence have been in my eyes for years, and you have become our family, and we will not drive you away.” Claude appeased, seeing that Alec's butler soon calmed down, he nodded and continued to say.

“Remove your housekeeper and let your eldest son, Swanson, take over because I have something more important to tell you. This is about the fate of the Fields 100 years later, and I can't think of anyone else to satisfy me except you. ”

Claude pointed down the big box in the middle of the study: "Sergeant Kurst, get what's in the box to the desk. ”

Sergeant Kuster, standing beside him, walked up to the desk, opened the box and moved the cigarette roller in the box to the desk.

“Y'all come here.” Claude greeted Kevin, Alec Butler, and Kuster, three of them, at the desk, and said, "This machine is called a cigarette roller, and Anna just invented it, and it works as a cigarette roller. You don't know what a cigarette is yet, but I'll show you. ”

“The top crate is filled with chopped tobacco wire, and there's a switch here, and then some of the tobacco wire falls underneath, which is exactly what a cigarette is made of. This thin blank piece of paper is cigarette paper, used to roll the filament. We put this cigarette paper on this cloth curtain and put it there. Then apply the little bottle of Lake Clean Rice to the edge of the cigarette paper, twist the switch, and the top wire falls in the middle of the cigarette paper. Now we turn the crankshaft of this cloth curtain, and you see, the cloth curtain rolls up automatically, and then it releases, and a cigarette rolls up automatically..."

Claude picked up the cigarette: “You should want to know what you're doing with the tobacco roll like this, Sergeant Kester. You like to use a pipe, now you taste the cigarette. By the way, I still have a cigarette butt, stick the cigarette in, light the other side with the matches, you smoke. ”

Sergeant Kester was soon intoxicated by the cigarette nicotine: “My lord, this is much more convenient than using a pipe, and the smell of tobacco is intense, intoxicating and intoxicating. ”

By then, Caffrey and Arik had understood what Claude meant, and Caffrey said, "Claude, are you trying to put Arik in charge of the cigarette business? ”

“Yes, it will be the biggest financial resource for our Fields family.” Claude nodded, “Don't underestimate the tobacco business. Think about it. If you become an army supply, you earn a black iron penny for even one cigarette, and 100,000 generals consume one cigarette a day, that's 100,000 cigarettes, but they can't consume just one cigarette, and people who like them smoke 20 or 30 cigarettes a day. So how many cigarettes do you need to consume for 365 days a year, and how much do we get for our family? ”

Kevin and Arik Butler trembled independently, and they naturally figured out how huge a gain Claude had in his words, which was still a supply in the military, and if it spread to the civilian population, there would be more smokers and more profits. Instead, Sergeant Kurst was drunk in smoking because he didn't know how to read math.

“How many cigarettes can such a cigarette machine produce a day?” Kaifani asked.

Claude replied, "Anna has calculated that if you adapt quickly, you can reach at least 10 in a minute, 600 in an hour. If you work 10 hours a day, you can produce at least 5,000 pieces, and if you're proficient, you can even double it..."

There are no eight-hour working hours in this era, two weekly breaks. The average private workshop hires a minimum of twelve hours of work, with only technicians offering preferential treatment, but mostly around ten hours of work.

Lady Sonia, a worker like Blackstone Firearms Manufacturing Workshop, wanted to work day and night, just two shifts of workers. Or Claude, to say the least, convinced Mrs. Sonia to work three shifts of eight hours on the grounds that working hours were easy to shrink and reduced productivity, and to prepare early skilled workers for the future expansion of the workshop, so that those workers were considered to be the dumbest and softest owners of people.

“I have the production drawings for this cigarette roller that I can find to replicate.” Claude picked up the purse and took a folder out of it. Open the folder, which contains a plan in addition to the production drawings of the cigarette roller.

“My lord, I feel a little dizzy after smoking.” Sergeant Kester said.

Claude knew at first glance that it was a drunken cigarette. Previously, Sergeant Kester had just filled his pipe with a cigarette wire and smoked a cigarette.

“This is Anna's refined tobacco filament, Kuster. You two, this is the pipe you usually stuffed. Of course you'll be dizzy if you smoke a dozen pipes. You'll be fine if you lie down for a while.” Claude could only shake his head. He just wanted Sergeant Kuster to taste two flavors. I had no idea he was going to end up smoking a cigarette in silence.

And when I ordered the plan in the folder, Claude said, "Here are five tobacco formulas, all tested by Anna. Minty, suitable for women, and four tobacco qualities, from high to low, allow us to produce five types of cigarettes. The highest quality tobacco can be used to produce cigars, just like this, handmade, this green bark paper needs to be customized and packaged differently from a cigarette cigarette, but this can be sold at a high price as a luxury consumable.

The next four can be made into cigarettes, 20 cigarettes per packet, with different prices. Cigarettes made with tobacco residue are the spiciest, most flavourful, and the lowest price yield is the least, but they rely on walking volumes and are believed to be popular with the lowest class. The remaining three types of tobacco can be produced with some herbs, reducing the smell of tobacco and allowing smokers to breathe. The recipe proportions are already written here, just follow this recipe. ”

Claude handed this plan over to Arik, who was very excited: "Sir, is this really up to me? ”

Claude nodded: "Of course, you are the most trusted person in our family, and this business is about the prosperity of our Fields family for the next hundred years. Who's to blame for not leaving it to you? ”

“My lord, madam, I promise to do my best to complete this mess without disappointing you.” Yarik Butler expressed his determination.

“Kevin, how much money is left in the house?” Claude asked.

Kevin replied, "There are more than 34,000 kroner left. ”

“I'll transfer 70,000 gold kroner to the bank tomorrow, set up this cigarette factory, and our family will invest 100,000 gold kroner first. Claude thought about it and said," You're in charge of finance, Arik Butler is in charge of organizing production management outside, and you're in charge of approving all the funds needed to secure this cigarette factory. By the way, what's that old man Zacharathon doing at home now? ”

This Zacharathon was sent by the Governor of Tirshim to persuade Claude's elder messenger, and he was slapped three times by a big Gemmy, and then tied up by Claude to Tirshim. After those three direct jurisdictions were placed under the jurisdiction of the theatre, the old man turned to Claude early in the day and did some good work in the purification operation to force the three direct jurisdictions to the north of the Nikancha.

Later, Claude left Tillsim as an administrative civil servant in Tillsim and prepared him for a steady meal. But I didn't expect the old man to rely on one mouth, he couldn't handle it, he was old enough for his business, he couldn't stay any longer, and resigned to join Claude. Because he could talk and chat and nag with his mother, Claude simply took care of himself as a buyer, and he wasn't a bad eater anyway.

“Master, Zacharathon has been teaching the master to play chess these days.” Answered Yarik Butler.

“Tess Aurey will learn how to play chess?” Claude wonders: “Why don't you just say that old man Zacharathon is playing with Tess Orey? Tomorrow you ask Zacharathon to report to you, and the old man can say he will go to Arturas to buy tobacco. By the way, I remember a lot of tobacco in the dock warehouse area of Port Decaubie Chus. You asked Zacharathon to go find General Skerry and ask if the war zone would sell the tobacco there..."

“All right, sir, I'll let him do his job tomorrow.” Alec Butler said.

Claude waved, ”That's not necessary, just let him go after the New Year's Eve, and so will you. “