Shadow of great britain

Liverpool Old Docks, Gladstone Import and Export Trading Company.

The sound of horse hooves thundered in the distance. Gladstone galloped his horse. Seeing that he was about to reach his destination, he skillfully tightened the reins and slowed down.

The servant who was responsible for parking vehicles for guests in front of the door saw the appearance of the visitor clearly, and quickly quickened his pace and took the reins from Gladstone who got off his horse.

"Master, why are you here?"

Gladstone didn't explain much. He took off his leather gloves and asked, "Is my father here?"

"He's inside, but he said he has to go to the port authority in a while."

"Going to the Port Authority? Is the morning meeting over?"

"Not long after it ended, you can see the wheel marks left by the guests on the ground. They are all fresh."

"Don't rush to prepare the car. I'll go and talk to him first."

After Gladstone finished speaking, he put his gloves into the servant's hands, then hurriedly walked up the front steps towards the third floor.

Unexpectedly, before he reached the third floor, he met his father who was chatting and laughing with others on the second floor platform.

The gray-haired gentleman held his cane in one hand and pointed to the sky outside the window with the other hand: "John, look at the weather today. The rare good sun in winter, accompanied by a slightly cold sea breeze carrying the smell of sardines, doesn't it look like this? Like the day we first met. Just at the east end of the old pier, you bought a pocket watch from me who was setting up a street vendor."

When Old Gladstone heard this, he just curled his lips and shook his head slightly: "Robert, you really tricked me that time. I couldn't walk with that watch after two weeks, so I took it back." I came to you, but you told me that the repair was an after-sales service and I needed to add half a shilling. You know, at that time, I couldn't earn much as an apprentice in a trading company. How could you be so evil? .”

The old gentleman known as Robert laughed loudly when he heard this and said: "My old man, didn't you give me not a cent in the end? Not only that, you also beat me by my collar. But , we are not acquainted without fighting. At that time, who would have thought that a small clerk in a trading company and an unskilled watchmaker apprentice could reach this stage today. "

Old Gladstone put his hands on his cane and joked with his old friend: "This is nothing unexpected. I always think that young people always have unlimited possibilities. And I think the reason why you can succeed is mainly because of your Pocket watches are mainly for export now. Customers can’t just swim across the Atlantic to settle their scores with you, right?”

The old gentleman was not annoyed after hearing this. He responded humorously: "It's not a big deal. John, don't you have a ship? You transport the customers here, and we will split the remuneration for after-sales service half and half. Don't worry, I will Although tens of thousands of watches are now sold in North and South America every year, the yield rate is no longer as low as before. If you bring me two ships a year, it should be about the same.

By the way, isn’t William idle now? You can totally let him organize this. To be honest, every time I see William, I feel like I see you when you were young. Whether it's business or something else, your little son will always be successful. "

Gladstone was about to walk up, but when he heard the mention of himself in the conversation, he couldn't help but pause for a moment and froze in place.

"In the company, it's enough to have a few of his brothers to help. As for him, I don't have much expectations for him. It's enough to have a serious career."

"Hahaha, John, you and I really feel the same way. As our children get older, we need to arrange a serious career for our sons, and we need to choose a husband with a serious career for our daughters."

"Haha, you're right. Newspapers promote some perverse ideas about free love all day long. The remarks of those reporters and writers are comparable to evil pagans. Britain is now too deeply poisoned by Byron and Shelley."

"Sigh... Having said that, John, I don't have the same good luck as you. I don't have a son who can inherit the business, only a few girls. Anna married in Scotland and Alice married in Sussex. Although they both Both uncles are talented, but because they are both eldest sons, they each have their own property to inherit.

As a result, I can only place all my hopes on the youngest Catherine. I thought that since Catherine was so beautiful, I wouldn't need to worry too much about getting married. But who would have thought that this is a strange girl. She doesn't like any of the young men I think are outstanding..."

When old Gladstone heard this, he immediately became alert.

He asked why this conscienceless old watchmaker suddenly became so enthusiastic about making friends with him after the meeting.

After fussing for a long time, it turned out that I was waiting here.

Seeing that the other party was silent, the old gentleman further hinted: "John, I think the marriage of the girl's family should not be delayed too late. According to our British tradition, a girl starts attending social occasions when she reaches adulthood at the age of sixteen, and usually starts before the age of eighteen. You should get married. If you are over twenty, you will become an old girl."

Old Gladstone refused to let go. He just stared at the window glass and said: "Well... girls are indeed like this, but boys can delay it a little later."

When the old gentleman heard this, he almost choked and couldn't breathe.

At this moment, Gladstone hurriedly walked up, took off his hat and said hello: "Good afternoon, Mr. Roswell."

The old gentleman turned around and said in surprise: "William, when did you come back?"

"Uh..." Gladstone replied: "I just came back yesterday, so I didn't have time to visit you. Mr. Roswell, long time no see, how are you?"

"Tough! My body is as tough as an old pocket watch that has just been sold out!"

The old gentleman smiled broadly: "Actually, even if you don't come to visit me, I will probably have to visit you in London next spring."

"Are you going to London?" Gladstone asked, "Do you have any business matters to deal with?"

"Yes! We are indeed here to discuss business!"

The old gentleman coughed and said: "I feel sorry for my little Catherine too. The little girl is getting older and can't even hold the whole of Liverpool in her mind. A city of the size of London must satisfy her. I thought, since she wants Go ahead and go, but the social season that starts in April will definitely cost a lot of money. I might as well just buy a watch factory in London to support her. Anyway, when my old pocket watch can no longer move, sooner or later the money will have to be paid. Leave it to her?"

Gladstone couldn't help but feel a little elated when he heard that his sweetheart wanted to live in London. He asked, "I heard that Catherine will live in London permanently in the future?"

The young man's small hands cannot escape the observation of the old pocket watch. Mr. Rothwell smiled slightly and raised his finger to emphasize.

"Not necessarily. It mainly depends on where my future son-in-law lives. Doesn't the wife follow her husband? But one thing I can guarantee is that wherever the young couple goes, my watch business will be there. Sigh...I'm getting older, and it's long past the time to only consider profits. Let my new uncle worry about profits."

Gladstone was about to speak, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by his father.

Old Gladstone shook his head slightly: "William, didn't you say you were reflecting on your failure in the party's primary election? Why are you suddenly in the mood to come to the company?"

"Ah!" Gladstone then remembered the business: "Father, I do have something to ask you."

When Mr. Roswell heard this, he took the initiative to say goodbye quite gracefully.

He raised his finger and touched the brim of his hat lightly: "William, don't be discouraged. This is just a small setback in the journey of life. You still have a long road ahead. When I first set up a street vendor on the street, I had several consecutive There was no business for the whole day, and it wasn’t until the fifth day that I opened a shop with a clerk from a trading company. Although I got punched in the nose for this. But in general, being treated rudely in an honest business is not my problem. . William, the advice I give you is based on my own business experience for so many years, that is, make your own money and let them cry."

After saying this, Roswell shook out his tuxedo, hummed a little tune and walked down the stairs.

Old Gladstone watched him get into the carriage from the window, and then said with a dark face: "William, my silly boy! What have you learned in Oxford for three years? Even if you have to order this batch of goods, No, we can’t let our trump card slip away right from the start of the negotiation!”

Gladstone woke up from his wild fantasies when he heard his father's scolding.

"I...Dad, but this is not a business, this is a marriage."

"Marriage is also a business, you have to sell it at a higher price."

Old Gladstone waved, and the secretary next to him hurriedly came up and lit his pipe: "William, if we take stocks as an example, you are now undoubtedly the blue chip stock on the stock exchange. Whether it is long-term or short-term, your The upward trend is obvious. Among your shareholders are not only individual investors such as the Duke of Newcastle and Sir Peel, but also powerful and stable groups such as Oxford University and the Tory Party. Those who are bullish in the long term Under these circumstances, are you ready to backstab your father, the original shareholder?"

Gladstone has known since he was a child that his father was a great trader, but he still didn't expect that the nearly sixty-year-old man is still improving himself today and has even begun to enter the field of finance.

"I..." Gladstone was a little discouraged: "Dad, I really like Catherine."

"Oh! Silly boy, listen to what you are saying?"

Old Gladstone patted his son's face gently: "Like is just an emotion, but it cannot produce value. If you like her and want to have a love, you can definitely develop a relationship with her. But the relationship doesn't have to be a marriage.

Do you know what marriage represents? Don't believe the lies of those newspapers and magazines. What is written in "Blackwood" and "The Brit" is a piece of stinking shit. Marriage is not an emotional union between two people, but a new social relationship for both husband and wife.

This kind of social relationship is completely positive. It can be put on the table to brag to outsiders, and it can legitimately help oneself improve his social status and power. You can absolutely use this relationship to make yourself a stronger person.

But William, you're telling me now that you want to marry a watchmaker's daughter? If you are just pursuing this kind of marriage, then all my efforts in this life will be in vain. You don't have to be the son of John Gladstone, the great merchant of Liverpool, but the son of John Smith, the blacksmith of King Street, to have such a marriage. "

Gladstone was silent for a long time. He rarely blushed, but this time he argued hard: "But, father, Mr. Rothwell is not an ordinary watchmaker. He is the largest watchmaker in Liverpool!"

Old Gladstone frowned and asked, "Isn't the greatest watchmaker not a watchmaker?"

Gladstone asked: "Then the biggest businessman in Liverpool is not a businessman?"

Unexpectedly, when old Gladstone heard this, not only did he not get angry, but his frown suddenly relaxed.

"That's right! That's right! William, you are right to think about the problem like this! Do you know now why I don't let you get involved in the family business? I have been a businessman my whole life, and your brothers will also be businessmen their whole lives. But you are different. You want to become a noble! The purest British noble! And the first step to becoming a noble is to marry a noble!

I know that it is very difficult to marry a noble. The possibility is extremely low. Just like the royal family only intermarry with the royal family, the daughters of noble families rarely marry. But rarely marrying does not mean that we will never marry. We always have to try it first. The old pocket watch in Liverpool can cost a watch factory, but I have more money than him. As long as you can marry a suitable wife, I will pay you 80,000 pounds! "

As soon as Old Gladstone finished speaking, the red devil floated in from the window: "Have you just entered the climax? Eighty thousand pounds is indeed a lot. Add another twenty thousand and it will be enough to buy a parliamentarian in York. . But there is nothing we can do about it. If you just have money, the price you have to pay will be so high."

Old Gladstone pressed his son's shoulders with both hands: "William, more than that, if you want to go further, you have to develop something else besides marriage. Didn't you complain to me before? Did that opponent, Benjamin Disraeli, do what he did? You said that he relied on climbing up Mrs. Sykes's skirt to get in touch with the Earl of Lyndhurst, and then defeated you in the party primary. If You can't think of anything better, so why not join him? Being stubborn in business never ends well, and it's the same in politics."

When Gladstone heard this, he was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped to the ground: "But...Father, you don't know that Mrs. Sykes can be Disraeli's mother given her age."

"Oh...my William." Old Gladstone pointed out: "Ladies have different charms at different ages. They are like flowers in different seasons. You can appreciate them all. In this regard, your Your opponent does better than you, he knows how to appreciate the scenery of different seasons, and therefore has a more complete life."

When the Red Devil heard this, he laughed so much that his tongue fell to the ground: "Old man, you really made a mistake on this point. That Jewish boy who likes to wear pants is just for fun. But the ladies who hold power are so old. And they are all relatively big, so they hit him crookedly."

Gladstone also disagreed with his father's opinion: "But you were still agreeing with Mr. Roswell's opinion just now. You said that a twenty-year-old girl is an old girl."

"No, no, no, William, you misunderstood."

Old Gladstone denied without blushing and said: "Those who are not married after the age of twenty are old girls, and those who are married after the age of twenty are the ladies in their prime. You know how wine is Is it brewed? Wine slurry without yeast will only deteriorate if left for a long time, while old wine with yeast will only become more fragrant."

When the red devil heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and slap his legs, laughing: "We have been making trouble for a long time, and it turns out that he is a comrade of the Jewish boy."

At this point, Old Gladstone did not forget to add: "And, William, you remember my words. For businessmen, anything anyone says anywhere will not count unless it is written in black and white. On the document. And for those politicians, even if it is written on the document, he may still regret it. So, don’t take what I say casually as an unchanging dogma. You are already an outstanding young man, everything Be more mature.”

When Gladstone saw his father talking about this, he had no choice but to keep Catherine's affairs secret for the time being.

However, he was not as immature as his father said. It was just that after a slight change of thought, Gladstone came up with a new method.

He said: "You always interrupt me and make me forget the main business. I came to the company today to tell you that Mr. Arthur Hastings, the anti-smuggling inspector sent from London, has some friendship with me. If you If you encounter any difficulties and you can't speak directly, I can help you convey it."

Old Gladstone's eyes lit up: "Do you know Superintendent Hastings? William! Why didn't you tell me earlier? Oh, my God! The Liverpool Association held a meeting all morning and couldn't solve the problem. Who can I can imagine that my son would find a breakthrough as soon as he opened his mouth."

Gladstone heard this and said slyly: "Don't be too quick to be happy. Superintendent Hastings is not as easy to deal with as you think. I can tell you that he is a very decent man, just like the newspaper propaganda That way. Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid?" Old Gladstone took off his pipe and smiled softly: "Of course I am."

Gladstone originally thought that his father would be tough, but the other party's frankness made him feel a little at a loss.

Gladstone asked: "What are you afraid of?"

Old Gladstone didn't say anything. He just raised his hand and put it on the leather buckle of the servant's suitcase.

With a slight twist of Old Gladstone's wrist, there was only a splashing sound, and the banknotes in the suitcase flowed all over the floor like a flood.

Old Gladstone stood amidst the bright golden light, taking a sip from his pipe. Smoke was floating around him.

"I'm afraid he doesn't like money."