[Pride and Prejudice] Stupid life in the 18th century

At the end of autumn, at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun is warm enough but not too hot. The lady of the Bennett family and the female guests set up a small dining table in the greenhouse, and everyone sat around.Mrs. Bennet was also very happy to puff out her stomach to join in the fun. Time flies, and in two years the Miss Bennet will start to join the social circle.

"Mom, don't touch your face, you're still young~!" Elizabeth smiled and handed Mrs. Bennet a dinner plate, a small meat pie, a small bowl of apple salad, and a glass of carrot and pear juice.

Mrs. Bennet frowned childishly. "Liz, change your drink, carrot juice is so weird~!"

"Don't be picky eaters! It's for the sake of the baby."

"Hey, Liz. You are a 10-year-old kid." Mrs. Bennett is being controlled too tightly by her daughters now, and it seems that she has become the center of attention, happy and painful.

"Yeah, mom, I'm only 10 years old, you can't make me worry too much. I still have to worry about having fun." Elizabeth nodded seriously and looked at Ida Weir. "How was your ball yesterday? How many gentlemen fell under your skirts?"

"Elizabeth!" Ada blushed, seeing that her sister-in-law was also looking at her with a smile, but she didn't know how much she understood.

Nakusha was very happy to understand a few words and actively participated in the topic. "Ada was beautiful yesterday! Three boys came to dance with her."

"Ada, you're going to be the star of Longbourn's ball in the future." Mary was yearning for the ball, and more importantly, she could attract the attention of others.

Mrs. Bennett looked at her daughters who were as beautiful as flowers, and said happily: "Miss, one day, you must learn etiquette from Miss Sterling, so that you can become an elegant lady. It's just a pity that Mrs. Miss Tring didn't go to the ball yesterday, and you are of social age, you should go dancing more."

Miss Sterling pursed her lips and smiled demurely.

It was Jane who noticed something, and looked at Miss Sterling apologetically, while quietly tugging on Elizabeth's sleeve.The two whispered a few words with their faces close to each other.

Not long after, Mr. Bennett and the Weir brothers also walked in. Barry Weir looked at his sister and then at the Miss Bennett family, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.Birth has a great influence on a woman's manners and speech.Maybe he should facilitate the plans of the Miss Bennetts. Only by expanding the social network and letting the girls of the Weir family get in touch with the ladies of the middle and high-level families can they gradually change the humbleness of their souls.

Wendell's eyes lit up immediately when he saw the snacks on the dining table. "Miss Bennett, is this the little meatloaf Little Ellen mentioned last time?"

Elizabeth looked at this boy who was about the same age as her sister, and smiled, "You went out with your uncle last time, but you didn't get any, this time you just have to try it."

"Little Allen told me that it was delicious, but he didn't leave me a piece." Wendell took a bite and narrowed his eyes happily.

Elizabeth looked at the boy, how much had changed in the past two years.Wendell Weir has seen too much with Mr. Gardinal and has had a lot of contact with him. On the contrary, he has changed the most in the Weir family, and of course he has the closest relationship with the Gardinal family.

After Mr. Bennet came into the conservatory, he remained silent, and Jane's mood suddenly sank.Elizabeth, on the other hand, was talking to Wendell quietly.

Mr. Bennet looked at Elizabeth. It's a pity that she is not a son, and even the Weir family was moved. "Jane, Liz, Dad agreed to your ideas."

Mary knew right away that it was about the Ladies' Salon. "Dad! I have a share too!"

"Yes, little Mary also has a share, okay! You three sisters can make up their own minds about your pocket money."

Jane and Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other.

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As autumn approaches, adults in London's East End are concerned about how they will survive the winter at home.At the end of autumn, those orphans became more fierce and fierce, and some even started stealing in the market.It's just the fear of the coming of winter, no one knows whether he can survive until spring, maybe this is the last madness.

On this day, Wendell Weir, who had already moved out of the East District, brought a piece of news to these orphans.Three days later, someone will come to the East District to recruit people, with food and housing included, and the salary is 5 shillings a week.

The weekly salary of 5 shillings is indeed not much, it can be said to be a little less than that of a textile factory.But food and housing are different. This is their biggest daily expense, and even their income is not enough for these expenses.

Mr. Bennett was undoubtedly a little shocked when he learned about the risky move of his daughters, but in the end he just asked Mr. Gardinal to contact a few good policemen to go with him at that time.He is also now curious about how his daughter's salon can be done.

Three days later, a carriage arrived in the East District.Some street children and some children who are not easy to find a job have already been waiting on the narrow street.They saw four young ladies who were out of tune with the East End and two gentlemen (Barry Weir and Mr. Bennett) getting on and off the carriage.Then a few policemen who followed the carriage came and stood beside the gentlemen and ladies, not blatantly grabbing.

The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.Looking at these disheveled people, Jane opened her mouth, but was still speechless in the end.Ada from the Weir family stood up when she saw it, and she couldn't be more familiar here.

"Wendell came to inform us about today's events. Specifically, we will recruit 15 girls aged 12-17 and 10 boys aged 10 to 17. During the training period, we are only responsible for food and lodging. Those who pass the training period 5 pennies per week, and those who are unqualified will go back to the East District. Those who are interested can sign up now. We will take away the selected people today.” This is after Stoke, Weir, and Bennett all joined The girl discussed together and made a decision.

The number of places is undoubtedly small, and the orphans and children crowded and made a noise, and the police drew out their guns and fired them, and the children quieted down.They lined up in two lines and registered their names and ages in front of Elizabeth and Daisy respectively.Elizabeth and Daisy briefly looked at the facial features of these people.

Elizabeth and Daisy respectively selected 30 or so children who matched their age and looked good.The youngest of the children who were deleted in a large number this time began to cry on the spot, and Jane shed tears when she saw it, and the eyes of the other three were also red.The reason why Mr. Bennett agreed with his daughters to do this, and only to ensure their safety, was only to accompany and watch; it was to let his daughters know that the reality is cruel, and even if they have good intentions, their abilities are extremely limited.

In the end, it was decided to take away all the more than 30 people selected, which undoubtedly increased their previous budget.Jane also took three very young orphans, maybe three or four years old.The coachman and the police helped distribute the black bread brought by the ladies to the orphans and children who were not selected. Ada expressed her gratitude for their presence.

After the selected people were taken away from the East District, they got into the trucks. There were three trucks in total, and they could only be squeezed together like cattle and sheep.The three children got into the carriage and leaned together very stiffly.Mr. Bennett's face was a little dark, and this time it was slightly beyond his imagination.

The carriage left London and headed straight for Longbourn, where some farmers had already helped to build a few small houses.

The boys and girls with three carts lived separately in the built houses, and were looked after by the shepherd Gegil's family.Gejill's wife was driving a large pot of hot water, watching the children wash and put on the rough clothes prepared by the Miss Bennetts, and then burned the rags they wore, some even Just a tattered burlap bag.

The children of Gejir's family helped to prepare black bread and broth. These anxious boys and girls finally calmed down, and no matter what, it is enough to eat now.Their next rations and clothes and the money for the helpers of Gejir's family will all be included in the initial cost of the girls, so they cannot be supplied very well.Jane Bennett blamed herself deeply for this, while Elizabeth comforted her that everything would be fine.

The three children were brought by Jane's side. Mrs. Aphra, the servant of the Bennet family, was startled when she saw the three beggar children getting out of the carriage, and then began to criticize Jane and Elizabeth, and even Mr. Bennet and Barry. Weil was also told.What if there are fleas and bedbugs!In the end, I had to take the three children to clean up.By the way, prepare hot water for the coachman to clean the interior of the carriage.Even Mrs. Aphra thinks that today's clothes, gentlemen and ladies, should be boiled, and people should wash them before entering the house!

Mr. Bennett was not angry, but looked at the two daughters very seriously. "Since you have done it, you must persevere; as for these three children cannot be counted as adopted children of the Bennett family, you two can arrange it yourself. It's just that this is completely different from raising cats and dogs."

Although Jane is willing to contribute her pocket money, but they still have to prepare a ladies' salon, so there are many places to spend money.Elizabeth had to contribute the rest of her pocket money, and they were left poor, and they had to wait for the ladies' salon to open.

After doing what she had wanted to do for a long time, instead of feeling spiritually satisfied, Jane didn't sleep well for several days in a row.She finally understood what Mr. Bennett said, and she clearly knew how small she was, so she could only silently put these unbearable things in the corner of her heart.

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The twin sisters of the Stoke family are 13 years old, and they have not had much active communication with the outside world because their brother has not been at their home for more than a year.On the contrary, the Gardinal family has a closer relationship with the Bennett family. Mr. Gardinal is a gentleman with a strong sense of responsibility. He will often take the initiative to visit as much as he can, so as to provide timely help. There is no male master in a family. inconvenient.

The Bennett family is because Jane and Elizabeth have been exchanging letters with the two twin ladies, and they must visit each other every time they come to London.

The elder brother is not at home, and the two pampered Miss Stockers have gradually grown up.They were as worried about their brother's voyage as Mrs. Stock, but they didn't want their mother to worry about other things.Occasionally dishonest employment was discussed by them through Mr. Gardinal to solve it.

The newly hired ones are the two girls whom Jane suggested to get the Weir family to come forward to find them in the East End.Although they are not as skilled and strong as mature women, two people are more than enough to handle housework.Moreover, after more than a month, she has also learned etiquette very well, and she looks a bit gentle, and she will not be roughed by life like an adult woman.The rare food, housing and wages, and there is no danger, they are full of hope for the future, and after saving money, they will be able to find a small handicraft worker in the southern district to marry.So the work is also very serious, and they can clearly know why they lost their jobs in the previous employment.

Letters from the Miss Bennets have been stirring the hearts of the Miss Stokes these days.Their ladies' salon is finally about to start, and the Bennetts, the Weils, and Mrs. Gardiner all have different proportions of capital injections.And the twins can also justifiably frequent the shop of the lady's salon, Gardiner's house, and Weir's house.

Every time she encounters something she doesn't understand, the lady will ask Mr. Gardiner for advice, and the relationship with the Gardiner couple has become better.It's just that when it's time to show up, it's the turn of Mr. Gardinal and Wendell, the younger brother of the Weil family.

Wendell has been following Mr. Gardinal for a year, and it seems that he is planning to follow the route of a businessman.

After a lot of busy work, a small single-family house in the west of the South District was finally determined.

The initial idea is:

The first floor is set as an open area. You only need to buy a drink or a snack to read and read newspapers here. The cheapest lemonade is free for 1p.This is the idea put forward by Elizabeth. If the lady's salon also sets a minimum consumption of penny coffee, it will be no different from a cafe.

There is also a cheap light meal for 5p each, two sandwiches with eggs and bacon slices and fresh lettuce leaves.This is entirely Jane's suggestion. The raw materials for flour, vegetables and fruits come from farmers in the suburbs, and the bacon and eggs come from Longborn.

The second floor should be well-decorated and casual, like a noble girl's living room, with landscapes painted by the Stoke sisters and Jane on the walls.There are velvet curtains, soft sofas, fine cushions.Besides the newspaper rack, there should be a piano, a desk to draw on, some embroidery patterns bound into picture books, and a volume of coat drawings in the latest fashion.A set of chaise longues with three seats and one table should be arranged on the balcony.There are exquisite tea and snacks here, and maybe we can hold a dinner party at that time.

The third floor is where the female employees live, and the boys live in the cabin next to it, which is convenient for security work at night.The log cabin was originally a utility room, but now it needs to be reorganized and divided into two floors and three rooms.In the attic is a utility room, below which are two bedrooms.Referring to the future student dormitory, Elizabeth set it up with a bed above and below with cabinets, tables and chairs, so that everyone can have a simple space.

The waiters and cooks are all girls, this is for the convenience of the ladies in daily contact with them.Chefs uniformly wear white dresses and cover their hair with hats.The waiters wear maid uniforms, uniformly black low-necked smocks and white aprons, with a white shirt inside, and the exposed neckline is tied with a bow tie with a ribbon.

The younger boy was wearing a white shirt with a red bow tie, a black swallowtail vest, black trousers, and a black overcoat.It looks like a q version of deacon.They will stay at the door on the first floor, and whenever a lady gets off the carriage, they will step forward to help.In addition, the older boys also wear the same uniform and black tie. If there are older ladies, they will step forward to help them, and they will also be responsible for some physical work.

They have been in Longborn for almost a whole winter, mainly for training, and only help with some farm work on a regular basis (because the ladies' funds are really limited, they can only do it by work.).Mary Bennett taught them to read, read and write.Elizabeth and Bennett took time to teach them addition and subtraction.Miss Sterling is also invited to teach them basic etiquette once a week.these selected people.Undoubtedly happy.Regardless of body and mind, they are no longer the restless and helpless teenagers in the East End.