Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 319 Good Weather

638
A weekly salary of two pounds is enough to provide a family of three with food and clothing.

Just the jewelry you wear today is enough for a family of three to live on for more than eight years.

You have taken too much and are about to take more, so I hate you.

Audrey stared blankly with her eyes wide open. When she asked this question, she had an answer in her mind to some extent.

However, she thought that the other party would start with the nobles' lives and their influence on the country. Criticizing the parliament and the bills was one of the best ways to criticize the nobles. She also knew that the "Corn Law" and the "Poor Law" and this year's "Air Pollution Control Bill" were all rejected by the common people to varying degrees. She had heard many similar complaints in the foundation. In addition, there was the private morality of the nobles. On the surface, Loen was a conservative country, but in fact, it was only slightly better than Intis in finding lovers and lovers in private. Criticizing the private morality of the nobles was also a good entry point. Most importantly, Audrey could come up with some rebuttals for these two entry points.

These bills will be beneficial to the economy and pollution control in the long run... The moral corruption of the nobles can also be understood as individual differences. There are still many people who are loyal to marriage, just like my father...

Audrey thought about this in her mind for a while, but Richard didn't say these two points.

Instead, he chose the most direct option, the one that the nobles least cared about - money.

This topic was even somewhat unfamiliar to Audrey.

Aristocrats should take things lightly and not care about spending money, because decency and nobility are the best virtues of aristocrats.

The nobility of the nobility should be reflected in any aspect other than money, just like Audrey's partner Susie, which is worth 450 pounds, but is a gift from Earl Hall after spending a fortune at the hound training field. Just like the dress that Audrey never wears a second time on formal occasions, like the precious food from all over the world at the dinner, and like the paintings hanging in the corridor that are inadvertently skipped but are worth millions of dollars and were created by masters.

If a nobleman talks all day about how much he spends on his banquets, how much he spends on food, and how much he spends on new clothes for his wife and daughter, he will inevitably be despised by the entire aristocratic group, and people will laugh at him like a stingy upstart.

Even Audrey, who had developed an "occupational disease" at the foundation, had to estimate her own expenses for food, clothing and other daily necessities - this was something that made her somewhat embarrassed. It was as if she had become a stingy nouveau riche who only cared about money but not noble status and dignity.

"Ah, this... but sir, this wealth was accumulated by our family... over decades or even hundreds of years."

Audrey calmed herself down and tried to refute the other party's words with an "aristocratic" answer.

"My family obtained its first title in a war more than 200 years ago, and then gradually became wealthy. Before that, the Hall family was just a small knight family. We were not born noble, and we were far from reaching the level we are today."

"If everything I enjoy now is the wealth accumulated by my family, then why not?"

Richard couldn't help laughing.

He was thinking about how to end this topic. After all, he had heard too many such words. He heard that even in the slightly better old days, there were many people who thought this way. You told them that the means of production were wasted, and they told you that I have the final say over my wealth. You told them that you earned a penny of this money yourself? Did you not exploit the surplus value of any worker? Did you provide pension and work injury subsidies to every worker? Even after spending some time explaining what surplus value is, they still said that I have the final say over my wealth.

After all, He shouldn't have talked to these factory owners who had no concept of "human beings" at all.

After all, the scientific name of the people here is a labor force with two legs. When these creatures are injured or old and have no labor force, they are no longer considered human beings. Then who cares about their life or death?

But it is also a waste of resources to directly get rid of all the factory owners. They should be turned directly into food, such as biscuits, bread, red wine, chickens, ducks, fish, cattle and sheep, so that they can make some residual heat at the end of their lives.

"Earl Hall is in the steel and banking business. Does your family's money come from your father, mother, and brother working in the steel processing plant?"

Richard looked at the steam train speeding by in the distance with boredom, and prayed that West District would ascend to heaven immediately: "How much salary does your business pay to employees? How much compensation is there for employees in case of accidents? Are employees fired directly when they get old and don't care about their lives?"

What happens when employees get old? It seems that I have never thought about what happens when employees get old. If they can't work, shouldn't they be fired? But if they are really that old, they can't do other work, right? Is firing the same as... Audrey felt her back and face getting hot for a moment. She secretly wrote down these words and said:
"But we paid the costs and the wages. Why can't we have the money?"

Richard sighed:

"Have you ever noticed how much your family's business earns in a month?"

Audrey shook her head slowly.

This sentence suddenly reminded her of the conversation between Earl Hall and Hibbert that day. They should treat the workers with restraint, give up some money appropriately, and make the workers feel that they are being treated preferentially. This will create more value... Audrey didn't dare to agree, but she couldn't refute it either.

Because she is part of the profit.

"If your family's steel industry makes a net profit of 100,000 pounds a month after deducting costs, how much credit do you think your parents and your siblings have contributed to this 100,000 pounds?"

I definitely don't, and neither does my mother. We never care about these things... Besides, my father and Hibbert are usually busy with politics and participating in the affairs of the House of Representatives. In fact, they have not really participated in the production of the company for a long time. They often just read reports and invest according to market conditions. It should be the company's managers who are responsible... Audrey frowned slightly and asked tentatively:

"I'm sorry, I don't know about this. How should I judge?"

You asked me why I hated the nobility without knowing these things? I thought you were looking for an answer based on some understanding of the nobility.

Never mind, never mind, at least the attitude is sincere...

Richard's impatience was suppressed by the other party's sincerity, and he began to show his restraint and patience again:

"The simplest judgment is that out of the 100,000 pounds of profit, your family only provided a factory site."

"The company's management keeps it running, the employees work hard, and the market absorbs these products. Even if it doesn't belong to Hall, it still creates value. But the 100,000 pounds created, minus the employees' wages, the rest belongs to you." Richard looked at her, "You basically did nothing, but you took the lion's share. The employees created 100,000 pounds of profit for you, but you can only get a monthly salary of 5 or 6 pounds. Do you still think that your family's money is earned by your family's hard work?"

Click.

Audrey was stunned.

In an instant, she seemed to suddenly understand something, as if she suddenly understood why the nobles were hated, but at the same moment, an unprecedented resistance surged in her heart. She understood all the other party's words, and therefore began to resist this fact.

“Just providing a venue”?
Yes, the factory's production seems to have nothing to do with me, but I still enjoy a monthly income of 100,000 pounds instead of a few dozen pounds of rent. Yes, the Hall family is not born aristocrats. The Hall family obtained the title in the war... The Hall family has good personal morality, but people with poor personal morality can also become aristocrats. Morality is not the standard for becoming aristocrats, but the requirement for aristocrats to restrain themselves. If I am not born noble like the Angel Family in this powerful world, then what is the nobility of myself as a noble?
Is it actually money?

Is money actually the last thing that should be mentioned in aristocratic interactions?

"Some of the nobles are not doing well, but they would rather borrow money to maintain their dignity than admit that they are no longer as good as the average middle class."

"They borrowed money, but instead of thinking about increasing its value, they made themselves some new clothes and hired some servants to maintain their appearance. I don't really understand this behavior. It's probably because there is nothing worth mentioning in their lives, and only this title has some meaning."

Richard did not stop talking because Audrey looked deeply shocked. Instead, seeing that she did not collapse or scream, he chose to continue counseling:
"From this, it can be seen that your virtues such as 'respectability' and 'kindness' are actually self-defeating. You first obtained the status of 'nobles' through various reasons, and then tried to separate yourself from the 'non-nobles' by highlighting your own extraordinaryness. For example, these luxurious accessories that will no longer circulate in the market and have lost their value, use the so-called aristocratic virtues to show that you are 'born to be superior to others'."

"Are you nobles because you are kind and compassionate? Are the most kind people in the world nobles?"

"Obviously not."

Richard shrugged.

"But the richest people must be nobles."

"However, your 'not paying attention to money, as long as being decent' is as ridiculous as a student who graduated from the capital university saying that he doesn't care about his studies. In this way, you put shackles on yourself, waste money when you are rich, and embarrass yourself when you are poor. Isn't it fun?"

“Respectability” is actually a constraint on the nobility…?
This sentence was actually the one that Audrey could relate to the most, because it was hard for her to forget the incident that happened during her first meritorious service after becoming a Beyonder. At Duke Negan's dinner party, Qilingos disguised himself as Baron Gramiel and sneaked in. He was discovered by her due to some minor mistakes, and was finally shot dead by Mr. Fool's followers.

Poor Baron Gramier, of course, became a victim of Qilingos's failed operation and was found dead in his own home. But while offering condolences to the deceased, Audrey had to admit that Baron Gramier was actually a very "un-aristocratic" nobleman.

Baron Gramir was not handsome, nor did he have aristocratic virtues... He lacked self-confidence, looked down upon commoners of lower status than himself, bowed and scraped to those of higher status, and only dared to glance at the women of higher status out of the corner of his eyes.

Baron Gramier's funeral was very simple, and his relatives had to help pay off his debts, because Baron Gramier's financial situation was also very bad, and he even lived in debt for a long time. But he still maintained the style of an aristocrat, keeping a butler, a valet, a maid, a coachman, a horse feeder, a gardener... Do these configurations make sense for an aristocrat who already needs to borrow money? Baron Gramier could have borrowed more money to invest and hired fewer people - but Audrey didn't think there was any problem at the time, so she finally realized that she seemed to, probably, and might have accepted the ideas of this powerful man, and really began to think that "respectability" was not a good thing.

It seems to make sense.

No. Is that correct?
The education she had received so far conflicted with the current situation, and Audrey almost gave up thinking.

She seemed to have become two people, engaging in a heated debate with Baron Gramire as the subject of argument. One of them accepted the new idea and said, "If Baron Gramire hired fewer people, he might be able to make some money through investment." The other one gave an "aristocratic" answer and retorted, "But this is what aristocrats should be like? We are all like this. Baron Gramire is already not aristocratic. If he no longer abides by the rules of aristocrats, then why is he still aristocrat?" Audrey frowned suddenly.

"Audrey, how many more people do you think I can save while you're talking to me?"

But at this moment, Richard suddenly asked such an irrelevant question.

"How many people do you think were attacked in Backlund in these few minutes? How many people could have been lucky enough to meet me, but now they can't? - Of course, this is not entirely your responsibility. After all, I volunteered to talk to you."

Audrey was startled, then immediately covered her mouth with her hands.

It was so difficult to hear clear and coherent reasons for hating the nobles. She knew, of course, that many people harbored ill will towards the nobles simply because they were richer, but this reason could not convince her. She looked forward to hearing some more real and straightforward reasons, but was also afraid of such conversations.

"That's called a waste of resources, miss."

Richard shrugged.

"Just like the resources wasted on you that turned into jewelry, clothes, perfumes, shoes and handbags, if you keep them with you, they lose their value. I don't do anything here, and the people outside are all at the mercy of fate."

"I'm sorry, sir, I..." She wanted to end the conversation immediately, but Richard stopped her again with his actions.

"It's okay, miss. I don't really care how many people die here."

The angel of temperance begins to fully express his virtue of moderation and patience:
"I actually have a lot of things to tell you, but if you want me to understand them, I'll have to give you at least two hours of lectures, so I don't want to say a word. But I have a simple suggestion, maybe you will soon realize that your family's wealth has nothing to do with your family, and it has nothing to do with you. I don't know if you are willing, Miss Audrey, I will be your puppet substitute for free, and then you can leave here with me."

Audrey was a little surprised: "Where are you going?"

"I'm in Backlund on a business trip and will be returning to the Southern Continent soon. Are you interested in working as a nurse in my institution and providing end-of-life care to the patients? Or, are you interested in serving dishes in restaurants in the Southern Continent or sweeping the streets? It's a very leisurely job."

Richard looked at her and asked in the same relaxed tone as when he rescued her:

"Do you have the guts to try?"

Going to the South Continent?
Audrey couldn't help but feel a little curious about the unknown world.

"What kind of place is the Southern Continent?" Although Alfred wrote so many letters, Audrey had never left Loen in her 18 years of life. She spent most of her time traveling between the capital and her fiefdom in Eastchester County.

"The Southern Continent is a very beautiful, yet terrifying place."

Richard smiled and said, "If you come to the South Continent now, you can see zombies driving cars and skeletons farming. You can see members of the Rose School going crazy while calculating the time of their madness. You can see wars and you can also see a peaceful world. You can see people who want to live independently and freely, and you can also see people who muddle through and only care about their own lives."

Audrey was slightly tempted. Although the jobs mentioned by the gentleman, such as "serving dishes, sweeping the floor, and being a caregiver", made her subconsciously feel a little fearful and repulsive, she knew that these repulsions actually came from the education she received - "not decent".

Nobles are not supposed to work; it is the people who work.

Even if nobles have to participate in work, they must be elegant, relaxed, and able to become social role models.

These jobs are not decent, graceful, and unsuitable for noble ladies.

"I... maybe I can."

Audrey knew that the other party was trying to divert her attention, and she was also happy to put aside the questions that she couldn't think of the answer to for a while: "I often do psychological therapy for friends. Maybe, maybe I am very suitable... to listen to the patients' ideas..."

If the other party is willing to guarantee her safety, that's great. Even if not, with the strength of Sequence 6 and Susie, she can barely protect herself in the southern continent. If she just works in the hospital, she shouldn't encounter too much danger.

“This job isn’t that easy.”

Richard joked, "If you come, I will pay you a salary, but your salary is definitely not worth the pressure you have to bear from everything you have seen. Well, after all, the funds of our cult are still very tight, our hospital is quite rudimentary, and fights occasionally break out."

"It's okay, I will try to adjust myself..." If I really can't accept it, I will change my job. Audrey thought and said, "I want to see more..."

She was somewhat excited about the unknown world, but at this moment, a series of hurried footsteps were heard, accompanied by a soft and crying female voice "Audrey!" appearing from behind Audrey, like a powerful hand, pulling her back to reality from the unknown fantasy.

“Oh, Mom…!”

The beautiful countess wiped her tears with a handkerchief gracefully, and walked over and gently hugged Audrey, who looked dusty in comparison. Audrey carefully pulled her feet back to prevent her mother from seeing her broken heel.

"My dear, you must be terrified."

Lady Catelyn was crying, kissing her little daughter's face, and constantly comforting her: "It's okay, it's okay, dear, let's go home, let's not come to such a dangerous place alone again."

"NO, I have not……"

Hearing this, Audrey quickly resisted, but before she could refute, she was led away by her mother. She quickly looked at Richard, but saw a figure quickly walked up and stood between her and Him.

Lady Caitlin coaxed her while pulling Audrey up from her attempt to speak, and led her into the crowd of Beyonder bodyguards, toward the steam train in the distance. Audrey saw Archbishop Anthony standing in the train compartment, looking behind her warily.

“This train is so noisy.”

Lady Caitlin complained to Audrey in a low voice, "The space is very small and there are no cushions. There is no room to sit down."

"It's a pity that the carriage can't come here. The road here is almost completely destroyed..."

While whispering, she took her daughter, who kept looking back, onto the steam train and sat not far from Archbishop Anthony.

Richard watched Audrey go away without surprise. He looked at the pile of jewelry Audrey left on the seat, and then looked at Earl Hall who had the courage to step forward for his daughter. The meaning he wanted to express was self-evident.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Ernst. Thank you for saving my daughter."

Earl Hall was a little nervous. He had just learned that this person was not a saint but an angel with a strange temper. Even Archbishop Saint Anthony did not dare to approach rashly in this situation because he was unsure of the other party's position.

"To express my gratitude...how much gift should I prepare?"

Richard pouted at Audrey and asked, "How much is she worth?"

Earl Hall's breathing paused for a moment, but he also visibly relaxed: "My daughter's worth is four hundred thousand pounds."

"… That's all, then. Collect the money within a week and transfer it to that anonymous account."

He yawned and said, "I saved your daughter for money, but she escaped from there with others first, and then met me. You should have praised her for being able to live with others until I came to rescue her."

After Richard said this, he bent down, picked up his suitcase, walked through the crowd and left.

No fun, He thought.

When I walked out of the subway station, the bombing was over. Above the ruins, I saw a clear blue sky without a single cloud.

TBC
------

It is worth mentioning that the nobles advocate "not working" and look down on labor. The nobles should do nothing and accept support and be noble. Even if the nobles participate in labor, they will be looked down upon. So I don’t understand why Squid would reflect one of the "high status of female believers of the Night" in the article as aristocratic women being able to participate in some work.

(End of this chapter)