Kent has a thriving ironmaking industry.

After Baddley Hall heard that Charles and Caroline were going to Kent County with Darcy, he wrote a letter asking them to go to the factory to have a look, knowing that the improved production of parts that Caroline said was already in operation, and Baddeley was moving quickly, so Charles's evaluation of him was getting better and better.

Don't look at him, this baron is still reliable_(:зゝ∠)_

So, naturally, Charles offered to go to the factory to have a look.

Colonel Fitzwilliam looked at Caroline inquiringly, "What about Miss Bingley?" Are you going too? Wouldn't that be too boring? You know, young ladies are all shy away from this. As he spoke, he shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I don't know much about that, though. ”

So, she's not a young lady anymore.

Caroline twitched the corners of her mouth, saying that she was okay and that she would be happy to accompany the gentlemen over there.

Darcy stared at her for a moment, then looked away, and said, "Well, let's go and have a look at the ironworks." ”

Rosings spends most of his time when he is not at banquets, and occasionally Madame Catherine de Bauer will have Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam accompany her, essentially to cultivate a relationship with Mademoiselle Anne de Bauer.

There are many ironworks and coal mines in the eastern part of Kent, which are usually clustered together and have water sources nearby, making it very convenient to build factories.

And this time the route was planned by Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was quite familiar with this side.

"Mr. Hopkins' factory has a history of more than half a century, and it is a very good factory, and I heard him say that there will be a lot of orders, and when it is busy, dozens of manufacturers will order it in a quarter......

As he walked, Colonel Fitzwilliam said that Mr. Hopkins was an old friend of his, a new businessman in Kent, and a good hand at business.

When they came to the factory gate, they found that the factory, which had been described as "very organized and very hot", was now in a depression.

No, it can't be said to be depressed, because from the barricaded iron door, you can vaguely see people sitting on the ground or squatting in the corner.

Caroline and Charles looked at each other, what the hell was going on?

Darcy's brow furrowed, and he exchanged glances with Colonel Fitzwilliam, and read the same thing from the other's eyes as he did himself—strike?

It looks like yes.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Britain experienced rapid industrial and urbanization, and with it a variety of problems. For example, environmental pollution, such as the gap between the rich and the poor caused by unfair social distribution.

In the beginning, it was not very obvious that the realization of the monetization was not obvious, but with the development of the bourgeoisie, this problem became more and more serious, especially in some places where certain industries were very developed or the competitiveness was particularly distinct, and the gap between the rich and the poor in small areas would widen.

The working class is increasingly impoverished, exploited and oppressed, constantly squeezing labor and working longer. Therefore, the poor get poorer and the rich get richer, and naturally, the workers will be dissatisfied with this, and whether it is a riot or a strike is a matter of time.

Mr. Hopkins' factory is obviously no exception, and the root cause of such problems is in society, not individuals.

Seeing this, Colonel Fitzwilliam closed his tongue-in-cheek mouth and hesitated in place, and Darcy asked what he wanted to ask, "Are you still going in?" ”

The words were addressed to Caroline, who was not sure to pay attention, so she turned her gaze to Charles and asked for her brother's support.

Charles laughed dryly, "I don't think it's better to do it?" ”

Colonel Fitzwilliam was deeply impressed, and he immediately nodded, "Indeed, since it has become like this, I don't think there is any need for us to go in—why don't we go?" ”

As soon as he finished speaking, before he could leave, the door of the factory was opened, and Mr. Hopskin's daughter walked out, her eyes slid from Darcy's to Charles's, ignoring Caroline, and finally at Colonel Fitzwilliam, "Hello sir, you are a friend of my father's family. I'm Gina Hopkins, and Mr. Hopkins Sr. is my father. ”

"Uh, hello, Ms. Hopkins[1]." Colonel Fitzwilliam was a little embarrassed, and what he said might have been heard by this young lady, "Miss Hopkins, why are you here?" I mean, did Mr. Hopkins ask you to wait for us here? ”

"Sorry to disappoint you." Miss Gina Hopkins smiled apologetically, "I'm afraid you have already seen the situation in the factory, such a strike has been going on for nearly half a month, the factory has suffered heavy losses, and my father is sick. ”

She frowned slightly when she said these words, and the expression on her face should be fixed between "sad" and "helpless", but how strange it is.

Caroline squinted her eyes without a trace, she always felt that this Miss Gina was eccentric, and in all fairness, if it were her, she couldn't have been like this—Miss Hopkins, by the way, was not in a hurry at all.

"Oh! That's a shame! Charles exclaimed, "Excuse me, is Mr. Hopkins alright?" How is he feeling now? ”

Gina shook her head, "Father, he's not very good......"

Colonel Fitzwilliam was stunned for a moment, a little surprised, obviously when he wrote to the other party, he also said that he would receive them well, but it was his daughter ...... who appeared at the gate of the factory?

"That's unfortunate!" Charles sighed a little sadly, he easily transplanted other people's emotions to his own, the so-called empathy, probably this is the truth.

Both Caroline and Darcy were silent, the former because of a woman's sixth sense, and she had a gut feeling that Miss Gina Hopkins didn't like her very well - it was the first time they had met, had they?

The latter, on the other hand, is always indifferent and irrelevant.

"So, can we go and visit him? You must know that I am friends with Mr. Hopkins, and it is so uninteresting not to sue me when I am so sick! Colonel Fitzwilliam thought for a moment and turned to Gina for a moment.

The woman was stunned, and she didn't want to think about it, so she shook her head and refused, "No need I think, my father's illness is not easy to meet, gentlemen, miss, ...... you are here?" ”

Caroline didn't have time to stop it, and Charles stupidly came out, "Ah, we actually came to visit the factory today, Mr. Hopkins and Colonel Fitzwilliam have already said it, but, I didn't expect to come here today to see ...... Hmm, such a situation? ”

Why didn't Mr. Hopkins say anything about it in his letter? Charles had doubts in his heart for a moment, and then he left it behind him, forget it, he would be tired if he thought too much.

When Gina Hopkins heard this, she nodded understandingly, "Maybe I hope you will come and see the situation here, because it's too difficult, if you can sell this factory, or find a collaborator, it's a feasible plan, right?" She glanced casually over Darcy, who frowned, "Then, gentlemen, miss, allow me to show you here." ”

She was the first to enter the factory, followed by Caroline, then Charles and Colonel Fitzwilliam, with Mr. Darcy last.

Along the way, Caroline's hairs stood on end, not for anything else, you try what it was like to be stared at by a pack of hungry wolves, and there were a lot of angry, hateful, and even murderous eyes in them.

These are all from the workers crouching in the corners, and it can be seen that the class contradiction is now the main contradiction, and Caroline can imagine that whoever passes in a well-dressed dress will be treated the same.

What the hell did Mr. Hopkins do to them?

Caroline's doubts seemed to reach Colonel Fitzwilliam, who glanced around and rubbed his cold arm, "Didn't Hopkins say he was okay lately?" We haven't been in touch for a long time, is it because he is rusty, and he doesn't want to tell me the truth? ”

Fitzwilliam was not lying, and his letter was also read by Darcy.

Only now...... He frowned at the eyes of the workers, and those whose interests had been violated did not know what to do, and he thought of the East End of London, his face changed, and he quickened his pace to Caroline Bingley's side, blocking out those annoying glances for her.

Caroline felt the shadow next to her, turned her head slightly, and she saw the hard arc of Mr. Darcy's chin, and the slight stubble, blue-brown, there was an inexplicable sense of temptation in it.

She immediately retracted her gaze, feeling a burst of heat on her face, so she hurriedly found a topic and took Colonel Fitzwilliam's words, "That being said, maybe he doesn't want you to know?" Aren't you friends? You don't talk to your friends about everything, do you? ”

Haven't you heard of good news or bad news?

But Britain did not have such a habit, so Charles retorted, "Won't it? I always felt like something was being overlooked, but it wasn't a problem...... The focus now is on visiting the factory. ”

Darcy said lightly, "So, without the workers' factory, all that's left is the machine, right?" The meaning of his words is very clear, there are no workers, only the factory of the machine, and he also visits a fart!

Well, Mr. Darcy wouldn't be so vulgar_(:зゝ∠)_

Caroline's eyes wandered for a moment, looking around, there were a few machines still spinning, and it seemed that there would still be someone to operate them, although the personnel were not necessarily workers, and the other machines were already dusty, and it seemed that this Miss Gina Hopkins did not lie to them. The factory has been idle for more than half a month, and the workers' strikes have not paid them their due, and even the owners of the factory have not yet made a statement.

That's why there is such a resentful gaze.

Thinking that maybe these people still have an inextricable responsibility behind them, parents and children, they are the people they need to be responsible for,

Thinking so, Caroline's heart moved slightly, and she couldn't help but meet the eyes of those people just now.

Sure enough, the contents inside are frighteningly complex.

Then she heard Colonel Fitzwilliam exclaim, "He's so young, and has plenty of time to enjoy life, and I wish the disease would leave Hopkins soon." ”