"Mr. Huntelaar's figure is a little thin, but it is very even, and it should fit very well in the clothes I made."

After spending more than ten minutes and carefully counting John's needs, Mr. Smith, the old tailor who had been making clothes for old Mr. Huntelaar for eight years, nodded with satisfaction and said proudly.

As a tailor from Savile Row, London, Smith is quite picky about his clients.

On the one hand, it is natural to consider the identity of the customer, and have strong economic strength to afford the high annual customization costs, on the other hand, the customer's personal figure, temperament, etc. also determine the grade of the clothes in a sense, and sometimes Smith would rather reduce his income than make clothes for some guests who may ruin his reputation.

It was clear that John fit his bill well.

"Please wait a moment in the break room."

After a polite remark to John and Hans, Mr. Smith went to the side.

A young apprentice in the shop led the two to the break room, served two cups of coffee, and then withdrew. Looking at the well-decorated lounge, John's heart couldn't help but smack his tongue secretly, and he turned sideways and whispered to the housekeeper beside him: "Mr. Elber, how much does it cost to make a set of clothes in this store?" ”

"It depends on the material and style of the garment, and how it is customized."

As if seeing John's concern, Hans smiled slightly, and comforted him in a low voice: "Although this Mr. Smith claims to be from Savile Row, in fact, many people know that he only worked as an apprentice there for a few years, and the fees are not expensive. ”

"A hundred dollars?!"

After hearing this number, John was slightly stunned, and then secretly smiled bitterly.

From the perspective of a later generation, a hundred dollars is really not a big amount, that is, everyone goes to a better restaurant to have a meal together. But don't forget, it's 1879, a time when you could rent a house for two or three dollars for a week and eat for a few cents!

A hundred dollars?

I'm afraid this amount can almost pay the monthly salary of four people in the family, including Hans, right?

This is not John's imagination, although he has only been in New York for a day, he does not know how much Hans and the cooks and maids in the family can earn, let alone the income level of New Yorkers, but he can judge the income level of an ordinary American at this time according to a world-famous salary revolution more than thirty years later.

Just 35 years later, in 1914, Henry Ford would change American industrial society by proposing an unprecedented wage increase that others considered crazy. He raised the minimum daily wage of the workers to $5, turning ordinary laborers into the middle class, and at that time, the daily wage of an ordinary person was only two dollars, and the monthly salary was only fifty or sixty dollars!

After 35 years, $5 a day belongs to the middle class, so what is the concept of a hundred dollars in this day and age?

It cost almost a hundred dollars to make a few clothes, which made John feel a little uncomfortable, after all, he had never been so extravagant in his life.

While smiling bitterly, John finally verified Mr. Slark's inference.

On his trip to the United States, Mr. Slark had a guess that John's maternal grandfather, Mr. Huntelaar Sr., would earn at least four or five thousand dollars a year. Now John can finally be sure of this, and he even thinks that Mr. Slark's speculation is too conservative. Because whether it is the lavish breakfast in the morning or the consumption of hundreds of dollars at this time, it is certainly impossible to support it without enough income.

"The old man's family background looks really thick."

John picked up the coffee on the table a little carelessly, took a sip gently, and a faint bitterness quickly surged from the tip of his tongue to his heart.

Of course, it was not a bad thing for him that his grandfather had a good life, but the chances of helping him in a short period of time were very small, and such an opportunity was exactly what John needed.

John has always had a very idealistic plan, that is, to use his knowledge of more than 100 years to help old Huntelaar, and to gain the recognition of the other party in this way, so as to serve the purpose of helping his mother. The grandson is excellent, and the impression of his daughter in the mind of old Huntelaar can naturally change a lot, maybe because of this, he can completely forgive Elizabeth!

"Let's take it one step at a time."

Sighing softly, John shook his head, dispelling the unrealistic thoughts in his mind, and suddenly turned to the butler Hans and smiled, "Mr. Elber, do you know Thomas Edison?" ”

"Of course I do!"

Hans nodded without hesitation, and said with curiosity in his eyes: "The newspaper says that he is a very great master, who has improved the telephone, understood the gramophone, and recently has a great modern that can change the world - electric light!" And it is said that in the coming days, he will show off his new vision in Monroe Park, New Jersey! ”

At this point, Hans's gaze showed a clear look of yearning.

In his brain, which lacked scientific knowledge, he could not imagine the "dazzling world" of the night as described in the newspapers, and the newspapers' hype about Edison's new genius aroused his curiosity.

Sensitive to the longing in Hans's eyes, John was overjoyed, and hurriedly smiled and said: "Mr. Elber, I also read yesterday's newspaper, and I am very interested in this Mr. Edison, especially his new talent, and I very much hope to go to the scene to have a look, I wonder if you can please accompany me?" ”

As a young boy, Johan certainly didn't expect to travel alone, so it was a good idea to pull Hans in hand.

"This ......"

After listening to John's words, although a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes, Hans still shook his head very embarrassed and said: "Sir, although I am very happy to accompany you on a trip, but after all, it is in New Jersey, and it is hard to imagine that Mr. Huntelaar would allow us to go there for such a thing." ”

Although New York and New Jersey were only separated by a river, it would take a lot of time to get there with the current traffic conditions, and if, according to John's idea, they would even have to stay there for a night or two, Hans could hardly guarantee that old Huntelaar would agree to this request.

"You don't have to worry about that."

John smiled and said, "I would ask my grandfather, I think, he should satisfy a teenager's curiosity, won't he?" ”

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Hans shrugged his eyebrows in some surprise, this was the first time he had heard the word grandfather from John's mouth, and he couldn't help but be secretly relieved.

"Perhaps, children's curiosity should not be suppressed."

Hans, who was also a little nervous in his heart, found a reason for himself, but after a little hesitation, he nodded and smiled: "Okay, I will also mention this matter to Huntelaar when I go back, he also saw this news yesterday, and gave this Ming a very high evaluation at that time, maybe he will agree." ”

"Thank you so much, sir."

John was overjoyed and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Edison and Ta Ming's electric lamp, which will be a household name in the future, especially in Liu Zecheng's childhood, this name carries the fantasies of many children. Although Liu Zecheng saw many comments about Edison on the Internet after becoming an adult, and knew a lot of little-known black history of this Ming family, this did not prevent him from playing an important role in human history.

Isn't participating in history and getting to know these famous figures face-to-face is one of the greatest pleasures of travelers?

"Be sure to convince the old man!"

His right fist slammed lightly into the palm of his left hand, and John Huntelaar's eyes lit up and he thought, "Maybe it's a good opportunity to meet this great master at the same time......

……

Ask you a question, I always feel very awkward to call the protagonist "John" when I code words, but it is even more uncomfortable to call him "Liu Zecheng", what do you think?

Tips: The new domain name "biquge.info" has been launched by Biquge, and the original domain name is about to be discontinued. Please tell each other, thank you!