Although the Women's Rights Act has been passed, many women are not used to the sudden acquisition of rights due to years of habit, and they do not even feel the real thing.

In the eyes of many people, life does not seem to have changed much, and it is still the right of the store to tidy up the room, cook, sew and mend clothes every day, and go out to find a job at all.

As for the right to inherit property and the right to custody of children, it is even more illusory, and the husband is good and does not divorce, where do you need these two rights?

On the contrary, all the property that was previously judged should be returned, triggering a wave of lawsuits.

But in the eyes of the vast majority of women, life is still the same as before.

Jennifer, a housewife, gets up early in the morning to clean the stove, cleans the soot that falls on the tables, chairs, and cupboards, and when she finishes cleaning the soot, she takes the night pot out and washes it in between the reheating of the stove, takes the newspaper outside the door and puts it by the stove to dry, and then prepares breakfast.

Today's breakfast consisted of pea bisque, bread and leftover stew from last night, and she also scrambled two eggs to ensure her husband's strength during the day.

As soon as the meal was ready, the husband went into the kitchen, picked up the dried newspaper, and ate breakfast.

"Something! Congress actually passed the Women's Rights Act! I'm not afraid of jokes! ”

The husband kept muttering and was very dissatisfied with the bill: "What can a woman do!" Can they do manual work? Are the machines in the factory that they can operate? I think I'm going to get a spinning machine! Is this also called work? How much money can you make in a day? It's not enough to buy bread! ”

Jennifer didn't say anything, silently stirring the stew in the pot, she was used to hearing her husband's complaints, even if there was no bill of interest, he would complain about the unfairness of the foreman in the factory, who is who. Occasionally, he would curse the king twice - in the middle of the night when no one was around.

"Damn! It's too late! ”

In the midst of the complaints, the husband suddenly realized that he was about to be late, and after eating the omelette on the plate in three or two bites, he grabbed his coat and rushed out of the door, Jennifer packed up the plates, and after a while, a little boy walked in with sleepy eyes.

"Hurry up and eat, I'm going to class after eating! You can't be late this time, or the teacher will be punished again! ”

Jennifer brought her son's breakfast without fried eggs and watched him finish it before he was asked to carry a shoulder bag that she had sewn with her own handmade from leftovers and sent him to a public primary school in Lambeth.

London is a big city, so big that any policies are in place here, including free government-funded primary education, and free admission to school for children of any age, full-time, four days a week, and Sunday school at church.

Because it is a public welfare project, you can't expect how strong the teachers are, the teachers are very irresponsible, often will not teach you useful knowledge, just like boarding schools force you to sit at the desk until the end of school, disobedient will be corporal punishment, occasionally there are a few teachers who are willing to give lectures, but the students do not like to listen.

Jennifer knows everything, but what can she do?

It's not easy to send a child to school, even if you can only recognize a few words.

When she got home, Jennifer had to start doing laundry, sweeping the floor, cleaning up, and for the goddess's sake, her husband's factory provided a free lunch, a humane arrangement that allowed her to sleep for half an hour more and not get up before dawn

After washing the clothes and drying them on the poles, Jennifer began to prepare lunch again, the school does not include lunch, and the son will be back in a while, and the seven or eight-year-old child is the time to grow his body, and he will cry out hungry when he comes back

In the afternoon, Jennifer lay in bed and slept for half an hour, she was so tired, but she had to get up soon, because the next tailoring work was not yet finished, and the day after tomorrow was the day of delivery, she had only sewn half of it, and it seemed that she would have to stay up late at night, hoping that this time her husband would not complain that she was wasting candles

Knock knock!

Knock knock!

There was a violent knock on the door, Jennifer put down the needle and thread, walked to the door in confusion, and opened the door to see.

It was the next-door neighbor, Mrs. Brown.

"Jennifer! Come with me! ”

"Where?" Jennifer was dragged out the door by Mrs. Brown, and she said with some resistance, "I still have a tailor's job to finish!" ”

"A tailor's job?"

Mrs. Brown's eyes widened: "Oh my God, Jennifer, what age is this, why are you still doing these things that have no future!" Nowadays, the clothes are all out of the factory, beautiful and neat, and handmade tailors like you have long been out of fashion! We should do something big! ”

"Big deal." Jennifer didn't understand at all: "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Duke Freya has formed a women's union! Don't you know? She is calling on women to join the guild and unite to defend their rights! Mrs. Brown excitedly said, "Brinda and they're all over!" We can't be the last ones! What an honor! Women's unions! I couldn't have thought of it before! ”

Jennifer was taken aback, her thinking was very traditional, she never dared to do anything beyond the norm, and she did not dare to participate in such a new and subversive movement of women's unions.

"No, no. Go on your own, I'll stay and finish my work. If you can't do it, you will have to pay liquidated damages."

"What liquidated damages!" Mrs. Brown said angrily: "He didn't sign a labor contract at all!" Why do we have to pay liquidated damages? Now the handmade tailors on the market are getting more and more expensive! They only pay us a pitiful few pennies! It's so unfair! Jennifer, Duke Freya said that as long as we all join the guild and unite, no one can bully us! The salary will be multiplied several times! ”

"How many times?" Jennifer's eyes widened in surprise: "Does it mean that I can earn 1 shilling for sewing a scarf?" ”

"2 shillings are fine! Do you want to come or not? The conference is about to begin! ”

Jennifer thought for a few seconds, then looked at the women rushing in the same direction on the street, and thought: It's a big deal to stay up all night, you can finish it anyway, and at most you will be scolded

"Okay, I'll go with you!" Jennifer gritted her teeth.

"Let's go!"

Following Mrs. Brown, Jennifer came to Archbishop's Park, which was the best place for gatherings, there was no ticket, the place was big, and the only drawback was that there were often police officers to drive them away, but Duke Freya only needed to glare at the police and fled.

The women of Lambeth came, crowding the Archbishop's Park to the brim, and the crowd could not be seen at a glance, not to mention thousands of people, and it was the first time for Jennifer to see such a huge battle, so she was much less uneasy and more confident.

You can't catch us all. She thought to herself.

No one was visible on the wooden platform, and Freya was behind the stage with the daughters of several noble families, discussing their next move.

The people have already gathered, and the next step is for them to sign the list or put their fingerprints on it and become part of the guild.

In the early days of its establishment, it was only 1 pence per month, and the symbolic union had a due, which was the most basic operating fund.

Of course, even if it's only 1pence, there are many people who don't want to take it, and it doesn't matter if the money is not money, the key is whether they can sign the list and join the union.

It depends on Freya's appeal.

Taking the tin horn, Freya walked up to the high platform, looked at the surrounding crowd, and said loudly: "Sisters, in your eyes, I may be a high duke, but today, I want to tell you that before I became a duke, I was also a woman!" ”

"It's the same people, why do women only stay at home and do housework and do menial jobs that men don't look down on?"

"We also have personalities! There is dignity too! The first struggle was won! We've got some recognition, but we can't be complacent yet! Don't forget how we got there! ”

Freya shouted to the crowd below, "We can't do it alone!" There can be no traitors among us! We're going to join forces! Only in this way can we win equal status and respect! ”

"But we don't have the ability," someone in the audience said stupidly: "We don't have a job, we don't earn enough money to support ourselves, we don't have money, we can only look at men's faces."

"That's what I'm going to say next!" Freya suddenly changed her words: "Sisters! Don't forget! We have a big card in our hand! Suffrage! ”

"As long as we stick together and vote for the candidates who support us and make them legislators, we will get enough jobs!"

"In short, as long as they don't support us and despise us, we can't vote for them! Fight them to the end! Dignity is earned by oneself! We don't want their mercy! ”

"Yes! That's right! ”

There were echoes from the audience, and Mrs. Brown's voice was almost hoarse, and when she found Jennifer silent, she couldn't help but ask, "Jennifer, don't you agree with President Freya's statement?" ”

"It's not that I disagree, it's just that I never thought about it. Can we really win? Jennifer worried.

"Yes! Absolutely! Jennifer, didn't you read the information published in the newspapers? In London, there are more than 100,000 women with the right to vote than men! As long as we are united, we can elect members who will support us! ”

"And who to choose?" Jennifer didn't know anything about the election: "How do we know if those councillors are cheating on us?" ”

At this time, Freya's voice came from the stage: "Sisters, keep your eyes open!" Don't be deceived by men! Be sure to follow the union's choice and vote for whoever should vote! ”

"Who should I vote for?" Someone in the audience asked.

"The candidates are different in different constituencies, and the union will give you the answer later, but in Lambeth" Freya smiled: "Don't think about it at all!" Sisters! Who fired the first shot for us to fight for our rights? This sister, you know what? ”

Without thinking, the named woman said, "It's Mr. Nicholas!" ”

"That's right! Nicholas von Manstein! It was the first time he had fought for us in public! Sisters, we suspect that no one should doubt him! He didn't have to! Whoever thinks about us like this, of course we have to vote for him with our precious vote! ”

The women gathered in front of the stage nodded their heads, feeling that Freya was not wrong at all.

"Sisters! Sign the list! Join the union and we will protect your rights and interests! Men can no longer beat and scold us! If that happens, we'll get you justice! Come on! Sign it! Be sure to be united! ”

At Freya's appeal, a long queue formed in front of the stage, and the women kept signing their names on the list and paying a one-pence initiation fee, and Jennifer was a little nervous and did not know what to do.

"Jennifer, are you still hesitating?"

Mrs. Brown, who was in line to sign the first batch, returned, and when she saw that Jennifer was still standing and watching, she said dissatisfiedly, "You are not united!" While I can't force you to do anything, you should be responsible for your own fate! Obey the instructions of the union and fight for women's rights! ”

"I, I."

"What's your name?"

Jennifer's body shook as a question rang out behind her, and she slowly turned around to find Freya smiling and standing behind her.

"Duke Floreya."

"Don't be nervous." Freya held Jennifer's hand and stroked the rough cocoon on her hand as she sighed: "What a beautiful pair of hands, I feel a woman who has paid silently for her family, and her hard work is worthy of respect."

Jennifer lowered her head when she was said and said shyly: "Duke Freya, you"

"Just call me Freya, you haven't told me your name yet."

"My name is Jennifer Jennifer Wiley."

"What a good name, Jennifer, and I ask you, are you happy with your life now?"

Jennifer was stunned by the question, she opened her mouth, trying to answer satisfactorily, but she couldn't say anything.

She couldn't go against her heart.

"Do you think you were born to live this life?" Freya asked, "Although all this is your own choice, have you ever thought about whether there is a second option when you make a choice?" ”

"Nope. I was married off by my father."

"Would you like to have other options?" Freya said in a soft tone: "It's still too late, you are still young, the union can arrange for you to engage in other jobs, the money you earn will not be much less than that of men, and your contribution will give you the courage to face your husband, this is dignity." ”

Freya pointed to Jennifer's chest: "No more dignity under the fence, financial independence will change your life." ”

"Really?" Jennifer's eyes gradually lit up: "Can I get out of my current life and do something else?" ”

Suddenly, Jennifer seemed to remember something, and her eyes dimmed again: "I can't. I don't know anything but housework and tailoring."

"Jennifer, look up."

Freya said earnestly: "The union will teach you new skills and give you the confidence to challenge life, but the first step is to take a brave step yourself, join the union, you will not regret this choice, I promise." ”

"Hmm!"