British hegemon

Chapter 76 The Weaver's Daughter

"Halfpenny," whose real name is Jenny, is nineteen years old. She was originally the daughter of a textile workshop owner outside Glasgow. When she was thirteen, her father went bankrupt and drowned himself, and her mother died of illness. The orphaned Jenny was sold by her uncle to a brothel as a maid.

When Mrs. Kate came to Arran Island, she brought this girl with her.

Strictly speaking, Halfpenny wasn't a prostitute. It wasn't that she was virtuous; it was just that by the prevailing aesthetic standards of the time, her appearance was quite ordinary, so naturally, few clients chose her.

However, she came from a merchant family and looked down on those unsavory peasants. So, she mostly played the role of Lady Kate's maid and a servant at the Moulin Rouge, earning only half a penny a day, which is why she was nicknamed "Half a Penny".

As for why he chose this "half-penny girl" on his first night back on the island, Roger could only guess that the previous girl had spent too long in the convent and had developed unusual tastes.

However, Roger was more satisfied with the "half-penny" girl. Putting aside her appearance, the girl was considerate, thoughtful, and good at taking care of people, so every time Roger went to the Moulin Rouge, he would have her serve him.

Now that Roger knows the background and identity of the "half-penny" girl, his eye for people has changed, even though he previously lacked talent reserves.

Roger was desperately short of talent.

At present, Milk House Manor is Roger's biggest source of wealth and support, and managing the manor is still the most important thing, so that old guy with the bitter face cannot be transferred to be in charge of reopening the workshop.

The young horseman was quite clever, eloquent, and literate, making him one of the few people who could temporarily take over some of the old steward's daily management duties. However, now that Roger was shifting the focus of development to the saltworks on the seashore, this young "man," one of the few key management personnel under his command, needed to be put to work at the saltworks.

Marne and Olaf are mature, steady, and capable, but they will be the core backbone of Roger's armed forces and cannot be sent to do business.

As for Baldy, Ponytail, and Black Dog, they can only be described as newly reformed thugs who still need to be tempered and refined.

With no one else around, and this new textile workshop currently just a "side play" in Roger's hands, he decided to ask this "half-penny" girl to manage it temporarily.

After all, she was the workshop owner's daughter; even if she hadn't eaten pork, she was used to seeing pigs run.

Hearing that Mr. Roger was going to spend money to redeem her from her servitude and hire her to temporarily manage the textile workshop, the "half-penny" girl didn't know where to put her hands.

Seeing the girl twisting her hands and looking at Mrs. Kate for help, Luo Jie said, "Mrs. Kate has agreed to let you leave. Now, you only need to consider whether you are willing to help me manage that new workshop."

"Of course, the new workshop I'm talking about is just an abandoned courtyard right now, and the commission I can give you is only one penny a day. I'll raise your salary once it starts making a profit."

"By the way, can you read?" Roger asked casually.

"I... I can't read, but I can do math, and I can learn to write. I can learn to write from Mrs. Kate." The girl was afraid that Roger would give up what he had just done because she couldn't read.

"You can do calculations?" Roger was even more surprised. This girl was illiterate but could do calculations, which meant that she did it mentally.

Arun Island is truly a place where hidden talents abound.

Roger had already seen through the girl's attitude and clapped his hands, saying, "Very good! Miss Jenny, you will take office tomorrow. First, find someone to clean up that courtyard. You will have to stay at the Moulin Rouge for the time being, and then you can move there after the courtyard is ready."

After saying that, Roger took out three gold coins from his purse and handed them to the girl. "This is the money for hiring someone to manage the courtyard. The rest is your advance payment for commission and expenses."

For the first time in years, the halfpenny girl heard someone call her "Miss Jenny," and it was a knight who addressed her so formally. Her hand trembled as she took the money.

"You need to do two things in the next few days. First, hire someone to clean the yard and surrounding area by the pond's water inlet. Then, have a bricklayer and a carpenter repair the yard. Tell them you are working for Sir Roger, and they won't dare to slack off. Next, buy some iron pots and cooking utensils, grains, fruits and vegetables, and bedding and blankets. The backyard will be your residence from now on."

"Secondly, recruit a reliable person to help you with your work. I don't care who you recruit, just remember one thing: they must be able to help you manage the new textile workshop. They will pay you one penny a day."

"If necessary, we can ask Mrs. Kate for help," Roger said, looking at Mrs. Kate, who nodded slightly.

"After you've done these two things, come find me at Milk House Manor, and I'll assign you the next task."

Roger assigned a task to his first "manager," and the girl carefully noted it down, nodding and agreeing with a nervous yet excited smile.

Girls who smile are lucky, and it's true.

The girl stepped down with Mrs. Kate, embracing a new chapter in her life.

The Moulin Rouge waitresses who heard about the girl's extraordinary fate crowded around to congratulate her, while also secretly lamenting God's unfairness.

Roger was in a really good mood, as he could solve his problems while drinking with women.

Olaf gave Roger a malicious look and chuckled in a low voice, "This girl will not only serve you in bed from now on, but she'll also have to do chores for you after getting out of bed. Only a penny a day, sir, you're really something."

Roger glanced at Olaf and said seriously, "She's now my employee, and I wouldn't lay a hand on my own employee."

Roger was telling the truth. If the girl were just a waitress at the Moulin Rouge, even if she were a little less attractive, he might have been willing to go for her.

But now that they've become someone's subordinate, that's a different story.

Once you're in bed, how can you manage it?

"Alright, sir, it's your decision. I need to go have dinner." Olaf, unconcerned with Roger's business plans, pulled a girl who served him over and headed upstairs.

Seeing that Olaf had already made his move, Roger finished his beer, got up and walked over to the waitresses, ordering a pretty girl.

He had his eye on that girl for a long time and had inquired about her health condition; the risk was not high.

He took the girl's hand and led her upstairs to a guest room to play cards and win.

I've been holding this in for almost three months, it's time to get this done.

But Roger's virginity in the New World was destined to remain unbroken. Just as he was embracing the beautiful girl and walking to the corner of the stairs, a girl with a ponytail jumped off a mule and burst into the Moulin Rouge.

The woman with the ponytail grabbed a waitress in the hall and asked her where Roger was. She then strode up the stairs and caught up with Roger in front of the door. "The castle guards said you left, but they guessed you were here."

"What's wrong?" Roger's arm was still around the girl, but his face had darkened.

Roger glanced at the girl, then patted her on the bottom, signaling her to go inside and wait.

"Blackie has gotten into trouble. He assaulted someone in Gildonan and was arrested by the villagers. Sir Gildonan requests your assistance in retrieving him. Sergeant Marn and Baldy have already gone there."

"Wasn't he going to find a woman? How did he end up hitting someone? He's such a troublemaker." Roger was furious when his dinner, which he had almost finished eating, was interrupted.

"I don't know. The messenger said that the black dog injured someone and was arrested. If we don't go soon, it will be beaten to death." The woman with the ponytail said anxiously.

"Olav, skip dinner, go back and save people!" Roger yelled at Olaf, who had gone upstairs before him.

A moment later, Olaf emerged, wearing a belt as he walked, looking dejected. "What happened?"

"The black dog has been captured. Go and rescue him."

Roger was already down the stairs when he said, "Ponytail, go to the church and find the young stableman. Tell him to bring the carriage over to pick us up. Hurry up."

The girl with the ponytail strode out of the Moulin Rouge, leaped onto a mule's back, and galloped towards the castle...

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