Dear Mr. Darcy [Pride and Prejudice]

Mr. Thomas has been a little worried these two days.His lovely student has a girl he likes, and the two live in his house temporarily.But the two don't seem to get along so smoothly.Sometimes when eating, the two will be obviously silent and do not communicate.He has been going out a lot these days, and he doesn't know if there is any problem between the two of them.

Mr. Thomas hesitated for a moment, then called the servant. "Did there be a dispute between Fitzwilliam and Miss Kentra today?" Of course, such behavior is not open and aboveboard, but Mr. Thomas is really worried about his stubborn and unreasonable students. If there is any problem between the two of them , he wishes to be able to adjust.

The servant replied: "As usual, Mr. Darcy and Miss Kentra have been talking in the living room since the morning. I didn't hear the specific content of the conversation."

Mr. Thomas frowned slightly.Obviously the content of the conversation is the point.It's better not to let the servant eavesdrop. Tomorrow he will go to the living room to read the newspaper and listen in. It would be best if he can find the reason, and if he can't find another way, he will think of another way.

The next day Mr. Thomas pretended to be nonchalant and came to the living room early.

As usual, after breakfast, Emma and Mr. Darcy also sat down in the living room and began to talk.

Originally, Emma was thinking about avoiding Mr. Darcy, but Mr. Darcy was very natural when facing her, as if he didn't care about the failed marriage proposal. Confront Mr. Darcy.This is probably the period of time when the two communicated the most.

Emma prefers to chat with Mr. Darcy than to read a book.Perhaps because he assumed the responsibility of the family earlier, Mr. Darcy has more experience than his peers, and his views are more sharp.Emma has always been troubled by the fact that there is no channel to directly understand business and financial knowledge. Although she has made some investments based on past experience and books, the efficiency of such a little understanding is relatively low.There are not many opportunities to ask for experience from a gentleman earning ten thousand pounds a year.Emma did not want to let such a rare opportunity slip by.However, the content of the conversation is not always so serious, often wandering off to other places while talking.

For example, today they initially discussed the investment prospects in South America, but after a few words they deviated from Mr. Darcy's previous experience.

Emma was a little surprised. "Have you ever been to South America?" Emma knew that Mr. Darcy had been to India and some European countries, but she didn't expect that Mr. Darcy had even been to South America.Traveling in this era is not the same as in the 21st century, long-distance travel is complete torture.Not to mention the comfort of long-term sea voyages, it’s okay to go to India and other relatively mature routes, but there will be safety threats to South America.

There is a special reason for going to South America. Mr. Darcy explained: "My father passed away very suddenly. I didn't have much practical experience at the time, thanks to the help of his original agent. But I also know very well that I cannot always rely on the strength of others. Mining development in South America was very popular at that time, but I was not sure about the risks and profitability, so I chose to investigate it myself.”

Emma pursed her lips and smiled. "A battle to prove yourself."

Mr. Darcy coughed slightly, slightly embarrassed.In fact, Emma was right. At that time, he was not as calm as he is now when he was a fledgling, and he was eager to prove himself.Now it seems that the approach at that time was a little thoughtless.He didn't want to show his youthful and reckless side in front of Emma.

Emma was very much interested in it.Mr. Darcy was right and perfect most of the time, and it was a novelty for her to see Mr. Darcy's less-than-perfect side. "Did you encounter a lot of difficulties that time?"

Although Mr. Darcy didn't want to say it, Emma would not refuse or lie when she asked him. "Yes. The longest trip before was to France. The first long-distance voyage was not well prepared. There is no comfortable sightseeing boat for gentlemen and ladies to use in South America. When sailing to the middle of the sea, it will not stop for more than ten days. In one port, there are only dry bread and some long-lasting dishes on board. The water on board is very precious. Although water will be replenished at each port, it will not reach the next supply point for more than ten days. Only enough for drinking and necessary cleaning. Although I have some special treatment, I can't take a shower every day. Sometimes the wind and waves are really big. I chose the most wrong way, I didn’t eat when I had no appetite, and I chose to be patient instead of asking the captain for experience. Due to my weak body and my inability to adapt to the local climate, I soon fell ill.”

Emma sighed, although the incident had passed, but there was still some worry in her eyes naturally. "That's really the worst case scenario."

"Yes. The servants and I can master several languages, but most of the local people can't speak English or French. Even if they can, the accent is very serious. Sometimes gestures can communicate more effectively than words. I choose the accompanying servants though experience Insufficient but more flexible. In the name of the mother's family, I asked the local garrison for help. Although it was not the national army but the French army, the two countries were still in a state of peace at that time. In order to avoid diplomatic disputes, they still provided necessary help and invited a doctor to come Treat me."

Emma crossed herself. "Thank God, you have a clever servant." And if Mr. Darcy's mother was not the daughter of an earl, I am afraid that the local army would not provide assistance so easily.How to invite a doctor to describe the disease in a foreign country where the language is not very good is a big problem.In this era, there are many people who die in foreign lands due to various problems. If Mr. Darcy is not such an identity, his life may really be threatened.

Mr. Darcy nodded, to his own great satisfaction. "A reliable assistant is very important, because it is difficult to imagine what problems you will encounter after going out. Even if there is no disease, many things cannot be solved by one person. But although he is smart, he does not know the local situation. After that, I Spend a lot of money to hire a local who can speak a little English. He is a professional guide and provides services for foreigners who come here for the first time. The guide told us all the necessary knowledge. Including methods to prevent mosquitoes and diseases. There is no such thing in China However, there are a lot of mosquitoes in South America, and the climate is not compatible with China, so it is easy to get sick. Before that, I never thought that scorpions would crawl out of the bathtub when taking a bath, nor could I imagine ants crawling out of the tableware.”

Although Emma has never been to South America in this era, she has heard a little about the information explosion in the 21st century.Can't help giving Mr. Darcy a sympathetic look.Nobles pay great attention to hygiene issues, and Mr. Darcy is obviously a bit of a clean freak. I really don't know how he overcomes the psychological barrier. "It's really too bad. The guide rescued you from this terrible scene?"

A long time has passed, and Mr. Darcy has calmed down when he thought of the scene at that time. "Although it sounds terrible, scorpions and ants will not cause serious harm, except for venomous scorpions. The local people get along very well with these less dangerous and ubiquitous insects, and they are used to it. , so there are not many ways to repel insects, and they cannot completely drive these things away. Guides can only reduce the appearance of insects, but there is no way to eradicate them. What we can do for such unsolvable problems is to change our mentality.”

This is a very simple truth, but for the son of a big landlord who left home for the first time and should not have encountered much setbacks in the past, it is not easy to make such a change in mentality.Emma felt that perhaps she did not know Mr. Darcy very well.I have seen the stubborn and tough Mr. Darcy in the past, and it is the first time that I intuitively feel his very tolerant and tolerant side.

Mr. Darcy didn't notice Emma's thoughtful eyes, and continued: "Mosquitoes and leeches are the ones that need the most vigilance and the guide provides the most effective defense methods. The bites of mosquitoes may spread diseases. It's a big problem. Once bitten, you need to cut the skin and flesh with a knife to pick it out. The guide's method is very strange, including some prayers, and the medicine is also like mud, and it smells strange. But it is really effective. "

Mr. Thomas frowned.Telling the travel experience to the lady, shouldn't the most rare thing be the local beautiful scenery and special costumes?Talking about scorpions and ants is bad enough, but now we even talk about leeches.Maybe it's because Mr. Darcy doesn't know how to screen the content of the conversation and makes Emma feel uncomfortable, so Emma doesn't want to talk to Mr. Darcy for the time being?

Perhaps Mr. Thomas's strong idea was passed on to Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Darcy finally remembered the issue discussed at the beginning - South American investment.

Mr. Darcy is not optimistic about the prospect of investing in South America. "Our country controls fewer areas. If the purchase of land in other countries occupies areas involves multiple issues, and the future relationship between my country and these countries is difficult to determine, the risk is greater."

Emma knew that during this period of history, the melee between countries competing for colonies has temporarily ended, and there will be no large-scale battles in a short period of time, but she is not sure whether there will be small-scale conflicts or diplomatic issues. "There are not many areas where our country actually garrisons, but there is also a certain area of ​​​​indigenous residential areas that are radiated. Some of these areas can try to investigate investment."

Due to the changes in the spheres of influence of various parties in South America, Mr. Darcy has not personally visited the areas under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom, but he has read some materials. "The local minerals are not rich, and the most abundant and high-quality resource is wood, but now the demand for wood is insufficient. After the Great Fire of London, in addition to imitating oriental buildings that used some wood, masonry replaced wood as the new main building Materials. The original cost advantage will be weakened after long-distance transportation.”

Emma had no intention of being in the lumber business.The days of wood as a fuel and building material are almost over.She is optimistic about the mineral resources in South America.In this era, oil has not yet entered the stage of history, and the mention of minerals refers to iron or coal. The coal deposits in South America are not rich, and there are no large-scale iron mines in the British occupation area, so Mr. Darcy thinks that the deposits are insufficient, but according to Emma Know that there are oil resources in the area. "Do you know about new power machines?"

Mr. Darcy knew something about it. "Someone once wanted to persuade me to invest in a water-powered textile factory, so I went to investigate. But the real thing disappointed me. The cost of a water-powered textile factory is not as cheap as the legend. It must be built by the river. During the dry season The output will drop significantly, and the cost of hiring workers is not much. In general, the advantages of hydrodynamic machines are not great, and once damaged, repairs need to be handled by special personnel, which is very troublesome.”

"Where's the steam engine?"

"Steam-powered machines have many problems, and they are less mature than water-powered machines. I have heard that there are some new achievements, but they have not been applied to actual production."

The relatively complete steam engine improved by Watt has not yet come out.And even if the Watt steam engine appeared, in the eyes of later generations, it would be logical for the steam engine to replace the original power, but there are many problems in actual operation.Now patent protection is not perfect enough, and it is difficult for inventors to promote it.Introducing new machines involves many issues.Since it is not possible to rebuild on the basis of old machines, it is necessary to purchase new equipment, which requires a large amount of working capital.What is the wear and tear of the new machine, there will be some problems in the actual operation, and the plant may need to be remodeled, and the workers must be retrained... It takes time for people to accept a new thing.Emma couldn't say how long it would actually take, but she knew the way things were going. "I am optimistic about steam power. South American minerals can be used as energy for steam engines."

"Leaving aside the various problems in the application of steam power, there are not many places where new power machinery can be applied. It is nothing more than speeding up the rotation speed or pulling heavier things. The speed of weaving cloth is increased by dozens of times. Initially, it is indeed possible to obtain more There are more profits, but machinery cannot speed up the speed of tailoring and making clothes, and the demand for cloth in clothing stores is limited. The price of cloth will fall rapidly. Even if there is machinery to speed up clothing making in the future, the population is limited by food production, after all, it is limited Yes, the demand for clothes is also limited. Once clothes are unsalable, the price of cloth will still fall. Huge profits cannot be maintained forever. It is not wise to invest in South America for short-term profits when the prospects are uncertain.”

Such problems will definitely exist in a short period of time, but the wisdom of future generations is beyond the imagination of today's people.These problems will eventually be resolved.But Emma could find no evidence from the present situation.

The two debated from reality to history, then to philosophy, and then to human evolution...

After discussing this issue for an hour, the two were still at a stalemate.Not being able to convince the other side is always frustrating.Emma and Mr. Darcy were silent at the same time.

Mr. Thomas, who was reading the newspaper, pricked up his ears, wondering if he should say a few words to divert the topic.

The silence lasted for a while, and Emma spoke first: "Indeed, your point of view has some truth, but why don't we take a look at the situation in France?"

"It wouldn't have gone as smoothly without the Royal Family's involvement..."

It turns out that silence is thinking about how to further persuade the other party.Mr. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief and continued to eavesdrop.

However, the new round of debate is also not smooth.The two talked dry and exhausted before they stopped.

Emma looked at Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Darcy looked at Emma.

Emma felt a little heat in her cheeks.It turned out that she had a fiancé, and Mr. Darcy was very careful to refuse ambiguous behavior. She did not regard Mr. Darcy as a possible love object.Until that night when Mr. Darcy confessed his feelings to her.Thinking of this, Emma picked up her teacup and took a sip, avoiding Mr. Darcy's sight.

Mr. Darcy felt the same way.He used to think that Emma's eyes were flexible and beautiful, and those emerald green eyes looked deeply at him, which made him feel a little unnatural in his whole body.

"That..." Both of them said at the same time.

In this case women are preferred.Emma said she would examine the situation more carefully.

Mr. Darcy decided to study the future trend of investment in South America.

Mr. Thomas smiled secretly, and put away the paper.It seems that he doesn't need to come over tomorrow.