Chapter 490 - Baker Street Irregulars (1/2)

Chapter 490 Baker Street Irregulars

The carriage stopped outside John’s textile factory.

Zhang Heng and Holmes got out of it and at that time, a man with a mouth full of rotten teeth and a sharp chin came up to them.

“Gentlemen, can I help you?” he asked.

“We’d like to go inside to look for someone,” said Holmes.

“I’m afraid that’s inappropriate. Everyone inside the factory is female and both of you are men…” The man shook his head, “That’s not right, that is not right.”

Holmes reached out to his pocket, took out a half-pound gold coin, and threw it into the man’s hand. “We just need a quarter of an hour.”

The latter frowned, pretending to be embarra.s.sed.

Holmes did not bother playing along with his act. He was about to reach out and take the gold coin back when the man protested.

“Okay, okay, okay. The boss is not here today. I can find a way to help the two of you to get into the factory. But let me be clear. You only have a quarter of an hour. I can’t let you stay in there any longer,” said the man said and quickly pocketed the gold coin.

He then took the two into the textile factory.

Watt’s invention of the steam engine kickstarted the industrial revolution. The steam engine gradually replaced the water frame, and textile factories did not need to be built by the waterways anymore. Due to the fact that the John Textile Factory was founded a long time ago, it had never been relocated. It was still at its original site. Nonetheless, the equipment inside the factory had been upgraded over time.

This was Zhang Heng’s first time witnessing such a scene. The vast factory was full of machines. Pipelines were being set up under the ceiling, and the continuous belt spinning around the pulleys powered the sewing machines noisily. All the female workers wore hats and ap.r.o.ns, standing in front of the machines, and repeating the dull and tedious; it was repet.i.tive and made them no different than a marionette. In this factory, there were no distinction between humans and machines. The man asked, “Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help you. I know everyone here.”

Holmes and Zhang Heng then exchanged glances. After that, Zhang Heng placed his arm on the man’s shoulder.

“To be honest with you, we actually want to open a textile factory. We are here to learn from yours!”

Immediately, the man became vigilant, “That won’t work! If you have told me about this earlier, I would never have let the two of you come in here!”

“Don’t be so sure,” Zhang Heng said, “We want to recruit a group of skilled workers. If you can help us, we can give you good money.”

The bloke was moved when he heard the offer.

“No, how can I betray Mr. Stotts! He put me up to this job, and he is a distant relative as well. I won’t do anything that would put him at a disadvantage.”

“If you do the job we give you well, you can expect a handsome amount of money entering your pockets,” Zhang Heng said, “more than enough for you to eat, drink and play for a long time.”

As the two chatted, Holmes quietly left the place.

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Heng and Holmes met up again outside the textile factory. The man escorted the two to the road and said excitedly, “I will make a list soon and make sure that all of them are honest and hardworking folk.”