Chapter 27 This Is Squirrel Street

Although this steam city wakes up after dawn, in fact, people like coachmen and workers often have to get up early, and in extreme cases, they have to get up in the dark at three in the morning. In the absence of an alarm clock, a window knocker with a pocket watch is needed to wake them up.

Window knockers, mouse catchers, cat feeders, etc. are all products of this era.

The man who carried a long wooden pole and a small lantern on his waist that Lin En saw on Squirrel Street was a window knocker. In fact, window knockers often only work in the lower city. If you go up, people either have pocket watches or maids or both, and they no longer need window knockers to knock on the windows to remind themselves to get up.

When the two window knockers passed by each other, Lin En heard them talking about their work remuneration.

Knocking on a window can get 1/2 penny.

According to the average weekly salary of 15 soles and 9 pence just released by the city government this year, the window knocker has to knock on at least 56 windows every night without a day off for seven days.

After doing some mental calculations, Lin En exclaimed, "Wow, 56 windows are not just a row of 56 windows waiting for you to knock on. The calculations of the poor can be as accurate as Mr. Boris's water bill. If you knock on a window, the workers in two or three nearby buildings will probably get up quickly."

Lin En knew that being a window knocker was not a fixed job for a person, but it also reflected the economy of the Kingdom of Albion that was dragged down by the protracted war. The scary thing was that the entire continent was being dragged down by the chariot, and it seemed that everyone was gritting their teeth to see who would collapse first.

'If I average my monthly income with the richest man, am I also a multimillionaire? '

Recalling a popular joke and the wealth distribution problem reflected behind it, Lin En stood on this noisy street and couldn't help loosening his collar, which might have been too tight when he went out today.

He always felt that he had difficulty breathing, and when he looked at the occasional gas street lamp, he felt that something was missing.

For two months.

Although Lin En lives on this street, it is not the lowest street in [Steam City]. Apart from studying and giving others a break, he has never paid attention to other people's living income and expenditure. Now Lin En is also haunted by some thoughts before crossing, which makes him want to walk around.

It is not difficult to foresee that he will have to live in Squirrel Street for a while.

If you don't know what the area you live in is like, you don't know where the red line of people here is. Some noble lords who were hanged before crossing were like this. They sat in the manor and drank coffee elegantly, and didn't care about the lives of the outsiders. As a result, the noble lords were dumbfounded and watched the mob that rushed into the manor divide their family.

I don't know if it is due to extraordinary factors or the secular regime is too stable. Lin En found that people's red line is very low in the occasional conversation.

Lin En walked and stopped and passed most of Squirrel Street. Most of the time he chatted with some members of the Youth Gang. However, when passing by the street where stolen goods were sold, Lin En, whose eyelids were trembling, actually saw a free clinic. He could hardly imagine that there was a free clinic in this era when medicine was more valuable than human life.

Lin En, who had almost walked from the end of the street to the street, came to the free clinic table with curiosity. What surprised Lin En even more was that there were not many people coming to see the doctor.

This was too unreasonable. Lin En wanted to get closer to see something that was unreasonable.

"Um, do you need to take a look?"

"Free diagnosis is provided here."

Two free clinic doctors who were slightly more mature than Lin En and looked like college students spoke. Looking at Lin En's neat clothes and fair skin, they naturally shrank back and used honorifics.

Lin En came to the table and glanced at the various case diagrams on the table, then turned his head and looked around, and then knocked on the table with a curious smile.

"Are you doctors?"

"We are students of the Medical Association who are about to graduate, but we have obtained the permission of our mentor to go out for diagnosis." One of the boys with freckles on his face subconsciously wanted to stand up, and his companion quickly pulled him.

【Continental Medical Association】is not only an association but also a college for training doctors. What is more interesting is that according to the spirit of the Hippocratic Declaration, this college will also provide some free places for poor children, which is a quick way for the bottom of the city to be promoted.

There is a sense of insecurity and inferiority between the words and actions of these two people.

Considering their backgrounds and the environment they have been in for a long time, this is not difficult to understand.

"Why do you want to come here for free clinic?" Lin En picked up a booklet that seemed to be promoting the harm of diseases, and there were vivid drawings on it. In addition to the plague, Lin En also saw tuberculosis, cholera, measles, scurvy, whooping cough and hysteria. With the medical level of this era, there are many terminal illnesses.

The two people said something and confirmed Lin En's guess.

The freckled boy is called Arthur, and the other calmer short man is called Qian Ning. They were originally residents of Squirrel Street. After extremely hard work and good luck, they became apprentices of the [Mainland Medical Association]. They finally learned something and wanted to come back here to learn from their teachers to open free clinics and help their former neighbors on the street.

But the result seemed not so ideal.

They came here excitedly early in the morning, but were poured a basin of cold water by this deserted scene. They were doubting their lives. This was completely different from the scene when their teachers gave free clinics.

"You must not have been very old when you moved out of Squirrel Street." After listening to the two people's complaints, Lin En first rubbed his fingers and explained with a smile. "At this time, even if they are not feeling well, those who can stand it go to work. The child laborer agreement issued five months ago stipulates that factory owners are willing to add 1 to 2 pennies to allow child laborers to legally help the public. How can you find those who really need help sitting here?"

Those who need help are already lying in narrow and smelly rented houses, hoping that their bodies can survive.

This is the downtown area, not the midtown area.

When the free clinic is set up, those company employees who have enough time will come to take a look. This is Squirrel Street, this is Squirrel Street where laundry workers or handicraft housewives can only earn 14 pence or even less after a busy day. However, this scene without any people is indeed not right.

Lin En's suggestion made them suddenly realize, and they lowered their heads in shame.

"You can sit here peacefully for so long, which shows that there are indeed people who need help. Let me ask for you." After rubbing his hands, Lin En snapped his fingers and waved to a shoe shiner who was waiting for business on the street. Many of the child workers on this street are actually members of the Youth Gang, and they have a lot of work to do.

Arthur and Channing watched Lin En talking to the shoe shiner with gratitude. Soon, after they paid a commission of 2 pence, they got the service of the shoe shiner to walk through the streets and alleys. With the Youth Gang as a guide, no one would make things difficult for the two people who went to the free clinic.

Before they left, the shoe shiner looked at Lin En with admiration and whispered.

"Young Master, it's better for them not to come on weekends, otherwise the uncles in the chapel who are not afraid of pain will be angry."

After that, he ran away with the two people.

'Small church? '

Lin En frowned slightly. He knew that there was a shabby little church in the Dajing Courtyard at the end of Squirrel Street. When he just moved in, someone had preached to him, but it was vague about which god was worshipped. Lin En smelled the smell of trouble keenly. Albion officials have always strictly controlled unorthodox beliefs.

Thanks to thiS~Xiaolei and the original generation for the monthly tickets. The first update is here. Please vote and read as usual. Move your little fingers to leave a trace of the reader in the comment area.