British hegemon

Chapter 122 The Fat, Unscrupulous Merchant

It is said that Kader's ancestors were also soldiers, but by Roger's grandfather's generation, they gradually turned into merchants and became quite wealthy.

However, he had an older brother, so the family fortune was not his concern. As soon as he came of age, he was sent out to wander around, making a living by selling cheap beer and moldy bread on the streets. As a result, he became a half-hooligan and half-traveling merchant.

Under normal circumstances, a gray squirrel would spend its entire life walking around towns and cities.

But luck seems to favor these gray squirrels.

Six years ago, the same year Roger's uncle, the Baron, had just inherited the title and ambitiously raised the banner of rebellion against England for the first "Expedition to Galloway," Cader's brother went to the battlefield as a country gentry soldier and was then shot and killed by an unnamed longbowman.

After years of wandering around, Kader, like a stray dog ​​smelling fat meat, shamelessly returned to Arun Island with his ugly wife and foolish son, claiming that the distribution of the family property was unfair and demanding half of his brother's estate.

No one knows what methods he used, but in the end, the village lord announced in court that he would "return" half of his brother's property.

.

With a solid family fortune and the "insights" he had accumulated over years of wandering, he repeatedly triumphed in his journey as a shrewd merchant, quickly becoming a well-known traveling merchant on the West Coast. His brother's wife also passed away not long after.

The heavy responsibility of raising his young nephews and nieces fell on Kader's shoulders, and naturally, the responsibility of "managing" his brother's estate also fell on his shoulders.

Rumors circulated that he poisoned his brother's widow, but he swore to God that those were pure fabrications.

"Kadell, I heard your son is so fat he can barely walk, while your nephew is a stick. The islanders all say you're mistreating him," Roger said with amusement.

Kader's fat face immediately turned serious. "Master Roger, that's not true. He is my brother's bloodline and the heir of my family. How could I possibly mistreat him?"

"That's not true." Kader shook his head vigorously, his fat face jiggling from side to side.

"Then you should send your own son to me, instead of sending this dry stick to me to freeload."

Kader looked aggrieved. "Master Roger, you've wronged me. You said it yourself, my stupid son is so fat he can barely walk, how could he possibly be your servant?"

Kader immediately switched to a sales pitch, pulling the skinny boy aside. "You wouldn't believe it, my nephew may be a little thin, but he's very capable. He can chop wood, feed horses, and herd cattle and sheep with ease."

Roger glanced at the skinny boy, whose hands were covered in chilblains and calluses, whose neck was covered in dirt, and whose nearly new linen coat was clearly something he had just put on that day.

You can tell at a glance that he has suffered a lot in his daily life.

Seeing Roger's strange expression, Kader assumed he was disgusted by the boy's incompetence and quickly said, "He runs very fast, faster than a hunting dog. You can entrust him with any tasks you need to deliver messages in the future."

She nudged the boy and said, "Hurry up, run to the beach as fast as you can and bring back a seashell."

When Roger heard that Kader wanted the boy to go for a run, he couldn't help but glance at the boy's tattered boots with four toes sticking out. "Alright, alright, it's freezing outside. Look at his worn-out shoes, they can't even cover his toes."

Kader then remembered that he had forgotten to ask his wife to change his nephew's old boots before leaving home, and he chuckled awkwardly.

Roger didn't want to waste time arguing with this fat, unscrupulous merchant. He looked at the little guy and asked, "Can you write and do arithmetic?"

Kader was clearly surprised by Roger's question, and after a long pause, he said, "My lord, how could a commoner's child know how to read and do math? Even noble lords rarely do."

Roger was slightly disappointed. What did he need a mouth that could only eat?

The boy who had been tugging at his clothes suddenly spoke up, "Sir, I can do arithmetic. I can do numbers up to twenty."

Both of them were surprised and turned to look at the boy.

"A half-penny bread with a two-penny beer would cost two and a half pennies in total."

As if he felt the amount wasn't enough, he added, "Five shillings for one calf, two and a half pounds for ten calves."

"When did you learn to calculate?" Kader was clearly more surprised than Roger.

"My mother taught me a little something before she passed away," the boy replied, staring at Roger.

Roger wasn't particularly surprised. The boy's father was a country gentleman, and his mother was the daughter of a merchant, so simple bookkeeping wasn't an impossible skill for them.

"From today onwards, you are a member of the Milk House Manor. Go to the kitchen and find something to eat, then help the fat cook with some chores."

Roger immediately accepted the boy, because Kader seemed to want to change his mind.

After the boy left, Roger had no intention of engaging in idle chatter with the fat country gentleman. "So, what do you want from me?"

Kader watched the departing boy with a hint of reluctance, then turned back with a fawning smile. "Mr. Roger, you misunderstand. The goods you brought back from Ireland last time made me a lot of money. I was simply trying to thank you."

Roger smiled without saying a word.

Kader coughed. "Hey, you really can't lie in front of Lord Roger."

"It's like this," Kader said, revealing his purpose in currying favor today. "Baron John had some misunderstandings about me before he died and forbade me from participating in Glasgow's trade. Now that you've taken over the old baron's trade in Glasgow, I was thinking if I could..."

"So you've been giving gifts and visiting people all day because you're planning to do trade in Glasgow."

Roger pondered for a moment and said, "It's impossible for me to pull strings for you to do business in Glasgow."

Roger rejected his request outright, and Kader was visibly disappointed.

"It's impossible for you to open your own shop, but I can consider helping me open one in Glasgow."

Kader was a little confused. "Master Roger, you mean...?"

"I plan to build a large shop in Glasgow, mainly selling salt and textiles, and I need a manager."

"Work with me, I need someone like you." Roger wanted to say "profiteer," but he changed it to "capable person" instead.

"I won't treat you unfairly. If you do well, in addition to a generous salary, I can also take a portion of the store's profits as a reward for you."

"I need people urgently, I don't have time for you to think it over carefully, give me an answer by tomorrow evening." Roger really needed a shameless shrewd businessman like Cader to help him develop the Glasgow market.

Kader's eyes darted around rapidly, clearly indicating that his mind was racing.

After only a moment, he said decisively, "Mr. Roger, I'll work for you! But you have to allow me to keep the general store on the island; my wife can run it."

"Sure. But let me make this clear: if you work for me, you have to follow my rules."

"If you feel the salary is insufficient, you can tell me. As long as you can create wealth for me, I am not a stingy person."

"But if you dare to steal my money," Roger stared into Kader's eyes and smiled slightly, "I wouldn't mind capturing your fat son and rendering him into oil."

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