It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Li Chenghan: "I think..."

Roy said emotionally, "I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Boss, you did this to give me confidence, right? To make me believe that you came prepared, not just on a whim."

Li Cheng: "......"

That makes sense, that's exactly what I think!

Looking at Roy, who suddenly became full of fighting spirit, Li Cheng decided not to expose this beautiful misunderstanding. He shut his mouth, got up and walked to Louise, squatted down and said with a smile.

"Are you feeling lonely? Brother has a few last words for us, then we'll be leaving."

"No, that's not it..."

Louise's face flushed slightly. She lowered her head and said shyly, "Louise drank a bit too much water this morning..."

Li Cheng's smile froze instantly. He turned his head and cast a questioning look at Roy.

Roy had also overheard the conversation. He subtly gestured to the right: "Go right after exiting the toilet, then turn left at the end."

Having finally learned the location of the restroom, Louise blushed and, without saying a word, jogged towards the other end of the corridor.

How embarrassing... After watching Louise leave, Li Cheng turned around calmly and said to Roy, "Well, where was I? Anyway, as mentioned above, the rest of the work is up to you."

?

Roy was a little confused.

No, what do you mean by "as mentioned above"? Did you specify what you were going to do? Even the most hands-off manager shouldn't do things like this!

Sigh, this person has no initiative at all... Seeing this, Li Cheng shook his head inwardly and instructed, "In terms of specifics, first find the group of blacksmiths we hired and have them forge the flying shuttle."

"Then find some reliable and skilled textile workers and carpenters, and have them work together to figure out the best way to apply this shuttle to the textile machine. They are definitely more experienced than I am in this regard."

"Also, don't forget to apply for a patent with the government as soon as possible. If necessary, consider spending some money to speed up their work, as this is very important to us."

In his previous life, the inventor, Kay, patented this loom (including the flying shuttle). However, some textile factory owners later used his technology but refused to pay. Kay exhausted his savings fighting them in court and had no choice but to go to France.

But that's because Kai is just a poor commoner. If someone dares to use Li Cheng's patent without permission... well, hehe.

"understood."

Despite Li Cheng having already outlined a specific direction, Roy still looked depressed.

He was acting like he was about to do something big, but then he dumped all the work on him again. Anyone would be annoyed in that situation!

Don't look so dejected.

Li Cheng shrugged: "From a certain perspective, I can free up my hands to do other things, you have plenty of opportunities to hone your skills, and we both have bright futures... Okay, talking about ideals is indeed a bit roguish... Hmm, how about this, have you heard of shares?"

The world's first joint-stock company system was established in 1602 by the Dutch East India Company. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1611 was the first stock exchange.

Therefore, although the word was new to him, Roy already knew it.

He had a vague idea in his mind, and answered with some excitement, "I know."

Compared to simply promising a bright future, tangible dividends are more effective at motivating employees. And if the two are combined, offering both a bright future and tangible dividends, the effect is almost like getting a shot of adrenaline.

"Good to know, as long as you do a good job... um."

Li Cheng stroked his chin, starting to consider how much would be appropriate—giving too little would seem stingy, while giving too much might cause conflict later and lead the other party to have inappropriate thoughts.

After a moment, Li Cheng decided, "How about 6% of the shares?"

"I would be delighted."

Roy's eyes shone brightly, and he looked full of fighting spirit.

Knock knock knock—

"terribly sorry."

Just then, an unnamed supervisor appeared at the office door (the same one who had let Li Cheng through). He said anxiously, "I'm very sorry to interrupt this important matter, but something has happened outside."

Ok?

Li Cheng and Luo Yi both looked at him.

Seeing that his two superiors were looking at him at the same time, he swallowed hard: "Boss Li, Manager Luo, someone is causing trouble."

"make trouble?"

Roy was in a state of high energy, and he strode up to his supervisor, his anger blazing, and demanded, "Who dares to cause trouble?"

The supervisor, intimidated by the imposing manner, stammered, "Yes, they are from the guild."

Hearing that they were from a guild, Li Cheng was puzzled.

He neither maliciously lowers prices, nor violates guild rules, has hardly ever hired any artisans, nor exploits workers. He is law-abiding and diligent. Why would the guild members want him?

"Are they from the guild again?"

Roy, who had been full of fighting spirit just moments before, suddenly deflated upon hearing about the guild, and said with a great headache, "Are you sure? Didn't we already send them away last time?"

The steward said helplessly, "This is another guild."

So it turns out it's not just one group causing me trouble... Li Cheng couldn't help but interject, "Why are the guild members looking for us?"

Roy turned around, shrugged, and explained on behalf of his supervisor, "This matter is actually also related to you, boss."

"What does this have to do with me?"

Li Cheng was puzzled.

"Yes, an indirect relationship."

Roy carefully chose his words, saying, "Those guild members seem to think... we're paying our workers too much."

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Messenger of Justice and the Evil Doctor

Hearing Roy's answer, Li Cheng felt completely baffled.

"What does the wage I pay my workers have to do with their guild?"

"It still has a lot to do with it."

Roy explained, “Many ordinary people are willing to pay to send their children to the craft guilds and become their apprentices for seven years for free, hoping that they will have a skill and live a better life than ordinary workers.”

(Note: Master is a rank, the highest level within a guild, below which are 'helper' and 'apprentice'.)

“But now some ordinary people see that our workers earn more than some masters, and they are unwilling to send their children to the guild. This has led to a decrease in the guild’s income, and the masters have also lost their free labor.”

This really is a case of one small thing affecting the whole situation... Li Cheng was a bit of a headache: "Isn't there any way to control them? Can't we send someone to kick them out?"

Roy said somewhat helplessly, "They haven't actually caused any damage, they've just been sending people to cause trouble near the factory in shifts. But if we make the first move..."

Roy didn't say what came next, but Li Cheng knew that by then it would be the other side's legitimate counterattack.

"If it weren't for the fact that there are now many private chambers of commerce in Britain, or that we are too weak, these guilds might have been able to cut off our raw material supply and force us to submit."

Li Cheng quickly figured out the key point and leisurely added.

“That’s how it is,” Roy added, “Actually, in my opinion, a slight reduction in salary wouldn’t be a problem…”

"There's no need to mention this."

Li Cheng interrupted, "Let them make a fuss if they want. Anyway, these people will never be able to gather again. Guilds and such are no longer suitable for this era."

Roy laughed: "I think so too."

Under the impact of capitalist economy, the guild system, which was originally similar to a small-scale feudal privilege, will be eliminated. The merchants in the guild who control the means of production will become capitalists, and the remaining craftsmen who are engaged in production will be reduced to wage laborers.

Roy thought the topic was over and that the troublemaking guilds would have to be left alone.

However, at this moment, Li Cheng changed the subject again.

“Even so, this rabble thinks they can bully me? That’s far too audacious,” he said.

“You mean…” Roy asked, puzzled.

Li Cheng didn't rush to answer. He stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the noisy group of guild apprentices below: "You just said that if we made the first move, they would be acting in self-defense, right?"

"Yes."

Roy followed to the window: "They haven't made a move yet because we haven't used force to drive them away. Once we do, they can smash and destroy our factory without restraint."

Li Cheng said, "In that case, let's let them take the initiative."

Roy seemed to have a vague idea: "Boss, what are you planning to do?"

"The one in the blue shirt, and that skinny little one over there, and..."

Li Cheng pointed to a few of the most disruptive apprentices at the front of the line: "Remember what these guys look like. Find a way to secretly bribe them so they can make the first move next time they come. I think you know exactly what to do."

"hiss--"

Roy quickly figured out the key point. He gasped and nodded with great admiration, saying, "I understand, boss."

Don't be surprised, this is a basic tactic of a skilled online keyboard warrior: create a secondary account to impersonate the enemy, deliberately stir up trouble, then switch back to their main account to retaliate, allowing them to both vent their anger and occupy the moral high ground...

Seeing Roy's shocked expression, as if to say, "What's going on here?", Li Cheng smiled inwardly and said, "Also, don't forget to invite the military police so they can witness firsthand that the other side made the first move."

------

After dealing with Roy's matter and showing Louise around the factory, Li Cheng got into the carriage and prepared to return to Baker Street.

With his current income, buying a private carriage would be the most convenient option. However, Newton's house was too small to fit a stable or a place for the coachman to live.

'Should we buy a new house...?'

Li Cheng began to seriously consider this issue. After all, it wasn't a good idea to keep living in Newton's little house. If a male guest came to visit next time, it would be difficult to even make room for a bed.

"elder brother."

The familiar call snapped Li Cheng out of his thoughts about buying a house.

He looked at Louise sitting opposite him in the carriage and asked, "Is something the matter? Were you bored during the factory tour?"

"No, the factory is amazing. It's the first time Louise has ever seen one."

Louise shook her head, then clenched her little fists and said admiringly, "And it turns out that my brother invented soap! He's so amazing! All those little purple bars I used before didn't clean as well as soap!"

"Haha, it's not that amazing..."

Li Cheng's confidence soared, and he couldn't help but smile. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. What is it?"

"Yes, Louise does have a problem..."

Louise shifted her body slightly, a hint of shyness in her voice, and said, "Actually, Louise is still quite curious about what happened this morning..."