ATPnovel Chapter 2 New Spinning Machines
Chapter 2 New Spinning Machines
That's really a rip-off!
Because he had no cheat codes or superpowers, Chen Wenbin almost became a slave after being rescued by the sailors on the Jenna!
If it weren't for the fact that he had been working for a foreign trade company in Qingdao after graduating from medical school, had a decent foundation in English, and possessed good workplace experience and the ability to read people, quickly grasping his situation and decisively declaring that he was a Catholic traveling to Europe on a Portuguese merchant ship, and also a doctor, he would probably be thrown into the sea and turned into shark poop by now...
At best, they would be treated as debt slaves, spending their entire lives repaying Captain George's life-saving grace!
Thinking of this, he was incredibly grateful that he always carried various medicines in his travel backpack, which he could use to demonstrate his medical skills and earn the opportunity to be treated as a "human being"...
As for accepting baptism from Pastor Jensen and joining the Baptist Church before returning to Rhode Island, it was a further way of using his identity as a believer to add armor to himself.
Through his conversations with Pastor Johnson these past few days, he has gained some understanding of British North America. He knows that the dozen or so North American colonies do not have just one Protestant church, but rather that Protestantism is a catch-all term that can encompass everything, and each colony has its own dominant church.
The dominant churches in Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Hampshire were Congregationalists; in New York, the Reformed Church was powerful; in Pennsylvania, the Quakers were dominant; and in the southern colonies such as New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia, the Anglican Church in England was relatively powerful... In short, each had its own stronghold and its own territory.
As for Rhode Island, the smallest British North American colony, the religious environment there was actually quite free, and the Baptist church was simply the largest church in terms of membership.
In order to avoid being arrested and tortured as a heretic after landing, it is still necessary to add the identity of a Baptist.
"...Dr. Chen! I heard from Andrew that you've decided to be baptized on the ship?"
George Mills scrutinized Chen Wenbin, who was wearing a gray wool coat, with his blue eyes and asked politely.
"...That's right! Captain!"
Chen Wenbin withdrew his gaze from the coastline, pointed to Pastor Johnson beside him, and said sincerely, "I have reason to believe that my boarding of the Jenna was guided by God, and Pastor Johnson was my guide!"
George Mills glanced at the smiling middle-aged pastor beside him, then extended his hand to Chen Wenbin and said with a smile, "...Well then! Welcome to Rhode Island! You saved the lives of David and Andrew and the others. If you ever have any trouble in the future, you can come to me!"
I'm happy to help you!
Seeing this, Chen Wenbin reached out and shook hands with him, but unexpectedly, the other man pulled him closer and hugged him, patting his back and whispering:
"...David's father saved my life during the pirate attack! And you saved David's life...I owe you so much, Doctor!"
After whispering in Chen Wenbin's ear, George Mills released him and then, with a smile on his face, began to introduce the situation and interesting stories of the Rhode Island colony while observing Chen Wenbin's reaction.
To be honest, Chen Wenbin's first impression of him was that "he is an aristocrat from the East," and the reason is obvious.
The fair skin lacking long-term sun exposure, the delicate fingers without calluses, the strange clothes with an expensive feel, and that flat contraption that evokes the image of a delicate woman in an oil painting all prove that this is definitely not something an ordinary person can possess.
His guess was proven right. After the initial panic, Chen Wenbin quickly demonstrated his profound knowledge, outstanding medical skills, and strong learning ability.
In two months, the other party had fully adapted to life on the ship, not only treating many people but also rescuing five young men from Satan. Moreover, thanks to the suggestion to purchase and store fruit and dried fruit on the Slave Coast, there was not a single case of scurvy on board... This was definitely a discovery of great value!
If it weren't for the greater value the other party had demonstrated, he would have even considered killing Chen Wenbin and keeping the secret for himself!
"...Robin! May I call you that?"
Facing the sea breeze on the deck, George Mills, who had finished exchanging pleasantries with Chen Wenbin, smiled and asked his real question: "...How is the design of your new spinning machine coming along?"
If it really can increase efficiency eightfold, I think I'll definitely invest in your spinning mill!
Sure enough, this greedy fellow set his sights on the Spinning Jenny!
Chen Wenbin sneered inwardly, but showed no sign of it on his face. Four years of social experience and the pressure of survival over the past two months had shed his last vestiges of naivety and given him a basic ability to see through people's hearts.
In this era, if you don't want to end up like those black slaves and white indentured servants, you either have to be ruthless or smart enough to demonstrate your value. The Jenny... no, the Robin spinning machine that he was preparing to launch was a tool he had carefully prepared to prove his identity as an inventor.
Doctors and inventors are both social status labels that can enhance one's social standing; the former because everyone gets sick, and the latter because they can bring in a continuous stream of wealth.
Money is the easiest armor to forge.
"...If Pastor Jason doesn't object, I'd be happy to accept your investment, George!"
Chen Wenbin pointed to Pastor Jensen beside him and smiled, "I've already spoken with the pastor; he and the church will invest £1000 for a 30% stake in the new spinning mill. How much are you planning to invest?"
£1000?!
George Mills glanced at the grinning Pastor Jason beside him in surprise... This was no small sum of money!
An acre of land in the suburbs of Providence costs only about one pound, and the Chenna's trading profit this time is only about eight thousand pounds. It seems that the fact that Jason was able to decide to invest so much money in Robin Chen's factory shows that the other party is very optimistic about that new spinning machine!
Yes, after leaving Cuba, the two men had been hiding in the cabin exchanging medical knowledge and studying the blueprints for the new spinning machine, and had even borrowed some carpentry tools from him... If it weren't for the certainty of making money, Jason certainly wouldn't have pestered Robin Chen to join the Baptist Church, nor would he have promised to invest so much money on behalf of the church.
Thinking about this, he regretted not bringing it up sooner. As for stealing the machine blueprints and keeping them for himself... it would have been a loss after Pastor Jensen intervened.
It's clear from his persistent attempts to persuade Robin Chen to join the Baptist Church that while the other party loves money, he values Robin Chen's medical knowledge and talent even more.
Moreover, almost all of the thirty-odd sailors on board had seen Robin Chen for medical treatment, so even with the captain's prestige, it would be difficult for him to harm them.
Therefore, he looked at Chen Wenbin and gritted his teeth, saying, "...Robin, I don't have that much cash right now, but I can settle my share of the profits from this trade with Mr. Lopez after we land."
You know, before the war ended, those damned guys were frantically shipping black slaves to sell to the Spanish, causing the price of black slaves in Havana to plummet to 55 pounds, and we lost half of our profits!
"If no one had died this time, saving a huge amount of compensation, the profit would have been even lower, so I could only invest three hundred pounds in your new factory..."
"...Three hundred pounds?" Chen Wenbin did the math in his head, then nodded and said, "Okay, you saved my life, I'll give you ten percent of the shares! But this money needs to be paid within a month of landing; the new factory desperately needs funds!"
"...Okay! Okay! I promise!"
Captain George may have looked rough, but he was actually quite good at accounting. As soon as he heard about the 10% share, he knew he was getting a good deal and immediately agreed.