He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 70

70. Conditions of Happiness

◈ Three days later, Osborne’s Third Factory.

Creak – Swish – Creak – Thud –

Factory Manager Walker’s mouth hung open.

He was mesmerized by the dazzling hand movements of the Kent family artisans, skillfully weaving fabric from cotton yarn.

Mr. Walker, full of admiration, said to Theo,

“Wow, I had an idea from what Mr. Peterson said, but I can’t believe it even after seeing it myself. It wasn’t for nothing that people said there was an Indian [a person with exceptional skill] among the Kent family’s technicians. It’s truly amazing.”

“Then there won’t be any problems with the workload from now on, right?”

“Of course. It’s not just that there won’t be any problems. At this speed and quality, we can complete the goods several weeks earlier than expected.”

Whirr-

Mr. Walker picked up a finished piece of cloth, rubbed it this way and that, feeling the texture.

“Wow, look at this. The work speed is great, but the quality is truly amazing. How can it be so dense and soft? No wonder it’s warm even when it’s thin, and easy to wash.

If you wear something like this after wearing stiff wool or hemp clothes all the time, you’ll feel like you have wings. If we take this as a sample when we meet the Russian merchants next week, it’ll be a knockout [a resounding success].”

The skills of the experienced workers at the Osborne factory were far superior to those of nearby factories, but the Kent family’s technicians showed a different level of skill.

It was simply amazing how they could train such technicians.

However, Theo felt a strange sense of bitterness as he watched them.

‘Their excellent skills will soon become largely useless as machines develop through the Industrial Revolution… Well, they will still play a powerful role for at least 10 years. Not to mention saving the Osborne factory right now.’

Theo watched them work with grateful eyes.

◈ A week later, near Manchester Port.

Inside the carriage returning home after meeting with the Russian merchants and finishing the negotiations.

Lord Peterson, Factory Manager Walker, and Theo successfully completed the entire process, from confirming the negotiation proposal to revising the contract after meeting with the Russian merchants from St. Petersburg.

Lord Peterson’s ability shown in today’s negotiations was beyond what Theo had imagined.

Having grasped that there was a lot of interest in British textile products among the Russian upper class, Lord Peterson took the lead by showing the high-quality samples he had brought.

The Russian merchants were very satisfied with the samples and showed an attitude of listening attentively to Lord Peterson’s words.

Reading their enthusiastic response, Lord Peterson pointed out the problems with the contract Osborne had signed and demanded revisions.

The Russian merchants were reluctant, and a small war of nerves ensued.

Then, Theo stepped in this time.

Theo, having grasped the Russian merchants’ keen interest, threatened that he would accept all losses and cancel the contract if they did not revise the unreasonable contract terms.

And he acted as if he would sign a contract with another Russian merchant right away.

The Russian merchants immediately backed down at Theo’s firmness, and the negotiations were successfully concluded with an agreement to revise the parts pointed out by Lord Peterson.

“Lord Peterson, I have a new appreciation for you today, haha.”

Lord Peterson was embarrassed by Factory Manager Walker’s praise.

“Well, I was just pointing out the unfairness of the contract terms. In fact, wasn’t it Lord Sanderson who actually secured the contract? I really never dreamed that Lord Sanderson would come on so strong there. I was so nervous that the St. Petersburg merchants would break the contract and leave. Haha.”

Walker nodded with a pleased face.

“That’s right, that’s right. I was scared to death watching Lord Sanderson’s recklessly bold actions today, haha. I really should just work hard to make things. After seeing you two, I don’t think I can ever do a contract like this again. Hahaha.”

Theo smiled and said to Walker,

“Factory Manager? The negotiations have been concluded so wonderfully, why don’t we go home and have dinner together? How happy would Catherine be?”

“Yes, that’s right. Shall we, Factory Manager?”

“Well… I would be grateful if you would treat me. Haha.”

*

Osborne’s mansion.

Something was strange as the carriage entered Mr. Osborne’s house.

Lord Peterson, who wanted to quickly deliver the good news to Catherine, looked outside and muttered.

“Why isn’t Catherine out here?”

She knew better than anyone that there were important negotiations today that would determine the fate of the factory.

She must have been waiting all day with a worried heart, fearing that her father’s factory would go wrong.

However, she was not showing herself despite the sound of the carriage coming in.

Lord Peterson hurriedly got out of the carriage with an uneasy look on his face due to the unusual atmosphere.

But,

“Sniff… Sniff…”

As he got out of the carriage and walked towards the front door, Catherine’s mournful sobs clearly flowed into his ears.

Theo and Peterson rushed to the front door as if they had agreed to it.

It was because they were worried that Alec Parker might have invaded.

Knock knock knock-

Lord Peterson shouted, banging hard on the door knocker.

“Catherine! Catherine! Open the door!”

But the front door slid open weakly.

“Huh? Why is the door open?”

“Catherine! What’s wrong!”

Lord Peterson, who rushed into the living room urgently, suddenly stopped walking.

Theo, who followed him in, asked Peterson,

“Lord Peterson? What’s wrong?”

And slowly turned his head to the living room, following his gaze.

‘…!’

An unbelievable thing happened even when seeing it.

It was Paul Osborne.

Mr. Osborne, who they thought was dead until now, was looking at the two with a faint smile.

“Sniff… Father… Father has come back alive. Alive! Sniff.”

Catherine was burying her face in Mr. Osborne’s lap and crying incessantly.

Her eyes were swollen from how much she had cried, and Mrs. Marie and Butler Blake, who were standing next to her, also had bloodshot eyes.

Theo and Lord Peterson were speechless at his shocking return.

“Mr. Osborne… What on earth is this…?”

“Oh… Father…”

Factory Manager Walker, who belatedly followed in, was just as surprised.

“Ugh! Brother… Brother!”

Mr. Osborne, who was struggling to get up from his seat with a cane, slowly approached Theo.

“Lord Sanderson…”

“…Mr. Osborne.”

Mr. Osborne, who had lost a lot of weight, opened his mouth with an expression filled with mixed emotions.

“I’ve heard everything from Butler Blake and my daughter about what happened. Our relationship isn’t that deep… but I don’t know how to thank you for taking pity on my daughter and protecting the factory…”

“Mr. Osborne…”

Mr. Osborne, turning his head and approaching Lord Peterson standing next to him, grabbed his hand tightly as if to embrace it.

“Lord Peterson.”

“Father…”

“What face can I have to say thank you to you? I’m just… sorry and ashamed. Please forgive me… and thank you so much for being there for Catherine when she was having a hard time…”

Lord Peterson’s eyes, who had a ghost-like expression, were already moist.

“Oh… no, Father. Really, it’s like a dream that you’ve come back alive like this… I’m so glad. Sniff.”

Mr. Osborne gently patted Lord Peterson’s back, who was finally shedding tears.

“Brother! Sniff… I knew it! Who is my brother? How could he fall into that sea and die? We’ve overcome so many rough seas… I knew it! Sniff…”

Osborne thanked Mr. Walker, who was shedding tears.

“I’m so grateful to you too. If you hadn’t stayed until the end, I wouldn’t have been able to protect the factory. I have to acknowledge your loyalty.”

“Sniff… Brother! Welcome back! Welcome back!”

Mr. Walker hugged Mr. Osborne tightly.

*

The story of Mr. Osborne that he heard while having dinner together was truly a story that could only be found in movies.

He said that there were no problems when the ship left Liverpool Port carrying cotton fabrics, spices, and precious metals because the weather was good.

However, not long after leaving the port, an unexpected big storm occurred, and a huge wave covered the ship as it was.

“It was like hell for the first time.”

He had never encountered such a storm even when traveling far to India on a merchant ship, but the accident that happened in a short period of time while going to Bristol was so terrible.

The sails were torn by the strong wind, and the mast was completely broken and bent.

Soon, the ship, pushed by the force of a huge wave, hit a reef, and a hole was made in the hull, and water began to fill up rapidly in a few minutes.

He desperately tied the ropes to protect the cotton fabrics and various items, but Mr. Osborne, realizing that the situation had become serious, ordered to abandon the items and the ship and escape.

But that was his last memory.

“A sailor called my name loudly from behind and told me to avoid it. I was so flustered that I turned around for a moment and lost consciousness.”

The large wooden pillar of the bent mast struck Mr. Osborne’s head as it was, and he fainted.

“I plunged into the sea, and the sailors who watched thought I was dead.”

Catherine’s eyes were filled with tears again even though it was a story she was hearing again.

When he came to his senses, he had been washed away to a small port city, and he learned that he had been rescued by a fisherman living there.

It took more than three months for him to recover his mind after receiving a strong shock to his head.

However, thanks to the sincere care of the fisherman’s family, he was able to recover after passing through life and death several times and nearly four months.

“They were grateful people who took care of me and looked after me until now. And his son believed my words and brought me here.”

The fisherman’s son who came with Mr. Osborne was a young man called ‘Jerome’, and he said he went to bed early.

Since then, his story continued for a long time, and everyone rejoiced and was moved by Mr. Osborne’s miraculous return.

*

Mr. Osborne’s study.

After finishing the meal, Mr. Osborne called Theo separately and shared the rest of the story.

“I’ve heard everything from Catherine and the butler about the factory problems, skilled workers, and the Russian contract.”

“…Yes.”

I felt it from the first time we talked in the living room, but Mr. Osborne’s emotions that I looked at up close were clearly different from before.

The negative emotions I felt when I first met him had completely disappeared from his expression and emotions.

The stingy eyes that flickered with anxiety, worry, and obsession with money could no longer be found, and had changed to a comfortable feeling as if he had let go of everything.

“I was really foolish. I didn’t listen to Lord Sanderson at that time and chose Alec Parker as Catherine’s partner again… I was blinded by the paltry count title and drove my daughter into the abyss with my own hands.”

He looked angry, but in his changed emotions, there was no feeling of being impatient and obsessed with regret like before.

“I don’t know how much comfort it is that I had a relationship with Lord Sanderson and chose Lord Peterson as my partner for the first time.”

Theo carefully brought up the factory story.

“Honestly, I was going to invest in the textile business, but I never thought of buying and running a factory. But I decided to buy the factory because it was so sad that the Osborne factory was disappearing so futilely. But if Mr. Osborne wants it now, I’ll return the factory…”

Mr. Osborne shook his head before Theo could finish speaking.

“Haha, no. I don’t have any desire to run a factory and make a lot of money now.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know what was the first thing I thought when I overcame the crisis of death? It was to throw away the money I had. I thought I should throw away the money that I thought was the condition of happiness while using it properly.”

People often think that there is a ‘condition’ for happiness, and that they can only be happy if that ‘condition’ is met.

However, once that condition is achieved, an unknown sense of futility and anxiety subtly raises its head instead of happiness.

They become afraid of losing what they have, and they become afraid of not being able to have more in the future.

That’s exactly what Mr. Osborne was like.

He was very successful in Manchester and became a very wealthy merchant, but when Theo first saw him, his emotions were not full of happiness.

He only showed a warm and stable appearance when he was with his beloved Catherine, but overall his heart was cold and uneasy.

Also, the obsession with being of lowly status was preoccupied with the goal of making a lot of money and transforming his daughter and grandchildren into noble status to make them happy.

And that turned all the happiness he could feel into worry and anxiety.

The reason why he abandoned Colin Peterson, an excellent son-in-law, and chose Alec Parker, the worst opponent, was because of that anxiety.

Ironically, the ‘condition’ for ‘happiness’ that Mr. Osborne thought of became the ‘condition’ for ‘unhappiness’.

Mr. Osborne, who was freed from the bondage of such ‘conditions’, finally began to see and feel true happiness.

“The old couple who rescued me from the sea and took care of me for a long time were very kind. They were poor, but they looked really happy living day by day without greed while looking at the sea.

I lived a hard life and made a lot of money, but I don’t think my heart felt even 1% of the happiness they felt.”

A calm emotion flowed gently from Mr. Osborne’s eyes.

“Thank you so much for protecting my factory at the risk of a lot of money and danger. And thank you for recognizing Lord Peterson’s talent and entrusting him as the chief manager.

First of all, I plan to handle the work with the help of the skilled workers from Count Burns for the time being, and bring all of my employees who went to other factories back with my own money.”

“Well… the penalty for the employees is bigger than I thought. I’m sorry to say this, but it has been investigated that Mr. Osborne’s assets are almost non-existent because Lord Parker stole the money. That’s why the factory was almost taken over.”

“…I’m ashamed.”

Theo tilted his head at the sudden words.

“Yes? Ashamed?”

“I don’t think I even trusted my daughter. Actually… the real money I had was kept in another vault that only I knew about.”

There was another vault. It was a surprising story.

“Another… vault? Don’t tell me there was another vault in this house?”

“It’s in this house. I don’t know about other people, but I want to show it to Lord Sanderson.”

“Yes?”

Mr. Osborne smiled and got up, then reached out to a bookshelf right behind him and took out a book.

Then, he opened the book, took out the key, and headed to the thick pillar in the middle of the study.

There was a small, almost invisible groove in one part of the wooden pillar, and Mr. Osborne stuck the key between the grooves and turned it lightly.

Creak – Clunk –

The thick wooden pillar that I thought was set up in the middle of the study to reinforce the safety of the building.

But this pillar was actually Mr. Osborne’s huge secret vault.

Thump-

When the door of the secret vault opened, countless gold and silver coins and gold bars were visible.

“Honestly, I don’t even know how much this is. I stopped counting after counting up to about 1.2 million pounds. I also sold stocks and government bonds and exchanged them for gold bars, so I think it’s worth about 1.5 million pounds.”

“Wow. 1.5 million pounds?”

1. 5 million pounds is more than 200 billion won [approximately $150 million USD] in modern prices.

And in one corner where that much money and gold bars were piled up, the snuff glass bottle he received as a gift from Lord Peterson was carefully stored.

*

The next day, Mr. Osborne went directly to Mr. Enoch Redmond’s factory and made a deal.

In the end, he paid all the penalties and decided to get all the transferred skilled workers back within 2-3 weeks.

Meanwhile, Jerome, the son of the fisherman who saved him, was given a lot of gold coins.

However, Jerome stubbornly refused the gold coins that Mr. Osborne had given him. All he took was a few rolls of fabric from the textile factory, saying his mother would like it.

Mr. Osborne was once again deeply impressed by the sight of Jerome leaving.