Chapter 56 Lighter
When the cigarette lit up again afterwards, Rock suddenly realized a problem: there were no lighters in this era.
Of course, it's not the kind of gas lighter. Gas lighters use flammable gas, and current technology has not reached that level. Rock is referring to the kerosene lighter that uses flint. This kind of lighter does not have any technical content. It just requires a gear, a few pieces of flint, and a wick soaked in kerosene. If Rock is willing, he can make it himself.
"Lighter? What is that? Aren't matches very convenient?" Ada understands men's physiological needs very well, but not so much in other aspects.
"Matches will be affected by moisture, but lighters will not. Moreover, lighters are easy to carry and can be used with one hand. If they are exquisitely made, they can even become a man's decorative item, just like a pocket watch." Rock is very good at discovering the peripheral value of a product, which is a habit he developed when doing foreign trade.
"It sounds good. Are you planning to turn it into a business?" Ada roughly understood the purpose of the lighter, but didn't take it seriously.
"No, it's not me who is doing it, and I can't do it. It's just an idea. If you are interested, you can find someone to study it. Lighters may be useless to you, but for those soldiers on the front line, lighters are very useful. Don't you have some connections in the Governor's Office? Think about how many soldiers there are in Cape now." Rock only provided ideas and did not get involved in management. He had done enough business in his previous life, and in this life, Rock wanted to pursue power.
As the richest woman in Cape Town, Ada was no fool. After a little thought, Ada immediately saw the prospects of lighters. It was indeed as Rock said, the soldiers on the front line needed lighters the most. The key was that this was a unique business and no one in the world produced lighters.
"I'll find someone to try tomorrow. If we can make money, it'll be for both of us." Ada was very happy and had a new understanding of Rock.
Well then - let's take a closer look.
…
The captain of the commando team was promoted to an inspector, which also meant that the size of the commando team must be expanded. Rock had no right to decide on this matter, and even Henry had no right to decide on this matter. All the power was in the hands of Police Chief August Russell. Henry could only make suggestions, and whether they were adopted was August Russell's problem.
After returning to work, Rock had two new colleagues, one was a British man named Stanley, and the other was an Indian named Rahul. Their police rank was both sheriffs, and like Rock, they were responsible for a team of varying numbers.
Among the three teams, Rock's team is the largest, with as many as 18 people. It is also the most combat-effective. Except for a Boer police officer named Patrick, all the others are Chinese.
"I thought you would choose all Chinese." Henry was a little surprised. It was no secret that Rock didn't like Indian policemen and Boer policemen. Rock never concealed this in front of Henry.
"If the Boers and Indians perform well, I certainly won't ignore them." Rock himself is a victim of the glass ceiling and of course opposes this phenomenon.
"Sir Roberts is going to launch a new attack on the Boers. The troops are beginning to be transferred from Cape Town to the front line in batches. The commandos will send two teams to the dock and the train station. Which one do you choose?" Henry asked Rock to choose first. It didn't matter if Rock didn't want to choose. Stanley and Rahul were each responsible for one direction.
After being promoted to inspector, Henry became a favorite of August Russell. A few days ago, when August Russell went to meet the governor, he brought Henry with him, giving Henry a chance to improve his reputation in front of the governor , so Henry knew a lot of news that Rock didn't know.
"Do I need to choose? Of course it's the dock." Rock chose the dock without hesitation. Since there was no chance of promotion in the short term, he might as well go to the dock to make some money.
If Rock wants to be promoted, he has to stay in the police station and stay close to his superiors to get the opportunity. But now it is obvious that Rock has hit the glass ceiling, so getting promoted will require some luck, unless Rock can swallow his pride and let Ada go to make connections.
Can Rock save his shame?
cannot!
So Rock simply chose the dock where there was more money to be made. Even if he couldn't find an opportunity for promotion in a short period of time, he had to prepare for the promotion first.
"It's a smart choice. Don't worry, I'm here in the bureau." Henry was most worried that Rock would never recover. Not everyone could withstand such a blow. Henry asked himself, if he replaced Rock with himself, he would definitely be discouraged.
"It doesn't matter. I'm waiting for the day when you become the police chief." Rock would not be discouraged. This little blow was nothing. When Rock was doing business in his previous life, he had already been tempered into steel by the blows.
"Oh, there's another good news. The director has sent a telegram to the Chinese Battalion, requesting the hiring of more Chinese soldiers to come to the Cape, as well as the cook you wanted." Henry blinked, as if he had just remembered it.
This is indeed good news. Rock really can't stand Anna's cooking skills, so he keeps talking to Henry about wanting a good cook.
Henry didn't feel that Anna's cooking skills were bad, but he was very curious about the Chinese chef described by Rock, so when he suggested hiring more Hua Yong, Henry used the excuse of providing Hua Yong with regular Chinese food and asked to hire two or three Chinese chefs. Henry was very popular now, so August Russell accepted all of his suggestions.
This is the benefit of Rock supporting Henry. If Rock made the same suggestion, even if the suggestion was correct, August Russell would consider it. But if Henry made the suggestion, August Russell would not think too much about it. After all, the quality of the Chinese police is obvious to all. On the day of the banquet, when Rock reminded everyone that the insurgents had bombs on them, everyone else was retreating, but the Chinese police rushed forward fearlessly. Many people were impressed by that scene.
"This is indeed good news, thank you!" Rock thanked him solemnly, and his attitude made Henry very uncomfortable .
Just don't get used to it. With the increase in the number of Chinese police officers, many people will not be used to it, but they will eventually have to learn to adapt, just like the Chinese police officers are trying to adapt to Cape.
"Boss, let's go to the dock. Can we start work in the evening?" Rock was in charge of the security of the dock. The most excited one was Luo Yi. This guy would catch Di Rang and train him hard whenever he had time recently. It was said that Di Rang was already about 70% as good as Luo Yi.
To fool those foreigners on the dock, 70% or 80% is enough. Rock used to worry that setting up a trap would affect the reputation of the Chinese police, but now he doesn't have to worry about it. With Di letting this Indian attract fire, no one will notice the Chinese in the crowd.
