Dutch and Hosea were surveying the actual situation in various clothing stores.
Arthur and David sat outside smoking and waiting, their gaze fixed on a man at the Valentine intersection.
"Gentlemen, contribute your strength and do some charity! Gentlemen..."
Mr. Downs was howling heartbreakingly, eager for someone to donate to charity.
But in reality, no one knew what charity he was doing; they only knew that he spent his days at the Valentine intersection calling for donations.
"Oh, Arthur, I didn't expect there to be such so-called charity here. This is truly laughable! He calls on others to do charity, so why doesn't he let his wife go out and sell herself? Wouldn't all the income from that go to charity? Hahahahaha!" David laughed mockingly as he looked at Downs' figure.
He and Micah were strong and loyal to the gang, but their character wasn't particularly good.
Charles felt a bit of this.
Hearing David's mockery, Arthur let out a laugh.
He hadn't found redemption yet, and his body hadn't weakened, so his emotional side was a bit less prominent.
But even so, he still didn't speak up to mock.
However, a laborer nearby who overheard them talking also laughed.
"Oh, mister, what you said is absolutely correct! This Mr. Downs, who spends all his days doing charity at the Valentine intersection, isn't actually a good person. Otherwise, everyone wouldn't ignore him."
"Oh? Why do you say that, mister?" David looked over curiously, and Arthur followed suit.
Without Mr. Strauss's loan sharking and debt collection tasks, and no tavern brawls, they were still completely unaware of Mr. Downs.
Seeing their curious expressions, the laborer didn't hide anything.
"Oh, gentlemen, how should I put it, Mr. Downs, although he appears to be doing good deeds, is actually the ultimate hypocrite!"
Mr. Downs contracted tuberculosis.
His family was dirt poor, barely able to afford food. His son and wife's lives were even worse than our laborers' families, but he constantly borrowed money at high interest rates to do charity, hoping to go to heaven after he died.
According to Mr. Downs himself, his small farm now wouldn't even be enough to pay off his debts if sold. Poor Mrs. Downs and her son would have to live a wandering life in their later years.
So, is his so-called kindness truly hypocrisy? Gentlemen?"
David and Arthur were stunned upon hearing this.
Before they could speak, Dutch's voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of the door.
"Oh, poor Mr. Downs, his actions will never get him into heaven. He neglects his own wife and children; I don't think God will forgive him for this sin. Don't you agree, mister?"
Dutch followed Hosea out of the general store, his gaze falling on Downs, who was still diligently fundraising nearby.
Dutch glanced at Downs shouting in the distance, then turned his gaze to David and Arthur, warning them with an air of seriousness:
"David, Arthur, both of you advise the gang members to stay away from Mr. Downs. I don't want any of you to contract tuberculosis, children."
"Oh, Dutch, there's no need to be so afraid, we won't have any interaction with them." David shrugged indifferently, then stood up from his chair.
Arthur also stood up, looking at Dutch and Hosea, and asked, "How are things? Dutch. Can our clothing store plan be implemented?"
Dutch nodded with a smile, then led the way out, with the three behind him quickly following.
"Not bad, Arthur, the prices of the clothes exceeded my expectations. Very good, once our clothing store opens, I'm sure it will bring in excellent profits!"
Dutch's words were filled with pleasant surprise.
He had originally thought that the offline prices would be a mess. After all, eight years later, John's daily wage on the ranch would only be three dollars, while a simple piece of clothing could cost thirty or even eighty dollars, which felt unrealistic. But in fact, the prices of these clothes weren't really an issue.
Although not as outrageous as in the game, a full gentleman's outfit would basically be around forty dollars in total (I checked this point: a handmade suit was twenty-five dollars, and with a tie, pants, shoes, etc., a slightly higher-end full outfit would basically be forty to fifty dollars, so it's not unreasonable in the game).
Because raw material costs were high in this era, and the manual labor for clothes was also expensive, the overall price was worth it. Fur coats were even more outrageous; a single fur coat could truly cost hundreds of dollars. Good fur coats at the time could even serve as heirlooms, and even during robberies, a coat was a valuable target, showing that the price difference for clothing was indeed significant.
Overall, poor people didn't buy clothes; most would grow some cotton and make their own, or pay a dollar to have someone process it for them, just like the old cotton ginning factories and garment shops.
In fact, looking at the current outfits of the gang members, the price of each person's clothes combined would be hundreds of dollars, and their coats were all genuine leather. From this, it seems the Van der Linde Gang is quite wealthy.
Dutch was very happy. Although average income levels would significantly increase with the times, twenty years later, earning money now meant seizing the initiative.
Timing was far more important than the amount of money, at least for them.
It was 1899, and in reality, the average annual income for the entire US society in 1900 was only $438, and this income had to be considered in the East; the West would only be poorer.
Twenty years later, in 1920, the average annual income for the entire society grew to $1407, a three-to-four-fold difference, signifying that tremendous opportunities were approaching.
If they seized it, the Van der Linde Gang would turn their fortunes around.
Dutch wouldn't let this opportunity slip away!