Chapter 188: The New Year in South America (Part I)

South America, Republic of the East Coast, Sur-Río de la Plata, Fort Guiyi (near Montevideo, the capital of later Uruguay)

It should have been the end of the year when the cold wind was howling, but now it is like a blazing sun and a scorching sun. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

It was the first sunny day after the rain, and the blazing sun was already scorching on the concrete pavement, and the rising water vapor was faintly visible.

No way, who called this place in the Southern Hemisphere?

Obviously, this climate, which is completely contrary to conventional wisdom, is very unaccustomed to the arrival of new Chinese immigrants.

Well, although it feels a little awkward, the residents of Guiyi Fort still reluctantly accept this reality.

Speaking of which, it has to be mentioned that due to being in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. The Republic of the East Coast has organized a calendar for several years to compile an East Coast calendar. Imitation of the Chinese lunar calendar, the new 24 solar terms were compiled according to the local climate, which is parallel to the Western calendar and has the significance of guiding agricultural production. The date of the Spring Festival has also been moved from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year...... But most immigrants apparently prefer to celebrate the New Year on the old date.

“…… Yo! It's Ani, this is to sell fish. ”

“…… Yes, Uncle Tian, today is a big set. I went to sell the fish early, and the family is still waiting for the New Year's goods! ”

A village woman and a young girl, each carrying a large fish basket larger than the girl's body, walked on the country road leading to the Guiyibao market, today is the 26th day of the lunar month, it is the day when traditional Chinese buy New Year goods.

Originally, when they were in their hometown in Fujian, Mao Ani and her mother had never sold fish, because the fish in those rivers belonged to the old man, and it was no problem to secretly catch a few to eat, but if they came out to sell, they would be fined silver if they were found by the old man's dog legs, and if they couldn't hand it over, they would be beaten half to death. Although Ani didn't understand what this was about, the villagers who were beaten by the dogs and tied up at the entrance of the village to wail couldn't do it.

However, since the family left the village with the Ao Song soldiers and came to this strange place, the rules of the hometown have not worked. In the more than a month since they moved here, Grandpa and Daddy went to the river to catch fish whenever they had free time, and then gave them to Ani and her mother to sell at a nearby market: although the local government gave food and houses to the family, it still cost money to buy some bits and pieces.

Like the newcomer Mao Ani's family, Guiyi Fort is a newly established town, and it has only been a year since the ground was broken.

Located in the flat alluvial plain at the confluence of the Santa Lucia and La Plata rivers, the Fort Guiyi has a fertile soil, abundant precipitation, a favorable climate, unique conditions for agricultural development, and the nearby rivers crisscross it, and a little transformation is a good irrigation canal, the potential for agricultural development is very large, otherwise modern Uruguay would not have been the capital here. At present, the coastal areas near Port Vostochny, the capital of the Republic of the East Bank, are not very suitable for large-scale agricultural production - for no other reason, mainly due to the lack of water, the lack of large surface runoff, and in layman's terms, the lack of large rivers. There are only a few small streams and rivers that are not very abundant, and many of them are seasonal rivers, so they generally show a grassland landscape. For this reason, the government of the Republic of the East Bank had to build a large number of water reservoirs, rainwater harvesting ponds, artificial reservoirs and irrigation facilities for farmland, and barely achieved food self-sufficiency for a small population of tens of thousands in the capital region.

Therefore, in order to take advantage of the abundant water resources in the interior, the East Bank Republic has had the idea of developing the inland La Plata River basin for a long time, but it has been suffering from the lack of immigrants, and has been unable to start reclamation until the establishment of the Huameng and the development of the Ming Dynasty's mainland strategy, so that the number of immigrants pouring into the Republic has increased more than ten times in the past two years, and the Republic government has the manpower to develop these areas.

Today's Guiyi Fort has not been built for a long time, but it is still very limited in scale and in relatively simple condition, all of which are rough-looking wooden and masonry houses, except for a large road near the pier that is paved with cement, and the rest of the place is still a dirt road. The town has only one or two thousand permanent inhabitants, so apart from the occasional bazaar, there is only one department store that sells all kinds of goods from the port of Vostochny, the capital of the Republic, and two restaurants next to the wharf, which are not very prosperous. Then there are also service trades like barber shops, tailor shops, blacksmith shops.

However, in the 26th of the lunar month, Guiyi Fort is still filled with a festive joy, with the approach of the Spring Festival, there are more goods on the market, both local agricultural products, as well as exquisite industrial products from big cities, of course, the most are still selling salt, vinegar, sugar, tea and cloth. Waves of residents from the nearby countryside have come to the outskirts of the city, squeezing the roads that are not very wide. The children were uncomfortable in the crowd, calling friends, laughing and playing. The adults stopped at the stalls one by one, and tried their best to bargain with the vendors, which was really a harmonious and prosperous township market map. And the sporadic firecrackers add a bit of "New Year's flavor" to this bustling picture: after all, at the end of the year, even if you are a newcomer, even if you are in a foreign country thousands of miles away, this year still has to be lived.

Walking among the crowded people, Mao Ani couldn't help but wipe the beads of sweat on her neck, and took off the big straw hat to shade the sun, fanning back and forth. Like most people in the bazaar, Mao Ani and Grandma wore light-colored short-sleeved shirts, big shorts, sandals and straw hats.

Although some elderly people always mumble that this kind of clothing that exposes their arms and calves is really unconventional, most people still have to change their clothes after a few times of heat stroke. According to several military masters, wearing such a tight dress in such a hot weather is simply a death by yourself, and the local natives don't even wear clothes! Well, Mao Ani has really seen this kind of unclothed aborigines a few times!

Finally squeezed into the market, Grandma and Ani put the fish baskets they were carrying on the ground, because they came late, there was no good place in the market, so the mother and daughter had to find a corner and sell strange fish caught from the nearby river.

- It's really some weird fish! The fish caught in this river are all species that Ani's family has never seen in their hometown and do not know. There is even a fish tooth that can be used as scissors (piranha), which amazes the immigrants. In order to confirm that these strange fish can really be eaten, the flower cat in Uncle Wang's house next door has a mouthful: whenever you catch any fish you don't know, you have to let the cat try it first, and only dare to sell it after confirming that there is no problem, otherwise if you poison someone, then Ani's family will have to go around without eating......

Fortunately, looking at the cat still meowing, you can know that although the fish in this place are of strange species, most of them can still be eaten.

As we all know, the Chinese have paid attention to "surplus (fish) every year" since ancient times, so the fish on the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is absolutely indispensable, even if they are too poor to afford real fish to eat, they often have to carve a fish out of wood and put it on the table to pretend to be during the New Year. Therefore, Ani's strange fresh fish are actually quite popular in the market for New Year's goods, and although the stalls are relatively remote, people will soon come to patronize them.

“…… Hey, there are still fish sellers here, so hurry up and buy it, it's almost enough for the whole company to eat. ”

A few army soldiers in khaki short-sleeved uniforms walked slowly to Mao Ani's stall and rummaged through the fresh fish in the basket.

“…… Master Jun, our fish were all caught early in the morning, and they are all still alive. ”

The fish sold at Mao Ani's stall were relatively large, and several soldiers of the Guiyi Fort garrison muttered while picking out the fish that looked more energetic, and began to settle the accounts by comparison, and finally gave Grandma a few tickets made of paper. Although Ani and Grandma have seen such a fluttering paper ticket a few times, they are still more resistant from the bottom of their hearts, and if they have a choice, they would rather accept copper coins and silver coins.

(The Eastern Coast Republic had been a pure coinage currency system using gold, silver, and copper coins, and it was not until after the formation of the Huameng that universal paper money was introduced, but it was met with popular resistance.) Due to the lack of precious metals, the government has no intention of forcing the private sector to use paper money, so it has not yet been fully promoted. ）

However, the common people throughout the ages know one thing very well: don't reason with the soldiers who fight the soldiers.

“…… Mom, what should I do, can this flower paper be used? Watching the yellow-clothed soldier carry the biggest fish away, Ani said with some frustration.

“…… Little girl, this is not flower paper, this is called banknotes, it can definitely be used. ”

A thin and swarthy old man next to him suddenly interjected in Hokkien, which surprised Ani, who had not heard the native accent for a long time.

“…… Old man? Listen to this accent...... Could it be that you are also from Fujian? And did you know that this banknote works? ”

“…… Hehe, I'm from Nanzhili, but I've been in Fujian for a while, so I can speak a few words of Fujian. You can take this banknote to the department store in front of you. There is salt, sugar, toys, needlework, and flower clothes, all of which can be bought with this banknote. Of course, you can also save up your money, and when you have saved enough, you can go to the bank and exchange it for silver dollars, but you have to save a lot of money. The old man said kindly.

“…… Whew, it's good that this ticket can be used! Grandma, let's go to that store to buy salt in a while, last time my grandfather made salted fish, and used up all the salt on credit from the government, and there was no salt at home. Ah, by the way, and thank you to this old man! ”

Xu Xiake smiled and touched the head of the little girl Mao Ani, then walked through the market and continued to walk forward. As a member of the Writers' Association who "writes travelogues on the order", Xu Xiake certainly did not come to wander around casually, he came to inspect the customs and customs of the East Coast Republic and write propaganda materials for the Huameng.

After Uncle Xu Xiake left, Mao Ani has been thinking about going shopping, and Grandma is not worried about the few pieces of flower paper in her hand, so as soon as the mother and daughter put it together, they let Grandma continue to sell fish in the market, while Ani took the banknotes to the department store to buy things.

The department store in Guiyi Fort is not large, it is a small bungalow, and there are not many goods in it. But at this special moment of the upcoming New Year, it is still very lively. Men, women, and children from all over the country gathered over, and when they arrived at the door of the department store, it was already crowded. And the people who have finished buying things have already come out in an endless stream with large bags and small bags. The men carried large bags on their shoulders, which could be shiny rice or snow-white flour, and they also carried chickens, ducks, fish, refined salt and sugar in their hands; The women carried a small stuffed bag, and a piece of cloth or a set of clothes was faintly revealed through the gap on the top; The little ones were undoubtedly the happiest, either holding a large doll or carrying a wooden sword, without exception with their mouths stuffed with candied fruit and sweets. Everyone, young and old, had a satisfied smile on their face.

Just as Mao Ani was about to go to the department store to buy salt as planned, a hot smell quietly wafted into her nostrils. Ani looked for incense, but saw a black vendor selling spicy roast beef skewers - only to see the beef skewers on the iron grill, charcoal-grilled to the brim, cumin-slathered, honey-coated meat pieces, exuding an oily sheen, filled with a rich sweet aroma, and a full garlic aroma. The mellow aroma of the meat is so rich that people are almost obsessed with it, and it simply lures out people's cravings.

So, after discovering that the black peddler was willing to accept "flower paper" (banknotes), the little girl Mao Ani resolutely left behind the task of buying salt in the department store, dropped the banknotes in her hand, grabbed two hot spicy spicy beef skewers, and happily shook off her cheeks and munched on them......

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Regardless of how this gluttonous little girl Mao Ani was beaten and punished by the angry grandma after she took the money from selling fish at home and exchanged it for a fragrant kebab and a tooth sacrifice. At the same time, Xu Xiake, who had already walked out of the Guiyi Fort Market, and several of his servants, as well as an officer of the East Bank Republic Crosser who was in charge of escorting him, were walking together on the road on the banks of the Río de la Plata, looking at the scenery with great interest.

At this time, the fields that had just rained were still a little wet and muddy, but this did not affect the interest of Xu Xiake as a visitor. The newly paved road underfoot was extremely smooth and covered with a strange black substance. Listening to the introduction of the officer next to him, he learned that this is a substance called asphalt, which is also used to coat telephone poles on Hainan Island, and has a good waterproof and moth-proof effect.

Along the way, in addition to the newly cultivated grain fields and vegetable fields, there are large areas of reeds and miscellaneous trees. Everywhere is the endless vast plain, the large and small rivers are crisscrossed, the climate is very pleasant, the villages and towns are built along the river, from time to time there are small boats rippling on the water, occasionally you can see people fishing on the boat or on the shore, so that Xu Xiake, a Suzhou person, feels as if he has returned to the familiar Jiangnan water town again.

Indeed, from a climatic and geographical point of view, the eastern republic, located in the alluvial plain of the lower reaches of the Río de la Plata, is in all respects similar to the Jiangnan region of China. At the beginning of the 21st century, Uruguay in the same geographical location, although the majority of its inhabitants were Hispanic and mixed-race races, and there were very few East Asian immigrants who were good at growing rice, but due to the suitable climate and soil quality, it was still rich in rice, and even became the sixth largest rice exporter in the world. In this time and space, immigrants from all over southern China are bent on recreating the rich scene of the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River.

However, even if the climate and geographical conditions are suitable, it is not easy to turn a wild land into a land of fish and rice.

First of all, any land suitable for reclamation must have been overgrown with natural vegetation, so it is necessary to burn the land before clearing the land, that is, to cut down the shrubs and miscellaneous trees in the field, and the tall weeds must also be cut down.

Then, use a hoe to dig out the roots and roots of the grass and trees that can be dug up, some very thick roots, I am afraid that they will have to be left for a few years, when the wood is completely rotten. This work is naturally quite hard, but the roots of the trees that remain in the ground must not be dug up, otherwise how can they plow the ground? After doing this, you have to pick up the large stones in the ground, and then you can dig up the ground to loosen the soil. And at this time, the plough is not used for the time being, because the ground is still too hard, and the hardness and softness are uneven, and the oxen cannot plough the plough with the plow, and the fields that can be ploughed with the oxen are generally ripe.

Then, after the initial preparation of the land, you have to dig a drainage ditch, otherwise a rainstorm will come down and your land will be finished. By the time the drains were dug, they could barely grow some easy coarse grains, such as soybeans, sweet potatoes, pastures, and corn, but delicate things like rice and wheat were still not good, and there was a danger that the grains would not be harvested -- no way, this was the first year of land reclamation, and it was good to be able to do so.

The subsequent field management is also labor-intensive, on the one hand, the fertilizer of the raw land