Chapter 189: The New Year in South America (Part II)

This is a standard immigrant village of 50 families, and the houses are all standard red brick and green tile houses on the east coast, that is, three rooms on the left, middle and right, plus a pigsty, a firewood house, and a kitchen, all of which are hidden in the lush trees. The vines in the courtyard of the house www.biquge.info climbed most of the fence along the braided reed supports, and some birds landed on the top of the fence from time to time, chirping at the tall and straight Paraná pine trees outside the courtyard, the crystal clear water, the dense irrigation canals, the fertile rice fields that were horizontal and vertical, and the constant curling smoke in the village.

Such an idyllic rural beauty made Xu Xiake, who was accustomed to seeing all kinds of turbulence and displacement in Daming, feel unreal for a while.

It was almost noon, and everyone hurried back for lunch, so when Xu Xiake and the others entered the village, there were a few farmers with hoes next to them. Behind the peasants were a few bouncing children, carrying fat fish with gills covered in branches. These fish are huge, about five or six pounds, and even if they are carried in their hands, they are still struggling. From time to time, it caused an exclamation from the group of children.

At the entrance of the village, a vendor pulls a small ox cart full of various goods, shouting and selling. The cart was full of rural best-selling commodities ranging from needles and threads to farm tools and tin stoves. From time to time, a few housewives called out to the hawkers and then stepped forward to pick up the goods.

Behind the housewives were often followed by one or two children, staring at the dried fruits, dried meat, sugar cubes, cocoa powder, and other snacks on the truck, and screaming for them. Some housewives were so annoyed that they hit their little boy twice on the buttocks, and the child blinked and cried desperately. After crying for a long time and finding that no one paid attention to him, the child slowly stopped crying. Then his attention was quickly drawn away by something else.

What an innocent and happy day! Looking at these children's ruddy, flexible and alert appearances, Xu Xiake couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. As far as his cognition is concerned, as early as several years ago, the northern provinces of the Ming Dynasty were already thousands of miles of red land, with no grass and starvation. The people first fought for the fluffy grass in the mountain, and after eating the fluffy grass, they peeled the bark and ate it, and after eating the bark, they could only eat the Guanyin soil, and finally died of bloating. And the hometown of Jiangnan, which is known as peace and happiness, was already famine and turmoil before Xu Xiake left, and the last bit of prosperity was ruined by war and harsh government.

The entire children of the Ming Dynasty are hovering between hunger and death, and a considerable number of them are destined not to live to the day when they grow up. Either he died on the battlefield, or he died of disease and starvation, or he was caught and cooked. Compared with the overseas paradise in front of me, the world on the Ming side is already rotten! Xu Xiake has been traveling south and north under the big tomorrow for so many years, and naturally he has seen a lot of these human tragedies, and he has long been numb, and at this time, he suddenly saw the happy childhood life of these children in the South American countryside, but he was still sour in his heart, and he was embarrassed.

It's just that the traverser officer who accompanied him to visit didn't notice Xu Xiake's subtle emotional changes, and just led them straight into the village office: in such a small rural place, only the village office can entertain so many guests at once.

Like most of the Eastern Republic, the village chief was a veteran, a simple country man who, after a few years of retirement, still wore the military cap he had served in on his head, the brass five-pointed star on the brim shining in the midday sun. As soon as he saw a distinguished guest coming to the door, the village chief hurriedly put on his best clothes and came out to greet him, and instructed his wife and father-in-law to cook tea and cook vegetables to entertain the guests. Xu Xiake followed him around the village, and casually inquired about the village chief's life, and the village chief also knew everything and said everything.

It turned out that the village chief was also new here, but only for a year. His wife is the daughter of a farmer from Daming Shandong, just 18 years old this year, in the Shandong melee a few years ago, unfortunately the home was burned, no livelihood, the whole family had to go to Dengzhou Town to accept refugees relief camp to eat, and there to meet the village chief who was not retired at that time, after several turnarounds, he followed the village chief to the South American mainland of the East Coast Republic.

The village chief's father-in-law was a small landlord with dozens of acres of land in the Ming Dynasty, but nominally a small landlord, in fact, his life was quite poor. Let's not talk about the chaotic world and heavy taxes, just talking about the seventy or eighty acres of dry land, their family alone can't be busy at all. Especially in the year of the catastrophe of Chidi, even if you want to rent the land to someone else to plant, you can't find a tenant.

In the end, in desperation, most of the fields could only be abandoned, and the family of four picked the fatter half of the land and planted wheat. In this way, when the harvest is completed, the yield per mu is often only forty or fifty catties, and the seeds are still not deducted. It's frustrating to the extreme.

is such a pitiful grain harvest, but it has to pay all kinds of imperial grain taxes one by one, the layers of support from the government, the local large households, the head of the village, and the apportionment of the township. In the end, even if the surplus grain that fell into his hand was even bran and bran, it was still only a little tight. So you have to collect some wild vegetables or something mixed with bran to eat, otherwise it will definitely not be enough to make a living. Even in the best of years, it is necessary to count on the whole family not to get sick and no other accidents, so as to save a little bit of leftover from between the teeth, and replace a few catties of meat at the end of the year, so that the whole family can have two tooth sacrifices. On weekdays, I only cook a pot of multigrain porridge with clear soup and little water to deal with it. The men in the family are the pillars and main laborers, and they have to remove the thick ones, while the women and children can only scrape the soup residues at the bottom of the pot to deceive their stomachs. If you accidentally have a headache and brain fever, you are forced to borrow a loan shark to roll on a donkey, or you meet those officials who point out who will break the house. Then there is only one way to go bankrupt and flee and beg for food.

It's really pitiful, before entering the refugee camp in Dengzhou Town, the village chief's family had not had enough food for several years.

So after coming to South America, the family suddenly fell into Mitun like a rat and lived a happy life with a round belly: although it was mainly coarse grains such as sweet potatoes, corn and coarse wheat, it was a serious grain anyway. As for the fish, meat and fish, it can be served every day.

As a result, this large family soon became a hardcore "champion of the new life", and they also showed themselves very actively in the work of clearing wasteland. Every day, he took the lead in organizing the villagers to dig wells, cut down big trees, dig ditches, and grow food, and they were very busy. And this migrant village has also been rated as a "model village", and all immigrants have fully embraced, at least superficially, the new way of life: short hair, shaved beards, attention to hygiene, etc. At present, half of the residents who arrived relatively early have reclaimed at least 10 acres of wasteland per capita and planted the first batch of beans and potatoes. Although the newcomers who came late still had to eat government relief food, they also developed some vegetable crops to some extent, which shows that Chinese are traditionally more labor-motivated.

After all, there are only 50 households in the entire village, and the area is limited, so the group did not walk a few steps before they came to the other end of the village. It is a small, rippling lake with a whopping 60-metre-high Paraná pine tree, which requires five or six people to hug each other, as well as some low shrubs, and under the pine trees grow some giant reeds more than 20 metres high, which the local Guarani people call "Taclos". These reeds can be used to make both houses and rafts, and are very practical. There are also a large number of giant reeds growing in the shallow water of the lake shore on the right side of the road, and from time to time a flock of panicked mallards flies out of the reeds, and then a few more screaming children emerge from the reeds behind the ducks' butts.

“…… These kids weren't so bold before. The village chief glanced at these happy bear children chasing the wild ducks, and couldn't help but smile and said to Xu Xiake, who was staring intently, "...... At that time, there were many man-eating crocodiles living on the shores of the lake! It's just that they were all expelled or hunted down later. Now it has become a children's paradise, and after school, a group of children go out into the reeds to dig duck eggs, catch fish, and some of the brave older children will go to the woods across the lake to catch a poisonous snake, which has delicious meat but is also dangerous to catch. ”

“…… Uh, after school? Could it be that there are schools here too? Xu Xiake suddenly asked in surprise, before he came here to visit, he also inquired about the situation in the Guiyibao area, and knew that this place was still a wild place until last year, but he didn't expect that now there is even a school.

“…… Of course, there is a school in Guiyibao. The village chief said with a look of course, "...... As soon as the population reaches a certain size and there is a formal fort, there will be a school, and then the government will send a teacher to teach. At present, there are more than 280 students in the school in Guiyibao, but unfortunately there are only five teachers, including the principal, which is too small and the level is enough. In the future, my son will definitely have to go to a good school in the county or the capital......"

In this regard, Xu Xiake couldn't help but sigh again and again, this East Coast Chinese seems to be vulgar and easy to kill, but in fact, they really attach great importance to education!

From what he has seen along the way, in this East Coast country, not only do adults have to attend night school regularly, but this child has to go to school every day and does not charge money, which is really strange! Whether it is the children of peasant families, the children of craftsmen, or the children of military families, these children can read and write for free, which can be called educational, which is even better than the mother country of the Ming Dynasty, which is known as the state of culture.

It's just that the content of this "education" is very criticized by Ming Dynasty scholars like Xu Xiake: he almost doesn't talk about any sage classics and the way of forgiveness, but instead teaches children all kinds of battle and killing techniques since he was a child...... However, he also had to admit that the Ming Dynasty's method of emphasizing literature over military force and giving preferential treatment to the gentry may not work on the territory of the East Coast Country. If you insist on worshipping literature and suppressing martial arts in such a wild and exotic land where the weak eat the strong, it is almost tantamount to committing suicide.

Although Xu Xiake, out of selfishness, hoped that the people of the East Coast would rather commit suicide than worship literature and suppress martial arts, he also knew that this kind of stupid words of death could not be said, so he just smiled and praised a few words, ended the visit, returned to the village office, and prepared to rest.

At this time, there was a burst of fragrance in the village office, and the village chief's wife and sister-in-law had already used eighteen means to do their best to gather a sumptuous table of wine and food. As soon as Xu Xiake entered the room, he saw a small stove on the table, the iron basin on the stove was bubbling hot, and the milky white soup was tumbling with green green onions, and the fragrant taste made him swallow his saliva. And a few small servants such as Ah Gui and Wang Hu who came with Xu Xiake, because they had been carrying their luggage for a day, were already hungry and panicked, each holding a large pottery bowl, and looked into the boiling soup pot with glowing eyes. The village chief's wife poured slices of white radish into the basin and said casually: "...... Don't be in a hurry, wait a little longer to get ripe. ”

Regarding the gluttonous appearance of the servants who couldn't get on the table, Xu Xiake immediately snorted unhappily and scolded coldly.

The servants suddenly heard that the old man was angry, and they were immediately shocked, and hurriedly rushed up to greet the master, wiped the sweat of the master, and brought a blue and white porcelain bowl to serve the master to eat.

Although the food at the village chief's house is not as exquisite as in the restaurant, the heat is not bad, and the various ingredients are full, which is very tempting to look at. A spoonful of fresh fish and mutton soup, scoop up some mutton and radish, and pour it into a bowl, the red dried chili peppers and green green onions float up, the taste is really spicy and delicious.

Xu Xiake only took a sip of soup, and couldn't help but admire in his heart, eating hot pot and drinking hot soup on a hot day is also a unique enjoyment.

As for the servants, they were already hungry, and seeing the old man's acquiescence, they immediately rushed to scoop the mutton, and the bowl was full of sharp points, so they squatted in the corner with the bowl, swallowed it heavily, and praised while eating: "...... It's fragrant and delicious. ”

Seeing the guests eating happily, the village chief's family was also very happy, and brought out a roast chicken with herbs, fried dried fish, hot mushroom tofu and cabbage soup, as well as a few plates of tropical fruits whose names I don't know, and a jar of home-brewed mixed fruit liqueur.

Under the host's repeated enthusiastic persuasion, Xu Xiake drank a few glasses of sweet and sour fruit wine, and couldn't help but be slightly drunk and remembered the poem of the Southern Song Dynasty poet Lu You: "...... Mo laughs at the farmer's wine, and the guests are full of chickens and dolphins in the harvest year. There is no way out of the mountains and rivers, and the willows and flowers are bright and another village ......"

So, half-awake and half-drunk, he couldn't help but raise his glass and sigh from the bottom of his heart: "...... In today's world, it is indeed 'the mountains and rivers are doubtful, and the willows and flowers are bright and another village'! With this God-given land, my Chinese nobles can rebuild the Chinese community overseas, so why worry about the Central Plains and famine? ”

-- Of course, it is not enough to be indifferent to the whereabouts of the Guaraní Indian tribes that once lived in this land before the hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the Central Plains came to this "heaven-given land" in South America......

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Due to the tiring journey, under the host's hospitality, Xu Xiake and his party temporarily stayed in the village that night to rest.

However, when the host was already snoring like thunder on the mat, Ah Gui and Wang Hu, the two porters and coolies who followed Xu Xiake all the way from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, were each holding a bamboo tube of fruit wine, lying on the haystack of the village office thinking about their hearts, and couldn't sleep for a long time.

Looking up, outside the courtyard, it was already night, and from time to time there was a crackling sound of firecrackers, and in the dark night sky, there would always be a brilliant firework - it was Chinese New Year's Eve now. Thinking so, Ah Gui found that his memory of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River seemed to have begun to gradually become blurred, and at the same time, he suddenly vaguely felt that it would be very good if he could live the rest of his life in this wild and exotic land with abundant products and a comfortable life: especially when he heard that every immigrant who came here could get thirty acres of wasteland and one year's rations from the hands of the "thieves......

However, as a traveler's servant, any stable idyllic life is only a dream until you are freed from the shackles of this identity.

Next, after the hot New Year in South America, they will soon set off again, follow Xu Xiake on a navy ship, cross the equator north to the Caribbean Sea, see the tropical scenery of sugar cane plantations, and fight a few battles with the famous Caribbean pirates along the way; Then it's time to visit the American Republic of North America, where you'll be able to take a boat ride on the Great Lakes and see the majestic Niagara Falls. Then head to the Republic of South Africa, rich in gold and diamonds, but also rich in the plague and bloodthirsty black uncle, for a thrilling jungle adventure......

In fact, according to the plan of the cultural department of Huameng, there was originally a plan to let Xu Xiake visit Europe. However, the Thirty Years' War was in full swing in Europe, and almost all of Christendom, from Spain in the Iberian Peninsula to Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe, was in full swing, and it was not a good time to travel and sightsee. The Mediterranean Sea to the south is not very peaceful, and the "people of the sea" of the Republic of Venice are engaged in an unprecedentedly cruel and tragic war of attrition against the behemoth Ottoman Turkish Empire in order to preserve the eastern colonies torn from the remains of the Byzantine Empire. Britain, which is isolated from the European continent and has basically maintained peace for the time being, has recently had quite a bad relationship with the Chinese League due to the disputes in the North American colonies, and I am afraid that it may not welcome guests from the Chinese League...... Therefore, the relevant departments had to regrettably cancel the plan of "Xu Xia's Travel to Europe".

Instead, after leaving South Africa, Xu Xiake will follow the old path of Zheng He, the former eunuch of the Three Treasures, to the West, first to admire the charming coral reefs of the Maldives, and then visit the ancient civilizations of Arabia, Persia and India in turn, to fully taste the taste of Arabic barbecue and Indian curry. Then you can realize Xu Xiake's dream for many years, and visit the Burmese country in the southwest of the Ming Dynasty, which is rich in gems and ivory.

As for the end of this long journey, and the grandest and most exciting play, it is the home base of the legendary "thief": Australia.

-- In the second half of 1634, the capital of the Chinese League, located in the southwest of Australia, was finally completed. From Spain in the Iberian Peninsula to Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe, almost all of Christendom is a pot of porridge, and it's really not the right time to travel and sightsee. The Mediterranean Sea to the south is not very peaceful, and the "people of the sea" of the Republic of Venice are engaged in an unprecedentedly cruel and tragic war of attrition against the behemoth Ottoman Turkish Empire in order to preserve the eastern colonies torn from the remains of the Byzantine Empire. Britain, which is isolated from the European continent and has basically maintained peace for the time being, has recently had quite a bad relationship with the Chinese League due to the disputes in the North American colonies, and I am afraid that it may not welcome guests from the Chinese League...... Therefore, the relevant departments had to regrettably cancel the plan of "Xu Xia's Travel to Europe".

Instead, after leaving South Africa, Xu Xiake will follow the old path of Zheng He, the former eunuch of the Three Treasures, to the West, first to admire the charming coral reefs of the Maldives, and then visit the ancient civilizations of Arabia, Persia and India in turn, to fully taste the taste of Arabic barbecue and Indian curry. Then you can realize Xu Xiake's dream for many years, and visit the Burmese country in the southwest of the Ming Dynasty, which is rich in gems and ivory.

As for the end of this long journey, and the grandest and most exciting play, it is the home base of the legendary "thief": Australia.

-- In the second half of 1634, the capital of the Chinese League, located in the southwest of Australia, was finally completed.