The old town of the Red River Valley

This is the original construction of the tenement building area, at first limited by financial constraints, most of them are two-storey wooden eaves structure tenement buildings, the street is not wide, compared with the bright stone mansions on the street today, it seems much simpler.

Not to mention the deep house compound of the big family, it is really carved beams and painted buildings, winding paths are secluded, and the heavy eaves and pavilions hidden in the flowers and trees are beautiful.

Many developed families in the tenement area have moved out and built houses in other ways, which is really more generous than the other, and one is more luxurious than the other, which is not enviable.

The residents of the tenement building area have come and gone, and they have changed several times in the past six or seven years, but Brother Yutou has always lived here, and he is reluctant to leave this lively street market full of fireworks.

Thanks to the good location, only a few hundred meters away from the municipal government and the city council, almost every household in the tenement building area does business, sells breakfast, opens restaurants, operates daily grocery stores, grain and oil shops, and pastry shops.

It was close to noon

Brother Yutou came back with a large group of people with wine and food in his hands, more than ten men, women and children, from their sullen faces, looking around with novelty, the neighbors knew that this was another group of new immigrants.

This is all the fault caused by the requirement to cut the braids, and the immigrants can do not cut the braids, they must return where they are.

The problem is that even if you want to go back where you are, you can't afford to buy a ticket, so you can't swim back this long distance, right?

"Fishhead, someone from your hometown?"

"Yes, yes, Uncle Datou, they are all close clansmen from a Zhuangzi in their hometown, and they wrote a letter to ask them to come over a year ago, didn't they just leave the counseling camp, I went to pick them up early in the morning."

"Looking for help from your hometown, it seems that you are preparing to become bigger, are you going to buy a ranch or do you make a living?"

"Hey, hey, hey...... How can I afford to buy a ranch? There is a shop at the front of the street, ready to open a small restaurant, there are wine and food at noon and night, and the big head uncle will open when the time comes, please enjoy it! ”

"Okay, hey, I'm waiting for your invitation!"

"Definitely ......"

Brother Yutou greeted the neighbors warmly all the way, and returned to the tenement building where he made breakfast with a large group of people, his white daughter-in-law held a nursing child in her hand, and a three-year-old girl on her lap, watching a large group of people come into the house, opened her mouth and said; "Ni, or Ying Dai-chan."

？？？

First, an old man in his fifties wearing a melon skin hat was stunned for a moment, and then inexplicably looked at the slightly younger old man next to him, and the two stared at each other, neither of them could hear what he said clearly.

"Fishhead, what did this mother-in-law say?"

"Oh, second uncle and third uncle, this is my daughter-in-law Karen, she is greeting you in her hometown dialect."

"How to find such a mother-in-law, I really don't understand what she said, I have to find a hometown woman after a few days, it's not that I said you, fish head boy, you are now a good mixer, you have to marry a good girl from the right family, so as not to be poked in the back after you go back."

The second uncle's words revealed the confidence of the Heavenly Empire, and the young Zhuang people from his hometown who came with him nodded frequently, agreeing with the old man's words.

Brother Yutou knew that he couldn't say a word or two, so he could only smile bitterly and beckoned everyone to sit down at the big table, and put the braised cooked vegetables he bought on the table and opened them one by one.

And that's not all

Brother Yutou opened the lid of the cauldron on the stove, good guy, it was full of a large pot of boiled mutton, and there was not a single vegetable leaf.

There are also leftover white steamed buns and buns sold in the morning in the store, so you can eat as much as you want.

The second uncle and the third uncle looked at each other silently, and the look of shock was difficult to hide; "Fish head, the second uncle knows that you have this filial piety, just eat like this and don't eat the loser, even if you have to save flowers, you have to save flowers, just have two white-flour steamed buns every day, usually eat some vegetables, and dip some meat and oil water for three or five days, which is already a great good day."

"Second uncle and third uncle, you don't know, the price of vegetables, rice and noodles in our place is as expensive as meat."

"What? This simply makes no sense, isn't this a robbery? "It shocked everyone.

How can the price of meat and the price of vegetables be equated?

In today's Manchu Qing Dynasty, the price of pork is about 100 wen a catty, the price of beef and mutton is slightly lower, at least more than 70 copper coins a catty, chicken and duck eggs 4 catties of 100 wen yuan, flour a catty 20 wen yuan, and the vegetable price is the cheapest, each catty is only one wen or two wen, the difference between the two is tens or hundreds of times.

Brother Yutou knew that the clansmen would be wrong, so he hurriedly brought a large pot of boiled mutton in salt water to the table, opened a jar of old wine and poured it for everyone, and raised his glass with a smile and said;

"Second uncle and third uncle, uncles and brothers and sisters, you have come all the way here to start a new life, this first glass of wine is for everyone, everyone has taken this sip first, and I will help you explain one by one, we are completely different from the mainland here."

"What's the difference?"

"Hehe, I'll explain it to you after this drink first."

"Okay then."

Seeing that the people of the clan drank this glass of wine, Brother Yutou knew that they didn't understand how much the Huitong Golden Ticket was worth, and he had converted the price of Australian prices into the silver price of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, so he put down the wine bowl and said;

"Second uncle and third uncle, brothers and sisters, this place in Australia has vast pastures and herds of cattle and sheep, just like the stars in the sky.

Therefore, the mutton is extremely cheap, almost the same as the price of vegetables, almost two copper pennies a pound of mutton, a pound of vegetables, and a pound of flour, which is about 20 copper coins.

Pork and beef are slightly more expensive, 30 pounds of copper and iron.

Therefore, the price of meat here is not expensive, the price of vegetables is not cheap, mainly because the labor in Queensland is expensive, which is much higher than in the early years, and ordinary workers can get about two taels of silver a month, which is twenty-four or five taels of silver a year, about five pounds.

The income of the workers in the Earl's factory is higher, 30~40 taels a year, according to the calculation of Huitong golden ticket about 6 to 7 pounds, this is only the level of ordinary workers, if you become a small supervisor, the annual salary starts at least 60 taels of silver, about 13 pounds.

In this way, the price of meat and vegetables is very cheap, and ordinary people can afford to eat it. ”

"The wages are so high?" His second uncle asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I have been in Australia for a long time, originally we Chinese are still oppressed in this place, the salary is only about 1/3 of the current level, often bullied by white cowboys, all thanks to the earl to speak for our immigrants, teach our compatriots to twist into a rope, fight for equal rights and interests of equal pay for equal work, and now the days can be more and more prosperous, there is no man here to take the silver for nothing, as long as everyone is willing to work, there is no problem in living a good life."

After some explanations, the tribesmen's understanding of the Red River Valley became more vivid, and their emotions gradually rose, eating fragrant hand-grabbed mutton, drinking old wine, and all kinds of questions kept throwing out.

"Brother Yutou, do you mean to let us do it with you?"

"I hope so, the so-called family does not speak two words, after the restaurant opened, the second uncle and the third uncle are used to being chefs, I give you both the salary of the chef, 60 taels of silver per person, and the other uncles and brothers and sisters will start according to the normal salary expenses, 25 taels per year, and the year-end inventory will make money and give red envelopes, and they will not let their families suffer."

"That's not so much to give, our family can immigrate here, thanks to your letter of guarantee, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to get the immigration money, our eldest son, how much is that?"

"Dad, our family is 100 pounds, and the third uncle's family is 80 pounds."

"Fishhead, how much is this guy?" The second uncle asked.

"Second uncle, silver has been expensive and cheap over the years, 100 pounds is about 450 taels of silver, plus the interest is 600 taels of silver, your family of 6 people left me to do this, and it will be earned in three years, and the third uncle's family is about the same."

Everyone was talking lively, and the third uncle, who had not been silent much, suddenly interjected and asked; "Fishhead, since you also have a small fortune here, why don't you marry a decent daughter-in-law?"

yes, why marry a fan?

How can this question be answered? Brother Yutou's daughter-in-law, Karen, had eaten a little at this time and had already gone upstairs with her two children.

She was a little unaccustomed to the curious scrutiny of these people, and the fact that women could not eat at the table, and Karen could only sit on a small stool by the hearth with the two little girls, which made her feel slighted and silently insulted.

The huge difference between culture and nationality made Karen a little unacceptable and simply avoided it.

"Second uncle and third uncle, it's like this, I think you have also seen that there are more men and fewer women in Australia, and many good young men can't marry a daughter-in-law."

"No, fishhead, I see that there are many girls on the immigration ship, most of them are fifteen or sixteen years old, I'm afraid there are at least four or five hundred people, and they look pretty good, which is not a few."

"Oh, that's all media company guys."

"What is a media company?"

"It's the meaning of the matchmaker introducing the company, we call it the bridal company here, this is also a business that has only emerged this year, the media company can participate in some powerful big people, each of them has paid a deposit of more than 100,000 taels of silver, I heard that all the money is used to build Renji Hospital, every township has it, and there are several of them here in our Red River Valley."

"Oh my God, can you make all this money back?"

"Of course you can, you don't know how expensive it is for us to marry a daughter-in-law." Brother Yutou sighed deeply and explained patiently; "Everything is good in this place in the Red River Valley, but there are too many bachelors, and no one accompanies me to let my daughter-in-law go to the street, so now the articles of association of such a media company have been introduced, and those who want to marry a daughter-in-law can pay a dowry deposit, ranging from twenty or thirty pounds, almost equal to one hundred and fifty or sixty taels of silver, and when the media company brings people over, they will spend money to see each other, set the marriage money, pass the gift money, buy the clothes money, and finally go to the civil affairs department to do the marriage book, in order to marry the bride back in style, usually at least five or six hundred taels of silver, There are more than that, I heard that there are thousands of taels, which is not something that ordinary people can ask about. ”

After these words were explained, the people of the clan gasped.

Oh my God, this is a daughter-in-law, this is a terrible thing!

But then again, if marrying a daughter-in-law is so urgent......

The third uncle couldn't help but look at his own daughter sitting by the stove, the two girls were holding the bowl in their hands and eating sweetly, the red fire reflected the girl's face, full of youthful vitality.

For the first time, the third uncle felt that these two money-losing goods were so pleasing to the eye, which are the two girls, they are completely two cornucopias!

If you think about it with your heels, you know that a family that is willing to spend hundreds or thousands of taels to marry a daughter-in-law in a room is no different.