Exchanging a box of cans for a ring inlaid with gemstones may sound a bit fantasy, but it can enable a family to survive during this difficult period. This cannot be measured in terms of money.
September 30th is the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Lieutenant Tom came to his girlfriend Claire's house, hoping that Claire's father Stuart would allow Claire to return to southern Africa with Tom.
Stuart has four children, the other three are already married, and Claire is the youngest daughter.
Since this was not his first visit to Stuart, Tom only brought a bouquet of flowers, a bag of candies, a few boxes of cans and two bottles of wine. These things would have been enough as a betrothal gift in Asia Minor.
After all, the French had seen a lot of the world, and Stewart was also a veteran, having participated in the Franco-Prussian War of the last century. After the outbreak of the World War, Stewart was no longer drafted because he was over 50 years old, leaving Stewart to survive.
Stewart's eldest son died during the World War, leaving behind three underage children. The second son worked in the railway department, with only four days off a month and working more than ten hours a day.
When Tom arrived at Claire's house, Claire was waiting at the door.
Seeing Tom, Claire quickly ran over, hugged Tom and kissed him, and then reminded Tom to behave better later: "Dad is not in a good mood. If he says something that shouldn't be said later, you must not
Keep it in mind."
If Claire goes to Southern Africa with Tom, she might not be able to come back for more than a few years, so Stuart does not approve of Tom and Claire's marriage. Although Tom promises to give Claire a perfect wedding and has a house and a farm in Southern Africa, Stuart
Still unwilling to marry his daughter so far away.
Now is not the time to just take a plane and arrive at dawn or dusk. To go from France to southern Africa, you have to take a boat, which takes at least half a month.
"Don't worry, I will take you back to southern Africa no matter what." Tom is ready to face difficulties. It is not easy to convince Stuart. Since the end of the world war, Tom has come to see Stuart every other day.
"I'm waiting for you," Claire said affectionately. Nowadays, French girls are happy to find a soldier from the Southern African Expeditionary Force as their boyfriend. Of course it would be better if they could go to Southern Africa.
The Stewart family is very lively. Today is Sunday. Claire's second brother Brian happens to be on vacation. Her sister Bonnie and her brother-in-law Jeremy are also at home. Jeremy has just retired from the army and has not found a job yet, so he is idle at home.
Claire's mother died young, Stuart was playing in the backyard with the children, Brian's wife Sarah was preparing lunch with Bonnie, and Brian and Jeremy were discussing whether it would be better to work for the railway company.
It would be better to go to a taxi company and apply for a driver.
Jeremy learned to drive in the army, which was an unexpected blessing. Now driving is a good job, the work is not tiring, and the salary is relatively high.
Seeing Tom, Stuart turned a blind eye silently, Claire was busy handing out candies to the children, Brian and Jeremy greeted Tom warmly, and Jeremy took the initiative to seek Tom's opinion.
"From an income point of view, working as a driver should be better, but working in a railway company is more stable. You can give it a try." Tom couldn't give any specific suggestions. We are all ordinary people. We can't even decide our own destiny, let alone
Mention the fate of others.
"I still prefer taxi companies, so at least our family doesn't have to call the taxi company when they need a car." Jeremy didn't want to be too far away from Bonnie. Bonnie just had a baby last year, and Jerry
Mi hopes to spend more time with Bonnie and her children.
"You make your own decision, but if I were you, I would rather go out and have a try. At least I want to earn more money for milk powder for my children." Tom actually has a better choice, which is why Tom came to Stewart.
.
"Let's talk about it." Jeremy still respects Tom. After all, Tom's military rank is second lieutenant, and Jeremy was only a sergeant when he retired from the army.
"Why not go to Southern Africa and have a try? Southern Africa has a better environment, better education and medical standards. You don't want your children to lag too far behind their peers. Even if you don't immigrate, you can still
Let’s take a boat trip to Southern Africa and understand the situation first before making a decision.” Tom kept talking about Southern Africa and convinced Jeremy and Brian, who was also one of Tom’s characters, that if the children all went to Southern Africa, then Stuart
There is no reason to insist on staying in France.
However, Stewart's attitude was still quite firm. As soon as Tom finished speaking, he heard Stewart snorting coldly, which was both a reminder and a warning.
Tom shut his mouth and stopped talking. Kerim scratched his head and looked like he wanted to invite Tom out for a drink so that the two of them could have a good chat about this matter.
"Southern Africa is indeed very rich. I work on the railway. There are some things you don't know, Jeremy. Sometimes we work for several days and nights. All the materials transported on the train are various materials produced in Southern Africa. The aircraft,
We cannot produce tanks, artillery, and many other things in France, and many of the cars used by taxi companies are also produced in southern Africa." Brian added fuel to the fire. Jeremy may not be aware of these situations, but Tom must be aware of them.
"Yes, when we were in the army, the guns we used were produced in Southern Africa, the bullets were also produced in Southern Africa, and even our food was produced in Southern Africa." Jeremy is not stupid. More and more Southern African products appear in France.
, which in itself fully proves the industrial capabilities of southern Africa.
"Is there still land allocated for immigrants to Southern Africa?" Brian is also considering the possibility of immigrating to Southern Africa. Working in the French railway department is too tiring, the work is heavy, there is little rest time, and the salary is not high. Railway workers often go on strike.
, there is no income during the strike.
"The distribution of land has stopped now, but I have a 400-acre farm in Tanganyika. If you want to go to southern Africa, I can use the farm as collateral to help you get a loan from the Rand Bank. The land price is quite cheap now, and it will definitely be next year.
It will continue to rise." Tom lowered his voice, still wanting to save some face for Stewart and not be as presumptuous as Brian and Jeremy.
"Tom, come here." Stewart couldn't let Tom instigate Brian and Jeremy, so he called Tom away directly.
Tom smiled and came to sit on the steps of the corridor next to Stuart. Blair brought two cups of coffee to Tom and Stuart. Brian and Jeremy immediately asked Claire to bring two more cups.
"You want to serve the drink yourself, you don't have any hands or feet?" Blair put her hands on her hips and argued with Brian and Jeremy, not hiding her true nature as a shrew.
Stuart didn't touch the coffee and stared at Tom with a stern look.
Claire was very worried and sat down next to Tom. Stuart glared at Blair again, and then Blair glared back.
Stuart was so depressed that he wanted to yell, but he could still hold back.
Tom took a sip of coffee and put it down calmly.
"What's wrong?" Claire said thoughtfully.
"There's a little too much sugar," Tom told the truth. The coffee and sugar were actually bought by Tom, and the prices were not cheap. Tom also worked hard for Claire.
Blair quietly brought the cup over and took a sip, then grinned in an exaggerated and cute way, which was indeed a bit cheeky.
Watching the interaction between Blair and Tom, Stewart sighed secretly, picked up the cup and took a tasteless sip, and then spoke softly.
"Tom, if I agree to let Blair go to southern Africa with you, how are you going to arrange Blair's life?" Stewart's business is a bit sluggish, which is understandable. Seeing that the cabbage he worked so hard to grow has been stolen by pigs, the old father
Maybe they all feel like this.
"Uncle Stewart, I have a house in Los Angeles, and I can move in at any time. I also have a farm in Johannesburg. I won't live with my family. I also have a 400-acre farm in Tanganyika. I can guarantee that, let
"Blair has no worries about food and clothing, and will be happy forever." Tom was in great spirits, and he kept talking with the words he had prepared.
"400 acres is not small, but can it be managed?" Stewart questioned. The bigger the farm, the better. Running a farm is a science.
"Yes, my family's farm in Johannesburg has started using tractors. The tractor's working efficiency is as good as ten workers. The cost of hiring workers in Tanganyika is also very low. A worker only costs one or two pounds a month, because
I am a soldier. During the busy farming season, I can also apply for help from the Military Service Agency. By the way, farms in southern Africa do not need to pay taxes now. They only pay when selling agricultural products, but the tax rate is very low, only about 5%.
"Tom knows the situation very well. Compared with the farms in France, the farms in southern Africa are not inferior.
While Tom was talking, Brian and Jeremy, as well as Sarah and Bonnie all gathered around quietly.
Tom hasn't finished his words yet: "Uncle Stewart, the education level in southern Africa is very high. Our public education system is completely different from the public education system in France. The requirements for students are very strict. The level of teachers is improving every year. Nia
The University of Saran now has tens of thousands of students, which is larger than the University of Paris. Many professors of the University of Paris would rather give up their jobs at the University of Paris and choose Nyasaland University, which speaks volumes about the level of Nyasaland University."
For parents with children, their children’s education is always an issue that cannot be ignored.
"Are French classes offered in schools?" Sarah asked a key question.
"The official languages of Southern Africa are English and Chinese. French is an elective course in school. I took French as an elective course, so I was able to meet Claire." Tom and Claire looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.
Stewart felt extremely bitter inside.
ps: The chapter that was repeated at noon the day before yesterday has 1,200 more subscriptions than the chapters before and after. Please pay attention to the genuine version.
