After dinner, Zora made tea for everyone, and prepared fruits and snacks. The family went to the corridor in front of the door to enjoy the cool air.
The only deck chair was given to Old Man Liu. Brother Liu Zhen and others were sitting on the steps in front of the door. A few children were leading two South African Mastiffs on the front lawn and ran wildly. Several little South African Mastiffs who were just one month old were stumbling and chasing after them.
, two swaying geese wanted to come over to join in the fun, but were quickly chased away by two South African mastiffs. An unprecedented sense of comfort filled everyone's heart. This is what life should be like.
However, seeing such a scene made Old Man Liu very sad. He couldn't even lie down on the comfortable recliner, so he simply walked to the grass and habitually grabbed handfuls of dirt and smelled it.
"It's such a good land, why don't you plant crops? If you plant grass and don't let the sheep eat it, it's such a waste -" Old Man Liu has been farming all his life, and the most shameful thing is wasting the land.
"Dad, our farm has 900 acres. If it were all cultivated, it would be so exhausting that even Zora and I wouldn't be able to finish it." Liu Zhen answered casually, without seeming to think too much.
"We have people now, and there are still cows in the cowshed. Tomorrow we will open up wasteland and cultivate the land. Even if we are exhausted, we have to clear out all the land." Mr. Liu is ambitious and has been pulling a rake all his life, and finally has a big farm.
Boss Liu couldn't wait to handle the animals.
"Don't worry, you have just arrived in Johannesburg. Let's rest for a while and recuperate your body. We will talk about it later." Liu Zhen is really not in a hurry. The farm is there and there will be no long legs. As long as Liu Zhen does not transfer or sell it, he will never
They are all Liu Zhen.
"Second brother, can you ride a horse?" Lao Wu has not yet married and has no interest in farming. He is most interested in the two mixed-breed horses in the stable.
"Definitely. In Johannesburg, everyone must be able to ride a horse, and they have to go to the town for regular training every year. If your shooting performance is not up to standard, you will be fined." Liu Zhen revealed more information inadvertently.
"Second brother, do you have a musket?"
"Yes, who doesn't have two or three at home?" Liu Zhen then remembered the Qing Dynasty's attitude towards civilian weapons, and simply went back to the house and took out a Type 05 pump-action shotgun and a cowboy revolver.
This time, Old Man Liu was frightened: "Second brother, if you hide a musket privately, you will be beheaded -"
"Dad, we don't ban weapons in Johannesburg. The past two years have been better. There were lions here a few years ago. Our reservoir is called Crocodile Bay Reservoir. In the past, there were crocodiles everywhere. Without guns, crocodiles will eat people. If there are guns, crocodiles will eat people.
"Yinzi, if it weren't for the crocodiles in the Crocodile Bay Reservoir, I wouldn't be able to pay off the Rand Bank loan so quickly." Liu Zhen laughed loudly. The crocodiles in the Linbobo River disappeared so quickly, and the farmers in Johannesburg were indispensable.
"Aren't the officials here afraid that the people will rebel if they have guns?" Boss Liu was worried.
"It's a good life, but whoever rebels? If someone really rebels, we don't need the government to come forward. We, the militia, can wipe out the rebels." Liu Zhen is full of confidence, and the annual training is not in vain.
"It's about living a good life. Let's work together as a family and work hard in the future. In a few years, the eldest and third eldest will buy a family property like this for each of you." Old Man Liu half encouraged and half reminded.
Money is charming. When there was nothing before, the family could still work together. But with money, it is not necessarily the case. Old Man Liu has seen many such examples. In remote areas, even the smallest things in the fields can be done with a knife, let alone this.
A farm of several hundred acres, plus those big animals in the barn.
"That's for sure!" Mr. Liu leads by example.
"Haha, dad, brother, if it wasn't difficult to buy a family property in Johannesburg a few years ago, don't even think about it in the past two years. Land prices are getting more and more expensive, and you can't even afford it. In the past, I only bought this farm.
I spent a hundred pounds, and now even if I sell it for five hundred pounds, there are still people buying it." Liu Zhen knew the situation. If he missed this village, he would lose this shop. Those who didn't buy the farm in the past, now countless people are heartbroken.
The reason for the skyrocketing land prices in Johannesburg is not entirely due to the value of the farms. In the past two years, several gold mines have been discovered around Johannesburg. Some people bought a farm for 200 pounds and sold it for 10,000 pounds. Therefore, the prices of land around Johannesburg have skyrocketed.
But the more it goes up, the more no one wants to sell.
"Is that so?" Boss Liu's face was full of disappointment.
"Brother, now all states are fighting for immigrants. As long as someone is willing to settle in Bechuanaland, they can get one hundred acres of land right away, which converts to six hundred acres. This is a great thing. You and my sister-in-law are one family, sir.
The third is considered a family. The fifth is not married yet, so he and his parents are considered a family. When we arrive in Bechuanaland, we can get 1,800 acres of land. We don’t have to worry about money. I can use my farm to mortgage the Rand Bank and get a loan to buy it.
If you buy cows and seeds, in less than two years, we brothers will all be able to save a family fortune." Liu Zhen had already planned, and he would not take advantage of the ready-made advantages.
"Really?" Boss Liu felt like he was riding a roller coaster.
"Really!" Liu Zhen said firmly.
"I'll ask him early tomorrow morning." Boss Liu will definitely have trouble sleeping tonight.
"No rush, no rush, let's take a few days to recuperate." Liu Zhen was still worried, after all, the conditions in Bechuanaland were not that good.
"What are you doing? You don't do anything all day long. You eat big fish and meat every day without feeling embarrassed. You went late, and even if you eat that, you can't get it hot." Old Man Liu's attitude was the same as Boss Liu.
Then go and make breakfast, so as not to eat anything hot. Early the next morning, Liu Zhen got on the carriage and went to Ziwei Town with several men from the Liu family.
Compared with the previous Ziwei Town, the current Ziwei Town has become larger and larger. It extends along Ziwei Avenue towards Johannesburg. In the past, Ziwei Public School was at the edge of Ziwei Town. Now Ziwei Public School has been occupied by residents.
Surrounded by the district, the Johannesburg Medical College and the Johannesburg Pharmaceutical Company were built closer to Johannesburg, making the entire town more than twice as large as before.
The Immigration Bureau is always the busiest. In the Johannesburg area, there are immigrants from the Qing Dynasty visiting relatives and friends every day. Most of these immigrants go to Rhodesia or Bechuanaland, but they usually leave their children in Johannesburg. Even if they can't
When entering a school for miners' children, you should also try to see if you can enter Ziwei Public School.
In fact, these two are not good. The local public schools in Johannesburg are much better than the public schools in Rhodesia and Bechuanaland.
Anyway, the transportation is very convenient since the trains are all available.
"Do you want to go to Bechuanaland? Very good. There is a train to Rhodes tomorrow. Can you take it?" The staff of the Immigration Bureau are almost like the conductors at the railway station.
"Let's go!" Before Liu Zhen could speak, Old Man Liu decided with one word.
"Okay, how many families are there in total?" The staff was not surprised.
Old Man Liu had been struggling all night, and he was still gritting his teeth when he spoke: "Three families!"
In fact, if possible, Old Man Liu would break up his entire family so that the Liu family would get more land.
"It is strictly prohibited to make false or concealed reports. The land must be developed within five years after it is obtained. It is not allowed to be transferred or abandoned. Otherwise, it will be taken back and corresponding compensation will be paid." The staff reminded kindly.
"I know, I know—" Old Man Liu was obedient, but deep down he was still full of fear of "officials".
I received three forms and filled them out carefully. Strictly speaking, Old Man Liu and his family are now Bechuanaland people.
"Is this enough?" After receiving the train tickets, Old Man Liu still felt unbelievable. He couldn't believe that his family had become landlords.
No, Liu Zhen's life was much more comfortable than Liu Laocai's.
Being a landlord in the Qing Dynasty was not easy either. He had to deal with all kinds of exorbitant taxes and various assessments. The government posed a greater threat to Liu Laocai than the bandits and robbers everywhere.
It is not a joke for the county magistrate to destroy his family and the governor Yin.
The Qing Dynasty has suffered from successive famines in recent years, and the landlords' families really have no surplus food. During the slack season, Liu Laocai's family also drinks porridge twice a day, which is not as luxurious as Liu Zhen's family, who eats as much fish, meat, and eggs as they can every day.
Old Man Liu has been feeding chickens all his life. Speaking of which, he only knew what eggs taste like last night. The women in the family can only taste the taste of eggs when they are in confinement.
"Okay, it's just that the time is too tight, otherwise you can catch the next train -" Liu Zhen felt sad in her heart, because the family had just reunited and didn't want to be separated tomorrow.
"Second Brother, you are familiar with the place here. If you can't do it, come with us and have a look. Come back after you have settled in." Boss Liu also wanted to get together with Liu Zhenduo. The brothers talked all night yesterday. What should I say?
I can’t finish it.
"Okay, let me buy a ticket and buy a few bottles of vodka later. Let's have a good drink today." Liu Zhen finally adjusted. In fact, Rhodes City is not far from Johannesburg, only less than 300 kilometers away. Liu Zhen
The real farm is located between Johannesburg and Rhodes City. It is only less than 150 kilometers away from Rhodes City. It is actually very convenient to travel there.
The dinner at night was more sumptuous than yesterday. Although Old Man Liu didn't let Liu Zhen kill the sheep, he couldn't stop Liu Zhen from buying the lamb. As a result, buying the sheep was more expensive than killing the sheep himself, which made Old Man Liu wait until he had eaten.
At that time, I was still thinking that Liu Zhen was a prodigal son.
Old Mrs. Liu reminded Old Man Liu quietly, although Zora obviously didn't mind either.
Zora's family members were all killed in the Boer War. After the war, Zora was homeless, and then went to Liu Zhen's farm to find work, and then became the farm's proprietress.
Zola is still very welcoming to the Liu family. The arrival of the big family allows Zora to experience the warmth of family again. The Chinese family atmosphere is different from the Boer family atmosphere. Relatively speaking, Zola is still
I prefer the Chinese family atmosphere.
At the dinner table, vodka made from potatoes was the most popular among the men, while the women drank some wine, a specialty of Cape Town's Oak Town. Even Mrs. Liu made an exception and drank a glass.
Everyone was drunk without any surprise, except for the two South African mastiffs who were in high spirits and were lying in the corridor doing their duties.
