As usual, Yang Dalang came to Quanzhou City with a load of firewood to sell.
He is eighteen years old this year, but he is still a bachelor. He is the eldest son of the family, and he has several brothers. His parents are poor farmers, the kind of poor farmers who don't even have any land.
Fujian is a place with many mountains and little land, and fields are very valuable. However, the population in Quanzhou is not small, so the life of Yang Dalang's family, who has no fields, is very poor.
Ever since he was a child, Yang Dalang has never worn a pair of decent shoes, only straw sandals; he has never worn any new clothes, they are all made from old clothes worn by his father. He cannot wear such clothes.
After wearing it, it has to be passed on to the younger brothers below.
There is less land and more people here in Quanzhou. Those who don’t have land cultivate the land for the landlords. But because there are so many people without land, even if they farm the land for others, there won’t be much land for you to cultivate.
Therefore, besides farming at home, Yang Dalang mostly chops firewood and brings it to Quanzhou City to sell. Once the firewood is weighed dozens of kilograms, plus the journey of more than ten miles, he can sell it for more than ten cents if he is lucky.
No, even seven or eight cents will be sold.
"Sharem~"
"The weather is getting hotter and hotter~"
Beside Yang Dalang, Yang Ergou from the same village looked at Quanzhou City in front of me, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and couldn't help but curse.
"Yeah, it's getting hotter and hotter, but it's finally here. I hope I can sell it for a good price today."
Yang Dalang looked at Yang Ergou beside him, smiled and said.
"Let's go, let's sell the firewood and then go to the city for a walk."
Hearing Yang Dalang's words, Yang Ergou immediately became energetic. Every time after carrying firewood to Quanzhou City, the two of them would have a good stroll in the city. Although they didn't have many coins and couldn't buy anything,
Still, let’s take a look at the colorful world in this city.
Soon, the two men arrived at the city gate carrying firewood.
"We're hiring~ We're hiring~"
"Ryukyu City is recruiting workers. As long as you are willing to work in Ryukyu, you will be paid one tael a month, including food and accommodation. If you work for one year, you will be given three acres of land in Ryukyu~"
At the gate of the city, someone was holding a strange loudspeaker and kept shouting. What he said was not the local dialect here in Quanzhou, but the Mandarin here in the north. Neither of them understood it very well, but they looked at the crowd gathering at the gate of the city.
There were many people there, and some were taking pictures of the long queue. Two people also gathered around curiously.
"What else are they saying? Why can't I understand them?"
Yang Dalang kept listening, but he couldn't understand what the other party said at all. In the south, especially in Jiangxi, Fujian, and Chaoshan areas of Guangdong, the languages of each place are different, with different pronunciations and customs.
This situation.
Yang Dalang and Yang Ergou, who were born and raised in Quanzhou, simply couldn't understand what the man with the big tin horn said.
"These people are from the north. They speak Mandarin, and there are also Chinese characters here. It means that they now need to recruit many people to build a city in Ryukyu, which is Jilong Island across the sea. As long as they are willing to go
, I will give you one tael of silver a month, including food and accommodation. After you are satisfied, I will give you three acres of land on Jilong Island as a gift."
Someone nearby who knew the situation also gave Yang Dalang a detailed explanation.
"Is there such a good thing?"
When Yang Dalang heard this, his eyes widened immediately.
Food and accommodation are included, one tael of silver a month, and three acres of land after a year's work. This is simply pie in the sky.
"Isn't that true? Who knows if it's true? This side of the chicken coop is a barbarian land. Where do they want to build a city? Who can believe it? Maybe they don't even know how to make everyone become pirates. It's hard to say.
.”
Someone next to him nodded and said.
"Probably not. Didn't you see that this notice was stamped with the seal of the government? There were also people from the government accompanying it. The clothes they wore were said to be clothes only worn by errands in the palace."
Someone else followed suit and expressed their opinions.
"Having said that, this is one tael of silver a month, food and accommodation are included, and three acres of land will be given after one year of work. There are so many good things in the world."
"Yeah, this is no different than pie in the sky."
"It's easy to go to the chicken coop. It's so close and it's not difficult to get back and forth. I'm afraid they'll trick us into going somewhere else. By then, we'll have to leave our hometown without any friends and we'll never be able to come back."
Yang Dalang and Yang Ergou looked at each other as they listened to the people around them discussing.
"Da Lang, are you going?"
Yang Ergou threw the firewood in his hand and said.
"Go, why not go?"
"One tael of silver a month, that's twelve taels of silver a year. After one year of working, we will have enough money to marry a wife. By then, we will still have three acres of land. We no longer need to farm land for the landlord, we can farm our own land.
Already."
Yang Dalang gritted his teeth and said firmly.
"But what if they lied to us?"
Yang Ergou thought for a while and said.
"Those who lied to us also admit it~"
"I don't want to spend my whole life chopping firewood without even being able to get a wife."
"I didn't have a chance before, but now I have a chance. No matter what, I'm going to give it a try and give it a try."
"Sailei's mother~ The worst that can happen is that she will die outside, which is better than dying in poverty for the rest of her life."
Yang Dalang said firmly.
"Let's go, sign up~"
Yang Ergou nodded. Like Yang Dalang, he was nineteen years old. He was also a bachelor. His family was extremely poor and food was a problem.
The two people put down the firewood in their hands, came behind the long queue, and started to line up.
Like the two of them, the people who came to line up were all poor, all dressed in rags, wearing straw sandals, or simply barefoot.
The long queue moved forward slowly, and soon it was Boss Yang's turn.
"May I have your name?"
A man in brocade clothes looked at Yang Dalang, nodded and asked.
"Boss Yang~"
"How old are you this year?"
"Eighteen years old~"
"Where are you from?"
“Quanzhou Dongmei people~”
"Okay, here is your identity card. If you are willing to go, you can bring this card with you tomorrow, or come here and take a boat to Ryukyu Island together."
The other party drew pictures on a wooden sign, wrote Mr. Yang's message, and also wrote a number on it.
"Yes~"
Yang Dalang held the identity card in his hand and put it away carefully.
Yang Dalang and Yang Ergou hurriedly sold out the firewood in Quanzhou City. This time, they had no intention of wandering around the city. After selling the firewood, they hurried home to prepare to talk to their parents about this matter.
"No~You are not allowed to go~"
Yang Dalang returned to his home and mentioned this matter to his parents. Unexpectedly, Yang Dalang's father, Yang Laogen, strongly opposed it.
"Dad, why don't you allow me to go?"
Yang Dalang asked quickly after hearing this.
"Sailei's mother~"
"Who knows if this is true or not?"
"Is it going to be pie in the sky?"
"Can a pie fall and hit us on the head?"
"One tael of silver a month. I have never held one tael of silver in my life. Do you think it is possible?"
"After working for a year, I will give you three acres of land. Each acre of land costs more than twenty taels of silver. This pie is so big that it will kill people. Once you leave, you may never come back.
"
Yang Laogen said earnestly and sincerely that he had been loyal to him all his life and did not believe that such a good thing could happen in the world.
"Yes, Dalang, nothing good like this will ever happen in the world. You should just cut firewood with peace of mind. When my younger sister is older, I will change the relationship for you, and you will be able to start a family and start a business."
On the side, Yang Dalang's mother, Huang, also said that her family was so poor that she couldn't even arrange a marriage for her son, so she had to exchange marriages.
"Father, mother, even if you are deceived, I will admit it~"
Yang Dalang said firmly.
"I am already eighteen years old, and all the Yang Liang children in the village are already good at making soy sauce, but I am laughed at every day."
"Also, I am the eldest in the family, and I have four younger brothers. They also want to start a family and start a business. If I don't work hard, how will they get married and start a family when they grow up?"
"Father, Mom, they won't lie. They all have government seals. Moreover, they go to the chicken coop opposite. It's very close. It's easy to come back. If I can't come back by then, Dad, why don't you come back?"
Just come to the chicken coop with some people to find us."
Yang Dalang is not willing to give in, he is really not willing to give in, he must fight for it, no matter he wins or loses, even if he dies outside, he still feels that he has to fight.
"Alas~"
After hearing Yang Dalang's words, Yang Laogen looked at his sons, then at the youngest child, and finally at his thatched house, and couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
"Since you insist on going, then go ahead. Life and death are determined by fate and wealth. I have been an honest person all my life. In the end, I can't even get you a wife. I am really a coward."
"If you want to fight hard, then go for it. It is always a hope and opportunity."
"If it is really feasible, then you have to work hard, do more, work more, learn more, and become a person. If they are lying, you and others should be smarter and find a way to survive.
, as long as you are alive, there is hope.”
After thinking about it, Yang Laogen also explained to Yang Dalang.
He objected at first because he was actually afraid of being deceived. After all, he was his son. If he was really deceived and never came back, it would be heartbreaking.
"I know~ Don't worry. You and your mother should take care of yourself while I'm gone. When the time comes, I'll come back as a human being and pick everyone up. From now on, we will cultivate our own fields and never let them be cultivated by landlords again."
land."
Yang Dalang nodded solemnly, smiling and thinking about the beautiful life in the future.
"Okay~Okay~"
Yang Laogen smiled and nodded, and then said to Mr. Huang on the side: "Take a few coppers to buy a chicken and prepare it for Da Lang to eat."