There is no doubt that the new tax collector is warmly welcomed by everyone in Ziwei Town.
The second night after arriving in Ziwei Town, Dunn invited the new tax collector Brad Shelley to have a drink at the Oak Bar.
"Why is it called the Oak Bar?" Brad was very curious. There are no oak trees in Ziwei Town. Apart from the Ziwei trees, there are various fruit trees. This name does not quite fit the overall style of Ziwei Town.
It is surprising to say that as a rebuilt town, anyone who comes to Ziwei Town will strongly feel the overall style of this town.
Without exception, the first impression of Ziwei Town is definitely one of neatness.
This is a town that is so neat that it is almost harsh. The person who originally designed this town must have severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. All the residential houses in the town are two-story wooden buildings with exactly the same style. There must be grass in front of the house and grass behind the house.
It must be a garden, even the path paved with stone slabs in the middle of the grass is so detailed that several stone slabs are exactly the same.
In addition to the style of the houses, the spacing between the bigster trees in the town is also standardized. On both sides of the central street, which is no more than one kilometer long, there is a bigster tree every ten meters, which is as standard as measuring it with a ruler.<
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All the roads in Ziwei Town have been hardened, using brown granite from Basutoland. In order to prevent slipping, the surface of the stone slabs has been carefully treated. Because of the unevenness, there is a certain massage effect on the feet when you walk on it. In Ziwei Town, you will definitely not see homeless people, which are common in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Brad discovered this problem on the first day he came to Ziwei Town. Dunn explained to Brad that as long as
When homeless people are found in Ziwei Town, they will all be sent to the mines of De Beers Unified Mining Company. Whether they cannot find a job or are unwilling to find a job, Ziwei Town will help them find a job.
The impression Ziwei Town leaves on people is not only neat, but also clean. This cleanliness not only refers to environmental sanitation, but also includes people's mental outlook.
In Ziwei Town, you can hardly see the wretched and rude Zulu people, nor the impoverished Boers.
A small number of Zulu people are workers on the construction site. Due to work reasons, their clothes may not be so clean, but they must be neatly dressed and uniformly planned. They will not expose their breasts or be lazy, and they can see clearly.
Yes, they are very responsible for their work.
As for those impoverished Boers, they are very common in Pretoria or Johannesburg, but you will never see them in Ziwei Town. Every resident of Ziwei Town knows one thing, if they are found in the town
Tramps can report to the police at any time. Even in London, every household has not installed a telephone, but in Ziwei Town, it has been done.
Dunn explained that this is because most of the residents in Ziwei Town are police officers, and every household has a telephone installed. If the police station encounters an emergency, it can use the phone to notify the police officers who are on duty at home one by one to gather urgently.
This has greatly improved the work efficiency of the police station.
Brad likes this explanation.
On the first day he came to Ziwei Town, Brad confirmed that he fell in love with this town. Brad wanted to ask Dunn about the house prices in Ziwei Town. If it was within Brad's acceptable range, Brad would
Ladd is planning to settle down in Ziwei Town.
"The Oak Bar is Sir Locke's property. Sir Locke used to work in Oak Town, Cape Town. It was also a town abandoned because of the war. The name of the town was 'City of Cowards'. The Expeditionary Force Headquarters took those shameful
All deserters from the army were dispatched to Oak Town. After Sir Locke went to work in Oak Town, he completely rebuilt Oak Town, just like Ziwei Town. The difference is that Oak Town is full of oak trees. The town is surrounded by vineyards. The Oak Town bar sells
The best Alsidi wine is produced in Oak Town. I will treat you to a drink later, and you will definitely fall in love with it." Dunn explained in detail, his words full of pride.
"Sir Locke is really a great man." Brad couldn't help but sigh. This is really not a compliment. Reconstruction is always more difficult than destruction.
"Of course Tou is a good man, that's why we respect him." Dunn pushed open the door of the Oak Bar, and music and noise suddenly burst out.
In 1877, American inventor Edison invented the phonograph. The next year, mass production of records began.
The Oak Bar was the first bar in Cape to use a gramophone to provide music. Due to technical limitations, a record at this time could only play for about five minutes, but this short five minutes was enough to make people ecstatic.
Many people hang out at the Oak Bar all night just to listen to the wonderful music.
"Bill, give me two Cape Towns -" Dunn threw six shillings on the bar. The price shocked Brad.
Three shillings for a glass of wine is too expensive for Brad. Brad's annual salary is only 150 pounds. He has 100 pounds to support his family, and only 50 pounds for Brad to spend freely. p>
Fifty pounds is a thousand shillings. If you buy all the wine, you will only get more than 300 drinks, which is less than one drink every day. This makes Brad, who is used to going to the bar for a drink after get off work, a little worried.
But soon, Brad was indulged in the wonderful cocktails. Although the price of three shillings a cup was a bit expensive, it was worth it.
Dunn is a frequent visitor to the Oak Bar and the police chief of Ziwei Town, so people keep coming to say hello to Dunn.
Dunn introduced Brad to everyone. After learning that Brad was the new tax collector of Ziwei Town, almost everyone invited Brad to have a drink of Cape Town.
Brad was drunk and happy.
In the early morning, the melodious chirping of birds outside the window woke Brad up from his sleep. The tax office in Ziwei Town was a private house. The lobby on the first floor was used for offices, and Brad lived on the second floor.
There were knights passing by on the street outside the window, and the horses' hooves made a crisp sound on the stone slabs——
The new neighbor I just met yesterday is the general manager of Locke Gold Mine. His seemingly gentle and virtuous wife is forcing his son to practice violin in a stern tone——
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Several children were noisy, fighting with each other and running across the street. The general manager's wife opened the window and there was a roar——
Across the street is Sergeant Dunn's home. He has two South African mastiffs in his home. They are said to be retired police dogs from the police station. The dogs probably chewed up the furniture at home last night. Now the Sheriff is scolding him on the lawn -
—
The general manager’s wife thinks that the police chief’s voice is affecting her son’s violin practice, and is negotiating with the police chief in a gentle but firm tone——
Brad decided to get up and make himself a hearty breakfast. Although his family were all in the UK, Brad would never treat himself badly.
"Brad, are you okay?" The police chief brought his two "sons" to visit.
"It's not good at all, I'm completely drunk." Brad felt a little headache, which was the aftereffect of the cocktail.
"Sorry Mr. Brad, Dunn shouldn't have made you drunk yesterday." A woman with good looks and a hot figure followed Dunn into Brad's home.
"It doesn't matter, you were not familiar with Cape Town yesterday, drink it again tonight, and then you will fall in love with it." Dunn laughed loudly, looked back and saw the woman's eyes, and immediately took the initiative to restrain himself.
With the woman here, everything is indeed in order. The two trouble-making South African mastiffs are lying in the corridor obediently. They will not enter the house without the owner's permission.
"Let me introduce, this is my fiancée Selma. Selma is the head nurse of Ziwei Town Hospital." Dunn took the initiative to introduce to Brad that he, a guy with a "ferocious" face, actually had such an outstanding talent.
What a magical fiancée.
Brad immediately realized that Thelma's English seemed to have a slight Boer accent, and then it dawned on her.
"Please take a seat. I'm sorry, this place is really shabby." Brad was a little confused. He had just settled down and he didn't even know where the tea was.
"Don't bother Mr. Brad. I heated up some milk, just for hangover." Brad then noticed that Thelma was still carrying a lunch box.
"Thank you -" Brad noticed that Dunn made a face.
I opened the lunch box with a suspicious look on my face. It was indeed milk, with honey and eggs in it. These are good things to sober up.
There is another layer under the lunch box. When opened, there is air-dried beef jerky.
"Beef jerky is made from bull meat. Thelma thinks it can cure hangovers." Dunn winked, obviously not agreeing with this statement.
Beef jerky made from bull beef is usually only used by Italians to relieve hangover. Brad is acceptable. Even if it cannot relieve hangover, it is good as a snack.
Fortunately, it’s not rabbit droppings. Cowboys in the American West would use rabbit droppings to make tea, thinking it could relieve hangover——
"I'm not going to work today. I'll make grilled lamb chops and rabbit in the evening. If it's convenient for you, Mr. Brad, you can come and have a drink with Dunn, but remember not to drink too much." Thelma sent to Brad.
Invite.
"Thank you very much, I will be there on time." Brad can already feel his taste buds jumping.
After Dunn and Thelma left, Brad began to rummage through the boxes and cabinets, looking for the bottle of champagne he brought from England that was said to be produced in France.
When you are a guest at someone's home for the first time, you must bring some gifts. A bottle of wine is the most suitable. It is neither expensive nor shabby. Opening it at the dining table can also enhance the friendship between friends.
Brad was restless the whole day. He put on his best suit, a handmade suit custom-made in London. Brad thought this was a grand invitation and must be taken seriously.
It was indeed very grand. When he arrived at Dunn's house in the evening, Brad discovered that the legendary "guerrilla nemesis" Sir Locke, the chief of the Johannesburg Police Department, was actually there.
This is not easy. With Rock's current status, most people will definitely not be able to invite him.
Looking at Roark's position at the dinner table, it's obvious that Roark is very familiar with Dunn and Thelma.
"Please take a seat, Mr. Brad, I'm waiting for you." Rock greeted him proactively.
