In Rong County, Guangxi, a group of people in shabby clothes walked on a mountain trail with their young and old in tow.
"Dad, I want to go home." A little girl of twelve or thirteen years old shook her father's shoulders and prayed.
"Youlan, our home was given to the natives by the government, and we can't go back." The tall, strong man carried a bundle of clothes on his shoulders and touched his daughter's head lovingly.
Huang Youlan turned twelve years old, and Hakka girls at this age are already little adults. More than ten years of armed fighting between the natives and the Hakkas have led to the government's hostility towards the Hakkas. The Hakkas living in Guangxi have been deprived of their land in the western part of Guangxi, leaving them with nothing.
They had no choice but to continue wandering. Huang Youlan knew in her heart that if she left this time, she would never be able to return to the place where she grew up. She was reluctant to leave. She wanted to persuade her father to stay, but she didn't know what to say.
After the fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, in order to guard against the Hakkas in Guangxi, the Manchu and Qing government deprived them of their land in Guangxi on the grounds that the Hakkas were fierce and aggressive and their young people participated in the rebellion. Only a small number of Hakkas who helped the Qing army were allowed to stay where they were, and the rest were
Being driven away.
Five acres of farmland and three thatched huts are the property of Huang Youlan's family of five. Without their land and houses, even if they stay in their hometown, they will be bullied and retaliated by the Tujia people who hate Hakkas, making it difficult to live.
Huang Youlan's big black eyes were filled with water mist. She turned around and stared at the three thatched huts at the intersection at the foot of the mountain. Her tears fell like pearls on the bluestones at her feet.
The mother beside her bent down, put her rough palms on her daughter's fair face, gently wiped away the tears in her eyes, and said softly: "Along's family went to Nanyang two years ago. He asked someone to send a message saying that Nanyang
There is a lot of wasteland, and as long as you are willing to work hard, you can earn a piece of land in two or three years."
"Grandma, we have earned land in Nanyang, will we come back?"
Youlan's eyes were filled with tears and she asked with her eyes wide open,
"Wherever the Hakkas go, their home is there. There are many Hakkas in Nanyang. When we go to Nanyang, it will be the same as in Stone Town."
Mother comforted.
Huang Youlan's tears gradually stopped, as if thinking of the happy life of building a new home in Nanyang, a bright look flashed in her eyes.
"Grandma, Youlan is an adult. When you arrive in Nanyang, youlan can help my father cut bamboo and build bamboo houses. My brother can help my mother cut water and grass and herd sheep..."
Groups of Hakkas, who are tied to their fellow villagers, bring their belongings with them and gather at the immigration stronghold set up by human traffickers along the coast, where they will sail to various parts of Southeast Asia by boat.
At Guangzhou Bay Port in Suixi County, Huang Youlan and her family followed the migrating Hakka people to a pig house.
Hundreds of people crowded outside the Pig House, and more than a dozen braided thugs holding wooden sticks maintained order.
"Line up into two teams, come one at a time, everyone has a share!" A vicious man with a scar on his face shouted at the top of his lungs.
"King, ask them to throw away all that rubbish. The Inderwood is used to transport coolies and there is no room for their rubbish."
The blond foreigner walking in front of the scarred man said with a look of disgust.
"Don't worry, sir, I will take care of it." The scarred man bent down and lowered his eyebrows, speaking in a flattering tone. But when he turned around, he immediately changed into a sinister image, "A bunch of ruins, I support you to make a living, put them
Throw away all the junk!"
"Yes, boss." After receiving the order, more than a dozen thugs immediately walked into the crowd and snatched the Hakka people's packages and clothes.
"Old immortal, please release your hands quickly, or I will let you taste the stick."
More than a dozen thugs treated the Hakka people roughly, and the area occupied by hundreds of people instantly fell into chaos.
A fifty-year-old Hakka man held on to his parcel tightly. After the thug threatened him, he immediately raised a stick and hit the Hakka man. The stick was aimed at the old man's head. If the stick hit him, the old man would probably die on the spot.
The wooden stick went straight towards the old man's head. Just when it was about to fall, a thick arm blocked the wooden stick.
"Bang" the wooden stick hit the arm, making a muffled sound. The thug noticed something strange and raised his head to see the owner of the arm, but heard a gust of cool wind coming from behind.
"Plop," the thug was attacked from behind and fell to the ground.
The homeless Hakka people tried their best to endure when the thugs entered the crowd. However, seeing that the thugs wanted to kill the old man, the Hakka people could no longer bear it. Hundreds of people surrounded more than a dozen thugs and beat them violently.
The situation is out of control, and the scarred man has insufficient men. If the situation continues to evolve, more than half of his men may be scrapped.
"Sir, let them take their luggage with them. When they get on the ship, it is not up to us to decide whether to throw away their luggage or not!" the scarred man hurriedly requested.
"Wang, I am a businessman, and making money is my goal. I don't want the pigs to have problems before they get on the ship. I will leave this matter to you. You must not delay the sailing time of the Inderwood!"
The blond foreigner did not feel at all that the riot was caused by his words, so he left the problem to the scarred man and immediately left the Pig House.
"Fellow folks, please stop, it was all a misunderstanding!"
"You are the ones who started this thing. If you don't give us an explanation, no one here will be able to leave!" The Hakka people were aroused and more than 300 people surrounded the Zhuangguan and forced them to
The scarred man and the two thugs beside him.
The scarred man forced out an ugly smile: "Brothers, it was our fault just now. Wang Erzhangzi apologizes to you on behalf of the brothers."
"Wang Erzhangzi, don't think that you are acting arrogant because you have a good reputation in Suixi County. Others are afraid of you, but we Hakka people are not afraid of you. Uncle Wu's arm was injured by your people, what do you want to do?"
"Ah Zhong, don't be rude!" Youlan's father walked out from the crowd and said to the scarred man: "Hakka people go to Nanyang to make a living, and the luggage they bring with them is everyone's belongings. Brother Wang wants to throw away the luggage, right?
unacceptable."
"May I ask what you call this big brother?"
The scarred man understood that the other party was the consul of a group of people and asked politely.
"Huangping, Shitou Town, Rong County."
"Haha, it's Brother Huang who I've admired for a long time." The man with the scar was polite and explained: "The action just now was instigated by the foreign devils. Wang is living under the foreigners and has to obey his orders, but I have persuaded him just now.
Foreigners, you can take your brothers' parcels and luggage with you. I have done everything I can for you, so you can let me go."
"The folks go to sea to make a living and don't want to cause more trouble. Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, Brother Wang's men will naturally return."
Youlan's father turned to a man wearing a red turban and said, "Azhong, let all Brother Wang's people go."
"Uncle Wu, they haven't compensated you for your arm!"
"The arm is just a minor injury. It will heal in two days. Listen to my words and let him go."
After listening to Huang Ping's words, the man reluctantly lifted the thug under his feet and put it back to the man with the scar.
"Brother Huang, see you next time!" More than a dozen thugs who had been beaten and covered with injuries returned to them. The scarred man suppressed the revengeful anger rising in his heart, slightly held back his hands, and led his thugs away.
"Uncle Huang is going to let them go like this?" the man wearing a red cloth on his head asked in confusion.
"We still have to deal with them when we get on the ship. We can't offend them too badly."
Huang Ping groaned in pain as he spoke, holding his left hand that was hit by the stick with his right hand.
"Abba, your hand is injured!" Youlan ran out of her mother's arms and looked at her father's red and swollen left arm, worried.
"It's okay, just apply hot water for two days and it will be fine." Huang Ping held back the pain and showed a smile.
Youlan's mother held down her husband's injured arm and applied the herbal medicine she brought with her on the arm. She also told the man standing nearby: "Azhong, your Huang Shu's arm is injured to the bone. You can't move your arm for a month. You go to the West."
Cut some bamboo in the bamboo forest."
The large-scale armed fighting between natives and Hakkas has lasted for more than ten years. Most Hakka women have mastered some native methods of treating diseases and helped the young men in their families deal with the injuries and illnesses after the fighting.
Huang Azhong is Huang Ping's nephew. His father died in a fight between natives and foreigners, and his mother died of illness four years ago, so he was raised by Huang Ping and his wife.
Huang Azhong took out the short-handled hatchet from his waist and was about to leave when Huang Ping stopped him.
"Wang Erzhangzi will not let go of what happened today. Azhong told other people in the village to hide the hatchets and bring them to the boat to prevent Wangerzhangzi from doing anything bad to us."
"Uncle Wu, I know." Huang Azhong responded, recruiting two young men of the same race to leave quickly.
