Two days later, the Swan arrived at its final destination, the port of Poitou.
This port city is the capital of the province of Genoa. It was once very prosperous. When the Xia people launched their ocean expedition, this was the first place they arrived.
But now it is just an ordinary port city. Because of the prosperity of the northern economy, especially the Holy City and Gyeonggi Province, the northern port has also prospered. Overseas merchants usually land directly at the northern port and can enter through the Osela River.
From Haikou, go up the river and reach the Holy City.
But the south is the south after all. The climate here is pleasant, there is no severe cold in winter, no scorching heat in summer, and it is rich in flowers and fruits. It is a good place for vacation. The coastline is full of beautiful manors of the rich.
When we docked, the pier was in a mess. Many people in rags were crowded on the pier, trying to find some work.
"Are there many poor people here?" Standing on the pier, waiting for the horses to be unloaded, Sean felt that this city suddenly seemed strange. The original owner of his body was very familiar with this place.
"No, they are refugees, even more pitiful than the poor." Butler Miller said. Seeing that Sean was a little confused, he explained, "Sir, you have been away from your hometown for several years. In the past few years, our province of Genoa seems to have been under a spell.
, either floods or droughts, typhoons, and of course increasing taxes, many people were displaced and had to come to the city to find food.”
Sean nodded. He came all the way from northern Xinjiang to the south. He thought that the depression in the north due to the cruel war was just a temporary difficulty, because he saw vitality and prosperity in the Holy City and Gyeonggi, but he did not expect that there would be another disaster in the south of the empire.
It's a different scenario.
"How pitiful!" Jason interrupted abruptly.
Butler Miller frowned. This servant he "picked up" was indeed cheap but not good. During the two-day voyage from Santo Island to arriving here, he didn't know how much ridiculous trouble it brought to Sean.
However, Sean, the master, did not speak, and it was not Miller's turn to teach him a lesson.
"May I ask about Mr. Connery's behavior ashore?" Butler Miller asked respectfully, "Our lady asked me to invite you on her behalf to visit the Robinson family's manor at a convenient time."
"Please thank Madam for me. I will pay you a visit after settling some trivial matters." Sean replied.
"The Robinson family will give you a warm welcome." Butler Miller bowed politely, then returned to his motorcade and drove away.
Sean saw the little boy Carl sticking his head out of the carriage window and making a face at himself.
Sean turned back to Jason, who had been standing next to him, and said, "Look, we are both servants, so why is there such a big gap?"
"So, he is a butler, and his annuity is at least two hundred gold louis, while I only get four gold coins a year, and it doesn't even end up in my pocket. It's like doing it for nothing. You get what you pay for."
Jason's answer was very innocent. After more than two days, he also understood that Sean was not a harsh person, and he seemed to be a good meal ticket.
Sean hit him on the head with a riding crop and jumped on his horse.
"Sir, wait for me!" Jason chased after him.
In addition to overseas trade and fishing as the two pillars of the economy, Poitou is also a famous flower producing area.
Since it is geographically close to the south but not as hot as the south, most flower varieties from the north and south can be grown here.
There are several flowers on the windowsill of almost every house, which fully demonstrates the residents' love for flowers. The type and quantity of flowers can tell how wealthy the family is.
Whether they are old women or little girls, they all like to put a flower in their hair or hat. As for the type, it depends on the protagonist's love for certain flowers.
Compared with the northern industrial civilization, this place is no different from a hundred years ago.
One example is that the textiles of small farmers in the north are almost cut off, and are replaced by industrialized textiles, whether water-powered textiles or steam textiles. Sheep spinning is used in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, and cotton spinning is used in the southern provinces. Genoa Province still stubbornly insists on hand-made textiles.
, but the products weaved here are silk products, because this is the place where silkworm breeds were first introduced in Xia.
Sean was walking down the street on horseback. His appearance and temperament had changed drastically, and people here were no longer familiar with him.
Of course, before he was sixteen, he was just an unknown person here, a quiet, introverted and even timid person. He still remembers the surprised expressions on others' faces when he told people who knew him that he was going to join the army.
The tall spire of Soya Church still stands, and the gray exterior wall is still very eye-catching among the low civilian houses.
There is no such thing as being timid about being close to home, but Sean suddenly realized that by coming here according to his true intention, he was actually saying goodbye to himself before he was sixteen, and a melancholy mood lingered in his heart.
Sean's past experience here was not very good. His adoptive father, Reverend Connelly, was a withdrawn person who didn't like to interact with others. He had a lot of seniority in the church, but several priests had changed, and he had no role to play.
From Sean's current perspective, Reverend Connery is actually a man obsessed with inventions and creations. He spends most of his salary and spare time on bottles and cans. If he hadn't come from a noble family, he would have been dismissed a long time ago.
Kicked out of the church.
Therefore, Reverend Connelly showed little concern for Sean, which also caused young Sean to have the idea of joining the army and traveling far away after his death.
Old Longmire, who ran a grocery store diagonally across from the walled gate of Sawyer Church, was sitting in front of his store smoking a cigarette, watching the sunset set from the golden spire, coating all the buildings with a brilliant color.
From a distance, the man riding a rare horse in the south came to his eyes covered in golden light. Old Longmire wiped his eyes and asked hesitantly:
"Is it Sean?"
"Yes, Grandpa Longmire, I am Sean Connery!"
Sean jumped off the horse, saw Jason behind him in a daze, and gave him another whip. Only then did Jason come to his senses and lead the horse aside.
"Ah, it's really Sean. You've grown taller and stronger, and I don't dare to recognize you anymore." Old Longmire said happily.
Sean noticed that he used honorifics. Old Longmire was the person Sean had a lot of contact with when he was growing up, and he was also a person who had a better attitude towards Sean. When they met again, Sean clearly felt the barrier and some kind of fear.
"I'm back, Grandpa Longmire, are you feeling well?" Sean asked.
"As you can see, I'm still the same." Old Longmire said.
Sean and Old Longmire were standing on the street talking, which attracted the attention of the neighbors. People gathered around them one after another, with a mixture of surprise, envy and curiosity in their eyes, which Sean had never seen before.
"Mr. Connery, I heard that you made military exploits in the north and were rewarded with a ton of gold?"
Someone asked doubtfully.
Sean was inexplicably surprised. The 200 kilograms of gold were not there yet, but when it came here, it became a ton?
"The newspaper said it was 200 kilograms. Once you hear that, you don't often read the newspaper. Oh, by the way, you can't read at all!" someone laughed.
"That's just a rumor. I did achieve some military merit, and the army just gave me a few more years of military pay." Sean firmly denied it, and did not explain other circumstances.
Although the onlookers didn't believe it, the thin boy standing in front of them was no longer the thin boy he once was, and he heard that he was about to become a noble. This was really enviable.
Sean said goodbye to old Longmire and took Jason to Sawyer Church.