Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1054 Pontianak
We arrived in Pontianak. Everything here was normal—or rather, too normal. Except for more arcades and higher temperatures, it looked no different from Yingtian. In fact, from some angles, the density of high-rise buildings here was even higher than that of Yingtian.

Driving on the road, Shangluo could hardly see the sun. The tall buildings on both sides had blocked the direct sunlight, leaving only golden sunlight slanting out between the buildings.

As an island city, the abundant rainfall throughout the year keeps it spotlessly clean, just like Yingtian where cars are washed four times a day.

"This place is quite suitable for living. The road here is much cleaner than the one in front of my house."

"It wasn't like this at the beginning." Zheng Shijie handed Shangluo a glass of pineapple soda, "Try it, it's a local brand, and the juice content is 99%."

Shangluo took a sip - it was not too sweet, very flavorful, and almost pure pineapple juice.

"It really isn't diluted with water at all. It feels like drinking refreshing liquid pineapple."

"Because not all fruits can be transported back for consumption, it would be a pity to let them rot, so every year we make juice from unsalable fruits to preserve them. Oh, and the ones we sell in Pontianak are the ones with a short shelf life."

"Is it the same short-life draft beer sold next to the brewery?"

"Well, this has been kept in the refrigerator since it was made, and the shelf life is only three days."

“If it can’t be sold after three days, will it be thrown away?”

"No, the ones that can't be sold are relabeled and sold as having a longer shelf life."

"???"

"You wouldn't have thought, right? Actually, this stuff is just like canned food, with a shelf life ranging from a few months to a few years. So at the beginning, it's sold for its freshness, and it won't go bad after three days, it just doesn't look as good as before, so they give it a discount and continue to sell it - I didn't know this when I was a kid, and I was cheated when I went to the store to buy it."

“Is it really possible?”

"In theory, the disposal of expired food is an important part of food safety research. Expired food must be disposed of harmlessly and used as much as possible. After all, food is not grown on the shelf. Even if we are rich, we must do good deeds - of course, we don't have to do good deeds on soda, in fact, this is a bit unethical. Anyway, this is what I mean. Whether in Southeast Asia or anywhere else, we always do this."

"So." Shangluo thought for a moment, "You guys are going to move back soon, right?"

"Yes." Zheng Shijie nodded and said, "Although the future of the Lan Fang Company lies in the universe, the people of Nanyang can still stay or go as they please. After all, I am not the lord here. No one can govern the people on behalf of the emperor. I have no right to govern the people here, let alone restrict them. The full name of the Lan Fang Company is 'Lan Fang Administrative Services Co., Ltd.' We are here to provide services, not to be county governors."

"So, what parts do we need to connect after we return? I mean, do we need to make some preparations for food, clothing, housing and transportation?"

Shangluo asked this question on behalf of the court. After all, he had to take care of this matter. The emperor himself went into seclusion, and the task of inquiring about these matters fell on his head. Just like when the emperor was here before, he also wanted to provide more thoughtful service and try not to cause unnecessary trouble to everyone during the ascension process. "You can see it by looking around. Food, clothing, housing and transportation are all similar. There is only one difference - the exam."

"Oh, yes, that's it. As I recall, you have preferential treatment for exams?"

"That's the situation," Zheng Shijie replied. "All of us in Southeast Asia are registered as 'Hakka'. The so-called Hakka is not a civilian registration, but a branch of the military registration."

"Then how is this divided?"

"Shangluo, you may not quite understand the rules here. Let me explain briefly - various 'nationalities' are actually choices of lifestyle. If you choose 'civilian nationality', then your life is in the default state, and as an ordinary citizen you enjoy ordinary benefits and fulfill ordinary obligations. If you choose military nationality, then you must fulfill military obligations, and enjoy the corresponding benefits on the basis of fulfilling military obligations."

"Like the middle school you attended before?"

"Yes. That is the privilege of military status. If the father chooses to join the military, then his children can study in the school of the garrison, without taking an exam and enjoying high-quality education, and it is free. Hakka status is a variant of military status, and it is not affiliated with an ordinary garrison, but a real garrison."

"What is the difference between a real earth guard post and an ordinary guard post?"

"The difference is, as the name implies, a Shitu garrison is set up to fill undeveloped land. You can see it not only in Nanyang, but also in Liaodong. Shitu garrisons have no military obligations, or only very limited military obligations, but the premise is that you have to live here and cannot leave. Ordinary garrisons are still set up in cities, and they only go to the garrison when performing military service."

"What if someone leaves? For example, moves back from Southeast Asia?"

"Giving up your obligations is equivalent to automatically giving up your benefits." Zheng Shijie replied, "In other words, you can go back to the capital anytime you want, and you can move back to your hometown anytime you want, but the benefits associated with military households will also be terminated. The specific details are more complicated. For example, if your children attend schools in the garrison, you will have to make up part of the tuition difference, etc."

"Then what about the children who grew up in military households?"

"You choose. Being born into a military family doesn't mean you are a military member - but if you go to a military school, joining the military is usually the default option. Anyway, you can quit at any time if you want."

"Wait a minute." Shangluo suddenly remembered, "I suddenly remembered that I am a craftsman."

"Yes, sometimes I suddenly remember that I am a foreign military household. So I can't stay in the capital for too long at a time. I have to stay in my own garrison city for at least 8 months a year. Sometimes I feel that this is a besieged city. People outside want to get in, and people inside want to get out. However, our city life is not much different from that in the capital, so it's not difficult to adapt to it. It was indeed very hard a few hundred years ago, but who can blame our ancestors for having suffered so much? All we have to do is enjoy air conditioning and soda, and we can enjoy the benefits of military households."

"So you guys don't necessarily want to go back, right?"

"Of course. We have extra quotas for the imperial examinations. After all, we can't go out for 8 months a year, and we can only arrange our own affairs for 4 months. This is still a little restriction on personal freedom. We have lived like this for so many years, and suddenly we have to change back to civilian status. Many people will be very uncomfortable. Even the heavenly court has to take exams, right?"

(End of this chapter)