Great time travel

Chapter 188, New Year in South America
South America, Eastern Republic, on the banks of the Rio de la Plata, Fort Guie (near Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay later)

The twelfth lunar month at the end of the year, when the wind should be howling, is now scorching hot and scorching hot.

It was the first sunny day after the rain, and the hot sun was already scorching on the concrete pavement, and the rising water vapor was faintly visible.

No way, who said that this place is located in the southern hemisphere?

Obviously, such a climate, which is completely contrary to the traditional common sense, makes the new Chinese immigrants here very uncomfortable.

Well, although it feels a little awkward, the residents of Fort Guiyi reluctantly accepted this reality.

Speaking of this, I have to mention that because it is in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere.The East Coast Republic has organized and spent several years compiling an East Coast Calendar.Modeled on the Chinese lunar calendar, a new 24 solar terms have been compiled according to the local climate, which is parallel to the Western calendar and has the significance of guiding agricultural production.The date of the Spring Festival has also been moved from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year...but most immigrants obviously still prefer to celebrate the New Year according to the old date.

"...Yo! It's Ani, this is to sell fish."

"...Yes, Uncle Tian, ​​today is the big market. Go early and sell the fish, and the family is still waiting for the New Year's goods!"

A village woman and a young girl, each carrying a big fish basket bigger than the girl's body, are walking on the country road leading to the Guiyibao market. Today is the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month. New Year's day.

Originally, when they were in their hometown in Fujian, Mao Ani and her mother had never sold fish, because the fish in the river belonged to the masters, so it was no problem to secretly catch a few to eat, but if they sold them, they would be sold by the masters. If our dog legs find out, they will be fined with money, and if they fail to pay, they will be beaten to death.Although Ani didn't understand the reason for this, those villagers who were beaten to blood by the dog legs and tied up at the entrance of the village and howled could not pretend to be fake.

However, since the family left the village with the Australian Song soldiers and came to this strange place, the rules of the hometown no longer apply.During the month or so since we moved here, Grandfather and Father went to the river to catch fish whenever they had time, and then handed them over to Ani and her mother to sell in a nearby market: Although the local government distributed food and houses to the family , but if you want to buy some odds and ends, you still have to spend money.

Like Mao Ani's family who have just arrived, Guiyibao is also a newly established town, and it has only been a year since the ground was broken.

Guiyi Fort is located in the flat alluvial plain at the confluence of the Santa Lucia River and the La Plata River. The soil here is fertile, the rainfall is abundant, and the climate is superior. The conditions for agricultural development are unique, and the nearby rivers are criss-cross, and a little improvement will be good. Irrigation canals have great potential for agricultural development, otherwise modern Uruguay would not have its capital here.At present, the coastal area near Dongfang Port, the capital of the East Coast Republic, is not suitable for large-scale agricultural production. There is no other reason, the main reason is the lack of water and the lack of large surface runoff. In layman's terms, there are no big rivers.There are only some streams and rivers that are not very abundant, and many of them are seasonal rivers, so they generally present a grassland landform.For this reason, the government of the East Coast Republic had to spend a lot of effort and build a large number of reservoirs, rainwater collection ponds, artificial reservoirs, and irrigation facilities for farmland, only to barely achieve food self-sufficiency for the tens of thousands of people in the capital area.

Therefore, in order to take advantage of the abundant water resources in the interior, the East Coast Republic has had the idea of ​​developing the inland La Plata River Basin since a long time ago, but it has been suffering from insufficient immigration and has been unable to start reclamation. It wasn't until the establishment of the Chinese League and the launch of the Ming Dynasty's mainland strategy that the number of immigrants flooding into the Republic increased by more than ten times in the past two years, and the Republic government had the manpower to develop these areas.

Today's Guiyi Fort has not been built recently, and its scale is still very limited, and its conditions are relatively simple. They are all rough-looking wooden and brick houses. Only a road near the pier is paved with cement, and other places are still sandy. road.The entire town has only one or two thousand permanent residents, so apart from the occasional market, there is only one department store that is always open, selling all kinds of goods shipped from the capital of the Republic, Dongfang Port, and there are two restaurants next to the pier , business is not very prosperous.Then there are some service industries such as barbershops, tailors, blacksmiths and so on.

However, in Guiyi Fort on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, there is still a sense of festive joy. As the Spring Festival approaches, the goods on the market have increased, including various local agricultural products and exquisite industrial products from big cities. , Of course, the most are selling salt, vinegar, sugar tea and cloth.Waves of residents from nearby villages came to the outskirts of the city, crowding the not-so-wide road.The children crawled around in the crowd, calling for friends, laughing and playing, feeling uncomfortable.The adults stopped at the stalls one by one, and fought wits and courage with the vendors. It was really a picture of a harmonious and prosperous township market.And the sporadic firecrackers added a bit of "New Year flavor" to this bustling scene: After all, at the end of the year, even if you are a newcomer, even if you are in a foreign country thousands of miles away, you still have to pass this year. of.

Walking among the crowded crowd, Mao Ani couldn't help wiping the sweat beads on her neck, then took off her big straw hat that shaded the sun, and fanned it back and forth.Like most people in the market, Mao Ani and Ama were also wearing light-colored short-sleeved shirts, big shorts, sandals and straw hats.

Although some old people always muttered that such clothes showing arms and legs are really immoral, most of them had to change their clothes after a few bouts of heat stroke.According to several military masters, wearing such tight clothes in such a hot weather is simply self-defeating. The local aborigines don't even wear clothes!Well, Mao Ani has actually seen this kind of aborigine without clothes a few times!
After finally squeezing into the market, Grandma and Ani put the fish baskets on their backs on the ground, because they arrived late and there were no good places in the market, so the mother and daughter had to find a In the corner, peddling the strange fish caught from the nearby river.

——Really some weird fish!The fish caught in the river here are all unknown species that Ani's family has never seen in their hometown.There is even a kind of fish whose teeth can be made into scissors (piranha), which amazed the immigrants.In order to confirm that these strange fish can really be eaten, the cat in Uncle Wang's house next door has a good fortune: whenever he catches any fish he doesn't know, he has to let the cat try it first, and then he will eat it after confirming that there is no problem. Dare to take it out and sell it, otherwise, if someone is poisoned to death, then Ani's family will have to go away without food...

Fortunately, looking at the way the cat is still meowing, I know that although the fish in this place are of strange species, most of them are still edible.

As we all know, Chinese people have been paying attention to "surplus (fish) every year" since ancient times, so fish on the New Year's Eve dinner is absolutely indispensable. Even if they are too poor to afford real fish, they often have to carve a fish with wood. It's time to put it on the table to pretend.That's why Ani and the others' strange fresh fish are quite popular in the market for new year's goods. Although the stall is relatively remote, people still come to patronize quickly.

"...Hey, there are still fish sellers here, buy it quickly, it's almost enough for the whole company to eat."

A few army soldiers in khaki short-sleeved uniforms walked slowly to Mao Ani's stall and rummaged through the fresh fish in the basket.

"...Master Jun, the fish in our family were caught early in the morning, and they are still alive."

The fish sold at Mao Ani’s stand were all relatively large. A few soldiers of the Fort Guiyi garrison murmured as they picked out the fish that looked more vigorous, and began to settle accounts by gesturing. Tickets made of paper.Although Ani and Ama have seen such light paper bills several times, they still resist them from the bottom of their hearts. If there is a choice, everyone would rather accept copper coins and silver coins.

(The East Coast Republic had always used a pure mint currency system of gold, silver and copper coins. It was not until the establishment of the Huameng that common paper money was introduced, but it was quite resisted by the people. Because there is no shortage of precious metals, the government has no intention of forcing the people to use it. banknotes, so it has not been fully promoted.)
However, common people throughout the ages have known one thing: never reason with soldiers who fight.

"...Mum, what should I do? Can this decal be used?" Seeing the soldiers in yellow go away carrying the biggest fish, Ani said somewhat dejectedly.

"...Little girl, this isn't flower paper, it's banknotes, it's definitely usable."

A thin and dark old man next to him suddenly interjected in Hokkien, which surprised Ani who hadn't heard her accent for a long time.

"...Grandpa? Listen to this accent... Could it be that you are also from Fujian? And do you know that this banknote can be used?"

"...Hehe, I am from Nanzhili, but I have stayed in Fujian for a while, so I can speak a few Hokkien dialects. You can take this banknote in the department store in front. It contains salt, sugar, and Toys, needlework, and flowered clothes can all be bought with this banknote. Of course, you can also save money, and when you have enough, you can go to the bank to exchange silver dollars, but you need to save a lot of money. Lie." The old man said kindly.

"... Huh, it's good that this ticket can be used! Mom, let's go to that store to buy salt in a while. Last time, my grandfather made salted fish and used up all the salt he got on credit from the government. There is no salt at home. It’s too salty. Ah, by the way, and thank you, old man!”

Xu Xiake smiled and patted the head of the little girl Mao Ani, then walked through the market and continued walking.As a member of the Writers Association who "write travel notes by order", Xu Xiake certainly didn't just come here to wander around. He came to investigate the customs of the East Coast Republic and write promotional materials for the Huameng.

After Grandpa Xu Xiake left, Mao Ani was always thinking about going shopping, and grandma was worried about the flowers in her hand, so the mother and daughter made up their minds and let grandma continue to sell fish in the market , while Ani took the banknotes and went to the department store to buy things.

The department store in Guiyibao is not large, just a small one-story house, and there are not many goods in it.But at this special moment of the upcoming Chinese New Year, it is still very lively.Men, women and children from all over the country and eight miles gathered here, and it was already crowded at the entrance of the department store.And the people who have finished shopping have already come out with big bags and small bags in an endless stream.The men carry big bags on their shoulders, which may be shiny rice or snow-white flour, and they also carry chicken, duck, fish, and refined salt and sugar in their hands; A piece of cloth or a set of clothes is faintly exposed through the gaps in the clothes; the children are undoubtedly the happiest, or holding a big doll, or carrying a wooden sword, without exception, their mouths are full of candied fruit and candies .No matter men, women, old or young, everyone has a satisfied smile on their faces.

Just as Mao Ani was about to go to the department store to buy salt as planned, a hot aroma quietly wafted into her nostrils.Ani searched for incense, but saw a black peddler who was selling spicy grilled beef kebabs - I saw the beef kebabs on the iron grill, grilled by charcoal fire until it was sizzling, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. However, the surface of the meat piece coated with honey exudes a greasy luster, filled with a rich sweet smell, and a full aroma of garlic.The mellow meaty fragrance is strong and lingering, making people almost obsessed with it, and it almost lures people's gluttons out.

So, after discovering that the black peddler was willing to accept "flower paper" (banknotes), the little girl Mao Ani decisively left behind the task of going to the department store to buy salt, dropped the banknotes in her hand, and grabbed two Skewers of hot and spicy grilled beef, I happily shook off my cheeks and started chewing...

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Not to mention how this gluttonous little girl, Mao Ani, would be spanked and punished by her furious grandma after taking the money from selling fish at home and exchanging it for a delicious kebab.At the same time, Xu Xiake, who had already walked out of the market in Fort Guiyi, and several of his servants, as well as an officer of the East Coast Republic who was in charge of escorting him, were walking on the road along the Rio de la Plata. Looking at the surrounding scenery with interest.

At this time, the fields that had just rained were still a little wet and muddy, but this did not affect the interest of Xu Xiake, a visitor.The newly paved road under the feet is extremely smooth, and it is also covered with a strange black substance.After hearing the introduction from the officer next to him, he realized that it was a substance called asphalt, which was also used to coat telephone poles in Hainan Island, and it had a good waterproof and moth-proof effect.

What you can see along the way is not only the newly reclaimed grain fields and vegetable beds, but also a large area of ​​reed marshes and miscellaneous bushes.There are endless vast plains everywhere, large and small rivers criss-cross, the climate is very pleasant, villages and towns are built along the rivers, and there are small boats rippling on the water from time to time, and occasionally people are seen fishing on the boat or on the shore, which makes Xu Xiake this Suzhou People feel as if they have returned to the familiar Jiangnan water town again.

Indeed, from the perspective of climate and geography, the eastern republic located on the alluvial plain of the lower reaches of the Plata River has similar conditions to the Jiangnan region of China in all aspects. Uruguay in the same geographical location at the beginning of the 21st century, although the main residents are Hispanics and mixed races, and there are very few East Asian immigrants who are good at growing rice, but due to the suitable climate and soil quality, it is still rich in rice, and even became the sixth largest country in the world. Large rice exporter.In this time and space, immigrants from all over southern China are determined to reproduce the rich scene of the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River.

However, no matter how suitable the climate and geographical conditions are, it is not an easy task to turn a barren land into a land of fish and rice.

First of all, any land suitable for reclamation must already be covered with natural vegetation, so before reclamation, it must be burned, that is, shrubs and miscellaneous trees in the field must be cut down, tall weeds must also be cut down, etc. When it is dried, it is set on fire, and the first step of land reclamation is completed when it is burned up.

Then, use a hoe to dig out the grass roots and tree roots that can be dug up. Some very thick tree roots may not be able to be dug until a few years later, when the wood is completely rotten.This work is naturally quite hard, but the roots left in the ground have to be dug, otherwise how can we plow the land?After this is done, the large stones in the ground must be picked out, and then the ground can be dug to loosen the soil.And at this time, the plow cannot be used for the time being, because the ground is too hard and uneven, and the plow cannot be plowed by oxen. The fields that can be plowed by oxen are generally cultivated land.

Then, after the initial preparation of the land, you need to dig drainage ditches, otherwise your land will be ruined when a heavy rain comes.After the drainage ditches are dug, it is finally possible to grow some easy-to-grow coarse grains, such as soybeans, sweet potatoes, pastures, and corn, but fine things like rice and wheat are still not acceptable, and there is a danger of failure to harvest— —No way, this is the first year of land reclamation, and it is already very good to be able to get this.

The following field management is also very labor-intensive. On the one hand, the fertility of the raw land is not enough, and on the other hand, there are many weed seeds in the field. Even if you apply chemical fertilizers, the crops may not be able to grab the weeds. Weeding on the ground, otherwise the weeds will definitely grow better than the crops.

In the second year, life was finally a little easier, because the land had been loosened and the plow could be pulled by oxen. However, the land was still very raw and had to be plowed deeply. At the same time, a large amount of fertilizer had to be fertilized to restore soil fertility, so the workload Not small either.Generally, rice and wheat cannot be grown until the third year.

Just looking at the above programs, you can know how hard it is to open up wasteland.

However, for the land reclamators in reality, the problems they need to face are not limited to this. Just a single acclimatization is enough to kill many people, and there are also various new germs that have never been exposed to. Put anyone off.It is not that ancient China did not organize immigration to the border, but because of acclimatization and disease, the death rate every time was horribly high.Even the provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, which are known as rich, were developed little by little after several dynasties and thousands of years of change.During the Han and Tang Dynasties, the southern provinces were all places where criminal officials or prisoners were exiled!

However, despite all the above-mentioned hardships, for the Central Plains immigrants who have never had a place to stand in their hometown, being able to obtain a large piece of fertile farmland of their own, even if it is an uncultivated wasteland, is enough to make them crazy. up.

Not to mention that the East Coast Republic, with its productivity far surpassing the times, has tried its best to provide them with all kinds of convenience-houses, farm tools, first-year rations and daily necessities are all ready-made. It takes concentration and hard work.

At this moment, Xu Xiake, led by the officer, strolled leisurely into a village where a large number of new immigrants were resettled.

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PS: The temperature has dropped sharply recently, and I have a slight cold, so the update is a bit irregular, please forgive me.