The sun never sets in America

Chapter 265 Lanfang Plantation

Pontianak, the capital of Lanfang...

"Oh, give in, give in..."

"Please give way..."

A young man wearing a straw hat and white short-sleeves was walking through the busy streets holding a letter.

"Whoosh..."

The young man ran for two streets before entering an alley filled with wastewater.

Building 17, Luohan Lane.

On the peeling white paint wall, there is a wooden sign with the family's home address written on it.

bang bang...

"Is Sister Zhang at home? Sister Zhang is at home..."

"Here he comes, who is he?"

A young woman in an apron walked out of the room. The woman had her head tied up and a floral cloth on her head. She had a faint smoky smell about her, and she looked like she had just come out of the kitchen.

"You are??"

Sister Zhang looked at the strange yet familiar young man in front of her, and couldn't pronounce his name for a moment.

"Sister, I am Xiaobin. You forgot, I have eaten rice cakes at your place a few years ago. The deep-fried rice cakes are delicious!!" Xiaobin replied to Sister Zhang with a smile.

"Ah, you were so young at that time, I didn't even recognize you." A half-grown man eating rice cakes without wiping his mouth flashed in Sister Zhang's mind.

"Come on, come on, come in, don't stand outside, my meal is almost ready. I will go to the street to buy some hot food later, and you can eat it here."

After Zhang Argentina reacted, he called Xiaobin in.

"No, sister, I am delivering a message to you."

"Well, this is a letter from Brother Jun to you."

Xiaobin grabbed the envelope, which was still flat, and handed it over.

"Ajun??"

Sister Zhang was at a loss and took the envelope with some surprise. After tearing it open, she saw familiar handwriting at the beginning.

"My dear sister..."

"Brother, I work as a supervisor in a plantation in Brunei. I'm doing pretty well so far. My boss is from Hanzhou and treats me well. He said he would make me a manager next year and be responsible for sales. It is said that I can earn 40 yuan a month, which is better than ours. The current price of fifteen yuan is more than twice as high..."

"This bastard!!"

Sister Zhang's eyes turned red for a moment as she looked at the crooked and short words on the envelope.

"Sister, I have saved a hundred yuan now. When I go back, I will use the money to renovate our home and build a wedding room for you in the future. It will be considered as my brother's kindness..."

"Sister, I may have to come back later for the New Year this year. You don't have to wait for me for the New Year's Eve dinner..."

"Sister, I'm here..."

A letter written by his younger brother Zhang Jun to his older sister Zhang Tingting.

"This boy!!"

Sister Zhang cried while laughing as she read this letter, which had no literary qualities at all and was basically just commonplace talk.

"Xiao Bin, you haven't eaten yet. Just wait here and I'll buy you something good."

"By the way, do you drink??"

"I...I don't drink."

"If you don't drink, it's not a good thing. Just sit at home and I'll come as soon as I go."

"Sister..."

Looking at Sister Zhang's furious back, Xiao Bin wanted to say something, but finally shut up.

After finishing the meal, Xiao Bin returned home. His mind was filled with the virtuous and beautiful appearance of Sister Zhang. Suddenly, he had a bold idea.

…………

A plantation somewhere in southeastern Brunei...

"Ah che..."

Zhang Jun was lying on the bed reading a book. He didn't know what happened, but he suddenly sneezed.

"It's a cold, it shouldn't be, forget it!!"

Zhang Jun wiped the snot that had sprayed on his face due to sneezing with a piece of straw paper, then leaned against the bow of the boat again and looked at the funny comics in his hand.

Laughter from time to time.

Zhang Jun naturally didn't know that hundreds of miles away, his sister was already being considered.

Just when Zhang Jun was looking at it, he suddenly heard a noise. He turned around and saw that the window was dyed red by the firelight. He was so frightened that he immediately got out of bed. He didn't even have time to put on his shoes and ran out with flip-flops.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard:

"No, the natives have rebelled!!"

"Copycat, the natives have rebelled..."

"Copy guy..."

Zhang Jun was frightened when he heard this and returned to the house. He quickly found some clothes that he had worn yesterday and put them on. When he stepped into the black rubber boots, he didn't even put on socks.

(Rubber plantations are rainy and the ground is slippery. Most people wear rubber shoes with soft spikes to prevent slipping.)

Snapped……

After Zhang Jun put on his rubber boots, he opened the bedside cabinet. Inside, there lay a well-maintained musket that had been polished at first glance, and a separated bayonet.

There is a lightning bolt mark on the gun body, which reads "Long Wu Four Years". It is an old gun with some age, and it is the earliest product retired after the Sino-American War.

shuh...

Zhang Jun skillfully inserted the bayonet into the groove under the muzzle, then took a box of ammunition wrapped in paper and loaded it as he went out.

(Due to moisture, this kind of bullet actually consumes a lot of money. Most of it is because the ammunition cannot stay damp for a long time and needs to be replaced for a long time)

"Over there, don't let them escape..."

"And this way, chase!!"

bang bang bang...

In the dense forest, there were constant shouts and gunshots, followed by the screams of the indigenous people.

"Don't kill me, please..."

(Nanyang Aboriginal language)

Stab! !

Zhang Jun very coldly inserted the bayonet into the chest of a half-grown native. Blood splashed all over his body and stained his coarse cloth shirt red.

He basically does this kind of thing once or twice a month, and he is used to it.

Even during certain rubber harvesting periods, riots occur at least four or five times a month.

The reason for this is that the mortality rate in the plantations is too high. Even the most inhumane people have to admit that compared with the plantation economy, they are just harmless little white rabbits.

According to the statistics of the Han Rubber Association in the 7th year of Longwu, every acre of rubber forest consumes one-sixth of a native.

In other words, one person dies for every six acres. Remember, this is an annual figure.

Year after year, day after day, God knows how many people died.

The reason why the mortality rate is so high is not only that the plantation owners do not regard the natives as human beings, but also another important reason, that is, various diseases in the tropical rainforest, as well as poisonous snakes, insects and ants, these are the main reasons for the soaring mortality rate of the natives. reason.

In response to this situation, Bianque Medical has launched a batch of antipyretic and detoxifying agents for the rainforest.

Although through unremitting efforts and the improvement of medicinal materials, the mortality rate has been greatly reduced, saving a lot of economic losses for the plantation owners.

But it also made them more determined. Since the mortality rate was low, it was not necessary to use it to their death.

For example, I originally thought that these natives would die if they worked for a long time, and could only work for a few hours. Now that we have medicines, and they are mass-produced, and the prices are cheap, we don't want to use them to death.

After all, since the emergence of rubber futures, the rubber industry has also been linked to finance, and the most important thing in finance is time.

And as long as it hangs with Shi, you won't be lenient when using it.

In this way, a problem arises, that is, the rebellion rate of the indigenous people increases on a large scale, even to the extent that it is difficult to control.

Some people wanted to reduce the time, but in the end they were attracted by market demand and the race against time in the futures market. In the end, they followed the footsteps of other plantations. Since there are many rebellions, well, you can suppress me. Which one is faster, my gun or your running? ?

The natives who died under Zhang Jun's bayonet and those at gunpoint once again proved a point.

The gun is indeed fast enough! !

"Go away, you bastard!!"

"Pa", a whip was thrown down, leaving a bloody mark, and the natives in front endured the pain and accelerated their speed.

On the observation deck of a stilt building, Mr. Huang, who is already in his forties and nearly fifty, is wearing a white silk shirt, with his hair slicked back and shiny, exuding the aura of money.

Next to him was a thin, middle-aged man, wearing a Western-style hat with a strip on his head, a black short shirt, and holding a folding fan with the word "Benevolence and Justice" written in thin gold in his hand.

"Mr. Huang, the natives are arrogant and ill-educated. I'm afraid this kind of thing is inevitable."

The middle-aged man's surname was Tang. He was a scholar from Yangzhou Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty. He had a good reputation as a scholar. Because of the Taiping Rebellion, he finally fled to Lanfang. Because of his good calligraphy and his smooth manner, he was attracted by Mr. Huang, that is, Huang Renli. , to be a master, he is known as Master Tang.

"Master Tang, tell me, these natives are always rebelling, which is not an option. What should we do?"

"After all, in this day-to-day situation, the dead spot is nothing. The delay in Haifeng Company's order is a big deal."

Mr. Huang asked Master Tang with an ugly face. During this period, his family's plantation had been invaded four times. It was about to be harvested. What should he do if there were fewer natives at this time.

(In later generations, the period in Indonesia is basically from September to November, and in other places, such as China, it is February)

Master Tang looked down at the supervisors who were already cleaning up the mess, his face twitched slightly, and then he opened the folding fan with a "swipe" sound, revealing the two words of benevolence and righteousness inside, which were full of thin gold characters, and then replied to Mr. Huang:

"Master Huang, the natives are savage, like ferocious dogs. If you want to tame them, I'm afraid it will take some time. This matter is approaching the harvest period, and non-general rough methods are feasible. I think it is better to slow down..."

"How to slow down??"

After hearing this, Mr. Huang immediately asked.

Master Tang then replied quietly:

"As I see below, the rebellion of the natives was caused by fatigue. Since the harvest period is approaching, it is better to recuperate and recuperate. All other things can be suspended to recharge and recharge until the harvest period..."

When Mr. Huang heard this, he frowned and said: "But there are other weeding, repairs, and pest control in my plantation. Who will do these things? You can't count on the Chinese supervisors, right?"

Mr. Huang stretched out his somewhat old hand and pointed at the Chinese supervisors below. These people were his pillars of support. They usually ate and drank, just so that when the natives rebelled like now, they could support him and work hard to hold on. This plantation, this money tree for their Huang family.

Master Tang looked at Mr. Huang, and then at the greedy Mr. Huang in front of him. He cursed "stupid pig" in his heart, and then pretended to be embarrassed and said to Mr. Huang:

"Since there are still some chores, why not sacrifice some old and weak natives and use them to do it to create a bloody road!!"

As soon as he said this, Mr. Huang looked at Master Tang with Renyi folding fan in front of him in surprise. For the first time, he felt how ruthless Master Tang, who usually smiled and made jokes with the maids, was ruthless.

Old, weak, sick and disabled, to put it nicely, some of the natives used in the plantation are really old, weak, sick and disabled, and without exception they are all young and strong, but this Master Tang has turned the young and strong into old and weak, and sacrificed them at will , it can be said that he is more cruel and sanctimonious than himself! !

Master Tang looked at the astonished Mr. Huang and didn't understand why he had such an expression. He then asked: "Mr. Huang, what's the matter? But what I said is wrong. If there is anything wrong, can you give me some advice..."

"No no……"

"Congratulations, Master! Master is so tough!!"

Mr. Huang gave Master Tang a thumbs up. He meant it sincerely. After all, he could think of this trick, but it would never be as plain as Master Tang. It was so plain that it was scary.

"Ha ha……"

"Master Huang is so tall and hard!!"

Master Tang fanned the "Benevolence and Righteousness" fan and complimented Mr. Huang with a smile, without the slightest hint of peacekeeping on his face.

Under the stilt building, Zhang Jun leaned against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth. Beside him, there was a rifle with a bayonet inserted in it, which had been washed with water but still stained with blood.

"Come on, give way..."

A buffalo cart pulling a corpse passed by, and Zhang Jun put his feet back.

(In the tropical rainforest, it is difficult to use horse-drawn carriages, so ox-carts are often used, and they are pulled by buffaloes)

Looking at the natives imprisoned in the water prison in front of him, Zhang Jun's face was full of indifference. It was completely different from when he wrote to his sister. He looked like a cold sculpture.

This was not the case for Zhang Jun who had just arrived at Mr. Huang's plantation. At that time, he was lively, cheerful, enthusiastic, and full of energy.

At first, he was full of sympathy for the natives. After all, they were human beings too! !

But after experiencing an indigenous rebellion and his master dying in front of him in order to protect him, Zhang Jun changed. He no longer had any sympathy for the indigenous people.

He felt that these natives were irritable, ignorant, and inferior. He even felt that they were not worthy of living with him at all.

They are not humans, they are livestock, they are beasts.

It is a domestic animal that is whipped if its owner is unhappy or is lazy at work.

People, what is that, does it have anything to do with them? ?

Now that he has this idea, Zhang Jun's moral burden has been reduced a lot, and he naturally does some things that he was unwilling to do before, such as killing people, no, killing "it"! !

Wow…

Suddenly, the sky turned cloudy, and a heavy rain fell without any preparation, leaving no time for the people underground to react.

This is the tropical rainforest, a place where there are violent storms at any time, but it is also hot and humid, where snakes, insects, rats and ants gather.

This is also a forbidden area for civilization! !

After finishing his cigarette, Zhang Jun flicked it and fell into the small puddle outside. With a "plop", it didn't cause any waves, because the rain was so heavy that it almost covered the entire rain forest.

The earth has become humid and the rainforest has become greener! !

.............................................

Wow…

Mr. Huang, Mr. Tang, and the other two plantation owners were playing mahjong.

Snapped! !

"Nine tubes..."

"Oh, I want it."

"Five loaves."

"Well done, Bang!!"

"A dragon, give me money, give me money."

Boss Zhao happily messed up his cards and reached out to others to ask for money.

"Hey, if you play slower, I'll go crazy."

Boss Wang spread out his cards, which were only five pieces away from being fooled. This card was worse than Boss Zhao's, which was a pity.

"Old Wang, don't you know this? It's called west wind meeting east wind. Sooner or later it will wind, haha..."

Boss Zhao smiled and accepted a few Chinese yuan notes with twenty stamped on them.

(In the 10th year of Longwu, the Imperial Bank of Han officially issued Hua Yuan banknotes after three years of preparation to replace the original Hua Yuan silver coins. However, because the circulation was too large, it could not be replaced for a while. The denominations of banknotes were divided into Mao and Yuan. Mao is the original copper yuan, with a maximum of fifty cents. The maximum denomination of yuan is twenty. Fifty and one hundred yuan are not issued for the time being.)

"I said, what do you think of the rubber price this year? It is said that it will drop. In previous years, I remember it was 60 yuan per ton, but now it is estimated that it is 50 yuan or not."

"Wow!" Boss Wang was playing mahjong while talking about the current rubber market conditions.

When rubber first came out, the price of a ton of rubber raw materials was between 200 and 180 Chinese yuan. Later, as the production capacity gradually increased, it dropped to 170 yuan, and then it was 160 yuan. I don’t know if it is still available now. One hundred and fifty. (The price of rubber in this time and space is determined by the Xijing Exchange)

"Oh, it's not that there are too many people planting it. I've said before that we can't be too hasty about anything. It's okay now. Now that the output is increasing, everyone is making less and less money!! "

(120 to 150 kilograms of rubber per acre, 120 kilograms in most areas)

Boss Zhao typed out a card of eight with a wry smile on his face.

"Who says otherwise? How expensive is it for a native nowadays? It can easily cost tens or even hundreds of dollars. How much rubber can an acre of rubber forest produce? Plus food, drink, diarrhea, and antidote. Good guy, what kind of money can I make? I can go home and plant it. Forget about sweet potatoes!!”

Boss Wang then complained about the continued decline in rubber prices.

Mr. Huang silently played out a piece of four cakes, and Master Tang gave out a piece of seven cakes with understanding.

"bump……"

"What a fool, what a fool..."

"Get the money, get the money!!"

Mr. Huang used a piece of seven cakes to make consecutive pairs, which stunned Boss Zhao and Boss Wang, who were still complaining, and finally had to pay.

At the end of the fight, Mr. Huang held a cigarette in his mouth and said, "Everyone, let me see, these natives are so expensive, why don't we find a way to get it elsewhere?"

After hearing this, Boss Zhao and Boss Wang looked at each other, and then asked in unison: "Where??"

Master Tang also said at this time:

"Two bosses, our Mr. Huang is thinking that since we are all short of people and want to hire people, why not go to Africa to get some slaves together. It is said that these slaves are used in the South of the United States. They are gentle in nature and far better than the natives. times..."

Boss Zhao and Boss Wang looked at each other several times, and finally Boss Wang took the lead and asked:

“How to allocate shares??”

When Mr. Huang and Mr. Tang heard this, smiles appeared on their lips.

　Monthly passes, rewards, everyone gives support

　　

　

(End of this chapter)