The sun never sets in America

Chapter 76 Set sail
At night, in a tile-roofed house, because of the hot weather, Wu Shiwu was naked from the waist down, fanning himself while reading the book in his hand. His mind kept recalling what happened during the lecture tonight...

"America, Liujiapu, Immigration??" Wu Shiwu used a brush to write these three characters on the white paper in front of him. The font looks neat, but if you look closely, you will find that the writing is at the end. , the strokes of the pen are a bit forceful, which shows what the mood of the person writing at that time was like...

"Those ships?" Wu Shiwu looked at the white paper. He had just written a few big words with drips of ink. He fell into deep thought. The hanging boats he had seen over the past few days kept popping up in his mind. The British-flagged ship, as well as the people who appeared to be Chinese and wore Western clothes on the pier that day...

In the first few days, Wu Shiwu was more concerned about those people. After all, a group of Chinese suddenly came and controlled so many and such big ships. Anyone would be suspicious, let alone a cautious person like Wu Shiwu. of people.

But after observing for a few days, Wu Shiwu became a little disappointed. What the other party did every day was to transport the goods on the general's ship...

Of course, you can occasionally hear roars like wild beasts on a certain large ship. The roars don't sound like beasts from China, but more like rare birds and exotic animals from overseas... Wu Shiwu felt very strange about this at first. It was fresh, and I fantasized that I could see it by taking the opportunity to transport cargo, but soon, the big ship left, and it was said that it went to Southeast Asia, or even Japan.

Since then, Wu Shiwu has gradually stopped paying attention to each other because he has reduced his interest in rare birds and animals. Until today, several dock workers told him something about immigration, land distribution, America, and Liujiapu. , he started to pay attention again to those people who seemed strange from the beginning, and he was more curious and focused than last time.

He was as focused as he was before he failed the scholar examination.

"Who are these people?" Wu Shiwu stood up and swayed back and forth in the hot room, with beads of sweat on his forehead. "They are from Nanyang. It's impossible. They said it themselves. Yes, they are from America. By the way, where is this America??" Wu Shiwu ignored the sweat flowing from his forehead to his neck, but kept guessing in his heart about the true origins of these people in Liujiabao.

Compared with those fellow villagers who collect money to do things and then don't ask questions, Wu Shiwu has the spirit of breaking the casserole and asking the truth about everything because he has studied and passed the imperial examination.

"No, we have to figure it out." Wu Shiwu wiped the sweat on his forehead and neck with a towel, a look of determination on his face, "By the way, the hotel where the gang is located is on the street of Macau. "Wu Shiwu suddenly remembered the day when he went to buy mosquito nets on the street and saw those people coming out of a hotel.

"Do you want to write a famous post?" Wu Shiwu was a little hesitant to write a famous post before visiting, "Forget it, people probably don't know who I am, and with my current condition, even if I write a famous post , I guess they were thrown away too..." Wu Shiwu said mockingly, looking at where he lived and the clothes he was wearing, with a look of shame on his face.

Originally, Wu Shiwu did not need to suffer this crime and came to work at the dock. However, a few years ago, he went crazy for the imperial examination. He sold his property and tried to bribe to pass the exam and become an official. In the end, he ran out of money. No, I haven’t passed the imperial examination...

"Wu Shiwu, you are such a waste. You can't even spend money to pass the exam. In front of others, you only dare to call yourself a child, not a scholar, just to save face for yourself... You are such a bastard!!" Wu Shiwu stood in the hot room. Although sweat was pouring from his forehead, Wu Shiwu's heart felt cold.

"Liujiabao, America, immigration, land division..."

In the dark and hot tile-roofed house, Wu Shiwu kept chanting these words he had never heard before, and slowly, his expression gradually became firmer.

…………

On the streets of Macau, due to the weather, men wearing vests and women in thin shirts carrying vegetable baskets were walking on the streets.

On both sides of the street, there are many signboards hung with wooden boards, some hanging horizontally and some vertically. Most of them have Chinese characters written on them. As for Portuguese, some are written on them, but not many.

The main reason is that the places where the Portuguese and these Chinese live are fundamentally different. The Portuguese live in places with beautiful scenery, but the Chinese, because of their status, are not allowed to enter the Portuguese community...

Therefore, the buildings on one side look clean and wealthy, while the buildings on the other side look chaotic and poor, or even wealthy mixed together, making it look like a disorganized area.

There are many shop signs on the street, such as Liji Shaobing, Nanji Grocery Store, and Sun's Palace Pastries. As for whether they belong to the palace or not, the taste is pretty good in the local area...

On the street, the most popular ones are dental shops, which are actually places where jobs are introduced. Most of these jobs are for Nanyang plantations, and Nanyang Chinese bosses recruit workers, and some are jobs suitable for women, or Work as a servant in a wealthy local family, or work as a female worker in a small local factory...

Of course, in this, oppression is indispensable. After all, even the treatment of workers in the British Empire during this period was not good, let alone the Far East, where industrial strength was even more efficient...

tread... tread...

"Huhu..." Wu Shiwu panted as he walked on the streets of Macau. Because the weather was getting hotter and hotter, no matter how Wu Shiwu wiped his sweat, there would still be sweat coming out because he had to meet people. Because of this, Wu Shiwu specially wore a gray robe today. In the summer, Wu Shiwu dressed as a scholar was even hotter. If he hadn't worn a waistcoat underneath, the whole robe would have been soaked with sweat...

People passing by on the street looked at Wu Shiwu who was dressed so formally in this weather. They all showed surprised expressions, and then laughed out loud. After the laughter, they left...

(Lottery Inn)

"We're here!!" Looking at the sign written in foreign and Chinese characters, Wu Shiwu's face showed a long-lost smile. Then he took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead, straightened his clothes, and then Then he walked inside.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa not but a few steps into the hotel and I was stopped by a man in a black suit.”Tell you, please go somewhere else to stay. This hotel has been booked. , get out quickly." The man blocking the door looked at Wu Shiwu's clothes, the pig tail on his head, and his bare forehead, and said with some disdain, his tone full of contempt.

"I...I have something to see you, sir." Although Wu Shiwu didn't know why the other party looked at him with such eyes, he still replied to the other party.

"It's a joke, my lord, you can see it." The man looked at Wu Shiwu's face with a sarcastic expression, especially when he looked at the pig tail behind Wu Shiwu's bald head. , even showing a look of contempt.

If Wu Shiwu hadn't noticed just now, as the person opposite looked at his braid more and more blatantly, he suddenly understood. When he saw the other person's short hair, an unknown feeling suddenly arose in his heart. the fire.

"Do you look down on me for having braids?" Wu Shiwu asked the man opposite him with cold eyes.

"So what, a dignified Han man with a pig tail... really embarrassed his ancestors." The man looked at Wu Shiwu's questioning expression and replied disdainfully.

"Hmph, Your Excellency is laughing at me for having braids, so what's the matter with your short hair?" After Wu Shiwu heard what the other party said, his expression suddenly changed, and then he pointed at the short hair on the other person's head and said sarcastically, "Your Excellency He should be a Han too, so why do he wear a foreign headdress? Doesn’t this mean he has fallen into the foreign state?" Wu Shiwu continued to point at the short hair on the other person's head and counterattacked, directly linking short hair with foreign devils. It can be seen that Wu Shiwu Very eloquent.

"You..." The man was speechless by Wu Shiwu, "Anyway, I'm telling you, you just can't get in today, why don't you get out quickly." The man looked at Wu Shiwu's face with a mocking expression. , and then got angry and drove Wu Shiwu out. After all, he was just a guard, and bickering with others was really not his strong point.

"Hmph, I think your Excellency is at a loss for words and can't speak." Wu Shiwu looked at the man who pushed him out and said disdainfully.

"Get out of here, don't let me see you again..." After hearing this, the man's expression suddenly changed, and he immediately pushed Wu Shiwu out. Because of his great strength, he almost didn't push Wu Shiwu down, but he managed to do it. Staggering, the shoe on his left foot fell off.

"I came to you with good intentions, and you did treat me like this. You are indeed a barbarian, a barbarian... you are a barbarian!!" Wu Shiwu put on his shoes outside the hotel, while facing inside the hotel, guarding the door to prevent him from letting him in. said the man who came in.

"You...are you looking for a beating?"

"Okay, it's not embarrassing enough."

Just when the man was about to raise his fist and hit Wu Shiwu, a voice suddenly came from the hotel, which immediately shocked the man, with a look of fear on his face, as if he knew he had made a mistake.

Wu Shiwu looked at the person coming out of the hotel in front of him, with a glimmer of light in his eyes. He knew this person. This person was the Chinese who talked to the Portuguese foreign governor at the dock a few days ago, and judging from his status at the time, it was not low. "Sir, what's the matter with you?" After Hu Junding finished teaching the guard, he turned his head and asked Wu Shiwu with a kind expression, "If you are frightened, sir, please don't worry, we will compensate you." "Yes." Hu Junding then continued to say to Wu Shiwu. He looked amiable, but in fact, the implication was, don't take advantage of what happened just now to get into trouble, he is not a vegetarian...

Sure enough, after hearing this, Wu Shiwu's face changed slightly. Of course he could understand what Hu Junding just said and the warning in his words.

"Are you Liu Jiabao?" Wu Shiwu then summoned up the courage to ask Hu Junding.

"Who are you?" Hu Junding's face suddenly changed when he heard the man in front of him talking about Liujiabao, and he couldn't help but ask about the other person's identity.

"I'm from Guangfu and teach in Macau. I heard you were planning to immigrate some time ago, so I came over here to take a look." Wu Shiwu didn't tell him about working as a laborer at the dock and did coolies for free at night. Workers teach and claim to be teachers. As for whether the teacher makes money, that's up to two people...

"It turns out he is a gentleman..." After Hu Junding heard that Wu Shiwu was a teacher, he immediately put a gentleman's hat on Wu Shiwu's head.

"I don't want to be called sir, I'm just a stinky old man." When Wu Shiwu heard Hu Junding calling him husband, of course he understood the meaning, and then he laughed at himself, with a sarcastic expression on his face.

"What a stinky old nine, in my opinion, as long as you teach people to read and read, then you are a great man, you are a gentleman..." Seeing that Wu Shiwu was unwilling to accept the hat of gentleman, Hu Junding shrank his eyes, and then continued his enthusiasm He replied, "Come on, sir, come in and chat." Hu Junding looked at the people coming and going on the street and the content of their conversation, and immediately led Wu Shiwu inside.

"Why don't you apologize to this gentleman quickly..." Passing by the guard who was guarding the door just now, Hu Junding raised his eyebrows and then scolded him. But if you listen carefully, you will know that there is no anger or atmosphere in this sentence, it is just pure. The same goes for raising your voice.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's my fault. I can't see Taishan. I'm really rude..." The man lowered his head and apologized to Wu Shiwu. There was embarrassment on his face. Fortunately, he lowered his head. So it can't be seen.

Wu Shiwu looked at the man in front of him who bowed his head and apologized to him, nodded, and then followed Hu Junding upstairs. It was obvious that the anger just now was not gone.

squeak……

"Come, sir, sit down!!" Hu Junding pointed to the sofa next to him and arranged for Wu Shiwu, "Why, are you not used to sitting?" Hu Junding looked at Wu Shiwu who was sitting on the sofa with a surprised expression. asked.

"No, it's just that I've never sat on such a soft stool before, and I'm a little uncomfortable for a while." Wu Shiwu sat on the soft, collapsible sofa and replied to Hu Junding with some embarrassment.

"Haha..." Hu Junding burst out laughing after hearing this. Wu Shiwu, who didn't know what was going on, thought that Hu Junding was just laughing at him for being ignorant. A look of shame and anger appeared on his face, but he was soon suppressed again.

"It's nothing. After all, it's a Western thing. You've never seen it before, sir, and it's very common. It's not a big deal." After Hu Junding smiled, he explained to Wu Shiwu, "By the way, have you asked me your name?" Hu Junding then asked Wu Shiwu with his fists clasped, a solemn expression on his face.

"The surname of Wu is Wu. The Wu from Wumeng Mountain is called Shiwu. Shi Shi is the fifth eldest in the family." Wu Shiwu replied to Hu Junding.

"It turns out it was Mr. Wu in person." After hearing this, Hu Junding immediately said enthusiastically to Wu Shiwu, "Then why did Mr. Wu come to us this time, and how did he know about Liujiabao?" Hu Junding said Then he asked Wu Shiwu, especially the words "Liu Jiabao", with an emphasis on his tone. This was also a reminder to Wu Shiwu.

"I heard about Liujiabao by chance on the dock." Wu Shiwu did not talk about the workers, but only said that he learned about Liujiabao at the dock. "I came here this time mainly to know what you want to do." , or in other words, what is your origin and why did you come to China??" Wu Shiwu stared into Hu Junding's eyes and asked, his tone full of inquiry and curiosity. After all, a group of Chinese dressed as foreigners suddenly came, and they also asked Coming here to immigrate, immigrating to the past, and even dividing the land. No matter how you put it, it is an abnormal behavior. It is difficult for Wu Shiwu not to be curious.

"Does Mr. Wu know America?" Hu Junding's face changed slightly after listening to Wu Shiwu's inquiry, and then he asked.

"I know, but I haven't been there." Wu Shiwu replied honestly. Wu Shiwu is not like Supervisor Wang. He has never been there. He insists on saying that he has been. In Wu Shiwu's view, this is undoubtedly a sign of ignorance. A greater shame.

"But I have generally heard news about America. It is said that it is separated from China by an ocean tens of thousands of miles away... Wu Shiwu told Hu Junding what he had learned about America, "You are from America, right? "After Wu Shiwu finished his last sentence, he suddenly asked Hu Junding, with more interest and curiosity on his face than before.

"Yes, we are from America." Hu Junding replied to Wu Shiwu without hesitation, "Since Mr. Wu already knows that we are Liujiabao, then our immigrants must also know, right?" Hu Junding then said to Wu Shiwu Wu Shiwu asked.

"Yes, I know this." Wu Shiwu heard this and nodded in agreement to Hu Junding, "The main purpose of my coming today is to ask you why you immigrated. It is said that you have to allocate land to the immigrants. This will happen every year from There are not only [-], but [-] people from China who have been deceived to go abroad. You are the first to immigrate and divide the land. What does it sound like? It's like a cat emerging from a group of mice. You Do you understand what I mean?" Wu Shiwu asked Hu Junding, his eyes constantly focused on the guy in front of him, who was wearing a foreign white shirt and leather shoes. No matter how well he concealed it, his curiosity was still revealed. out.

"Yes, we do want to immigrate, and we will allocate land." After hearing this, Hu Junding looked at Wu Shiwu opposite with a serious expression and replied, "Not only that, we also need to teach these immigrants to read and write." Hu Junding Said to Wu Shiwu again.

"Literacy, reading??" Wu Shiwu didn't feel much at first when he heard the other party admit it, but when he heard the other party said that the immigrants should be literate and read, he couldn't hide his shocked expression, "Those who can't read big characters Is it necessary for immigrants to study and be literate?" Wu Shiwu looked at Hu Junding and asked seriously. In his opinion, the other party can do anything, recruit immigrants to plantations, farm, etc. He can accept the land being divided. After all, the land is divided, but taxes still have to be paid.

But reading and literacy is difficult for him to understand. After all, a group of poor people are not used to work to open up wasteland, but they are allowed to read and learn. In today's era, even Wu Shiwu, who has avant-garde ideas and a kind heart, is willing to teach laborers. People can't understand it, let alone other people.

"What we in Liujiapu want are not illiterate people who can't read in Chinese and can't even read notices. What we want are citizens, citizens who can share weal and woe..." After hearing this, Hu Junding replied to Wu Shiwu with disdain, before he It seems that if a person is illiterate, it is impossible to understand what a nation is, what a country is, and what danger is. Everything he knows is what others tell him. This has been common in the history of China for thousands of years. Come on, it’s all like this! !
The final result is often an invasion by foreign enemies. Unless your own interests are harmed and your family is threatened, you will not stand up and resist even if you are bullied to the extreme.

Otherwise, there would not have been the traitor Fan Wencheng's famous words to Dorgon.

"National..." Wu Shiwu muttered what Hu Junding had just said, especially the word "national" in it, which deeply touched Wu Shiwu's sensitive nerves, "My lord, you don't know Does Liujiapu still need to immigrate?" Wu Shiwu had already made a decision in his heart, and then asked Hu Junding with clasped fists, his attitude was very sincere, and he even used the honorific title "Sir". It can be seen that Wu Shiwu was just because of what Hu Junding said words, how deeply it was touched.

It is no exaggeration to say that what Wu Shiwu just said completely broke Wu Shiwu's imagination about the country and the bureaucracy for more than many years...

In his eyes, all the officials in the world should be as greedy as the Manchus, and they should be ignorant to the people.

But officials like Hu Junding and Liujiabao's immigration methods were indeed far beyond Wu Shiwu's imagination.

"Need, need..." When Hu Junding heard this, his face immediately burst into laughter. After all, he was a free immigrant, and he always accepted all comers. "I wonder how many of you there are?" Hu Junding asked Wu Shiwu again. asked.

"I am the only one for now, but when I go back, I will try my best to promote your side." Wu Shiwu shook his head and replied to Hu Junding, "I forgot to tell you, sir, that I am from the dock." Wu Shiwu added to Hu Junding again road.

"Uh..." After hearing this, Hu Junding was stunned at first, and then he was happy, "Okay, I'll wait for the good news from Mr. Wu." Hu Junding agreed to Wu Shiwu in a happy mood.

Wu Shiwu nodded after hearing this.

Under Wu Shiwu's arrangement, two-thirds of the dock workers agreed to immigrate to America, and the remaining one-third were still hesitant.

In the port of Macau, a large number of immigrants from inland and coastal areas are waiting in the port, ready to board the ship at any time.

Five days later, more than 40 of the first batch of immigration ships set sail from Macau Port, carrying [-] new immigrants, heading towards the nearest transit point, Japan...

(End of this chapter)