The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 854: There is no such thing as heaven! It’s already 997!
The morning in Tianjin was filled with the aroma of pancakes and fried fruits. Luo Yaoguo wore a half-worn blue cloth gown, Ma Baocai wore a short jacket with a front opening, Wang Yan dressed as an accountant, Nanmu Gaozi lowered his bamboo hat, and followed the three plainclothes guards from the Prime Minister's Office.

The Quanyechang Street in the city center was already bustling with traffic: four-wheeled carriages inlaid with copper work clanged by, and merchants wearing gold-rimmed glasses appeared through the gaps in the curtains; more than a dozen human-powered carts creaked over the cobblestone road, the drivers' backs bent like arches, beads of sweat hitting the reflective bluestone; rickshaw drivers squatted on the street corners, slurping their saliva from coarse porcelain bowls, their eyes staring at passers-by like hooks.

"It's only been a dozen years." Luo Yaoguo looked at the red brick buildings rising from the ground on the street and the workers climbing up the scaffolding like ants. "Zuo Jigao's strategy of 'revitalizing the province through industry and commerce' has transformed Tianjin."

Wang Yan quickly responded, "Nowadays, there are more than 7 spinning mills in Tianjin alone, with no less than workers. Even the cloth bags of America's 'Medium California' are shipped from here..." Before he finished speaking, Ma Baocai interrupted with a sneer, "Thir hundred thousand of them are just poor coolies!" He pointed to the wooden sign of the new factory across the street - "Tianjin Machine Weaving Factory recruits skilled workers, monthly salary yuan, two meals included" - under the sign squatted a half-grown child eating a steamed bun, about thirteen or fourteen years old, his patched trouser legs were an inch short, revealing his black and dirty ankles.

Luo Yaoguo said nothing, and turned into a narrow street. On the gray wall were written the words "Helper Market" and a notice with the seal of the Hebei Provincial Governor glaring red: "Tianjin Regulations for Domestic Workers" 6. Freedom of contract, no coercion; . Protection of laborers, no abuse; . Ten-hour work system; . One day off per week; . Minimum monthly wage of yuan; . Monthly wages must be paid before the end of the month.

"The salary is a bit low," Luo Yaoguo pointed at the words "6 yuan," "but the rest is quite good."

Wang Yan immediately said: "The rules set by Marshal Zuo have been used by the four provinces of Shanhe for sixteen years!"

Ma Baocai sneered: "Only the salary figure is real! The rest is just a decoration to fool people!"

Wang Yan glared at this junior brother who was always telling the truth: "How can a document with the general manager's seal be fake?"

As they were arguing, a short and fat man suddenly appeared in the market. His round belly was wrapped in a silk gown, and he spoke in Tianjin dialect like fried beans: "Gentlemen, my surname is Guo, and I'm the manager of this place! You all look like wealthy people - are you hiring a clerk or an accountant?" His cuffs were shiny, and there was chalk dust embedded in the cracks between his fingernails.

Luo Yaoguo pointed at the notice and said, "Manager Guo, does what's written on it count?"

Fatty Guo slapped his thigh and said, "Ouch!" He held up two carrot-like fingers and said, "There are only two things: the first one is the freedom of contract. Now all the workers can read, so it's not easy to fool them! The second one is the minimum of six dollars - I dare not go any less!"

“What about the working hours?”

"Six hours!" Manager Guo pinched his thumb and pinky finger to indicate, "Twelve hours!"

"Sunday off?"

"What week? We don't believe that," Fatty Guo said as if he had heard a joke. "If we add one dollar a month, the workers will want to work seven days a week! Twelve hours a day!"

Luo Yaoguo's heart sank: "997... That's cruel."

Wang Yan quickly asked, "Is it always like this?"

"It depends on the person!" Manager Guo waved his hands. "Workers in factories and those working behind the counter in shops earn this much, while those running errands and delivering goods earn piecework - it all depends on your own hard work!"

Before he finished speaking, a young man in rough work clothes came running over with a large cloth bag on his back: "Master Guo, your goods have arrived!" Luo Yaoguo stared at the young man's sweaty face - high cheekbones, thin lips, he looked a bit like himself back then.
As soon as Luo Yaoguo and his companions stepped into the market, the sound of voices mixed with the smell of sweat hit them. Hundreds of young people craned their necks, their eyes dancing as the chalk words on the blackboard appeared - they were obviously able to read, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's compulsory education seemed to be implemented. Luo Yaoguo also looked up at the words on the blackboard:
"Hengyuan Spinning Mill is hiring block workers: monthly salary 6 yuan, overtime pay 1 yuan, food and accommodation included, six hours a day."

"Dagu Wharf recruits porters: basic salary 12 yuan, can carry kilograms of grain bags, plus copper coins for each bag"

"Kaiping Mining Bureau recruits diggers: basic salary 18 yuan, 1 yuan bonus for mining three tons of coal, death and injury are left to fate, the mine will only pay 1000 yuan."

Ma Baocai grabbed a tall and thin guy and said, "Brother, where are you from?"

"From Yanzhou Prefecture!" The Shandong accent was hard and harsh, like eating a raw radish.

"Ever been to school?"

"You went to primary school for five years! You can recognize all the characters and do accounting well!" The young man puffed out his chest, and a tear appeared under his ribs on his patched jacket.

Luo Yaoguo interrupted: "Why did you come to Tianjin?"

"Farming? You won't be able to save any money even if you don't starve to death!" The young man spat, "Besides, my brother sold the land when he got married! If I don't go out and make a living, will I just become a tenant for my employer?"

"How many acres of land does your family rent?"

"Five mu of thin land, 30% rent! In good years we eat taro, in bad years we eat tree bark!" He suddenly grinned, "Guess what my father said when the wheat was harvested last year? 'My son, the wheat ears in the field are as golden as your mother's hairpin' - but the hairpin was already exchanged for grain seeds for the meritorious master!" "Have you ever thought about going to the New World? I heard that there are land distribution there."

The young man's eyes suddenly lit up: "I want to! I dream about it! But the boat ticket costs fifty dollars." He clenched his fists, "I have to carry heavy bags at the dock for half a year to save enough money for the fare!"

Suddenly, there was a commotion in front of the blackboard. Under the recruitment column of the spinning mill, the foreman in a silk shirt beat the gong and shouted: "The last ten positions for Hengyuan! Priority for those who can read!" The crowd rushed in. A young man with glasses had his shoes squeezed off and lay on the ground and screamed: "I went to middle school! I can use an abacus!" The foreman grabbed a man who looked like a black tower and said: "It's you! Your body is as strong as two scholars!" The young man with glasses was squeezed to the ground and looked helplessly at the few remaining jobs on the blackboard.

When Luo Yaoguo went to look for Manager Guo again, he was scolding him with the account book in his hand: "Wang Ermaizi! Jieyue, you stuffed 80 people into Lifeng Spinning Mill, how come you only get these few commissions back? How much did you embezzle?" The man with a sharp face stamped his feet anxiously: "God, I beg your mercy! Today's workers are very smart, they read out every item in the contract! The kid from Lizhuang who was stuffed into the factory last week started shouting that 'the ten-hour work system is a decoration' after working for three days, and brought half of the people in the workshop to make trouble, so they were all fired. I had no choice but to help recruit more people. Because half of the workers have not worked for three months, as usual, I have to help Lifeng Factory recruit them again for free."

Fatty Guo turned around and saw Luo Yaoguo, and immediately smiled: "Look! Now Libaer is more powerful than the boss!" He led everyone into the accounting office, and the purple clay teapot was bubbling with steam. "What was the situation like ten years ago? The workers would put their fingerprints on the contracts as soon as they saw them! Now it's different - they are almost smart!"

The curtain of the accounting office was suddenly opened, and a woman in Xiangyun gauze came in: "Master Guo, our spinning mill is short of fifty female workers!"

"Shopkeeper Chen, do you understand the rules?" Fatty Guo narrowed his eyes and rubbed his fingers.

The woman slapped out her purse and said, "The referral fee is the same as before! But there is one condition. You have to be able to work overtime! No less than six hours a day! No rest on Sundays either."

"Okay! A new batch of girls from Shanxi have come to Tianjin. They will be picked up tonight!" Fatty Guo weighed his money bag and gave Luo Yaoguo a bitter smile, "Did you see? Black and white words are useless! The boss wants animals that can be used to death!"

At Dagukou Wharf, Luo Yaoguo stood on the deck of the Flying Fish ironclad warship, holding the cold iron railings with both hands. This new warship had just completed sea trials and was now a member of the Beiyang Fleet. The barrels of its eight 8mm rapid-fire guns were raised high and pointed at the air.

Wang Yan and Ma Baocai stood behind him, silently looking at the scene at the freight terminal not far away. The thousands-ton bulk carrier "Bohai" was docked at the berth, and dozens of dock workers lined up in a long line, stepping on the trembling gangplank, carrying bags of heavy goods onto the cabin. Their backs were bent into an arch, and sweat soaked their coarse cloth jackets. With every step they took, the gangplank made a "creaking" sound under the heavy load.

Ma Baocai stared at an extremely thin figure - a half-grown child who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, but on his shoulders was a sack that was bigger than his body. His legs were obviously shaking, but he still gritted his teeth and moved forward step by step.

"Teacher..." Ma Baocai finally couldn't help but stepped forward and whispered, "Labor issues, land annexation... For these matters, should we..."

Luo Yaoguo raised his hand and interrupted him. His eyes were still fixed on the workers, but his voice was surprisingly calm:
"Bao Cai, you know what? It turns out to be worse... ten times worse."

Ma Baocai was stunned: "What?"

Luo Yaoguo pointed to the workers in the distance and said, "If it weren't for us, half of them wouldn't even exist now, and the rest would be illiterate."

He turned around, his eyes not only without anger, but with some relief: "Now they have contracts, can read, and dare to bargain - this is progress."

Wang Yan quickly agreed: "Yes! Although the rules set by Marshal Zuo are not strictly enforced, at least the workers know what is 'supposed'!"

Ma Baocai opened his mouth and was about to say something, but saw Luo Yaoguo raised his hand and pointed at the chimney of the "Bohai" freighter - there was a striking line of English painted on it: "California Steamship Company".

"See?" Luo Yaoguo whispered, "These goods are sold to America. If there were no external markets and no New World to absorb immigrants, the conflicts inside the country would have exploded long ago."

The sea breeze suddenly became fierce, blowing away the second half of Luo Yaoguo's words. But Ma Baocai felt very disappointed...

The whistle blew long, and the propeller of the Flying Fish began to stir the seawater. The sailors on the bridge shouted slogans, raised the anchor and set sail. Luo Yaoguo still stood at the front of the deck, looking at the Tianjin Port gradually receding.

The lights at the port lit up one after another, like a falling galaxy. The chimneys of the spinning mills were still spewing black smoke, and a new group of workers began loading goods at the docks. Further away, the shanties of the slums were densely packed together, while the western-style buildings or gardens where meritorious citizens and factory owners lived were now brightly lit - the light emitted by bamboo filament lamps lit by alternating current generated by steam engines.

The steam engines, generators, transmission lines and lights were all made by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!

Ma Baocai walked to Luo Yaoguo and whispered, "Teacher, the land annexation issue..."

Luo Yaoguo suddenly laughed: "Do you think I don't know? The 120,000 meritorious people occupy the best land, pay the lightest taxes, and must have occupied a lot of public land." He patted Ma Baocai on the shoulder, "But if the water is too clear, there will be no fish, and if the person is too careful, there will be no followers. You should learn this from your senior brother."

Wang Yan came over and handed over a telegram: "Teacher, the British new ironclad warship has been finalized, with a standard displacement of 10000 tons, a speed of 20 knots, and a main gun caliber..."

Luo Yaoguo did not answer the telegram, but just looked at the setting sun gradually disappearing at the junction of the sea and the sky: "Okay! It's time to make dumplings!"
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(End of this chapter)