Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 229 Differential Treatment
Si Jiu Ba took the gluttonous Wu Yue shopping together.

Luoyang City has fixed supermarkets and stores because there are so many shoppers there, and the large customer flow is enough to sustain super-large stores.

There is a three-story Shannong Supermarket in the city. The supermarket has all kinds of goods, and the things that are usually mentioned in the newspaper are first sold here.

The Shannong Supermarket was run by Han and Hu people, and Beijiwu did not delegate all matters to the public.

For projects that require profitability and regular turnover, it is most suitable to entrust them to outside businessmen.

The two, one big and one small, joined the large crowd to queue up and go inside. Si Jiuba held Wu Yue's hand, just like taking his own daughter shopping.

The supermarket sells wedding jewelry, as well as rice, flour, cooking oil, and various condiments for ordinary people, and canned goods made in glass jars.

In this era, most people buy canned food for the glass jar.

498 has been using the thermos for several years, so there's no need to buy new canning jars.

Clothing section, toy section, food section... Wu Yue would unconsciously walk slowly in certain areas.

Si Jiuba was very frugal when he was a child. Although his younger siblings grew up smoothly, they couldn't resist Wu Yue's childish behavior and were unintentionally influenced by her, buying toys such as bamboo horses, tiger pillows, and rattles.

I also bought a basket of food, and two or three pounds of various fruits, including two pineapples and two pomelos.

Having spent a considerable amount of money, Si Jiuba looked at the cheerful Wu Yue beside him and couldn't help but smile helplessly.

Winter came early this year, and Luoyang began preparing for the New Year even before the twelfth lunar month.

There were no disasters or troubles, and more than half the people in the city were their own.

There are many trivial matters, and many families worry about work and household registration.

The middle of the year also saw a severe drought, as many people stopped farming and naturally stopped relying on the weather for their livelihood.

So what if there's a disaster? Everyone, especially the people of Luoyang, has long since stopped caring.

Peace and prosperity, a golden age.

Emperor Beijiwu of the mountain farmers basically stopped managing affairs after autumn, immersing himself in his own interests and entertainment all day long.

Non-mountain farmers everywhere are building houses for Arctic warriors, and hereditary lords everywhere are quarrying and mining sand to provide raw materials.

As soon as Si Jiu Ba and Wu Yue got off the rickshaw, they saw a horse-drawn carriage parked at the door.

As Si Jiuba was settling his bill with the driver, wondering whose rickshaw it was, he saw the woman standing at the door walk over.

"498, long time no see."

The speaker was a woman in her late twenties, with a hairstyle reminiscent of an auntie's, and her hair was styled in a circle around her forehead and cheeks, indicating that she had dressed up carefully.

Upon seeing the woman, Si Jiuba quickly remembered something and exclaimed happily, "You are Dou Yumen?"

"Call me Sister Yumen!" Dou Yumen commanded with a smile.

Si Jiuba said happily, "Come inside quickly, did you come by yourself?"

Dou Yumen explained, "Now that Miss and I have entered the Chen family of Jiangnan, this time it is the Chen family patriarch's trip to the capital. Our Miss is now the Chen family's wife, and I am the dowry attendant."

The Wang family returned to Luoyang, but they were no longer considered part of the Wang family.

The Wang family's daughter is now the Chen family's wife, and the former Wang family members are now scattered in different directions, each with their own homes.

After Si Jiuba and Dou Yumen entered the room, they saw a gentle and intellectual young lady stand up and look at them with a gentle smile on her face.

Beside the woman were a son and a daughter, both of whom looked to be two or three years old.

Wu Yue didn't get involved in other people's affairs; she carried her toys and food into the house by herself.

"I'll put the things inside!" Wu Yue quickly became a good child.

Si Jiuba hurriedly said, "Don't take it inside! We just have guests, so bring it here and put it on the table."

Wu Yue immediately pouted, looking unwilling.

Sijiuba comforted him, saying, "Don't be naughty, I'll buy you another one tomorrow."

Wu Yue reluctantly placed the fruit she was going to put back in her room on the table, then took her toys and went back to her room first.

You shouldn't let unfamiliar children play with your toys.

Wu Yue didn't treat the unfamiliar children as her own people at all.

After Wu Yue went inside, Wang Mingyu said softly, "Is this the princess?"

Si Jiu Ba nodded, then gave a helpless smile.

“Just treat her like an ordinary child. Sit down and let’s talk. I saw Sister Tong last year. She married a commander and said she hadn’t seen you for many years. She left a letter for me to give to you. Let’s go inside.”

Si Jiuba said to Tian Gubo and Fang Wen, who were sitting to the side, "Could you two please watch the shop? This is a friend I used to know. It's been a long time."

The two women smiled and nodded, "Please go ahead, shopkeeper. We're just here to help out and look after the shop; it's our job."

The job of selling newspapers was very easy for the two of them. It was neither tiring nor stressful. They could talk whenever they wanted and go out for walks whenever they wanted, catching up with old palace maids they knew.

Because of the palace's several downsizings, Luoyang City had no shortage of palace maids who had worked there.

Staying in Luoyang is much more comfortable than going back to my hometown.

If one could have a government job, that would be a dream come true.

They don't worry about daily necessities, nor are they bothered by social obligations. They have no worries about family matters and are full of hope for the future.

People from mountainous areas are different from ordinary people in terms of their mental outlook.

There is light and hope in their eyes!

Wang Mingyu could clearly sense the difference between the two groups of people. After following Si Jiuba into the house and sitting down, she politely and reservedly pulled on her naughty son's shoulder.

Si Jiuba sat down and placed the bananas and strawberries he had bought on a plate. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "This is my first time buying pineapple and this pomelo. I don't know how to eat them."

"I asked the salesperson when I bought it, and they said this pineapple tastes better when soaked in salt water. Why is that so strange?"

Dou Yumen said, "I've never seen this pineapple before. Is it a fruit from a foreign land?"

Wang Mingyu, who was standing next to her, said softly, "It must be fruit from Lingnan and Annam. Now only there is a railway, and the one or two thousand kilometers can be reached in three or four days, so the fruit won't spoil."

"I heard that trains are running faster and faster now, several kilometers per hour faster than they were six months ago, just like Luoyang. It must be getting better and better."

Si Jiuba placed the fruit platter on the table and said to the two children, "Are these your daughter and son? They're so pretty! Come on, have some strawberries." Wang Mingyu forced a smile and said, "They are my son and daughter. My husband is serving as the Imperial Inspector in Jiangnan, and he's here in the capital to report on his work."

Others couldn't see through her thoughts and forgot that this woman initially wanted to enter the palace, but King Wu didn't think much of her and didn't try to keep her.

Now that she's married into a remote place in Jiangnan, she's cut off from news from the capital, and even railway and shipping aren't available there.

After the advent of railways, the advantages of the canal transport system in the Jiangnan region were significantly diminished.

Businesses along the southeast coast have concentrated in the Jiaodong Peninsula, and some trade has also been concentrated in the Yangzhou area.

As the old stronghold of the remnants of the Wen Dynasty, the Jiangnan region has never been developed by the imperial court since the unification of the country in 6 AD until now in 10 AD.

Coastal areas offer no advantages; it's impossible to find anyone to do business with.

There were no humans to be found to the east, and to the west, due to the large-scale development of the Lingnan region, business was dominated by Han Chinese and non-Han Chinese from the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

The imperial court's wealth did not flow into the southeast region at all; all kinds of fiscal expenditures and major projects went to the north and west.

Arctic Martial's focus has always been on Eurasia. The Jiangnan region has already been developed, so it doesn't care much about it and has been busy with the development of the western and Guangdong-Guangxi regions.

Currently, neither the four palaces of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, nor the four cities of east, west, south, and north, have the Jiangnan region. The empire's population and policies do not support this area.

Without the railway, the Jiangnan region would undoubtedly have become an economic center.

However, industrial areas are concentrated in the north, and advantageous commodities are also located in the north.

Without the support of a large volume of goods, the silk and porcelain products of Jiangnan alone could no longer keep up with the times.

In recent years, funds from the Jiangnan region have been rapidly flowing into the northern and southwestern regions to purchase various luxury goods and daily necessities.

Grain, tea, salt, and iron—once profitable commodities—have lost their competitiveness in the north and west.

Small-scale farming cannot compete with industrial machinery, and even embroiderers who do not work cannot compete with weaving machines.

The high-end market couldn't sustain the spending of hundreds of thousands of textile workers, and the low-end market had long been swept away by cheap industrial fabrics.

In terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, mountain farmers keep the price of grain at an extremely low level. They have no problem consuming it themselves, but if they try to sell it, they will find that they can forget about making a profit.

Housing hasn't changed much; people don't even think about renovating their houses when they're broke.

People still travel by horse-drawn carriage; rickshaws are rare.

Even the carriages were purchased from the north, as everyone knows that northern carriages are more durable and cheaper.

From handicrafts to textiles, Beijiwu never intended to target anyone, but the Jiangnan region did indeed suffer severely in the face of industrialization.

“This time,” Wang Mingyu sighed again, “this time I came to ask someone to pull some strings. My master and the scholars from Jiangnan all want to serve the Emperor and hope to set up a raw yarn weaving factory.”

“There are many people in Jiangnan, the wages are not expensive, and the scenery is beautiful. Whether it is building an ironworks or a palace, there are people and places available.”

When Si Jiuba heard about this, he quickly shook his head and said, "I can't help with this. Don't even think about asking Wu Yue for help. She made a mistake recently and was just reprimanded by the Emperor."

Wu Yue sat to one side, eating strawberries with her head down, and fighting with the two children for food.

"Don't even think about asking me for help, I'm not helping." Wu Yue said decisively while eating, refusing such an unfortunate offer.

Si Jiuba also advised, "Never ask the Emperor's family to help with this kind of thing, or you will all be in trouble. The Emperor has warned us many times not to interfere in his family affairs, or people will really die, and many people will die."

Wang Mingyu nodded and said with emotion, "I know, I just felt like saying this and came to catch up. You're doing well now, I really envy that you don't have to get married."

Si Jiuba smiled, looking rather embarrassed.

Her expression made Wang Mingyu feel even worse.

***
Prime Minister Li Chengren quickly stood up, his expression solemn.

"You should leave. His Majesty could unleash a massacre at any moment. If you insist on using personal connections, especially trying to persuade His Majesty through intermediaries, you will only die together."

Chen Ang asked loudly, "What about the tens of millions of people in Jiangnan? Jiangnan also needs railways and factories!"

Li Chengren was aware of the difficulties faced by those people in Jiangnan, and hesitated for a moment.

"You should go to the Wan family to discuss this matter. Under no circumstances should you go to the women in the harem or the Emperor's family and friends in Luoyang, or everyone on that line will die."

Chen Ang, who was not yet thirty, looked at Li Chengren.

"Your Excellency is the Prime Minister! I am following the proper reporting procedure. Now that His Majesty is not involved in affairs, aren't all matters in Luoyang decided by you, Prime Minister?"

Li Chengren didn't want to waste words. "I can't manage industrial matters. That's the business of the governors of Shanong Province, Pingyuan Province, and Huanghuai Province, and the people of Shanong. Now, Jiangnan can keep its own taxes and eat its own food. Why bother making a fuss?"

"In the end, isn't it all because you merchants and officials want to get rich?"

Chen Ang retorted angrily, "Is this the kind of thing a prime minister should say? Your Excellency is prime minister, but isn't he a prime minister of the people of Jiangnan?"

Li Chengren coldly replied, "The emperor is not the emperor of the Han people, nor the emperor of the mountain farmers; he is the emperor of all under heaven! Now, for the sake of stability, we must control many territories in the west. It is best if the south remains peaceful and stable!"

Chen Ang shouted, "We just want to do business peacefully and run our factories peacefully. Isn't that peaceful? Mountain farmers pay taxes, and Han people can pay taxes too! We can even pay more taxes than the mountain farmers. We just beg His Majesty to give us a way to survive!"

The people of the entire Jiangnan region want to be treated fairly!

Whether it's beautiful women or money, as long as the emperor is willing to ask, the people of Jiangnan will definitely give it to him, treating King Wu's words as an imperial edict.

However, King Wu never gave the people of Jiangnan a chance.

I want to kneel, but I can't.

Li Chengren said directly: "Now the factories are all in Shanxi Province. Each factory has tens of thousands of people supervising each other. They are all large collectives with tens of thousands of households and hundreds of thousands of people."

"I ask you, if we hand over the factories and technology to people from Jiangnan, what if these technologies end up in the hands of foreigners overseas?"

"Can people from Jiangnan guarantee that the mountain farmers' technology won't be controlled by outsiders?"

Chen Ang immediately replied, "Yes!!"

Officials are the least likely to trust verbal promises.

Especially when it comes to things that could kill your whole family, only a fool would believe that.

Li Chengren laughed in anger, "Get out!"

Chen Ang was overjoyed, and his face showed emotion as he asked, "My lord... what about this matter?"

"No chance! Get out!" Li Chengren immediately called to his servants, "Guards! Throw this man out! Don't let him come back again!"

(End of this chapter)