Chapter 179 Remembering Luna (Part 2)

"Seventh Brother, the day after tomorrow is a day off. Shall we go to the city?" Xuezi asked her husband anxiously as she ate her meal.

"Oh! I'll go get some wages tomorrow, and I'll buy you some clothes the day after. You already have some clothes."

"Oh!...Actually, it doesn't need to cost too much money. I just...want to go out and see the world."

Looking into Yukiko's big eyes, Akita Shichiro's stern face softened considerably. Having never had any experience dating girls, he was at a loss after leading the deer-like Yukiko into their assigned "newlywed dormitory." He didn't know how to treat Yukiko, so he simply imitated how his father treated his mother. As a result, Yukiko always held him in awe.

"What's the use of me earning so much money if I don't spend it on you? We signed long-term contracts, do you really expect us to take the money back to Japan?"

"...No, the money is in the 'Da Yuan Money Shop,' it earns interest. Also...you can send some money back to your father and older brother." Yukiko lowered her head to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, speaking softly to Akita.

"Let's eat!..." Akita Shichiro pushed the fish soup on the table toward Yukiko, stopping her from continuing.

Akita's older brother was very clever and was well-liked by their father. When the Narita family went to the countryside to recruit long-term laborers, he quickly signed up Shichiro for the job. Then, he used the "signing fee" to buy a house and get married, while Shichiro could only watch his mother leave in tears and go far away.

"Yukiko, remember this: no matter the reason, we are all abandoned. Our home is no longer Fusang, but... Daiwan. Forget your relatives. Now, in our family... there is only you... and... me!"

"Hi! Yukiko, I've got it."

The two ate their meal in silence. Their small home had only two rooms and two people, but the feeling of warmth was incredibly strong.

The Dayuan Money Exchange was opened by Qin Mo and was considered the official bank of Dayuan. It had several branches in the downtown area, and the payment of wages for workers in various important factories was also handled through the money exchange. This prevented anyone from deducting or delaying workers' wages. Qin Mo was a worker in his previous life and treated his workers very kindly.

Every large workshop had to open an account at a money exchange. Workers would collect their wages from the money exchange using a voucher issued by the workshop. If a month's wages were below the standard amount, someone would be sent to talk to the workshop owner... to discuss how much of a fine should be imposed.

"Akita Shichiro? Your wages this month are fifty copper coins. Would you like to exchange them for silver coins?" Qin Mo relied on her prestige to keep the people at the money shop respecting everyone, but she was powerless to offer the advanced treatment of "smiling service." It was already good enough that the money shop's clerks would even look at her properly.

"My monthly wage is five taels of silver... how did it become fifty... copper coins?" Akita panicked upon hearing the money shop clerk's words. He had deposited all his unspent wages with the money shop, and now the silver had suddenly been converted into copper coins. What was he going to do?

"Fifty copper coins can be exchanged for five silver coins. It looks like this. Take a look first." The money changer had obviously seen many people like Akita Shichiro these past few days, so he pointed to a cabinet with a glass window next to him, letting Akita take a look for himself.

Dozens of copper and silver coins were displayed in the cabinet, and their exquisite beauty could be appreciated even through the glass window. Akita Shichiro immediately felt reassured; these coins were not coins at all, but works of art, and he wouldn't have trouble spending them.

"I'm sorry, I really misunderstood you. I apologize for my recklessness!" Akita turned around and apologized to the other person before offering thirty copper coins and two silver coins.

"Hey! The shops in Dayuan have all been notified to accept copper and silver coins, but if you're going to play in the 'protected area,' be careful. Outsiders don't follow the rules, and swindling and cheating happen all the time." The money exchange clerk, Man Leng Xin Hun, gave him a heads-up as Akita was leaving.

"Hehe... I'm not going to the 'protected area'."

Akita Shichiro grabbed a rope around his neck and pulled out a bronze plaque with a special design on it. This plaque was a sign of a "special contract," granting him treatment similar to that of a high-ranking official, but restricting him to designated areas, such as the "protected area" outside Tamsui City.

The money exchange clerk showed no disdain upon seeing the Akita badge; instead, he offered a slightly encouraging remark: "Young man, work hard. Perhaps one of your bronze badges can be exchanged for a high-ranking official's household registration!"

Akita Shichiro bowed deeply to the money shop clerk to express his gratitude. If he could exchange his household registration for that of a high-ranking official, he would truly have made it through, and all the hardships and difficulties would have been worth it.

Since Qin Mo designated the western district of Danshui City as a commercial area, it has rapidly prospered. Although only outsiders are allowed to come and enjoy the city, and are not permitted to open shops or do business here, which wealthy man in Dayuan doesn't have relatives in the shipping industry? For a time, goods from all over the country appeared in the commercial district, offering everything imaginable.

Akita Shichiro, along with his wife Yukiko and friend Nara Kawaji, strolled through the commercial district. Each of them enjoyed a skewer of candied hawthorns, which filled their hearts with sweetness. Before coming to Taiyuan, they never dared to dream of such a life.

When Naragawa Tsutomu was choosing a job after disembarking, he made a rash decision and didn't choose the higher-paying job. He was instead hired by a private employer, so he didn't get the chance to choose a wife and remains a bachelor to this day. However, he doesn't regret it, because his employer owns several ships, and if he does well, he might have the opportunity to work as a sailor, which is the life Naragawa Tsutomu longs for.

The commercial district was bustling with people and very lively, but very few unpleasant things happened. This was because the local police station was very dedicated. As soon as the police caught a thief, they would immediately use vigilante justice to teach them a lesson before notifying their owners to come and take them away.

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