Chapter 1129 Everyone Loves to Learn Mandarin (Third update, please subscribe)

Japan is happy under the rule of the empire!

This is something that no one can deny.

Before the Empire's rule, ordinary people could not even get enough to eat brown rice, let alone white rice. But after the Empire's rule, ordinary Japanese citizens could eat white rice to their heart's content for the first time.

There is no other reason. Cheap "Nanyang rice" continued to pour into Japan along with the empire's merchant ships. The so-called "Nanyang rice" is not only Siamese rice and Vietnamese rice, but also rice from the South Pacific colonies. Although Nanyang rice is indica rice and not the japonica rice that the Japanese like to eat, these days, the most important thing is to fill your stomach first!

In the eyes of ordinary people, this is happiness, but in the eyes of landowners who own large tracts of land, things are completely different.

Why are they completely different?

Under the impact of Nanyang rice, rice prices have plummeted!

If the price doesn’t drop, it won’t be sold at all!

In order to protect their own interests, Japanese landlords raised the rent one after another, and the peasants' lives naturally became more and more difficult. As a result, a large number of overwhelmed tenant farmers rushed into the cities with their families. What did they do in the cities?

Some people took their families to Africa or the Pacific colonies, while others sent their daughters to maid schools, where they learned to clean, bathe their masters, cook, and do housework, etc., in order to prepare themselves to be a qualified wife of the Ming Dynasty. Then they went to Africa to earn money in the distant African colonies.

As a Japanese with a surname, Honjo Shigeru is the eldest son of Honjo Tsuneemon. Although his father's name contains "Uemon", he is actually a farmer.

Still a tenant farmer.

That is, the kind without land.

In recent years, as rice prices have plummeted, his father went to the African colony of Honjo Jōemon two years ago, and since then Honjo Shigeru has lived with his mother in Edo.

In Honjo Shigeru's memory, this world is very cruel.

The landlords who looked kind but were actually evil, the grain merchants who sucked the blood out of people, the arrogant lackeys, and even in the end, in order to leave the countryside, my father had to sell my sister to a brothel to repay the high-interest loan owed to the landlord.

This is a world without hope, always dead and dull.

It was not until two years ago that he moved to the city with his father, sister and brother that their lives began to change.

"I'm going to Zambia, Fan. You're the eldest son, so you have to take good care of your mother and your brothers and sisters in the future!"

He was only four years old at that time, what did he know?

But he knew that his father was leaving and left 50 yuan - that was an advance payment for settling in. It was with that money that the family was able to rent a small house and settle down in Edo.

Now my mother works in a spinning mill and earns 5 yuan a month. Together with the money my father sends us, it is enough to cover the expenses of our family.

The six-year-old Honjo Shigeru has started the first grade of elementary school. In school, he learned that he must be loyal to the Emperor of the Ming Empire and that they are all good citizens of the empire.

In fact, like many country people, it was only when he arrived in the city that he realized that Japan had long ceased to exist. Now Japan is called Dongying, the Dongying Protectorate of the Ming Empire. The Ming Emperor is their emperor, and they must be loyal to His Majesty.

However, like all farmers, they had no sense of identity with Japan at all. If they had to say they had one, it would definitely be with their own domain. After all, the Japanese of that era had no sense of national identity at all.

In fact, two years ago, Honjo Shigeru knew that he was a good citizen of the empire.

Two years ago, when he first came to the city, Honjo Shigeru, clinging to his father's thigh, met several strangers he had never seen before at the train station.

At that time, he carefully held his father's thigh and looked out longingly.

You can tell at a glance that those people are foreigners, completely different from the Japanese.

These foreigners, called "Imperial Soldiers", wore neat and decent military uniforms and brown leather boots that made a "clicking" sound when they walked.

Who are they?

Honjo Shigeru didn't know clearly, but each of them was very tall and strong, at least a head taller than the people around them. Compared with them, his tall father looked like a child.

It was because of the surprise at the height of the imperial soldiers that the people around them kept bowing when they saw them walking by.

"You have to bow when you see an imperial soldier. They are samurai!"

Curious, Honjo Shigeru hid behind his father and poked his head out, hoping to see more clearly.

This move changed his life.

As his father was bowing to the samurai, an imperial soldier saw him, suddenly waved at him, and shouted in a language he could not understand. Honjo Shigeru was terrified at the time.

Even his mother tried desperately to protect him.

But it didn't work.

Faced with the greetings from the imperial soldiers, or samurai masters, although his father was nervous, he still brought him to those tall samurai masters.

At that moment, he even heard his mother sobbing. Why was his mother crying?

Honjo Shigeru thought of the story told by the old people in the village - the samurai master would use humans to test his swords!

However, the horrible thing that was imagined did not happen. The samurai master just smiled and handed over a little finger-sized object wrapped in white paper.

There is a rabbit printed on the paper.

"Here's some candy, kid."

Honjo Shigeru didn't understand what the imperial soldier said, but it didn't matter. The friendly imperial soldier peeled off the paper and put a white thing into his mouth.

When the white candy was put into the mouth, at that moment, it no longer mattered what it was.

"Big White Rabbit"

From that day on, these three words took root in Honjo Shigeru's heart.

The unprecedented sweetness made him smile, and all the fear and terror in his heart disappeared.

"Are there any more? Master!"

Honjo Shigeru raised his head and looked at the tall samurai master expectantly. He then turned to look at his younger brothers and sisters, and his mother who was nervous and had tears in her eyes.

"Haha, you really know how to care for your brothers and sisters. Not bad. I still have a few left. I'll give them all to you."

When another samurai master stuffed five or six candies into his hands, looking at the sun and moon flags hanging high on the samurai master's shoulders and in the square, he just hoped that this flag would hang forever.

In school, Honjo Shigeru has always been studying Chinese very seriously. The reason why he studies Chinese is very simple, not just to become a citizen of the Empire.

And for...

"Hey, Brother Zheng, why aren't you doing business today? My sister will be off work soon..."

From a distance, as soon as he saw the tall figure, Honjo Shigeru went over to greet him, his tone full of joy. Brother Zheng was not an imperial soldier. He was just an ordinary Chinese, doing the most ordinary small business - selling pancakes.

But he is Chinese!

The Chinese are not superior here, but their status is definitely higher than that of the Japanese. Even the police and tax collectors in the market are polite when dealing with them.

If a neighbor loses something, they can ask them to deal with the police, and the police will definitely pay attention to it. If it is an ordinary Japanese, the police will not care about things like losing a wallet. But Chinese people are different. They will definitely take it seriously if they lose something.

It was for this reason that Honjo Shigeru set his sights on him - if his second sister married him, no one would dare to bully their family anymore.

"Haha, Xiao Fan, your Chinese is getting better and better. You should teach your sister."

"Brother Zheng, it would be best if you were to teach my sister. She loves learning Chinese with you the most. She says every day that she is happiest when she is with you."

"Xiaofan!"

At this moment, a shout came from behind, and Honjo Shigeru shouted to Brother Zheng.

"Brother Zheng, I'm going out to play. You can talk to my sister slowly."

Honjo Shigeru said as he ran.

"Sister, my mother's factory is working overtime today, you and Brother Zheng can learn Chinese slowly..."

I have set up a book club: 335260551. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.

(End of this chapter)