Even war cannot stop people from yearning for a better life.
At least for the people of the Tang Dynasty, war would not stop them from yearning for a better life - in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, hundreds of immigrant ships of various tonnages were still transporting large numbers of immigrants to America and Africa.
Not only did the war not have much impact on immigration, but the progress of the war even further increased the demand for immigrants everywhere, both at the front and in the rear.
On this day, which was winter in the southern hemisphere, a young man from Shaanxi named Ou Sikangjie, who was less than 20 years old, came to the port of Guayaquil wearing a dark blue twill work suit and a peaked cap.
It usually takes only one month to sail from Haizhou to Guayaquil Port, but it took Si Kangjie half a year to travel this distance. When he left his hometown in Shaanxi, he had to travel for half a month to reach Xi'an, and then took a train to Haizhou. When he arrived in Haizhou, he was already a homeless man suffering from hunger and cold and poverty.
Haizhou was originally the final destination for his livelihood. If he had stayed there, he might have had to live by begging or working as a laborer at the dock. In the end, he might have died in poverty and illness like many others.
That is the end of many people's lives.
However, he was lucky. When he arrived in Haizhou, he met an Ecuadorian labor company that came to recruit workers at the port. After hearing that the salary was 20 yuan a month, Si Kangjie got on the ship directly.
20 dollars!
Not to mention hard labor, even if it meant risking one's life, it was worth it. They couldn't earn that much money in the lobby even if they worked their asses off in half a year.
After sailing on the sea for a month, Si Kangjie finally arrived in this strange country.
As the dawn broke in the east, Si Kangjie impatiently squeezed onto the deck with the immigrants in the same cabin. Like everyone else, he fixed his eyes on the city. It was not only a strange city but also a strange country.
He was wearing a somewhat worn straw hat on his head, a gray short coat, and holding a small rattan box in his hands - this was given to them by the labor company. Like the dark blue twill work clothes he was wearing, these were all issued by the labor company. Of course, this required payment.
When he came ashore, there were already quite a few people gathered on the shore, and there were dozens of cars on the dock.
He had never seen a horseless passenger coach before. He had seen that kind of rickshaw when he was in Haizhou.
Soon, they will board those buses and go to the labor service company, where they will receive a month of training and then be sent to various factories and enterprises.
The vast majority of immigrants were like Si Kangjie, thin and strong. Most of them had shaved heads. Since the fall of the Qing Dynasty, no one had to wear braids anymore. However, when boarding the ship, everyone had to shave their heads to prevent parasites.
Just like that, a group of new workers stepped down the gangway and walked off the ship. Everyone was full of expectations for their future life. After all, the Ming Dynasty... was a place full of gold and opportunities.
Ecuador is not the Ming Dynasty?
It doesn’t matter, this is America!
“Do you know why America is called America?”
When getting off the boat, Si Kangjie asked the people around him in a serious tone.
"Why?"
"The place is beautiful, and the people are beautiful too! I heard that when it's hot, the women here wear revealing clothes that can expose most of their bodies..."
The men spoke obscene words. This kind of thing was simply normal. They were even looking forward to it. After all, in the Tang Dynasty, there were more men than women, and many poor people could not find wives and had to remain bachelors their entire lives.
Wearing the work clothes issued by the company, Si Kangjie carried a rattan box and got off the boat with other people, and then got on the car.
As the car drove out of the dock, Si Kangjie couldn't help fantasizing as he looked out the window at the passers-by.
"Is it true that, as the sailors say, I can find a wife here?"
Si Kangjie doesn't have much imagination about the future. The only thing he imagines is probably a wife, children and a warm bed. In fact, this is probably the dream of most people.
In fact, this is what most people think. After all, most people are ordinary people and do not have any lofty ambitions.
"We are content to live like this now!"
Once again, while eating breakfast, Li Lai Fu had a smile on his face as he watched his wife and children busying around.
Once upon a time, he was just a poor beggar who was hungry and cold and destitute. If he had not boarded the immigrant ship, he would have frozen to death somewhere.
But what about now?
Not only did he get a job in the copper mine, but he also had a wife and children.
Although my daughter-in-law is an indigenous person, she can still carry on the family line and have children.
He probably never dreamed that such a day would come. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Ming Dynasty is still better...
"He's big, what are you laughing at?"
As soon as the tortillas were served, the woman saw a smile on the man's face.
"What else can I laugh about? I feel relieved."
Li Lai Fu said while counting on his fingers.
"I have a wife and two children. When they grow up, I will send them to school and take the vocational school entrance exam to work as technicians in the mines. The salary of a technician is only 40 yuan a month. I only..."
When talking about salary, Li Lai Fu's face broke into a grin.
"Now that we're at war, copper prices have risen sharply, and the company has increased our wages. I got a raise of 6 yuan."
"Six dollars!"
Although the woman had been married to the man for five years, when she got excited, she spoke the local dialect because she did not speak Mandarin fluently. Seeing the man's confused look, she took a deep breath and said.
"I am older than them and can only earn 50 or 60 yuan from farming for a year. This is because, because I have land..."
Yes, this is because they have land thanks to land reform, and they were so poor as tenant farmers that they couldn’t even afford to wear pants…
"That's different. We are workers."
Li Laifu said with great pride. As a worker, he was used to the high wages in the mines. It was precisely because of their high incomes that they became popular in the eyes of women.
"Well, my sister is fifteen years old this year. Do you have a suitable match in your mine?"
Why would the woman think so? Because workers have high incomes. If my sister could marry a worker in the mine, she would definitely be able to live a good life, just like her, living in a bright house and only having to do housework every day.
Looking at the woman's expectant eyes, Li Lai Fu hesitated.
"I'm afraid this is difficult to handle. There are few unmarried people in the mine. Otherwise..."
After thinking about it, Li Lai Fu said.
"How about I go back and ask when there are new people coming. If there are any fellow countrymen from Shaanxi, I can see if I can introduce one to my younger sister. But my younger sister has to learn to speak Mandarin first. If she can't even speak Mandarin, it may not work even if I introduce one to her."
"She has been studying Chinese in a training class. You should pay more attention and make sure this is done. Don't let others get there first..."
Seeing his wife's anxious look, Li Lai Fu laughed out loud, with a kind of happiness in his smile.
"Look how anxious you are, as if you are afraid that my little sister won't be able to get married."
"If you can get married, don't you want to marry well? You want to live a good life!"
On that day, Li Lai Fu went to the Labor Department specifically to inquire. With just a cigarette, he got to see the list of newly assigned workers as he wished.
"Si Kangjie, native place is Shaanxi..."
Looking at the fellow villagers on the list, Li Lai Fu muttered to himself.
"Well, when he comes in a couple of days, we have to get to know each other first, invite him to our home for dinner twice, and let my little sister walk with him. I think this matter will be settled..."
Many times, a new life... sometimes, it begins inadvertently without the person involved even knowing it...
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