Chapter 240 Japanese Maid (First update, please subscribe)
The accident that occurred in Vienna was just a small episode in 1866 and was not worth mentioning. Even Zhu Xianhai himself just responded lightly.
knew.
That's all, there will be no record of this.
It was just an accident.
In January 1866, as in previous years, every household in Nanhua was busy preparing for the coming of the Spring Festival, cleaning the house, preparing New Year's goods, celebrating the hard work of the year, and looking forward to the hope of the coming year. Celebrating the New Year is a traditional custom of the Chinese nation. Even on the other side of the ocean, it is the same.
The streets are bustling with people buying all kinds of New Year goods, which makes it very lively. However, many people always look a little melancholy. During the festival, they miss their families. For these people in a foreign land, the war in Tangshan may not be over yet, but they can't avoid missing their families. Therefore, at this time, the busiest place is the post office. Two years ago, Nanhua Post finally opened mail services to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tianjin. Not only can you send letters, but you can also transfer money through the bank. As early as a few years ago, the branch in Shanghai founded HSBC Bank, which means "abundant remittances".
Now HSBC has branches not only in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and other places, but also in Nanhua. As usual, Zhu Zhenwu came to HSBC again. He had been saving money for a year, and he kept looking at his passbook while waiting in line at the counter.
"467.53 yuan!"
This was the wages and interest he had saved for two entire years!
For two years, he has been saving money quietly, not even daring to spend a penny, just for today.
When it was finally his turn, Zhu Zhenwu said as he stood in front of the counter.
"Thank you. Please send 400 yuan to Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Province..."
As he spoke, Zhu Zhenwu handed over a completed remittance form, which not only had the address written on it, but also allowed one to write a short message on the back.
This is the "silver letter" for remittance. After being sent to Tangshan together with the mail, it will be delivered to the recipient through the post office. They can go to the designated money house in the capital to collect the remittance with the remittance slip. Of course, the handling fee is not low. This remittance method is actually similar to the remittance method of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, except that the "silver letter" of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia is sent through private money houses, while in Nanhua, it is sent through banks.
"The remittance fee is 40 yuan."
The remittance fee of 40 yuan is almost three months' wages, which is definitely not a small amount. However, in Zhu Zhenwu's opinion, it is all worth it. After all, after his parents receive the money he remits, they can not only live a good life, but also buy some land and arrange marriages for the second and third sons.
It's all worth it.
"If no one claims it within three months, it will be automatically returned..."
Like anyone who sends money, Zhu Zhenwu is also worried about the money being returned. After all, the country is in chaos right now, and everyone knows what a return means.
While Zhu Zhenwu was busy transferring money, in the bank manager's office on the second floor, Li Zeli asked, looking at the young man in front of him.
"You have neither collateral nor guarantee, so why should I lend you money?"
Faced with doubts, Liang Yi stood up and walked to the window, pointing to the hall on the first floor.
"Manager Li, look at all those people in the hall. What are they doing? They are all remitting money. They are all remitting money to their families in Tangshan. These workers recruited from Tangshan, their hearts are not here at all. Why not?"
As a bank manager, Li Zeli is of course well aware of this. Millions of dollars of money will be remitted to Tangshan at the end of each year and the beginning of the next year, and this is also the busiest time for the bank.
Looking back at the bank manager, Liang Yi said.
"It's because they are all lonely people. They came here to make money. When they make enough money, they will most likely leave Nanhua. Manager Li, this is a matter of time. There is no need to doubt it. If you want them to settle down in Nanhua, they must have women. Only with women can they settle down here, and only with women can they settle down here!"
"Ten thousand yuan!"
Looking at Liang Yi's plan, Li Zeli asked.
"If I lend you money without any guarantee, how can I guarantee that you won't run away from Nanhua with the loan?"
"profit!"
Liang Yi's answer was quite direct.
"Manager Li, according to Kato and his men, it only costs 5 silver dollars to buy a woman in Japan, and the freight to Nanhua is only 10 yuan. After the railway is completed, the freight will be reduced to 8 yuan. In total, the cost is 13 yuan, but it can be sold for at least 100 yuan in Nanhua! With such huge profits, how can I bear to throw it away?"
"That does make some sense, but Mr. Liang, you should know that human trafficking is illegal."
"This is not a sale, it's a contract. Well, a contract maid is a maid who does the cooking, washing dishes, and even sleeping with the master. The law doesn't forbid this. Of course, if the maid and the master develop feelings for each other, it's normal for them to register for marriage."
With just one simple sentence, Liang Yi turned the law into a "joke", but it was a joke that everyone was happy to see.
"What you said seems to make some sense."
After thinking about it, Li Zeli said.
"If you can convince the Immigration Bureau, I can lend you a loan. After all, all the immigration ships in Nanhua are official now. If you want to transport those "contract maids" here, you must pass their review."
As soon as Liang Yi walked out of the bank, Kato Jiro hurried over and asked.
"Mr. Liang, how is it going? Have they agreed to the loan?"
In fact, it was Jiro Kato who first discovered the business opportunity of "contract maids". As a mathematics teacher, he also worked part-time as a night school teacher. After discovering that there were many bachelors in Nanhua, he naturally thought of the women in rural Japan. Every year, tens of thousands of women were sold to the city and ended up in brothels.
After seeing this business opportunity, Kato Jiro began to think about how to do this business. This business requires a large amount of capital. Where does the money come from? Because he has not accumulated enough "naturalization points", he is not eligible for a loan in Nanhua, so he found Liang Yi as a partner.
The two hit it off immediately. No one would refuse such a profitable business!
"Immigration Bureau, Manager Li said that as long as the Immigration Bureau agrees, the bank will issue a loan. Let's go to the Immigration Bureau now!"
When Kato heard that he would have to deal with the government, he became a little unconfident.
"Will they agree to our request? After all, this is a bit illegal!"
"Don't worry, as long as it's good for the Southern Association, they will definitely not refuse it!"
(End of this chapter)
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