Chapter 580: Contract Labor in the Ming Dynasty (Fourth update, please subscribe)
Although it was daytime, the lights were still on in the workshop of Fuhua Spinning Mill.
The work in the workshop was very intense. The transmission shaft on the top of the workshop rumbled. Driven by the belt, the spinning machine rotated rapidly, and the cotton slivers were pulled out as silk threads from the roller mouths.
Under the light of electric lamps, female workers wearing white cloth hats and white cloth aprons were walking between the spinning machines from time to time. They were generally not tall, and their ears were accustomed to the noise of the spinning wheels. Although they did not notice the arrival of the visitors, they could hear their own conversations.
From time to time, some Japanese could be heard among them. When they spoke Japanese, their faces turned red, and they seemed to be embarrassed for speaking Japanese.
"Are they Japanese?"
Ohbo Kurimichi said in surprise.
"Yes, Mr. Dabao, the female workers in this factory are all contract workers hired by the company from Japan."
Zhao Teng said loudly.
"Contract worker?"
Ito Hirobumi almost instinctively thought of those "contracted Chinese workers" who were equivalent to slaves, so he immediately asked.
"So how are they treated?"
As Japanese officials, they certainly cared about the treatment of these female workers. After all, they were all Japanese.
"How are they treated? I think it's meaningless for me to say anything, wait..."
Zhao Teng rolled up his sleeves and displayed his "Huacheng watch" in a particularly ostentatious way - this is a famous brand watch. Even the emperor and empress wear this kind of watch.
"In half an hour, the factory will be closed. You can ask them then. I think you will get the answers you want."
In fact, Zhao Teng was also a "contract worker", but although he came from a declining aristocratic family, he was quickly valued because he could speak Chinese and English, and then he became a naturalized citizen two years ago.
He was not worried about what these female workers who had to work thirteen or fourteen hours a day would say. After all, their lives here were more promising.
At noon, the whistle of the spinning mill resounded throughout the factory. The roaring machines stopped, and the voices in the workshop surged like a tide. The female workers walked out of the workshop one after another, smiling happily.
"Today at noon..."
As soon as Meiko walked out of the workshop, she saw dozens of gentlemen standing outside the workshop. When she nodded politely, a gentleman walked up to her and said.
"Hello, miss, are you Japanese? I am Hirofumi Itō from Japan, and I have something I want to ask you."
“Ah, you are Japanese…”
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Miko seemed to react and spoke hurriedly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, can you speak Chinese?"
"Hey!"
Ito and others looked at the woman in confusion. What did she say?
"Sir, we can speak Chinese. Only people who have just arrived here can speak Japanese."
When Meiko mentioned that she could speak Chinese, her face was full of pride, as if for her, being able to speak Chinese was a source of pride.
In fact, it is true. For contract workers like Meiko, what they dream of is to be naturalized as Ming people. The easiest way to become a Ming person is of course to marry a Ming man, but the textile factory is almost entirely made up of women. If they want to get married, they must have a man to marry. Even if the official introduction agency can introduce men to them, they still have to be able to talk to men.
Therefore, every female contract worker would take the initiative to learn Chinese, and even speaking Chinese would allow them to maintain a sense of superiority in front of their fellow countrymen who had just arrived. Of course, it would be even better if they could marry a Ming person.
Only those "country people" who had just arrived knew how to speak Japanese. Miko certainly didn't. If the man hadn't been wearing a Western dress, she probably wouldn't even have paid attention to him.
After all, speaking Japanese is a very vulgar thing.
“Why can’t you speak Japanese?”
Ito Hirobumi had some unpleasant questions.
"It's not that we can't? It's that we don't want to. Sir, this is Ming Dynasty, shouldn't we speak Chinese?"
Miko answered directly.
"You are Japanese!"
"So what? I couldn't even get food in Japan. My father even wanted to sell me to a brothel. Fortunately, someone went to my hometown to recruit workers. I came to Daming. Now I can earn 7 yuan a month. I live in the company's dormitory. Not only can I eat three meals a day, but I can also eat meat and even take a hot shower every day. Sir, is there a better place than here?"
The female worker's answer dumbfounded Ito Hirobumi and others. They simply couldn't believe what they heard. How could she do that?
"Women and villains are hard to raise!"
After Miko left, Ohbo Kurimitsu snorted in a dull voice. Although his voice was not loud, Zhao Teng beside him said,
"Mr. Daibao, in Japan, whether men or women, they can only barely survive. Bankrupt samurai live like beggars, and women can only make a living by selling their bodies. But in Ming Dynasty, they can all live with dignity and happiness!"
Faced with such an answer, Ito and others fell silent. They certainly knew what kind of life ordinary people in Japan lived, and it was a bit embarrassing to be said like this to their faces!
"Their income is different from that of the Ming people!"
Suddenly, Iwakura seemed to have discovered something and asked directly.
"Of course it's different!"
Zhao Teng puffed out his chest proudly and said without being proud.
"The wages of Ming people are definitely higher than theirs, so they are eager to be naturalized as Ming people one day! Ming people... you don't understand the happiness of being a Ming person. Even if you are a "contract worker" in a Ming factory, you are much happier than in Japan!"
Many textile factories employed "contract laborers" who were paid 7 yuan a month, had three meals a day, and had one day off a week. Although these female workers from Japan were the cheapest labor force, for the Ming Dynasty, they were not only labor, but also the capital for the Ming Dynasty's rise!
What are they?
What kind of cheap labor is there? They are clearly the wives of Ming men, and they are fertility machines... Well, they are one of the decisive factors for Ming to gain a foothold in this land.
It was the arrival of these Japanese women that enabled countless bachelors in the Ming Dynasty to find wives and end their single status.
After all, there were too many bachelors in China at that time, and there were even more bachelors among those who immigrated to the Ming Dynasty.
In order to solve the problem of women, the Ming Dynasty not only introduced maids, but also directly provided wives to the immigrants.
In addition, a large number of female workers were hired from Japan, Vietnam and other places. Their arrival brought fresh blood to the Ming Dynasty. In the past few years, hundreds of thousands of people have married Ming men, and they have given birth to hundreds of thousands of children.
This is what the Ming Dynasty cares about most.
Contract laborer?
It was just a form of employment. Of course, Ming enterprises also made a lot of money by employing these indentured workers.
Looking at those smiling women, Ito Hirobumi and others had complicated expressions. They originally thought they had met their compatriots here and were very happy, but they never thought that they had long forgotten their identities.
But at the same time, they also realized that this was an opportunity...
(End of this chapter)
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