The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 294 Hope
Under the dark grey sky, a group of workers in worn-out work clothes walked out of the factory. Most of them looked tired, with helplessness and exhaustion in their eyes. They passed a wide iron bridge, with a stinking river below. There were many low houses standing by the river, with broken doors and windows and pale and mottled walls.

In the narrow alley, an old woman was sitting against the wall and coughing. Beside her were several baskets filled with groceries such as needles and thread.

At the end of the alley, there were a dozen or so children huddled together, playing some sort of game, whispering to each other, and then bursting into laughter. They began chasing and playing around, with an innocent and carefree expression on everyone's face.

Not far away, a group of young men were bragging and chatting, and their eyes kept glancing towards the nearby pub.

A few shaky men stood in front of the pub, their faces grim, and they smelled of alcohol and sweat. There were several eye-catching slogans posted on the door: "Mellow Beer", "Crafted Soju", "Delicious Braised Food", and the noise inside was mixed with the laughter and noise of the drinkers.

Dragging his tired body, Lu Yuanxiang slowly walked into the densely woven streets and alleys, and walked towards the small house he rented under the dim light from the windows on both sides.

"Master, you're back." Upon hearing the door open, the wife in the room lifted the curtain that separated the room and looked over. "Are you hungry? There's some porridge left in the pot, and there are pickles in the cupboard. Eat a little to fill your stomach."

"Where are Danzai and Xiaoya?... Are they asleep?" Lu Yuanxiang sat down on the long bench, fumbled on the table for a while, found the kettle and porcelain bowl, poured half a bowl of water, and then drank it in one gulp.

"Everyone is asleep." His wife, Sun, walked over slowly, found a pack of matches on the cabinet in the corner, and gently struck a kerosene lamp.

The pitch-black hut suddenly became bright, revealing the simple and dilapidated scene.

"Why turn on the light? Even if I have to grope in the dark, I can still find food." Lu Yuanxiang glanced at the lit kerosene lamp and felt it was a bit of a waste.

This lamp costs money!

Oh, and the matches are expensive. Although they are convenient to use, a small pack of thirty matches costs three cents.

Alas, everything is good in Qi State. You can make a lot of money, but there are even more places to spend money.

A family of four rented such a small house, which was only the size of a palm, and the monthly rent was two yuan, which was more than six taels of silver.

My God, even if you work hard for a month in Qin, you may not be able to earn two taels of silver!
In addition to rent, there are daily expenses, including food, clothing, childbirth and raising children, occasional drinks, and having fun on the street. At the end of the month, no matter how frugal you are, it will cost three or four dollars.

He worked in a leather factory and earned nine dollars a month, while his wife had to stay at home to take care of their two young children. She could only help with sewing and washing clothes, and could earn two or three dollars.

With this calculation, the entire family can earn about 11 or 12 yuan per month. After deducting daily expenses, they can save nearly half of the money. Compared with the days in Daqin, there is really hope.

Alas, if I could become a naturalized citizen and obtain an official identity in Qi State, my life would probably be better.

Because they were immigrants and had the status of "non-citizens" of Qi State, he was oppressed in the factory and was paid the lowest salary.

For an experienced worker like him who has worked in the factory for four years, according to the normal wage level in Qi State, his salary should have been increased to fourteen or fifteen yuan long ago. He might even receive subsidies for work clothes and meals, so his life would definitely be much more comfortable.

But now, his salary has only increased by two yuan compared to when he first came, and as for subsidies for work clothes and meals, there are none at all.

This is why people have different fates!

Take childbirth and raising children for example. Every family in Qi State with a newborn could receive a corresponding quota of grain, oil, eggs and milk coupons from the government every month, and then enjoy price discounts in shops with the coupons. It is said that when Qi State was first established, this rule was made in order to encourage childbirth and increase population.

When the child is two or three years old, he or she can be sent to a public orphanage or nursery at a very low price and be cared for by professional nannies or women, freeing up their hands to continue having children or doing their own work.

When a child reaches the age of six, he or she can attend primary and secondary schools run by the government for free and complete eight years of compulsory education.

However, unnaturalized immigrants like them cannot enjoy such national benefits at all.

Living in the worst environment, eating the cheapest food, doing the hardest work, and getting the lowest salary.

Just hold on, save up some money, use some connections to get naturalization, and buy a warm and comfortable little house, and everything will be fine.

Life now is at least much better than when we were in the Qin Dynasty.

"Boss, why are you drinking again?" His wife Sun frowned slightly when she saw him taking out the unfinished liquor from under the cupboard.

"Have a drink to relieve your fatigue." Lu Yuanxiang smiled, took a large porcelain bowl, gently poured about two taels of wine, then plugged the bottle tightly and put it back.

"This morning, many officials came to the alley. I heard that the prefect of Daxing also came to inspect in person." Sun brought the wooden basin from the corner of the house to the place where the kerosene lamp was lit and began to wash the baby's diapers.

"What are those officials here for?" Lu Yuanxiang finished most of the bowl of porridge in two or three mouthfuls, then picked up the wine bowl and took a small sip. A spicy taste immediately flowed from his throat to his abdomen, as if the blood in his body was instantly ignited.

"They said they were here to check fire prevention and disaster prevention." Sun rubbed the diaper in the wooden basin vigorously, "and told us to be careful when using fire in daily life, and not to cause fires and harm lives. They also said that a big fire happened in Heishan County, Jianye Prefecture in the north, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds of people. Because of this, it is said that many officials were implicated and blamed, and lost their official hats. Alas, what a sin, water and fire are merciless."

"Officials of Qi don't wear black gauze hats." Lu Yuanxiang took two bites of the pickles and felt that they were not chewy enough, so he took out a can of dried salted fish from the cupboard.

This thing is only slightly more expensive than vegetables, but it is the best choice for poor people like them to supplement their meat diet.

Daxing is close to the sea, and every day more than a dozen fishing boats come ashore to unload their catches. There are all kinds of fish, and even whales as big as mountains are hunted by sailors, chopped into pieces, and become food for hundreds of thousands of city residents.

However, whale meat is not as delicious as sea fish, and has a bit of fishy smell, which is why it is popular with consumers because of its low price. To be honest, Lu Yuanxiang hardly ate much meat before coming to Qi State. Throughout the year, he could only eat some meat during the New Year.

As for everyday life, it is difficult to even have a full meal, let alone eat meat.

It was different from Qi, where not only were there three full meals a day, but meat was also available from time to time. When tired, they could drink some wine, such as shochu, honey wine, beer, rice wine, fruit wine, and everything else. The expensive ones cost a few dimes, and the cheap ones cost a few cents. It was so pleasant to invite a few co-workers to have a couple of drinks.

Well, the greatest luck in my life is that I followed a few brothers from my clan to secretly climb onto a merchant ship from Qi State, came to Hanzhou, and lived such a fairy-like life.

"Master, I heard from the people in charge of the alley that our shantytown may be demolished." Sun suddenly thought of something, straightened up, and said to her husband: "If this block is demolished, where will we live in the future?"

"Is our place going to be demolished?... So let it be demolished. At worst we can find a new house to rent." Lu Yuanxiang had finished the last sip of his wine. He felt his whole body was clear. In the light of the kerosene lamp, he looked at his wife squatting in front of the wooden basin, showing her round buttocks. He felt his blood boiling and wanted to do something.

"Where can you find such cheap houses in this neighborhood?" Sun sighed. "In other places, a decent house would cost four or five yuan a month. If it's a two-bedroom apartment, it would probably be six or seven yuan. Oh, if only I could apply for an improved apartment like the people of Qi. Not only would the living environment be good, bright and airy, but the rent would also be much cheaper."

"Hehe... don't worry. Since we are already in Qi, we will be naturalized and become real Qi citizens sooner or later. When the time comes, we won't rent a house, but buy our own. It will have a kitchen, a toilet, a reception room, and several bright bedrooms. We will have one room, and Danzai and Xiaoya will each have one room when they grow up. We will live a wonderful life!"

"Buy a house of your own..." Sun was stunned when she heard this. She stopped her hands and showed infinite yearning in her eyes. "It would be great if I really had a house of my own! Oh, you...what are you doing..."

Lu Yuanxiang had already walked to his wife's side and squatted next to her in front of the wooden basin. His hands were wandering around her body dishonestly. His hot face was pressed against her ear, and the smell of alcohol on his breath made people feel inexplicably hot.

"Hehe..., how about we give birth to another little egg boy?"

"What are you talking about?... You... You go take a shower. You smell like leather and sweat." Sun paused, grabbed the laundry in the wooden basin with one hand, her face flushed, and with the other hand she gently pushed her husband.

"Okay, wait for me." Lu Yuanxiang stood up immediately, walked to the stove, scooped half a bucket of cold water from the water tank, and went outside, ready to take a simple rinse with cold water.

In an ordinary home, a washbasin, a sewage bucket, a woolen towel, some soap and a kettle of hot water can meet most washing needs.

Pour water into the basin, wet the towel, apply soap, and then use the towel to carefully scrub the parts of your body that need to be cleaned, clean and generous. Finally, just pour out the dirty water in the basin. Rich people can enjoy a hot bath every night, but this is too luxurious for the poor.

After all, burning coal is also an expense.

The soap-making technology of Qi State developed rapidly during this period and gradually became a lifestyle and a way to distinguish classes.

Most lower-class people use soap for washing clothes, washing their hair and bathing. They smell very different from the middle and upper class people - the latter have a strong soap scent and no sweat after a hard day's work.

At this time, soaps were made from animal fats (including whale oil) and caustic soda, and gradually soaps with scents such as lavender, violet, and apple appeared. This chemically made scent became a unique "medal", an honor enjoyed by bathers.

At current prices, a bar of soap is equivalent to the price of a large piece of beef, and a middle-class family who follows bathing trends and keeps clean will use two to three bars of soap a week, which is far beyond the affordability of ordinary people.

Ordinary soap is much more affordable. You can buy a large bar for four or five cents. If you use it sparingly, it can barely last for half a month.

Whether it is ordinary soap or fragrant soap, it is a little expensive in the Qin Dynasty, and not every citizen can afford it.

Oh, by the way, in addition to soap and perfumed soap, "tooth cleaning agents" were also sold in the market of Qi. It is said that these things are not difficult to make in factories, and the cheapest ones are just some ash or salt, which are sold in grocery stores on the streets.

However, most "toothpastes" are essentially flavored dyes - that is, their cleaning effects are quite limited and they only provide a psychological comfort to the wealthy.

Lu Yuanxiang was outside the house, took off his coat and trousers, leaving only his tight shorts, and washed himself with cold water. Then he rushed back to the room like a monkey, picked up his shy wife, and went to the bed.

However, the "battle" between the man and the woman did not last too long. For some reason, the little daughter, who was only a little over one year old, suddenly started crying loudly, and then woke up the three-year-old son, who also cried and called for his mother.

"These two little bastards are really ruining my mood." After Lu Yuanxiang hurriedly "surrendered", he couldn't help but cursed angrily.

His wife, Mrs. Sun, was wearing a thin dress and her face was flushed. She held the younger daughter in her arms, rocking her gently and humming a little tune. At the same time, she freed up one hand and kept patting the older child's little butt, soothing him to let him fall asleep again.

"I heard from Mrs. He at the back of the alley that her family is preparing to register with the Immigration Department and accept the government's immigration arrangements." After coaxing the two children for a while, they finally fell asleep. Mrs. Sun clung to her husband and spoke softly.

“Oh, they have to register with the Immigration Department.” Lawrence Lu felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and replied vaguely: “Then they will be assigned to remote overseas territories in the end!”

"Although we are going to an overseas territory, I heard that the Immigration Department will give us money, which seems to be used to purchase houses and land."

"The government is not so kind. The money given to immigrants must be repaid in the end. ... We have come to Qi with so much hardship to make a lot of money, not to farm in some remote overseas territory. ... Qi's overseas territory is large and far away! Where can it be as prosperous as Hanzhou? ... If we work hard for a few more years, we will definitely be able to live a good life."

As he spoke, Lawrence Lu held his wife in his arms, smelling the unique scent of a woman, his consciousness gradually becoming blurred.

Well, sleep well and have sweet dreams, because you have to get up early for work tomorrow.

everything will become better.

(End of this chapter)