It's not that Guo Dajing had to add more servants and show off his appearance after being promoted to an official, but it was a change in his thinking and living habits of doing as the Romans do.
Being cared for by someone means comfort and enjoyment after all. With that condition, Guo Dajing doesn't have to work hard and live a simple life. Isn't it his goal to make his family live a better life?
Besides, this also creates more jobs, which is also a good thing for many Liao people, especially women.
Paying money for employment and having personal freedom are completely different concepts from selling yourself into slavery.
This is already reform and progress. Guo Dajing has always been disgusted with the ancient trading of people, even his own children.
Guo Dajing agreed with Axiu's suggestion and was very happy. Being able to think like this shows that Axiu has matured a lot.
Perhaps, her rising status has also brought a lot of pressure to Axiu. Originally, she was just a rural girl, with no culture and little knowledge, and she was no different from ordinary people.
But she became General Guo, the wife of Marshal Guo, and was granted a royal title, but she was disabled. She had not given birth to a son or a daughter for two or three years.
Guo Dajing hugged his wife into his arms and comforted her with gentle words: "I heard from Rong'er that you can study now. It's amazing."
Axiu gave a soft "hmm" and said shyly: "I still can't recognize many words! It's all thanks to Aying, she often teaches me. And Rong'er, ask her if you don't understand."
"This is good." Guo Dajing imagined the scene of family harmony, mutual respect and love, and felt very happy and said: "These two or three years are the most critical period. If everything goes well, there will be no war in Liaodong and we can live a peaceful life."
Peaceful days.”
Axiu put her face against her husband's chest and said softly: "You are busy outside, so don't worry at home! When the world is at peace, we can be together every day."
Axiu is kind and gentle, or a little cowardly, but she is not worried about any conflicts between her and Fujino Hide. Fujino Hide can be considered a strong one when doing business outside, but at home, he still respects Axiu.
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It must be said that Fujino Hide is a smart man and understands Guo Dajing's temperament very well.
Although Axiu is not as good as her in every aspect, she and Guo Dajing have gone through hardships together. Guo Dajing is a very emotional person and cannot be fond of the new and dislike the old. And such a man is the one she can trust absolutely and stay with for the rest of her life.
Similarly, Guo Dajing was very kind to Axiu and treated Fujino Hide no less. He left hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in business to her, and she was in charge of the funds and profits, and she basically didn't care about them.
If there were some grudges about identity before, such as Axiu being sealed and pregnant with Guo Dajing's flesh and blood, she no longer cared about anything.
Moreover, in the imperial title, in addition to the royal decree, there is also a hereditary royal title of one son, Jin Yiwei, for hundreds of households. As long as Fujino Hide takes the lead and gives birth to a boy, doesn't this favor belong to his son?
During the day, Guo Dajing accompanied Fujino Hide, looking at her proud and proud look, which was not concealed at all.
If I gave birth to a daughter, would I cry? Guo Dajing didn't dare to say anything disappointing, but he couldn't help but assume this.
Guo Dajing didn't care at all about the hereditary family. Just like Mrs. Gaoming, Axiu was a treasure, and Fujino Hide was even more jealous.
Guo Dajing hugged his wife, and the two of them whispered softly. They didn't know when they fell asleep from exhaustion.
………………
In the early morning, Guo Dajing was awakened by the crow of a rooster. If it was from the village, he could pretend not to hear it, but in his own courtyard, the sound was too loud.
Axiu not only cultivates a small vegetable garden, but also raises more than a dozen chickens, two males, and the rest are hens that lay eggs.
This year, the chickens are still immature and can collect three or four eggs a day. I estimate that by this time next year, seven or eight eggs a day will be fine.
Being able to eat eggs every day, especially for the elderly and children, is a very good nutritional supplement. With the abundance of food, people are raising more and more chickens, ranging from three or five to twenty or thirty.
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"I forgot to close the cage and cover it with a cloth!" A Xiu apologized for not letting her husband sleep for a while longer.
Guo Dajing didn't care very much. Even if he worked hard at night, he still went to bed very early, not missing an hour and a half of lazy sleep.
What's more, the time at home is short after all, and you can't form a habit and change it back after you return to the army.
Axiu went to work cooking, with the help of Sun's sister-in-law. Guo Dajing also followed the rule of that era that men did not enter the kitchen. After washing, he sat in the courtyard, bathed in the lukewarm autumn sunshine, and sorted out the things in his mind.
Today’s work and schedule.
First go to the port to hand over arms to the Portuguese, and then meet with Lin Tiansheng to discuss some changes in Dongjiang Town's future purchases of materials.
The amount of purchased grain will decrease, but the amount of refined iron, cotton, and cloth will increase. This is an adjustment and change based on the development of Dongjiang Town.
In fact, there were iron ore and coal mines in Liaodong, but according to the technical level at that time, only the minerals in Anshan and Fushun could be developed.
If Dongjiang Town wants to obtain these two major resources, it must first defeat the Jianlu and pacify Liaodong. Obviously, this will take two or three years.
Cotton and cloth are insurmountable problems in Liaodong. The woolen textile industry envisioned by Guo Dajing may not be able to reach a scale within a few years to meet the requirements of Dongjiang Town soldiers and civilians for clothing and warmth.
Purchasing a large amount of cotton can also promote employment in Dongjiang Town. Men farm and women weave. Isn't weaving a good job that can be done at home while running a workshop?
The Lin family has made a lot of money through mirrors and the maritime trade with the Japanese country. This does not include the income from Liaodong specialties and the Guo family's porcelain.
But precisely because of this, the Lin family has been tied to Guo Dajing, or Dongjiang Town, and has become Guo Dajing's spy in Jiangnan.
Through the Lin family's business network, many spies have been spread across Jiangnan. They are not doing something right away, and may not even be able to use it in three to five years, but they are lurking for a long time, collecting various materials and intelligence.
A familiar figure and a familiar posture, Hide Fujino walked out of the room with a puffy belly, immediately interrupting Guo Dajing's thoughts, and he greeted him with a smile.
Sister, there is no need to pretend like this. I know that you are in good health and did not show your pregnancy for three months. Now you are pretending to be carrying a heavy object weighing 180 kilograms. It is difficult to move.
Guo Dajing helplessly cursed to himself, but he still extended his arm politely and let Fujino Hide help him as he walked down the steps.
Ah Qiao also appeared at the right time, holding a cotton mat in his hand, which he spread on the chair before Fujino Hide was about to sit down.
"Husband, you got up so early!" Fujino Hide yawned, and even his voice changed. It was so soft that Guo Dajing almost got goosebumps.
"Why don't you sleep a little longer?" Guo Dajing helped the pregnant woman sit down, and then touched her round belly. It was obvious that you could tell at a glance that you still want to stretch your belly.
Fujino Hide's expression immediately became proud, with his head held high, his eyes bent into crescent moons, he looked at his man with tenderness, pursed his lips and smiled: "The kid is not honest, he even kicked me last night."
Guo Dajing chuckled and reached out his hand to caress his swollen belly lovingly, as if he could feel the throbbing of the little life.
This is a very warm and comfortable feeling, but also a little weird. The soul of modern people must have children of the Ming Dynasty. Guo Dajing didn't know how to describe it when he thought about it.
Fujino Hide looked like he was enjoying it very much. He put his arms around her husband's neck and whispered in Guo Dajing's ear: "It must be a boy. He can kick me hard!"
Guo Dajing nodded vigorously with a confident expression. At this time, don't say anything similar to men and women, as if you don't believe it.
In fact, he didn't care at all whether it was a son or a daughter. When he thought about it, he and his wife were both young. If the first one was born, there would be a second one, and the house would be full of children. It was not a fantasy.
"I told Ah Xiu last night that we would like to add some more servants and maids to the family." Guo Dajing glanced at Ah Qiao and said with a smile, "It's hard work for Ah Qiao alone."
Fujino Hide nodded repeatedly and said: "I have already had this intention, but Sister Xiu didn't feel tired, so she didn't do anything about it. Since my husband is so determined, I will look for two or three people who are quick, diligent and honest.
"
"It's employment. Dongjiang Town will soon issue a policy that strictly prohibits the sale of people." Guo Dajing quickly reminded: "Don't sign the contract of sale. Make an agreement with them on how many days you usually work, how many days you rest, and how much you will pay...
"
Fujino Hide understood everything, but he still smiled and listened patiently. It was not until his husband finished speaking that he nodded in agreement and said: "Don't worry, husband, I will leave the hiring of people to you and Ah Qiao."
As soon as the kitchen door opened, Sister-in-law Sun came out with two bowls of poached eggs, came to Guo Dajing and Fujino Hide, and said with a smile: "Sir, second lady, please rest your stomach first!"
Guo Dajing didn't show any pretense. After thanking him, he took the bowl and looked normal.
Fujino Hide also thanked him and took the bowl, which obviously had brown sugar added. He quickly finished the two eggs, soup and water, and looked like he loved eating them.
This nutrition should be no problem. Guo Dajing asked again with concern: "Have you eaten, madam?"
Sister-in-law Sun quickly replied: "My wife has some too, don't worry."
"My family strives to eat one egg every day." Guo Dajing was still worried and asked: "If we don't have enough chickens at home, we should go to the market to buy them. There should be some for sale, right?"
"Yes, there are quite a lot of things in the market." Sister-in-law Sun put away the dishes and turned back to the kitchen.
"I asked Ah Qiao to buy some." Fujino Hide licked his lips, looking very attractive, and said, "When the weather cools down, I will buy more for storage."
After a pause, she said with a smile: "More and more people are raising chickens, and they are not willing to eat the eggs. They almost sell them in the market. There are not many people who can buy them. Most of them are the families of military officers and their families."
Someone with an official position."
Guo Dajing nodded, understanding this relatively well.
Agricultural and sideline products can improve people's living standards, but active circulation in the market is obviously not a characteristic of that era.
For example, most people can raise a few eggs, so who are you going to sell them to?
The main reason is that the urban-ruralization of the three states in southern Liaoning has not yet taken shape clearly. Without the consumption of the small bourgeoisie, the people can only grow and support themselves and eat by themselves.
But as Fujino Hide said, the military officers and government employees who got rich first are becoming the main force of consumption. Next, more soldiers, officials, craftsmen, and even large landowners will become the wealthy class.
Even if it is self-supporting, it is good. Although Guo Dajing thinks this way, he still feels that strengthening the circulation of goods will have a more promoting effect on the economic prosperity of Dongjiang Town.
But it seems that the conditions are not yet met, mainly because the territory is still small, the people are not yet wealthy, the government's coverage is too large, and the attraction of investment is not very attractive.
It seems that the biggest obstacle is Jianlu, that is, the impact of the war on people's hearts. Only after the Pingliao period will foreign merchants feel free to make money.
Similarly, only when people become rich and have extra money in their hands will they have the desire to consume and improve their living standards.
Another key factor is the size of the population. After Pingliao, hundreds of thousands or millions of people were not too many. Only then will there be sufficient market demand for various means of production and living, as well as various commodities.
"Brother Jing." Rong'er had slept in and everyone sat at the table to start eating. She just appeared rubbing her sleepy eyes, but she immediately ran over and screamed happily, hugging Guo Dajing's neck and shaking her from side to side.
Guo Dajing smiled and patted Ronger's hand repeatedly and said: "Wash your face and hands quickly and sit down to eat. Lazy girl, you get up so late every day!"
"It's not late at all. I'm not late for school." Ronger giggled, ran to wash her face, then sat at the table, skillfully picked up the boiled eggs, cracked them, peeled them, and ate them with big mouthfuls.
Axiu handed the salted duck eggs to Rong'er and said with a smile: "Made dumplings with celery meat for dinner."
Ronger nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "It's great that Brother Jing is back. He eats well every day."
Guo Dajing pointed at the food on the table and said with a smile: "Why, isn't the usual food so rich?"
"Breakfast is pretty much the same, as long as you don't find it too simple." Axiu replied with a smile.
Fujino Hide nodded and said: "Fried salted fish is not common, but zygote is often eaten. It's just that Sister Xiu and Sister Sun have worked hard and have to get up early to chop stuffing and knead dough."
Rice porridge, fried salted fish, wheat flour rolls, spicy crispy radish dripping with sesame oil and cut salted duck eggs. Although it is not very rich, it is already excellent for breakfast.
Guo Dajing believed that these were the dishes he specially added when he came back. For example, fried salted fish, or his own two poached eggs.
Even so, this kind of breakfast was comparable to that of many families in later generations, which made him very happy.
For breakfast at ordinary people's homes, there may not be fried salted fish or salted duck eggs. They would rather mix corn crumbs and potato cubes together to make porridge, and then add pickles.
But this is also a meal that was unimaginable a few years ago. Even better-off people can often eat eggs, and they are even half-way towards a moderately prosperous life.
If you have enough food and clothing, you will know the etiquette. If you have enough food and clothing, you will know the honor and disgrace. Having a full stomach is the most basic factor for social stability.
People who are driven crazy by hunger will fully reveal the ugliest side of human nature, and all laws and morals will be thrown away.