4355 (AD 1658), November 6, Luoyi Port of Qi State.
Mi Youde, a down-and-out college student, was drinking in a pub.
He offended a large family in the empire, was framed by them, and was wanted.
With the help of his classmates, he boarded a cargo ship and fled to Qi.
"Shopkeeper, give me another plate of peanuts."
When the waiter saw this old customer, he brought a plate of peanuts from the back kitchen.
"Mr. Mi, you are a cultural person.
The shop’s soy sauce pork is a specialty in Luoyigang.
The porters at the dock and the workers in the textile factory all like the soy pork served in the shop.
You are an old customer. I used to sell you a plate for 80 cents, but now I only sell you 50 cents a plate."
The waiter looked at Luoyigang under the light.
The factories in the city have all passed the shift change time.
Dock workers don’t have the habit of eating late night snacks either.
The electricity price in Qi is a bit expensive, and lighting a light in the store is already a heavy burden.
Refrigerators are not affordable for ordinary families.
Before they landed, they thought the weather in Qi would be a bit cold in winter.
After they came to Qi State, they learned that Qi State was not cold at all in winter, and the temperature here was similar to that of Jiangnan in the empire.
Sauced beef cannot be stored overnight at this temperature.
If they dare to sell overnight braised beef to diners, the reputation of the tavern will immediately collapse.
Mi Youde pinched his empty wallet and thought that he had not tasted meat for a month.
After not eating meat for a long time, he has no energy to read.
He gritted his teeth and poured the money in his wallet on the table.
There is only one silver coin and more than eighty copper coins here.
One silver coin must not be touched lightly. This is money to participate in the Qi Imperial Examination, purchase materials and accommodation.
Mi Youde struggled to put out fifty copper coins. He was about to hand it to the waiter, but then he retracted his hand.
He pointed to the bottomed sweet potatoes and said, "I'm going to buy a plate of soy pork, and you have to fill this jar with wine."
The waiter immediately agreed to come over. After taking the copper coins, he went back to the kitchen to get the beef with soy sauce and a jar of wine.
The wine in their tavern, which only costs a few pennies a jar, is purchased from other wineries and mixed with water. It just has a wine taste, so the cost is very cheap.
Mi Youde drank wine and ate meat. He thought about his miserable life. He was originally a proud man who was envied by everyone, but he was almost imprisoned by accident.
If you are not drunk with wine, everyone will get drunk.
He drank his last glass of wine and fell asleep on the table.
Seeing this situation, the waiter looked at the shopkeeper aside and asked: "Boss, what should we do now? Wake him up?"
"At first glance, this person has read some books, but has no real skills.
He was unable to get ahead in the empire, so he dreamed of emigrating to a vassal country to get ahead.
They are all poor people. It’s time for us to close up, close the door and let him rest here.
Add a few pieces of briquettes to the furnace to avoid freezing people."
After the waiter heard this, he immediately replaced the coal stove in the center of the store with a piece of briquettes.
The stove was burning brightly, sending out bursts of heat.
The soot flows along the thin iron pipe and is discharged outdoors.
Mi Youde woke up when he heard footsteps coming from outside.
He realized that he was asleep on the table and immediately packed his clothes.
He stood up and bowed to the shopkeeper.
"Store, Xiaosheng has caused trouble for you."
The shop owner waved his hand and said with a smile: "We have just immigrated. It doesn't matter if we take care of each other outside."
Mi Youde took care of the store's business and bought a few vegetable buns.
While he was eating breakfast, he was thinking about how to make a living.
During this time, he had been thinking of ways to make a living. Because he did not have a formal household registration, it was very difficult to find a decent job in the Qi government.
He went to work in a factory and couldn't lose his figure.
This was the day when workers went to work, and the seats in the tavern were quickly filled.
Two well-dressed middle-aged men with some vicissitudes of life came to Mi Youde's table carrying noodles.
"Sir, there are no seats elsewhere, can you share a table?"
"I'm almost done eating, you can do whatever you want."
The two sat down and put aside the newspaper they had just read.
They chatted while eating noodles.
“The chairman of the board of directors has made up his mind to build a silk reeling factory with a monthly output of 10,000 tons in Luoyi Port.
According to the plan of the Qi State Cabinet, Luoyi Port is the textile center of Qi State.
A large amount of raw silk and cotton yarn will inevitably be needed.
Cotton cultivation is too selective in location. Qi State is mainly hilly and mountainous, which is not suitable for cotton cultivation.
Our company must win the production of raw silk."
"Is our country suitable for planting mulberry trees? Does it have the ability to raise silkworms on a large scale?"
"Why plant mulberry trees to raise silkworms? It's so easy to buy silkworm cocoons directly.
What we are playing in is industry, and if it involves the agricultural field, it will not work and we will easily suffer losses."
Mi Youde listened to the chat between the two. He hung out in Luoyi Port and knew that it had become the textile center of Qi State.
The local government has already announced the slogan that within five years, 80% of Qi's cloth and clothing will come from Luoyi Port.
Mi Youde found that the two of them had been chatting and did not pay attention to the newspaper placed aside.
It has been a long time since he read a newspaper.
If you can read this newspaper, you will probably find better job opportunities.
If we push the time forward ten years, literacy is already an amazing skill.
But as the empire popularized primary education, even in the countryside of the empire, people who were illiterate had become very rare.
Even if they have only attended the first or second grade of elementary school, they can recognize hundreds of words used in daily life.
Nowadays, being able to read and write is no longer a knowledge that can lead to a successful life.
Mi Youde took a small bite of the steamed buns and waited for the two of them to leave.
His premonition was correct. The two people were very interested in the discussion. After dinner, they left with their briefcases in hand, not paying attention to the newspapers placed on the table.
Maybe for them, a newspaper worth a few pennies is not worth their attention.
When Mi Youde saw the two figures completely disappearing outside the door, he quickly grabbed the newspaper.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! His eyes gradually glowed as he read what was reported in the newspaper.
This newspaper is the largest newspaper in Qi State, "Qi Guo Daily".
The newspaper will invite some scholars, and they will explain Qi's policies very thoroughly.
Mi Youde immediately turned to the advertisement area for job recruitment.
He found that there were two jobs that did not require household registration or other status and could make money the fastest.
The Qi government lacked teachers who specialized in teaching aborigines.
Mi Youde found that this job required physical fitness, and it was best to have a resume of military service.
Seeing this condition, he could only shake his head helplessly.
Another job is to participate in doctor training.
Mi Youde didn't even dare to kill a chicken, how could he become a doctor and disembowell people?
When he was depressed, he read the headlines of the newspaper and became even more depressed.
He saw that Qi State was about to hold its first imperial examination in March next year.
The condition for participating in the imperial examination is to have a household registration in Qi State.
The smile on Mi Youde's face disappeared immediately.
He had heard before that the country established by the four princes basically inherited the empire's policies.
Qi State also inherited a strict household registration system.
People like him who were wanted by the empire and escaped could not settle down in Qi.
If he chooses to live in Qi for five or six years, there are many ways to settle down.
But he was unable to participate in the previous imperial examinations at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
A person like him with no background will definitely find it difficult to get ahead in official circles.
Mi Youde was frustrated at first, but then felt relieved.
He threw the newspaper on the ground and stepped on it, then encouraged himself: "Shang Yang is a native of Wei. He entered Qin and laid the foundation for Qin's hegemony.
I don’t want to leave you here, I have my own place to stay.”
Mi Youde has made up his mind to go to a more enlightened vassal country.
Qi's national power was originally weak, and the King of Qi still didn't think of ways to increase its national power. He was just a mediocre person who was just waiting to die.
Mi Youde walked out of the tavern and looked at the busy Luoyi Port ahead.
He touched the silver coins in his pocket, and now there was only one silver coin left.
With this little silver coin, I couldn't afford to hire a carriage, so I had to take a boat to travel to the five countries of Wu, Chu, Yue, Tang, and Fujian.
Mi Youde directly ignored the Tang and Fujian states.
The Tang State was also a country founded by a prince, and a gangster like him might not be able to settle there.
The country of Fujian has been a vassal state for many years, and the domestic political situation has been stable.
A newcomer like him would definitely not be able to get ahead.
Wu Chu traveled across the Three Kingdoms, and he was still a little confused as to which country he was going to.
Mi Youde is very poor now and cannot obtain information through money, so he can only obtain information through favors.
If you are in a foreign country, you can only rely on fellow villagers.
A familiar local accent will make many people put down their guard.
Mi Youde came to the dock, and the dock in Luoyi Port already used a lot of machinery.
The workers who carry bags at the dock are mainly local aborigines, and most of them are Han people who are in charge.
Mi Youde focused all his attention on these Han people coming and going.
Until he heard a familiar dialect spoken by a big man with a weathered face.
After the big man reprimanded in dialect, he found that his subordinates were indifferent and immediately reprimanded him again.
"You trash, this is filled with glass products.
The car was immediately covered with sawdust and it broke into pieces. We cannot afford to pay for it."
Mi Youde stood aside and discovered through observation that this fellow had a small transportation company.
He is responsible for transporting goods from the dock to the inland areas of Qi State.
He has some assets and owns at least two tricycles.
When Mi Youde saw this fellow villager finishing his work, he immediately approached him and said in dialect: "fellow fellow, are you an immigrant?
I am a college student and I am here to investigate the situation at the grassroots level. Can I spend some time with you?"
Huang Defa was finishing reprimanding the company's employees when he saw a bookish student chatting with him in dialect.
When he came to Qi, he had not heard the dialect of his hometown for a long time, and he immediately felt more cordial.
Huang Defa said happily: "Little brother, if you have any questions, just ask, I am willing to cooperate."
Mi Youde pretended to ask: "Brother, are you single or married now? Are you immigrating with your whole family?"
When Huang Defa heard this question, his mentality suddenly collapsed, and he replied in an irritable tone: "This immigration quota was originally given to my brother.
Who knew that my good-for-nothing brother had taken the settlement allowance and spent all the money and could not be found.
How dare we commoners defraud King Qi of his money?
I can only immigrate with my wife and children to fill this quota.
Fortunately, Qi State's policies are good. I pledged all my wealth to get a loan and purchased a few tricycles. Now my business is booming."
Mi Youde comforted him: "Since my fellow countrymen have come to Qi, let's live a stable life and our lives will get better and better.
Qi State also focused on developing Luoyi Port, an important port on the Mediterranean with a large cargo throughput.
My fellow transportation company will definitely earn a lot of silver coins."
After hearing this, Huang Defa said happily: "You college students still have a long-term vision. I rely entirely on intuition in doing business."
The two of them continued chatting, and Mi Youde took the opportunity to ask questions.
He hid what he wanted to ask in these questions.
After Mi Youde asked, he already had the answer in his mind.
As expected, his fellow countryman Huang Defa was in the transportation business and had a very clear understanding of the situation in Qi's surrounding countries.
Because the State of Wu is located in a place where there are four wars, he is afraid of encountering the spies of other countries, and the review of those who enter it is stricter.
Mi Youde only had two choices left, Chu and Yue.
After careful consideration, he chose Yue.
Chu State has recently discovered a large coal and iron mine, which is a major discovery that affects the country's strength.
Chu and Yue are adjacent to each other. As the strength of Chu increases, the strength of Yue weakens.
Chu's self-confidence is inflated, and there may not be room for development for people like him.
The country of Vietnam is now in a state of tension and anxiety.
Mi Youde will have greater development opportunities when he goes to Vietnam.
He determined his goal and took action immediately.
There are passenger ships to Vietnam every day from Luoyi Port, and the cheapest fare is only 700 Wen.
Mi Youde bought this cheap steamer and passenger ship.
Small steamers are slow, noisy, and the cabins are very crowded.
But his tickets are cheap, and this advantage outweighs all his shortcomings.
Mi Youde thought that if he left on a passenger ship, he might be obstructed by Qi officials.
After the passenger ship left the port smoothly, he realized that he had worried too much.
Mi Youde realized the problem only after chatting with his companions on the boat.
When a vassal state recruits immigrants, there are two types of people.
Sign the corresponding deed and provide resettlement allowance to the immigrants.
These immigrants are almost tied to the country where they live and are not allowed to move freely.
This was the case with his fellow countryman Huang Defa in Qi State.
Every country will take care of this kind of immigrants who sign deeds in terms of policies.
Fellow villager Huang Defa was able to successfully obtain a loan because of this policy.
The second type of immigrants are free immigrants who have not signed a deed.
This type of immigrants can move freely among countries without being blocked at all.
In order to leave a good reputation among top talents, royal families in various countries attract more talents to join.
They will also not detain talents without reason, which will make them a target of public criticism.
The small steamer sailed slowly and slowly on the Mediterranean Sea.
It took several days to arrive at Basai Port, the largest port in Vietnam.
Mi Youde felt at ease when he set foot on the solid land of Yue.
He came from the empire to Qi State, even though he traveled such a long distance, he never felt such discomfort.
From now on, if you have money in your hands, you still can't take a steamboat ride.
When Mi Youde set foot on the land of Yue, he immediately felt that it was completely different from Qi.
Qi has a sense of undisciplinedness and does things in no hurry.
People at Yueguo Pier give people the impression that they are doing things in a hurry, as if someone is rushing them behind.
Mi Youde clenched his fists and encouraged himself: "Gold will always shine."
