Huang Xunkun was stunned, knowing that he might have misunderstood. He smiled bitterly and said, "Just go and find out."
After the boy left, he lay down to rest again, but whenever he closed his eyes, he could see Lei Lunfu's resentful eyes and his roar at the top of his lungs. He had several nightmares in a row, so he simply stopped sleeping and went out for a walk to relax!
Huang Huangkun walked slowly along the streets of Guangzhou alone, feeling at a loss. The Confucian scholar who attacked him was already dead - Huang Xunkun did not believe that he committed suicide. It was probably the government officials who had secretly manipulated him. When he was in Lingao, he vaguely heard that the Kun Thief had a blacklist of people who were against them. Anyone who is on the Kun thief's blacklist will die sooner or later.
I was probably on the Kun thief's blacklist when I was in Lingao. Thinking of this, he secretly regretted that this Lei Shizi was so daring that he could be considered a hero. How could he be like himself, who escaped from Lingao in despair, like a lost dog?
Wandering on the streets of Guangzhou, which I have just become familiar with, as a big southern city, although it has a vast area and tall city walls and looks majestic, the whole city is full of twilight. Standing at the city gate, I can see the hot construction sites on the banks of the Pearl River and the slow pace of the city. It seems like two completely different worlds.
Huang Hankun reflected on the plans he had made since the Kunthief landed, and every time he thought they were successful, they were as ridiculous as a fly shaking a tree. No wonder dad and eldest brother both advise their children to "know the current affairs". But he always seems to be unable to swallow this breath. It shouldn't be like this!
But what should it be like? If we talk about the past, before the bandits came, the father and his son were either on the alert to prepare for bandits and pirates to attack, or they went to the fields in person to direct the tenant farmers to work. In his spare time, he also built village walls, made weapons, and practiced village bravery. They were not allowed to sleep well at night, and they had to get up every night to patrol the night. See if the warriors on the wall are slacking off, especially in the early morning - bandits and pirates always like to choose this time to launch sneak attacks...
After the thief came, life got better day by day. Especially after Tiandihui contracted most of their land, even my father felt much younger. Not only does he keep his pace, but he also often goes to the county to attend various meetings; his brother and sister-in-law also seem to be living a happy life: as evidenced by the recent addition of a niece to him.
However, their family's status in the county has plummeted. It turned out that the Huang family was "the pillar of Lingao", but now he has become an ordinary rural sage. In order to win the re-election of the County Council, the father and the eldest brother had to do their best to support the various "movements" of the Australians. Like a marionette...
I'm really unwilling...Suddenly, Huang Hankun completely understood. The Kun thieves were indeed not simply changing dynasties. They not only wanted to change barbarians into summer, but also completely changed the long-standing rules of the world. They don't want to share the world with gentry like themselves. Their fate will either be to become businessmen like Lin Xiucai, or to become workers and peasants under the rule of the thieves. If it is better, they will become "cadres"...
Huang Xunkun stroked his forehead and finally understood why he had been resisting the thief since he came. In a world ruled by Australians, he would not have a favorable social status, would not have the dignity to kneel before an official, would no longer have the privilege of being exempted from food, and would no longer have anyone call him "Er Huang"...
Think of this. He couldn't help but feel a surge of energy and blood. He felt like the world was spinning and his chest was tight and he felt like vomiting. He stumbled a few steps and quickly held on to the wall.
"Eh? Brother Huang, why are you here?" Suddenly someone held his arm.
Huang Hankun calmed down and saw that it was Wu Ji. A few days ago, they had a long talk in the bamboo house. Yesterday, he came to visit him specifically, so he was an acquaintance.
"It's okay, I have a temporary lack of energy and blood, and I'm a little dizzy..."
"Brother Huang, you are also an injured person. If you don't stay here, you will be taken care of. Why did you come to the street?" Wu Dai was very enthusiastic, "Come on, come on. I will take you back."
Huang Xunkun felt sorry, but he was powerless for a while. I could only say, "Thank you, Brother Wu Xian."
"Easy to say, easy to say. I just came back from school."
Although Wu Ji was a scholar, he was very strong and supported him all the way back to the lower place. It turns out that he is still studying at Nanyu Social Studies.
He said he was studying, but he was actually a "teaching assistant". In fact, he just taught his younger brothers how to read, while he studied the literature and prepared for the children's examination. This was very common in private schools and social studies at that time.
"Brother Wu Xian is knowledgeable. This child test must be from high school..." Huang Hankun had nothing to thank him for, so he could only say a few empty words of favor.
Wu Ji said with a smile: "Thank you, Brother Huang. I took the boy's examination when I was nineteen years old, and I have been wasting my time for ten years. I think I will win this time."
Huang Xunkun secretly wondered, as the saying goes, articles hate life, but how many scholars have spent their whole lives taking exams, but they will remain a child until they die. He had only taken the exam for ten years, so how could he be so sure that he would win? Could it be that some joint has been opened? Thinking that he might be able to benefit from hanging out with Liang Cunhou and others...
While he was wondering, the boy came back, and sure enough he copied a list. I don't know if they were the ones who attacked Huang Hankun that night, but they were all captured by the county government together with Lei Lunfu.
Wu Ji was very puzzled when he saw him looking at the list repeatedly. Huang Xunkun briefly talked about Lei Lunfu.
"So it's him!" Wu Ji smiled, his face full of contempt, "It would be better if he died."
"How do you say this?" Huang Xunkun said, "Although he said he attacked secretly, he did not know what he was doing. He treated the Kun thieves as if they were enemies, but he is also a loyal man..."
Wu Ji showed disapproval on his face: "Huh, he is not a loyal person. He is just a country gentry. I know a little bit about his background."
It turns out that although the Lei Lun Fu family is a native of Dongguan, they also have properties in Guangzhou city. He often came to Fucheng to enjoy himself and had many contacts with scholars in the county school.
"This man took advantage of his rich family and some power in the county to gain power in front of everyone. His family bullied others in the countryside, tortured tenants, and oppressed the villagers. I heard that they even beat people to death in order to compete for land..." Wu Ji said that two years ago, when the king's governor wanted to attack Lingao, Lei Lunfu jumped up and down, and made a lot of nonsense, saying that "the thieves have no soldiers to use" and so on, inciting the scholars to go to the purple. Minglou "supports the holy religion".
"Actually, he was preparing to snatch the woman inside. He even prepared the sedan chair and the boat to carry the woman. He was waiting to grab it and immediately carry it to the dock and stuff it into the boat to take back to Dongguan." Wu Dai smiled, "Later Seeing that everyone was ignoring them and the government was heavily guarded, and someone spread the word that Zi Ji had already been spotted by a big shot in the court, he immediately shrank..."
Listening to Wu Ji talking about the "glorious history" of Lei Xiucai, Huang Hankun couldn't laugh or cry.
"Later, when the Australian Marine Corps invaded the Pearl River, his family organized local warriors to protect themselves. As a result, they were defeated and their whole family was wiped out. Lei Lunfu also became a bereaved dog." Wu Dai was very talkative, "Your hand Although I don't know these people, I probably know that they are all similar to Lei Lunfu. Loyalty is out of the question, but it is true that they have personal vendettas against the Australians."
Huang Xunkun was secretly disappointed, and his illusion of gathering "loyal people" as a team was suddenly shattered. He also asked about the attitude of various religions and schools in the market towards Australians. Wu Ji gently shook his fan and said, "Speaking of it, it's a mixture of praise and praise."
It turns out that since Guangzhou paid the city redemption fee, although the bandits withdrew their troops from the city, they actually left a great impact. Not only did Guo Dongzhu come back in a grand manner, he started doing business better than before, and some of the secretive practices in the past were no longer used.
“Let’s just talk about these Australian products. They were originally some rare toys, but later there were more papers and ink. Later, all kinds of needlework, iron nails, tools, and farm tools came in like a flood, and there were also useful but cheap items like matches... The government didn't even ask questions, it didn't even dare to impose taxes..."
As a result, countless small businesses and workshops in Guangzhou have gone bankrupt.
"Isn't it boiling with public dissatisfaction?"
Wu Ji nodded: "Of course. There have been several riots in the city because of this matter. The government is as fearful as a tiger, so how dare they speak for the people. In addition, Australians usually feed them with money... Finally, the Australians are here There is a charity in the city. If you really can't make it, you can apply there. Those who are willing to move will be sent to Lingao for resettlement; those who are unwilling to move will go to work at the construction site of the Great World outside the city - and finally they can still make a living..."
"First, they harm the common people, and then they lure them into food and clothing. How poisonous it is!"
"Who says it's not!" Wu Ji nodded, "They are wealthy businessmen and gentry with big businesses. Some of them have made a lot of money selling Australian goods, and some of them don't care about a few small coins and just have all kinds of novel Australian gadgets for entertainment. I am very fond of Australians. Good reviews.”
Wu Dai said that the big families in the city are planning to establish relationships with Australians so that they can get a piece of the pie.
The two chatted for a long time, and then saw that it was getting late and left.
"I have to go to social science school tomorrow. Brother Huang, please have a good rest."
Huang Hankun tossed and turned in bed that night, feeling deeply that Guangzhou was the same as Lingao a few years ago. Except for the banner of the Ming Dynasty, in fact, thieves were everywhere. It is already a wishful thinking to gather anti-Kun rebels here. Seeing that the travel expenses brought by the trip took a lot of time in Guangzhou, I had to make a decision on the next step. Continue north to Fujian? Going to Nanzhi? Or just go straight to the capital...
After a hot and humid night, the morning in Guangzhou was cool and comfortable. When the citizens who were accustomed to getting up late were still sleeping, Zhang Yu, the young owner of Huifu Lane, slowly walked out of the ancestral walnut cake shop with his schoolbag in hand. Several elderly people who had woken up early and were laying down the bunks greeted him warmly when they saw him: "Xia Mizi is back to school." Zhang Yu also greeted them one by one, leaving a lot of admiration behind him: "It's really knowledgeable and polite. How long will most of my family learn to do this?" Woolen cloth."
Fifteen-year-old Zhang Yu is studying at Nanyu Social School. He is a good boy in the eyes of his parents and a good student in the eyes of his neighbors. (To be continued)
