April 5th, 7 days before school starts.
Early in the morning, Saint-Jesse drove his naughty Rolls-Royce to a car rental agency to return it. He no longer needed the car and was preparing to leave for Putrajaya in a few days.
After getting back the deposit for the rental car, I returned to the apartment and drove the dilapidated second-hand motorcycle to the big market.
After searching around, I couldn't find Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen's stall was not open today. His slightly immature writing style said,
"The boss is having a holiday today and we will open tomorrow."
This Spanish is probably written by Brother Chen's son. It seems that he has made some progress in learning, not bad.
Saint Jose couldn't help but feel a little strange. There was no festival today, and no one was celebrating the festival on the road.
Since Old Man Chen was not here, Saint Jose went to the market and did some crazy shopping. He bought a lot of food and drinks and some gifts, ready to make hot pot.
There seemed to be a celebration going on in Chinatown. There were quite a lot of people and it was lively. There were tributes placed on the newly made Eight Immortals tables, and some people were worshiping.
There were also people setting off firecrackers, fireworks and the like. Looking at the fireworks, they looked a bit like those produced by the Maria Fireworks Factory, but I didn’t know where the firecrackers came from.
Saint Jose couldn't help but patted his little head, feeling that he was too confused. Today was April 5th, the Qingming Festival, a traditional festival for overseas Chinese, and he, an outsider, should not come here.
People in Chinatown were indeed celebrating the Qingming Festival. Saint Jose felt that he should leave first. He was about to start his motorcycle and drive away. He would come back another day. He must not have looked at the almanac when he went out today.
"Uncle Cohen, you are here too",
Saint Jose was a little embarrassed and had to stop the car, but he didn't go into details as to why he used the word "ye".
"Ha, it's Xiao Rong and Xiao Ming. I won't go there today. You two can just take the gifts back."
Brother Chen's two sons are called Guirong and Guiming. Their names are also older characters. I always feel that they are the names of my grandfathers in previous lives. I am a little embarrassed to say their full names, so I just add a small character in front of them. It's easier to say it out loud.
"Uncle Cohen, it's okay. I'm here. I have to have a meal together before leaving. It's just a March Festival." The older Guirong said.
"Okay, you guys move your things first, and I'll buy a pack of cigarettes."
Now that the little guy said this, he definitely can't run away like this.
St. Jesus went to a nearby stationery store and bought some pieces of hard card red paper, a bottle of glue and a paper knife. He cut out and pasted a few simple red envelopes on the spot. Since he was going, he had to be more polite.
I grabbed a few more packs of cigarettes and walked toward Chinatown.
There were not many Chinese in Cordoba, and when I first met Mr. Chen, there were only about 10 tenants in Cordoba.
The Chinatown here is the old city of Science and Technology City. It is located in the old area of the immigrant city. The environment is relatively crowded. Public security and racial issues are also problems that some Chinatowns have to face.
The land prices and rents in the old city are not particularly expensive, but jobs are not easy to find, and the Argentine peso is the common currency here, so it was quite difficult when I first came here.
Overseas Chinese are very hard-working and frugal, working nearly 100 hours a week, relying on their wisdom and labor to survive here. Saint Jose admires them from the bottom of his heart.
"Xiao Rong, one for each of you." St. Jose took out a freshly baked red envelope, but the glue hadn't dried yet.
"No, Uncle Cohen."*2
"Take it, you're welcome."
"Uncle Cohen, you can't do it."*2
"..."
The two little guys had to be polite to him several times before accepting the red envelope, which made people sigh that the family taught them well.
Saint Jose then slowly walked to the corner of the street. Uncle Chen and Brother Chen were standing there to greet him, which made him a little flattered.
He didn't look sad as expected, but instead he was smiling, wearing relatively new clothes, his beard was cleanly shaved, and his hair was combed meticulously.
It couldn't be that he got the pot water out of the water, Saint Jose thought with some wickedness.
"Xiao Sai, tell me, you're already here, why don't you bring any gifts? Let's have a meal before leaving." After saying that, he trotted over quickly,
Old Man Chen is still very strong, and he and Brother Chen are holding Saint Jose's hand from left to right. Although the hand is very rough, even quite thin, it is very strong. It is like an ordinary steel claw, and it is tightly clasped.
As he walked forward, San Jose suddenly wanted to hold his forehead. This gesture was a bit like holding a prisoner, for fear that he would run away.
Different from the sadness that Saint Jose imagined, the group of people standing here in Chinatown actually felt relaxed and happy. Some people were playing traditional musical instruments, such as gongs, suonas, and snare drums. I don’t know how they got them. , it would be perfect if there is a lion dance.
Brother Chen's wife was still holding two dolls in her hands, which impressed Saint Jose with his ability, and he quickly took out a big red envelope and sent it to them.
"These are the twin sons who were born a few days ago, and they are two boys. Hey, I just want to give birth to a daughter." Brother Chen said this, but there was a bit of pride on his face.
"Boy dolls are pretty good too. When Xiaorong and the others grow up, they can marry local female dolls and have more children. Brother Chen, if you work hard, we can raise your grandchildren together when the time comes." Saint Jose said teasingly, casually .
"We Chinese generally prefer to marry Chinese people."
"Hey, your thinking is really old-fashioned. It's not bad to find a foreign girl for your boy. They both look pretty. The grandson you will have will be handsome."
Sister-in-law Chen next to her also chimed in and said that Saint Hesse didn't feel anything about this, and even took it for granted. Of course, Nige didn't want it.
After chatting, they talked about other things,
"Today is indeed a holiday for us Chinese. I came here from Peru, which is a little different from those in Nanyang and New China. Don't be too restrained. It'll be okay."
"We always keep our ancestors in our hearts. When you go to the country, do as the Romans do. There are no longer as many taboos as in the old days."
After some chatting, I found out that the Peruvian Chinese do not have so many old rules on Tomb Sweeping Day anymore.
Tomb Sweeping Day is actually a day for family members to reunite happily. People who go out to work and do business will definitely get together to worship their ancestors and use their hometown dialect to show that they do not forget their ancestors' words.
Saint Jose felt a little relieved and still handed the red envelope to Old Man Chen.
Another round of crazy politeness. It must be said that the two little guys learned the routine from their grandfather. Saint Jose covered his forehead with a headache.
Then the dinner begins. It is cloudy today and not too hot. Everyone opens the table and takes out their own benches. Relatives and neighbors cook together, set out the dishes, and come to eat.
It wasn't until the dinner party that I discovered that Mr. Chen was no longer the oldest in Chinatown. There were also several old ladies in their seventies.
Saint Jose's seat was arranged above Old Man Chen and below the old woman to show respect to the guests. Saint Jose had no choice but to sit.
The group of people also happily gathered for dinner. Today is fasting time. The fruits and vegetables bought by Saint Jose are used and the others are put away.
I have to say that even if you eat it as a vegetarian, it is very delicious. The raw materials of these vegetarian dishes are mainly green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, carrots, corn, tomatoes, soy products, tofu, yuba, fungus, etc., all of which are stir-fried with vegetable oil.
The vegetarian dishes placed on the Eight Immortals’ table are very rich.
There are many Chinese restaurants overseas, especially in Peru. Although Mr. Chen’s family does not own a Chinese restaurant, he has also learned a lot of cooking skills. Sometimes it is often just a simple meal and he has to go to work, which is very hard. So it is very common to fry and eat quickly.
Pickled radish, tofu mixed with shallots, mushrooms and celery, dried celery, cold yuba, braised tofu, vegetarian chicken, vegetarian sausage, spicy and sour potato shreds, bamboo shoot soup, vegetarian duck, vegetarian fish, vegetarian ham, etc., celery fungus, cucumber, cold salad Okra, cold seaweed shreds, and some Western dishes such as vegetable salad... filled the entire table.
Today is a holiday. We eat, chat, and make tea. It’s not very fast, and everyone is very happy.
…
I think of Chinatown at that time. It was better to say it was a Chinatown alley. It just occupied a small alley. When I came to Mr. Chen’s house to have hot pot last month, there were already many Chinese and overseas Chinese.
Especially Sister Lin Yun, the director of the invested Lanyun Garment Factory. Most of the female workers are from here, making clothes and subsidizing their families.
There are also people who open small shops outside the Prali factory, and they also do some small business to support their families.
Argentina is generally very peaceful. Since the eradication of the big gang "The Bird Brotherhood", there have been a lot fewer other gangs and factions, and the security in the old city has improved a lot.
Since Saint Jose went to Maria Town, he hasn't been to Old Man Chen for a while. He didn't expect that it has grown so prosperous in just one month, and the number of people has increased several times.
After some explanation, Old Man Chen found out that most of these people had some relationship with him. Most of them were his fellow Peruvians who came from Peru.
There are also a small number of people who migrated from the Southeast Asian country of Java, like these old ladies in their homes.
San Jose also relaxed and chatted with the big guys,
"The two little guys are quite serious about going to school,"
"It's not bad, I know how to learn it. They said it's quite easy," Brother Chen interjected from the other side.
Primary and secondary education in Argentina is similar to that of later generations, relatively simple. If you want to enter university, you need to study by yourself.
"Okay, you can come to my house to get some books then. I have bought a lot of textbooks, but I can't use them now."
"Okay, we should put more pressure on them, otherwise we will take them back to wash the dishes."
While talking about the Chinese from Nanyang, the old woman said slowly:
"There was a war in Nanyang a few months ago, and our house was burned down. Some of those who escaped on a cargo ship went to Australia, some to Chile, and some to Citi. We Chen said it was good here, so he came to Argentina..."
The old woman next to her still spoke very eloquently. She kept talking for a long time, and everyone listened attentively.
St. Hesse's thoughts also tended to Nanyang, which is the area with the largest concentration of overseas Chinese in the world. Most of them traveled across the ocean to make a living.
Indonesia is a country that has been independent for 45 years and is independent from the Dutch colonists. It is known as the country of ten thousand islands.
The Philippines became independent in 46 years. Before independence, it was a US colony. This is a Latin American Southeast Asian country that was originally ruled by Spain.
Myanmar was independent for 48 years and is a former British colony.
There are still several countries and regions in Nanyang that are not independent.
For example, Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, Sabah, and Brunei were still British colonies. When they were truly independent, they would have been at war for a period of time.
Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia are still French colonies. In the past two years, France seems to be going to war with Vietnam.
"Those Javanese are really sons of bitches, and we managed to escape."
Java Island is the largest and most populous island in Indonesia. The basic base of Indonesia was once a country, Java.
Saint Jose knew this word from reading "Water Margin" and "Dream of Red Mansions". During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, when talking about the past, he would say: I threw it to Java a long time ago.
"Grandma, those damn monkeys from Java are attacking the street kids."
St. Jose also cursed a few words, feeling unspeakably disgusted with those monkey country people, the hateful Nanyang monkeys.
"Yes, yes, there are quite a lot of monkeys in Java." Grandma was a bit deaf and misheard.
"Okay, what happened in the past is over. It would be great if we could settle down here in the future, but the Javanese monkeys are indeed not doing well." Old man Chen spoke up and said.
"Yes, we all have to look forward. There is a new life in the future." Brother Chen also agreed.
"This is not a big problem. If you have anything to do, you can contact the people at the Prali factory. Someone can help you." Both factories in Saint-Jesse have security teams, and some Chinese people have joined. Uncle Chen's Neighbor Li Qingyun is also the director of the cannery.
Some older people are not very good at speaking broken Spanish, but they can speak some Dutch. St. Jose cannot speak Dutch, but they can communicate in English and Cantonese without any barriers.
"Uncle Chen is very kind to me."
"Ah, Mr. Chen is pretty good..." the old lady, who had lost all her teeth, also said something.
"By the way, you have a lot of liquor here. It smells good. Who bought it from where?"
St. Jose saw several glass bottles of white wine on the table. It tasted very good, as good as ordinary brandy and tequila. It was very clear and the alcohol content was quite high.
"This is brewed by the Jiukang family who migrated from Nanyang."
The head of these drinks was not bad, and Saint Jose secretly made a note that they would taste better if they could be left for a while.
Everyone is a relatively honest person, and it is indeed not easy to make a living here.
It is true that since the colonial era in Nanyang, many Dutch colonists and indigenous people have been very hateful. They often engage in riots and mutinies, and even extort and kill people. What is even more terrifying is that they seek money and kill people. This situation has continued even into the 21st century. Only with the complete rise and power of China did things change.
What a tragic and painful history.
Everyone also chatted about how they would open a Chinese school when they got rich, and they were full of longing for the future.
There are now forty or fifty people in the Lanyun Garment Factory, more than half of whom are Chinese female workers. Their wages are not bad, and they have opened two clothing stores. Currently, the Lanyun Garment Factory is self-sufficient and generates a considerable surplus.
Some Chinese people who had saved money also started to build restaurants and small shops. Generally speaking, they were doing well. The shops at Prali Factory were opened in this way. The locals were not willing to do these at all.
Of course, most people who have just arrived in Science City are still in the accumulation stage. Some join clothing factories, some go to canneries, and soda fountains. Generally speaking, they are developing very quickly. Some have joined Thunder Cross in St. Jose. Peripheral team.
The entire Chinatown has been developed in a good way, and some small shops, roadside stalls and restaurants have also opened, which makes Saint Jose admire them quite a lot.
The meal started at 11 a.m. and lasted until 1:30 p.m. After the meal, we had to drink tea as usual. The tea for ancestor worship must not be wasted, so we started drinking tea again.
After drinking 10 cups of tea, Saint Jose hurriedly said goodbye to Brother Chen and Uncle Chen in the name of urinary escape, and headed back home. They talked about the marriage and hurried back.
It would be outrageous to say any more..., yes, he has experienced this more than once, he feels like he is still a child!
His stomach was full again, and he wasn't as full as he wanted. It was mainly because the elders were picking up the food, and he was too embarrassed not to finish it. He didn't like to waste either.
St. Jose rode his beloved scooter back to the apartment slowly.
I have to say that the development of this Chinatown is indeed pretty good. As long as you give it more time, it can prosper quickly. There are also many talents. At that time, some of them can be absorbed into the clothing factory. Prali Factory is also a good choice.
…
At the same time, the Potassium Triangle is where the Viper team is stationed in the Galaxy Valley.
Guerrero has begun a new round of expansion operations with the support of San Jose's large quantities of supplies, funds, food, and arms.
With Oran City as its new headquarters and Galaxy Valley as its new base, the Thunder Cross Viper team implemented a step-by-step encroachment strategy, annexing several nearby small gangs and controlling some new territories.
After thinking about it for a long time after not being targeted by other gangs, Guerrero felt that it was not feasible to continue this way, and always asked his boss to give him money for development (actually this was what San Jose gave him to buy potassium chloride).
Doesn't this show that he is too incompetent? He must develop his own financial resources, so he decided to hold a meeting again in the Galaxy Valley to convey the boss's spirit.
