Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 415 New Year’s Eve
ps: This week, the novel has been recommended for the first time since it was published more than two years ago. I hope everyone will vote for it! Thank you very much!
Time and distance have created different living scenes in South America and the Far East, but despite the thousands of miles of distance, the cultural customs passed down for thousands of years remain unchanged.

As the end of the year approaches, people who have been busy for a year have temporarily put down their work and begun to prepare for the new year.

To kill chickens and sheep, the adults in the village opened their own pig pens, selected fat pigs, tied up their four hooves, put them on a two-wheeled cart, pulled them to the center of the village, shaved them, and slaughtered them.

There are many kinds of livestock raised by local farmers. The most common ones are chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, alpacas, guanacos, wild deer, pheasants and other animals. Among these animals, in addition to beef cattle and sheep that are mainly exported to overseas areas, every farmer's home generally raises a few or dozens of water buffaloes and domestic pigs. Water buffaloes have mild habits and have a domestication history of nearly 10,000 years. They are often used as a supplement to steam machinery and as the main labor force in the fields. Domestic pigs are one of the main sources of meat for the people. During festivals, one is slaughtered to change the taste of the children in the family and is also the main meat for entertaining relatives and friends.

Near Yangzhou's Xinjingfu, there is a rural mountain village by the sea. As the earliest base of the Han Dynasty and the government's policy of encouraging childbirth, the originally primitive and desolate Jingbian Town has a population of over 10,000 and the local economy is becoming more and more prosperous.

In the center of the town, more than a dozen Chinese men ranging from their teens to their twenties to their forties were busy boiling water, slaughtering pigs, shaving and other tasks. Around the busy Chinese men, hundreds of men and women, holding their young children in their arms, stood near the two-wheeled carts used to pull pigs, watching the men slaughtering pigs while chatting with each other about the harvest of the past year.

The children, aged between three to five and eight to nine, with pigtails and holding various small toys such as paper windmills and small bells in their hands, ignored the scolding and shouting of the adults and ran and played back and forth near the crowd like ducklings.

The town center was bustling with activity. Folks, familiar or unfamiliar in the past, all had smiles on their faces and were happily chatting with each other.

At this time, outside the pig-slaughtering man, on the country road leading to the town market, twenty or thirty Chinese people appeared, pulling two-wheeled carts piled with goods.

They are fishermen living in Xincuo Village, Jingbian Town. Their two-wheeled carts are loaded with recently caught fish.

"In recent years, God has been very kind to us. The crops, cattle and sheep in the fields and pastures have grown well. The sea has also been fine. We have not encountered any big storms when we went fishing. It is really a blessing for your Majesty that we have settled down in South America."

A middle-aged Chinese man in the crowd sighed.

"Compared to my hometown in the Far East, life in South America is so much better. Just like when we went fishing a few days ago, we drifted in the sea near the village for a day and caught a boat full of fish. We were just thinking that the New Year was coming soon, so we went to the sea to catch some fish to change the taste of the children and neighbors at home. Who knew that we were lucky? More than 20 people went out to sea and brought back 20 full fishing boats. The population of Xincuo Village is only 700 to 800. After each household got dozens of kilograms of fish, there were still eight or nine boats of fish left. It would be a waste if the remaining fish could not be eaten. So the town market is not far from Xincuo Town, and it is not by the sea. We pulled the remaining fish to the town and sold them before the New Year. Maybe we can earn a few more Han yuan and buy a few more toys for the children at home."

Another man in his forties with dark skin, with a Rongcheng accent, asked with a smile, "Brother Yang, Guangzong, Guangcheng, and Guanghai are all promising. Guangzong is even more amazing. He is now a high-ranking officer in the navy. I heard that he commands an ironclad ship alone. He is an amazing figure. Normally, you should stay at home and enjoy your retirement since your three sons are so promising. Why are you still following us to go fishing at sea?"

"Hehe, it's not as good as Brother Zhou said. The eldest brother Guangzong was just promoted to the captain of a naval destroyer two years ago. His rank is still a major, so he is not a big shot."

Yang Kaifu was happy and said with a smile on his face. "The top students who graduated from the Naval Academy are not ordinary people. Our Xinjing Prefecture is the birthplace of His Majesty, with a population of 700,000 to 800,000, but every year, only 80 to 90 students can be admitted to the Naval Academy. Although our Great Han Kingdom does not have the imperial examination, passing the intermediate school graduation examination and entering the university preparatory course is similar to the previous imperial examination. As long as you can graduate from the university, you can apply for a government official position or a technical manager in a state-owned enterprise. There is a great chance of success. Moreover, the Naval Academy is different from ordinary universities. After graduation, you will directly become an officer who eats royal food. The status and treatment are not comparable to ordinary university graduates."

"The navy's salary and benefits are so good. An ordinary soldier can get 30 yuan a month in salary plus subsidies, which is almost three months' salary for a city worker. My second son joined the navy's Atlantic Fleet and sent 21 yuan home in the first month. Now, he has been in the navy for more than half a year and has sent 130 yuan home. I have kept all this money and am waiting for a few days after the Chinese New Year when he comes back for his New Year holiday. I will use this money to ask a good matchmaker to help him find a marriage partner, which will also put an end to the worries of my husband and me."

"My Guangzong has been in the army for many years. He is getting old. After the New Year, it is time to arrange a marriage for him."

Thinking of his eldest son, Yang Kaifu spoke.

"The boy Guangzong is now an official of the imperial court. How can he be interested in a girl from an ordinary family?"

"Brother Wang, what you said is not right. Even if the eldest brother is an official now, he is still a descendant of the Yang family. How dare he despise the girl that our father and mother helped introduce to him?"

"That's right. It's different now. The Emperor of the Han Dynasty advocates equality for the people. Although officials are popular, they are not like the officials of the previous dynasties who were arrogant and looked down on ordinary people."

The dark-skinned man nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "I watched the Yang family kid grow up. How could I not know what kind of character that kid has? If you ask me, the eldest brother of the Yang family and my second daughter grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Why not arrange for them to meet after Guangzong comes back from vacation and reconnect with their previous relationship? Brother Kaifu, don't you think so?"

"Brother Silang, Songlan is a well-behaved and obedient girl. My husband and I like her very much. But isn't Songlan a little young?"

"She's not young anymore. After the fifteenth day of the lunar year, she will be eighteen in three years. When Emperor Guangzong comes back, we'll arrange for them to meet in person. If the two children feel they are suitable, we'll settle the marriage first. It won't be too late for Songlan to enter the Yang family in three years."

"Then we have a deal. Before the New Year, Songlan cannot be promised to anyone else. When the eldest brother comes back, they can meet immediately."

"Of course, of course. My daughter Songlan is usually well-behaved and sensible. I am not willing to marry my daughter to anyone other than your Yang family's Guangzong."

The dark-skinned man laughed and said happily: "Don't think that I, Wu Silang, have been wandering on the sea for a long time and have a dark appearance. My daughter is fair and pretty. She is a perfect match for your eldest son."…………

(End of this chapter)