Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 230: Human Heart (Continued)

March 3, Qinglong Festival

February 2nd is the day when the dragon raises its head, also known as the Qinglong Festival.

"Dragon" refers to the seven constellations of the Eastern Canglong among the twenty-eight constellations. At the beginning of the Mao month in mid-spring every year (Dou Zhizhidong), the "Dragon Horn Star" rises from the eastern horizon, so it is called "Dragon Heads Up".

In addition, this day is also the birthday of the land. According to folk custom, people worship the land god and pray for a good harvest and local peace in the year.

During festivals, it is common in China to add the word "dragon" to the names of many foods.

Eating dumplings is called eating "dragon ears".

Eating spring rolls is called eating "dragon scales".

Eating noodles is called eating "dragon beard".

Eating rice is called eating "dragon seeds".

From a scientific point of view, on February 2, or around the time of "Qingzhe", the earth begins to thaw, the weather gradually warms up, and farmers bid farewell to their slack season and begin to work in the fields.

Therefore, many places call "February 2" also "Shang Erri".

The Qinglong Festival is also called the "Spring Ploughing Festival".

In a wasteland several miles northeast of Fort Sunningdale (now the small town of Oak Bay east of Victoria), more than 50 immigrants sat on the ridges of a newly-formed field after lunch, listening with great interest to a young man's passionate preaching.

"…1632, uh, that was last year, the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign. On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the Yellow River burst its banks at Mengjin. The floodwaters flooded over ten prefectures and counties along both banks, killing and injuring tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians, and merchants. However, the local government in Henan failed to provide effective disaster relief, forcing countless people to migrate and beg for food everywhere, leaving them with nowhere to go. Eventually, they united in rebellion, wreaking havoc on the Central Plains."

"...Last year, refugee riots repeatedly defeated government troops in northern Shaanxi, devastating nearly the entire province. The situation then spread to northwestern regions like Shanxi and Gansu, triggering widespread resurgence. They attacked local prefectures, counties, and towns, plundering the people and turning into bandits, leaving even more refugees homeless."

"...The Liaomin Rebellion that broke out in Shandong and Denglai two years ago was caused by soldiers on their way to Liaodong, starving and stealing a chicken from a local gentry household. They were then forced to rebel, spreading cholera throughout Shandong. Just tell me, how absurd and ridiculous this excuse is!"

"Right now, in China, in the Ming Dynasty, natural disasters and riots continue unabated. Millions of people are displaced, starving and homeless, living in constant fear. Countless people have died of starvation and freezing in the winter."

"The Ming Dynasty had long been destitute, with the common people having no hope of survival. From northern Zhili to Guangdong and Guangxi, from Sichuan to Jiangnan, the rich had fields stretching for miles, while the poor had no place to stand. Well, in other words, despite the constant natural and man-made disasters of the Ming Dynasty, those wealthy officials continued to live a life of luxury, completely unconcerned with the lives of the people, leaving them to fend for themselves."

"...Everyone, think about this carefully, and compare it with tonight. You will then realize how rare it is to have such a good life in Xinhua, and how lucky you are to be here!"

When he got excited, the young man waved the newspaper in his hand vigorously, as if to arouse the gratitude of the immigrants sitting in front of him.

The immigrants sitting on the ridges of the fields just arrived in Xinhua last year. After being fed for a winter, their once skinny and haggard appearance has become a little "plumper" and their complexions are more rosy than before.

After hibernating, they were driven out by the colonial management staff to open up new fields while the temperature was still warm.

This clear-cut forest is still covered with tree roots and weeds. The remaining snow in some deep gullies has not yet melted, adding a sense of desolation to the withered earth.

At this time, the grass and trees have not yet sprouted, and the dead branches and leaves are still dry and hard, which is a perfect time to burn them. This not only removes the grass roots on the ground and kills the insect eggs buried in them, but also adds a layer of nutritious wood ash to the farmland.

After the fire, the settlers took up pickaxes, hoes, chisels and other tools to dig out the tree roots that had not been burned, flatten the slopes, fill the potholes, and thoroughly clean up the land into real farmland that could be cultivated.

These tasks were still very strenuous, and coupled with the still-low temperatures, the hot meals delivered to them were already icy cold before they had even taken a few bites. Life was truly difficult. To boost morale and win over the people, they inevitably drew comparisons, exaggerating the dire situation in the Ming Dynasty and then comparing it to the current good life of the Xinhua people, which was now well-fed and well-clothed. These hardships seemed nothing compared to the previous ones.

In this world, there is nothing more comforting than having a full stomach, and nothing that people who have suffered can appreciate more than having a place to stay and clothes to keep warm in winter.

Think about it, in the Ming Dynasty, people still work as hard as oxen and horses all year round, but at the end of the year, they cannot fill the stomachs of themselves and their families, nor can they survive the cold winter safely.

"...Fellow villagers, I'm afraid you might not know something." The young man pointed eastward. "On the east coast of New South Wales, in the British territory, these immigrants also came from their homeland, and they also sought to colonize and cultivate the land. But under the rule of the British, these immigrants are absolutely living worse than dogs."

"...The immigrants there are called indentured servants. You know, slaves who have signed an indenture to sell their bodies! From the moment they sign that contract, they no longer belong to themselves. During the term of their contract, they need to work like slaves, clearing wasteland, farming, feeding livestock, building houses, and sometimes even bathing their owners' cats and dogs. They're busy from morning till night, with no rest at all."

"What's even more despairing is that the service periods for these indentured immigrants are sometimes not fixed. The masters can always find various excuses to extend the service period. For example, if you're sick, you need to make up for the work time you missed. Or if the farm tools you use are broken, the indentured servant will be charged."

"As the days and months pile up, a four- to five-year contract service period can eventually become eight, ten, or even a lifetime. ... Tsk tsk, some Yi immigrants never regain their status, let alone enjoy a single day of good life, until they die from exhaustion."

"Look at the good life you have in Xinhua. When you're hungry, you have food to eat, and you're well fed. When you're cold, you have clothes to wear, so you won't freeze. When you're sick, there are doctors to treat you, so you can quickly get back to your normal life. Our Xinhua government is a very trustworthy one. If they say the service period is four years, it's four years. As long as you don't make any serious mistakes, even a day longer won't prevent you from becoming a free farmer."

"If you don't believe me, go ask the farmers in Shangwan Village next door. They've just finished their service and have been assigned there. Each of them has been given 40 mu of good land and a nice wooden house. They can grow their own crops and earn money, and they can save everything they harvest. Just thinking about those good days is exciting!"

"We all have hope. As long as we work hard, obey the government and the colonization management staff, complete our assigned tasks every day, and accumulate a little labor merit, when the agreed four-year service period is up, we can live a happy life like them!"

"..."

The immigrants sitting on the edge of the field listened with a sympathetic heart and were deeply moved. His words also resonated with many of them.

The situation on the east coast of New South Wales may be too far away, and the affairs of the barbarians will not make them feel any sympathy.

But the situation in the Ming Dynasty, various natural disasters, many famines, and riots by refugees, all happened in reality.

There were also many refugees from Liaodong among the immigrants, who could empathize with the chaotic situation and the fact that the people were treated like grass.

Moreover, the comparison of the living conditions before and after, as well as some immigrants who were arranged to narrate the many tragic things that happened to them, made it clear at a glance how hard they had struggled to survive, with no food to eat and no clothes to wear, and how they lived a stable and peaceful life after immigrating to Xinzhou.

Although there is still endless work to do in Xinhua, at least the managers above can ensure that they have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear.

In the Ming Dynasty, even if you work as a farmhand for a gentry or landlord, you probably won't get the good treatment you get here.

Xinhua people would give them meat from time to time!
Especially when I first arrived, it was said that the fishing season had arrived, and buckets of salmon were caught ashore, then chopped into pieces and thrown into the pot to boil. The delicious fish soup and fatty pieces of meat were so delicious that you could almost swallow your tongue.

There are also big fish (whale) that is very chewy, tender venison, and rich bone soup. This food is better than that of the rich families in the village.

Of course, the most common foods they eat are still corn buns, sweet potato porridge, corn paste, and stewed potato cubes, but these foods can fill your stomach and completely get rid of the fear of hunger.

What shocked all the new immigrants the most was that Xinhua provided three meals a day, and the quantity of each meal was not reduced at all, which was even more substantial than the meals during the busy farming season in the Ming Dynasty.

The immigrants’ thoughts are actually very simple and practical. They provide me with food and clothing and are my parents. Let alone asking them to obey the government’s management, why not even work for them with their lives?

Human hearts are just that simple.

(End of this chapter)