Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 357 Opportunities Everywhere

On October 12, the "Pyeongchang" ship, which had been traveling with frequent stops along the way, entered the Xing'an Port terminal, intending to stay for two days in this truly "big city" of Xinhua and take on a few cargo shipments.

Xingan County was established last year and is the tenth county in Xinhua. It has a total population of over 3,200 and administers four townships: Xingan, Xindu (now Mulihe Town), Beitun, and Dongguo (now Saiwode Town), as well as more than 30 villages.

After seven or eight years of development and construction, Xing'an County is basically a "developed land". The fertile farmland is well-managed, with irrigation canals as fine as a woven net. There are wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys and spacious and comfortable farmhouses. Compared with the war-torn Eurasian continent, it is undoubtedly a fertile land.

Although Xing'an County is small, it has all the necessary facilities.

The town has a population of over 800. The streets are laid out in a square pattern, with rows of neat houses and shops lining the rammed earth roads.

The county government office, bank, tax office, trading company, warehouse, workshop, and school were arranged in order, and there was even a vocational skills school to provide labor skills training for immigrants in need.

The dock area is the busiest place in the county town.

Thanks to the natural advantage of the numerous salmon migrations here, the local government and some well-established businessmen have built several fish processing plants along the river.

Near the dock, workers were busy pickling and drying the salmon they caught, turning them into delicious and easy-to-preserve dried fish or ceramic canned goods.

These fish products not only sell well throughout China, but are also exported to Spanish America, bringing substantial wealth to Xing'an.

"There are more salmon this year than in previous years. We salted more than 2,000 catties last month alone!" A workshop owner stood by the dock, pointing to the fish being loaded onto the ship. "The residents in the south love our salted fish."

In addition to fishing, Xing'an has also developed many primary handicraft industries by utilizing the abundant resources in the surrounding area.

There are oil presses that use locally grown rapeseed and peanuts to press them into oil, which is then supplied to the local area and surrounding villages.

There were also timber mills where tall pine and fir trees were felled and then floated down the Xing'an River (now the Campbell River) to the timber workshops, where they were processed into boards for building houses or ships.

In addition, there are several building material factories such as brick kilns, lime kilns, and cement kilns near the county town, from which thick smoke billows out of the chimneys, forming clouds of black mist in the air.

However, compared to more developed counties like Shixing, Guangfeng, and Fenzhou, Xing'an's infrastructure is still quite backward. The land routes to the south are still mainly muddy paths, which are difficult to travel on in rainy or snowy weather.

Industrial development is still in its infancy, consisting mainly of low-tech, rudimentary handicrafts, lacking large-scale "modern" factories and advanced production technologies.

However, with the continued investment of the Xinhua government and the continuous increase in population, Xing'an still has great development potential.

On the dock, a port worker described the future of Xing'an with great anticipation: "In a few years, Xing'an will definitely be transformed! Once the roads are repaired and more workshops are built, it might become the most prosperous place in the north!"

"Hehe... In a few years, Xing'an will probably catch up with Shixing!" Captain Ma Changshun of the "Pingchang" said with a hint of sarcasm when he heard the port officer talking about the bright future of Xing'an.

In his view, although Xing'an has developed rapidly, it still lags far behind those long-established prosperous county towns in the south.

Upon hearing these slightly sarcastic remarks, the port officer couldn't help but glare at Ma Changshun, his face full of displeasure.

He forcefully ripped the cargo declaration list, tossed it to Ma Changshun, and said in a harsh tone, "Don't look down on people! If my Xinhua Central Government were moved to Xing'an, who knows if the development here would be worse than Shixing City?" After saying that, he turned and left, no longer paying attention to this outsider who was mocking his "hometown".

"Hey..." Upon seeing this, First Mate Zhang Gui immediately remarked sarcastically, "Even if you placed my Xinhua Central Government in your Xing'an, it would never compare to Shixing City... You're all a bunch of country bumpkins!"

Ma Changshun glared at Zhang Gui, that kid always had a loose tongue.

The dockworkers stopped what they were doing, and several burly fishermen gripped their harpoons tightly, glancing at them with hostile eyes.

Seeing this, Ma Changshun cupped his hands in apology to the people around him.

Immediately, he pulled Zhang Gui and quickly headed into the city.
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"Tch!" Zhou Bingkun sneered as he watched the group of sailors gradually disappear into the city. "Look at them, what's so superior about them! A dozen years ago, we were all the same, just refugees in the Ming Dynasty who couldn't get enough to eat and couldn't make a living!"

“Who says otherwise!” a fisherman spat. “They just arrived a few years earlier than us and got lucky enough to be assigned to Shixing City. What’s there to brag about!”

"Hey, you know what, just because they're employees of the Northern Trading Company, they can earn over a hundred silver dollars a year. That puts them way ahead of us!" a fish farm worker said with envy.

"Tu Laosi, since you're so envious of their salaries, why don't you sign up to join the Northern Trading Company?"

"I'm afraid of dying!" the man called Tu Lao Si said self-deprecatingly. "I'm still thinking about leaving more offspring for our Tu family. I can't just throw my life away on the northern wilderness."

"Haven't you heard? A group of natives attacked their trading company's warehouse, and several of the scions responsible for collecting furs were killed. Sigh, their wages are high, making people green with envy, but they have to risk their lives for them."

"We finally escaped from the Ming Dynasty and arrived in this new continent, where we can finally enjoy a happy life with enough to eat and warm clothes. If we lose our lives before we can even enjoy this happiness for a few days, that would be such a waste!"

"Look at you, you coward!" the fisherman said sarcastically. "Don't you know that in this world, the bold get rich and the timid starve?"

"Me, a coward?" Tu Laosi glanced at him sideways. "If you're so tough, why don't you apply when they're hiring?"

"I have a five-year contract with the fishing company!" the fisherman said helplessly. "Back then, I just wanted a decent job, enough to eat, and not having to work hard farming. That's how I ended up signing a five-year indentured servitude contract with the fishing company."

"Hmph, I'll just wait two more years. Once the contract expires, I'll immediately head north and make a fortune!"

"..." Zhou Bingkun watched these people chattering away, discussing how to find a way to make money, and then turned and walked towards the dock berth.

Damn it, weren't they just denouncing those outsiders?
Somehow, the conversation drifted to exploring the north.

However, thinking about it, it makes sense. This continent of New Zealand is full of gold and opportunities. As long as you are willing to work hard and endure hardship, it is easy to live a comfortable life.

With a few dozen acres of land, a few head of livestock, a house, and a wife, one can live a peaceful life with a wife, children, and a warm bed.

If you're even bolder and willing to risk your life, making a little money wouldn't be difficult.

On this vibrant land, anything is possible.
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(End of this chapter)