The Australian Revolution of 1828

While the Governor-General's Office was grappling with the issue of laborers at the mines, the gold mines located 130 kilometers southeast of Hanyang Prefecture were bustling with activity.

Inside the mine, eight people formed a mining team, constantly pushing gold ore out of the mine and piling it on a wide expanse of land.

The miners were probably a bit tired from working for so long.

One of the groups put down their mining tools, found a spot, each person made a cup of tea, and sat together, chatting about things in the mine.

One of the men, around 25 years old and dressed in shorts, started the conversation, saying, "Old Chen, you were the first to come to the mine. Your contract expires in a little over two months. Have you thought about what you'll do then?"

"Do you want to stay and work in the mine, return to Hanyang Prefecture to do business, or buy a few acres of land and become a leisurely little landlord?"

The man's situation was of great concern to all the miners, especially since it concerned their final fate.

Although this is something that can only be decided after the contract expires, it doesn't stop everyone from making preparations in advance!

Old Chen was a strong and robust man, dressed in shorts and a shirt, and looked to be around 30 years old. With his contract expiring in June, Old Chen was genuinely anxious; he was practically begging for it.

However, facing a group of miners whose contracts had not yet expired, Old Chen felt a little smug.

After downing a cup of tea, he slowly said, "Old Wei, you know what, I actually quite like life in the mine, and I'm a little reluctant to leave you guys."

"If the mine is willing to keep me after my contract expires, I'd naturally like to stay and work there!"

Hearing such shameless words, Old Wei pretended to agree and said, "You still have some conscience. I've been at the mine for three years, and I'm a little reluctant to part with you."

"Rest here for a while, I'll go talk to the mine about your situation and see if they can keep you here! If the mine won't allow it, I'll risk my life to keep you here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Old Wei darted off, startling Old Chen who quickly pulled him back, saying, "Old Wei, why are you doing this? It hasn't come to that!"

"If you really want me to stay, then try bribing me."

The intention was just to joke around, to tease Lao Wei, and to bribe Lao Chen with money. But Lao Wei wasn't intimidated. He pretended not to understand and insisted on going to the mine, saying, "Lao Chen, let go, I'll go find the mine manager right now."

"We'll definitely try your bribery methods to get the mine manager to keep you here."

Seeing that Lao Wei was so "persistent", Lao Chen's attitude immediately changed 180 degrees and he said, "Fine, I'll just tell you what's on my mind. Just take it as a joke."

"Five years ago, when I first started working at the mine, it was really tough. I had to do all sorts of dirty and tiring jobs. If I didn't come to work that morning, I was basically done for."

"Back then, I was just lucky to survive that illness; otherwise, none of you would have seen me!"

"Later, a group of Negritos were brought into the mine, and they did all the dirty and heavy work. It was from this point that our lives became much easier, and the death toll dropped."

Old Wei, feeling a pang of sympathy, said, "It seems we're all lucky. If it weren't for these laborers, we could very well be one of them!"

Old Chen wholeheartedly agreed, casually taking the tea offered by a miner, taking a small sip, and then continuing, "Who can argue with that!"

"Once the contract expires in June, I'll pay off all the loans I took out, leave the mine, go back to Hanyang, marry a Han woman, and make you all so envious!"

When this topic came up, Old Wei became extremely envious, grumbling, "Old Chen, you already have a wife and children all grown up, aren't you satisfied?!"

"Have some decency and give us young people a chance!"

The two were used to joking around, so Old Chen wasn't annoyed. He just looked smug and said, "You, who just takes your salary and goes off to have fun, should shut up!"

"If you were like me and went out less often, with your current salary, marrying a local indigenous woman wouldn't be too difficult."

"Also, marrying a Han woman is considered a blessing, don't get it wrong! Local indigenous women are women too, but they're nowhere near as virtuous and capable as Han women at managing a household!"

"I work so hard to earn this little bit of money, isn't it all so I can pass on the family business?"

That's quite a far-sighted idea; Old Wei is truly ashamed of himself!

For the past three years, Lao Wei has been hardworking and has earned some money, but he just can't resist the urge to gamble. Before long, he's lost more than half of his money.

If the monthly mortgage payment hadn't been deducted before payday, Lao Wei probably wouldn't have been able to pay off his loan!

At this moment, Lao Wei felt a mix of regret and envy, and his mood was quite low. He said, "Lao Chen, you really know how to manage a household. You married a local woman, who not only had a child with you, but also helped with laundry and cooking at the mine, and you've earned quite a bit of money."

"There are also hundreds of other miners in other groups who married local indigenous women, so they could not only earn money in the mines, but also have a leisure life at night."

"No, I must give up this hobby. Once I've saved enough money, I'll marry two women. I need to earn money quickly so I can return to Hanyang and marry Han women!"

Who can argue that this isn't true!

Among the miners present were some who had married local women, and their pride was undisguised!

Just as they were getting into the conversation, a 19-year-old man who had been working at the mine since last year, whose interest was clearly not in the women, asked, "Brother Chen, if our contracts expire, do you think the mine will really let us leave?"

"I've been here for almost a year, and the management here is so strict; they don't let anyone leave the mine at all!"

Old Chen, like a martial arts master with plenty of experience, confidently said, "You're worrying too much, kid. The governor values ​​his reputation above all else; he would never do such a thing."

"He was only 13 years old when he started overseeing the mine's affairs, promising us the highest salaries to solve our problem of not having enough to eat."

"Although I later left the Industry and Mining Bureau to oversee immigration and trade, the rules and benefits I received while remaining there have never changed!"

"Like the meat you love to eat, and all the vegetables you eat, those were all ordered by the governor back then. Otherwise, you wouldn't be living such a comfortable life!"

"You ungrateful brat! All these years, we haven't starved, worked ourselves to death, or died of illness, all thanks to the Governor's kindness."

"Back then, I almost starved to death on the mainland. If I hadn't come to Hanyang Prefecture with my fellow villagers, I wouldn't have been able to find a wife, let alone have a son and a daughter."

"The governor has given us the best treatment now, so we should trust him. When the contract expires, I'm going to buy a shop in Hanyang Prefecture and live a free and leisurely life."

Upon hearing this, the 19-year-old man looked on with anticipation and agreement, saying, "It's really good here. We don't have to go hungry, and we get a monthly salary."

"Although I get less, I can still get 10 silver dollars, which is 120 dollars a year. It's so easy to pay off the loan!"

When it came to wages, Old Chen was even more proud, saying, "Yours is considered low. Our base salary is 6 silver dollars. The governor took pity on our hard work in the mine and specially gave us an extra 2 silver dollars as a subsidy."

"Of course, the mine also implements a performance appraisal system; the more work a team does, the more they earn."

"I remember the highest I ever received was 21 silver dollars, but my health has deteriorated in the last two years, and I can't receive that many anymore!"

Hearing about his senior's income, the 19-year-old man was filled with hope. He thought that if he completed the five-year contract, he could not only pay off all his loans but also save a small amount of money.

They could settle down and get married in Hanyang Prefecture, and even bring their families from the mainland over – a truly promising future.

The miners chattered amongst themselves, full of anticipation for life after their contracts expired.