The Australian Revolution of 1828

"Hey, Old Chen, it really is you!"

A man who looked to be around 25 years old suddenly rushed up to a patrol officer wearing a black peaked cap and a black uniform. Only after confirming the man's face did the officer call out.

The man suddenly appeared in front of the patrol officer, who was startled. Just as he was about to reprimand him, he recognized the man and let out a long-lost laugh. Feigning annoyance, he joked, "Old Wei, you startled me. Couldn't you have been a little more subtle?"

"Believe it or not, I'll teach you a lesson with a baton. It's my duty!"

Both men were once miners in gold mines, but Old Chen transferred to the port police station before Old Wei, working as a policeman to maintain order in the port.

Old Wei was a little late; it wasn't until August, when the laborers gradually arrived in Hanyang, that he was able to transfer to the shipyard and work as a shipwright.

Seeing Old Chen dressed in his official robes, Old Wei felt a pang of envy. He touched the fabric of the clothes and said, "Cotton?"

"Old Chen, tell me, how did you get in?"

"Your position is in very high demand!"

Old Chen didn't specify the highly sought-after job, but instead changed the subject, saying, "Old Wei, judging from your worker's uniform, you must have been transferred to the shipyard. The salary must be quite good, right?"

Old Wei's attire was simple, just traditional modern work clothes, which were very clean.

He had a freshly trimmed buzz cut and wore a blue peaked cap, distinguishing him from the military and police.

Realizing that Old Chen didn't want to talk about his position, Old Wei tactfully didn't pry too much, saying, "He just transferred to the shipyard half a month ago, and his monthly salary is eight silver dollars."

"I heard that once I get my technical qualification, the price can rise to over 10 yuan."

Old Chen was aware that Xia Guo valued skilled workers.

I paid to go to the police station because I didn't want to do manual labor, no matter how high the salary was.

Upon suddenly hearing that a shipwright who had just joined the shipyard could earn eight silver dollars, he seemed a little envious and said with a tearful face, "Old Wei, the treatment at your shipyard is really good."

"I'm just a foot patrol officer; I walk almost as much in a day as you do in a month. Guess how much I get paid?"

The relevant salaries had never been published, and Lao Wei had just transferred from the gold mine to the shipyard, so he naturally didn't know the salary levels in Hanyang. He just guessed a number and said, "Ten yuan?"

Old Chen shook his head, flicked his hand in front of Old Wei's face, and said, "Only five silver dollars, without any subsidies!"

Old Wei believed the salary figure, but he didn't believe Old Chen's hands were clean, saying, "Old Chen, you're a legitimate official of Xia Kingdom, I don't believe you don't have extra income."

The extra income all comes from traditional skills, and it's generally agreed that Xia Kingdom isn't exactly clean either.

Old Chen shook his head, saying helplessly, "I'd like some, but all the businesses here in the port belong to various government departments. How could I dare to take anything?"

"My claws aren't made of iron; they can't withstand a knife."

"If you're talking about higher-ups, maybe there's some chance, but for a lowly patrolman like me, forget about it."

"You should have gone to the shipyard or the arsenal; you'd definitely earn much more than a foot patrolman."

With his salary increasing significantly, Lao Wei was much more at ease.

If the position is good and the salary is high, the disparity is so great that it's easy to feel envious.

Fortunately, the two can be wiped off each other, which makes me feel much more balanced.

Just as Lao Wei was about to say a few words of comfort to Lao Chen, he noticed that the immigrant dormitory in the port area was crowded with people, so he immediately stopped talking and said, "Lao Chen, I'll stop talking to you for now. I'm here for a blind date today."

"If we're late, we won't be able to see the fairest one!"

Since the founding of the Xia Kingdom, nearly 2 women of marriageable and childbearing age from Xunyang have come to Hong Kong. Some of these women have already entered Xia Kingdom families and are gradually integrating into all corners of Xia Kingdom society.

However, a portion of these positions were retained, prioritizing unmarried men in professions such as arsenals, shipyards, naval forces, army, police, and seamen.

As a boatman and an unmarried man, Lao Wei was the first to fall into this category.

Since the shipyard is not far from the port, the shipyard workers were not sent to the shipyard. Instead, they came to the port to meet potential partners and choose whoever they liked.

This led to the rule of "first come, first served"!

Those who are at the front of the line for blind dates get priority in choosing, which means that the young and beautiful ones are moved away, and those who remain are not necessarily attractive.

Old Wei is a looks-obsessed person, so naturally he still wants to choose the best-looking one.

Watching Lao Wei about to leave, Lao Chen felt a lump in his throat and said, "Lao Wei, remember to come find me after your blind date. I'll be patrolling around here."

Worried that Lao Wei wouldn't be able to find me, he pointed to the police station in the port area and said, "If you can't find me, go to the police station over there."

Old Wei glanced at the location of the police station to confirm it before replying, "It's a deal. I'll come find you when I see the prettiest one I've found."

This was Lao Wei's first time going on a blind date. He had never been in one before and didn't understand the process at all, so he could only squeeze into the hall with the crowd.

Nearly 300 people came to the hall, including boatmen and workers from the arsenal.

The man in charge of the matchmaking event was a port employee. He explained the event in detail, saying, "By order of His Majesty, this matchmaking event is only for unmarried men from various factories."

"If any of them are married, please leave as soon as possible and do not break the law."

After waiting for a while and seeing no one leave, the person in charge announced the order of the matchmaking event:

Article 1: No one shall provoke trouble.

The second rule is to take a matchmaking number according to the order of entry.

Article 3: According to the matchmaking number, participants will proceed to the matchmaking stage in sequence;

Article 4: The matchmaking fee can be paid in cash or by bank loan; it is not mandatory.

Article 5. After the event, the couple shall not linger at the port, but shall return to their hometown as soon as possible to complete the marriage and report to the factory or mine where they reside.

This matchmaking event can be seen as a way to quickly stabilize the unmarried men in various factories.

Once you're married and have children, you've essentially started a family.

Men with families are different; they have to shoulder their responsibilities and work hard when it's time to work. This is the mark that is imprinted on men from Hanyang.

Old Wei received a license plate number that was in the middle range, number 119.

When Lao Wei entered, the 118 women in front of him had already been selected and registered at the port.

Old Wei tiptoed into the area where the women from Xunyang were staying. After taking a closer look, he picked out a woman with slightly fair skin and said, "She's the one!"

The process is quite simple, which speeds up the process of finding a partner.

The port workers retrieved Lao Wei's number plate, brought out the chosen woman, and presented her to Lao Wei with congratulatory words: "Congratulations on your marriage and may you have a son soon."

The woman is about 157cm tall, which is shorter than the Chinese woman.

Old Wei never expected that, in a daze, he would have his first wife, a woman who couldn't even speak his language.