According to the inherent impression, in 1802, there were only a few decades left in the rule of the Edo shogunate. Conflicts between various classes in the country intensified unprecedentedly, and the finances of the shogunate and the daimyo deteriorated extremely.

Natural disasters and man-made disasters, since the Eighth Generation Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, successive generations of bad kings, even "bedwetting shoguns" and "shogi shoguns" have appeared again and again.

The whole shogunate was inevitably shaken by the storm, and even the sun set.

But Umwonpu changed Hong Jinglai’s impression!

Naturally, the first impression that all kinds of Japanese people gave Hong Jinglai was poverty! Not only the poverty revealed by the appearance, but the overall appearance of poverty.

Both men and women are short and petite, and some women are even only over one meter tall. There is not a single fat person in sight, and the obesity rate for thousands of people is zero.

Even the name Yan Yuanpu who registered the merchant ship surveyed and registered for Liu Chengyong was perceptibly poor, with a dark complexion and not much flesh on his cheeks.

Although the person stood upright, the socks on his feet had a hole in them. It was almost winter and he was still wearing straw sandals.

But this is better than ordinary people, because 90% of the people in the cold wind are barefoot, especially those who do heavy physical labor. In such a cold weather, they are still shirtless, with only two pieces of cloth on their bodies.

There is a fig leaf for the crotch and a cloth for wiping sweat on the top of the head.

But apart from poverty, there is indeed a kind of life, not death!

Thinness comes from thinness, but most people are thin due to hard work. The laborers on the port dock are busy helping various merchant ships unload cargo. It is hard to imagine that a person with a height of 1.31.4 meters can actually be almost as tall as

He carried a package about the same size off the boat.

Corresponding to the overall poverty is a thriving happiness!

It seems that these two states should not coexist. How can one be happy if he is poor?

It must be that people these days are more likely to be satisfied. As long as they can work, they can have enough to eat. If you work hard with your hands and feet, you will never starve to death.

If the year is good, you can wear new clothes, and if you have two rice cakes at the end of the year, you will be satisfied and satisfied.

"Brother Hong, I'm right, isn't Japan even poorer than our country?" Li Xi looked at Hong Jinglai, standing there and observing carefully.

"Then didn't you find that they have a positive attitude?"

"Really? The feeling here is the same as Donglai, except it is poorer."

I sniffed my nose and saw that the sea breeze carried a salty smell, and there were many small fishing boats in the harbor. Although Xuanjie Beach is not a good fishing ground, there are always three melons and two dates.

The transformation of feudalism into capitalism seems to contain the truth right before our eyes.

"Let me ask you, what is the difference between the people of Donglai and the people elsewhere?"

"What difference does it make? We are all poor! Hahahahaha!" Li Xi rubbed his nose and laughed loudly.

Several sailors on the boat who heard the conversation also laughed. "Yes, we are all poor people."

Poor and happy!

"Look at how happy you are smiling, what difference does it make if you think about it?" Hong Jinglai also smiled.

"Well...it seems like people in other places don't laugh..." Li Xi thought for a while and gave an answer that didn't seem like an answer.

How could a person not laugh? Joy and sadness are all inherent human emotions, from birth to death, nothing more than that.

"Don't you know how to laugh? Do you also think that people elsewhere don't know how to laugh?"

Like a prophet preaching in the wilderness, Hong Jinglai sat on a barrel and looked at the people in front of him.

"It shouldn't be..."

"Xi Zhu, think about why people laugh?" Hong Jinglai pointed to the bustling dock around him.

"Because I am happy, because I am happy!" Li Xi replied very quickly!

"Yes, it's because something happened that made them happy, so they laughed." Hong Jinglai confirmed Li Xizhu's answer.

"Then tell me, when will you be happy?"

"Marry a wife, give birth to a son, earn money from this boat trip, and the head of the line will pay you wages. Are you all happy?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Even tonight we have a big bowl of white rice with a whole grilled mackerel, sizzling with oil and sprinkled with salt. Are you happy? Are you happy?"

After Hong Jinglai asked, he immediately heard four or five swallowing sounds, which were very clear.

"Hahahaha, now I wonder if you actually live in happiness every day. Although you are poor, you have enough to eat. If you earn money by sailing, you can marry a wife and have a son."

"Brother Hong is a scholar after all, and what he said makes sense. I didn't understand it before, but now you understand it as soon as you explain it (liao)."

"I didn't understand it before, but I know a lot."

Everyone joined in and listened to Hong Jinglai's preaching.

"So if you look at the people of Uhmwonpo, although they are poorer than the people of Tosanpo, they are also very happy! As long as they work, they will have enough to eat, have a good life, and have hope for the future. If they work for ten years In eight years you can save enough money to marry and have children.”

"If you think about the people you saw in other places in Badao, why are they not happy and unable to laugh?"

"A bachelor cannot afford a wife!" One person was the first to answer.

"This is one!" Hong Jinglai waved his hand with a smile.

“I can’t have a full meal on weekdays, and I can’t even have a full meal during the New Year!”

"anything else?"

"In winter, they have to work hard for the officials, but the officials don't treat them as human beings. They not only beat them, but they also work hard and don't give them food."

"When there are droughts and floods, the officials do not provide relief, but continue to collect tribute rice. If they cannot pay the tribute, they will snatch their daughters and children and sell them."

………

Everyone talks a lot. They are all small businessmen. They travel around and see a lot, so naturally they talk a lot.

"What do you think is the root of all this?"

"..." There was a moment of silence.

"Corrupt officials, extortionate taxes and extortion. Large rural households, oppressing good people!" Li Xizhu's experience was even more tortuous, and he denounced.

"The masters in the government charge too heavy taxes!" Another person said tentatively.

"That's right! It's because of exploitation! You get up early in the morning and work in the fields, while the bosses in the government do nothing but sit back and enjoy your taxes. They are not satisfied and continue to exploit the poor, exploit you, squeeze you dry, and eat your food. Flesh and blood, suck your fat!”

"Ah! Ah! That's it!"

Everyone who felt the same screamed, Hong Jing was telling the truth and everything they could resonate with.

"Because you can go to sea, you still have a way to survive. But the other people in Badao have long since lost their way!

So they won't laugh!

They can't laugh either!

When all their flesh, flesh, blood, and fat are eaten and drunk, you will be the next ones to have no chance of survival!"
Chapter completed!