Chapter 134: Wanjin people
The Lunar New Year was approaching, and Wanjin Town was very lively.
Shi Pusa stood on the street, feeling a bit lost, watching the crowds of people pass by, unsure of where he should go.
Because these New Army soldiers had been serving for almost a year, they had accumulated a large amount of Copper Coins. Yuan Ye, in order to boost the economy and prosper the market, had casually implemented a Level Four combat readiness status. Currently, it was at Level Four, meaning there was no immediate war risk, and the focus was on strengthening training. Therefore, soldiers were being arranged for Shift Leave, encouraging those with accumulated money to spend it quickly, whether on food and drink or random purchases, ideally returning as Broke Persons.
However, since Shi Pusa was brought back to Wanjin by the merchant caravan, he had either been beaten in the Workshop or beaten in the Barracks, always living a Communal Living lifestyle. Now, suddenly being given leave, with no one giving him orders, he didn’t know what to do.
He stood on the street paved with crushed stones for a while. With nowhere to go, he saw a Military Police officer patrolling from a distance and quickly turned around, avoiding the officer and starting to wander aimlessly, thinking he would just get through the day and return to the camp early. Just then, he suddenly heard someone softly call out, “Is that… Brother Pusa?”
He paused for a moment, turned his head, and saw a girl of six or seven whom he didn’t recognize. He hesitated, then gave a simple smile, “Who are you?”
“It’s me, A Qi!” The girl was sure she hadn’t mistaken him. A smile immediately appeared on her small face, and she quickly walked over, reminding him, “More than half a year ago, it was Brother Pusa who sent us onto the boat. Don’t you remember?”
Shi Pusa suddenly realized. He remembered that more than half a year ago, he had gone with Guo Tailang and the others to a village to apprehend people. He had encountered a mother and daughter who had fallen, and he had escorted them to the Village Entrance. Later, he was ordered to assist these people in boarding the ship, and he had even carried this little girl for a considerable distance. However, at the time, the little girl was as thin as a stick, her hair was messy, and her face was covered in dirt, so he hadn’t recognized her.
The memories resurfaced, striking his soul. He immediately asked with concern, “Is your mother well?”
“My mother is quite well.” A Qi moved closer to look at Shi Pusa and noticed he had changed a lot too. Although still as sturdy, he was now half a head taller than before, not quite like a stone block anymore. Moreover, there was a faint scar on his left cheek, which was a bit frightening. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Brother Pusa, you’re injured?”
Shi Pusa touched his face and gave a simple smile, “Just a scratch, it’s nothing. I’ve been getting extra meals for a long time!”
This was from a recent Combat. The enemy had too many people, and the Matchlock Gun small flags were deployed on both sides to bombard the enemy’s flanks. They, the Spearmen, were ordered to advance under a hail of arrows and actively attack the enemy’s main camp. He was at the very front and couldn’t remember how many times he had been hit by arrows. His iron mask was even shot off before he could get close to the enemy. Finally, he charged forward and poked them away. Afterward, he discovered a large gash on his face—it seemed a dying Samurai had suddenly jumped up and slashed him, but before the blow landed, he was stabbed several more times by people behind him and died on the spot.
But despite being injured, he wasn’t at a loss. He received injured treatment, ate Sick Bay Meals alone for ten days, and received a combat injury subsidy. At the same time, because of his exceptionally brave performance and fighting without retreat despite his injuries, he greatly boosted morale, earning a major commendation. After the New Year, he could attend the Camp School and successfully pushed aside Guo Tailang, the Deputy Small Flag, to be promoted to the “Interlocking Spear” of their five-person team—the one who specifically stabbed diagonally at the enemy to create an opening under the cover of others. This role was more dangerous and required higher personal skill and tactics. Post-war commendations prioritized this role, making it somewhat of an honor.
In any case, he was quite satisfied. He felt the Sick Bay Meals were delicious, and after getting this scar, even the Military Police treated him with a bit more respect, considering him a genuine veteran with meritorious service. Therefore, he felt the blood he lost was well worth it and very satisfying.
A Qi didn’t understand much about fighting. Seeing his nonchalant expression, she felt relieved and asked with concern, “Then where are you going, Brother Pusa?”
Speaking of this, the happiness in Shi Pusa’s heart instantly vanished, and the feeling of being lost and adrift returned. He paused for a moment before saying, “I… I’m just wandering around.”
A Qi immediately pressed, “Where are you going to wander?”
“I don’t know…”
A Qi had seen many soldiers wandering around town these past few days. She immediately volunteered, “Then I’ll take you, Brother Pusa. I know where you guys like to go the most!”
“Okay!”
Shi Pusa immediately agreed and followed A Qi down the street. They turned a few corners without reaching their destination, and many people along the way were walking in the same direction as them. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Are there so many people in the village now?”
He had been confined to the barracks, and the few times the army had set out, they hadn’t passed through the village. His impression of Wanjin was from about a year ago. He felt that Wanjin wasn’t like this back then; there weren’t as many people, nor as many houses. Even the streets were just dirt roads, unlike the smooth ones now.
In terms of this area alone, it didn’t seem much worse than Atsuta Port.
A Qi had been living here since she was brought here. Seeing it every day, she didn’t feel much difference. She laughed happily, “It’s probably because the New Year is coming, so everyone has come out.”
Was that it? Shi Pusa nodded vaguely and didn’t ask further. It wasn’t his business. He just followed A Qi, walking along the street until they reached the area near the Pier—Wanjin’s current expansion direction was towards the pier, and the land between the pier and the original camp was almost filled.
Upon arriving here, A Qi pointed ahead and said, “Brother Pusa, this is it. Your companions like coming here the most.”
Shi Pusa looked ahead and saw that it was filled with small stalls, mostly selling food and drinks. Even though the weather was relatively cold, the various snack stalls were mostly occupied, with nine out of ten customers being off-duty soldiers with short hair, wearing Tops and Trousers.
Shi Pusa was a bit bewildered. Eating in the camp didn’t cost money, and they could eat as much as they wanted. Why would they eat and drink outside? Wasn’t that foolish? He asked A Qi curiously, “They like coming here? For food?”
“Yes, for food and drink!” A Qi said, pointing to a shop, “That one is the most famous. I heard Lord Nohara Saburo personally wrote the signboard, and Lady A Man occasionally visits.”
Shi Pusa immediately felt a sense of reverence. He looked closely at the signboard but couldn’t read the characters and didn’t know the shop’s name. However, he could see that it was the most prosperous shop, almost fully occupied. This shop was the earliest private establishment in Wanjin. The owner had originally been promoted from the Coolie Brigade to work in the Workshop. He unexpectedly discovered a business opportunity, secretly picking plums in the summer, using his wages to privately purchase Rice, and making his own yeast to secretly brew wine in Bamboo Tubes and sell it to his companions.
Because the Workshop workers had some wages left after deducting their food expenses, and there was nowhere to spend money in Wanjin at the time, everyone was eating communal meals. Therefore, the lightly brewed wine he secretly made was very popular and sold exceptionally well.
Then he was caught by the newly appointed Director of the Eastern Depot, A Man. In her report, she accused him of “habitual idleness, hindering production” and sent him directly back to the Coolie Brigade to play with Mud in Tietian. She also confiscated all his homemade wine and stored it in her own room for personal safekeeping, occasionally sneaking a few Bamboo Tubes for herself.
After she was reported, either openly or secretly, by A Qing, Yayoi, Yuan Ye followed the lead and discovered this talent. He quickly brought this “speculative and disruptive” brewing genius back from the wilderness, lent him some money, and gave him a three-year tax-exempt certificate and three years of free use of a property. This allowed him to open Wanjin’s first “tavern,” thus giving Wanjin its first entertainment venue. Yuan Ye himself disliked alcohol, but he was an adult and wouldn’t impose his preferences on others. Therefore, if someone wanted to sell alcohol, as long as they paid taxes and ensured drinking safety, he wouldn’t order a strict prohibition of alcohol in his territory.
Since then, people had gradually started applying to operate catering businesses, earning the Copper Coins from the workers. After the first wave of immigrants was brought back, Wanjin became even more vibrant. Centered around this establishment, it developed into a small catering hub, selling soy sauce wontons, soy sauce Buckwheat noodles, grilled fish and shells, rice cakes and sour rice, and all sorts of other things. Most Wanjin residents would come here to improve their meals or relax with a drink, and it had gradually become a habit.
However, most business owners were afraid of debt. Even though Yuan Ye didn’t charge interest, they were unwilling to take on debt. Currently, most of them operated as roadside stalls, and the development was still very primitive. It would be difficult to find a proper shop to move into anytime soon. It would likely take some more time before a full catering street could be established here.
Of course, some people took a crooked path. Seeing that Yuan Ye had relaxed personal controls and allowed small businesses, some people discovered that Wanjin had a large population of single men, and the demand for certain needs was vast, promising great profits. They planned to entice a group of immigrant women to start some kind of business, claiming that as long as they were willing to Sacrifice, they could get rich lying down.
Yuan Ye was not lenient with such people. He immediately instructed A Man to arrest him and send him to Tietian for re-education. He also stayed up late to compile a 《Market Management Regulations》, roughly categorizing businesses: which must be state-run, which support private enterprise, and which would lead to death if touched, to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Shi Pusa, of course, didn’t know about the efforts Yuan Ye was making to promote circulation, recover currency, reduce resettlement pressure, and increase future government revenue. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t understand. He only wanted to patronize the famous shop personally certified by Lord Nohara Saburo, but he didn’t want to spend money on wine, so he gave up. Seeing that he didn’t want to drink, A Qi thought for a moment and then took him to the street next door.
There were fewer people here, but there were still quite a few stalls. Some people’s attire indicated they were not from Wanjin. When Wanjin residents first arrived, 99% were destitute, and some of their Clothes could barely cover their buttocks. Therefore, the Clothes were all provided by Yuan Ye, consisting of Tops and Trousers for both men and women. He also suggested that men cut their hair short and offered a pair of large shorts to those who did. Thus, Wanjin residents and outsiders could be easily distinguished.
These outsiders were mostly Traveling Merchants, selling small items that Wanjin could not yet produce itself. After all, with more families, the items needed were often strange and varied, making it impossible to manage everything. Individuals had to purchase what they needed themselves. However, these Traveling Merchants were confined to selling here and could not wander the streets, which was inconvenient. All Traveling Merchants also had to report their identities and obtain business permits from A Man. This had led to the capture of some inexplicable spies, but it didn’t matter, as these people could not approach important locations.
At the same time, many islanders had also arrived. After long-term interaction, none of them had been captured by Wanjin as coolies. Some of the bolder ones had started coming here to retail various fresh Fish Catches to earn more income. They would also purchase small items like needles and thread here themselves, enjoying the same rights as Wanjin residents, not being robbed or exploited. If they were cheated by Traveling Merchants, they could even file a complaint.
Wanjin’s official “General Store” was also located here, selling everything from Rice and Wheat to Cloth, as well as lamp oil, Wooden Buckets, and Pottery. However, transportation capacity was currently mainly used by the Workshop. Apart from Grain, most general goods temporarily served only to stabilize prices and would often be out of stock, requiring purchasers to wait and make a large consolidated purchase once a sufficient quantity was gathered.
A Qi was very young but liked the small ornaments sold here. Seeing Shi Pusa just looking around and not examining them closely, she actively suggested, “Brother Pusa, some of your companions also like coming here to buy things for their homes. Do you want to pick something out too?”
Shi Pusa immediately shook his head and gave a simple smile, “My whole family died long ago.”
A Qi was not surprised. Shi Pusa was clearly a pure-blooded old Wanjin resident, and most old Wanjin residents were bachelors, which was normal. She thought for a moment and then enthusiastically suggested, “Then let’s go to the north of town. There are many acrobats, Puppeteers, and Zaju Opera performers there. I heard they came from Atsuta Port and borrowed a venue from Lord Nohara Saburo. They will perform until after the New Year.”
Shi Pusa shook his head. He wasn’t interested in acrobatics either. Those performers would ask for money after their show or charge a fee to watch. He didn’t like those people, but wandering around aimlessly wasn’t a solution either. He thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go eat a bowl of Buckwheat noodles. I haven’t had Buckwheat noodles in a long time.”
In this Era, Buckwheat noodles were usually eaten during the New Year. So, he felt he was celebrating the New Year now, and eating a bowl of Buckwheat noodles would make the trip worthwhile.
“Buckwheat noodles?” A Qi hesitated, looked at the sky, and said to him, “Brother Pusa, why don’t you come to my house to eat? My mother knows how to make Buckwheat noodles, and she always said she wanted to thank you. She’ll be happy if you come!”
“Your mother?” Shi Pusa’s interest immediately piqued. “Great, let’s go right away!”
