The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 424: Cigarettes and Cigarette Cabinets

The factory whistles have stopped, and the number of people on the streets has increased. The noisy sounds of machines have been replaced by the chirping of sparrows and pop songs on the roadside radio.

In front of the street stalls, hot steam and the aroma of oil are everywhere.

Cui Daqi finally felt that the sun in the sky was not so hot anymore. He held the second bowl of sweet tofu pudding he ordered in his hand, stirred the tofu pudding covered with syrup with a small spoon, took a sip, and the sweet fragrance flowed down his throat. He felt so comfortable that he narrowed his eyes.

Old Song, the owner of a nearby street stall, saw this and said cheerfully, "Daqi, is this tofu pudding delicious today?"

Cui Daqi touched his mouth and gave a thumbs up: "It's still so great!"

Old Song grinned and boasted, "I'm not bragging, but my tofu pudding is just that authentic!"

In fact, it was difficult for Lao Song, a native of Beijing. Since the Japanese invaded the Central Plains, he had been unable to escape all the way from Yanjing. He finally settled in Yangon, which can be regarded as running from north to south.

After taking over Yangon, he found that although the business was prosperous, there were many immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong, and his traditional Old Yanjing tofu pudding could not be sold.

So he had to learn the skills from masters and became famous in Yangon's Factory Street.

"Are you reading this newspaper too?" After finishing his business, Old Song noticed Cui Daqi reading the South China Morning Post and started a conversation while sitting across from him. "Today's popular science article is about a foreign archipelago. I heard it's related to our ancestors."

"Is that so?" Cui Daqi read every word.

"Natuna Islands..." He muttered these unfamiliar words softly, his fingertips tracing the title. "Near the Malay Peninsula and Borneo, with a total area of ​​approximately 2000 square kilometers."

"This place is not small." He smacked his lips.

Old Song smiled, holding a bowl of cold tea, and said, "That's right."

Cui Daqi continued to read.

The report was well written, using simple metaphors to explain the geographical scale of the place.

It turns out that the largest island in this archipelago is called "Great Natuna Island", which covers an area of ​​1720 square kilometers.

According to the analogy in the newspaper, this place is about two and a half times the size of Singapore, one and a half times the size of Hong Kong, or as big as the entire United Kingdom's capital, London.

"Wow, this is much bigger than I thought. I thought it was just a small island." Cui Daqi muttered as he slurped another mouthful of tofu pudding.

Old Song, smoking his pipe nearby, glanced at him sideways. "What? Do you think that island is just a few rocks like those reefs in the sea?"

Compared with the islands and reefs in the surrounding sea, the great Natuna Island is an absolute giant.

Compared to the small islands and reefs before Zhang Chi crossed over, which still required the "magic of nature" to build airports and radar stations, the huge area of ​​Natuna Island means that construction can be carried out directly and freely.

"Look here," Old Song pointed to a paragraph in the newspaper. "Compared to those reefs that rely on the elements for survival, this island is solid land. We can build houses and roads, airports, radar stations, whatever we want. It's just like our village here, only it's floating on the sea."

"That's different." Cui Daqi grinned and shook his head, but there was a hint of seriousness in his eyes. "It turns out that our country now looks not only at what's right in front of us, but also at such a long distance."

Cui Daqi also discovered that any place that was promoted in the newspaper was most likely a place that the higher-ups had already taken a fancy to.

He continued reading carefully, paying close attention to every word.

This is no longer the empty boasting of people in their daily lives, but something that is happening in the real world. It is an extension of the territory that is being planned and constructed by the higher-ups.

An ordinary worker like him, who does iron moving and welding work during the day and eats a bowl of tofu pudding and reads the newspaper on the street at night, can actually keep up with the new changes in the world.

As he read, it seemed as if his brain was being filled with knowledge, and Cui Daqi felt indescribably at ease.

Suddenly, a thin figure came over, holding a wooden box that was wider than his upper body. The lid of the box was flipped up, revealing neatly stacked cigarette boxes.

The boy looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, with a straight nose and thin cheeks, but his eyes were clearly black and white and exuded a spirit of cleverness.

He stood in front of the stall and greeted the two adults with a smile, "Sir, would you like to buy some cigarettes? They've just arrived, all sourced from legitimate channels, absolutely authentic, no adulteration!"

"Hey..." Old Song puffed on his pipe, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Boy, why aren't you in school? Why are you here selling cigarettes?"

This is not a casual question.

Since the implementation of the "Regulations on Education for School-Age Children in Cities", any child registered in the household registration book in the city under the control of the Anmin Army, if not attending school, will be fined by the parents at the very least, and prosecuted and imprisoned at the worst. Even the urban management patrols on the streets are accompanied by cadres from the Education Department, and if they see any truants, they will be taken away directly.

Unexpectedly, the little boy was not at all flustered. He patted the wooden box in his arms and said with a smile, "School is over at 3:30 in the afternoon. I am working part-time to earn money for my studies. The teacher even praised me for being sensible and said that I am self-reliant and that labor is glorious!"

"Hey," Old Song laughed, "you can speak well, even better than the announcer on the radio."

Cui Daqi had finished eating the tofu pudding and threw the spoon into the bowl. He found what he heard interesting, so he stood up and walked to the cigarette box and took a look at the dazzling array of cigarette boxes.

He was stunned for a moment.

There were all kinds of cigarettes in that box. He was very familiar with the traditional Lao Dao brand, Hardman, Daqianmen, Sanpaotai, and the boxes with various patterns of beautiful women in cheongsams. They were all the products that old smokers used to smoke.

But looking further down, you will find that the local "Jade Brand", "Nanyang Brand" and "Treasure Ship Brand" are also prominently listed, with bright packaging and fashionable designs. The "Treasure Ship Brand" is especially noteworthy, with gold letters on a red background and an image of a large and prosperous ship sailing far away, like a dream of wealth and prosperity coming from Nanyang.

Cui Daqi stroked his chin and exclaimed in amazement: "This little box of yours is more fully stocked than any foreign cigarette cabinet I've ever seen. Even White Eagle's 'Camel' brand is in it? This stuff used to have to be brought to Guangzhou by sea. Once the cigarettes were opened, the smell was overwhelming."

"Of course." The boy puffed out his chest. "My brother-in-law works at the docks and has connections at the customs clearance department. These are all legitimate immigrants, assigned to me as soon as they get off the ocean freighters."

"There's this too?" Cui Daqi raised his eyebrows and took another look at the corner. There was actually a "Pegasus" brand produced by the Fourth Master's own cigarette factory.

The cigarette box was printed with a red galloping horse, which seemed to be flying and was particularly eye-catching.

He grinned and said, "This is the Red Party's cigarette. Can you buy it in Yangon?"

The little boy nodded. "We don't have the concept of red here. It's fair trade. Smokers can smoke whatever they like!"

Cui Daqi was surprised. Just from the variety of cigarettes, he could feel that Yangon's business was now more prosperous than that of Cantonese before the war.

This made him feel that this trip to Southeast Asia was the right decision.