bookrandom Chapter 54 Development of Island Fishing Villages
Chapter 54 Development of Island Fishing Villages
"That's not there."
He was not concerned about the content of their conversation, but about Jiang Nianwei. Thinking of the two of them being alone, he always felt inexplicably uncomfortable in his heart.
Jiang Nianwei was just about to answer when she saw Jiang Siyu running over with a joyful look on her face.
"Sister, sister, Duan Yun said he wants to take me fishing at sea! Can I go?"
Duan Yun followed closely behind, also with a gentle smile on his face, and slowly explained: "Miss Jiang, since our house was destroyed, our food reserves have been running low. The food we have collected so far may only sustain our lives for a few days. I plan to go fishing at sea like I did in the past to ensure our food source. But this time it's different, all the fish we catch will belong to us."
In the past, officers and soldiers had to take 80% of the fish, and they could only get some small fish and shrimps.
Jiang Nianwei still had some worries in her heart, as the current situation was a mixture of internal and external troubles.
Everything on the island needs to be rebuilt urgently, and rising from the ruins is not an easy task.
What worries her even more is that once the forces outside the island realize that something is wrong here and once the war breaks out, they may find it difficult to resist.
Although she has accumulated a considerable amount of silver in her space, wealth is something that more is always better.
She had a bolder idea, which was to take control of the economic lifeline of the Great Zhou. This would not only give her family a better life, but would also provide financial support even in the event of a war. As everyone knows, the most important thing in a war is financial support.
"Sister, can I go?" Jiang Siyu pulled her sleeve and shook it again.
Jiang Nianwei came back to her senses and said, "You can go, but you can only move around in the nearby waters, and you must take me with you."
Ah Zhao also asked at the right time: "Can I go and take a look too?"
Duan Yun agreed immediately, "Of course, let's go, let's set off now!"
In fact, Jiang Nianwei's trip was also to observe the situation in the surrounding waters. Xizhou Island is not far from here, and there are officers and soldiers stationed there. Although she doesn't know what the current situation is, it is better to be cautious.
It was also the first time for Jiang Nianwei to step onto a fishing boat. There were already several men who were good at fishing standing there with their upper bodies naked. The sun tanned their bodies dark, and they seemed to be accustomed to such work.
Jiang Siyu covered her eyes in shame, not daring to look again.
Duan Yun reminded: "Brothers, put on your clothes quickly, don't you see there is a girl here?"
Everyone then picked up the tattered coats and put them on casually.
The burly man grinned, "Miss Jiang is here, I must show you my skills today!"
When the fishing boat reaches the deep sea, they skillfully throw the fishing nets into the ocean.
Jiang Nianwei was sitting on the slightly old fishing boat, which was swaying on the sea.
A sudden huge wave hit her so hard that she almost couldn't stand.
Just when she was about to lose her balance, Ah Zhao grabbed her hand tightly and said, "Be careful, the wind and waves are strong."
She smiled and responded, "Okay."
The water in the deep sea is unusually blue. If you look at it a few more times, you will be attracted by the endless blue and fall into it.
Jiang Siyu gazed curiously at the fishing net that was gradually tightening, her heart full of anticipation.
As the fishermen pulled rhythmically, the fishing net gradually emerged from the water.
There was a silver glow in the net, and all kinds of fish were jumping in it. The fishermen operated the net skillfully, pouring the fish in the net into the cabin one by one.
The fish were tumbling in the cabin, making a "pa pa" sound. Duan Yun picked up one at random, showing his white teeth and smiling, "This fish is called tuna. It is freshly caught and tastes best when eaten raw!"
He took out a knife and cut off a few pieces of fish meat, then handed them to the three people. "Try this."
Jiang Nianwei looked at the bright red fish meat and felt that it looked familiar, as if it was the tuna we eat today. She put it into her mouth without hesitation. The fish meat was fresh and had no fishy smell. It tasted sweet and fresh.
The other two people were still a little hesitant at first, but when they saw Jiang Nianwei tasting it so calmly, their doubts gradually dissipated.
Jiang Siyu's eyes lit up, "It's really delicious. I've never eaten fish meat so delicious before."
Ah Zhao couldn't help but exclaim, "It's a rare delicacy."
The burly man next to him was sweating profusely, but still smiling. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said leisurely, "Miss Jiang, do you know that there are many good things hidden in this vast ocean?"
Jiang Nianwei chewed the seafood in her mouth carefully, which was extremely delicious, but she did not forget to observe the surrounding environment.
There were only a few islands around, and only two of them were inhabited, Xizhou Island and Nanzhou Island. From a distance, the situation on Xizhou Island seemed a little strange. Perhaps it was because of what she did last time, or perhaps it was the result of the typhoon, most of the cargo ships that were originally docked there had already gone.
Anyway, she has already got the gold and iron ores. The most important thing now is how to refine these gold and iron ores.
Jiang Nianwei and Jiang Siyu sat side by side at the stern of the boat. The sea breeze blew gently, carrying a faint scent of sea water, brushing through the tips of their hair and blowing away the afternoon heat.
This time there was a great harvest. The fishing boats were filled to the brim. And there was no need to distribute the fish and shrimp to the officers and soldiers. Everyone sorted the fish and shrimp and each person got a full bucket, and the rest was given to others.
As night fell, a bonfire was lit on the beach. Everyone was chatting and laughing while eating seafood. It seemed that this was the most satisfying day for these exiled prisoners since coming here.
Jiang Yan drew a layout map and said, "In the future, we can do this. Although part of the ditch we dug before was washed away by the sea water, the general shape and position are still there. We can dig the ditch to this position."
He pointed to the location on the map and continued, “Then that land can be used for farming, and houses can be concentrated in that area.”
Compared with her father's plan, Jiang Nianwei was more worried about other issues. When the officers and soldiers were stationed here, there were many restrictions and the fishermen were often oppressed.
The villagers in the fishing village are still kept in the dark and have no idea about the changes happening on the island.
On this remote island, they don't care who holds power or who is the emperor. The only thing they care about is whether they can have enough to eat tomorrow and whether they can store enough surplus food.
As long as their daily needs for food and clothing can be met and they can live a rich and stable life, I think no one in this world would resist.
"Dad, you have always been sharp-tongued and good at persuading people. The important task of negotiating with the village chief tomorrow will be handed over to you."
Jiang Yan stroked his beard, smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, I will naturally make them understand that accepting us will do more good than harm to them."
Afterwards, Jiang Nianwei turned her gaze to her eldest brother, pulled him to a deserted side, and the two began to discuss the island's defense issues in a low voice.
"This place has a sparse population, and there aren't many soldiers guarding here, so their weapons don't look very sophisticated."
Jiang Nianwei was well aware of this. It was precisely because their weapons were not sophisticated enough and the officers and soldiers did not expect that these fugitives would actually resist and were careless that they failed.
Jiang Nianwei thought for a while and replied seriously: "Don't worry about the weapons. I have a large number of weapons, which should be enough for you to use. I will place these weapons in the warehouse later. Brother, you need to select those brothers who are strong, loyal and reliable to form a militia team to strengthen the patrol on the island. Although the island is sparsely populated, we must be vigilant about security issues and cannot slack off in the slightest."
Jiang Lanxu nodded. "And those officers and soldiers are still imprisoned in the cells. What should we do with them?"
"Keep it locked up for now. It will be useful in the future."
Early the next morning, Jiang Yan took Jiang Lanxu to the village to negotiate.
Apparently the village chief had no idea what had happened. He only knew that the officers and soldiers disappeared overnight, leaving behind only the exiled prisoners.
Jiang Yan sighed slightly before speaking slowly with a compassionate tone: "Village Chief, I know you are wondering why a fugitive like me would come to negotiate with you. After the typhoon, the fishermen here have a harder time surviving. Everyone's crops were destroyed overnight, and they still have to hand over part of them to the government. Your life is difficult, and our life is not easy either."
Village Chief Ge nodded slightly, with a hint of distant memories flashing in his eyes.
Decades ago, this island was still a pure land undisturbed by the outside world.
At that time, they were self-sufficient. Although their life was hard, they lived freely without any external pressure or constraints.
It was not until the government intervened that more rules were added, and the soldiers acted rampantly, and they were powerless to stop them. Every year they had to hand over a large amount of grain, and also had to cultivate clams and extract pearls according to the government's requirements.
Women are taught to become pearl divers from birth, but the work of pearl divers is hard and their lifespan is short. Over time, there are more bachelors in the village, and the price of purchasing pearls is pushed to the lowest price, so the village becomes increasingly poor.
But the village chief still had concerns. "It is better to live a miserable life than to die a good death. If we accept you, it would be a great act of treason. If the government finds out, we will all die. The government's harshness makes it impossible for us to accept you. I implore you to leave this place as soon as possible so that we can live in peace with each other and pretend that none of this has ever happened."
Jiang Yan frowned slightly, and then he proposed another well-thought-out idea: "Do you think that those who were exiled here are all vicious and evil? That's not the case. I was once a good official who was dedicated to the country and the people, but fate played tricks on me. I was framed and forced to be exiled to this remote place.
He continued, "If the government doesn't notice what's happening here, you and I can be safe and continue to live here, and we can also help the fishing village get through the difficulties. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
Village Chief Ge couldn't believe that such a thing could happen. "How could the government know nothing about it?"
"This place is remote, and the mountains are high and the emperor is far away. As long as the captain stationed here does not report the affairs here, and with your tacit consent, how can people outside know what happened here? Since we dare to come here, we must be fully confident. If we cannot fulfill our promise, you can report to the government and bring us to justice."
Village Chief Ge was moved by what he said. He had been through hard times for too long, so he finally made a difficult decision. "I am willing to accept you, but I have a request. There are still more than a dozen children in the village, but there is no teacher here. Can we let a knowledgeable teacher come to teach them?"
Jiang Yan couldn't help but smile. He once thought that after retiring and returning home, he would become a teacher in his hometown village. He was more than happy to have such a good opportunity, so he readily agreed.
Now that they have become villagers here in full legal terms, Jiang Nianwei plans to use some modern knowledge to bring a better life to the fishermen here.
Except for their family, everyone else moved to the vacant houses in the village.
Jiang Nianwei likes this stone house very much. She doesn’t want to leave after living here for so long. Moreover, the location is just right for overlooking Xizhou Island from afar.
Moreover, this house was built by the family themselves, and everyone was reluctant to leave it, so they all lived here.
The chicken coop was rebuilt, Taozhi and Chunyu also specially built a new chicken coop, and A Zhao also built a fence. Now this place really looks like a proper small courtyard.
There was an open space at the back, and Jiang Nianwei scattered the vegetable seeds cultivated in the space. The improved seeds had a higher survival rate.
She even planted every kind of fruit she liked to eat according to her own preferences.
Jiang Yan would go to the village at a fixed time every day to teach the children to read and write. Who would have thought that such an old man was once a famous scholar in the imperial examination of the Zhou Dynasty.
There are still two problems now, the problem of food and the problem of the pearl divers in the village.
Although the space she held was filled with abundant food, these resources were ultimately limited and could not support the consumption of such a large population for several years.
As the old saying goes, "It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish." She knows very well that only by developing rice varieties with higher yields can the problem of food shortage be fundamentally solved.
As for those pearl divers, Jiang Nianwei had already carefully observed this sea area.
She proposed an idea to Village Chief Ge that seemed very bold to the villagers.
"Since this sea area is currently unattended, why not try to cultivate these mussels on a large scale? In this way, not only can the yield and quality of pearls be ensured, but the pearl divers will no longer have to risk going deep into the rough sea."
This term was unfamiliar to them, and Village Chief Ge asked in confusion: "What is large-scale farming?"
Jiang Nianwei explained in detail: "We can enclose a safe area of the sea and raise clams there for artificial breeding. In fact, how can those people tell whether it is natural or farmed, or whether it is picked by women or men?"
Not only Village Chief Ge, but even other villagers found her idea unbelievable.
"Who can guarantee that every clams cultivated here can produce pearls?"