Chapter 361: Eliminating the Slums (Part 3)
In the autumn of 1032 in the alien world, October had not yet ended, and the young and strong men who had gone out to do odd jobs during the autumn harvest began to return one after another after learning about the changes in Dutata City.
It was at this time that Old York's eldest son, Duke, returned.
Duke was the first abandoned baby picked up by Old York. At that time, Old York was still young and strong, and lived a relatively well-off life relying on his skills as a leatherworker. He also raised Duke to be quite tall and strong - this was also the main reason why Duke was often pulled by street thugs to persuade him to "join the gang" when he was a teenager.
The strong Duke came back at dusk that day carrying a large bag of corn and a bag of unhusked wheat. The nearly 200-pound weight bent the young man's back, but his steps were not heavy and he ran very fast on the main road outside the city of Dutata.
Seeing the huge camp (prisoner camp) outside the slums from afar, Duke, who had left all his companions behind, slowed down his pace hesitantly.
Duke was wondering how a military-like camp could appear outside the slums. In a makeshift vegetable market that had recently been built outside the prisoner camp, his younger brother, who was assigned to maintain order, discovered him. He ran towards Duke in surprise, shouting "Big Brother".
Of course Duke could recognize his brother's voice, face and figure - his brother, who was abandoned because of a cleft lip, was picked up by him when he and his father went to the city to repair leather goods for people in the city when he was a child. In order to protect his brother from being bullied, he fought with others many times.
But when Duke saw his brother running towards him from the other side of the road, he couldn't believe at first that that was the boy he had raised under his protection.
His messy semi-long hair was cut very short (it was shaped into a short flat top to prevent and control parasites). He was still thin, but much stronger (he had gained a few pounds after eating full meals for more than 20 days). He was wearing a neat and clean uniform (actually a dark blue short-sleeved labor protection work suit produced by a township garment factory in Province G, with an ex-factory price of 25 yuan per set), and beautiful round-toed shoes of the same color on his feet (actually PVC canvas labor protection work shoes, with an ex-factory price of eight yuan).
Even his temperament was like a different person - the younger brother who always lowered his head timidly, tried his best to retract his chin into his neck, and was afraid that others would see his ugly upper lip, was now confidently raising his head, with a happy smile on his face that Duke had never seen before, and striding towards him.
"...Billy?" Duke called out his brother's name uncertainly and in great surprise only after his brother ran within ten meters.
“Brother!”
Old York's youngest son Billy took the wheat bag from his brother and put it on his shoulder. He happily pulled his brother's arm and walked back: "It's great that you are back now. Dad will definitely be very happy to see you! Me too, I am very happy too!"
Duke steadied the bag of corn on his shoulder and followed his brother, looking up and down in surprise at Billy, whom he hadn't seen for only a month.
Taking a closer look, Duke was even more surprised at the origin of his brother's outfit... The clothes he was wearing were made of unrecognizable material, not wrinkled cotton but not rough linen either. The texture seemed to be better than the fabrics used by people in the city, and they looked brand new, without patches or holes, and did not look like something that could be picked up in a garbage dump by chance.
The pair of shoes on his feet looked like canvas but were much finer than canvas. Although there were many spots of mud on the uppers, it could be seen that they were at least 80% new.
Duke couldn't help but reach out and touch his brother's uniform and asked, "Where did you get this suit and shoes?"
Billy seemed to have been eager to show off. He grinned and said excitedly and proudly, "It's a contract worker's uniform, brother. Only contract workers who have signed a contract with the city hall can get this uniform! The operators said that we can get eight sets of this uniform a year, and two sets every three months!"
"City Hall?? Eight sets a year?" Duke opened his mouth in shock.
Billy, who is five years younger than Duke and turned twenty this year, had this first time in his life that he had an achievement that could be brought to his eldest brother for praise. He ran to the gate of the prisoner-of-war camp and asked the captain for permission to leave work half an hour earlier, then happily took his eldest brother home. On the way, he couldn't wait to tell him what happened in Dutata City after his eldest brother went to work as a part-time worker during the autumn harvest.
The main point of Billy's story, of course, was not whether the lord would be changed or who the new lord would be, which were things that the lower-class people had no interest in at all, but rather the diversion and resettlement policy that the city hall had withdrawn from, in an attempt to pull his eldest brother to his side in advance and persuade their father, Old York, to stay in the city.
But unfortunately, Billy was destined to be disappointed.
When Duke heard that the resettlement policy would allow the pioneers to keep the land they had reclaimed, he immediately forgot about the benefits of staying in the city, which his brother had been talking about for a long time, and only asked his brother about the situation in the new town...
"Brother, are you listening to me? It's obviously better to stay in the city. You and I can both be contract workers and participate in road construction. We can get extra subsidies during the road construction period. My sister can also go to the logistics department to do odd jobs. Why do we have to think about reclaiming wasteland?!" Billy, who had wasted a lot of time talking in vain, was almost crying with anger.
"You don't understand. How many years does it take to build a road? Owning land is a lifelong thing." Duke, who started to go to the countryside twice a year to do odd jobs in spring planting and autumn harvest at the age of fifteen, waved his hand and said earnestly, "You have to listen to my father and me on this matter, Billy, don't be willful."
Billy wanted to lie down on the ground and roll around, but he was reluctant to give up the work clothes he had just received a few days ago, so he had to sit down in his sleeping place and face the wall angrily.
Old York and his mute daughter came back from work in the city, and when they saw their eldest son coming home early, they were naturally lively for a while.
After a brief greeting, Duke, who felt that his younger brother Billy was unreliable, asked his father about the city hall's diversion and resettlement policy. Although he had seen some empty houses in the alley and the contract worker treatment his younger brother enjoyed, Duke was still skeptical about the idea that one could get land just by participating in the land reclamation.
Old York didn't waste any time. He just showed his eldest son the wages he and his mute daughter had earned and the "meal allowance" they had received in the past half month.
He was an old man, and his mute daughter was a frail young girl. The combined wages of the two were not much less than what their strong eldest son earned after working hard as a laborer during the autumn harvest for almost a month.
Billy was not giving up and kept shouting that the salary he received as a contract worker was more stable, but unfortunately his elder brother Duke and his father Old York ignored him. The father and son were already discussing what to plant on the land they reclaimed after moving to the new town...
Adler Territory has abundant water resources and a good climate. The average yield of wheat per mu is around 400 kilograms (husked). If one or two mu of potatoes and corn are planted, the family will never go hungry all year round unless a terrible climate disaster occurs.
Duke and Old York both had extensive experience doing odd jobs . They were considered half farmers and knew how to make good use of the land. For example, Duke saw with his own eyes that in the village where he went to work, there was a widow who only planted two acres of potatoes and corn, and some green beans (the yield of green beans per acre was higher than that of corn, and one seed could lead to four or five vines, and could produce dozens or even hundreds of pods, and it was not picky about the land) and other vegetables, and was able to feed herself and her children.
That night, the mute daughter, who was very happy that her eldest brother came back early, took out the "meal allowance" that she had been reluctant to eat since she received it. She stewed a small bag of 300 grams of pre-prepared vegetables (semi-finished vegetables) with the fresh corn brought back by her eldest brother and the potato vermicelli received by her old father into a full pot, and the whole family had a hearty meal.
The next morning, Duke couldn't wait to go to the city with Old York and his mute daughter to do the odd jobs arranged by the City Hall.
Because Duke was strong and the calluses on his palms showed that he was used to doing hard labor, the people from the Logistics Department took a liking to him at first sight and assigned him to the work group with the heaviest work and the most generous subsidies. He was taken to Viscount O'Neill's Mansion, where he shoveled the courtyard, laid stone bricks, and converted the beautiful aristocratic courtyard into a small square suitable for use as a night school venue.
Duke worked diligently throughout the day, and after finishing the work, he took the initiative to find the contract workers and inquire about the resettlement situation in the new town.
The city hall encourages more people to open up wasteland. After all, there is so much abandoned land in Adler Territory, it would be a waste if it were not used. The contract worker had a good impression of the active Duke and introduced him patiently.
"There are no villages in the new town, only village groups. Farmers in each group are organized to reclaim wasteland by specialists sent from the town, and the town directly supplies the daily necessities for the first year of reclamation. After the reclamation is completed, if there is still spare energy and they are willing to expand the cultivated area, the town will also arrange a contract policy for them."
"This contract policy means that in addition to the five acres of land you personally own, the town hall will allocate more land for you to apply for on your own. As long as you can take care of it, you can apply for dozens or hundreds of acres, and just sign a contract with the town hall."
"Of course, the land you contract does not belong to you. It is still the property of the town hall. You only have the right to use it within the five or ten years of the contract. After the contract expires, you can continue to apply for renewal with the town hall, or if you don't want to continue the contract, you can terminate the contract with the town hall and return the land."
"The annual rent for contracted land depends on the local soil and water conditions. Good land is more expensive, while not-so-good mountain land and forest land are cheaper. Basically, it will not exceed your affordability. If you grow crops that the new town needs, for example, there is a policy to encourage contracting hillsides to grow soybeans. If you are willing to respond to this policy, the town hall of the new town will give you certain discounts and support..."
Duke was so delighted that he didn't even care about the sausage meal allowance he received. After work, he returned home and continued to discuss with his father when to sign up for the land reclamation...
On the last day of October, which was also the third day after Duke returned home, old York and his son went into the city with high morale and ran to the Midtown City Hall to sign up.
In November, old York and his son Duke, leaving behind their youngest son Billy who was unwilling to work on the land, and their mute daughter who only wanted to be with her father, left the shack where they had lived for many years and happily joined the army of land reclamation.
As for the engagement of the mute daughter...old York went to someone privately to cancel it.
The mute daughter was only seventeen years old. While working odd jobs in the logistics department of the city hall, Old York heard from the aunt who took care of them that it was not good for a young girl to get married too early, especially since the mute daughter was so thin and it would be dangerous to give birth to a child. Old York thought that he and his eldest son could afford to feed an extra mouth, so he decided to keep his daughter by his side for a few more years.
Nearly 40,000 slum dwellers left with the York family...
If it were half a year ago, Wagner, who was in charge of the development of the new town, would never have dared to accept so many people at once; but now it doesn't matter. The potatoes have entered the harvest period one after another, and the granaries are full of space, so they can afford to feed tens of thousands more.
In addition, the winter climate in Adler Territory is warmer than that in Innadri, so there is no delay in continuing to plant after turning the soil. The reclaimed land can also be sown with some beans and vegetables that are easy to grow. Wagner is not afraid at all...
After a week's trek, the slum-reclamation team, whose size was so impressive that it attracted the attention of villagers and townspeople wherever it went, arrived at the new town.
The new town, which had received the news long ago, was on high alert, with dozens of working group leaders selected from the first batch of pioneers waiting directly in front of the valley.
When the old York family set out from Dutata City, they were originally in the middle of the team. However, due to the presence of Duke, a strong laborer, who pushed the family's luggage in a cart, they unknowingly ran to the front.
Duke and the pioneers who were walking in the front, who were looking forward to the life of farmers, had just entered the square in front of the valley when several new town operators surrounded them, shouting with loud speakers, asking the crowd to walk to the south side of the square in family units and not to push, drag or make noise.
Duke, who was pushing heavy luggage, asked his father and mute sister to hold the corners of his clothes and walk to the designated location as required.
The New Town officers maintained order among the crowd, and when there were about a hundred households in the designated area, they stopped the people behind and asked the next group to go to another corner of the square.
Duke and his group had been standing there for less than two minutes when a man with a red cloth tied around his arm and holding a red pennant in his hand came over and shouted to the hundreds of settlers who had come from afar: "I am the leader of the 048 village group in Xinzhen. From now on, I will be in charge of you all. Please take care of your luggage and your families and follow me!"
The families who signed up to open up the wasteland all had someone who had participated in collective work organized by the Duta City Hall and knew to obey orders. They immediately followed this man and left the square from another route.
After leaving the Xinzhen Valley and continuing to walk southwest for nearly three miles, the already exhausted pioneers finally arrived at the village group they were assigned to - a river beach next to a small river.
The ground on the river beach had been leveled a little, and there stood a large shed alone. There were some supplies piled in the shed, and three or two people who looked like farmers were waiting in the shed.
Among the pioneers who were brought here with the old York family, someone recognized the people waiting in the shed and called out their names in surprise - these farmers were also pioneers who ran over from Dutata City half a year ago.
The leader of Group 048 asked more than a hundred households that had pioneered new land to rest on the spot, and called out the young and strong men in the crowd, asking these young and strong men who still had the strength to move the supplies in the sheds and distribute tents to each household.
"The town really doesn't have the manpower to prepare houses for everyone, so we have to do everything on our own. Now we all live in tents. Starting tomorrow, we will open up wasteland and dig foundations at the same time. The town will prepare all the tools. Once the foundation is dug, we will go to the town to get bricks. As long as we have the strength, everyone can live in a beautiful red brick house!"
The pioneers who were used to living in shabby shacks could not imagine the beautiful red brick houses described by the team leader. They were all curiously touching the thick tent cloth and hollow steel pipes used to set up tents.
Before it was completely dark, more than 7,000 households who had come from the city of Dutata to settle down in the newly reclaimed land that had been explored around the new town were divided into more than 70 village groups.
These more than 70 newly added villages and groups are destined to have a hard time in the next few months - after all, the land reclaimed and the houses built by the first comers will not be distributed to them.
Even though they know it will be hard, young people from the slums like Duke who are willing to travel long distances just to seek a new life are still full of hope.
It’s just suffering. Who hasn’t suffered to get to this day?
At least they are not ignored now. At least now there are people who consider them, plan for them, and prepare a road to tomorrow without any barriers for them. So even if this road is not easy to walk, slum youths like Duke will be very satisfied.
