All Heavens Pension started from the fiery era

Chapter 699 700. The beauty and suffering of the Republic of China, family financial situation

Although Yue Wenxuan has received all the memories of his original body and all the past events are still vivid in his mind, he still wants to personally experience the unique charm of Wuzhou City in the fifth year of the Republic of China.

Huang Youjin, the long-time attendant, did not always stay by Yue Wenxuan's side. The entire Yue family and his parents expected him to take over his father's job in the future and become a qualified steward who could satisfy the employer like his father.

Being a good butler of an aristocratic family is not an easy task. Huang Youjin has to learn a lot of knowledge and skills. In order to cultivate and train his abilities, the old butler would often call him to his side and give him advice.

Yue Wenxuan knew all this very well. He made up an excuse to send Huang Youjin to his father and went out alone.

His first feeling after going out was that it was too hot to wear a long gown in summer!
In the early years of the Republic of China, the wealthy class mostly wore tannin and raw silk summer clothes in summer. These clothes were woven from fine linen yarn and coated with tannin on one side, and were called "tannin shirts."

This kind of clothing is made of light, breathable material and is suitable for summer wear. Most of the wealthy people of this era like it very much, but Yue Wenxuan feels a little uncomfortable with it.

Although the fabric of the tassel shirt is indeed very thin, wearing a long shirt that covers you tightly in the hot July seems a bit unrealistic to people from later generations.

Only by being in the long river of history can we deeply understand that even the subtle changes in life habits require the efforts of countless people over many years to change people's concepts.

Even if it was a small matter like dressing, if he dared to wear a short-sleeved shirt at this time, even if he would not be scolded by his parents, he would be regarded as an outcast by people of the same class.

If dressing is such a trivial matter, how difficult it would be to change the concept of the entire Chinese people and completely break the feudal shackles? Countless martyrs sacrificed their lives to realize their wishes, which can push the tide of the times forward.

Yue Wenxuan walked slowly along the bluestone-paved street. The shops on both sides were full of dazzling goods, and the shouts and hawking sounds came one after another, forming a vivid market picture. Although the street was not wide, people came and went in an endless stream, and every place revealed the prosperity and bustle of the early years of the Republic of China.

He walked past one shop after another, some selling antiques, calligraphy and paintings, some selling silk and fabrics, and some selling various snacks.

The shopkeepers greeted the guests warmly, and the guests stopped to choose, bargain, or chat with the shopkeepers. It was a harmonious scene.

Yue Wenxuan stopped in front of a teahouse. Just passing by the door, he could already smell the overflowing tea fragrance, which made him feel relaxed and happy.

He walked in, found a seat by the window, and ordered a pot of Biluochun. The teahouse was bustling with people, some whispering, some talking and laughing loudly, and everyone's face was filled with satisfaction and happiness. Listening to the conversations of the tea drinkers, feeling their joys and sorrows, he seemed to have integrated into this era.

After drinking tea, Yue Wenxuan continued walking. The houses on both sides of the street were scattered and orderly, with white walls and black tiles, simple and elegant. He noticed that although most of the houses maintained the traditional architectural style, there were also a few newly built Western-style buildings. The appearance of these small Western-style buildings added a bit of modern atmosphere to this ancient neighborhood.

After passing through an alley, Yue Wenxuan came to a market. The market was bustling with people coming and going. Various stalls were filled with a wide variety of goods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, various handicrafts, and special snacks from all over the country.

He strolled in the market, feeling the hustle and bustle, and experiencing the rich atmosphere of life here.

In a corner of the market, he saw a vendor selling candied haws.

The vendor held a long bamboo pole with red candied haws hanging on it. He smiled and sold his candied haws to passers-by. His smile was so innocent and simple.

Yue Wenxuan was infected by the vendor's smile and bought a string of candied haws. While tasting the sweetness of the candied haws, he felt the rare and short happiness in the early years of the Republic of China.

After leaving the market, he came to a river, the water was clear and sparkling, and boats passed by from time to time, stirring up ripples. Everything in front of him was so beautiful that he couldn't help but linger.

He walked along the river, admiring the scenery. He saw birds singing happily on the willow trees by the river, ducks swimming leisurely on the river, and women washing clothes on the river bank, their laughter echoing by the river.

Yue Wenxuan continued walking and came to a park in the city, which was full of green trees and fragrant flowers.

He saw children in the park chasing and playing, their laughter was so innocent and happy; he saw old people in the park playing chess and chatting, their faces filled with satisfaction and happiness; he saw lovers in the park walking hand in hand on the tree-lined avenue, their eyes full of love and expectation.

Yue Wenxuan found a bench in the park and sat down, closing his eyes and taking in everything here. He seemed to hear the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves; he seemed to smell the fragrance of flowers mixed with the scent of soil; he seemed to feel the tranquility and serenity here. At this moment, he felt as if he had integrated into this land and this life.

Just looking at these scenes, the early years of the Republic of China seemed to be full of beauty and peace.

But as he passed through the bustling city center and arrived in the suburbs, more and more ragged pedestrians appeared in his sight.

They either carry heavy bags or hold crying children, staggering along the dusty road. Their dark and wrinkled faces are full of fatigue and vicissitudes, and their numb eyes reveal their helplessness and confusion about life.

Yue Wenxuan stopped and his eyes were attracted by an old woman sitting on the roadside. She was wearing ragged clothes and had messy hair. Next to her was a worn bamboo basket filled with a few dried buns.

The old woman clasped her hands together and kept begging passers-by, but most people just walked past in a hurry and few stopped to give alms.

Yue Wenxuan felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He walked up to the old woman, took out two silver dollars from his pocket, and gently placed them in her bamboo basket. It wasn't that Yue Wenxuan didn't want to give more, but he could only give so much. Although his actions were concealed and others might not be able to see how much money he gave, the old woman's surprised expression could still put her in danger.

The old woman raised her head, and her numb eyes began to light up. She thanked him repeatedly, her voice choked with sobs.

Yue Wenxuan did not say anything and continued to move forward, but he could not calm down in his heart.

He was very clear in his mind that in this seemingly prosperous early years of the Republic of China, there were still countless poor people like the old woman who were struggling to make ends meet. Their lives were in sharp contrast to the prosperity and beauty he saw, which made him more deeply realize the injustice and suffering of this era.

He came to a farmland and saw the people working in the fields with dark skin and sweat soaking their clothes. They worked hard but could only earn a meager income to barely make a living.

Yue Wenxuan talked with them and learned that many of them rented land from landlords and had to give at least half of their harvest to the landlords every year, leaving only a small portion for themselves. Good landlords only collected half of the rent, while some greedy landlords collected as much as 70% of the rent.

After a brief understanding, Yue Wenxuan couldn't help but sigh that the farmers of this era were really unfortunate, and it was extremely difficult for them to survive. Not only did they have to face the invasion of natural disasters, but they also had to endure the exploitation and oppression of the landlords. Their lives were full of hardships and difficulties, and they could only stick to this fertile land and use their hard work and wisdom to keep themselves alive day after day.

There was a dilapidated temple not far ahead, and Yue Wenxuan walked over to it.

As we got closer, we could see that the temple was in a state of disrepair and was about to collapse. The walls of the temple were mottled and falling off, and the tiles on the roof were incomplete.

There are several statues of gods enshrined in the temple, and there seem to be traces of worship, but the offerings have long disappeared.

When he entered the temple, the first thing he saw was a few ragged little beggars sitting in the corner. They were curled up and seemed to have no strength to stand.

Yue Wenxuan's heart tightened. He pretended to take out some food from his pocket and quickly distributed it to the beggars.

When the little beggars saw the food, they immediately became energized. They snatched the food from his hands and started to eat it ravenously.

After they finished eating, they thanked me repeatedly with tears of gratitude.

Yue Wenxuan looked at them with sympathy and pity in his heart. But there was not much he could do. He could only leave a silver dollar for each of them when he left.

It was almost noon when Yue Wenxuan started to walk back.

What he saw and heard in just half a day made him feel heavy-hearted. He saw the beauty and prosperity of this era, but also the suffering and injustice of this era.

Walking on the stone road on his way home, he saw Huang Jinyou wandering around the gate of his house from afar. Until he saw his figure, he quickly trotted towards him.

"My dear young master, why are you coming home only now? Lunch will be served soon. If you don't come back soon, I will send a few people to look for you."

Huang Jinyou was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. He regretted letting the young master go out alone. He should have been tougher at the time. Even if he didn't have him to take care of him, he should at least arrange two guards to follow him.

Although the young master said that he was just going to walk around the city center, what if? What if the young master suddenly felt like leaving the city, or suddenly got curious and wanted to go to those slums? There might be safety problems.

If anything happens to the eldest master, his small body won't be able to bear such a heavy responsibility.

Although Huang Youjin is Yue Wenxuan's servant, he grew up playing with him and is also the original body's most trusted partner and friend.

The master-servant relationship established since childhood allows the two to understand and trust each other.

As he walked back, Yue Wenxuan asked, "Do you have anything else to do this afternoon?"

"My dad is fine now. If the young master needs anything, you can tell me to do it."

"The holiday has just begun, and I plan to find something for myself to do. After lunch, come to me, I have something to ask you." Yue Wenxuan ordered.

Yue Wenxuan was very satisfied with the time he had traveled through this time. It happened to be during the holidays, giving him enough time to help his family overcome financial difficulties.

The holiday had just ended and school would start on August 1st, giving him nearly a month of ample time.

1912年9月3日，教育部公布《学校系统令》。同日，教育部公布《学校学年学期及休业日期规程》五条。规定：各学校以8月1日为学年之始，以翌年7月31日为学年之终。

From then on, August 8st became the statutory opening day for all schools during the Republic of China period.

This regulation was implemented from 1913 to 1927, lasting about 14 years.

Generally speaking, schools across the country start their summer vacation on July 7st and end on August 1st, a one-month vacation.

Of course, since the political situation was not settled at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, various laws and regulations, including the school opening day, may not be fully implemented, and a considerable number of church schools and private schools do not follow the so-called "legal school opening day." For example, the predecessor of Fudan University, "Fudan Public School," clearly set the opening day as September 9 in the early years of the Republic of China.

After the victory of the Northern Expedition, the National Government's Education Administration Committee promulgated the "School Calendar for the 1927th Year of the Republic of China" in 9, stipulating that all primary, secondary and high schools would start in the fall (September). This meant that starting from 1927, September 9st became the statutory start date for primary, secondary and high schools across the country, and the summer vacation for primary, secondary and high school students was extended to two months.

For students, a two-month leisure vacation is naturally more tempting, but 2027 is too far away, and Yue Wenxuan will definitely not be able to enjoy it. In this case, only one month of summer vacation seems particularly precious.

Yue Wenxuan plans to use this time to completely solve the family’s financial problems.

This is a difficult task for anyone to accomplish, let alone putting such a heavy burden on a student who is only sixteen years old.

But for a time traveler like Yue Wenxuan who has cheats, it is very simple to solve the current financial difficulties. All you need to do is give him an excuse to get away with it.

Although the original body has been acting mature and steady since childhood, he is still young after all, and his parents will definitely not tell him about the family's financial situation. The original body only knows that the family's financial situation is very difficult, but he has no idea to what extent the difficulty is.

Although the original person was not clear, Yue Wenxuan felt that Huang Youjin should be an insider.

The heads of the Yue family, including Huang Youjin's parents, all hope to train Huang Youjin to be a qualified successor to the housekeeper. So for Huang Youjin, learning practical skills is the most important course.

Yue Wenxuan believed that Huang Youjin should be able to give him answers to any big or small matters in this family as long as he wanted to know.