One Hundred and Fifty-Seven Days

In a small village south of Higgs, a woman with a sleeping baby on her back is standing in front of the stove, waiting for a large pot of potatoes to be steamed.

Beside her, two boys were snatching a Mauser 98K rifle made of a wooden stick. There are shops specializing in this kind of toys in the market, and they are all toys made of wood and other materials.

Girls like the kind of dolls made of wood that can be twisted, with handsome or beautiful hair attached. The faces of these dolls are quite delicately drawn, and they can also change clothes.

Doll clothes of all kinds of fabrics are made to fit very well, and some even use expensive tulle that only former noble ladies dared to wear.

Now these materials are very cheap, so cheap that the woman carrying the child is also wearing a long skirt with tulle and colorful floral cloth.

Life seems to be getting better, at least this woman feels that her life is getting better - she used to worry about what to eat every day, but now she is worried about what to do.

It sounds the same, but there used to be nothing to eat, so she didn't know what to eat, but now she eats too much, and she often has headaches in choosing what to eat for dinner.

"Give me! That's my gun! Charlie! I want to defeat the Magic Empire with Her Royal Highness the Princess!" a little boy shouted loudly as he watched his younger brother brandish a wooden rifle that was almost identical to the real 98K rifle.

"No! The revolving pistol you chose at the time!" Not to be outdone, the younger brother shouted back at his elder brother: "You broke it!"

"I didn't!" My brother yelled loudly in anger.

"You have it!" The younger brother's voice seemed to be louder and sharper.

"I do not have!"

"You have it!"

Listening to her child chatting behind her, the woman had a happy smile on her face. She has nothing to be dissatisfied with, after all, except that her husband is not by her side, such a life is worthy of her liking.

Children can buy their favorite toys, and on Monday they can walk the three-kilometer flat road to the primary school in the town to read.

She can also go to see those beautiful clothes occasionally when she saves a lot of spare money. If she wants, she can buy clothes from most brands.

Because compared to the tattered fabrics that every household had to weave, the quality was poor and not good-looking, the finished clothes produced in those factories were simply cheap and cost-free.

Earlier, everyone thought that it was the textile factories and garment factories in Ireland Hill that were losing money and making money, but when they waited and waited, when the cheaper clothes began to be discounted or even sold at half price, everyone was dumbfounded. .

Men's clothes used to cost at least dozens of copper coins. At that time, everyone's annual income might not be enough to change a piece of clothing.

Now men's clothes can be bought for only seven copper coins, which is simply earning transportation expenses...

You must know that the current income is much higher than before. Not only is the price of clothes falling, but the income is still increasing, which makes everyone feel that clothes are cheaper overnight.

Therefore, everyone is now starting to recognize the so-called brand: the big families in the town have begun to pay attention to the clothes of "Seris I" and "aristocrat". I heard that it is breathable and comfortable to wear, warm in winter and cool in summer, clearing heat and detoxifying, dispelling summer heat, and preventing water and fire from invading...

Anyway,

Listening to those women wearing these expensive clothes describe that these expensive clothes from Mayne or Northshire may increase their height after wearing them - sad vanity...

What's there to complain about on a day like this? Except that my husband is not by my side.

The children now know more than she does, they can calculate numbers quickly, and can recite some bizarre texts. The teachers are so knowledgeable and talented that they can even make the steam run with the train.

In fact, she has also seen the train. When she sent her husband away last year, she saw it at the train station in the town. That guy made of iron is really big, as big as a dragon, and when driving, it will spew out white steam and make a strange whine.

Last month, her two children also took the train. The school in the town organized the children to experience life. They went to Higsnal for a day, and when they came back, they began to describe the sound like crazy. Talk about an astoundingly huge city.

I heard that there are huge chimneys soaring into the clouds, and tall workshops filled with roaring machinery.

I heard that there are hundreds of thousands of workers there. They go to get off work on time every day, and when they walk on the street, they are all in groups.

I heard that there are loudspeakers for broadcasting on the streets there, and the speeches of His Majesty the Emperor are played on time every day, and you can also hear beautiful music.

Heard there...

In short, it was a pretty beautiful place, so beautiful that the air was filled with a choking odor, a strong, advanced, brave, and hard odor.

"Dong Ge! Don't bully your brother!" While lifting the lid of the cauldron, the woman reminded her child loudly without turning her head: "Charlie! Shut up and don't provoke your brother again!"

Both children were quiet because they had already smelled the aroma of potatoes. These soft, peeled, steamed potatoes are delicious and have always been a favorite of the neighborhood.

The woman picked up the open canned fish on the stove, and sprinkled the soup on top of the steaming potatoes in the pot, and the fragrant fishy smell of the whole room filled the air.

The food practices in this world are actually very common, and can even be described as scarcity. After all, before Ailan Hill ruled this land, everyone could not even guarantee basic food and clothing. Who would have the heart to study how to make the food delicious?

For a long time, only a few very wealthy nobles would delve into what to eat, and their practices were limited to specific regions. Everyone’s ingredients were different, and the things they made were naturally strange.

However, with the expansion of Ireland Hill, seafood was made into cans for easy preservation, and the inland finally had the conditions to taste sea fish. The canned food that has been processed in factories and added with various seasonings has now become a delicacy welcomed by both commoners and nobles.

Everyone is guaranteed food and clothing, and naturally they have higher pursuits. High-quality and cheap canned fish and canned meat have become the only choice for many civilians to improve their lives.

As long as you go to the store and buy a few boxes of such cans, you can save some seasonings. Adults and children like to eat it, and it also saves time and effort. The things produced by modern industry are changing people's lives unknowingly.

"Father! Father! It's time to eat!" The woman divided the food, filled a bowl of potatoes with fish sauce in the largest bowl, brought it to the house, and placed it on an exquisite wooden table.

She bought this table at the market, and walked back home alone. After all, it costs 1 silver coin for home delivery, and she is not willing to do so. At that time, she still had a big belly, and when she was tired, she put the table on the side of the road and sat on the table watching the endless stream of carriages and cars to rest.

Compared to cheap clothing, the price of furniture seems to be plummeting. In the previous farmhouse, there were only simple wooden utensils made by themselves, and a fairly flat table, which was already envied by everyone.

But now, as long as you are willing to spend a few silver coins, you can buy exquisite furniture, the flat table top is as smooth as a mirror, and it is painted, and the legs of the table are even carved into the shape of round and flowing lines.

The matching chairs and even the carved patterns complement the table, which in the past even aristocrats did not dare to ask for. Now every household is using this kind of woodware that looks very beautiful, because the cheap ones make people want to cry.

"Lina! Thank you for your hard work!" The old man put down the knife in his hand, looked at his daughter gently, and asked with some pity, "Has that bastard sent a letter? Did he die outside?"

He is helping his grandson to repair the broken wooden pistol. Although the price is not expensive, the old man who has been poor all his life is still reluctant to throw it away, so he is using tools to repair the broken shaft.

It is annoying to say that it looks very cheap and simple structure, but because of the machining accuracy, it cannot be repaired at all. The old man pondered for a long time, but could not find a good solution.

"Father! Huck's letter came from the postman yesterday! I didn't expect to receive a letter from Huck in a week in our shabby place." The sleeping child on his back, this one named Lina The girl replied with a smile.

The road at the entrance of the village has become sturdy and durable since it was repaired by a group of engineers. I heard that they use a thing called asphalt, which is harder than stone after drying, and the vehicles passing by are soft. wheels, so the road is as smooth as new until now.

Since this road has been established, the village is no longer closed. You can walk along the road to the town and walk very comfortably, which is much more comfortable than walking over mountains and mountains. It is precisely because of this road that letters are delivered faster, food is delivered faster, and life seems to be on a higher level.

"Have you seen the notice posted at the entrance of the village? We are going to recruit again." The old man shook his head and said, "I heard that this time we Higgs will send 200,000 new recruits. It seems that there will be a lot of travel in the village. young people."

"Yeah, I saw it. I heard that more than 30 people in our village signed up. After all, the salary is high, and there are ration subsidies..." Linna said as she walked out. A greedy little monkey, about to burn his paws.

I hope that my husband can come back safely. If he can come back safely, this kind of life really can't be better.