Chapter 106 Fishermen's Life
After getting off the fishing boat, Tian Ze and Chen Gong walked to a nearby village. At the entrance of the village, they saw an old man sorting out fishing nets.
Due to years of fishing at the seaside, the skin around the old man's eyes has become rough and crisscrossed with deep wrinkles. However, whenever he observes the sea from time to time, his eyes are still sharp and keen.
His hair was thinning and graying, having been bleached by the sea breeze and the scorching sun for a long time, and had long lost its original color. His dark and shiny skin was a clear mark of long-term exposure to the sun.
"Old man, are you a fisherman here?" Tian Ze asked softly, his tone gentle and kind.
An old house where a treasure.
The old man looks to be in his fifties or sixties, but considering the severe damage to the body caused by such hard work as fishing, his actual age should be younger, probably in his forties or fifties.
Being so old, he is still able to fish at sea. He must have gone through countless life and death tests and has extremely rich experience.
"Greetings, Envoy Tian!"
The old man had seen Tian Ze and others early on. When he saw Tian Ze taking the initiative to talk to him, his body trembled slightly with excitement. He crossed his hands in front of him nervously, appearing extremely respectful.
"Do you know me?" Tian Ze smiled gently. He originally wanted to hide his identity, but now it seems impossible.
"Lord Tian, I am a local fisherman. When you came here to distribute land and food to us, I was lucky enough to see you."
The old man looked pious and excited. Even though he had experienced countless storms, being able to talk with Tian Ze still made him so excited that he could hardly control himself.
This life is worth it!
Seeing the old man's attitude, Tian Ze was relieved. He held the old man's hand with understanding and helped him sit down on a relatively flat boulder nearby.
"What's your name? How old are you?"
"Lord Tian, my name is Zheng Er, and I am forty-five this year."
"You have been fishing here, right?"
"That's right. My ancestors have been fishing for generations. We don't have even half an acre of good farmland at home, so we can only make a living from this." Zheng Er said, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Tian Ze couldn't help but sigh when he heard this.
In many cases, the generations who have been engaged in the same trade are not so-called inheritance, but are more often forced to do so. If there is land for farming, who would be willing to risk their lives to fish?
"You should have land to farm now, so why are you still engaged in fishing?" Tian Ze couldn't help but ask, his eyes full of pity, as he looked at the old man's hands covered with calluses and scars.
Chen Gong, who was standing by, saw this and although he was used to it, he still couldn't help but sigh in his heart: The lord is truly kind and benevolent!
Tian Ze always sticks to a certain bottom line when doing things. He never forces the people or hides anything. In many matters, he puts himself in the people's shoes and helps them analyze the pros and cons.
For example, when it came to infrastructure work, relocation to Goguryeo, and fishing at sea, Tian Ze required the officials in charge to explain the pros and cons clearly and fully comply with the wishes of the people.
Although this caused a certain degree of hindrance to various work, in order to allow people to voluntarily choose these relatively difficult and dangerous jobs and regions, Chen Gong and others had to increase salary guarantees, which caused a certain amount of financial pressure.
However, Chen Gong and others had no complaints about this, and they felt more sincere admiration and respect in their hearts.
Regardless of whether it was a show or not, Tian Ze's behavior fully demonstrated his kindness, and won the deep trust and love of his civil and military officials and countless ordinary people.
They firmly believed that Envoy Tian would not deceive them and was sincerely concerned about them.
Although most of the people were ignorant, they could feel the sincerity of the words, which made Tian Ze's reputation in the area unbreakable. Anyone who dared to say a bad word about Tian Ze would be attacked by the crowd.
"I have a family of seven and two sons. They have enough land to farm. I wanted to take a break, but when I saw the government was recruiting fishermen with good treatment, I came here." Zheng Er could not hide his gratitude in his eyes.
"Aren't you afraid of danger? Going out to sea to fish is very risky." Tian Ze asked again. "No." Zheng Er smiled.
"I have been fishing with my father since I was young. We always rode in small boats at that time. I have survived by chance thanks to my underwater skills. Now the government has built such a good fishing boat. Although the fishing place is a little far from the land, it is much safer."
"What's more, the government bought insurance for us, and the compensation is not a small amount. I don't have many years left to live anyway, so even if something happens, it's worth it for my whole family."
Seeing a hint of cunning in Zheng Er's simple and honest look, Tian Ze smiled and shook his head.
Indeed, we should never underestimate the farmers of any era, as they all have their own little calculations in mind.
"Is it still dangerous to go fishing at sea? How is the harvest?"
"There are definitely dangers. Although we usually fish only a few dozen miles from the coast, the weather at sea is unpredictable. Strong winds and rainstorms often come without warning. There are also hidden reefs and turbulent currents underwater."
"Even before, it was very risky for me to fish on the shore."
"But fortunately, the government's fishing boats are very sturdy and stable. They are also equipped with equipment such as protective ropes and lifebuoys, so even if you accidentally fall into the sea, you may be rescued."
"Last month, a new kid was accidentally swept into the waves, but nothing happened in the end."
As long as the mind does not slip, there are more solutions than difficulties.
In order to ensure the safety of personnel, Tian Ze put forward many "weird ideas" for the craftsmen to refer to and study. Some of them were actually worked out, and the effects were quite good, so they were directly applied to fishing boats.
Like a lifebuoy, although it can only be made of animal leather and the effect is not so ideal, it is better than nothing.
"As for the harvest, it's not certain. Although the fishing boat's net is big, it depends on the specific situation. If you are lucky, more than 300 stones will not be a problem. If you are unlucky, you may only get 20 or 30 stones."
"But overall the harvest is still not small. We all get a share of the profits. No matter how many fish we harvest, the government will buy them all, and the price is not low. Doing this business now actually makes much more money than farming."
Speaking of this, Zheng Er's face showed some excitement.
"I am now thinking about renting out part of the land and letting my eldest son do the business as well."
After hearing what Zheng Er said, Tian Ze finally felt relieved.
As long as there is motivation, it's good. As long as the benefits are sufficient, people can accept appropriate risks.
If this continues, it will not be long before many people join the offshore fishing team, and then the meat shortage problem in Liaodong will be alleviated to some extent.
As for the problem of excessive profits from fishing, Tian Ze is not too worried. As long as the number of participants gradually increases and the harvest grows, the market will naturally adjust the price, thus maintaining profits within a relatively reasonable range.
Although the planned economy was the main policy under Tian Ze's administration, he never neglected the supplementary role of the market economy and made flexible adjustments based on actual conditions.
"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, old man." Tian Ze patted Zheng Er's shoulder gently and said earnestly: "You should also pay more attention to your health. You still have a long way to go. If you take good care of your health, you may be able to see your great-grandson and have four generations living under the same roof."
The average life expectancy in this era was very low, only in the twenties, but that was because the infant mortality rate was high and factors such as living conditions, medical conditions, and war disasters greatly lowered the number. In fact, there were quite a few long-lived people.
For example, in Donghai County in the late Western Han Dynasty, the number of people over 80 years old reached more than 3%. It should be noted that the proportion in modern times is just this level, or even lower.
Today, Liaodong is internally stable and peaceful, with good weather, the people live a prosperous life, and the medical conditions are good. The infant mortality rate has been greatly reduced. Coupled with Tian Ze's various policies to encourage childbirth, the country has begun to usher in a period of rapid population growth.
"Haha, don't worry, Your Excellency. Thanks to you, my two sons got married last year. Now both daughters-in-law have a son. It won't be difficult to have great-grandchildren in the future." Zheng Er smiled heartily, full of expectations for the future.
(End of this chapter)
