allendalepharm Page 385
Page 385
Over the years, they have naturally annexed a considerable amount of land in Japan, becoming 'daimyo' who dominate a region.
However, during the Meiji Restoration, Japan announced its complete Westernization and sought to eliminate the influence of China as the suzerain state. As a result, all Japanese were required to abolish 'Han surnames' and were suppressed. The Liu family was forced to change their surname to avoid trouble.
Japan wanted to fully Westernize and break free from the influence of Chinese culture that had existed for thousands of years, but Chinese culture had already deeply penetrated their daily lives.
For example, festivals like the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Qixi Festival, and Ghost Festival are all traditional Chinese festivals that ordinary Japanese people also celebrate. So what should we do?
At that time, the Japanese government adopted a completely Western calendar system. For example, the Lunar New Year was celebrated on New Year's Day, the Tanabata Festival was on July 7th, and the Ghost Festival (Yulanpen Festival) was on July 15th.
This is to reduce the influence of Chinese culture.
After the Black Ships incident, the entire nation of Japan was bewildered because they had never seen Westerners before and couldn't even understand the unequal treaties. The whole country was truly incompetent.
So they sought advice from the Qing government, which, being corrupt and backward, had just experienced the humiliation of two Opium Wars and was carrying out the Self-Strengthening Movement.
From the Kangxi Emperor onwards until the Self-Strengthening Movement, Western missionaries continuously came to China to spread Christianity. These frequent exchanges allowed the Qing government to preserve many Chinese-Western dictionaries, such as the Chinese-English Dictionary and the Chinese-English Dictionary.
So Japan, which had just been forced to open its doors, bought a lot of reference books from the Qing Dynasty, as well as many books recording Western customs and culture, such as Lin Zexu's "Records of the Four Continents" and Wei Yuan's "Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms".
Japan initially learned about the West through the Qing Dynasty, and then quickly completed its own industrial revolution through reforms, abolishing unequal treaties with the West.
Years later, the destinations for students studying abroad during the Self-Strengthening Movement expanded to include the West, specifically Japan, a former vassal state.
Japan completed the Meiji Restoration, abolished unequal treaties, and restored the country's sovereignty and integrity, but at the same time embarked on a militaristic path of external expansion and aggression.
Because Japan initially prospered through its military industry, the Emperor introduced 'American-style Iaijutsu' and built military factories, using guns and bullets to defeat the samurai class in Japan who wielded swords.
As a result, the Emperor regained power from the Shogun.
However, after defeating the Shogun, Japan experienced an overcapacity in its military industry, a lack of domestic resources, and sharp domestic land annexation and class contradictions. The Japanese emperor was not very bright and had mediocre political skills, so he just talked about spiritual will and deified his own rule.
Unable to manage their domestic affairs, they resort to external aggression to divert attention from domestic problems.
The defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War had a profound impact, as the Qing government completely lost its influence in neighboring countries. Even Goryeo, a country that had always been subservient to China, dared to usurp the throne and declare itself emperor. This illustrates just how incompetent and corrupt the Qing government was.
At the time, Lu Shanyan, the hero who slayed the dragon, believed that the Qing Dynasty's problem was its equipment. However, the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War meant the bankruptcy of the Self-Strengthening Movement and made people realize that without addressing the root causes of the problem, China could not be saved.
That's enough about the historical issues. Let's get back to the Liu family of Shanyang.
Although the Meiji era required Japanese people to abolish Chinese surnames, fortunately, the Liu family had kept a family genealogy for generations, and the lineage was not broken. After World War II, they gradually restored their Chinese surnames.
Furthermore, taking advantage of the reconstruction of Japan, the Liu family established a highly influential agricultural group that influenced the country's vegetable prices, driving up the prices of meat, vegetables, and rice to exorbitant levels, preventing them from eating and drinking well.
They even deliberately restricted the import of Japanese food and vegetables, preventing them from eating properly.
Japan has a small land area and a long and narrow shape. Whenever there is a natural disaster, such as a typhoon or cold wave, the vegetable production will be reduced sharply, and the price will inevitably rise.
It's perfectly normal for a head of cabbage to sometimes sell for 2,000 yen (more than 100 RMB). Take it or leave it!
There's also the issue of rice speculation. Five kilograms of ordinary rice can sell for 5000 yen (more than 300 RMB). The Liu family has no qualms about engaging in this kind of grain speculation in Japan.
Recently, the Liu family learned from Gu Ran that God was about to awaken, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government was also secretly contacting them, hoping that they could prepare some relief supplies.
This is because the Tokyo Meteorological Bureau noticed this year's climate change, predicted the potential risks of natural disasters, and reported the weather risks to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Ordinary people working at the weather station were unaware of the awakening of 'God,' but they knew to prepare for disaster relief in advance. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government also dared not slack off and immediately began to organize and prepare relief supplies, which is why they found the Liu family.
Although some members of the Liu family have already gone to seek refuge, others are planning to stay and see if they can squeeze another penny out of the Japanese government.
Natural disasters definitely require relief supplies, and Japan will definitely have to pay for them. Then they will inflate prices again, exploit the Japanese government, and finally use the money to help the local Chinese community with post-disaster reconstruction.
Taking other people's money to do your own thing, perfect!
Gu Ran smiled after hearing what Zhang Qiong said. He hadn't expected that the high prices of agricultural products in Japan were actually due to the influence of the Liu family.
He then remembered that if the 'god' were to awaken, Japan, being so close to us, could very well affect the southeastern coast, so he instructed Nuwa to prepare in advance.
"The Goddess Nuwa has called on the noble families to concentrate on patrolling and defending the eastern coast, so that no stragglers can be allowed to threaten the coastal people," Zhang Qiong said.
She then asked, "Is there really no way for 'God' to resolve this before waking up?"
“Someone has been planning this for so long to awaken the god, it certainly won’t be resolved so easily,” Gu Ran said. “Let’s wait a little longer. Don’t worry, Japan won’t sink, I’m confident.”
"Don't push yourself." Zhang Qiong reached out and rubbed her eldest son's head. His hair was cut into a short, easy-to-manage style, but it was a little prickly. "Are your eyes feeling any better?"
"Much better." Gu Ran rubbed his eyes and showed them to her. "I don't need to wear contact lenses anymore, and my vision has recovered. As I said before, it was just a little pseudomyopia, nothing serious."
Zhang Qiong understood that her son didn't want her to worry, so he only reported good news and not bad. But judging from his appearance, he must have fully recovered to say that.
She added, "In short, always be careful and don't overexert yourself."
"I know, I still need to have a few big, fat grandsons calling you Grandma!" Gu Ran said with a smile.
Zhang Qiong asked with a smile, "So how many children do you plan to have?"
Gu Ran replied, "How about having two children in three years?"
"Don't make things too difficult for Xiaoqiang."
"It's okay, she's happy to be tormented by me."
"You brat, you're being indecent again!"
The mother and son were bickering, but they didn't notice that in the suite, Su Xiaoqiang was standing behind the door, holding the doorknob, listening to their conversation with a flushed face.
She had just woken up and was planning to have lunch, but after hearing their conversation, she felt too embarrassed to open the door and go out.
How embarrassing! What do you mean by having two children in three years? Who wants to have children with you, you big idiot!
Gu Ran and Zhang Qiong both glanced at the suite door and smiled.
Mixed-race people are sharp-witted and quick-witted; they can't hide this little commotion from them.
Gu Ran whispered to Zhang Qiong, "I'll go wake her up. Mom, please don't laugh at her. Although she seems a bit crazy, she's actually very sensitive."
"You've already learned to cherish your wife so quickly."
"I'm building a harmonious mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship in advance."
"Open your mouth! You don't look like your dad at all. I don't know who you learned it from," Zhang Qiong said irritably.
Gu Ran knocked on Su Xiaoqiang's door, waking the little beauty who was pretending to be asleep, and told her to go eat so she wouldn't go hungry.
Then they spent the afternoon dating at the hotel and had a good rest.
*……*……*
Nighttime, Takamagahara host club, secret office.
Su Enxi and Jiu De Mai have been staying in this office so much lately they're practically moldy.
In the office, the two girls had various jeans scattered everywhere, along with their business attire and casual wear. Their underwear was still hanging from the air conditioner vent, drying in the dry air.
They are the kind of people who can stay in one place for a very long time.
Su Enxi hadn't washed her hair in ages; it was so messy it looked like a bird's nest. Since she didn't go out or see anyone, she was too lazy to even take a shower.
Today, Mai couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she filled the bathtub with water and pulled Mai into the bath with her.
Su Enxi was soaking in hot water, with her tablet, phone, and laptop placed next to the bathtub. The laptop was playing Yui Aragaki's movie "Hanamizuki".
At just 22 years old, Yui Aragaki was in the prime of her youth, the perfect time to star in a romance film, which captivated the inexperienced potato chip girl.
"Lu Mingfei couldn't go out because of the heavy rain, so he ordered hot pot delivery and planned to eat it indoors with his bride." Mai Shude received the report from the front line on the phone and kicked the potato chip girl's soft thigh with her long, bare, beautiful legs.
Chapter 440 Tokyo Love Story Begins
"It's just a meal, why should I pay for it?" Chip Girl stared at the computer screen without looking up and said, "Just tell me how much it costs. You have a credit card, just swipe it as you like, I'll reimburse you."
Mai looked at Chip Girl with a deep gaze, thinking that this shut-in was hopeless and had no dating experience whatsoever, so she would be of no help at all when it mattered.
After thinking for a moment, Mai Shude immediately arranged for someone to include an extra bottle of 'Kuroryu Daiginjo' with the delivery. This is a type of sake that costs about 100,000 yen, which is equivalent to about 6,000 or 7,000 RMB.
After everything was arranged, the two soaked in the hot water for a long time. They were in a traditional Japanese bathtub, which had a flame at the bottom to keep it warm, so there was no need to worry about the water getting cold.
The young boss, Lu Mingze, wanted to arrange a bride for Lu Mingfei, and specifically requested Uesugi Erii. As a result, the part-time workers, Su Enxi and Jiude Mai, had no choice but to run errands for their boss immediately.
That's how working people are; if the boss says one word, the employees have to run themselves ragged. In short, no matter what, we have to make sure Lu Mingfei and Erii are together.
A while later, Mai Shude received a battle report from the front lines.
The two finished their drinks and were both a little tipsy, but nothing happened.
Su Enxi then glanced at Jiu De Mai's computer screen with interest and saw Erii's photo: "The girl the boss chose for this good-for-nothing is pretty, but her clothes are a bit outdated. However, her appearance is no worse than Chen Motong's."
“The bride is indeed very beautiful, but she doesn’t love the groom, and the groom is afraid of the bride,” Mai Shude sighed. “This job is even harder than being a panda keeper.”
“We’ve already snatched all the beautiful girls away for him, all he has to do is act like a beast!” Su Enxi said. “Is it that hard to be a beast?”
"The problem is, he's afraid that if he acts like a beast, he'll be killed instantly by a monster," said Mai Shude. "Besides, the two of them showed no signs of being in heat at all; they were just seriously eating hot pot."
"It's not like we're having a one-night stand. You can't expect to get horny right after meeting someone," Su Enxi said calmly. "Take it slow, feelings will develop over time!"
Mai Shude frowned and said, "There's no time to take it slow. The Snake-Headed Eight Family has already issued a 1 billion yen bounty. The bounty text messages have been sent to nearly 400,000 gang members in Tokyo. Starting tonight, these people will be searching for the two of them everywhere."
“Staying in the hotel is pretty good too!” Su Enxi said.
"So you can have a baby just by staying cooped up in a hotel?"
"That's a love hotel!"
"But these two just don't click at all. The boss's order is to marry the head of the Uesugi family to Lu Mingfei, and there's absolutely no progress!"
"Then what should we do?" Su Enxi shrugged. If you asked her to make money, she could make billions of dollars anytime, anywhere. She could even bankrupt several small countries financially.
But getting a weirdo and a loser to date is beyond her capabilities, and besides, she herself has zero dating experience and has been single for many years, so she can't help!
But the boss's task still needs to be completed...
Su Enxi finally felt a headache coming on. When it came to love, even using the Word Power: Heavenly Interpretation technique was useless.
"Then what should we do?" Su Enxi asked Jiu Demai. After all, she was often pursued by men and had some experience.
Mai Shude said, "I just brought them both some alcohol. I originally intended to give Lu Mingfei the courage to be emboldened by the alcohol, but Lu Mingfei was too afraid of the Uesugi family head to have any lustful thoughts. The alcohol only temporarily relieved his anxiety."
Su Enxi said that Lu Mingfei was worse than a beast; if she were a man, she would have already acted like a beast towards the head of the Uesugi family.
"His preconceived notions about the head of the Uesugi family led him to believe she was a human weapon, so he was terrified. Furthermore, Chen Motong always held an absolute place in his heart. Even though he knew that wearing red shoes to seduce his sworn sister-in-law would result in being stabbed three times and stabbed six times, he still harbored deep affection for her..."
"What about the head of the Uesugi family?" Su Enxi continued to ask, since only the long-legged girl had some experience now.
"The Uesugi family head is fine. The only young man she's ever met is Genjiro, so all we need to do is make her think that Lu Mingfei is better than Genjiro."
"Huh? Yuan Zhisheng, a born 'Emperor', and so handsome too! I even want to use his picture as my computer wallpaper!" Su Enxi said, pouting. "What makes Lu Mingfei, that good-for-nothing, have the ability to surpass the 'Emperor' of the underworld?"
“So we need experts.” Mai Shude stood up from the bathtub, her perfect figure exposed to the air.