Chapter 176 Hornfith and Maria
Northern Kenya.
In the early morning, the sun is rising, and the African wilderness is silent. On the vast grassland, a dozen small houses built of stone stand alone on the wilderness. There are only a dozen or so families in the grassland with no end in sight for a hundred miles around. Very eye-catching.
One of the small stone houses is the house of Hohenfiss. His Southeast Asian wife Maria got up early and began to prepare breakfast for Hohenfiss.
Maria came from the Dutch East Indies colony (Indonesia), and was sold by the Dutch to the East African colony at a low price. The most indispensable thing in the Dutch East Indies is people.
People in tropical and backward areas are very similar. Women are more industrious than men. Maria is such a type. Since she was a child, her mother has worked to support the family.
Of course, Maria’s father had three wives and more than a dozen children, and the whole family except the father had to work.
As for Maria's father, relying on the inheritance left by his ancestors, he originally had a small family in the local area, but in Maria's father's generation, his father did not inherit the glorious tradition of his ancestors at all, but was proficient in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling.
Soon, the family property was wiped out, relying on three wives and a bunch of children to support themselves. Even so, Maria's father remained stubborn, and was soon blocked by creditors because he had not paid his gambling debts.
After a burst of punching and kicking, Maria's father sold the youngest three daughters to pay off the debt, and Maria was one of them.
Maria was fifteen years old when she was sold by her father. She had an average appearance and worked in the fields with her mother all year round. She had dark skin, was not tall, and was malnourished like a hemp stalk.
Maria, who was not outstanding in appearance, was sold by the creditor to the Dutch at a very low price, and the Dutch sold Maria to East Africa at twice the price, mainly using a middleman to make the difference.
Of course, in this era when the slave trade has ended, of course Maria and others cannot be sold to East Africa under the banner of human trafficking, but imported to East Africa in the name of female textile workers.
Hornfiss is an Austrian. He is in his early 20s this year. He came to East Africa a year and a half ago. Like many Austrian immigrants, he is a young and strong guy.
After all, most of the European immigrants who came to East Africa, except those who had already married, were male bachelors.
According to the practice of the East African colonies, the Chinese assigned to the whites, and the whites assigned to the yellows. Hohenfis asked for an Indonesian wife.
Of course, in addition to assigned marriages, free love also exists in East Africa, but it is limited to immigrants who arrive in East Africa through normal immigration channels.
For example, those women and widows in Paraguay, East Africa respects their wishes, and Paraguayan women have also become the first objects of courtship for bachelors in East Africa.
Chinese and European immigrants have a tie. Basically, young unmarried Paraguayan women will choose European youths, and widows with children generally live with Chinese.
After the relationship is determined, the wedding will be held, and the East African government will issue a marriage certificate at the same time.
However, there are relatively few women in Paraguay, and the entire population of Paraguay is only a few hundred thousand. So far, East Africa has only worked hard to get 80,000 to 90,000 from the local area. It is a scarce resource. Fortunately, Paraguay is strong enough and is still fighting against the Triple Alliance. , East Africa can continue to poach the wall.
Paraguayan immigrants in East Africa are all arranged in areas that have already been developed and matured, and there are none in newly developed areas like northern Kenya.
So the marriage problem of Hohenfis can only be solved by immigrants who arrived in East Africa through abnormal channels.
Hornfiss's competitors are also Europeans, and the objects they draw are also delineated in the yellow race, and the Chinese immigrants are just the opposite.
In East Africa, there are very few options for immigrants, and Hohenfis can only ask God to bless him, not to draw too ugly ones.
Hornfiss finally got the number seven card, that is, Maria. At that time, Hohenfiss felt pretty good. After all, he also looks like that. It is very good to be married in this life.
On the same day, the local government of Mombasa applied for marriage certificates for these couples, and held a symbolic wedding ceremony. Hornfiss took Maria home.
As of today, Hornfiss and Maria have lived together for more than six months, and Maria is also sixteen years old.
Hornfiss lived a very comfortable life, and he was satisfied with Maria in every possible way.
Hornfiss was born in the countryside of Austria. He is relatively simple. He was only 18 years old when he first arrived in East Africa.
Because there are several elder brothers in the family, it is destined that the family business has nothing to do with me. It happens that East Africa recruits immigrants, so I went to East Africa with a few partners in the village.
Maria has also been taught by her mother's precepts and deeds since she was a child. She is hardworking and capable, and the housework is organized in an orderly manner. Such two people are simply a match made in heaven.
Maria was named by Hohenfiss. At the beginning, the two of them could not understand each other. Hohenfiss asked Maria what her name was, but Maria had no idea what Hohenfiss meant.
Maria didn’t have a serious name at first, she was not welcomed by her father at home, and her father usually called her “Black Monkey”.
Seeing that the two could not communicate, and Maria was timid and afraid to speak at the beginning, Hornfiss decided to name her "Maria" on his own initiative.
In the first month, the communication between Hohenfis and Maria basically relied on body language and guessing. As the days passed, Maria gradually learned some simple German.
After getting along for half a year, Maria can already communicate with Hohenfis normally in not-so-fluent German.
Maria kneaded the noodles in the kitchen, baked a few pancakes, boiled a pot of millet porridge, prepared a few cold dishes, and a simple and rustic breakfast was ready.
"Honey, it's time to eat!"
Hornfiss had already dressed, washed up briefly, pulled over the stool, and sat at the table.
"Maria, don't be too busy, sit down and eat together!" Hohenfis said to his wife who was still doing housework.
"It's okay, you have to work later, anyway, I can't be idle, and I won't delay if I eat later." Maria said while making the bed.
"Family, you still have to eat together to have an atmosphere. In Europe, my family and I also sit at the same table to eat. You also said that I will go to work for a while. There are so many hours in a day, and I will clean up later. It's not too late for hygiene, come and accompany me first." Hornfith said to Maria.
Maria came to the dining table after finishing the work at hand, looked at Hornfiss who was gnawing on the cake and said, "Eat slowly, don't choke."
Hornfiss smiled slightly, this is the meaning of his life.
(end of this chapter)