Chapter 955 954 [In the Rain]

This small town is not far from London, but it seems like a paradise, without the slightest trace of war.

Outside the town are patches of newly cultivated land, winter barley has just been planted, and farmers are using traditional irrigation methods to provide water. Zhou Hexuan and Ma Jue were walking on the edge of the town, looking up and seeing a busy scene. This was something that would have been impossible a year ago.

The once empire on which the sun never set is now facing the same problem as China - a severe shortage of food during the war.

As early as 1914, the British colonial area was 111 times larger than the mainland area, and most of the food had to be provided by the colonies. At that time, the food produced in the UK was only enough to feed 36% of the British population, and there was abandoned land everywhere. Not only has this situation not improved, but it has intensified. At the beginning of World War II, the area of ​​cultivated land in Britain dropped by 45% compared to the period of World War I.

When the British coastline was blocked by German aircraft and submarines, an embarrassing situation arose. British food reserves would be difficult to sustain until the end of next year.

As a result, the British government began to reward land reclamation and significantly increased the price of agricultural products. This has led farmers and herdsmen to switch to growing food, and even some urban residents have voluntarily gone to the suburbs to open up wasteland. It is estimated that Britain's food shortage will be alleviated to some extent next year.

But self-sufficiency is definitely not enough. It took Britain 15 years to develop agriculture after World War II before it finally reversed the decline of domestic agriculture and gradually realized agricultural modernization—a full half century later than the United States.

Zhou Hexuan pointed to the newly cultivated land outside the town and said: "The situation in Britain, whose coastline is blocked by Germany, is even worse than in China. Many farmers and herdsmen in the UK no longer even know how to grow food. They only grow cotton and Raise cattle and sheep. If Germany can achieve a total naval blockade, 50% of the British people will starve to death within a year."

"So miserable?" Ma Jue was very surprised.

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "That is of course impossible. Germany does not yet have the ability to completely block the UK. But this is enough to make the British government miserable. Several grain cargo ships are bombed and sunk by Germany every month."

Ma Jue looked at Zhou Hexuan with admiring eyes: "Sir, how come you know everything? Well, I mean, I haven't seen you looking up information in the library. You even know the status of British grain production."

"This can be inferred by reading the newspapers. The British government has recently promulgated a series of bills to revitalize agriculture. The price of agricultural products has increased far faster than that of other commodities. Speculators who speculate in grain have all made a fortune. Just judging from the price increase of agricultural products Look, the price increase in Britain is even more exaggerated than in China. At least China could barely stabilize food prices in the first half year of the all-out war of resistance." Zhou Hexuan explained a few words casually.

"Then I should read more economic news in the future." Ma Jue smiled.

Ma Jue's dream as a girl was to be a writer. She followed her father's orders and studied politics as an undergraduate at university. She studied in the UK and received a doctorate in law. According to my father's original intention, the status of women in China is too low, and I hope the Ma Jue sisters can do something to fight for women's rights.

But Ma Jue is obviously not suitable to be a politician or social activist, and the domestic situation makes her not even want to be a lawyer. She might as well be a university teacher and gain experience by following Zhou Hexuan.

Affected by her family environment, Ma Jue has the temperament of an independent and intellectual woman, but she is still a little woman at heart and just wants to find a beloved man to spend her life in peace.

The large beech leaves in the distance are golden, and some are even reddish. They are in sharp contrast with the green grass. The bright and bright sunlight shines down, giving people a classic and subtle surprise. Ma Jue felt particularly happy and couldn't help but admired: "I didn't expect that Britain also has such beautiful scenery."

"Autumn scenery is the only natural scenery in Britain that can be seen." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, the sun was covered by clouds, leaving only low dark clouds in the sky.

Ma Jue chuckled and said, "It's going to rain again."

Zhou Hexuan said: "Let's go back."

Autumn in the UK is indeed beautiful, but unfortunately there is also a lot of rain in autumn. It should be said that there is a lot of rain all year round.

The two of them quickly returned to the town, but within a few minutes of walking it started to rain. It's the kind of drizzle that just wets clothes. It's not as lingering as the drizzle in Jiangnan, China, but it's just right. The scenery in the rain is like an oil painting with a cooler tone.

Zhou Hexuan was afraid that Ma Jue would catch a cold, so he took off his coat and put it over her head.

"Thank you, sir." Ma Jue smiled sweetly and subconsciously moved her body towards Zhou Hexuan.

This should be a matter of course. Zhou Hexuan put his arms around Ma Jue's shoulders and walked in the drizzle to enjoy the scenery of the fields. The hardest thing to accept is the kindness of a beauty. Ma Jue is already 30 years old, and Zhou Hexuan doesn't want to delay her youth anymore.

The two officially confirmed their relationship in this way, without any fanfare and everything was kept silent.

During the Republic of China, there were indeed many vigorous romances, but more often they went straight to the subject and moisturized things silently. The most typical ones were Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang.

The first time Qian Zhongshu met Yang Jiang was when he and his cousin Sun Lingxian went to the girls' dormitory of Tsinghua University. The two looked at each other at that time. As a result, Sun Lingxian said to Qian Zhongshu: "Yang Jiang has a boyfriend (referring to Fei Xiaotong)." Then he said to Yang Jiang: "My cousin is engaged to Miss Ye's family."

Qian Zhongshu didn't believe in evil at all and secretly wrote a letter to Yang Jiang to meet him.

This was the second time the two met. They had not exchanged a few words before. Qian Zhongshu said immediately: "I am not engaged."

Yang Jiang said: "I don't have a boyfriend either."

As a result, the two officially fell in love... This may make countless singles dumbfounded. It seems too simple and smooth.

"Jingle Bell!"

A bicycle flew past, its wheels throwing up wet soil, and some of it accidentally splashed on Zhou Hexuan's pants.

The rider on the bike was Turing. His hair was messy, his face was full of stubble, and he was dressed casually. If you look closely, you can even see that the gaps between his fingernails are black. He does not look like a member of the wartime intelligence agency at all, but more like a pure loser who can't find a job.

Turing lived in a hotel in the town, and rode three miles to Bletchley Park for work every day. After get off work, he occasionally helped the hotel bar. Except for his bosses and colleagues, no one knows Turing’s true identity, including his family.

Back at the hotel, Turing leaned his bicycle against the door, walked in and said to the boss, "Uncle Brook, how was business today?"

The boss smiled and said: "It's still the same, more and more people come from London."

The first floor of the hotel is a small bar, or to be precise, there is a bar counter. Turing washed his hands casually, without changing his clothes, and went to the bar to help the boss's wife. He worked as a bartender for free, and in return he usually ate with the boss's family.

The proprietress was a bucket-waisted aunt, and she advised earnestly: "Alan, you are a smart and handsome young man. You can't just idle around like this. It's time to find a serious job to support yourself."

"I'm looking for it." Turing smiled.

At this time, Turing had just joined the British black room and was still despised by traditional cryptography experts. Because he was just a mathematician and couldn't even speak German. According to the old concept, he would not be of any help in deciphering the German code.

"Man, two glasses of cider to warm you up." Zhou Hexuan brought Ma Jue to the bar.

Turing responded: "Okay, please wait."