African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 185: Chapter 174 Hornfeis and Maria

Northern Kenya.

In the early morning, as the sun rises, the African wilderness is silent, and amidst the vast grasslands stand ten stone-built isolated homes. For hundreds of miles, the only sign of life are these dozen families, standing out amidst the endless plains.

Among them is the stone house of Hornfeis’s family, where his Southeast Asian wife, Maria, rises early to prepare breakfast for Hornfeis.

Maria comes from the Dutch East Indies colony (Indonesia), sold by the Dutch at a low price to the East African colony, where people were abundant.

In underdeveloped tropical regions, the people are very similar; women are much more industrious than men, and Maria is of this type, having grown up in a household where the mothers had to work to support the family.

Of course, Maria’s father had three wives and more than ten children, all of whom had to work except for him.

Unfortunately, instead of upholding the glorious traditions of his ancestors, Maria’s father indulged in every vice, gambling and whoring without restraint.

Soon, he squandered the family fortune, relying entirely on his wives and children for support. Despite this, Maria’s father did not change his ways, and because he could not repay his gambling debts, creditors came to the door.

After a beating, Maria’s father sold his youngest daughters to pay off the debt, and Maria was among them.

Maria was fifteen years old when she was sold, with ordinary looks, having spent many years working in the fields with her mother, resulting in dark skin and a short stature, with malnutrition making her seem as thin as a reed.

The ordinary-looking Maria was then sold by the creditor at an extremely low price to the Dutch, who then resold her at twice the price to East Africa, profiting from the middleman margin.

In this era where the slave trade had ended, human trafficking was not permissible, so Maria and others were brought to East Africa under the guise of textile workers.

Hornfeis is a young Austrian, twenty years old, having arrived in East Africa a year and a half ago, like many Austrian immigrants, strong young men.

Most European immigrants to East Africa were either single men or already settled families.

According to the customs of the East African colony, Chinese were paired with white people, and whites with yellow-skinned individuals, resulting in Hornfeis having an Indonesian wife.

While arranged marriages were the norm, East Africa also allowed love marriages, albeit only for those who arrived through regular immigration channels.

For instance, Paraguayan women and widows had their wishes respected, becoming sought-after companions for East African bachelors.

Chinese and European immigrants were equally matched, with unmarried young Paraguayan women typically choosing European youth, while widowed mothers generally partnered with Chinese for daily life.

Once the relationship was confirmed, a wedding was held, and the East African government issued marriage certificates.

Nevertheless, Paraguayan women were few, with the entire population of Paraguay only numbering several million, and East Africa having painstakingly obtained only eighty to ninety thousand, making them a scarce resource. Fortunately, Paraguay was strong, continuing to fight against the Three Kingdoms, allowing East Africa to poach more.

Paraguayan immigrants in East Africa were placed in already developed areas, with not a single one in new development zones like Northern Kenya.

Thus, Hornfeis’s marital issue could only be solved by immigrants arriving through unconventional means.

In Mombasa, Hornfeis, alongside competitors, drew lots to obtain spouses, with a mature process long established by the East African colony.

His competitors were also Europeans, their choices limited to yellow-skinned individuals, opposite of Chinese immigrants.

Immigrants had few options in East Africa, and Hornfeis could only pray to Allah not to draw a particularly ugly wife.

Hornfeis drew card number seven, which was Maria. At the time, Hornfeis felt quite satisfied, considering his own appearance was nothing special, marrying at all was a blessing.

That day, the local government in Mombasa issued marriage certificates to the new couples, holding a symbolic wedding ceremony, after which Hornfeis took Maria home.

Today, Hornfeis and Maria have lived together for over six months, and Maria has turned sixteen.

Hornfeis’s life is quite comfortable, immensely satisfied with Maria, the two living in harmony.

Hornfeis hailed from a rural village in Austria, pure and unsophisticated. At eighteen, newly arrived in East Africa, he had yet to experience the intricacies of society.

With several older brothers ensuring no involvement with family businesses, Hornfeis joined village friends to venture into East Africa.

Maria, guided by her mother’s teachings, is diligent and capable, managing household duties neatly, making the couple a perfect match.

The name ”Maria” was given by Hornfeis, as initially, they faced a language barrier. Inquiring about Maria’s name was met with confusion.

Maria didn’t have an official name as she wasn’t favored by her father, who called her ”Black Monkey.”

Unable to communicate, Hornfeis decided to name her ”Maria,” noting her timid inability to speak.

In the first month, communication between Hornfeis and Maria relied on gestures and guesswork. Over time, Maria gradually learned some basic German.

After six months, Maria can now carry on normal conversations in somewhat imperfect German with Hornfeis.

In the kitchen, Maria kneads dough, frying pancakes and simmering millet porridge, preparing several side dishes for a simple and unpretentious breakfast.

”Dear, it’s time to eat!”

Hornfeis, already dressed, having washed simply, pulls up a chair and sits at the table.

”Maria, take a break and join me for breakfast,” Hornfeis calls out to his wife as she tidies the household.

”It’s alright, you’ll soon need to work, and I can’t stay idle. I can eat later, it’s no problem,” Maria replies while tidying the bed.

”As a family, we should eat together for the atmosphere. Back in Europe, my family and I shared meals at the table. You mentioned I’ll soon be off to work, there’s plenty of time afterward for cleaning. For now, come keep me company,” Hornfeis says to Maria.

Maria finishes her tasks before coming to the table, watching Hornfeis wolf down pancakes, she says, ”Eat slower, don’t choke.”

Hornfeis smiles slightly, content in this meaningful life of his.