Chapter 73: Sweet Harbor Storm - Xiao Zhanfeng

However, they couldn’t get too close. The people coming and going here were all acquaintances. Two unfamiliar faces would easily arouse suspicion, let alone trying to gather information. Chen Tianxiong deeply felt that his time here was too short, and he had not yet reached the point where he could “blend in.” Not only did his accent immediately give him away as an “outsider,” but even his demeanor was different from others. Every move he made would attract attention. In this social environment, without the help of locals, intelligence work was just a fantasy.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but admire the secret arrangements that President Wen and the others had made in Guangzhou back then. If there were no Gao family and no Qiwei Escort Agency now, the transmigrator group would be isolated in Lingao, and who knew how long it would take to open up the situation. It wasn’t like now, where there was at least some local support.

The two of them rested and drank tea at a roadside tea shed half a li from the temple. The tea shed was bustling with people from all walks of life. Even without asking, they could hear a lot of news from the conversations of the people around them.

Fortunately, the recent struggle between South China and the Haiyitang had become a major news story in Xuwen and even Leizhou, and it was the most talked-about topic in the shed.

The news was mixed, and much of it was absurd, especially about the machinery of the South China Factory, which was almost becoming a “demonic device.” Although machinery was not as rare in the late Ming Dynasty as it was in the “High Qing,” something that could move on its own without manpower, water power, or wind power, and was so powerful, still made many people feel mysterious and unpredictable.

The second most talked-about topic was the private lives of the gentlemen of the South China Factory, especially their relationship with the Wen brothers, which became the object of many people’s fantasies. The public opinion in the tea shed was that the two men’s chrysanthemums were the subject of much speculation. On the other hand, no one mentioned Chang Shide’s “heroic feat” of buying five women at the human market.

At this moment, he heard someone next to him say with spittle flying, “…I think this time, South China is going to take a big hit.”

How so? This was something everyone wanted to ask. So far, the prediction that South China would take a hit had been made several times. In the gambling dens of Xuwen, a new betting pool had recently appeared: betting on whether South China or the Haiyitang would win this sugar war. A few days ago, more people were betting on the Haiyitang to win, but as the purchase price of two taels and five qian had been maintained until now, the number of people betting on South China to win had greatly increased. The locals were not fools. The harvest season was only a little over three months long, and two-thirds of it had already passed. The warehouses of the sugar merchants under the Haiyitang were still empty. The victory was already decided.

“You old fellow, you just know how to lick the Haiyitang’s boots all day. I wonder who it was that said last time that South China’s money supply would be cut off within three days, and if it wasn’t, he would cut off his own thing?” someone said mockingly. “I see you haven’t gone to the capital to register yet!”

“Registering” was the procedure for self-castration, for those who intended to enter the palace as eunuchs.

The tea shed burst into laughter. The person who was being ridiculed still insisted, “Who knows where they got the silver from? I think South China is just lingering on its last breath.”

“Lingering on its last breath to the point where the number of weighers has increased to fifteen, a threefold increase. Is there such a thing as lingering on its last breath in the world?”

“Hmph!” The person who was being ridiculed refused to admit defeat and said, “Even if South China has plenty of silver, they have already lost in terms of public opinion! Just you wait, in three to five days, there will be a popular uprising!”

“How so?” the other person said dismissively. “Do you have two things? No wonder you can’t go and register!”

This time, the tea shed was roaring with laughter. Everyone was holding their stomachs and rolling on the ground. Even the waiters and assistants were bent over, wiping away tears of laughter.

This person lost face and said anxiously, “Xiao Suanzi! Just you watch, South China’s perverse actions in Xuwen have ruined the livelihood of so many people. Someone went to complain to the magistrate earlier but was rejected. But how can the matter end here? Sooner or later, it will provoke a popular uprising!”

The scholar, who was called Suanzi, shook his head and smiled. “I advise you to go and say that to the cane farmers at the entrance of the South China Sugar Firm. The price of two taels and five qian was forcibly changed to one tael. And you still have the nerve to say that others are ‘ruining people’s livelihood’?!”

“Hmph, are there only cane farmers in Xuwen?” the other person sneered. “I think you are blind. Which of those people in front of the Zou Heshang Temple doesn’t hate South China to the core? I advise you not to be in a hurry to speak up for South China. In three days, we will see the result!”

“Three days it is!” the scholar snapped his fan shut. “I’d like to see what the result will be. Just look at the kind of person Lin Zhuang, whom they elected, is. This group of people will never amount to anything!”

When Chen Tianxiong heard the mention of “Lin Zhuang,” he couldn’t help but prick up his ears, wanting to hear the details. Unexpectedly, someone came to mediate. “You two, you two, this matter has nothing to do with us. Why hurt our harmony over it? Let’s drink tea.”

Thus, the topic of “Lin Zhuang” was dropped. However, the topic was still on the matter of South China. This scholar was very interested in South China’s machinery, but he regretted that South China’s gates were heavily guarded, and he could not get in to have a look.

“I heard that the machine eats bagasse and spits out black smoke, with raging fire, like a big furnace,” someone said.

“I just don’t know what is burned in this furnace. And what’s the use of burning it?” he sighed. “If only I could see it with my own eyes!”

“It burns water,” someone said. “I heard from the people inside that they have to haul water into it every day. When the time comes, it will also spray out steam. I just don’t know what’s the use of them burning water like this every day for making sugar.”

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was attentive. Chen Tianxiong nodded secretly. The ancient people had their powers of observation, but unfortunately, they lacked hundreds of years of knowledge and accumulation, which was a great disadvantage.

“South China’s sugar making is a secret method. To want to go into the sugar factory to see their machines is just wishful thinking,” an old man said. “Just in this Leizhou Prefecture, there are many big households who want to do business with South China.”

This was the first time he had heard this! Chen Tianxiong thought to himself that the escorts who had gone out to gather information were, after all, one layer removed. Moreover, they didn’t know what the transmigrators were most concerned about.

“That’s strange. Besides sugar, what other business can be done with them?”

“South China is such a large firm. Just feeding and clothing them is a big business!” the old man said. “It’s a pity they haven’t been here for long—”

It was obvious what he was sorry about. South China’s foundation here was very shallow, and their background was unknown. The local big households and shops were mostly cautious and prudent. When making new customers and doing business, they would first look at their background and second at their conduct. Only when both were fine would they trade with you. Otherwise, they would rather not make money than get into trouble.

The showdown between South China and the Haiyitang seemed to be a matter between the two of them, but in fact, the whole of Leizhou was watching. Thinking of it this way, it was one layer deeper than before. South China was here, one, to make money, and two, to build a reputation. Although this was not a “liberated area,” it was an important source of finance for the future transmigrator group, and the foundation had to be solid. Thinking of this, Chen Tianxiong was even more determined to use his skills rather than force to solve the problem.

However, in the end, no one mentioned Lin Zhuang again. Chen Tianxiong was inevitably disappointed. Since that was the case, he had to inquire in person. From the conversations of others, he knew that this scholar with the surname Xiao was called Xiao Zhanfeng. This person had a very good impression of South China, and it was rare that he was both reasonable and willing to speak out for justice. He was a good person to win over. Moreover, his words implied that he knew Lin Zhuang quite well. Perhaps he could get some information through him.

It was almost noon, and Xiao Zhanfeng was about to go home for lunch. Chen Tianxiong gave Zhou Shizhai a look. Zhou Shizhai understood. It was crowded and conspicuous here, so it was not convenient to greet him on the street. It was better to follow him home and then pay a visit.

So they followed him out. Chen Tianxiong sat in the tea shed by himself, drinking tea and listening to people’s nonsense. It was just that his Leizhou dialect was quite limited, and he couldn’t understand more than half of it. He was thinking about finding someone to teach him specifically.

After sitting for more than an hour, he saw that Zhou Shizhai had already returned. He left a few copper coins on the table and went out to meet him.

Zhou Shizhai told him in a low voice that this Xiao lived in Xuwen county town. This was quite surprising. He was a resident of the county town, why did he come to Haian Street, more than ten li away, to drink tea? Although Xuwen was small, there were always places to drink tea.

“His house is in the north gate suburbs of the county town. It looks very dilapidated. I even found out about his family.”

This Xiao Zhanfeng’s parents had already passed away. It was said that this person had always been idle and liked to make comments. His family was in a very bad state, so he didn’t even have a wife yet.

Since this person was unattached, he could be deeply befriended and used by me. Chen Tianxiong made up his mind and had Zhou Shizhai lead the way to visit this scholar.

Liu Xiucai lived in a courtyard on a back street in the suburbs. It was a house with a separate courtyard. Judging from the scale, it used to be a well-to-do family, but now it looked very dilapidated. The walls had not been painted for a long time, and even the gate and walls were a little crooked. Grass even grew on the ground in front of the door—a picture of a dilapidated and deserted household.

Zhou Shizhai went forward and knocked on the door. After a long while, someone came out. He was wearing an old scholar’s robe, with his head bare and no headscarf. Although the clothes were old and had patches, they were still clean and tidy.

Seeing two strangers at the door, Xiao Zhanfeng was taken aback. “Who are you looking for?”

“We are looking for Xiao Zhanfeng.”

“That’s me. We’ve never met before. I wonder who you two are…” He looked at the uninvited guests curiously.

“We have long admired your name and have come to pay a visit,” Chen Tianxiong said a generic polite phrase.

Xiao Zhanfeng’s eyes darted around Chen Tianxiong’s body and suddenly nodded. “So that’s how it is! Please come in and sit.”

Chen Tianxiong had originally thought he would refuse, so he had even prepared a set of excuses and was even prepared to force his way in. Now it seemed unnecessary. His interest in this person greatly increased.

The courtyard was very desolate. A lychee tree grew with sprawling branches. Under the tree was a broken table and a few bamboo chairs. There was tea on the table. It could be seen that although this Xiao Zhanfeng was poor, he still had some of the refined tastes of a scholar.

“The house is messy because there is no one to take care of it. Please take a seat in the courtyard.”

After the host and guests were seated, before Chen Tianxiong could speak, this Xiao Zhanfeng blinked a few times and said, “If I’m not mistaken, you two are from South China.”

Chen Tianxiong secretly praised him for his sharp eyes and only said, “How can you tell?”

“The people of South China, their demeanor and appearance are different from the locals,” Xiao Zhanfeng said with a smug smile. “You two have changed your clothes, but the air about you cannot be changed.”

“Oh, I’d like to ask for your advice. How can you tell from the air about a person?” This was equivalent to admitting that he was from South China.

“What’s so difficult about that?” Xiao Zhanfeng was quite pleased with himself. “Just from the few big managers of your South China that I’ve seen, none of them look like merchants. They have an air of looking down on the world.”

“Looking down on the world?” Chen Tianxiong couldn’t help but laugh. Do we really all have the aura of a king? On second thought, in terms of self-confidence and self-esteem, modern people were indeed not comparable to ancient people. Moreover, all the transmigrators were over-nourished, and their spirit was indeed very different from the natives.

“Since Mr. Xiao—”

“Just call me Zhanfeng.”

This was a very polite gesture. The two sides exchanged names. Chen Tianxiong knew the customs of the Ming Dynasty and asked again, “May I ask for your courtesy name?”

“What courtesy name do I have!” Xiao Zhanfeng said with a bitter smile. “I started my studies at the age of eight and took the children’s examination at fourteen. I have been struggling until now and am still just a student. What’s the use of having a courtesy name?” At this point, he suddenly realized, “You two have come here, and I haven’t even served you tea…”

“No need to be polite.” Chen Tianxiong could see from the appearance here that Xiao Zhanfeng was in a difficult situation. Since he had the intention of recruiting him, he had to show some small kindness without being obvious. Since it was already noon, it was better to just invite him for a drink. After three cups of wine, their relationship would be different.

“Master Zhou, please go and get some dishes and some wine.”

Zhou Shizhai knew that this Australian wanted to recruit this down-and-out scholar. Since he arrived in Lingao, although he had just been doing his work silently and never commented on the Australians’ affairs, he could also see that their ambitions were not small, and he had long had different thoughts in his heart. He nodded and asked, “I wonder what kind of wine you would like to drink?”

“Not Xuwenye, it’s too sweet!” Since Chen Tianxiong had the intention of recruiting him, he naturally had to spend some money. “Go to the sugar firm and get two bottles of ‘Peerless’!”

“No, no, this is not acceptable!” Xiao Zhanfeng’s face turned red. “We’ve just met. How can I let you spend so much?”

“We hit it off at first sight,” Chen Tianxiong said with a smile. “I also have something to ask Brother Zhanfeng for advice.”

Although Xiao Zhanfeng felt it was inappropriate, there was only a bowl of cold rice and a few pieces of pickled vegetables on the stove. It was not enough to entertain guests, let alone for himself. He also thought that the other party was so straightforward, why should he be so pretentious? So he no longer refused.

In less than a moment, Zhou Shizhai returned, and he also brought an assistant carrying a food box. Inside were all kinds of hot and cold dishes, quite sumptuous, which made Xiao Zhanfeng, who had not tasted meat for a long time, swallow hard.

“This is too extravagant!” He cupped his hands. “Your Excellency is so polite. Zhanfeng has nothing to repay you with. I am ashamed, ashamed.”

“What’s there to be polite about? We are all brothers,” Chen Tianxiong had a lot of social experience in his past life and was very skilled at this kind of relationship-building and ingratiation. After a few cups of wine, seeing that the conversation was getting more and more enthusiastic, he finally got to the point.