Chapter 210: Late Summer

Summer was gradually passing. The county town of Lingao seemed very quiet in the summer of 1629. For one thing, the weather was hot, and the people in the city did not want to move. The farmers were busy with the summer harvest and planting under the scorching sun, plowing the fields with water buffaloes, and had no time to go to the city. Secondly, this city had been gradually marginalized economically. The few merchants in the city were gradually attracted to Dongmen Market to open shops and do business. The common people and the gentry also gradually got used to this new market. Whether it was for shopping or for a leisurely stroll, Dongmen Market had much more to offer in terms of goods and shopping environment than the county town.

The few handicraft workshops in the city had all closed down, including the only blacksmith shop in the county. Their products could not be compared with those of the transmigrators at all, and they were even completely defeated in terms of price. They were finally defeated in the free competition. Now they are no longer in the county town. It is said that they are working as craftsmen for the “short-hairs” (a derogatory term for the transmigrators), and the treatment is not bad. According to those who have seen it, the cooper who was originally so poor that he was penniless even got a wife, and also took on four or five apprentices, and is there every day making barrels.

The only place in the city that still seemed a little lively was Runshitang. Since the owner of Runshitang went to the mainland, the originally quiet Runshitang suddenly became lively, and many outside medicine workers were added. Baskets of medicinal materials were transported in, and boxes of finished medicines were transported out. Everyone said that Yang Shixiang, the owner of Runshitang, had made a fortune this time. Every ten days, several large carts of goods would be transported to Bopu, loaded with the newly manufactured Zhuge Xingjun San and Biwen San of Runshitang—it was said that they were selling very well in the Guangzhou area. These two medicines were also highly praised in Lingao, especially the cheap and good Biwen San. Many people carried a bottle with them, and it became a standing peace medicine in summer. Even if you really couldn’t afford it, you could get it at the entrance of the church in Dongmen Market—the price was to go inside and listen to the foreign monk preach a passage of scripture.

The foreign monk was also very kind, and the stories he told were quite moving. He would also take out beautiful picture albums. Even if it wasn’t for the medicine, it was a good choice for entertainment.

People with good sources of information said that the reason why Runshitang was able to turn the tables was because Shopkeeper Yang had made a connection with a “divine doctor” among the “short-hairs”. The prescription for the medicine was given by him. It was heard that he also received financial support.

These Australians are really good-luck boys. People with active minds in the county all had this feeling. Take Lin Quan’an of the Quanfu Commercial Firm, for example. He was originally just a Fujianese who carried goods on a shoulder pole. Now he has become a big rich man in the county, and he goes in and out in a four-person sedan chair, traveling all over the prefecture. Now there is Yang Shixiang… Many people’s minds began to become active. Some people were inquiring about what methods could be used to get in touch with the people in the transmigrator group.

The yamen, the center of Lingao, was also listless throughout the summer. The main gate was tightly closed, and the two yamen runners guarding the gate were also hiding in the gatehouse to cool off. It was already the time to collect the summer grain tax, but the clerks, runners, and “grain tax collectors” who used to show off their power at the yamen gate every autumn were nowhere to be seen—the local summer grain quota was only a mere thirty-two shi. Even if it was doubled, there was not much profit to be made. Naturally, no one was enthusiastic.

The officials, big and small, in the county all smelled something from the silent air in the city and felt uneasy in their hearts, but no one could say clearly what was making them uneasy.

What were they dissatisfied with now? The bandits had basically been wiped out; large-scale pirate landings and robberies had completely disappeared. In the eyes of Wu Mingjin and others, these two things alone were already remarkable political achievements. As for the road that passed by the county town gate and was constantly extending, it was a good policy that he had been thinking about for several years but had not been able to accomplish.

Personally, everyone was doing well. From Wu Mingjin down to the ordinary clerks in the yamen, everyone could receive a sum of “circulation coupons” from the “short-hairs” every month according to the grade table—although it was not white silver, it could be spent in Dongmen Market. Wu Mingjin originally disdained this kind of “counterfeit money,” but since he fell in love with the mellow and non-irritating taste of cigarettes, and the convenience of smoking them, this “counterfeit money” showed great value. The shops selling cigarettes in Dongmen Market only accepted this kind of money.

And his wife and children, whom he had brought back from Qiongshan, loved Australian goods far more than he did. First, his wife was inseparable from the glass mirror. Second, since Xiong Buyou sent a pair of porcelain bottles of Tianchu’s “secretly made MSG,” this had to be added to the dishes in the kitchen. Then, various kinds of Tianchu’s pickles were sent. For Mrs. Wu, who was a guest in this barren land, it was like a timely rain after a long drought—Wu Mingjin was from Nanzhili and had a natural fondness for things like pickles and preserved eggs. Although these were common and cheap in Nanzhili, they were rare things in Lingao. Wu Mingjin ate a few slices of “Yangzhou pickled cucumber” and felt that although the taste was not quite right, the flavor was roughly the same, which aroused a feeling of “longing for home.” He even wrote a few poems on the spur of the moment. For a time, he was in a great mood and sent someone to invite Master Wang to come and recite poems with him, but was told that Master Wang had gone out with his newly taken concubine. This made Wu Mingjin very disappointed.

However, the “short-haired bandits” (a derogatory term for the transmigrators) were very cunning. Although they often sent things, they never sent the same thing twice. After the MSG, pickles, and preserved eggs were gone, he eagerly hoped that Xiong Buyou would send more, but there was no sign of them. To buy them, he had to go to Dongmen Market. Wu Mingjin had no choice but to cut down on his cigarette money to cover his wife’s expenses.

As Xiong Buyou sent gifts more and more frequently, Wu Mingjin found that his cigarette money was becoming increasingly tight. His solution was to have his servant take the coarse rice that the court gave him as a salary to Dongmen Market to exchange for circulation coupons. This practice really made him feel incredible. However, circulation coupons were indeed good things.

But the price of these “Australian goods” was too high! He used to smoke “Holy Ship” brand cigarettes. Ten white cigarettes, each with a small bamboo mouthpiece, and a picture of a ship on the box—Wu Mingjin knew that this was the giant ship in Bopu. The price of the Holy Ship brand was 6 yuan per pack. According to the price list of the Delong Grain Store, it was almost equivalent to four or five catties of coarse rice!

A small cigarette, when lit, was half a catty of rice! Wu Mingjin felt that he was too extravagant, so he told his servant to buy cheaper ones. The servant then bought a brand of cigarettes called “Bairen Beach.” The taste of the cigarettes was about the same, but there was no bamboo mouthpiece. The cigarette box packaging was also much simpler. The price was only 3 yuan. After smoking for a few days, he found that the clerks in the county yamen also smoked this kind of cigarette. Upon closer observation, he found that there were different brands of cigarettes. The most expensive was “Holy Ship,” followed by “Bairen Beach,” then there was a 1-yuan one called “Gaoshanling,” and finally “Great Production,” which only cost 50 cents. The peddlers and porters smoked this kind.

As the highest official in the county, it was really a loss of dignity for Wu Mingjin to smoke the same grade of cigarettes as the yamen clerks. So he had to continue to smoke “Holy Ship.”

Recently, Dongmen Market was also selling ice cubes—this caused a huge sensation. Everyone in Lingao wanted to know where the “short-hairs” got their ice. The winter in Lingao does not freeze, and there are no deep mountains in the local area that can accumulate snow and store ice. The “short-hairs” not only seemed to have ice, but it also seemed to come very easily. They not only used it themselves, but also sold it. A large block could be bought for 10 cents of circulation coupons.

A large block of ice placed in the hall immediately made it feel much cooler. It was even better to use ice cubes to chill fruits. Xiong Buyou also sent a few small jars of sour plum sauce—drinking a bowl of iced sour plum soup was also a beautiful thing—but it further increased Wu Mingjin’s expenditure on circulation coupons.

County Magistrate Wu was smart enough to realize that this was the transmigrator group luring him and his whole family with all kinds of “strange and ingenious” material enjoyments. They didn’t send real gold and silver, but all kinds of things for enjoyment, and these things were only available from the “short-hairs”.

Wu Mingjin sneered secretly: Do you think I don’t know your tricks!

Knowing was one thing, but the demand was unstoppable. As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. After a person gets used to enjoying life, it becomes very difficult to change. For example, his attempt to smoke a dry pipe again failed. It was spicy and bitter, and it also produced a lot of smoke oil. After a few puffs, he got angry and threw the dry pipe away. The servant who was listening was so scared that he knelt on the ground and dared not say a word. In the end, he bought cigarettes for him from Dongmen Market.

As for the ice cubes, even if he could endure it, his wife and children could not understand his difficulties and insisted on having them. His son even suggested: send someone to ask the Australians to send some ice cubes every day—they probably wouldn’t refuse. Wu Mingjin was so angry that he wanted to slap him a few times.

Of course, he could buy ice himself, but his cigarette money was decreasing day by day… The problem of insufficient cigarette money that modern men often encounter, Wu Mingjin also encountered.

Of course, he had money. Although Lingao was a remote and small county, the county magistrate’s share of the summer and autumn taxes was still there as usual. But the silver he had accumulated in the past had been sent back to his hometown one after another. There was nothing to be gained from the summer tax, and the autumn tax was not yet due. For a while, besides the pitiful little salary every month, there was no other place to get money—Wu Mingjin considered himself a “conscientious” county magistrate. He would generally not do things like taking ill-gotten gains or bending the law for personal gain.

Of course, as long as he showed a little sign, and complained to Wu Ya, the “short-hairs” would probably take the initiative to increase his “allowance.” But besides being “conscientious,” County Magistrate Wu also had a little bit of “backbone”—he would never do such a thing that was close to “begging.”

Unexpectedly, a few days later, Xiong Buyou was very considerate and sent a stack of ice tickets. With each ticket, you could get a block of ice from Dongmen Market. Thirty blocks a month. Wu Mingjin’s emotions were very complicated: he did not have the courage to refuse the Australians’ bribes, but accepting them—he felt that he was sinking deeper and deeper. Not only him, but also all the officials and subordinates in the county.