Chapter Thirteen: The Australian Lifestyle

Of course, such a person would pay great attention to socializing with officials. Although a probationary centurion of the Jinyiwei was a low-ranking official, he was a powerful figure in the local area. Huang Shunlong, holding to the principle of “burning incense in every temple,” had always been quite eager to curry favor with such figures. When the county magistrate approached him, he immediately agreed without hesitation.

The interpreter called for a two-man sedan chair from outside, had Li Yongxun sit in it, and led the way to Huang Shunlong’s house.

Huang Shunlong’s house was located in the Chinese residential area of Macau. The sedan chair was carried directly to the entrance of Huang Shunlong’s shop. Lin Ming looked at the dark storefront with some doubt. At the entrance, two sturdy Kunlun slaves stood guard with short batons.

On the way, the interpreter had boasted about the luxuries of Master Huang’s house. Lin Ming was not impressed. Since Huang Shunlong was in Macau, he naturally had easy access to all kinds of foreign goods. But the variety of foreign goods was limited to the usual items. Even the Australian goods that had become popular in recent years, he had seen many of them in Foshan.

“Master Lin, please come in,” the interpreter whispered.

Led by a small, dark-skinned Kunlun slave, the group passed through the storefront and then through a long, semi-dark corridor. Li Yongxun felt a little scared and leaned tightly against Lin Ming. A faint scent of orchid and musk wafted from her. Lin Ming, who was originally supporting her arm, took the opportunity to put his arm around his sister-in-law’s waist. He felt her waist was soft and pliable. As he gently kneaded it, his sister-in-law just let out a couple of “mm-hms.” He was overjoyed and wished the corridor would never end.

At the end of the corridor was a well-maintained fountain garden. It was not large. In the center was a small fountain, dripping with water. The ground around the fountain was paved with mosaics, inlaid with various patterns. The surroundings were lush with flowers and trees, and there was an exquisite, small pavilion.

The high walls and buildings around them isolated everything from the outside world, creating a very quiet atmosphere.

Huang Shunlong was waiting respectfully in the pavilion. He was dressed in magnificent clothes and had a dignified air. With his professional sensitivity, Lin Ming could see at a glance that there were at least a dozen places where his attire violated the regulations. Even in Guangzhou, where the court’s dress code was treated as waste paper, it was not so exaggerated. Macau was indeed a land of barbarians.

Huang Shunlong was very enthusiastic. He immediately invited them to “change their clothes” and said he would send for a doctor right away.

Servants came to help the two of them wash and change. Lin Ming had his sister-in-law dress as a man only to avoid unnecessary trouble, not to hide her gender. Now that they were in someone else’s private residence, there was no need to continue the disguise. The clothes brought by the maids were all brand new, with exquisite materials and tailoring, which made Lin Ming very satisfied. The doctor who was called to see Li Yongxun’s foot said it was not a serious injury, and that it would be fine after applying a plaster and resting for a few days.

The welcoming banquet was set up in the garden pavilion. The high walls blocked the cold wind, and colorful Persian carpets with various patterns were hung around the pavilion. There were also two braziers on the ground, filled with high-quality hardwood charcoal mixed with foreign spices. The entire pavilion was filled with a fragrant aroma, full of the feeling of spring.

The table and chairs were all made of rattan, but they were of a style that Lin Ming had never seen before—small and beautiful. Since it was winter, thick cushions made of Nanjing felt were added to the seats and backrests, making them very comfortable. Li Yongxun looked around curiously, especially at the round rattan table, examining it from top to bottom.

Lin Ming saw that there were no elaborate table decorations or lion-shaped candies, so he knew it was a family banquet. If it had been a formal welcoming banquet with all the elaborate rituals, he would not have been able to endure it. The family banquets of wealthy merchants were known for their exquisite food. Seeing the scene set up by the Huang family, he expected this meal to have many extraordinary dishes and was full of anticipation.

Sure enough, the dishes that were served were different from the Cantonese cuisine of Guangdong. The flavor was quite unique, rich and fragrant, with a slightly cloying sweetness. Both Li Yongxun and Lin Ming were trying such flavors for the first time. According to Huang Shunlong, these were Portuguese dishes, cooked by his wife herself.

“This crab is made with sea crab. The meat is picked out, and the outside is seasoned with cheese…” Huang Shunlong said eloquently.

The wine served was the most fashionable “Peerless Scholar” from Guangzhou. Lin Ming had often bought this wine for his colleagues from the north. Anyone who came to Guangdong on official business from the north would buy a few boxes to take back as gifts. Sometimes people would even send letters asking him to buy it for them. Lin Ming often had to send people to Guangzhou to buy this wine. Sometimes, if the person was a high-ranking official or an important figure, he would have to pay for it himself—Gao Ju was not a minor figure from whom he could casually demand gifts. He had spent a lot of money on this. Of course, the taste of “Peerless Scholar” was pure and sweet, indeed not comparable to ordinary local liquor. After Wang Zunde’s “punitive expedition against the kūnzéi bandits,” the supply of “Peerless Scholar” was cut off, and its price skyrocketed. Lin Ming rarely got to drink it himself anymore.

“What is this? Why is it bubbling?” Li Yongxun asked in surprise, looking at the orange water in the glass cup, with fine bubbles rising from the bottom in a stream.

“This is Australian water, the most refreshing and thirst-quenching.”

Li Yongxun took a sip, her expression very complex. “It’s tingly and sweet. And it has an orange flavor.”

“Exactly. This is orange-flavored Australian water,” Huang Shunlong said, clapping his hands and laughing. “This is a rare item here. It’s not good to drink if it loses its fizz.”

He then explained that the worst thing for Australian water was to lose its fizz—if it did, it would just be fruit-flavored sweet water. So the packaging was all done with special thick glass bottles, with corks on top, and then tied with wire. Each 12 bottles were packed in a wooden box with dividers and then shipped over. The journey was long and the price was expensive. But it was indeed an excellent product for relieving the summer heat and boredom, and it was very popular with the Portuguese.

Then a servant brought in a large porcelain pot. When the lid was lifted, the pot was full of glistening, reddish-orange contents. Lin Ming looked closely and saw white fish fillets and yellow eel backs floating in it, with soybean sprouts at the bottom. There were also red, lantern-shaped fruits floating in the oily soup. A rich and strange aroma filled the air.

“This dish has a foreign flavor, very unique,” Huang Shunlong said with a smile. “But the taste is extremely strong.”

“It seems to have a lot of Sichuan pepper in it,” Sichuan pepper was a common spice in Ming Dynasty cuisine.

“Correct,” Huang Shunlong nodded. “Besides Sichuan pepper, there is also foreign pepper from the West.”

Everyone raised their chopsticks. Lin Ming felt an extreme spiciness in his mouth, a sensation completely different from the numbing spice of Sichuan pepper. The white fish meat, seasoned this way, had a unique and delicious flavor. His appetite was immediately whetted, and he ate several chopsticks’ worth. Li Yongxun saw the lantern-shaped fruits floating in the oily soup, bright red and beautiful. She acted quickly. Before Huang Shunlong could stop her, Li Yongxun had stuffed the pickled chili directly into her mouth.

“You can’t eat that—” before he could finish his sentence, Li Yongxun let out a scream. Her mouth felt like it was on fire, her throat was numb and choking, and tears and snot streamed down her face. She sneezed more than a dozen times. The maids quickly handed her water and a towel. She drank four or five glasses of soda water before she finally stopped.

“What is this!” Li Yongxun was almost breathless, so spicy that she could hardly speak.

“This is pickled chili,” Huang Shunlong said. “It’s used as a seasoning, not for eating.”

Lin Ming was very interested in this. In their casual conversation, he learned that this was the “Tianchu” brand pickled chili from Lin’gao. It was a common ingredient in “Australian cuisine.” Huang Shunlong spoke enthusiastically about “Australian cuisine.” He had eaten it once at the Zhiming Tower in Guangzhou and had been thinking about it ever since. He had specially sent a chef to Lin’gao to learn the art, and he had learned how to make more than a dozen dishes and four or five kinds of pastries.

“Australian cuisine?” Lin Ming was no stranger to the Australians and Lin’gao goods. The manager of the “Yangrun Kaitang” pharmacy, Yang Shiyi, was very familiar with him. One of his cousins had opened a pharmacy in Lin’gao and had asked him to sell several kinds of patent medicines in Guangdong. The business was extremely good. When they drank and chatted in their spare time, he would often talk about his cousin’s situation. Although it was hearsay, it gave Lin Ming a lot of information about Lin’gao.

“Exactly. Although the Australians are overseas barbarians, their various luxuries are no less impressive than those of our Great Ming,” Huang Shunlong said, seeing that today’s hospitality was very much to the honored guest’s liking, and he was in high spirits for conversation. “Take this Australian cuisine, for example. Many of the dishes are things I had never even thought of!”

Lin Ming made some perfunctory remarks, drinking wine and eating. But he listened carefully to every word Huang Shunlong said. He felt that this Manager Huang seemed to have a very close relationship with the Australians in Lin’gao. He began to probe indirectly. He figured that since the Australians had defeated the government forces this time and had even laid siege to Guangzhou, they would inevitably be the enemy of the Great Ming in the future, and there would surely be more wars. For this reason, Lin Ming paid close attention to matters concerning the Australians. One day, if the court were to launch a major expedition against the kūnzéi bandits, and if he were an “Australia expert,” he would have a good chance of getting a military commendation, promotion, and wealth.

Huang Shunlong was eager to curry favor with him, and Lin Ming did his best to be agreeable. The two of them became more and more congenial. Huang Shunlong was in high spirits and personally toasted Lin Ming. As he became more intoxicated, his speech loosened.

“Manager Huang, you must have a lot of dealings with the Australians.”

“I did have some business dealings with them in the past,” Huang Shunlong said, knowing who he was talking to, so he was careful with his words. “Not so much recently. They have many novel goods—all best-sellers. It’s a pity I’m not in Guangzhou. The benefits of selling Australian goods have all been taken by that high official Gao.”

“Manager Huang, do you know someone named Guo Yi? I heard he is the leader of the Australians in Guangzhou.”

“Guo Yi? Of course, I know him,” Huang Shunlong nodded. “Who doesn’t know the famous Manager Guo! He has no business here, but his men often come and go, specifically to buy goods from the Portuguese.” He took a sip of “Peerless Scholar.” “It’s really strange. The Portuguese have always bought more than they sold here. But after the Australians came, they specifically wanted their things!”

In fact, Huang Shunlong’s relationship with Guo Yi was far more than just an acquaintance. Although Huang Shunlong’s importance in the entire Lin’gao economic system had greatly declined, when Guangdong imposed an economic blockade on Lin’gao, Huang Shunlong’s smuggling channels were still able to import and export various goods to Lin’gao in small batches.