Chapter 80: The Markets of Hangzhou

Zhao Yigong said, “Since you are a native of Hangzhou, you can just lead the way and we’ll wander around.”

Cai Shi, having just entered the household, knew that all the master’s servants had been brought from Guangdong, and he was an “outsider.” To get ahead in the household, he had to be good at guessing his master’s intentions. Therefore, he was very meticulous in all matters.

Now that he was asked to lead the way, this was his strength as a local. He immediately perked up. He figured that since the master was the son of a wealthy family from Guangdong, ordinary pleasures and enjoyments would not be on his mind. Since arriving in Hangzhou, his daily life had been very disciplined, and he was not in a hurry to go out for sightseeing. It seemed his purpose in coming to Hangzhou was not simply to enjoy the wealth and prosperity of Jiangnan, but something else entirely. Thinking again about how he had recently been sent to buy the Jinshen (Gentry Roster) and instructed to go to the yamen every day to buy the court gazette and inquire about the prices of various goods in the market, it seemed he was planning to either advance in his official career or engage in business. It was hard to tell.

After much thought, he decided that leading the master to the bustling market would be both a tour and a way for the master to understand the commercial situation, which would surely please him. Having made up his mind, he led them towards the main market in the city.

After turning through a few alleys, the houses gradually became smaller, but even the smallest ones were made of brick and tile. The streets were paved with either bricks or gravel and were still relatively neat. However, garbage was visible everywhere on the roadside, and when the wind blew, dust flew up. In some places, there were no underground drainage channels, and sewage flowed in open ditches, mixed with a lot of garbage.

The number of pedestrians and merchants on the road gradually increased, with hawkers and porters bustling about. Zhao Yigong noticed that although there were not as many women working and showing their faces in public as in Guangdong, it was not uncommon. A considerable number of working women did not bind their feet, and their appearance was still acceptable, though they were generally short—of course, the men were not tall either.

Looking at the clothing and complexion of the common people, they were much better off than those in many of the places he had passed through. Their expressions were also more cheerful and stable, and there was a large proportion of middle-class pedestrians wearing inexpensive silk or high-quality cotton and linen. The Jiangnan of the late Ming was truly a paradise on earth in China!

Of course, there were also a considerable number of beggars and refugees. Some begged along the streets, while others huddled under the eaves of small temples in the alleys, dressed in rags and with sallow faces. But this was a common sight in this era, and Zhao Yigong was no longer surprised by it.

The Hangzhou of the Ming Dynasty was far less prosperous than the “Xingzai” (temporary capital) of the Southern Song, and even inferior to that of the Yuan Dynasty. However, it was still the capital of a province, and Zhejiang was a land of fish and rice, where the wealth of the entire province was concentrated. “A hub of water and land transport, a gathering place for people from all over, where all kinds of goods converge,” it had regained considerable prosperity. The city of Hangzhou had “streets and alleys stretching for dozens of li… with a dense population and abundant products,” and on the streets, “the hubs of carriages knock against each other, and people’s shoulders rub.”

Zhao Yigong followed Cai Shi along the street, looking at the prosperous scene of 17th-century Hangzhou. For a true Song Dynasty fan, the sight before him was deeply moving. This picture of prosperity was ten times greater than he had imagined. What must the prosperity of the Xingzai have been like?

Cai Shi saw that the master was silent as he walked, but his face was filled with complex emotions and a look of nostalgia. He wondered if this Master Zhao had been to Hangzhou before, or perhaps had some special experience here. Thinking that the master was already in his thirties and had a strange accent, he was probably a man who had traveled extensively.

“Master, this is the Shou’anfang Market,” Cai Shi said. Zhao Yigong knew this was the “flower market” of the Southern Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, it was a comprehensive market that sold various handicrafts, fruits and vegetables, candy, rice and noodle products, and also had a night market. It was a large market in Hangzhou. But by the late Ming, this market had declined, and its scale was less than one-tenth of its peak.

Zhao Yigong walked at a leisurely pace. The place was crowded with people and many carrying poles. Cai Shi hurried forward to clear a path. Zhao Yigong’s party moved slowly through the crowd along the street.

In ancient cities, the streets were narrow. By the standards of the old world, even the widest “main street” was just a slightly wider “alley.” The width was only five or six meters, barely enough for two cars to pass. However, the ground was paved with stone slabs and was still relatively neat. In addition to the shops, there were many street vendors who occupied most of the space. The shop signs on both sides extended into the street, making it look particularly crowded. Cai Shi and the two escorts had to work hard to clear a path through the crowd.

Zhao Yigong seemed to be walking casually, but he was actually paying close attention to the goods sold in the shops and even by the street vendors. From time to time, he would enter a shop to look at the goods and often ask for the price. To show his worth, Cai Shi would often squeeze forward to bargain in the Hangzhou dialect, but Zhao Yigong would just smile and wave his hand. After a few times, Cai Shi knew that the master was actually checking the market conditions and became more confident in his initial judgment.

Zhao Yigong was indeed investigating the market. The Shou’anfang Market was a retail market, and from it, one could see the consumption power of the local people, their product preferences, and the general price fluctuations. Compared to Guangzhou, the price level here was not low at all. It seemed that a large amount of silver was also circulating here, and the variety of goods was also very large. Although this was not a market for textiles, the shops retailed a wide variety of silk, satin, cotton, and linen fabrics of various colors. Even European woolen fabrics and cotton fabrics from India and Southeast Asia were sold. It was clear that the consumption power of the local citizen class was considerable.

“Let’s go to another market,” Zhao Yigong instructed Cai Shi after they had finished browsing the market. “Go to a place where things are sold cheaply, where the goods are affordable for the poor.”

Cai Shi didn’t understand, but it was his master’s order and he couldn’t refuse. He led the group towards Mapo Bridge. The street up and down Mapo Bridge, extending to Shengxian Bridge and Wangxian Bridge, also had a market.

Before they reached the intersection, they could smell the stench of animal manure from a distance. It was almost noon, and there were not many pedestrians on the street. Most of the vendors had already closed up shop, with only a few merchants packing up their goods, preparing to leave. The street was littered with garbage and animal feces. Zhao Yigong looked around; this place was different from Shou’anfang Market. Firstly, there were far fewer shops, and their scale was not uniform. There were many traveling merchants with carrying poles. The goods sold were also very miscellaneous, from fabrics, clothing, and livestock to utensils… everything imaginable. Many were obviously second-hand, giving it the feel of a flea market.

“This place has the feel of a ‘ghost market’ in the capital,” Zhao Yigong said. He knew from his reading that Beijing had “ghost markets,” which were set up at dawn to sell all kinds of second-hand goods and counterfeit products.

“Replying to the master, this place is called ‘East Garden Market,’ also known as ‘Poor Man’s Market.’ Most of the things sold here are cheap and old. The market opens when the city gates open and disperses at noon,” Cai Shi said. Many of the vendors in the East Garden Market were from the surrounding countryside. There were also thieves who sold worthless stolen goods here.

The group walked on at a leisurely pace until they reached a stone bridge. On the bridge were the three characters “Wangxian Bridge.” Cai Shi said that across the bridge was Wangxian Bridge Street, which was the local cloth market. Cloth from other places and locally produced cloth were traded in bulk here, and there were many cloth shops concentrated there.

Zhao Yigong’s interest was piqued. “Let’s go and have a look,” he said, waving his fan.

Wangxian Bridge was a small stone bridge, looking very similar to the bridges he had often seen in the water towns of the old world—small and elegant. He stepped onto the bridge and walked a few quick steps, but then stopped as if he had been pulled back abruptly.

On the bridge lay a human figure with a sallow, swollen face. It was called a human figure because the person was filthy, covered in dirt and even garbage. Judging by the size, it was just a child of seven or eight.

Starving people on the streets, corpses by the roadside—whether in Guangzhou or in the prefectures and counties he had passed through, such scenes were common. In the past, Zhao Yigong would have felt some pity, but now he was used to it. Cai Shi immediately took a few steps forward to lead him to the other side of the bridge, cursing under his breath, “Couldn’t you find a better place to die than on this bridge!”

Before he finished speaking, the “corpse” moved and let out a faint groan. It turned out the person was not yet dead.

Cai Shi paid no attention and urged Zhao Yigong to move on.

But this time, Zhao Yigong felt a pang of compassion. He walked closer to have a look. Upon closer inspection, it was a girl, completely naked. Her hair was disheveled, and there were some places on her body that were festering and oozing yellow pus. She looked both filthy and disgusting. Who knew whose family had abandoned her.

He gestured, and the escort beside him immediately checked the girl’s breathing and felt for a pulse on her neck. He turned back and nodded to him.

“Replying to the master, she’s alive!”

Cai Shi, standing beside him, said, “Master, every time I come to this bridge, there are people like this. They are children whose families can’t afford to raise them, or they are refugees from famine, abandoned here in the hope that someone will take them in. Master, you don’t need to pay any attention.”

Zhao Yigong knew that Cai Shi was telling the truth. On his way to Hangzhou, he had seen many people dying by the roadside. But he was in a hurry and couldn’t take them in. Although it was the Senate’s consistent policy to take in orphans as much as possible, this child might not survive even if he took her in. Leaving her here to fend for herself seemed to be the best choice. After all, in this chaotic era, countless people were destined to die.

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhao Yigong finally said, “Take her with us.”

Cai Shi felt it was necessary to remind his new master, “Master! This child is in such a state, I’m afraid she won’t survive even if we take her back. Even if she does, she’ll need medical treatment and nursing. It will be at least a year or a year and a half before she can be of any use…”

“Take this child with us,” Zhao Yigong said. “Although life and death are fated, I really can’t bear to just stand by and watch.”

Cai Shi quickly said, “The master is kind-hearted!” He then, regardless of the child’s filth, moved to help her up, muttering, “Your luck has turned! This master is willing to save you…”