Chapter 137: The Australian Books

Besides the “Gazetteer of the Four Continents,” there was also the “Thirteen Classics with Qing Scholars’ Commentaries and Sub-commentaries” series, which had won the admiration of Wang Ci and others. This pirated edition of the Zhonghua Book Company’s series not only convinced Wang Ci but also made even the most learned man in Lin’gao, Liu Dalin, admit his inferiority. The Qing scholars’ achievements in philology were very high.

Zhou Dongtian had originally wanted to bring the “Complete Tang Poems” and “Complete Song Ci” as well, but these two works were voluminous, and the Lin’gao printing press, with its insufficient supply of lead type, had no plans to typeset them for the time being.

“A Correct Interpretation of Mencius” was printed using the paper molds from the Zhonghua Book Company’s edition of the “Thirteen Classics with Qing Scholars’ Commentaries and Sub-commentaries” series, which had been shipped this time. As soon as this series was put on sale, it immediately attracted many scholars who vied to buy it. Some Confucian scholars with limited financial means, after buying one volume, would be reluctant to part with the others and would insist that the bookstore reserve them for later purchase.

Cai Shi surmised that these gentlemen, apart from the sour-faced “Master Wen,” were not interested in this kind of “sage’s learning.” But he couldn’t very well offend Master Wen. So, he first selected a dozen sets of “new and interesting” books and then chose three or four Confucian books. He brought them over on a small cart and placed them on the table one by one.

The men eagerly picked up the books to browse. The most conspicuous, of course, was the “Gazetteer of the Four Continents.” The Lin’gao edition of the “Gazetteer of the Four Continents,” because it included several copperplate-printed maps, was printed in a 16mo format with a thick hardcover. Zhang Dai, with his quick eyes and hands, was the first to pick up the book. It felt heavy in his hands.

He was surprised when he held it: the book opened to the right. He was taken aback and said:

“The Australians print their books just like the Westerners!”

Opening it, he found that, indeed, the text in this Australian book was arranged horizontally, from left to right, just like in Western books. It looked very awkward. When he looked at the black and white maps inside, he found them to be exceptionally detailed. Within the small frame, every detail was clearly visible.

The maps in the “Gazetteer of the Four Continents” were all revised and drawn based on 21st-century maps. Because Australia and New Zealand were considered the “dragon’s rising place” of the Yuanen Senate, the maps had been tampered with. New Zealand was completely deleted, and Australia was marked in the wrong location, with its topography not matching reality at all.

Because of his relationship with Fang Yizhi, Zhang Dai often visited the Catholic church in Hangzhou. He had seen the world maps and globes collected there, so the world map itself did not shock him much. He was only surprised that the maps were drawn with even greater detail than those of the Westerners. He had had a similar surprise when he first saw the maps brought by the missionaries.

Since Sun Chun, Wen Huai, and the others were craning their necks to see, he quickly flipped through it and passed the book to Sun Chun. He then picked up another book. It also opened to the right. Zhang Dai was slightly surprised. He then noticed that among the books brought over, all those related to Confucian studies opened to the left and were arranged vertically from right to left, while all the “Australian studies” books were in the Western style.

“Could this be a combination of Chinese and barbarian styles?” Zhang Dai wondered. He put down the Confucian book and specifically chose an “Australian studies” book. Upon closer inspection, it was not a scholarly work but a novel called “The Legend of the Condor Heroes.” He flipped through a few pages and found that it was about the Southern Song Dynasty, written in a semi-classical, semi-vernacular style. The difference between modern vernacular and Ming Dynasty vernacular was not too great, and Zhang Dai could roughly understand it. After reading a few pages, he was captivated.

Ming Dynasty novels were a peak in the history of traditional Chinese novels, but traditional novels often had rambling plots and formulaic storylines. Many authors also had the habit of mixing in dialects and song lyrics. They were far from having the tight plots and vivid characters of modern novels. Moreover, “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” was a masterpiece of modern wuxia novels. Zhang Dai became so engrossed that he couldn’t put it down. When he read about Wanyan Honglie taking a liking to Bao Xiruo, and the Song official, to please him, framing the Yang and Guo families, causing their families to be broken and scattered, he couldn’t help but think of the war in Liaodong. The Jurchens also called themselves “Jurchen” and their dynasty “Jin.” And the current situation in Liaodong was precarious. He couldn’t help but let out a long sigh and put the book down.

He was a man who valued enjoyment and pursued physical and spiritual pleasure. But he was not ignorant of the impending collapse of the Ming Dynasty, a man who only knew how to live a life of debauchery. As a member of the Fu She, Zhang Dai was well aware of the situation at court and the state of the country from his fellow society members and friends.

Sun Chun noticed his desolate expression, completely devoid of his earlier excitement, and couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Zongzi…”

“It’s nothing.” Zhang Dai was unwilling to show his “worry for the country and the people,” as it did not fit with his usual carefree and unrestrained philosophy. He immediately changed his mood and said, “I was just thinking of something.”

But he had to read the book. He immediately instructed, “I’ll take this ‘Legend of the Condor Heroes’.”

“I understand!” Cai Shi beamed. “Master, there are two more volumes, the sequels to this book…”

“Oh?” Zhang Dai waved his fan. “Wrap them up too!”

“Yes, Master.” Cai Shi had just made a good sale. According to the rules set by Zhao Yingong, the shop assistants received a 1.5% commission on the list price of the books they sold. This money would be accumulated until the end of the month and then divided equally among all the assistants.

Cai Shi immediately wrapped the books and took out a straw tote bag—a product of the Lin’gao woodworking factory, with the four characters “Wanbi Bookstore” woven into it with colored straw. It was both practical and beautiful.

After buying the “Condor Trilogy,” Zhang Dai browsed the other books and was dazzled. A few were on Western mathematics, which he didn’t understand and was naturally not interested in. But a book called “An Introduction to Optics” caught his attention.

It wasn’t because Zhang Dai had any research interest in optics that it caught his attention, but because Fang Yizhi had always had a strong interest in Western artifacts. Ever since he had obtained a telescope from Johann Adam Schall von Bell, he had been studying its structure and principles but had never figured it out.

The so-called “An Introduction to Optics” was actually a popular science booklet published in the 1960s. It gave a simple introduction to basic optical knowledge and the principles of various common optical instruments, and was accompanied by many simple illustrations. Zhang Dai planned to buy it and give it to Fang Yizhi to console him for the loss of his ‘thousand-li mirror.’

He heard Sun Chun ask, “Where is your master from? Where did these books come from? Every one of them is a strange book!”

Cai Shi said respectfully, “My master’s surname is Zhao, and he is from Sanshui County, Guangdong. He is a government-subsidized student…”

Hearing that the owner was a government-subsidized student, the men’s faces showed more respect. Although a government-subsidized student was still a Xiucai, it was an “official student status” in the county school, the cream of the crop among Xiucai.

“…These books, many are brought from Guangdong. I heard they were—” he lowered his voice, “bought from the Australians.”

Zhang Dai laughed. “You rascal, although Australian goods are not everywhere in Jiangnan, they are not that rare either. Even Liaodong ginseng is sold in pharmacies. You don’t need to be so secretive about a few Australian goods.”

Cai Shi repeatedly smiled apologetically and said that besides the books bought directly from the Australians, some were also printed by the Wanbi Bookstore itself.

“…Those stereotyped books are the ones. My master is currently trying to figure out how to learn the Australian printing techniques—”

Wu Zhixiang was now even more certain that this place was opened by the Australians. Seeing that the servant spoke with a full Hangzhou accent, he knew he was most likely a local who had joined them and had limited knowledge. Asking him would not yield any useful information, so he simply kept quiet.

Sun Chun said, “How can a few books be enough? Go and bring more. Are you afraid we can’t afford them?” Although he was plain in appearance and dressed ordinarily, his family was also a wealthy and powerful one in Jiangnan.

Cai Shi repeatedly agreed and hurried off with the assistants to find more books from the shelves.

While they were looking at and selecting books, Cai Shi reported, “Gentlemen, my master is here to greet you.”

The men were already full of curiosity about the bookstore. Now, hearing that the owner was coming to greet them, they all stood up to wait.

After the announcement, Zhao Yingong soon appeared. He was a tall scholar. Although his face was fair and beardless, and his appearance could be described as handsome and elegant, his height and build, in the eyes of Sun Chun and the others, were comparable to those of a warrior. Especially his broad strides when he walked, which were completely out of place with the refined and measured movements of a Confucian scholar.

Although he was from Guangdong, his appearance was completely different from the Guangdong people the gentlemen had seen. He wore a scholar’s cap and a blue fine cloth robe, the attire of a wealthy and well-educated young master from a scholarly family.

Since this was their first meeting and there was no one of status to introduce them, they had to go through the lengthy etiquette of exchanging calling cards, politely refusing to accept them, and then bowing to each other.

After everyone had exchanged greetings, Zhao Yingong instructed Cai Shi to invite the distinguished guests to the Wisteria Courtyard for tea.

“Brother Tianyi, we have come today, firstly, because we have long admired your reputation and wish to pay our respects; secondly, we wish to see this Australian bookstore and listen to your elegant words,” Zhang Dai said.

“Ah, you flatter me, you flatter me! It is I who eagerly hope for your guidance, gentlemen!” Zhao Yingong said humbly, then warmly asked, “Please, let’s have tea in the back first.”

He then led the men to the Wisteria Study behind the bookstore. This was a VIP room specially arranged by Zhao Yingong to entertain important clients. The interior was decorated in the style of a Victorian lounge, ornate yet elegant. The most outstanding feature was a huge bay window facing the courtyard, with all three sides and the top inlaid with glass panels. Standing inside, one felt as if they were in a crystal palace.

Outside the bay window was a small courtyard decorated in a Western style. Many flowers were planted, and above was a wisteria trellis—an old remnant from the original abandoned garden, growing very lushly. Although the flowering season was over, the trellis was still covered in lush greenery. Under the wisteria trellis was a small marble fountain, dripping with fine sprays of water, which looked very cool and refreshing.

Before they had even sat down, Sun Chun praised, “What a blessed grotto-heaven!”