Chapter 420 - Late Summer

Summer gradually waned. The summer of 1629 saw Lingao County town grow strangely quiet. Partly the weather was to blame—the heat left townspeople reluctant to stir. Farmers labored under the scorching sun with the summer harvest and planting, watering fields and pulling weeds, finding no time to venture into town. But there was another reason: the city had been slowly marginalized economically. The already-scarce merchants had gradually been drawn to set up shop at the East Gate Market. Common folk and gentry alike had grown accustomed to this new marketplace. Whether purchasing goods or simply strolling, the East Gate Market far exceeded the county town in both selection and shopping environment.

Several handicraft households in the city had closed their businesses entirely, including the county's only blacksmith shop. Their products simply couldn't compete with those of the Transmigrators—in either quality or price. They had lost utterly in the free market. Now they no longer resided in the county town. Word had it they were working as craftsmen for the Kun, and the treatment was good. According to those who had seen them, the cooper—once so impoverished he owned nothing—had obtained a wife, brought on four or five apprentices, and was making barrels day and night.

The only establishment in the city that still possessed some vitality was the Runshitang pharmacy. Ever since its owner departed for the Mainland, the previously tranquil shop had suddenly become a hive of activity, with outside apothecaries added to the workforce. Basket after basket of medicinal herbs was carried in, and box after box of finished medicines carried out. Everyone said that Yang Shixiang, the owner of Runshitang, had struck it rich. Once every ten days, several large carts of goods were transported to Bopu, loaded with Runshitang's newly manufactured Zhuge Marching Powder and Epidemic-Avoiding Powder—said to be selling briskly throughout the Guangzhou area.

These two medicines had proven popular in Lingao as well. Especially the cheap and excellent Epidemic-Avoiding Powder—many people now carried a bottle on their person, making it a staple summer safety medicine. Even those who truly couldn't afford it could obtain some at the church gate of the East Gate Market—the only cost was listening to the foreign monks inside recite a passage of scripture.

The foreign monks were friendly, their stories quite appealing, and they would produce attractive picture books. Even setting aside the medicine, it made for pleasant entertainment.

Those in the know said the reason Runshitang had turned its fortunes around was because Boss Yang had connected with a "Divine Doctor" among the Kun. The medicine formulas had been provided by him. Rumor had it he'd also received financial backing.

These Australians truly seemed like attendants of the God of Wealth. The active-minded people of the county all shared this impression. Take Lin Quan'an, who ran the Quanfu Trading Company—he had originally been just a Fujianese peddler carrying goods on a shoulder pole. Now he'd become one of the county's great wealthy men, traveling about in a four-man sedan chair, conducting business throughout the prefecture. And now there was Yang Shixiang... Many minds grew restless. Some were making inquiries about how they might connect with someone in the Crossing Group.

The County Yamen, Lingao's central authority, had also been listless throughout the summer. The main gate remained tightly closed, with two yamen runners guarding the entrance hidden in the gate passage to escape the heat. It was time to collect summer grain, but the clerks, petty officials, and "grain tax collectors" who usually paraded their power at the yamen gate each autumn were nowhere to be seen. The local summer grain quota amounted to merely thirty-two shi. Even doubling the levy wouldn't yield much profit, so naturally no one was eager.

The major and minor officials of the county sensed something foreboding in the stagnant air of the city, though none could articulate precisely what made them uneasy.

What was there to be dissatisfied about, really? The bandits had been largely cleared out, and large-scale pirate landings and robberies had completely vanished. In Wu Mingjin's eyes and those of others, these achievements alone were already remarkable. As for the road that kept extending past the city gate—that was a beneficial project he'd dreamed about for years but could never accomplish.

Personally, everyone was doing well. From Wu Mingjin at the top to the ordinary petty officials in the yamen, each received a sum of "Circulation Vouchers" from the Kun every month according to a grade table. Though it wasn't gleaming silver, it could be spent at the East Gate Market. Wu Mingjin had originally looked down on this "counterfeit money," but ever since he'd developed a fondness for cigarettes—that substance with a mellow, non-pungent taste so convenient to smoke—the "counterfeit money" had proven its value. The shops selling cigarettes at the East Gate Market only accepted this currency.

And his wife and children, whom he'd brought back from Qiongshan, loved Australian goods far more than he did. First, his wife couldn't put down the glass mirror. Second, ever since Xiong Buyou had sent a pair of porcelain-bottled Tianchu "Secret Recipe MSG," the kitchen couldn't function without it. Subsequently, various Tianchu pickles were delivered, which for Mrs. Wu—a guest sojourning in this wild and barbarous land—arrived like rain after a long drought.

Wu Mingjin was from Nanzhili and had a natural fondness for pickles and marinated eggs. Though common and cheap in Nanzhili, such items were rarities in Lingao. Wu Mingjin tasted a few slices of "Yangzhou Pickled Cucumber" and found that, while the flavor wasn't quite right, it was roughly similar—enough to stir a bout of nostalgia. In a surge of elegance, he composed a few poems on the spot. Feeling inspired, he sent someone to invite Secretary Wang for poetry composition, only to be told the secretary had gone out with his newly taken concubine. Wu Mingjin was quite disappointed.

Yet the Kun were cunning. Though they frequently sent gifts, they never repeated items. When the MSG, pickles, and marinated eggs ran out, he waited eagerly for Xiong Buyou to send more, but no trace of him appeared. To purchase these things, one had to visit the East Gate Market. Wu Mingjin reluctantly diverted a portion of his cigarette money to his wife for household expenses.

As Xiong Buyou's gifts grew more frequent, Wu Mingjin found his cigarette budget increasingly strained. His solution was to have his servant take the brown rice the court provided as his salary to the East Gate Market to exchange for Circulation Vouchers. Even he found this practice unbelievable. But Circulation Vouchers really were useful things.

However, the prices of "Australian goods" were exorbitant! He had been smoking "Holy Ship" brand cigarettes: ten white cigarettes, each fitted with a small bamboo tube mouthpiece, with a ship pattern on the box—Wu Mingjin recognized this as the giant vessel anchored at Bopu. The price of Holy Ship was six Yuan per pack. According to the Delong Grain Shop's price list, that was equivalent to about four or five jin of brown rice!

A tiny cigarette, once lit, was half a jin of rice! Wu Mingjin felt he was becoming truly extravagant, so he instructed his servant to buy cheaper ones. The servant returned with a brand called "Bairen Beach." The taste was about the same, merely lacking the bamboo tube mouthpiece, and the packaging was much simpler. The price: only three Yuan. After smoking for a few days, he discovered the yamen clerks smoked this kind too. Looking more closely, he realized cigarettes came in different grades. The most expensive was "Holy Ship," followed by "Bairen Beach," then "Gaoshan Ridge" at one Yuan, and finally "Big Production" at only fifty fen. Peddlers and laborers smoked this variety.

As the county's highest official, it was simply unseemly for Wu Mingjin to smoke the same grade as the yamen clerks. So he had to continue with "Holy Ship."

Recently, the East Gate Market had begun selling ice blocks—this caused a tremendous sensation. Everyone in Lingao wanted to know where the Kun' ice came from. Lingao's winters didn't freeze, and there were no deep mountains locally where snow could be stored as ice. The Kun not only seemed to possess ice, but it came almost effortlessly. They had enough for their own use and could still sell it. A large block cost just ten fen in Circulation Vouchers.

A large block of ice placed in the hall immediately made the room feel much cooler. Using ice to chill fruits was even better. Xiong Buyou also had someone deliver a few small jars of sour plum syrup—drinking a bowl of iced sour plum soup was a delightful thing indeed—though it further expanded Wu Mingjin's Circulation Voucher expenditures.

County Magistrate Wu rather cleverly perceived that the Crossing Group was using all manner of material enjoyments as "clever tricks" to lure him and his whole family. They didn't send real gold and silver—they sent things to enjoy. And these enjoyments were available only from the Kun.

Wu Mingjin sneered to himself: Do you think I don't recognize your tricks?

Yet recognizing them was one thing; the cravings proved irresistible. As the saying goes, "It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to go from extravagant to frugal." Once a person grew accustomed to life's pleasures, changing back became extraordinarily difficult. His attempt to return to smoking a dry pipe had failed miserably. The tobacco was spicy and bitter, dripping tar. After a few puffs, he flew into a rage and flung the pipe away, scaring the attendant into kneeling speechless on the ground. In the end, cigarettes were purchased from the East Gate Market to settle the matter.

As for ice blocks—even if he could endure without them, his wife and children couldn't understand his difficulties and simply had to have them. His son even suggested sending someone to ask the Australians to deliver ice every day—presumably they wouldn't refuse. This made Wu Mingjin so furious he wanted to slap him several times.

He could certainly buy ice himself, but his cigarette money kept shrinking... The problem of insufficient cigarette funds, so often encountered by modern men, Wu Mingjin now experienced firsthand.

Money—naturally he had some. Though Lingao was a remote and small county, the magistrate's share of summer and autumn levies was still reliable. But the silver he'd saved had already been sent back to his hometown. Summer levies offered little profit, and the autumn levies hadn't yet arrived. For the time being, apart from his pitiful monthly salary, there was nowhere to obtain funds. Wu Mingjin considered himself a "conscientious" county official. Taking ill-gotten money and engaging in corruption were things he generally wouldn't do.

Of course, if he merely dropped a hint and grumbled about his hardships to Wu Ya, the Kun would probably take the initiative to raise his "allowance." But County Magistrate Wu, besides being "conscientious," also possessed a bit of "backbone"—he absolutely wouldn't do something akin to begging.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, Xiong Buyou considerately sent over a stack of ice tickets. Each ticket could be exchanged for one block of ice at the East Gate Market—one block per ticket, thirty blocks per month.

Wu Mingjin's emotions grew complex: the Australians' bribery—he lacked the courage to refuse, yet accepting it—he felt himself sinking ever deeper. Not just himself alone, but all the officials in the county, high and low alike.

(End of Chapter)