Chapter 854 - The Markets of Hangzhou
Zhao Yingong said: "Since you're a native of Hangzhou, just lead the way and we'll stroll wherever you like."
Cai Shi had recently joined the household and was keenly aware that all the servants around the Master had been brought from Guangdong. Having come to serve as an "outsider," if he wanted to rise in the household, he would need to carefully discern the Master's wishes. He therefore paid close attention to everything.
Now being asked to lead the way—this was where his advantage as a local came in. He immediately perked up. He reasoned that since the Master was a wealthy young gentleman from Guangdong, ordinary pleasures and entertainment probably held little appeal for him. Since arriving in Hangzhou, the Master had been moderate in his daily habits and had not rushed out for sightseeing. This suggested he had not come to Hangzhou simply to enjoy the prosperity of Jiangnan, but harbored other purposes. Considering that recently the Master had sent him to buy the Directory of Officials, had instructed him to purchase the court gazette from the yamen daily, and asked about market prices for various commodities—it seemed the Master was either positioning himself for an official career or planning to engage in commerce. It was rather difficult to tell.
After much thought, Cai Shi decided that taking the Master to the busy markets would serve both as sightseeing and as a way for him to understand commercial conditions—this would surely please him. With his mind made up, he led the party toward the city's main marketplaces.
After turning through several alleys, the buildings gradually became smaller and humbler, though even the smallest structures were brick and tile houses. The streets were paved either with bricks or crushed stone, reasonably tidy. However, garbage was scattered everywhere along the roads, and when the wind blew, dust flew up. Some areas lacked underground drainage; open ditches flowed with sewage mixed with refuse of every kind.
Pedestrians, porters, and vendors gradually increased in number. Zhao Yingong noticed that while local women who appeared in public and conducted business were not as numerous as in Guangdong, they were not uncommon either. A considerable number of working women had unbound feet. Their features were pleasant enough, 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 far better than those in many places he had passed through on his journey. Their expressions were relatively cheerful and content. Middle-class pedestrians wearing inexpensive silk or high-quality cotton-linen cloth made up a large proportion. Late Ming Jiangnan was indeed a blessed land within China!
Of course, beggars and vagrants were also numerous. Some begged along the streets; others huddled beneath the eaves of small temples at street corners, dressed in rags, their faces sallow with hunger. But such sights were utterly commonplace in this time-space, and Zhao Yingong had grown accustomed to them.
Ming Dynasty Hangzhou was far from the prosperity of the Song Dynasty Capital-in-Residence, and even fell short of its splendor during the Mongol Yuan era. However, this was still a provincial capital, and Zhejiang was a land of fish and rice. The cream of the entire province's wealth gathered here. "A hub of land and water routes, a gathering place for domestic and foreign trade, where a hundred goods convene"—considerable prosperity had been restored. Hangzhou City "within and without, streets and alleys extended for dozens of li... the people numerous and thriving, products abundant in profusion." The streets were "wheel hubs striking, shoulders rubbing."
Zhao Yingong followed Cai Shi along the streets, observing the prosperous scenes of 17th-century Hangzhou. For a true Song enthusiast, the sight before him evoked profound melancholy. This flourishing scene already exceeded his earlier imaginings tenfold—what must the Capital-in-Residence have looked like in its heyday?
Seeing that the Master walked without speaking, his face bearing complex, wistful expressions, Cai Shi wondered if perhaps Master Zhao had visited Hangzhou before. Or perhaps he had some memorable encounter here? Considering that this Master was around thirty years old and had an unusual accent, he was probably someone who had traveled far and wide.
"Master, this is Shou'an Ward Market," Cai Shi announced. Zhao Yingong knew this had been the "Flower Market" in Southern Song times. In the Ming Dynasty, it was a comprehensive marketplace selling all manner of handicraft products, vegetables and fruits, candies and grain products, and more. There was even a night market. It was one of the larger markets within Hangzhou City. However, by the late Ming, this market had declined, its scale reduced to less than a tenth of its peak.
Zhao Yingong strolled casually through. The place was crowded with many carrying poles. Cai Shi hurried forward to clear a path, and the party proceeded slowly through the crowd.
In ancient cities, streets were narrow. By old time-space standards, even the widest "main streets" were merely somewhat wider "alleys"—only five or six meters across, barely enough for two cars to pass. However, the ground was paved with stone slabs and was reasonably neat. Besides the shops, peddlers along the street occupied more than half the road with their wares. Shop signs from both sides extended toward the center of the street, looking dense and chaotic. The crowding was extreme. Cai Shi and the two escorts had to exert considerable effort to squeeze a path through the throng.
Zhao Yingong appeared to walk casually, but he was actually paying close attention to the merchandise sold in shops and even by street vendors. From time to time, he entered shops to examine products and often asked prices. To demonstrate his usefulness, Cai Shi would push forward to haggle in Hangzhou dialect, but Zhao Yingong just smiled and waved him off. After a few times, Cai Shi understood that the Master was actually surveying market conditions, which further confirmed his earlier judgment.
Zhao Yingong was indeed investigating market conditions. Shou'an Ward Market was primarily a retail market; from here, one could gauge the local population's consumption capacity, product preferences, and general price fluctuations. Compared to Guangzhou, prices here were not low at all. Evidently, large quantities of silver circulated here too, and the variety of goods was quite large. Though this was not a textile market, the shops retailed all kinds of satins, silks, cotton, and linen cloth in great variety and many colors. Even European-made woolen cloth and cotton fabrics from India and Southeast Asia were for sale. Clearly, the local middle class had considerable purchasing power.
"Let's go see another market." After touring the market, Zhao Yingong instructed Cai Shi to take them to another one. "Somewhere with cheaper goods. Things that ordinary poor people can afford."
Cai Shi did not quite understand the purpose, but since it was the Master's order, he could not refuse. He led the party toward Mapo Bridge. The streets above and below Mapo Bridge, extending to Shengxian Bridge and Wangxian Bridge, also hosted a market.
Before they even reached the intersection, they could smell a strong odor of animal dung from afar. It was nearly noon, and pedestrians had thinned. Most vendors had already packed up, with only a few merchants gathering their goods and preparing to leave. The street was strewn with garbage and animal droppings. Zhao Yingong observed that this place was quite different from Shou'an Ward Market. First, there were far fewer shops, and they were less imposing. Most sellers were peddlers with carrying poles. The merchandise was extremely mixed—cloth, clothing, livestock, vessels... everything imaginable. Much of it was obviously secondhand goods, giving the impression of a flea market.
"This has something of the feel of Beijing's Ghost Market," Zhao Yingong thought. He knew from his reading that Beijing had a "Ghost Market" that set up stalls at dawn, selling all kinds of secondhand goods and counterfeit products.
"Reporting to the Master: this place is called 'Eastern Garden Market,' also known as 'Pauper's Market.' Most items sold are cheap and worn. It opens when the city gates open and disperses at noon," Cai Shi explained. Many of the Eastern Garden Market's vendors came from the surrounding countryside. Thieves also fenced their less valuable loot here.
The party strolled on until they came to a stone bridge. On the bridge were carved the characters "Wangxian Bridge." Cai Shi said that crossing the bridge led to Wangxian Bridge Street, where the local cloth market was located. Cloth from both outside the province and local production was traded in bulk here, with many cloth shops concentrated in the area.
Zhao Yingong's interest was piqued: "Let's go have a look." He waved his folding fan.
Wangxian Bridge was a small stone bridge, looking very similar to the bridges he often saw during water-town tours in the old time-space. Small and elegant. He stepped onto the bridge, quickened his pace for a few steps, then suddenly stopped as if someone had seized him by the shoulder.
On the bridge surface lay a human form with a sallow, swollen face. It could only be called a "human form" because the entire body was filthy beyond recognition, covered in dirt and even garbage. Judging by size, it was a child of about seven or eight years old.
Corpses of the starved, bodies fallen on the roadside—whether in Guangzhou or along the way through various prefectures and counties, such scenes were all too common. Zhao Yingong had felt some distress seeing them in the past, but now he had grown accustomed to it. Cai Shi immediately stepped forward to guide him to the other side of the bridge, muttering a curse: "Dying anywhere would be better than dying on this bridge!"
Before he finished speaking, the "corpse" moved slightly and emitted a faint moan. The person was still alive.
Cai Shi gave it no further thought and invited Zhao Yingong to pass.
But now Zhao Yingong's compassion was stirred. He walked over to take a closer look. It was a girl, completely naked. Her hair was matted and filthy; some parts of her body were festering and oozing yellow pus. She looked utterly disgusting and repulsive. Who knew whose family had abandoned her.
He made a gesture, and one of the escorts immediately checked the girl's breathing and felt for the pulse at her neck. He turned back to report:
"Reporting to the Master: she's alive!"
Cai Shi, at his side, said: "Master, every time this servant comes by this bridge, there are people like this. They're all children whose families cannot feed them, some refugees who fled here, abandoned in hope that someone would take them in. The Master needn't concern himself."
Zhao Yingong knew Cai Shi spoke the truth. Along the journey to Hangzhou, he had seen plenty of people on the roadside hovering between life and death. But they had been traveling and could not take them in. Though it was the Elder Council's consistent policy to collect orphans wherever possible, this child might not survive even if rescued. Leaving her here to live or die on her own seemed like the safest choice. After all, in this age of chaos, who knew how many were destined to perish.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Yingong finally said: "Take her with us."
Cai Shi felt obliged to remind his new master: "Master! This child, looking like this, probably won't survive even if we bring her back. Even if she lives, she'll need treatment and care—she won't be useful for at least a year or half..."
"Bring this child along," Zhao Yingong repeated. "Though life and death are fated, I simply cannot bear to just stand by and do nothing."
Cai Shi quickly said: "The Master has a benevolent heart!" He immediately moved to lift the child, paying no mind to her filth, while muttering: "Your luck has turned! This Master is willing to save you..."