Chapter 1148 - Vestreling's Wish
The taverns on Commercial Street were run by the cooperative, but the street itself welcomed anyone. Under the slogan "Open the doors and find business opportunities," Commercial Street had always been one of the Colonization and Trade Ministry's most prized projects. During daylight hours, the gates stood open: fishermen, merchants, sailors, nativesâall were free to shop and spend their money. It was a place where the flow of humanity turned turbulent and complex.
Xu Ke immediately summoned the Service Company commander, directing him to conduct a thorough investigation of Zhang Qianniu's interpersonal relationshipsâany unusual behavior recently, what he'd been saying, where he frequented, which locals he'd grown close to. Xu Ke himself led several men to Commercial Street.
There weren't many drinking establishments on the streetâjust two small taverns, three or four food stalls, and a cooperative-run store. Xu Ke had no trouble learning that Zhang Qianniu had been drinking at one of the small taverns that afternoon, cycling through several drinking companions over the course of his visit.
This particular tavern was privately owned. The proprietor, a migrant from Beigang, had rented a shopfront from the Kaohsiung city government and opened his establishment, serving food alongside drink. The alcoholârum and fruit wine bought wholesale from the local cooperative storeâwas watered down before reaching customers. Prices were correspondingly cheap: roughly one-third of what the cooperative's tavern charged.
Beyond affordability, this little tavern boasted another irresistible specialty: oyster omelettes. The owner set up a stove in front of the shop and made them fresh daily. Business flourished, building a loyal following. Whenever Dutch ships entered port, sailors from Southeast Asia and Europe would seek out this dish.
Cheap liquor and delicious food meant heavy traffic. Xu Ke surveyed the bustling sceneâtables spilling out onto the streetâand knew this investigation wouldn't be simple.
He and his men presented their credentials and quickly confirmed with the staff that Zhang Qianniu had indeed been a regular. According to their recollections, this sailor loved to drink with peopleâanyone and everyone, whether Hokkien immigrants, Taiwanese natives, or foreign sailors.
As for his specific drinking companions, the staff couldn't say. People came and went on Commercial Street, ships arriving and departing daily. Aside from the few regulars, remembering individual faces was impossible.
Disappointment settled over Xu Ke. The case had entered its most laborious phase: screening. The task was simple to describe, grueling to executeâidentify everyone connected to Zhang Qianniu and investigate each person's background and whereabouts on the day of the murder.
Commercial Street was particularly alive in the evening twilight. Sailors of various skin tones, Army and Navy soldiers, merchants from Beigang and the mainland, fishermen, native tribespeople, Japanese village prostitutesâall moved through the crowded thoroughfares.
Vestreling and Father De Mordt were strolling the harbor streets alongside Cretia and Zhong Xiaoying. Though Commercial Street couldn't claim prosperity, it had far more commercial atmosphere than Fort Zeelandia. Zhong Xiaoying led Cretia toward the Kaohsiung Branch of the Women's Cooperativeâa store that women invariably found appealing.
The Kaohsiung Branch was personally managed by Li Mei and had been designed to attract small traders from the Fujian coast to conduct business in Kaohsiung. The branch also handled import and export trade with the Dutch, making it quite substantial: a two-story building with projecting eaves, large glass display windows, various "Australian goods" in dazzling array, and middle-aged female shop assistants in blue cloth Han-style dresses calling out in various accents to lure customers. Naturally, a few Korean security soldiers stood by with batons and capsâforeign sailors and local natives often caused trouble after drinking here.
Zhong Xiaoying took Cretia to select some fabric as a giftâin about a week, the Bancuijt siblings would be returning to Tayouan.
Cretia didn't choose silkâshe could buy that in Tayouan just as easily. Instead, she selected high-count cotton-linen blend fabric shipped from Lingao. This high-grade textile, woven by the Lingao Textile Factory, had originally been reserved exclusively for the Elders and certain naturalized citizens. Now it was beginning to appear on the market in small quantities. The fabric was crisp yet breathable and sweat-absorbent, making it highly sought after.
The knitted cotton-linen socks produced by the garment factory also piqued her interest considerably. In truth, she wanted to buy many things in this shop, but Bancuijt worked for a company notorious for its stinginess with employees. Though he held a high position, his income wasn't correspondingly highâof course, he used his authority to smuggle a little contraband and turn small profits, but that wasn't something one could openly discuss. As his daughter, she had very little money at her disposal. She would pick up an item, check the price, calculate for a long while, then reluctantly return it to the shelf. This process repeated itself endlessly. Zhong Xiaoying enthusiastically offered advice, and by the time the two women had worked their way from the first floor to the second, an hour had slipped by.
Vestreling had been quite interested at first, but his enthusiasm waned as time dragged on. Father De Mordt, determined to avoid "worldly temptations," never browsed in shops, so both men sat idle in the first-floor seating area along the street. The seating area nestled right beside the large glass display window, offering a clear view of the passing scene. It was furnished with rattan tables and chairs and a few potted green plants. Besides providing a place to rest, it sold cold drinks and teaâthough ordinary people rarely patronized it, leaving the space mostly empty.
Father De Mordt was something of a notable figure in Kaohsiungâparticularly since he had painted several decorative oil paintings for the cooperative. To maintain "spiritual purity," he refused payment. Consequently, the cooperative had placed him on its VIP list, and as soon as he sat down, a server appeared with two glasses of iced tea.
Whether iced tea constituted a "temptation of the flesh" had once troubled Father De Mordt's conscience. But other priests had no qualms about it, and he could find no relevant papal encyclical on the matterâblack tea was a product unique to Lingao in the contemporary world, so the Pope could hardly have issued an opinion. Whether in Lingao or Kaohsiung, sitting down to sip a chilled, slightly sweet beverage with a lingering bitter aftertaste proved genuinely refreshing.
As the two men drank their cool tea, Vestreling spoke excitedly about his recent experiences installing the great clock with Dr. Zhong. The various instruments and components had given him endless food for thought.
"It's truly incredible!" Vestreling exclaimed between large gulps of tea, expounding at length on his impressions. The priest maintained a modest smile, listening attentively. Only when Vestreling paused did he gently advise the young man not to be dazzled by novelties, but to serve the Lord sincerely with his whole heart, and so forth.
As he was delivering this religious homily, Zhong Xiaoying and Cretia arrived, flushed and sweating, laden with grass bags of various sizes. Zhong Xiaoying ordered more iced tea. With the women present, conversation grew even livelier. Cretia excitedly displayed the various "Australian goods" she had purchased.
Vestreling, however, showed little interest in these acquisitions. During his days at the clock tower site, his admiration for Australian science had only deepenedâhe felt he'd discovered an entirely new world. A few days prior, while chatting with Mr. Huygens, he'd realized that Huygens shared this view. Huygens had even written several poems to express his impressions.
"Sister, speaking of which, I'm reluctant to leave here," Vestreling said. "I truly want to stay and continue learning from Dr. Zhong. I hear he'll soon be leading an expedition to the savages' territory..."
When Cretia heard him mention wanting to venture into "the savages' territory," she couldn't help but recall how Vestreling had once slipped out of the city alone in Batavia to "explore" the wilderness and nearly been devoured by a crocodile.
She quickly tried gentle persuasion: "Didn't you want to visit Japan for the longest time? After we reach Tayouan, we'll soon be sailing there."
Reminded of their Japanese destination, Vestreling dropped the subject of remaining in Kaohsiung. Instead, he turned to Zhong Xiaoying:
"Miss Zhong, does Lingao have universities?"
"Universities?" Zhong Xiaoying was momentarily taken aback. She knew what a university wasâZhong Lishi had told her. Of course there were no universities in Lingao, but she couldn't lose face in front of foreigners. So she declared: "Yes! Lingao has several universities."
This boast was rather excessive. Vestreling looked skeptical, so Zhong Xiaoying had to forge ahead: "My father is a professor at Taibai University. Taibai University specializes in astronomy, timekeeping, and mechanics. There's also Desi University, with law, arts, and shipbuilding programs; and Niaoren Medical University, South Sea Agricultural University..."
Sudden inspiration struck, and she improvised several university names using the Elders' names, speaking with such conviction that Vestreling began to have doubts. But in the Europe of that era, universities were rare things indeed. Dutch universities were relatively numerous, but for a single city to have one university or "famous school" was already quite impressiveâlet alone multiple universities in one city. That was simply unheard of.
As Zhong Xiaoying spun her improvisations, she suddenly noticed the priest sitting nearby. Her heart sank: I'm going to be exposed! John De Mordt had come from Lingao. So she quickly added: "However, these universities only accept the most loyal and reliable naturalized citizens designated by the Senate. Outsiders generally don't know about them." As she spoke, she shot the poor priest a fierce glare, which successfully silenced the honest Father De Mordt.
Vestreling hadn't noticed Zhong Xiaoying's momentary change of expression. When he heard that these universities "only accept the most loyal and reliable naturalized citizens designated by the Senate," disappointment flickered across his face.
"So they don't accept foreign exchange students?"
Zhong Xiaoying thought: Are you trying to get me killed? These universities don't even existâwhere would exchange students come from? But she maintained her composure: "I wouldn't know about that. The Senate would have to decide in a meeting. But even if you wanted to study, your Chinese is far too weakâthey certainly don't teach in German there."
"That's no problem. I can learn," Vestreling declared immediately. "Look how much Chinese I've picked up these past few days. I'm not boastingâmy sister and I are quite talented at languages."
Note: The term "famous school" (ćæ Ą) refers to a type of university in the Netherlands at the time. Because older Dutch universities had monopolized the title "university," later institutions could only call themselves "famous schools." Dutch universities in the 17th century were quite renowned, mainly because they were less subject to religious interference.
(End of Chapter)