Summer is gradually passing. [Read the full text] In the summer of 1629, Lingao County seemed very quiet. For one thing, the weather is hot and people in the city don't want to move around. The farmers are busy harvesting summer seeds under the scorching sun and plowing the fields, so they have no time to go to the city. Secondly, the city has been gradually marginalized economically. The few merchants in the city have been gradually attracted to Dongmen City to open shops and do business. The common people and gentry have gradually become accustomed to this new market. , whether you are shopping or just taking a leisurely stroll, the things you can buy and the shopping environment in Dongmen City are much better than those in the county.
Several handicraft craftsmen in the city have all gone out of business, including the only blacksmith shop in the county. Their products are simply incomparable to the Traverser, and even completely defeated in terms of price. Finally lost in free competition. Now they are no longer in the county. It is said that they are working as a craftsman in Kun people and they are well paid. According to people who saw it, the originally extremely poor cooper actually married a wife and brought four or five apprentices, who worked there making barrels every day.
The only place in the city that still seemed a little lively was Runshitang. Since the owner of Runshitang went to the sub-continent, Runshitang, which had been quiet and silent, suddenly became lively and many outside pharmacists were added to work. Baskets of medicinal materials were shipped in, and boxes of patent medicines were shipped out. Everyone said that Yang Shixiang, the owner of Runshitang, was in trouble now. Once every ten days, several large trucks of goods will be transported to Bopu, containing the latest Zhuge Marching Powder and Biwen Powder manufactured by Runshitang - it is said that they are very popular in Guangzhou. These two medicines are also well received in Lingao, especially the cheap and high-quality Biwensan. Many people carry a bottle with them, and it has become a common safety medicine in summer. Even if you really can't afford it, you can get it at the door of the church in Dongmen City - the price is to listen to the foreign monk inside and listen to a scripture.
The foreign monk was kind, told pleasant stories, and even produced beautiful picture albums. Even if it is not for drugs, it is a good choice for recreation.
A well-informed person said that the reason why Runshitang was able to turn around was because shopkeeper Yang fell in love with a "miraculous doctor" among the Kun people, and it was he who came up with the prescriptions for making medicines. I heard that I also received financial support.
This Australian is really a money-loving boy. The smarter people in the county all feel this way. Let's take away Lin Quan'an from Quanfu Trading Company. He was originally just a Fujian guy who carried burdens to sell goods, but now he has become a wealthy man in the county, with four people coming in and out. The whole government was running around in sedan chairs, and now there was Yang Shixiang... many people's minds began to become active. Some people are asking about ways to catch up with people in the time-traveling group.
The county government office where Lingao was located was listless throughout the summer. The door was closed tightly, and the two government officials who guarded the door hid in the doorway to enjoy the cool weather. It was already time to collect summer grain, but every autumn the arrogant clerks, subordinate staff and "grain dealers" who showed off at the county government office were nowhere to be seen - the local summer grain quota was only a mere thirty-two shi. Even if the floating levy is doubled, there won’t be much to gain. Naturally, they are not excited.
All the officials in the county smelled something in the quiet air of the city and felt uneasy, but no one could tell clearly what made them uneasy.
What are they dissatisfied about now? The bandits have been basically eliminated; large-scale pirate boarding and robbery has completely disappeared. These two alone are already remarkable political achievements in the eyes of Wu Mingjin and others. As for the continuously extending roads passing by the gate of the county, it is even more It was good governance that he had been thinking about for several years but could not achieve.
Personally, everyone is doing well. From Wu Mingjin to ordinary petty officials in the yamen, every month they can receive a "circulation coupon" from Kun Ren according to the grade list. Although it is not free money, it can be obtained by going to Dongmen City. Spend it out. Wu Mingjin originally disdained this kind of "counterfeit money", but since he fell in love with cigarettes, which have a pure taste and are easy to smoke, this kind of "counterfeit money" has shown great value. Cigarette shops in the market only charge this kind of money.
And the wife and children he brought back from Qiongshan love Australian products far more than he does. First, his wife couldn't put it down, and secondly, ever since Xiong Buyou gave her a pair of Tianchu's "secret MSG" packaged in porcelain bottles, it has become a must-have in the kitchen when cooking dishes. Then various kinds of pickles from Tianchu were delivered, which was like a sudden rain after a long drought for Mrs. Wu who lived in this barbaric land - Wu Mingjin was from Nanzhili and had a natural taste for pickles and eggs. Good impression, although these are common and cheap in Nanzhili, they are rare in Lingao. Wu Mingjin ate a few slices of "Yangzhou Sauce Milk Cucumber" and felt that although the taste was not quite right, the flavor was roughly the same, which made him "think about the water shield perch". I also wrote some impromptu poems. Immediately, he became so popular that he sent someone to invite Mr. Wang to recite poems with him, but was told that Mr. Wang had gone out with his new concubine. Wu Mingjin was very disappointed.
However, the thieves are very clever. Although they often give away things, they never do it again. The MSG, pickles, and eggs were all gone. Baba hoped that Xiong Buyou would send them again, but they were nowhere to be found. If you can afford it, go to Dongmen Market. Wu Mingjin had no choice but to compress part of his cigarette money and give it to his wife to spend.
As Xiong Buyou sent gifts more and more often, Wu Mingjin felt that his money to buy cigarettes was becoming increasingly tight. His method was to take the brown rice, which was the salary given to him by the court, to the Dongmen Market and exchange it for circulation coupons. This approach really made him feel incredible. However, circulation coupons are indeed a good thing.
But the price of this “Australian product” is too high! It turned out that he was smoking "Holy Ship" brand cigarettes, ten white cigarettes, each with a small bamboo tube cigarette holder. There was a picture of a ship on the box - Wu Mingjin knew that this was the one from Bobu. A huge ship. The price of Holy Ship brand is 6 yuan per pack. According to the price listed at Delong Grain Store, it costs about four to five kilograms of brown rice!
A small cigarette is half a pound of rice! Wu Mingjin felt that he was too extravagant, so he asked his servant to buy cheaper ones. The servant bought a "Bairentan" brand cigarette. The smoke tastes almost the same, but the bamboo cigarette holder is missing. Cigarette box packaging has also become much simpler. The price is only 3 yuan. After smoking for a few days, he realized that the clerks in the county government also smoked this kind of cigarette. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the cigarettes have different font sizes. The most expensive one is "Holy Ship", followed by "Bairentan", then there is another one called "Gaoshanling" which costs 1 yuan, and finally "Dashuang" which only costs 50 cents. This is what the traffickers and lackeys smoke.
Wu Mingjin, as the highest official of the county, smoked the same grade of cigarettes as the yamen clerk, which was really unbecoming. So he had no choice but to continue drawing "Holy Ship".
Recently, Dongmen City has been selling ice cubes again - this has caused a great sensation, and everyone in Lingao wants to know where Kun Thief's ice cubes come from. There is no ice in Lingao in winter, and there are no deep mountains that can accumulate snow and ice. Kun Thief not only seems to have ice, but it also seems to be very easy to get. Not only does he use it himself, he can also sell it. You can buy a large piece of circulation coupons for 10 cents.
Putting a large piece of ice in the hall will immediately make you feel cooler. It is even better to use ice cubes to chill fruits. Xiong Buyou had several more small jars of sour plum soup brought over - a bowl of iced sour plum soup was also a good thing - but Wu Mingjin's circulation coupon expenses were further expanded.
Magistrate Wu was quite smart and realized that this was the time-traveling group using all kinds of "skillful and obscene tricks" to lure him and his whole family into taking the bait. They don't give away real money and silver, but they give away things for enjoyment. Only the thieves have these things.
Wu Mingjin sneered secretly: Do you think I don't know your tricks?
You know it, but the demand is unstoppable. The so-called transition from frugality to luxury is easy, but from luxury to frugality is difficult. After a person is accustomed to enjoying life, it becomes difficult to change. For example, his attempt to smoke dry cigarettes again failed. It was spicy, bitter, and all smoke was emitted. After taking a few puffs, he became angry and threw the dry cigarette pole away. The waiter was so frightened that he knelt down and dared not say a word. In the end, I bought him cigarettes from Dongmen City.
As for the ice cubes, even if he can bear it, his wife and children cannot understand his difficulties and insist on it. My son actually suggested that we send someone to ask the Australians to send some ice cubes every day - I guess they wouldn't refuse to send them. Wu Mingjin was so angry that he just wanted to slap him in the mouth.
Of course you can buy ice by yourself, but the money for cigarettes is decreasing day by day... Wu Mingjin also encountered the problem of insufficient money for cigarettes that modern men often encounter.
Of course he has money. Although Lingao is a small county on the border, the county magistrate still gets his fair share of the summer and autumn fulies every year. But the money accumulated in the past has been sent back to my hometown one after another. There is nothing fancy about the Xia Fu, and the Autumn Fu has not come yet. For a while, except for the pitiful monthly salary, there will be no place to make money - Wu Mingjin considers himself a "conscientious" county magistrate, making shady money, He would generally not do anything involving corruption and bending the law.
Of course, as long as he shows a little expression and laments the hardships with Wu Ya, it is estimated that the Kun thieves will take the initiative to increase the "allowance". However, in addition to being "conscience", Magistrate Wu also has a little bit of "backbone" - he will never do anything close to "begging".
Unexpectedly, a few days later, Xiong Buyou was so considerate that he sent a stack of ice tickets, and he went to Dongmen City to pick up ice with the tickets, one piece for each ticket. Thirty yuan a month. Wu Mingjin's emotions were very complicated: he didn't have the courage to refuse the Australian bribe, but after accepting it - he felt that he was sinking deeper and deeper. Not only him, but also all the officials in the county! ~!
