After bidding farewell to the financial officer, the red-flag carriage passed through the garden square in front of the Governor's Palace, passed several streets and houses, and followed the count's instructions, passing through the south gate of the castle and driving towards the seaside. [No pop-up novel website] The road under the wheels will be Manila's famous landscape street - Roxas Beach Boulevard more than three hundred years later. However, in this time and space, although this road is regarded by the colonial authorities as a military thoroughfare connecting Cavite and Cavite Forts in Manila, and a sum of money is allocated every year to maintain the road, the road condition is in a mess: the so-called renovations are just Shovel a few shovels of soil into the ruts and throw two bundles of firewood into the pit.
Although the carriage swayed a bit when it ran over these obstacles, it did not slow down at all. The shock-absorbing leaf springs creaked under the body, but it withstood the test. The carriage drove until it reached a small bay surrounded by sand dunes. Behind the bay was a small fishing village called Marat. Looking from the small boats on the beach and the shabby thatched huts, there are only two brick and stone buildings near the fishing village, one is a church, and the other is a two-story villa located on the slope of the harbor, surrounded by wooden fence. It was built by a former alderman of Manila for his sick daughter so that she could breathe the beneficial coastal air. Until the little girl died of illness and the city official left his post and returned home, this exquisite building began to deteriorate day by day. Weiss bought it without spending much money.
Before the car stopped, Weiss opened the car door and jumped to the ground. Shlick, however, lingered on the steps behind the car for a long time before slowly getting down. Weiss had long known that this seemingly strong black slave was actually pitifully timid, and the feeling of the carriage jumping up and down while speeding just now scared him out of his wits. Weiss left Shlick there alone in a daze and walked straight to his new residence. The gardens and villas have open doors, and the yards are filled with bricks and sand. The grass and creepers that were originally covering the stones of the courtyard wall have been shoveled down, and the carpenters and masons hired from Parian are busy repairing the parts of the building that were damaged due to years of inactivity, and painting it according to the count's requirements. A new one.
The grass and trees in the yard have been cleared away - in the tropics, plants are extremely rampant, and as long as human activities are slightly reduced, the plants will quickly regain their lost ground. When I first bought this villa, the vegetation in the yard was so dense that it was almost impossible to walk in.
Except Mimi, who was supervising the work of the craftsmen in the house. There was also a young man who led several local servants to unload large and small wooden boxes from an ox cart and carry them into the house. They were all Weiss' luggage, and a considerable part of them were various items of clothing used by the fake count: these They were all purchased from Macau at great cost. Part of it came from the spoils of the Manila galleon.
The young man was wearing a newly made long-breasted livery, embroidered with the "coat of arms" of the Earl of Vannovar family. His hair was cut unevenly, and the short stubble stood messily on his forehead as if it had been gnawed by a dog. This is undoubtedly the result of shaving my hair in front of the mirror. No one in the local area would cut such short hair.
This can be regarded as a kind of obedience to the "organizational arrangements". Originally, he had been wearing his navy training uniform, but when it came to his hair, the young man refused to compromise and continued with this strange hairstyle.
Weiss knew that this young man who was trying his best to show off himself, fearing that others would not know that he was an "Australian Kun", was called Ji Meade. He was a naturalized citizen of a Chinese businessman family living in Beiqi. The protracted civil war in Vietnam has dragged a considerable number of Chinese businessmen in Hai Duong into the abyss of bankruptcy. Jimid's father is one of them. Although they did not suffer a loss of life or property, the whole family was already living without money, and they did not even have the money to return to their hometown in Fujian.
Relying on the introduction of an acquaintance, the father and son found a job at Dachang Warehouse. Unlike his father, who only wanted to make a living, exquisite Australian products inspired young people to have an almost fanatical yearning for "Australia". This enthusiasm even moved Beiqi station director Bei Kai. He reported to Lingao and recommended Ji Meide to go to school in Fangcaodi.
Because of his family's business, Jimide learned to read, write, and calculate accounts since he was a child. In addition, he is smart and studious. Obtaining a Grade B diploma from a high school naturally took a lot less effort than most natives who were born as refugees. Because of his age and expertise, he enrolled in the business vocational class at Parkview Park. When he was about to graduate, he was selected to join a Southeast Asian company to participate in the first Luzon voyage trade internship.
This internship job that everyone envied in Fangcaodi made a small joke to the young top student in the business class - he contracted tropical typhus. Coupled with complications, life was almost hanging by a thread, and at this time the fleet was preparing to return. Although he was out of danger under the treatment of the ship's doctor, he would not be able to fully recover within ten days and a half.
The fleet cannot wait any longer, and the trading fleet composed of sailing ships should return as soon as possible before the trade wind season is over. However, no one can bear the huge risk of bringing an infected person who has not yet recovered from the disease on board. Ocean-going ships were originally breeding grounds for disease. Even the strictest quarantine measures may not prevent infectious disease outbreaks. In the end, it was decided to let Jimide stay in the Guangdong Guild Hall in Parian to recuperate. Ping Qiusheng left him a batch of medicine and silver, and gave an additional gift to the leader of the merchant guild. Through him, he found someone to take care of Jimide. We will take him back when the next trade ship arrives.
Before Weiss left, he knew from the intelligence source that he "would find a useful person" in Manila. After experiencing today's nearly treacherous encounter with the intelligence agent, Weiss felt that this young man who was full of energy after recovery and "always ready to contribute to the cause of Australia and Song Dynasty" should be thrown out and put to some use, allowing him to stay with him all day long. It's such a shame to have to work around the house.
Weiss walked up the steps and took a few steps along the porch. Dark and thin Chinese craftsmen came in and out of the open door, carrying ash buckets and sawed lumber into the house, and he followed them into the house. In order to increase the light inside the house, the windows on the first floor have been enlarged, and a full-height space has been added up to the roof - a hole has been cut in the roof to prepare for the installation of a glass skylight.
The newly installed blinds made by Lingao are all open, making the originally dark living room a lot brighter. Despite the good ventilation, the strong smell of lime, raw lacquer mixed with linseed oil made him frown. Mimi didn't care, running around the living room to tidy up, nimbly avoiding the splattered plaster and paint from time to time. The fluttering skirt and the girl's slender waist suddenly made Weiss smell a hint of the alluring fragrance of youth from the pungent smell. He waved his hand and motioned for Mimi to accompany him and look around. There was a busy construction scene everywhere in the entire villa and garden. The sound of hammering walls and nailing wood was mixed with the noise of craftsmen. His bedroom on the second floor has been basically completed. The walls smell of freshly painted limewash, and the floor has been covered with Porto cork flooring shipped from Macau. This kind of floor is wear-resistant, beautiful and elastic, and is very popular among elders in Lingao.
Furniture has been placed in the house. The furniture is old furniture from the original villa. It has been left vacant for many years and has become deformed by moisture. Mimi found a carpenter to renovate it. Everything is very strong and made of the best local wood.
According to Lando's instructions, the single bed has been laid with high-level straw mats, gauze mosquito nets and bamboo skin pillows, which looks very refreshing.
When he thought about the Spanish people in Manila sleeping on mattresses, he felt itchy all over and wanted to take a bath immediately.
However, the newly built bathroom was empty, with no equipment and only a few reserved holes.
"The bathroom equipment will have to be shipped from Macau later. There are also pipes. But people here don't know how to install them..."
"It doesn't matter, we will send people along with the ship to install it." Lando said, "Has the drainage culvert been completed?"
"The coolies can't come to work until the day after tomorrow - the local coolies are very nervous now, and the prices have also risen." Mimi took out a small notebook, "The foreman in charge said: the prices of everything here have increased. Even the lumber."
Timber is everywhere in Manila, as long as you find enough workers to cut it down and transport it back. If the prices of all these things increase, it only means that the artificial increase is very large.
"A new bathtub has been prepared for you in the bathroom downstairs - it was bought from the Japanese village according to your instructions. A temporary toilet has been set up in the yard. As for soap, bath brush and toilet paper, they are in Pa Li An has bought it. It will be delivered soon."
Are Southeast Asian companies doing a good job? Lando thought to himself, at least he didn't have to write a special letter to apply for these most common daily necessities.
"All windows must be replaced, and these ridiculous shells must be replaced with glass." Filipinos like to use pearl shells on their windows to block the scorching sunlight, and in Manila, where earthquakes occur frequently, it is far from replacing damaged shell window panels. Much cheaper than glass. Even the Spaniards are not immune - not to mention that the price of European glass that can be completely transported to Manila in a year-long bumpy sea transport is sky-high.
"Go to Huang Ji's shop in Parian to buy glass. His family sells the glass plates of Southeast Asia Company on a consignment basis, and then ask them to send a glassmaker over. No, I'm not asking you to buy it. I asked Jimide to do this. Just remember to bring my business card. And this idiot Shlick, tell him to stand guard at the gate in full force! Go quickly, my sweetheart."
Seeing Mimi closing the door and walking out with a blushing face, Weiss took off her stuffy boots with a happy mood. He did not lie down directly on the bed, but lay on a bed he bought from Parian's bamboo shop. On the bamboo couch - he was not planning to take off his clothes stained with mud and sweat to enjoy the bed yet - relying on the habits he had developed on the battlefield, he quickly fell asleep amidst the noise.
