"...someone disguised himself as a peddler or a traveling doctor, and set off for Huizhou alone. When he arrived in Huizhou, he contacted the chief."
"You are very thoughtful." Zheng Mingjiang nodded approvingly, "In this way, after you arrive in Huizhou, you can contact me through Qiwei's inn."
"If you understand, you will definitely live up to your destiny!"
After deciding on the relevant joint plan, Zheng Mingjiang specially approved a sum of money for him as funding, and Yuan Shuzhi said goodbye.
Yuan Shuzhi returned to the lower part of Wanshengju Tea House. Although he was admitted to the civil service, he had no relatives and nowhere to go. Although some people tried to match him and asked him to marry a wife and start a new family, Yuan Shuzhi declined with a smile.
"A man in his fifties, why do he still have a wife? If he gives birth to a baby, wouldn't it be a drag on his wife and a pain on the child?"
Now he and Zeng Juan's family are as close as family. As a tenant, Zeng's mother takes care of his meals and laundry. In the past, he felt somewhat guilty of "freeloading" while living there. Now that he has a salary, he gives Zeng Juan's mother one yuan every month for rent and food expenses. Save the excess.
In the past, when he came back, he would always have some banter with Ming Nu, and laugh with the old and the young before going to do his own business. This time, he went straight back to the room as soon as he came back, saying that he would be on a business trip to other places in the next few days. It is necessary to organize the documents carefully so that no one can disturb you. No one thought it was strange.
Yuan Shuzhi returned to the house, but he knew that the mission was quite dangerous. The chief's miracle medicine is a unique treasure. A "course" of medicine costs dozens of yuan. Now, someone is actually trying to steal the "miracle medicine" for profit - people who dare to do this are extremely disgusting. He is not an ordinary person, he must be a desperate person who is not afraid of death. If I'm not careful, I'm afraid my life will be in danger.
It is indeed important to make achievements, but nothing will be lost if you lose your life. Although Yuan Shuzhi was very passionate when facing the elders, he also spoke the truth. But after thinking about it, I still had to try my best to save my life. Witnessing the glory of the Senate was the most important thing.
Thinking about it this way, you have to make some preparations first. Yuan Shuzhi has never been to Huizhou, but he has met many Huizhou people and knows that it is the territory of the Hakka. As a Guangfu old man, he is an outsider whenever he opens his mouth. It's no longer possible to pretend to be a local, so you can only dress up as a businessman.
But he knows something about himself, that is, he really doesn't look like a businessman. Whether it was the monk who took him in at the beginning, the tea guests in the tea house, or his colleagues in the Comprehensive Management Bureau later, they all regarded "Sour Son" as his nickname.
His temperament is similar to that of the wandering doctor, the bell-ringing doctor, and he has read a few medical books in the past. It would be fine to just use a few words of medical theory to pick up the pulse and prescribe a prescription, but the bell-ringing doctor is not that different. Doctors are people in the world of martial arts, and they must be familiar with the Spring Code in order to have smooth access to medicine, otherwise their secrets will be exposed at the bottom of the sea.
In this case, it is only appropriate for me to pretend to be someone other than a talented scholar and a down-and-out child. Thinking of this, he stood up and took out some old gowns and other clothes from the box - these clothes had not been worn since he was admitted to the civil service examination. However, Zeng’s mother cleaned and mended it and put it away.
He no longer had his bun, but that didn't matter. Many people in the city of Guangzhou have cut off their buns and had their hair cut into long hair. After all, this is the hairstyle of veterans and cadres. So there's no problem with him wearing short hair, and he doesn't have to wear fake buns or anything like that.
Since he is not a scholar or a child, and he looks poor, it is impossible for him to rush hundreds of miles away without a good reason. He had no relatives or friends in Huizhou, and he couldn't say that he was seeking relatives or friends. If he said he was going to be a tutor at the Mongolian Educational School, what would he say if he was asked which school he was going to?
After thinking about it, I realized that one of the waiters at Wanshengju was from Huizhou, and his family also ran a tea house. He discussed with Zeng Juan and asked him to order his clerk to write a letter of recommendation. Leave the name blank.
Zeng Juan opened the recommendation letter for him and handed it to Yuan Shuzhi. When he saw him filling in his name, he said curiously:
"What are you doing?"
"Ah Juan, have you forgotten the first point of Article 18, Paragraph 3 of the Civil Servant Discipline? Don't ask about things you shouldn't ask." Yuan Shuzhi was very serious.
"I know, I know." Zeng Juan said hurriedly, "I just won't ask."
"I'm on a business trip this time to run a secret errand. You have to keep it a secret." Yuan Shuzhi looked very serious as he thought about the heavy responsibility he shouldered.
"Understood. You should also pay attention to your safety." Zeng Juan warned, "Save your life first!"
"Ajuan, I will remember it."
The next day, after the solar eclipse, Yuan Shuzhi came to Tianzi Pier. There are many passenger ships bound for Huizhou. There are both newly established shipping companies and old-style individual ships.
Yuan Shuzhi chose an old-fashioned ship because riding a flower-tailed boat was inconsistent with his current status. After all, a second-class passenger is at least a small businessman.
He negotiated the price with the boatman, then carried his luggage and boarded the boat to sit down. Most of these ships carry a mix of passengers and cargo. The bottom of the ship is generally filled with cargo, and the passengers sit and lie on top of the cargo. There are no high-end cabins, and no meals or accommodations are provided on the way. Passengers must prepare everything by themselves. Short trips are okay, long voyages are hard. The only advantage is that the price is low, and most of the riders are ordinary people.
Yuan Shuzhi got on the boat early and occupied a position at the stern of the boat near the canopy exit. This location is ventilated and well-lit. As long as it doesn't rain, it is the best seat. He spread out his luggage on the deck and sat down with his back against the canopy. Waiting for the boat to sail.
Not long after we sat down, several boats came over selling melon seeds, fried rice candies, peanuts, and candied oranges. Some also sold vegetarian dishes such as smoked bacon, cakes, braised pork, and roasted chicken. The voyage to Huizhou takes about three days and three nights on this old-fashioned ship. There are not many places to hit the road, so guests should prepare enough food and snacks along the way.
Yuan Shuzhi couldn't help but be secretly surprised when he saw that each of the passengers generously donated their money and bought a lot of food. Because most of the passengers on this kind of ship are lower-class people, they are generally reluctant to buy snacks and expensive cooked food, and they mostly prepare them at home. Now their actions are so generous!
If you think about it carefully, it has been more than two years since the Song Dynasty entered the city. There is peace in all directions, people's livelihood is relatively stable, and industry and commerce are developing. Although the past two years have not been smooth sailing, there have been no major disasters. The people have plenty of money, and they seem to have "received three or five dou more".
Although Yuan Shuzhi always "wholeheartedly supports" the administration of the Senate on weekdays, he also has criticisms in his heart. The Senate clarified the number of acres of land and taxes in rural areas. This alone reduced the burden of countless people. In addition, state-owned grain companies carry out purchases in rural areas, which also prevents small grain merchants from jointly lowering prices.
Various actions have increased the income of the people. Since food and clothing are guaranteed, people naturally want to pursue better enjoyment. This is also human nature. When Yuan Shuzhi was training for civil servants, he learned about the three levels of needs. Now that he has applied them and analyzed them, he feels that these three levels are reasonable. This Mr. Ma is indeed a great person!
He brought his own dry food and didn't want to spend money like this, so he just watched the excitement for a while, then took out a magazine from his school bag and started reading. Speaking of this magazine, it's called "Huanzhou". It was founded not long ago. It solicits contributions from schools, academies, and naturalized cadres. Sometimes it also invites contributions from local cultural celebrities. As for the content, it is mainly articles on literature, history and philosophy. Suitable for Lao Yuan's taste.
This issue contains a textual research article by Yuan Shuzhi on the changes in several place names in "A Dream of Red Mansions", and the most important one is Fushe Zhang Dai's travel notes on Lingao. Not only was his article beautifully printed, but it was also published alongside such talented people. Lao Yuan became more and more proud of his article as he read it. He was almost intoxicated. He didn't even know where the ship was sailing or where it was going.
He was still thinking in his mind, "It's worth it that I spent many rest days writing this manuscript. Being able to publish the article with Zhang Zongzi will be worth it in this life." Of course, it was indeed worth it. From then on, Lao Yuan became a prominent figure in the red academic world. Stand out and become everyone.
"I heard that I did not teach and punished me for being cruel... Chairman Wen knows that his ministers are cautious... So I crossed Qiong in the fifth month and went deep into the masses. Now the South China Sea has been settled, and there are enough teachers... The people of Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty are all one... The people of Ming Dynasty also The pure sons of the Senate... If you are elegant and fond of Macao studies and are loyal and kind, you should go to the Society Academy... to bask in the glory of the Senate and shed tears when you are separated..." I was reading an article advocating the "same culture, same species movement" , looking at it, people felt sleepy, and soon fell asleep amidst the slight shaking of the hull and the sound of gurgling water.
It was already noon when he woke up, and Yuan Shuzhi wiped the saliva that came out. I saw that the ship had docked at the dock of a town. There was a town here. Many short-distance passengers had disembarked here, and some new guests came on.
This private ship is different from Qiwei because the voyage is long and passes through many places, so passengers get on and off frequently along the way. There is a girl from the Dan family who looks out for the wind. Whenever she reaches a town ferry, she will say at the bow of the boat, "Get on the boat, get on the boat, there is a seat on the boat."
There are so many people boarding the ship here, and the cabin is full of passengers. It was already a bit crowded, and there were two people sitting on horseback in the middle.
Not long after leaving the town, we arrived at a rural ferry with people getting on and off. Listening to the local dialect nearby, it seems that we have arrived at a small place called Huangxi.
Two or three people came up this time, all of whom looked like local villagers. One of them, a stocky, short and fat man, got on the boat, but instead of looking for a place to sit down, he shouted loudly in the boat: "How much does it cost to get to the bottom of the pond?! "
The loud voice shocked the sleepy Lao Yuan into alertness. Look at this man in his thirties or forties. Although he has a bun, he is dressed in colorful clothes. His clothes are scratched in many places, and his face is smeared with makeup, like a naughty boy. There is also a large silver lock hanging around his neck. Very funny.
He didn't wait for Dan's sister to reply, and just clapped his hands and sang a nursery rhyme.
