Chapter 153 First Arrive in Shanghai County Part 2
Chapter 153 First Arrival in Shanghai County (2)
Xu Da, who was following Zhao Xin, had sharp eyes. He saw the driver's eyes staring blankly, and he stepped forward and cursed in Ningbo dialect: "Nong Lei is familiar with the match point, then Am Zongsa came to express his gratitude to Xu's head and scratched his head.
Just like a benevolent person with big eyes!"
Zhao Xin and others looked at each other with big eyes. He seemed to have clearly heard the words "Nong" and "Thirteen o'clock" in the first part, but the second part was completely the same as the heavenly book.
Liu Sheng turned to Pan Xiucheng behind him and asked: "What did this guy just say? I didn't understand a word."
Pan Xiucheng whispered: "It seems that he is scolding those coachmen, but I can't understand it." Pan Xiucheng is from Dongtai, Jiangsu Province, and Xu Dayong speaks the dialect of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. It would be crazy if he could understand it.
Woolen cloth!
When several coachmen looked at Xu Dayong's clothes, they knew that he was a servant. However, people like him stared at other women's family members, so they deserved to be scolded, so the coachmen quickly bowed and apologized. Zhao Xin ignored it.
, he took a step forward and stepped into the car.
Liu Siting asked: "What were they talking about just now?"
"How can I understand? Xu Dayong seems to be swearing in dialect. It's okay."
There were three carriages for the group, with Shen Jingdan, Lao Huang, Zhao Xin and Liu Siting riding in them respectively. The four Liu Shengs who were dressed as bodyguards could not ride in the carriages, so they could only walk on foot on both sides of the carriage, pretending to be looking after their boss.
posture. Liu Zheng and Lu Shoushan followed closely behind the carriage and trotted to keep up.
On Xiaodongmen Street, there is a bustling flow of people, and there are rows of shops on both sides of the street. The signs and banners of each shop are densely packed, including those selling soybeans, liquor, rice, rouge and gouache, and restaurants.
There are restaurants, porcelain shops, everything selling antique calligraphy and paintings; there are stalls on the roadside with fortune tellers, fish sellers, meat sellers and vegetable sellers, porters carrying burdens, traveling bamboo silk sedans, etc.
Liu Siting carefully opened the door curtain of the car, looked at the scene on the street and said, "It's so lively!"
"It turns out that Shanghai was so prosperous before it opened as a port!" Zhao Xin was very surprised to see how prosperous the streets were through the gap in the door curtain.
Although Shanghai was very prosperous near the county seat at this time, the most prosperous port in this era was Guangzhou, and even Zhapu Port in Jiaxing was more prosperous than Shanghai. It was not until 1843 that Shanghai officially opened as a port. With the influx of a large number of foreign goods and
With the establishment of hotels, docks, banks, and concessions, the center of Sino-foreign trade in the Qing Dynasty gradually moved from Guangzhou to Shanghai.
There are many wealthy sand ship merchants here in Shanghai, and they travel with more grandeur than Zhao Xin and his group. However, when the vendors and pedestrians on both sides of the road saw the tall and powerful Liu Sheng and others, they couldn't help but look at them and exclaimed:
"These guys are so powerful!"
In Sunan, where the average height is 1.65, almost no one has seen someone as tall and strong as Liu Sheng, who looks like a bear; Wang Yuanfang and others have a figure of no more than 1.8 meters. For a time, strange people were seen on both sides of the street.
There are more and more. Those who are brave will just stare at Liu Sheng and the others and point, while those who are timid will peek sideways and whisper to the people next to them.
"I wonder how many bowls of rice this man can eat in one meal."
"How many bowls? Oh, a few pounds is about the same!"
"Looking at these people, they look like they are guarding the hospital."
"Who can afford to hire such a guy without leaving the boss poor?"
"Such a big guy, I'm afraid he didn't turn into a mountain spirit, right?"
"Looks like a bear spirit to me."
"Do you think the flower monk Lu Zhishen is just like that?"
Liu Sheng and the others were originally looking around curiously, but they didn't expect that they became the biggest strangers on the street. Although he couldn't understand what the locals were talking about, Liu Sheng saw countless looks on the street. Everyone looked at me and pointed, then they quickly bowed their heads, supported the carriage with one hand, and strode forward.
Not to mention Liu Zheng behind him. He was afraid that the braid on his head would fall off because it was not firmly attached, so he covered the back of his head with his hands and lowered his head to follow. Lu Shoushan, Pan Xiucheng and Xu Dayong saw this scene and ran away quickly. Go to the first carriage and clear the way for pedestrians on the street.
Fortunately, Shen Jingdan had previously asked the sailors to sail the sand boat from the Huangpu River into the Fangbang Waterway outside Shanghai, and stopped outside the Xiaodongmen Street. Several carriages walked eastward from Xiaodongmen Street, and about one mile later, they arrived. Turn right into Xiangua Street; walk a few dozen steps and arrive at the door of Shen Jingdan's house on Taiping Street.
As soon as the carriage stopped, the servant Ah Si, who heard the commotion, had already opened the door. Shen and Huang waited for Zhao Xin and Liu Siting to get off the car, and then raised their hands to greet them and invite them into the hospital.
This time, Liu Siting didn't dare to jump out of the carriage by herself. She first waited for Zhao Xin to get off, and then waited for him to open the car curtain. Then she held Zhao Xin's outstretched forearm and lowered her head to get out of the carriage. After that, she got off the carriage honestly. He followed Zhao Xin and entered the yard with small steps.
Seeing the normally arrogant Director Liu looking like this, the four Liu Shengs suppressed their laughter and followed Lao Huang into the courtyard. The four Liu Zheng and Lu Shoushan also followed in pretending to carry two satin bags each. .
After the courtyard door was closed, Xu Dayong, who had his ear against the courtyard door, waited until the rumble of the carriage disappeared, then nodded to the people in the courtyard. Liu Sheng and the other four could no longer hold it in, holding their stomachs and laughing loudly. Went into the front hall.
Liu Siting took off the veil on her head, looked at Liu Sheng and others in surprise and asked, "Why are you laughing?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Wang Yuanfang shook his hands and explained quickly.
"Virtue~" Liu Siting rolled her eyes and said angrily.
Ah Si, who was standing aside, felt strange about the words and deeds of Zhao Xin and others. Why did the master and his wife talk so casually to the servants? These guys who looked like nursing homes were burly and scary. Fortunately, Shen Jingdan had given instructions before, saying that at home If there are several businessmen from the north, their conversation and behavior will be different.
Shen Jingdan saw the surprised look on the servant Ah Si's face and said to Zhao Xin: "Dong Zhao, this is my old servant Ah Si. He has been in my house since he was a child."
"Oh." Zhao Xin smiled and nodded at Ah Si, and Liu Sheng and others on the side also nodded as a greeting.
Ah Si quickly bowed to Zhao Xin and Liu Siting before going down to get tea and snacks.
At this time, Zhao Xin took off his hat, took off his mandarin jacket, unbuttoned one button of his gown, picked up the fan and started fanning.
"I'm soaked inside. It's already August 15th and the weather is still so stuffy!"
When the upper class of the Qing Dynasty went out for a visit, the servants around them had an important task, in addition to running errands, which was to carry the owner's clothes bag. Many officials and wealthy businessmen had servants who were responsible for the clothes bag, which usually contained one or two pieces of casual clothes and clothes. The types vary according to the season; in short, they are all for convenience and comfort.
When Shen Jingdan saw that Zhao Xin's back was wet, he realized that he couldn't bear the heat, so he quickly took Zhao Xin to the backyard to wash and change clothes. After the two left, the others sat in the flower hall and continued chatting. Curiously, he looked around at the furnishings inside and outside the house.
Lu Shoushan outside the door looked up at the sky for a while and suddenly said: "I'm afraid it's going to rain tonight."
After chatting for a while, Zhao Xin walked in wearing a gray cotton gown. This dress belonged to Shen Jingdan. The size was too small. Not only were the sleeves short, but the skirt was also a lot shorter. It looked like a long dress. It looked like a top. But Zhao Xin didn't mind. After washing and changing clothes, he felt much cooler.
Speaking of which, there is something wrong with pretending to be a gentleman. No matter whether the weather is hot or not, you must maintain your dignity when going out to entertain guests, and you must wear the appropriate clothes and hats. On the contrary, Liu Sheng and the others are wearing short clothes, and they don't find it troublesome at all. .
Liu Siting asked Zhao Xin: "Where should we go tomorrow?"
"Director Liu, don't worry about it. We are not here for fun at all. You don't even have a personal maid, so how can you go out? Don't forget about business." After saying this, Zhao Xin didn't look at Director Liu. With a look on his face, he turned to Lu Shoushan and said: "You three will go take a look at the newly bought yard in a while. There are so many of us. If there are enough beds, see if there is anything missing. If you finish cleaning it, come back and let us know."
Lao Huang listened on the sidelines and said quickly: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, the furniture is enough for everyone. But the house is a bit far away from here, on Sanguantang Stone Street."
Lu Shoushan said: "No problem, please let Mr. Huang know the specific location."
After Lao Huang finished his explanation, Lu Shoushan and the others went out.
Liu Siting also felt that the weather was a bit stuffy at the moment, so she got up and said she wanted to wash her face. Shen Jingdan quickly took her to the well in the backyard. He also helped fetch water and found a new cotton towel. The reason why he was so attentive was because when he met Liu Siting a few days ago, the other party told him that Oginoto was pregnant with a son. Liu Siting also showed Shen Jingdan the images and photos from the B-ultrasound examination and explained to him what biparietal diameter was. , femur length, fetal heart rate data, etc.
Shen Jingdan was ecstatic at the time, shouting that the Shen family finally had a child; he even knelt down to thank Liu Siting.
Now Director Liu Da is visiting his home. Since there are no maids except for an old woman who cooks in the house here in Shanghai, Shen Jingdan takes care of it himself. Anyway, he also learned about it during the time he lived in Beihai Town. , people like Zhao Xin are not that particular about "whether men and women should be intimate with each other". As long as their actions and words are not excessive, it will be very easy for everyone to get along with each other.
When dinner was approaching, it started to rain. Xu Dayong and a man from the Huang family came back together with umbrellas; it was Lao Huang who arranged for people to clean the courtyard of Sanguantang Stone Street.
"Master, the yard has been swept clean." Xu Dayong saluted and said to Zhao Xin respectfully.
"OK. We'll go there after dinner."
Lao Huang suddenly said: "Zhao, Mr. Zhao, I don't know your requirements for servants, so I didn't dare to hire servants in advance. Do you think we should send a few people from my house to serve you first?"
"No, we can handle it on our own. The three of Shoushan and the others are enough. Besides, we can't stay here in Shanghai for two days."
"Then tomorrow" Lao Huang means to ask Zhao Xin how to arrange tomorrow.
"If it still rains tomorrow, we won't go out. If anything happens, I'll ask Dayong to come find you two. By the way, Boss Huang, can you help me get a copy of the commodity prices in Shanghai tomorrow? "
Old Huang said: "This is easy to handle. I'll let the shopkeeper handle it. I'll take it over tomorrow night."
There was nothing to say after that. Everyone had a hasty dinner at Shen's house, then got on the carriage Xu Dayong found, and braved the heavy rain to go to Sanguantang Stone Street.
Because it was getting late and Liu Sheng attracted too much attention, the group did not pass through the city. Instead, they walked south around Shanghai County for more than an hour before arriving.
Sanguantang Stone Street is located southwest of the South Gate outside Shanghai County. The yard that Lao Huang bought is on the east side of the street. Not far from the door is Qianshi Street, which is very convenient for traveling by land and water. In order to avoid accidents, Shen Jingdan There is also a small boat parked on the nearby river for easy boarding and evacuation at any time.
After the carriage arrived, Lu Shoushan and Pan Xiucheng, who had been waiting for a long time, went out to greet them. After Zhao Xin and others got off the car, they quickly entered the courtyard. Since this place is at the junction of urban and suburban areas, the courtyard is not very luxurious, but it is very large. The courtyard faces north. To the south, there is a five-bay main house with two entrances and wing rooms on the left and right; there is no sedan hall at the entrance, only a concierge; several straw sheds are built in the backyard.
In addition, there is a street to the west of the courtyard, a courtyard to the east, and a small alley to the north. Go out and walk more than a hundred meters to the west to reach the river.
"This yard was built by a Haizhou businessman five years ago. The straw shed in the backyard was originally a warehouse for storing beans. The businessman made a fortune in the bean business and moved his family to Suzhou. I saw that although this place is not rich, But he wasn't too shabby, so he decided to buy it for Zhao Xin's family." Lao Huang stood behind Zhao Xin and explained with a smile.
"It's good, we're not that particular."
Lao Huang's assistants, Lu and Pan respectively carried lanterns and took Zhao Xin and others to look around the courtyard.
After reading it, Zhao Xin said with satisfaction: "Boss Huang, Boss Shen, thank you both very much. It's getting late now, so I won't leave you two alone. If anything happens, I will send someone to find you tomorrow."
Lao Huang has already told Lu Shoushan the location of his shop. If Zhao Xin has anything, he will send someone to contact him there directly.
"Dr. Zhao, if you all go out for fun, you must tell us in advance to avoid unnecessary trouble." Shen Jingdan said with cupped hands.
"Don't worry, don't worry."
Shen and Huang knew that Beihai Town did not have the rules of serving tea and seeing off guests, so they took their waiters and said goodbye. Soon, Zhao Xin and his party were left in the yard.
Wang Yuanfang stood under the eaves and said excitedly: "This is our first foothold in Manchuria!"
Everyone was excited and expressed their opinions one after another.
Liu Zheng fantasized about overthrowing the Qing Dynasty all day long, so he first suggested setting up an intelligence station here to spy on the Qing court. Others agreed after hearing this.
Zhao Xin didn't see it that way. He felt that although Shanghai County was prosperous in trade, it was not the center of Jiangnan. From the preliminary information he learned from Shen and Huang, the local area was still dominated by sand ship merchants, and most of them were rich and wealthy. The most powerful officials, gentry and literati all lived in Suzhou or Yangzhou; these people were the group of people who could obtain the inside information of the Qing court the fastest. If you really wanted to build an intelligence station to spy on the information, the best place would be Jiangning or Suzhou.
Jiangning is where the governor's office of Liangjiang is located, and Suzhou is where the governor's office of Jiangsu is located. Shanghai and Yangzhou can just establish a liaison point. However, it is just lip service at the moment. If we really want to build an intelligence station, we will not have enough manpower.
Even if all these pirates in Xu Dayong surrendered, they would only be able to run errands in the markets to get information, and would not be able to enter the circle of upper-class gentry. Even Shen and Huang would be in trouble. These two people are currently in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang business circles. Their status is still only in the lower middle class. Even if Zhao Xin works hard to support the two of them, it will take time for them to enter the upper class circles of Suzhou or Jiangning through the literary connections in Yangzhou.
In addition, telegraph operators also need to be trained, and Liu Zheng's training is okay in setting up a signal relay station on Flower and Bird Island, but he is still needed to take care of the horses in Beihai Town, not to mention that Liu Zheng can sometimes treat people's illnesses on an emergency basis.
As for Lu Shoushan and Pan Xiu, the situation is even worse. First of all, these two people are escaped slaves of Ning Guta, and Dongtai is under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture. If they are bumped into by an acquaintance, it will be troublesome.
"Oh! Take your time, there's really no need to be in a hurry."
Everyone chatted in the front hall until late at night with no results, and finally yawned and found an empty room to rest. For safety reasons, Lu Shoushan took Xu Dayong to the concierge to stay. Pan Xiucheng Then he took the bedding and went to the straw shed in the backyard.