Chen Ding rested at Wu's house for a few days, and the injury on his head was almost healed. Seeing that the day to go to Lingao was approaching, he was also very excited.
He was very curious about the legendary Lingao, and had originally thought about going to Lingao for sightseeing and seeing what opportunities there were to make money.
But later, due to the military attack, something happened at home, so I could only put it aside for the time being.
Unexpectedly, he came to Guangzhou and got beaten up and lost a huge sum of money, but in exchange for such an adventure! Chen Ding was originally an open-minded person, but now that he has a bright future, he not only put aside the Nansha matter temporarily,
Even after losing two hundred taels of silver, I didn't care much anymore. All I could think about was how to set up a factory.
He had heard many people talk about Lingao in the past. However, it could only be regarded as hearsay, and there were a lot of exaggerations in it. As the old saying goes, seeing is believing, so he wanted to see with his own eyes what this Australian lair was.
What a novel object it looks like.
On this day, officials from the Guangzhou Office of the Planning Institute sent an invitation letter and a ferry ticket. The ticket was the latest "number" of Dabo Shipping to be put into the operation of the Hainan-Guangdong route.
As the Senate's rule in Guangdong and Guangxi became increasingly stable, the number of tourists traveling between Hainan and Guangdong increased sharply. Some of them were naturalized citizens traveling on "official business" or "visiting relatives" between the two places, but guests on "business trips"
There has also been a substantial increase, and the originally small number of "spontaneous immigrants" has increased explosively. These immigrants include poor people looking for a way to make a living, and some who are worried about the situation in the Central Plains and hope to come to the "Peach Blossom Land" to take refuge.
Rich people.
Since 1636, the passenger volume on the route from Hainan to Guangdong has increased more than ten times. The original mixed passenger and cargo model of Dabo Shipping gradually could not meet the demand, so two large transport ships were specially modified and became full-time "mail ships"
.They are named "Wuzhishan" and "Baiyunshan" respectively. Currently, they operate once a week.
On January 20, 1637, Chen Ding and Wu Yijun boarded the Baiyunshan at the Tianzi Pier outside the south gate. The prototype of the Baiyunshan was a T1200 standard ship hull with an iron frame and wooden shell. After some modifications, the interior
The cabin layout is also more focused on carrying passengers. While maintaining the sailing equipment, a steam engine is also installed, and the average speed can reach 8 knots. It is the largest and most luxurious shipping liner on the Hainan-Guangdong route.
From the perspective of the elders, the standard 1,200-ton iron-framed wooden-hulled sailboat was not very spectacular - after all, the two Spanish Galen they captured were also similar in tonnage. But to the local people,
T1200 still has a strong visual impact. Especially after the transformation into a passenger ship, an extra building was added to the deck and a bridge was added. The most eye-catching thing is naturally the two chimneys billowing with black smoke.
"I have heard for a long time that the ships of the Song Dynasty were strong and powerful, and it turns out that it is true." Wu Yijun sighed.
A large number of passengers have gathered on the waiting pier next to the gangway. The passengers are divided into several different areas according to the class of cabin they bought. The tickets for Xiang Chen and Wu are second-class tickets, and there are not many people there.
They were all big business owners who had purchased charters from the tea house, their servants and related accompanying personnel; there were a lot more people in the third-class cabin, most of whom seemed to be naturalized cadres and workers, as well as some businessmen-looking passengers;
The fourth-class waiting area was bustling with people. They were not only supporting the elderly and the young, but also carrying various luggage, with various accents.
The most expensive first-class waiting area has the smallest number of passengers. Compared with other waiting areas, they do not have to wait in the open air. Instead, they wait under a specially built awning to board the ship, and there is a dedicated person to provide tea.
"This Australian is really stingy. He only gave us second-class seats when he invited us to go!" Chen Ding said in a low voice with a smile.
"If not, how can we call them Australians?" Wu Yijun also found it interesting. In fact, although Australians are known as "luxury", shrewd businessmen have long recognized that the two are actually the same kind in terms of profit-seeking.
The two were laughing when Chen Ding suddenly felt a shiver in the back of his head, as if someone was staring at him. He turned around suddenly, but saw nothing strange.
"What's wrong, Brother Shi?"
"nothing……"
At this time, the whistle sounded - the signal to board the ship. The passengers gathered in the waiting area suddenly became commotion. The crew and terminal staff immediately came over to maintain order and guide the passengers to board the ship from the left and right gangways of the ship.
Chen and Wu were guided by the crew to the cabin. Because the T1200 is essentially a sailboat, the cabins are all below the deck. Although there are portholes, the light is not very good.
"It's so dark, I'm afraid I won't be able to read," Chen Ding said.
"If you want to read, you have to buy a first-class ticket at the stern." Wu Yijun said, "There are many windows on the upper floor of the ship and the space is large. But the second-class cabin is already good. I heard that the fourth-class cabin is on the lowest deck, not only
There are no portholes in the entire bunk, so it’s pitch black when you get down, and you rely on oil lamps for illumination day and night.”
Looking around, this cabin is not big, the environment is clean and tidy, and the decoration is gorgeous and exquisite. All kinds of utensils needed for the journey are available. The tea set cabinet is equipped with a hot water bottle placed on a fixed base and a full set of enamel tea sets, as well as
Green tea, oolong tea, black tea and other teas are all packed in small bags, and there are even candies and kvass.
"It's really elegant." Chen Ding saw a small desk against the porthole. Although it didn't have the four treasures of the study, it had a fixed inkstand and pencil case, with Australian pens and ink. When he opened the drawer, there was a neat printed book.
He couldn't put it down because of the thick and white paper that had the watermarks of "Dabo Shipping" and "Baiyunshan" on it.
It’s just that the berths in the cabin are very small, just enough for one person to sleep. The two berths are just right for one master and one servant. No wonder the inspection notice specifically stated that each person can only bring one servant free of charge.
Wu Yijun returned to his cabin with his servants, and Chen Ding asked Chen Yu, who had come to serve him, to pack his luggage. He also took out two books from the luggage and placed them on the bedside for entertainment.
At this moment, the crew knocked on the door one after another and came in to warn: "The ship will leave soon! Please stay in the cabin, don't wander around, don't go on the deck. Don't touch the portholes. Smoking is not allowed in the cabin!"
"What is this? A toilet?" Chen Ding asked, pointing to the white enamel drum with a lid fixed on an iron frame next to each bunk.
"This is the vomit bucket." The crew member said, "It will continue when you vomit."
Here I could only hear the whistle blowing three times in a row outside, and the whole ship was shaking. Even in the small cabin, a strange whine could be heard. It was such an amazing feeling to be on an Australian ship for the first time!
As the vibrations and roars gradually became calmer, the ship suddenly moved. Chen Ding quickly opened the porthole and looked out, only to see the ship gradually heading towards the river.
“I just wish I could go up to the deck and see this rare beauty!”
When the ship arrived at the center of the river, because the weather was very good today, passengers were allowed to go on the deck for a walk and rest, but only in the first three classes. The fourth class had a fixed "on-deck time" of half an hour each time.
At first, Chen Ding and others were in high spirits, strolling on the deck and looking around. However, after the ship left the Pearl River Estuary, the wind and waves became stronger, and they gradually became seasick. When Wu Yijun saw this, he quickly asked him to go back to the cabin and lie down to rest.
As soon as he lay down, he never got up. First he was spinning, and then he was vomiting profusely. During the next two days and two nights of the voyage, Chen Ding didn't eat a single meal. He just slept on the bed half asleep, in total darkness.
In a daze, someone came over and fed him some salty and sweet water.
Suddenly he felt a shaking and found that it was Wu Yijun shaking his shoulders and telling him to get up.
"We're almost there! You should get up and clean up quickly. What's going on now?"
"I...I am..."
"You have been sleeping for almost two days. The ship will arrive at Lingao soon." Wu Yijun urged, "Wash your face first, and then eat something - are you not dizzy now?"
"It's true that I'm not dizzy anymore." Chen Ding touched his head, and his originally groggy mind became clear. His stomach also made a growl. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his appetite was back.
"Thanks to Chen Yu this time," Wu Yijun said with a wry smile, "Xiaofu and I were also very dizzy, and we relied on him to take care of us these two days."
Chen Yu hurriedly said: "This is the duty of a villain. Don't kill the villain. I think you are hungry too. Do you want to get some dry food for snacks?"
Chen Ding was very hungry now, so he hurriedly said: "Yes! Yes! Get the cookies in my bag!" As he said this, he found that he had been covered with a blanket at some point. This gray blanket was smooth, soft and extremely warm.
, and the weaving skills are quite superb, but he can't feel what the material is, and he doesn't know if it is Wu Yijun's blanket.
After eating a few cookies and drinking a cup of tea, Wu Yijun suggested walking on the deck and enjoying the breeze.
The two walked onto the deck, and what they saw was the Qiongzhou Strait, with fields stretching on both sides of the strait, and Lingao in the distance. There was faint black smoke coming out. This kind of black smoke also appeared in Guangzhou recently. I heard it was caused by a fire in Australia.
What the power produced was more black smoke in Lingao than in Guangzhou.
Suddenly he heard a burst of women talking and laughing next to him. He turned around and saw several women wearing the same Australian clothes on the other side of the boat. They all wore small brown round hats tilted at one side and wore
Wearing a brown Australian coat with a white collar exposed at the neck and a black cloth bandage on the chest, the lower body is wearing a brown pleated knee-length skirt, with only a pair of black socks on the calves, exposing the knees.
.Wearing a long coat outside, some people have it buttoned up, while others have it open.
Although it is Lingnan, the weather is still January, isn't this Australian woman afraid of cold legs? Chen Ding has long heard about the strange customs of Australians - women's attire is the most widely spread and discussed
. After all, this kind of lack of costumes in the 17th century, both in the East and the West, is really shocking and full of temptations.