Updated: 0/4/0/202

Wang Tiezhu and Fan Hua, these two soldiers used to get up early. As soon as the sky was a little hazy, the two of them got up and went out to enjoy the morning scenery of Lujiang. When I got out of the house, I saw a black shadow kneeling there, and it turned out to be Ni Ashui, who was kneeling on the corridor outside the gate of the small western-style building.

"Benefactor, benefactor. You are the angel lord, the angel lady. I, Ni Ashui, kowtow to you. Saying that, Ni Ashui kowtowed to them again and again.

Wang Tiezhu hurriedly stepped forward to help Ni Ashui, Ni Ashui couldn't kneel, "Boss Guo has woken up, and his legs are much better." Boss Guo was injured to save me, you saved Boss Guo is to save me Ni Ashui, I am willing to be a cow and a horse for the old lady, and a slave and a servant. ”

Wang Tiezhu and Fan Hua are good at talking, but Ni Ashui just can't afford to kneel.

"Ni Ashui, stand up for me!" Wang Tiehammer was on fire, "All corners are brothers, we have never been slaves, and we don't need slaves, what we need are good brothers, good friends, and good partners!" ”

"Ah Shui, don't you believe in God? God says that all men are brothers and sisters, and that they are all lambs of God. If you just want to be a slave, then kneel. In the noise, Bai Baoxiang and the others also got up and walked out of the house, Bai Baoxiang came forward from behind and pulled Ni Ashui up, "If you want to be our good brother, then stand up with dignity." ”

A trace of fish belly white has just appeared in the sky, and the Lujiang River has not fully woken up from the morning light, and a boat of the Tan people has rowed through the heavy river fog, "squeak, squeak" through the river. Wang Tiezhu, Bai Baoxiang and other ten people crowded the bow cabin, sitting on the side of the boat paddling Ni Ashui and his mother Ni Aunt, and Ni Ashui's father Ni Daddy was holding the boat.

"This plane is so beautiful." Fan Hua sat on the bow of the boat and bent down to gently pick up a handful of soft seawater, so cool, she stretched her body and looked at both banks, the 4-year-old Lujiang River flashed the charm of the original ecology everywhere, flocks of seabirds skimmed the water and flew in the air, "Aunt Ni, you live on the boat every day, morning and evening are all dealing with the Lujiang River, this kind of water life is very poetic." ”

Aunt Ni sighed, "Although the water life of our Tan people is the same as the painting, the life is really hard. When fishing, you should collect fresh fish donations; If you don't fish, you have to receive donations from cargo ships; When going out to sea, you must collect sulfur donations and shield donations for guarding against pirates; I went ashore to buy firewood and rice, and I had to collect firewood and rice to donate, and I couldn't live this day. ”

Ni Ashui's complaint, Fan Hua suddenly sighed, and Wang Tiezhu immediately changed the topic, "Uncle, I heard that the Xiamen knife meeting was very troublesome last year, and you didn't seem to be affected by anything." ”

"Brother Wang, you don't know, our Tan people are naturally miserable, the people on the shore bully us, the court bullies us, and the knife club also bullies us." Father Ni shook his head again and again, "Last year, the Little Knife Society was in turmoil, and our Tan people suffered a great disaster. The knife will requisition our ships, and the imperial army will also requisition our ships, and many of our ships will be buried in this military disaster, and the lives of the people are really miserable. ”

Father Ni sighed and continued, "In order to raise money for everyone to build a ship, Boss Guo took people to the Black Water Ocean outside the Ryukyus to catch sharks and make shark fins. I don't want my brute, who has nothing to do on the boat, gets drunk and bets somersaults, and falls into the sea. In order to save him, Boss Guo was injured and almost lost his life. Ni Ashui paddled with his head down, his face full of shame.

"Is there a Yonaguni Island over there in the Black Water Ocean?" Bai Baoxiang hurriedly asked.

"There is an island of Yonaguni where we hunt sharks to supply fresh water and food, and the people on the island are very friendly to us, and we speak very well with them, and they speak very similar to Fuzhou dialect. The elders have said that one of our Tanmin people went to the Ryukyus, and the islanders of Yonaguni Island may have the same ancestors as us. ”

The boat docked at a small wharf, and Wang Tiezhu and his party of ten people, under the guidance of Ni Ashui, took advantage of the interest to catch the morning market in Xiamen. Entering the street, you are greeted by a noisy and busy scene. The street, which is more than a meter wide, winds like a sheep's horn, and the road rises and falls. The narrow streets were covered with reed mats, much to Fan Hua's amazement.

"It's to shelter pedestrians from the sun." Ni Ashui explained to everyone in a whisper.

The stalls and shops on both sides of the street are wide open, and the goods inside are all gone; On every street corner there are itinerant vendors, who are busy making snacks and hawking at the same time; Packs of dogs bark and bite in the streets; The whole street is full of garbage and smells bad everywhere.

After a few steps, the three ladies could not stand the disgusting and suffocating smell, and the men held on for a while and retreated.

After breakfast on the fishing boat, the boat was driven back to the British Concession. Seeing that he was about to dock, Fan Hua was a little worried, "You said that the instrument box is kept with Dr. Yang, will there be a problem, after all, this is an item beyond time and space." ”

Qian Shuiting is definitely a good hand at business, "There will be nothing going on." We need a lot of money to do crossing, these equipment can be regarded as our products, stainless steel in this time and space is absolutely amazing. ”

Bai Baoxiang smiled, "That's right, this equipment box is a hook, whether Heathrop is willing to be a bait." ”

Before getting off the boat, Qian Shuiting repeatedly warned everyone, "If you say too much, you will lose, everyone must pay more attention and pay attention to what you say." ”

It was already past nine o'clock in the morning when I returned to the clinic. Before entering the clinic, "Director Qian, Mr. Wang, Dr. Fan~~" Dr. Hisrop and another foreigner went out together. Yesterday, when everyone introduced themselves, they claimed to be personnel of the Western Pacific Huafu Company of the United States, and Qian Shuiting and Bai Baoxiang were directors of the company.

Sitting in the living room, everyone realized that this guy was Grace, a businessman from Jardine Matheson in the United Kingdom. Everyone greeted each other for a long time, and when Mr. Bridges had a typical British gentleman's beard, a pipe in his hand, and a glimmer of light in his eyes from time to time, Bai Baoxiang thought in his heart, "Jardine Matheson knows, but this Millis doesn't seem to have heard of it, what kind of character will this be?" ”

"Dear Madam, this is your instrument case." Dr. Hisrop carefully delivered the medical equipment box to Fan Hua.

Fan Hua opened the aluminum box, casually said, and was about to stuff it into his backpack.

"I'm sorry, I think, I wonder if you'll be able to bear the pain of parting love. You know, these devices are so helpful to me. "Dr. Heathrop was very nervous when he arrived at Fan Hua to put away the instrument box.

Fan Hua held the instrument box in her left hand, and gently rubbed the lid of the box with her right hand, but she did not speak.

Priss broke the silence, "Beautiful lady, with all due respect, may I ask what kind of material this box and instrument are made of?" He leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Fan Hua, his pipe clutched tightly to his chest.

"This is metal aluminum, a businessman like you should know about metal aluminum." Bai Baoxiang, who was sitting on the side, hurriedly interjected the words.

Priss sat up straight and said to Bai Baoxiang, "Are these medical devices also aluminum?" ”

Bai Baoxiang leaned comfortably on the recliner, "This is an alloy." ”

Priss stared at Bai Baoxiang tightly, "Is it an alloy of aluminum?" ”

Bai Baoxiang smiled and didn't talk.

Qian Shuiting answered next to him, "I'm sorry, this is the trade secret of our Huaxia Fuxing Company." ”

"Could it be that these boxes and devices are all products of your company?"

Qian Shuiting nodded, "As you wish, yes." ”

"But~~~ However, how can such an expensive aluminum be simply made into a box for medical equipment." As he spoke, Priss tapped his pipe on the table.

"Expensive aluminum?" Fan Hua was a little surprised. In the middle of the nineteenth century, aluminium was a very expensive metal because of the difficulty of extraction, and one ton of aluminium was definitely worth more than two tons of gold. But Fan Hua, where do they know, they think that the stainless steel equipment in their hands is likely to attract the attention of Europeans.

Pris's eyes twinkled, "Aluminum isn't expensive?" Can your company produce aluminum in large quantities? ”

"Expensive? It may be very expensive in your eyes, but I think that even the most expensive thing will be worthless in the end if it is useless. Fan Hua knew that she might have said the wrong thing just now, so she went around in a circle very calmly, her face was as plain as water, and her hand was still rubbing on the lid of the aluminum box.

"Gentlemen and ladies!" Bai Baoxiang vaguely remembered that aluminum was indeed very expensive at the beginning of its discovery, as if Napoleon had used it as his own water cup, he gently knocked on the table, very dignified, "Gold is precious, not only because of its rarity, but also because of its gorgeous colors and excellent ductility, which can be made into jewelry and decorate people's lives; Silver is also expensive not only because of its rarity, but also because of its good flexibility and malleability, which can be used as jewelry, utensils, and currency; We at Huaxia Fuxing Company believe that aluminum is expensive not only because of its rarity, but also because of its lightness and flexibility, it can be made into the emperor's water cup, and can also be made into all kinds of portable tools and living utensils. ”

"Isn't this a tyrannical thing?"

Gu Wusheng never spoke, he observed Pulis and the others with relish, and when the conversation was very intense, he interjected, "Didn't you say that we are all Lambs of God!" Is there a difference between using aluminum as a box to place instruments to serve patients and using aluminum to make a water cup for the emperor? ”

The living room fell silent again, and Dr. Heathrop pleaded again, "Dear Dr. Fan Hua, can't you consider my request?" If I have such a good device in my hands, it will be a blessing for the patient. Think again, okay? ”

"We are merchants." Bai Baoxiang said leisurely, "For businessmen, everything can be exchanged, as long as you pay the price.

But you are a respected church doctor, and you are really admirable in Xiamen to save the dead and the wounded, and save the lost lambs. However, these instruments are too precious to be given to you. ”

Priss tapped his pipe on the table, "yes, it's up to you to say it in exchange, you can't let the beautiful lady speak first." ”

"I'm sorry, I'm always confused." Dr. Hislop was embarrassed to tap his big nose with his hand, "All my savings are dedicated to the church and hospital that are under construction, but I have some beautiful stones from patients here, which the Qing people consider very precious stones. Dr. Fan, are you one of these stones? ”

The servant took out a chest from the storeroom, which contained more than twenty crystalline stones, and Fan Hua took out a stone from it, this stone, which was slightly larger than a pebble, was clear and clear on it, and the color was like a broken egg yolk.

Wang Xie Tang shouted, "This broken stone can't be a pebble!" ”

Bai Baoxiang secretly shouted in his heart, "It's really a bun, and the famous Tian Huangshi doesn't know it." ”

Fan Hua put the stone back in its place with an expressionless face and took out another piece. This emerald green stone is delicate and lubricated, transparent and almost transparent.

Wang Xie Tang nodded, "This stone is not bad, although it is not as transparent as glass, it can be taken out and pretended to be an emerald." ”

Bai Baoxiang glanced at Wang Xie Tang with his eyes, "This guy won't be pretending to be crazy and stupid, how could he not know about Jade." ”

Someone on the side translated Wang Xietang's Mandarin to Dr. Hislop, and he shook his head repeatedly. Heathrop was frustrated when he saw that Fan Hua had only two stones and returned to his seat, "Doctor Fan, you don't like these stones. ”

"These stones are good on top, they are full of gratitude from the patient, they are very precious stones. How could I take all these monumental stones! Fan Hua was very bland, "As a respect for your noble cause, I should have given you this box of equipment." But this case is very precious and is a new product for the company. Well, in exchange, I'll just take a few stones. ”

"No, no, no, your equipment box is too precious, and since you like these stones, then this box of stones is all yours." Dr. Hislop said sincerely, "As long as I have this box of instruments, I believe that more Qing people will be helped, and there will be more stones." ”

When it came to Hislop to exchange items with Fan Hua, Priss asked, "Do you have any other samples of aluminum products?" As the manager of Jardine Matheson, I would like to see more samples from you. ”

"Samples are available, but not here, and our company is ready to launch these products in the European and American markets within the year." Bai Baoxiang sighed, "You must know that there is no market for these aluminum products here for the time being, and people in the Far East do not know their value." Of course, if you want more samples, then you have to wait, our company's ships will arrive in Shanghai before the end of the month. ”

After lunch, Dr. Heatrop and Mr. Priss reluctantly sent Hammer and his party out.

"My dear friend, why don't you stay a few more days and enjoy the customs. I was going to introduce you to the British Consul at Tonton, Mr. Pashali, who would have been pleased to talk to you about the prospects for the sale of aluminium products in the European market. ”

"Oh, it's a shame that we crossed the company and desperately needed to find a place to serve as the company's production base in the Far East. Friends all recommend Shanghai, and we rushed over. Bai Baoxiang shrugged, "I hope that the Far Eastern Huafu Foreign Bank that we plan to establish can form a close cooperative relationship with your Jardine Matheson......

Ni Ashui's Lianjia boat carried everyone to the coast of Wutong, and Wang Tiehammer looked back at the Lujiang River in the distance, and his heart swelled with waves.

"Wife, I have decided, I will go through the retirement procedures as soon as I return to the army, I want to fight in this time and space, I am needed here!" Wang Tiezhu sat on the bow of the boat and looked at Fan Hua, and said very seriously: "This time and space are full of dirt and chaos, the country is poor and weak, and the people are ignorant and backward. But that's where I can make a difference. ”

"No comment!" Fan Hua was very simple, "I will go through the retirement procedures when I go back, and my medical skills will also make great achievements in this time and space." ”

"Uncle and aunt, I'll do it with you, and I need it here."

"Our baby is absolutely OK." Lao Qian smiled, "This time and space needs you, me, and all of us need to work together!" Saying that, Lao Qian stretched out his hand, "Come, let's cheer together!" ”

Ten people's hands clasped tightly, and everyone shouted "Come on!" to each other. ”

Ni Ashui's family rowed quietly, and Bai Baoxiang patted Ni Ashui's shoulder hard, "Ah Shui, if you want to change your fate, you Tan people also need to refuel." ”

When he arrived at the shore yesterday, Bai Baoxiang was the last to get off the boat, and he took out ten taels of silver to Ni Ashui, but Ni Ashui insisted on refusing.

"Take it, it's what your whole family deserves." Saying that, Bai Baoxiang said to the stern, "Daddy Ni, people's fate is not predestined by God, they all rely on their own struggle." In ancient times, King Wen of Zhou wrote the Book of Changes, which said, Tianxingjian, a gentleman is constantly striving for self-improvement; The God that foreigners believe in also says that God helps those who help themselves. If you don't work hard, no one can help, so everything depends on hard work. ”

On the way back, Ni Ah Shui hummed the song he had just learned quietly while paddling hard.

"There has never been a savior,

Nor by the gods and the emperor,

It is up to us to create human happiness. ”

Aunt Ni said worriedly on the side, "These angel lords won't let us rebel!" ”

"No, Big Brother Bai is asking us to control our own destiny. Brother Bai said that if we fully supported the Little Knife Society when the Little Knife Society was up, then it would not be easy for the Qing army to kill it; If we had fully supported the imperial court, the imperial army would have crossed the sea and entered Xiamen long ago. It was because of our stupid excitement that the two sides did not please each other, so we suffered a great disaster. Ni Ashui clenched his fists hard, "Don't say that we have nothing, we want to be the masters of the world." ”