Chapter 2561
Early the next morning, after everyone had breakfast in Shiyuan, they were ready to go to greet Shi Diwen, but the housekeeper Mo Yuan told them that Shi Diwen had gone out to handle matters on the south bank of the Qiantang River and was not expected to come back until the afternoon. Before leaving, Let them make their own arrangements.
Although the environment of the Stone Garden is good, everyone has their own missions in Hangzhou, so it is not easy to waste time here. After some discussion, they decided to split up to deal with the work at hand first, and then return to the east of the city in the evening. Meet at the inn.
The butler Mo Yuan had prepared several carriages for them in advance to send them to their respective destinations.
Ha Jianyi originally planned to follow Wang Anguo's suggestion yesterday and visit the East China Sea Fleet Marine Camp near the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal today, but Wang Anguo changed his mind and came up with another idea: "Brother Ha, this Marine Corps camp is really nothing to see. Yes, they only stationed a company of men and horses here, and there were only seven or eight small boats. In my opinion, we might as well go directly to Zhoushan, where the main force of the East China Sea Fleet is, and visit the Zhoushan Shipyard by the way. Look at how the East China Sea Fleet builds warships.”
Ha Jianyi hesitated and said: "I have only been in Hangzhou for two days and then returned to Zhoushan. This won't cause any misunderstanding, right?"
Wang Anguo said: "You have official duties, so there is no misunderstanding? Besides, don't you want to see the true face of the Glory-class battleship?"
Ha Jianyi's mind immediately recalled the appearance of the Glory-class battleship he had seen at sea when he left Zhoushan Dinghai Port a few days ago. It's just that we were so far apart on the sea, and we were walking towards each other, that I couldn't see it very clearly. If I had the opportunity to board the ship to visit, then of course I could satisfy my curiosity to the greatest extent.
Ha Jianyi said: "But if you want to leave Hangzhou, you have to say hello to them first."
Wang Anguo said: "Just leave a letter at the inn. After arriving in Zhoushan, you can contact Hangzhou by telegraph, and you will not lose contact."
Ha Jianyi thought that this was indeed the truth, and immediately nodded and said: "That is feasible. Then I will go back to the inn first and get some belongings."
Wang Anguo said: "I will prepare a boat first, and we will meet at the canal dock later."
Ha Jianyi took a carriage back to the inn. As soon as he got off the carriage, Ning Zijing arrived.
Ha Jianyi asked curiously: "Why did you go back to the inn too?"
Ning Zijing smiled and said: "My errand is simple, and I don't need to run around like you. I just need to look at the accounts here and understand the progress of Qiong Lianfa's business. Besides, the person in charge here is still working in other places and has not come back. , some things can’t be done, so we can only wait.”
Ha Jianyi said: "In that case, let me find something to do for you. Wang Anguo and I are going to Zhoushan. If you have nothing to do, why not pack your things and go with us?"
Ning Zijing waved his hand and said: "You must have official business when you go to Zhoushan. When the time comes, you will disappear into the military camp. I have nothing to do there... If I don't go, I will stay in Hangzhou." . There are countless places of interest nearby. Wouldn’t it be nice for me to visit the mountains and rivers every day? ”
Ha Jianyi still refused to give up and continued to persuade: "How about going to Zhoushan to visit a shipyard that can build Glory-class battleships?" Ning Zijing was still unmoved: "I am a layman, and I can't see it after seeing it." Look, let’s leave this task to your professionals!”
Seeing Ning Zijing's firm attitude, Ha Jianyi had no choice but to give up the idea of bringing him along, went back to his room, collected his belongings and a change of clothes, and left the inn with his entourage. However, before leaving, he specifically told Ning Zijing to keep the place where he lived for the time being. When he came back from Zhoushan after finishing his work, he would probably continue to live here. After all, inns with such good environment and services cannot be found everywhere.
Compared to returning to Zhoushan to visit the battleships, Ning Zijing was obviously more interested in visiting Hangzhou. Although he only took a quick tour of Hangzhou yesterday, he had already realized that the prosperity of this city was no less than that of several big cities on Hainan Island.
Ning Zijing had only traveled as far as the coast of Guangdong before, and he was also very interested in studying the customs and customs of the areas under the Ming Dynasty. What was the difference between a large regional city like Hangzhou that had been ruled by the Ming Dynasty for a long time and the cities under the Haihan rule? What are the similarities and differences? In Ning Zijing's opinion, it is much more interesting than visiting the shipyard.
Ning Zijing did not intend to repeat Tao Hongfang's trip and visit the Hangzhou office of the Ministry of Commerce. He planned to walk around Hangzhou on his own to see what the city really looked like.
Ning Zijing changed his outfit, took two followers with him, and then entered Hangzhou City again, traveling lightly.
The ancients said, "The southeast is beautiful, the three Wu cities are there, and Qiantang has been prosperous since ancient times." This "Qiantang" is the old name of Hangzhou. In the Tang Dynasty, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Yangzhou were listed as the three major trading ports at that time. During the Five Dynasties and the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou, as the capital, naturally became a regional trade center.
After the Ming Dynasty, although Hangzhou no longer enjoyed the treatment of Kyoto, its economic and trade activities were more prosperous than before. According to historical records, "When you enter the Qiantang area, there are dozens of shops within and outside the city for dozens of miles, and there is no one within easy reach. If the sky is exhausted, there is everything... five directions gather together, and no one is not available for sale." This shows that at that time, there were no shops in the city of Hangzhou. level of prosperity.
Ning Zijing had already asked Yang Ji, the steward of Qionglianfa, and after entering the city, he went straight to Shou'anfang City, which is also called Guanxiangkou and is said to be the location of the most prosperous market in the city.
The transactions here are mainly carried out through retail sales in small shops, and there are many stalls on the streets. Common commodities on the market include various fabrics, clothing, livestock, utensils, food, medicinal materials, etc. It is said to be the only place in Hangzhou that has a night market.
Ning Zijing walked and looked, stopping from time to time to chat with the seller. If he encounters something he likes, he will pay for it and let his followers take it.
Ning Zijing soon noticed that many of the various daily necessities sold in the market were industrial products produced in Haihan, such as matches, soap, oil lamps, kitchen knives, glasses, etc. Although these products arrived at the Hangzhou market after long-distance shipping, the prices were not as expensive as expected. At best, they were only 10% or 20% higher than those in Guangzhou in the south. Judging from the consumption level in Hangzhou, it is still within the reach of ordinary people.
The sellers of these goods are also not shy about promoting their place of origin, saying that these goods are top-quality goods produced in Haihan Capital. Of course, this kind of argument is okay to coax the uninformed local people, but it has no effect on Ning Zijing.
(End of chapter)