Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2451 Baiyun Mountain
Chen Ding recuperated 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 is approaching, he is also full of interest.

He was very curious about the legendary Lingao, and originally thought of visiting Lingao to see if there were any opportunities to make money.

It's just that it was blocked by the front of the soldiers, and another accident happened at home.This year can only be put aside temporarily.

Unexpectedly, I came to Guangzhou to get a stick and lost a huge sum of money, but in exchange for such an adventure!Chen Ding was originally an open-minded person, now with a bright future, he not only temporarily put aside the matter of Nansha, but also didn't care much about the loss of 200 taels of silver.My mind is full of thoughts about how to set up a factory.

He has heard many people talk about Lingao in the past.But that can only be regarded as hearsay, and there are many exaggerations in it.As the old saying goes, seeing is believing, he wants to see for himself what the Australian lair looks like and what novel objects it has.

On this day, the cadres of the Guangzhou Office of the Planning Institute sent invitation letters and boat tickets.The ferry ticket is the latest "number" of Dabo Shipping that has been put into operation on the Hainan-Guangdong route.

As the rule of the Senate in Guangdong and Guangxi became more and more stable, the number of tourists traveling between Hainan and Guangdong surged.Some of them are naturalized immigrants traveling between the two places on "business trips" or "visiting relatives", but the number of "business travel" guests has also increased significantly, and the number of "spontaneous immigrants" who were originally small in number has exploded. increase.These immigrants include poor people who are looking for a way to make a living, and rich people who are worried about the situation in the Central Plains and hope to take refuge in the "Peach Blossom Spring".

Since 1636, the passenger volume of the Hainan-Guangdong route has increased by more than ten times. The original mixed passenger and cargo mode of Dabo Shipping has gradually been unable to meet the demand, so two large transport ships have been specially refitted to become full-time "mail ships". .They are named "Wuzhishan" and "Baiyunshan" respectively, and there is currently one class in opposite directions every week.

On January 1637, 1, Chen Ding and Wu Yijun boarded the Baiyun Mountain at Tianzi Wharf outside the South Gate.The prototype of the Baiyunshan is a T20 standard ship hull with an iron frame and wood shell. After some modifications, the interior cabin settings are more focused on carrying passengers.While maintaining the sails, a steam engine was also installed, and the average speed can reach 1200 knots.It is the largest and most luxurious shipping liner on the Hainan-Guangdong route.

From the eyes of the elders, the 1200-ton iron-framed wooden-hull sailing ship is not that spectacular-after all, the tonnage of the two Spanish Galen they captured is also similar to it.But for local people, T1200 still has a strong visual impact.Especially after the transformation into a passenger ship, there is an additional layer of buildings on the deck, and a bridge is added. The most conspicuous ones are naturally the two chimneys billowing with black smoke.

"I have heard for a long time that the ships of the Song Dynasty are strong and the guns are strong, so it is true." Wu Yijun sighed.

On the waiting pier next to the gangway, a large number of passengers have already gathered.Passengers are divided into several different areas according to the class they bought.The boat tickets for Chen and Wu are in the second class, and there are not many people, almost all of them are big households who bought the franchise at the teahouse, their servants and related accompanying personnel; there are many more people in the third class It seems that most of them are naturalized civilian cadres and workers, and there are also some tourists who look like businessmen; as for the waiting area of ​​the fourth-class cabin, it is full of people. They carry all kinds of luggage in large and small bags, and their accents are also varied.

The most expensive first-class waiting area has the least number of passengers. Compared with other waiting areas, they do not need to wait in the open air, but wait to board the ship under a specially built awning, and there are special staff to provide tea.

"This Australian is really stingy, please go and return the second-class cabin!" Chen Ding said with a smile in a low voice.

"If not, how can you call them Australians?" Wu Yijun also found it interesting. In fact, although Australians are known as "luxury", smart businessmen have long recognized that the two are actually the same in terms of profit-seeking.

The two were laughing, Chen Ding suddenly felt a shudder in the back of his head, as if someone was staring at him, he suddenly turned around, but he didn't see anything unusual.

"What's wrong, brother?"

"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 dock staff immediately came to maintain order and guide the passengers to board the ship from the left and right gangways.

Chen and Wu came to the cabin under the guidance of the crew.Because the T1200 is essentially a sailing boat, the cabins are all below the deck, and although there are portholes, the light is not very good.

"It's so dim, I'm afraid I can't read." Chen Ding said.

"If you want to read a book, you have to buy a first-class ticket at the stern." Wu Yijun said, "There are many windows on the upper deck, and the space is also large. But the second-class cabin is already good. I heard that the fourth-class cabin is on the bottom deck. There are no portholes in the whole shop, and it is pitch black when you go down, and it is all illuminated by oil lamps day and night."

Looking around, this cabin is not big, the environment is clean and tidy, and the layout is gorgeous and exquisite.All kinds of utensils needed for the journey are available. The tea set cabinet is equipped with thermos bottles placed on fixed bases and a full set of enamel tea sets, as well as green tea, oolong tea, black tea and other teas. Sweets and kvass are also available.

"It's really elegant." Chen Ding saw a small desk by the porthole. Although there is no four treasures of the study, there is a fixed inkstand and pencil case with Australian pens and inks. When the drawer is opened, there is a neat printed book. The sticky notes with watermarks of "Dabo Shipping" and "Baiyunshan" are thick and white, and he can't put them down.

It's just that the bunks in the cabin are very small, just enough for one person to get up and sleep.The two bunks happened to be one for the master and one for the servant.No wonder the inspection notice specifically stated that each person can only bring one servant for free.

Wu Yijun returned to his cabin with his servants, and Chen Ding told Chen Yu, who came to serve him, to pack his luggage, and took out two books from the luggage, and put them on the bedside for entertainment.

The crew knocked on the door one by one and came in to take care: "The ship is about to leave! Please stay in the cabin and don't walk around, don't go on the deck. Don't touch the portholes. Smoking is not allowed in the cabin!"

"What is this? Toilet?" Chen Ding asked, pointing to the white enamel drums with lids fixed on iron frames next to each bunk.

"This is the vomit bucket," said the crewman. "Continue when you vomit."

Here, the whistle outside could be heard three times in a row, and the whole ship vibrated. Even in the small cabin, a strange whining sound could be heard.The feeling of taking an Australian boat for the first time is really amazing!

As the vibration and roar gradually stabilized, the boat suddenly moved.Chen Ding hurriedly looked out the porthole, and saw that the boat was gradually heading towards the river.

"I just wish I could go to the deck to see this rare beauty!"

When the ship arrived in the middle of the river, because the weather was fine today, passengers were allowed to take a stroll on the deck, but only for the first and third class cabins.The fourth-class cabin has a fixed "on-deck time", half an hour each time.

At the beginning, Chen Ding and others were still in high spirits, strolling on the deck and looking out, but when the boat got out of the Pearl River Estuary, the wind and waves got stronger, and they gradually became seasick.Seeing this, Wu Yijun hurriedly told him to go back to the cabin and lie down to rest.

After lying down, he didn't get up again, first he was dizzy, and then he vomited heavily. During the following two days and two nights of the voyage, Chen Ding didn't eat a single meal, but slept on the bed half asleep, in the dark.In a daze, someone came to feed him some salty and sweet water.

Suddenly he felt a shaking, and found that Wu Yijun was shaking his shoulders, telling him to get up.

"It's almost here! You also hurry up and clean up, what are you looking like!"

"I...I am..."

"You've been sleeping for two days. The boat will arrive at Lingao soon." Wu Yijun urged, "Wash your face first, then eat something—you're not dizzy now, are you?"

"It's true that I don't feel dizzy anymore." Chen Ding rubbed his head, his drowsy mind cleared up, and his intestines and stomach screamed for a while. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his appetite had returned.

"Thanks to Chen Yu this time," Wu Yijun said with a wry smile, "Xiaofu and I were also very dizzy, and he has to take care of us these two days."

Chen Yu hurriedly said: "This is the duty of a villain. Master don't want to kill a villain. I think the master is also hungry, do you want to bring some dry food for refreshments?"

Chen Ding was so hungry, he hurriedly said: "Yes! Yes! Bring the cookies in my bag!" As he spoke, he found that a blanket was covering his body at some point. This gray blanket was smooth, soft and extremely warm , and the weaving technique is quite superb, but he can't feel what the material is. I don't know if it is Wu Yijun's blanket.

A few cookies and a cup of tea.Wu Yijun then proposed to go on the deck for a walk to enjoy some fresh air.

The two stepped onto the deck, and what came into view was the Qiongzhou Strait, stretching fields on both sides, Lingao in the distance, and faint black smoke coming out. Recently, this kind of black smoke also appeared in Guangzhou. I heard that this is the water fire in Australia. The power produced is only that the black smoke in Lingao is more than that in Guangzhou.

Suddenly he heard the chatter and laughter of a woman beside him, and turned his head to look at the other side of the boat, there were several women wearing the same Australian costumes.They all wore a small brown round hat slanted, a brown Australian jacket on the upper body, with a white collar exposed at the neckline, a black cloth strip knotted on the chest, and a brown pleated knee-length skirt on the lower body, Only a pair of black socks were worn on the calf, exposing the knee.There was also a long coat on the outside, some were buttoned, while others were left open.

Although it is Lingnan, the weather is also in January after all. Isn't this Australian woman afraid of getting old and cold legs?Chen Ding has long heard of the strange customs of Australians——women's attire is the most widely circulated and most discussed among them.After all, this kind of 17th-century no-dress, no matter the East or the West, is really shocking and full of temptation.

(End of this chapter)