Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 75 Selling Bear Bile

During the Xianfeng period, foreigners signed a treaty with the imperial court, and the first open port in the Northeast was Niuzhuang, more than 80 miles away from the mouth of the Liaohe River.

After Niuzhuang was opened as a port, the foreign consul who came to work here saw that Yingkou, located at the mouth of the Liaohe River, had a better geographical location than Niuzhuang, so he demanded that Yingkou be opened instead of Niuzhuang.

From then on, foreigners built docks, established shops and opened foreign companies in Yingkou, making Yingkou the first international trading city in Northeast China.

Qu Shaoyang had asked around and found out that there were foreign companies in Yingkou that sold quick-firing guns, or rifles.

Moreover, these days quick-firing guns are not as expensive as Qu Shaoyang thought.

Therefore, he really wanted to buy two quick-firing rifles. Whether for self-defense or hunting, they were much better than the old-fashioned muskets.

After listening to Qu Shaoyang's words, Shui Laowu nodded and said, "Well, you are right.

Well, I'll bring you some more money, and you can buy me a quick-firing rifle and a revolver of that kind, and keep them for your mistress."

In many places in Northeast China, rifles and other weapons are counted by the tree, not by the piece.

Shui Laowu had seen some revolvers used by dignitaries for self-defense, and he thought it would be a good idea to keep that kind for Lin Ruolan for self-defense.

Shui Laowu has worked in the mountains for many years and has saved a lot of money.

He did not carry the money with him, but hid it in a secluded place near the mountain field.

This time, Shui Laowu found and brought back all the money he had saved over the years.

Not to mention buying two quick-shooters, even buying ten or eight is no problem.

The master and disciple would have to leave home to go rafting again after some time, leaving Lin Ruolan, Tianzhi, a pregnant woman and a nine-year-old child at home.

This time, everyone knew that the master and disciple brought back a lot of silver.

He was afraid that someone would be jealous and do something bad to Lin Ruolan and Xiao Zhi when the master and disciple were not at home.

Even though there were two dogs and two muskets at home, these would be of no use if a capable person broke in.

So when Shui Laowu heard that Qu Shaoyang wanted to buy a quick-firing gun, he immediately said to buy an extra revolver, which was more convenient and could be kept for Lin Ruolan to use for self-defense.

"Yeah, okay." Qu Shaoyang nodded without saying anything.

Qu Shaoyang is a quick and efficient person. Since the two of them have reached an agreement, they can leave right away.

So Qu Shaoyang drove his own mule cart, took some dry food and fodder, and set off.

Although the mule cart was not as fast as a horse carriage, it was much better than walking on two legs.

We traveled day and night, getting up early and going to bed late, and it took us six or seven days to finally reach Yingkou.

Yingkou was formerly called Meigouying and Jiugouying, and was under the jurisdiction of Haicheng.

It was during the Daoguang period that a small wharf was first established, and the population was not large, not as large as that of Niuzhuang and Tianzhuangtai.

Since the British Consulate was established in Sanyi Temple in Yingkou in the eleventh year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, this place has become increasingly prosperous with the rise of the Liaohe River shipping industry, especially the completion of Yingkou's modernized wharf.

Foreign trading companies such as Sassoon & Co., Yuanlai & Co., and Ruilin & Co. moved in one after another.

The local oil mill and money shop industries also gradually prospered and became the characteristic industries here.

Merchants from home and abroad sold all kinds of cloth, silk, cotton, medicinal materials, porcelain, ironware, sugar, salt and foreign goods to Fengtian, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and various towns in eastern Inner Mongolia through Yingkou and the docks along the Liaohe River.

At the same time, they purchased soybeans, bean cakes, soybean oil, sorghum, liquor, tobacco, ginseng, animal furs and other goods from the Northeast, transported them to major cities in the South, and even exported them abroad.

Therefore, Yingkou is much more prosperous than Andong, with shops lining both sides of the streets.

From time to time, you can see foreigners wearing suits and top hats, walking on the street with a walking stick in their hands, with an arrogant look on their faces. At the pier, there are ships with flags of various colors docked, and the traffic is very lively.

Qu Shaoyang drove a mule cart to an inn.

The inn waiter, with a white towel draped over his shoulders, hurried forward to greet the guests as soon as he saw them coming.

"Hey, sir, please come in. May I ask if we want to have a meal or stay overnight?" As he said this, the waiter took the reins of the mule.

“We can stop by for a meal and stay in a hotel.

Give me a better room, four dishes and a pot of wine. Feed the animals well, with enough fodder and water. "

Qu Shaoyang let go of his hands and let the boy take the reins and whip, and gave some instructions.

"Okay, sir, rest assured, I will make sure there won't be any mistakes."

The young man responded very readily, then called for help, unloaded the mule cart, and led the mules to the barn.

Here he led Qu Shaoyang into the room to rest.

Not long after, four dishes, two big steamed buns and a pot of wine were delivered to Qu Shaoyang's room.

Qu Shaoyang casually took out a string of copper coins as a reward for the waiter.

"Hey, buddy, let me ask you which pharmacy in Yingkou has a good reputation and offers fair prices? I have something to sell."

This was Qu Shaoyang’s first time here, so how would he know what the family looked like? He definitely had to ask around in advance.

Otherwise, what if Mao Meng'er goes to sell bear bile and gets cheated?
“Sir, you want to sell medicinal herbs, then go to Baotailong or Baoshengtang.

The Baoshengtang is the business of the Niu family of the shipyard. They do business fairly and justly, and never cheat anyone."

When the waiter heard this, he immediately recommended several places to Qu Shaoyang.

Qu Shaoyang nodded and asked about the foreign company.

Naturally, the young man told everything he knew after receiving the reward, and he wanted to tell Qu Shaoyang everything he knew.

After hearing this, Qu Shaoyang understood what was going on, so he rested in the inn for a night. The next morning, he took his things and went straight to the pharmacy.

When we arrived at the drugstore, we saw quite a few people waiting at the counter that sold all kinds of medicinal materials.

Yingkou is the largest ginseng and antler trading market in Northeast China. Many hunters and ginseng farmers come to Yingkou to sell their goods, so it is normal to have a large number of people.

Qu Shaoyang was not in a hurry. He held the small bag in his arms, walked to the counter, and stretched his head to watch the fun.

The pharmacy accepts all kinds of medicinal materials, but these people who travel far away basically do not bring cheap medicinal materials.
Ginseng, musk, otter liver, bear bile, pig gizzard, bezoar, snow frog, etc. are all sold.

Coincidentally, someone also took out a bear gall, but it was an iron gall and not very big.

Qu Shaoyang stared at the cargo owner and the manager of the drug store and saw that the two men were silent. They each stretched out their right hand and gestured inside their sleeves.

Qu Shaoyang heard from Shui Laowu that when doing business these days, most of the time, prices are not clearly marked, and when negotiating prices, they use code words or gestures like this.
If the deal is reached and the two parties shake hands, the deal is done.

Sure enough, the two men argued for a long time and finally shook hands. The manager of the drug store called the waiter with a smile on his face and took the owner of the goods to get the silver.

"Come, take a look at what I have."

Qu Shaoyang took the opportunity to open the small bag in his arms, took out the copper gall from it and handed it to the steward.

"Oh, look, such a big bear gallbladder? Or a copper gallbladder.
This is a blind bear's courage, and it's quite bold." The people around saw it and exclaimed.

(End of this chapter)