Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 76 Buying a Gun
As soon as Qu Shaoyang took out the bear gall, it immediately caused a sensation.

Not only did the people watching the excitement around them exclaim in surprise, even the manager of the drug store, who was used to seeing good things, couldn't help but stare wide-eyed.

This bear gall is more than twice as big as the one the man took out just now, and the bile inside is bright yellow and pink, and it is obviously a top-quality copper gall.

"Oh, this should be from a bear, right?

Excuse me, but I'll give you a rough guess. This guy should be quite big, at least 700 kilograms."

The manager was very experienced and could tell at a glance that the blind bear that produced this bear gall must be quite large.

"Well, it's about the same. I didn't weigh it, but it should be around 700 or 800 kilograms." Qu Shaoyang nodded.

"You are not that old, but you can kill a bear weighing 700 to 800 kilograms. You are obviously an expert."

The manager looked up and carefully examined Qu Shaoyang, then nodded. "Wait a moment, little brother. I'll check the goods first."

After saying that, the manager asked his servant to get a bowl of wine. Then he took out a silver needle, gently pierced the outer skin of the bear gallbladder, and then put the tip of the needle into the wine.

I saw a golden line flowing straight from the top to the bottom, without any fork in the middle.

When the people around saw it, they were also amazed.

"See? The line is just like in the picture, without any forks at all. This is top-quality copper gall." said someone who knew the goods.

The manager nodded and said, "It is indeed top-quality copper gall. However, it is produced by bears, so its medicinal effect is slightly inferior to that of black bear gall.

"Little brother, how much do you want for this copper gall?"

After checking the quality of the bear bile, the manager was very satisfied. So while asking, he stretched out his right hand and pulled down his sleeve, intending to negotiate the price with Qu Shaoyang.

The man just now was selling an iron gallbladder, and it was still a small one. Qu Shaoyang had sharp ears and heard the manager instruct the waiter to take out eighty taels of silver.

This was not the modern age. The means of hunting bears were nothing more than dog encirclement, killing silos, and traps. Moreover, most hunters still used bows and arrows, or at most a musket.

Bears are not ordinary animals. They are ferocious, have strong vitality, and are very powerful in combat. Even five or six dogs may not be able to surround a small black bear.

Therefore, it is very easy to get into trouble when hunting bears. You can often hear people say that someone went into the mountains to kill a black bear, killed a tulu, or was kicked by a black bear.

Therefore, bear bile, as a precious medicinal material, is very expensive.

Qu Shaoyang knew what was going on, so he stretched out his right hand and tugged at his sleeve, and the two of them talked back and forth in the sleeve, haggling over the price.

Finally, the steward's bid came to three hundred taels.

Qu Shaoyang felt that the price was already very good, so he looked at the other party and nodded.

The two men shook hands in their sleeves to indicate the deal.

Before the manager could speak, Qu Shaoyang spoke first, "I also brought deer penis, deer heart and other things. If the shopkeeper doesn't mind, let's take a look at them and give a price."

I just made a deal and received a high-quality copper gall, and the shopkeeper was very happy.

"Okay, let's take them out and have a look at them together."

Qu Shaoyang took out the deer whip and other things together. The manager took a look and gave a relatively reasonable price.

Among these things, the most important thing was the bear gall, and the rest were just extras, so Qu Shaoyang didn't care and just nodded in agreement.

As usual, the manager called the waiter and whispered a few words in his ear. Then the waiter took Qu Shaoyang to the accounting office in the back to collect the silver.

More than three hundred taels of silver is no small amount.

After finding out everything clearly from the seller, Qu Shaoyang asked for two hundred taels of silver from the official bank. He took the rest of the silver, put it all in his saddlebag, and left the pharmacy.

Qu Shaoyang's main purpose of coming to Yingkou was to buy a gun. After selling the bear gall, he immediately went to the foreign company.

It is said that at this time, the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau of the imperial court was also able to imitate foreign rifles, but the cost was very high and the quality was not satisfactory.

Qu Shaoyang had inquired beforehand, so he decided to buy foreign guns, which were not only reasonably priced but also of better quality. Foreign companies do sell guns, but they are not sold openly.

Qu Shaoyang visited each foreign company one by one and told their compradors his purchasing intention, who recommended several models of guns to him.

In fact, at that time, foreign countries had just begun to research and manufacture bullets loaded with smokeless gunpowder, and Qu Shaoyang certainly could not buy this advanced gun.

What he could see were rifles fired with black powder primers, which were, of course, much better than the old-fashioned muskets.

"Sir, if you want to use a gun for hunting, the two types I mentioned are actually enough.

Of course, if you want a more powerful gun that can fire a variety of bullet types, the latter is more suitable. "

When the comprador of the foreign company heard that Qu Shaoyang wanted to buy two rifles and two revolvers, his attitude was quite good and he explained to Qu Shaoyang patiently.

The comprador was talking about the Winchester M1873 rifle and the M1876 rifle. The latter was improved on the basis of the former and was more powerful.

After listening to the comprador's introduction, Qu Shaoyang was still not satisfied, "Is there anything better?"

At this time, it seems that the M1886 has been produced. It is more suitable for hunting large prey and has greater power.

I just don’t know if it’s available in China right now.

Well, it's so hard to buy a gun, so I'd rather buy the best one.

The comprador shook his head. "This is the newest gun I can get. I have never heard of a better one."

"How long will it take to get the later model you mentioned?" If there is no update, then there is no such thing. Just pick a relatively reasonable one.

"It will take about seven or eight days for the goods to arrive. Sir, you can pay the deposit and leave your address. I will notify you when the goods arrive."

As soon as Qu Shaoyang heard this, he understood. It was not that there was no stock, but that the other party wanted a high price and said this on purpose.

“No, I have something important to do and can’t wait too long.

Could you please help me get the goods as soon as possible? The price is negotiable."

After Qu Shaoyang said this, the other party immediately became happy and agreed to find a way to transfer the goods immediately. Qu Shaoyang could come and pick them up in three days.

So Qu Shaoyang paid a part of the deposit, left the foreign company and returned to the inn.

The gun would have to wait for a few days, and Qu Shaoyang couldn't always stay in the inn. When he had nothing to do, Qu Shaoyang would wander around the city.

This place is more prosperous than Andong and has more good things. While walking around, Qu Shaoyang couldn't help but start buying things.

Foreign soap is also known as soap. It is very useful for washing clothes and hands. Buy some.

Matches are much more convenient to use than flint and steel to start a fire. Buy some.

Foreign cloth, also known as flag cloth among the people, is a plain cloth woven by machines.

Compared with local hand-woven cloth, it is well made and the fabric is fine and soft.

Moreover, the dyeing is evenly bright, not easy to fade, and the price is low, so I must buy some.

While buying, Qu Shaoyang complained in his heart, "The evil Qing government is a bunch of idiots."

They are corrupt and incompetent, with no other ability except ceding territory and paying indemnities. This once good country is now lagging behind in every aspect.

In three days, I had visited all the places I wanted to visit and bought a lot of things.

Qu Shaoyang went to the foreign company again and got the M1876 rifle as he wished.

Of course, the price is also quite beautiful, much more expensive than expected.

(End of this chapter)