Chapter 42: Golden Mountain Island

  A small steamer sailed out of Wusongkou, the small steamer was puffing and emitting black smoke, forming a strong contrast on the azure sea surface. What's strange is that the stern of the small steamer was still towing three fishing boats, which is unthinkable. At this time, Deng Zixuan and Wan'er, Lin Haisheng stood at the bow of the ship, gazing out to sea. If you must say who was the most excited, it was Wan'er, she was traveling on the sea for the first time, the scenery of the sea and sky made her extremely excited.

  In August, the machine factory's installation work was nearing its end, and all that remained was the debugging work before production. Deng Zixuan no longer had to worry. He arranged for the children of the Deng family class to continue their internship in the factory, while he and Wanyu set out on a journey to Shanghai. Sheng Huaiyin worked efficiently, sending someone to communicate with the county magistrate of Jinshan County, and after some negotiations, the small island of Jinshan was smoothly transferred into Deng Zixuan's hands.

  Deng Zixuan purchased a second-hand small steamer through Mr. Charlie of the EWO Shipping Company, which happened to complete this sea voyage. At present, Mr. Charlie is almost willing to satisfy Deng Zixuan's requests, mainly because the match factory's benefits have made Charlie rich, and the huge profits have prompted him to become Deng Zixuan's most loyal partner, and this community of interests has gradually solidified. Especially with the sale of safety matches in Japan, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia, the profit is tens or even hundreds of times higher. It can be imagined how respectful Charlie is towards Deng Zixuan.

  "Mr. Deng, it's still the foreigners' steamship, isn't it? Sailing ships need seasonal winds to navigate, but steamships can travel anytime and anywhere, and they're very fast. Foreigners are really not simple." Lin Haisheng stood by, sighing in admiration.

  Deng Zixuan smiled: "In a few days, our Great Qing Empire will also build steamships, and soon we'll see our own steamships on the high seas." Deng Zixuan was full of confidence.

  Lin Haisheng said in a low voice, "Mr. Deng, you say that the Mawei Shipyard can sell us steamships, I really wish we could drive cargo ships on the sea immediately, what a magnificent sight it would be!" Deng Zixuan smiled and said, "Next year, the Mawei Shipyard will produce cargo ships for us. The shipyard has promised to deliver two steamships by the end of next year, and all 10 steamships will be delivered within three years. At that time, we will have the fastest transportation fleet in the Qing Empire." "Great! I really look forward to that day arriving soon!" Lin Haisheng was overjoyed, lost in his reverie.

  Wan'er was still full of interest, her eyes darting back and forth. At this time, Deng Zixuan was entangled in the dilemma of Jinshan Island. "Mr. Deng, you don't need to occupy a small island just to go fishing! Moreover, building a dock will waste silver!" Lin Haisheng seemed to remember something and said. Deng Zixuan said: "I'm occupying a small island, fishing is just an excuse, I have other uses, as for what use it is now can't tell you. Your task is to go with me to Jinshan Island to investigate, after the investigation is complete, I will give you a detailed plan, and I plan to hand over Jinshan Island to you!" "I won't disappoint Mr.'s expectations!"

  After Lin Hai Sheng left, Wan Er seemed to liven up and said: "Husband, the sea is simply too beautiful! Look at the blue water, the blue sky, and all those seagulls flying with us. I never had a chance to come out to sea before, it's hard to imagine how gentle and quiet the sea can be." "Wan Er, you haven't seen the sea get angry, if that scene were presented in front of you, you would feel like the sky is falling and the earth is shaking." "You're talking about storms, I've heard Father talk about it before." "Only when you experience it yourself will you truly feel how terrifying the sea can be!" "Husband! We won't encounter a storm, will we?" Wan Er was getting a bit anxious!

  Deng Zixuan smiled and said, "Just a few days ago, there was a storm, so I think it will be calm for the next few days. Ah, Wan'er, I once told you that the Earth is round, especially when you're out at sea, you can feel it deeply. Look at that sailboat behind us, its hull is almost invisible, but why can we still see the sails clearly? Take a closer look with this telescope and compare." Wan'er took the telescope and looked carefully.

  Before long, the sailboat that was gradually moving away from behind disappeared from view. Wan'er put down her binoculars and said: "That boat seems to have suddenly sunk into the water, husband. Now I believe you when you say the Earth is round." Deng Zixuan smiled and said: "Now it's daytime for us, but on the opposite side of our feet, in the United States, it's nighttime." "This is really true!" Wan'er exclaimed. "Isn't this world amazing? Just like this vast ocean, 70% of the Earth is water and 30% is land. To be precise, the Earth we live on is a water ball."

  Wan'er's bright eyes gazed at Deng Zixuan in admiration, saying: "Husband, how do you know so many unknown things? It's as if you're comparable to a god!" Deng Zixuan smiled and said: "This is the power of knowledge. Wan'er, your English has improved greatly recently. In the future, you'll be able to read foreign books. When you truly understand this world, you won't find it strange anymore." Wan'er looked at her husband with joy and said: "Husband, I want to work hard to learn English. I want to understand this world."

  At around 2 pm, the small steamer sailed to a nearby small island. After circling the island, it chose a landing spot and gradually approached the shore. When there were still about 30 meters away from the shore, Lin Haifeng ordered the crew to dive into the water to check the depth of the water, as if the ship ran aground, it would not be a joke. Then several strong sailors jumped into the water to inspect the underwater situation. Under the guidance of the crew, the steamer gradually approached the shore. When there were still about 10 meters away from the shore, the small steamer stopped moving forward under the guidance of the crew.

  Then Lin Haifeng ordered to put down the small boat, and Deng Zixuan and Wan'er got on the small boat. Lin Haifeng personally rowed the small boat ashore. "Mr. Deng, this location is not bad for building a dock, mainly because the underwater situation is unclear, otherwise the small steamer can directly dock." "After circling around the island, I estimate that this island has an area of about 20 square kilometers, which is sufficient for us. Jinhua Island is about 30 nautical miles away from the shore, and this distance is very good." As he spoke, Deng Zixuan pulled Wan'er forward, passing over a reef, and in front of them appeared lush and dense vegetation.

  "Wan'er, there's the sound of gurgling water up ahead, it must be a stream!" Deng Zixuan exclaimed with joy. The couple held hands and ran forward together, Lin Haisheng hurried to catch up from behind but kept a distance seeing the intimate behavior of the couple. To prevent any accidents, Lin Haisheng took out his left-handed revolver, loaded a bullet into the chamber, and vigilantly observed the surroundings.

  A small stream was flowing gently through the lush vegetation in the forest, with crystal clear waves and a soothing sound. "Husband, look at how clear the water is! The scenery here is so beautiful!" Yuanyu couldn't help but take off her shoes and dip her feet in the water. "Ah! The water is too cold!" Yuanyu exclaimed, quickly pulling her feet back out. "Yuanyu, this is a forest stream, of course the water is cool, but drinking some will definitely be refreshing." Deng Zixuan squatted down beside the stream, cupping his hands to take a big gulp of water. Seeing him do so, Yuanyu also couldn't resist squatting down to drink from the stream.

  At this moment, a green snake with its head upright and its mouth spitting out whiskers slowly approached Wan'er. At this time, Wan'er was completely unaware, her pair of snow-white small feet exposed, looking particularly eye-catching. Just as the snake was about to attack, a gunshot rang out, Lin Haifeng swung his gun and exploded the snake's head.

  Wan'er let out a startled cry and flung herself into Deng Zixuan's arms, a false alarm. "Madam, that was close!" Lin Haifeng picked up the still writhing snake and tossed it into the small stream. "Wan'er, don't be afraid, it's just a small snake!" Seeing Wan'er's pale face, Deng Zixuan comforted her. In fact, Deng Zixuan was also extremely frightened, if Lin Haifeng hadn't intervened in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

  Then Lin Haifeng led the way forward, while Deng Zixuan and Wan'er followed behind. As they walked out of the forest, the scenery in front of them suddenly became clear. At this moment, Wan'er seemed to have recovered and asked: "Husband, why is it that there are no people on this island?" Deng Zixuan hesitated for a moment before answering: "For a long time, the imperial court has implemented a maritime ban, which is the main reason why small islands are uninhabited. Additionally, the rampant piracy at sea is also the reason why fishermen dare not survive on the island."

  "Hubby, you want this small island just to anchor fishing boats?" asked Yuanyu. "Yuanyu, to be honest with you. My plan is to use the small island to anchor fishing boats. On the one hand, it will supply us with food, on the other hand, during the off-season of fishing, we can dry the fish caught in the peak season on the island and make dried fish, so that we have fish to eat all year round. Now that there are more people under my command, doing this is also to reduce costs." In fact, Deng Zixuan would not tell Yuanyu his true purpose.

  After circling around the inland of the small island, I returned to the small steamer and went to bed after dusk. Wan'er was tired and fell asleep early after dinner, while Deng Zixuan and Lin Haifeng were not sleepy and continued to chat. At this time, a piece of paper appeared in front of Deng Zixuan, who said while writing: "The dock is located at the southeast corner, according to the sailors' exploration of the underwater situation, it will be possible to berth 500-ton cargo ships after the dock is built, so you must build the dock before the end of the year."

  "Mr. Deng, don't worry, there's no problem!" Lin Haifeng nodded to guarantee. "Also, we need to make use of Jinshan Port, Jinshan Island is about 30 nautical miles away from Jinshan Port, it's very convenient for us to transport goods from Pudong here, and we will establish a convenient channel later." Deng Zixuan continued to sketch the rough map.

  "It's about 300 meters from the stream, and it's convenient to fetch water, so we can build a house here. We need to flatten the ground and strive to make all the functions on the island complete within a year. Next year, this island will have a big use......" Deng Zixuan chattered on while explaining the rough sketch he had drawn to Lin Haisheng. Although Lin Haisheng was curious, Deng Zixuan had spoken first, so he didn't dare ask what the small island would be used for in the future.

  The next day, the small steamer set sail again, and three fishing boats temporarily stayed on Jinhu Island. At Jinhu Dock, Lin Haisheng got off the boat and rushed back to Shanghai by land. Next, he would spare no effort in building the infrastructure of Jinhu Island. Deng Zixuan and his wife took the small steamer south to Fuzhou, where he would meet with Hu Xueyan and pay respects to the Minister of the Navy.

  Currently, Hu Xueyan is fully assisting Minister Shen Baozhen in Fuzhou to supervise the construction of the Mawei Shipyard. Deng Zixuan also invested 500,000 taels of silver into the Mawei Shipyard through Hu Xueyan's Fu Kang Bank, which gained high praise from Shen Baozhen and a promise that the next ship built by the Mawei Shipyard would be Deng Zixuan's civilian merchant vessel.

  Deng Zixuan went to Fuzhou for three purposes. Firstly, he formally signed a contract with the Ship Administration Bureau to purchase cargo ships. Secondly, he met and connected with Shen Baozhen to clear up obstacles for him. Thirdly, after visiting the Mawei Shipyard, he offered suggestions to speed up the progress of the shipyard project and proposed ways to greatly improve work efficiency in the later stages of shipbuilding, aiming to achieve a thriving development of the Mawei Shipyard within a few years.

  The sea water is still azure, and Yuanyu seems to have a special affection for the ocean. At this time, the couple stood on one side of the boat, gazing out at the vast expanse of the sea. "Husband! Husband! I found a big island, but it's a bit blurry in my line of sight!" Yuanyu exclaimed excitedly, holding a monocular telescope like a child. "That is Taiwan Island, a very beautiful island!"

  "Is there anyone living on that island?" Yuanyu put down the telescope and asked curiously. Deng Zixuan smiled: "Yuanyu, you are really ignorant, when the Qing army entered the pass, Zheng Chenggong, the last remnant of the Ming dynasty, fled to Taiwan Island and struggled for many years, finally Taiwan Island was captured by Shi Lang. Can you say that Taiwan Island has no one? Moreover, there were indigenous people on Taiwan Island, have you heard of the Gaoshan tribe?" Yuanyu shook her head honestly: "Husband! To be honest, I haven't heard of it, tell me what happened back then?"

  It seems that the history of the Qing dynasty is only spread among the scholar-official class, and many historical facts are almost blank in the folk. Deng Zixuan sighed and then described that piece of history in detail. Wan'er exclaimed: "It seems that Emperor Kangxi was indeed a wise ruler, worthy of respect and admiration!"

  "Damn the Qing dynasty, I have no admiration for Kangxi. It was he who continued the foolish policies of the Ming dynasty, issuing the maritime ban and restricting China's interactions with the outside world, cutting off China's Maritime Silk Road. As a result, China lost contact with the outside world, Emperor Kangxi became self-isolated and short-sighted, using all means to consolidate his rule, leading to China's current backwardness. This is a shame for the Chinese nation, how can it be tolerated!"

  "Husband! This is treasonous talk!" Wan'er looked around nervously. Deng Zixuan's face was stern as he said, "Wan'er, if one day I were to rebel and overthrow this corrupt dynasty, would you support me?" "Are you saying that everything you're doing now is preparation for rebelling?" Wan'er asked in shock. Deng Zixuan nodded solemnly, "That's right, everything I'm doing now is preparation for rebelling!"

  Seeing Deng Zixuan's calm face, Wan'er suddenly gained courage and said: "Husband, as long as you choose to take this path, I will follow you without hesitation, even if it means going to the execution ground with you!" Deng Zixuan hugged Wan'er in his arms and laughed: "Wan'er, what are you talking about? One day I'll hold your hand and ascend to the palace castle tower, that's when you'll be radiant and dignified as a mother figure, please believe me!"

  Wan'er grasped her husband's hand and nodded solemnly. From that day on, Wan'er suddenly matured and also gained a mind to assist her husband.