Chapter 63: The Great Saddle Chariot

  Big Saddle Car

  Ding Baozhen heard this and opened his triangular eyes, which had been narrowed all along. A sharp light burst out of his eyes: "A man in the world should make a big career, be an official, enfeoffed as a marquis, and make a name for himself throughout the country!"

  You're willing to spend 100,000 taels just to keep that Guo Jixiu from bothering you. Are you short on money? Without a decent social status, what's the point of earning all that money?

  If you have an official position, how dare Guo Jixiu's little son move against you?

  Yao Fang, as long as you come to the machine bureau, the position of the general manager will be yours sooner or later.

  Yao Fan had the advantage of being a traverser, knowing that Ding Baozhen wouldn't last long in Shandong and that he was determined to make a move. How could he be swayed by such petty gains? He immediately changed the subject: "I've already found someone to help me with my naturalization, I'm planning on buying an official position."

  Ding Baozhen sneered, "What's the use of donating for an official position? A great man without power, how can he stand out? There are 2.57 million registered candidate officials in the Qing dynasty's Ministry of Personnel! You want to get a real job, unless you throw down a lot of silver, otherwise it's harder than ascending to heaven!"

  Yao Fandao said, "I just want to protect my official position and don't dare ask for any real benefits. Otherwise, I'm just a donated official who only thinks about recouping the silver I spent on donating, without knowing how much more I'll be corrupt."

  I am just an ordinary person, and it is inevitable that I will have to put aside my moral principles when the character for "person" is placed in the middle. I dare not say that after becoming an official, I can be an exception and become a clean official.

  Ding Baozhen greatly appreciated Yao Fang's candor, and with a tilted head, he sized up Yao Fang, thinking: "This Yao Fang can say such things, it's a hundred times stronger than those who are in the official circle every day, trying to get a real shortage. Those who are greedy for profit can offer their wives, children, and parents for a lack."

  "Yao Feng, I hold you in high esteem. If you come to help me, I won't take a single silver coin from you and I'll get everything done for you - whether it's the matter of Guo Jixiu, or the matter of buying an official position, or even the matter of your suspected smuggling case, all will be taken care of."

  Yao Fanshen's heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard that smuggling was involved.

  Ding Baozhen said: "I heard that you are quite notorious for your smuggling activities in Qingdao. I'm telling you, as long as I don't bother you, just focus on running your business and making a ruckus! And yet Hu Xueyan still dares to borrow money from foreign banks and lend it out at high interest rates to the Qing government. Such lawlessness is unbearable, don't you think Zuo Zongtang has his hands full dealing with him?"

  I also know that smuggling is rampant along the coast at present, but remember, with or without my words, it makes a big difference!

  Yao Fan was indeed moved, he could hear the eagerness in Ding Baozhen's words, this kind of appreciation warmed his heart. But Yao Fan didn't have three heads and six arms, if he stayed in Jinan, what about the coup plan that Qingdao Kou was carrying out step by step?

  After some thought, Yao Fan had an idea and said: "Sir, how much can I understand about astronomy, geography, physics, chemistry, mechanics, and arithmetic? If we really want to make this foreign affair work, we will have to rely on the support of my entire family. The key is to secretly bring in good Western machines for you.

  Sir, if foreigners knew that I, as the eldest son of the Yao family, had become an official in the Qing dynasty and was making gunpowder, guns, cannons, and bullets to help the Qing dynasty get rid of its dependence on them and stand on its own feet, would they still sell us important machines?

  Ding Baozhen suddenly came to his senses as soon as he heard these words and thought to himself:

  "It's not bad, this Yao Wenyuan is more like an internal response planted by my Qing dynasty in the foreigner's house! The role of this is to say that it's a big deal! Compared to just letting him and Xu Jiayu manage the machine bureau together, it's better to keep him in a hidden place for use."

  Ding Baozhen thought the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this path was correct. As soon as he thought about the huge impact that Yao Fang's family could have on the Qing Empire in terms of intelligence, technology and machinery, his heart suddenly cleared up, and he immediately understood why Yao Fang did not want to be an official at the Machinery Bureau.

  "Good! Good! Good!" Ding Baozhen said three good things in a row.

  "Yao Fang, you have a mind to repay me, I'm very pleased! Just remember what you said today and help me out in the future."

  After that, Ding Baozhen took out the silver ticket from his sleeve and put it aside, saying firmly: "This 100,000 taels is a reward for you from this official. You take it and help Xu Jianyin purchase machines well. As for other gifts, I will accept them."

  Yao Feng was left speechless.

  "What the...! This is clearly the filial piety I gave you, isn't it?!"

  "You want me to repay you? How can I return the favor of 100,000 taels of silver from a provincial governor? Old Ding, are you a master of cold jokes?"

  Ding Baozhen stood up and said straightforwardly: "The Li brothers are in the east wing, you go see them, we'll have dinner together tonight."

  Having said that, he turned around and left.

  Yao Feng finally managed to muddle through and took back the silver ticket, following the Ding family members to the East Wing.

  Ding Baozhen returned to the inner house, sat on a chair panting, it was too hot today, and a conversation had already exhausted him.

  A maid stood beside him, fanning him. His eldest son, Ding Ti Chang, sat in a chair next to him, his face filled with excitement: "Father, what's the background of this Yao Fang? The gifts he sent are extremely generous and fresh. Inside, there is a two-foot-high jade Buddha, covered with a crystal box, as well as a jade Ruyi, a jade white radish. Just these three items alone are probably worth no less than 10,000 taels."

  He swallowed his saliva and said, "I opened that crystal box and looked inside. The jade material was warm, smooth and moist, but not as cold as Hetian white jade or Kunlun green jade. It's really a rare material I've never seen before."

  There are also some foreign pancreas, which is much better than the ordinary alkali pancreas sold on the market, and it smells fragrant when smelled, absolutely top grade!

  "There were still some things that looked exquisite, wrapped in crystal cases, but inside they were just cloth, with a lump on one end and the word 'paradise' written on it, I really couldn't understand what it was for."

  Ding Baozhen said: "You have all recorded it, okay."

  Ding Tiandong often said: "Nature has recorded it, our family receives gifts, every single one is accounted for."

  "What thing you can't understand, bring it here and I'll take a look."

  Then Ding Tiande ordered someone to bring over the gift presented by Yao Fan, and Ding Baozhen took a look at it, but couldn't understand it either.

  "Never mind this foreign thing, go and tell the kitchen to make a good effort tonight. When it's time for dinner, you go ask Yao Fang what this thing is and what it's used for."

  Ding Ti often said: "Someone has been sent to inform you, Father. Tonight, will we be dining at the government office or at our home in Junmen Alley?"

  "Let's eat at home, you take all the gifts back."

  Yes

  ………

  Yao Feng was led into the east wing of the provincial governor's mansion, where he met with the three members of the Li family. After being invited in to drink tea and taking a seat, Li Deshu immediately said to Yao Feng: "Brother Yao, you really didn't have to go to so much trouble, sending over so many things."

  Yao Feng smiled and said: "No need to be polite, it's all for you to eat on the road."

  Li Jingfang asked, "Brother Yao, to be honest with you, my brother and I looked at your generous gift for half a day but couldn't understand what it was. We only knew that the crystal box wrapped in gold paper contained Western pastries, but what's inside the crystal case?"

  Yao Cong woke up and said: "You're talking about a folding umbrella? Bring it here, I'll open it for you to see."

  Then Yao Fan took out a heaven folding umbrella from a transparent plastic sleeve and opened it in front of the three members of the Li family.

  A small stick was magnified into a large umbrella, with a silver canopy and a purple lining, complementing each other to reveal luxury and nobility. The entire umbrella looked like a magical craft, leaving the three people staring in amazement.

  Li Jingyu still had a little girl's heart, and immediately took out another fan from the six fans sent by Yao Fang, opened it in the same way as painting a calabash, and laughed with joy.

  "What Yao Dage sent is the most interesting thing, such a clever umbrella, it's really only foreigners who could think of this."

  "It wasn't invented by foreigners! It was invented by my ancestors in the Yao family, it was invented by Chinese people!"

  Moreover, the world's first umbrella was also invented by the Chinese! In 1747, a British man named Han Wei brought an umbrella from China to Britain, causing a sensation. Before that, the British had never seen an umbrella. When it rained, nobles would not go out unless they had four servants holding up a square canopy on poles at each corner to keep them dry.

  Yao Fan silently paid tribute to the ancestors of China in his heart. Indeed! The Chinese not only invented the umbrella, but also the folding umbrella, which was invented by an old professor at Beijing Normal University in 1957. He was called "old professor" because his surname was Lao and his name was Yanruo. After the invention of the folding umbrella, it immediately swept the world, making life better for all humanity. The Chinese have never lacked creativity!

  After listening to Yao Fan's explanation, the three sons of the Li family were extremely proud.

  "Yes! I've also heard that the umbrella was invented by Lu Ban! I just didn't know before, but it turns out that foreigners using umbrellas is also something our Chinese people passed on!"

  Three people were excited, and suddenly opened all six umbrellas sent by Yao Fang. The room was suddenly filled with six silver small flowers, sky blue, purple red, light green, orange yellow, big red...

  Yao Fan couldn't help but smile inwardly, and quickly told the three kids to put away their umbrellas. The three of them then enthusiastically put away their umbrellas one by one, carefully placing them in their umbrella sleeves, clearly delighted.

  Li Deshu asked Yao Fan: "Brother Yao, have you seen Director Ding?"

  "Yes."

  "What did Mr. Ding say?"

  "Mr. Ding asked me to stay and help him with his machinery business, but I declined because I was too busy with family business."

  When Yao Feng said this, Li Mou felt slightly disappointed.

  Li Jingfang said: "Everyone has their own ambitions. Let's just say that a small machine bureau is not a big deal, so let's just drop it if Brother Yao doesn't want to do it."

  "However, I've already promised Mr. Ding that I'd help him purchase machinery from the West, so as not to let those foreign firms take advantage of us."

  Then the four of them chatted for a while, and Yao Fan again boasted about Ferrero Rocher being a royal dessert, and the three of them immediately opened it and tasted it, praising its delicious taste.

  The Li brothers then explained to Yao Fan that their father was Li Hongzhang.

  Yao Fan then pretended to be amazed and flattered Li Daren for his hard work and loyalty to the country, and all three of them were delighted.

  The four of them then got up and went to the Ding family's large courtyard for a banquet.

  On the road, Li Jingyu rode in a small cart by herself. Yao Fan and Li Xiang rode together with Li Jingfang in another cart, which they found to be large and spacious.

  "This car is indeed spacious and stylish, I'll buy one tomorrow."

  Li Jingfang smiled and said, "This is the Ding family's large carriage, but it's not an ordinary small carriage that can be found outside. Brother Yao, you can't afford to buy this one. It takes three people to drive this carriage: two holding the reins and one leading the mule in order for it to move steadily and with dignity."

  Yao Fan said: "Why can't I buy it? Don't mention three people, I can also hire six people."

  Li Jingfang smiled and said, "Brother Yao indeed doesn't understand this after returning from abroad. You should know that ordinary small sedan chairs can be sat on by anyone, and the craftsmanship and decoration can be as innovative and novel as you like."

  But this is different, it's a grand carriage, for kings and nobles, Manchu officials' wives, people of high status and prestige. How can you, Brother Yao, presume to ride in such a vehicle?

  Yao Wenyin couldn't help but curse in her heart: "Damn it!"

  It's a small effort, so everyone please put it on your bookshelf and collect it! More red tickets the better! Thank you for your foolishness!