Hello 1983

  Chapter 600 Ambergris

  The sea water not far away has begun to rise slowly. Everyone packed up the fruits of victory. Everyone carried a big bucket and set off on their way home excitedly.

   "Oops."

  The captain tripped over a stone at his feet, staggered, and fell on the beach. The seafood in the bucket was also scattered all over the floor, and a few big crabs crawled sideways in a panic.

   "Old Yu, didn't you do something good last night, kid? Your feet are fluttering." Someone teased.

   After cleaning up the seafood on the ground, Captain Yu kicked the stone angrily.

  The beaches here are all soft sand, where are the stones?

  The stone was dusty and bigger than a blue ball, but it was kicked and rolled a few times on the sand, which obviously didn't match its weight.

  Hey, Liu Qingshan hurried up, stretched out his hand to pick up the stone, and weighed it, unexpectedly it felt light.

   In fact, it weighs more than ten kilograms, but compared with the size of the stone, it doesn't feel heavy at all.

  At the same time, an unpleasant stench rushed into Liu Qingshan's nose, causing him to frown.

  Thinking of a certain possibility, Liu Qingshan didn't dislike it at all, instead his face showed excitement: "Haha, maybe I really found a treasure now!"

  When everyone heard this, they all cheered and gathered around. Xiao Wu was the closest to the stone, but was so smoked that he retched a few times: "What baby, I think it is a stone in a latrine, it smells so bad!"

  The people around also dispersed in disgust.

  Liu Qingshan didn't care at all: "If I'm not mistaken, this thing is the legendary ambergris, which is more precious than musk."

  Basically everyone has never heard of it. In this era, information is underdeveloped.

  Only Captain Yu’s home is by the sea, and he heard some rumors about ambergris, so he came up excitedly:

   "I heard that this thing won't sink when thrown into the water, let's try throwing it into the sea?"

  Let’s forget about this, Liu Qingshan waved his hand, he also saw ambergris from the dumb grandfather once.

  That is a very small piece, only the size of a baby's fist, and the taste is not as strong as this one.

  In addition to being used as a setting agent for perfume, ambergris is also a precious medicinal material, and its efficacy is basically similar to that of musk.

   Just because it is rare, it is more expensive than musk.

  As for this name, the ancients mistakenly thought that this thing was formed from ambergris because of their limited knowledge.

  Modern science has proved that ambergris is actually a substance produced in the digestive tract of sperm whales in the ocean, excreted out of the body, and slowly formed after rinsing with seawater.

  But it is not an exaggeration to call a giant like a sperm whale a dragon.

   It's just not dragon saliva, it should be called dragon excrement incense more appropriately.

  Efuya and the others also came up and sniffed the stones in Liu Qingshan's arms, and they all jumped away, still talking about something.

  He spoke the local dialect, which only Xiao Wu could understand: "He said that Chief Adu's house has this kind of smell. When guests come, they light some powder, and the whole room is full of fragrance."

  The climate here is hot and arid. It is very inconvenient to take a bath. If many people gather together, the smell is really not good.

  However, there are two famous medicinal materials in the area: frankincense and myrrh.

  So when distinguished guests come to the house, some frankincense will be lit, and it will be used as an air freshener.

  It is already extravagant enough to order frankincense, but unexpectedly the chief would also order ambergris. I don’t know if he is a local tyrant or a prodigal?

   You know, the price of ambergris is extremely expensive, far more expensive than gold.

   It is estimated that the chief does not know this thing, and does not know its true value.

  Like the piece in Liu Qingshan's arms, it should weigh more than ten catties, and if it sells for one or two million dollars, there is no problem at all.

   Unexpectedly, there are treasures everywhere here. Just such a stone is enough to build a power plant here.

   Hearing what Evoya said, Liu Qingshan reckoned that ambergris should be often found here.

  So I asked Xiao Wu to tell him: If you find this kind of stinky stone in the future, you can come here to exchange things, and you will definitely be able to exchange a lot.

  This side has a long and narrow coastline, and the possibility of ambergris being washed ashore is of course very high.

  Efuya was overjoyed when he heard that, and immediately ran away, and ran back after a while, holding a fist-sized stone in his hand.

  The color is a bit grayer than Liu Qingshan's piece, but a discerning person can see that it is indeed the same kind of thing.

   Really exist?

  Liu Qingshan couldn't help being a little surprised. The ambergris that Evoya found was obviously of better quality than his. Although it was much smaller in size, the price should be about the same.

  In this way, he was stumped. If it was replaced by supplies, the quantity would be a bit scary.

  After deliberating for a while, Liu Qingshan asked: "Evoya, what do you want to exchange, I will try my best to satisfy you?"

  Efuya was overjoyed, he obviously understood the meaning of Liu Qingshan's words, this stinky stone can be exchanged for many things for his people.

   After thinking for a while, Evoya said in poor English: "Liu, I want something that can glow at night."

   "You mean the light bulb?" Liu Qingshan didn't quite understand, and asked again.

   "Yes, it's the kind of lamp that can shine by itself." Evera smiled, showing a mouthful of neat white teeth.

  Based on his knowledge, he probably doesn't know what electricity is, but simply thinks that with a light bulb, he can emit light.

  Liu Qingshan's heart was deeply touched. He remembered that when he was still in elementary school, Jiapigou was not connected to electricity at that time, and the villagers' desire for electric lights, why not?

   "Okay, Evera, I promise you!"

   Liu Qingshan nodded in response. The value of these two pieces of ambergris is more than enough to build a power station, and it just happens to make the local aborigines feel good.

  However, he is not short of money now. It is better to take these two pieces of ambergris back home to honor the master. In the hands of the dumb grandfather, it should be able to play a greater role.

   There is also the frankincense and myrrh produced here, which are of the best quality, and they are also brought back to Master.

   When we returned to the temporary station, it was already noon. The seafood we brought back was directly steamed or boiled in a large pot, which took up more than ten large pots.

   Then put them into big pots and serve them on the table.

  Liu Qingshan directly started, breaking open a big lobster, inside was snow-white shrimp meat, the heat and aroma emitted, making people smell a strong umami immediately.

  You don’t need to dip it in any seasoning, just take a bite, the delicious feeling makes Liu Qingshan reluctant to swallow it.

   Now everyone has enjoyed it. Many people are eating sea crabs for the first time. How could they eat this in the inland areas before?

  The seafood feast in front of me is beyond my imagination.

   Evera and his group were also left behind, but they obviously didn't have much interest in crabs and lobsters.

   Instead, he feasted on the pot of camel meat stewed with potatoes.

  Camel meat, Evoya and the others often eat it. It is the main meat here, but don’t you think it’s so delicious?

  How did they know that Chinese cuisine has a long history, and the taste of the same food is definitely far superior to others.

  After eating, Efuya gestured to get the light bulb. Xiao Wu explained to him for a long time before he let them understand: light bulbs are useless.

   This made Evera very depressed, but when he heard that the power station was going to be built, he immediately became happy again, and hurriedly took people away, saying that he wanted to report to the chief.

  Liu Qingshan was sitting on the floor with the technicians and the captain, discussing the results of their two-day inspection.

  The top priority at the moment is to drill wells and build power stations.

  With water, you can irrigate and cultivate. As for grain and vegetables, when they came, they brought everything with them.

  With electricity, other industrial projects can be launched one after another.

  As for oil exploration on the coastline, Liu Qingshan doesn't think it's in a hurry. He'd better wait for the place to stabilize and have a certain ability to resist risks before inviting exploration ships to explore.

   After all, oil is too coveted, so don't make wedding dresses for others.

  The speed of the cargo ship is slightly slower, and it is estimated that it will take a few days to reach here. In the long run, it is definitely necessary to build a pier.

  In short, there are all things that need to be done, which is enough for them to be busy.

   In the afternoon, Efuya ran over excitedly again and told Liu Qingshan that it was Chief Adu, and he would invite them to visit tomorrow.

   Liu Qingshan also wanted to visit for a long time, but he was busy setting up the camp these two days, and now he is basically on the right track, so he agreed.

After breakfast the next day, Liu Qingshan led the people to set off, accompanied by Xiaowu and Ma Laosan, Li Tie and Li Tieniu, as well as the band quartet, Wang Gong and his technicians, and a Class of veterans.

  Motor vehicles and so on are all on the cargo ship behind, so you can only take the most primitive means of transportation: bullock carts.

  But there were two other people pushing the bicycles, the wheels were all rolled into the sand, and it was hard to push, let alone ride.

   "Whoever asked to bring the bicycle didn't have a brain, the bicycle is here, it's just a decoration." Xiao Wu complained while pushing the bicycle.

  The land here is sandy, and bicycles are really not suitable.

  But these two bicycles are not for riding, they have their own magical functions.

  The bullock cart wandered around for more than three hours before I saw a village in front of it. It was said to be a village, but it was actually a settlement.

  The facilities that the village should have are basically absent here, only a simple thatched hut.

  It is indeed a thatched hut, that is, it is supported by a few logs, covered with thatch, and surrounded by thatch.

  Occasionally there are a few huts with thin mud walls. Anyway, it is not cold here all year round, so there is no need to think about keeping warm.

  In the settlement, flocks and camels can be seen everywhere, and the ground is also full of excrement, which is used to light the fire after drying.

  Dirty, messy, and poor, are the most appropriate words to describe this place.

  You can see many little black children running around barefoot.

  I also saw some indigenous women wearing brightly colored robes and turbans on their heads. When they saw outsiders, they panicked and dodged.

   "Ah Ju, don't take pictures, or they will beat you up." Ma Laosan patted lead singer Huang on the shoulder.

  Xiao Wu also added: "Also, don't take pictures of those camels without the owner's permission."

  The lead singer Huang could only silently put away the camera, and then stared at the extremely simple hut in a daze.

   "You are here." Evoya came out from nowhere, greeted her, and led the way.

  In fact, everyone can find the chief's residence without him leading the way, because there is only one decent house in the entire settlement.

  The houses are white because of their beliefs.

  Liu Qingshan remembered a joke: When you go to a strange village, if you want to find the village chief’s house, you can find the biggest and best house in the village, which is basically the same.

   It seems that this rule still works here.

Efuya ran into the house to report the news, and soon a group of people came out to welcome him. The person in the front was wearing a decent suit, about forty years old, with a big belly. canopy beard.

  He still had a turban wrapped around his head, which didn't match the suit he was wearing, so it looked awkward no matter what.

  Xiao Wu hurriedly introduced: "This is Chief Adu, Your Excellency, this is the general manager of our company, Liu."

  Liu Qingshan blinked, and glanced at the big belly of the chief: I guess it is more appropriate to call him Chief Ah Du?

  So he came forward to shake hands. Chief Adu was very enthusiastic, holding Liu Qingshan's hand tightly with both hands, and greeted him in a long-winded manner in his mouth.

  He talked endlessly, and he chatted for several minutes, but he still refused to let go, and he had the potential to be talkative.

  Liu Qingshan also knows that the locals have this habit. The longer they chat with you, the closer they are to you, so they can only chat awkwardly with each other:

  What about your wives, children, camels, etc.

   Just when he was about to say hello, Xiao Wu from behind helped him out: "Your Excellency, this is a gift from us."

  As soon as he heard the gift, the chief let go of his hand, and then saw the two bicycles, and was a little dazed.

  He has been to big cities, and of course his knowledge is far superior to that of ordinary aborigines. He knows that this thing is called a bicycle, but they don't even ride it at all.

  Liu Qingshan also saw what the chief was thinking, so he stood the bicycle upside down on the ground, took out a set of equipment, assembled it on the car, and finally extended a light bulb.

   Ask a person to shake the pedals of the bicycle, and the wheels will spin in mid-air. Then, the light bulb in the hand, the filament inside will start to glow red. If it is night, it will definitely be very bright.

  Chief Adu had been to big cities and seen electric lights, and immediately the fat on his face trembled with joy, and he kept applauding.

  That's right, what Liu Qingshan got here is a set of bicycle motorcycle lights. This thing generates electricity by friction, and it doesn't cost electricity, but there must always be someone to shake the pedals.

  Chief Adu's cry attracted several women in the house who were covered with headscarves, and they watched it together.

  These are the wives of the chiefs, ranging in age from forties to teenagers, surrounded by a group of little guys, who should be children of the chief's family.

  Liu Qingshan was just saying hello, he heard from Xiao Wu that it is not allowed to shake hands with women here.

   This gift was obviously welcomed by the chief's family, and Liu Qingshan and Xiao Wu were let into the house.

  As for the soldiers of that class, they were all outside the house, continuing to fiddle with another gift for the chief.

  The furnishings in the room are quite luxurious, with camel hair carpets on the floor, coffee utensils, and very particular silverware.

   Coupled with the big diamond ring worn by Chief Adu, Liu Qingshan and the others felt a strong aura of local tyrants.

   On the contrary, the local coffee is very fragrant and tastes very good.

   While drinking and chatting, Chief Adu was about to get to the point when he suddenly heard a muffled bang from outside the house, scaring him to the ground:

   "No, someone fired a cannon, it must be from other tribes!"

  (end of this chapter)