I was a god in the 18th century

Chapter 492 Dinghai City of the Qing Dynasty

Owen's request to buy a bonsai was ultimately brushed off by Ma Yu.

The pots in the hall are all Ma Yu's favorites. He has spent half his life collecting them. Whenever he encounters an important occasion, he will take them out to show off, or rather, to show off his taste.

It is normal for top-quality bonsai to be passed down for several generations. How could it be easily fooled by the English Red Haired Plant?

Seeing that the other party was avoiding the subject, Owen tactfully shut up, as if he had just made a small joke.

Did he give up in his heart? Of course not. He had to give it one more try before leaving Dinghai Island.

Although Ma Yu was unwilling to sell the bonsai to the red-haired Englishman, he was still very curious about Owen's "magic" of controlling objects through the air, and asked a few more questions in a roundabout way.

Owen smiled slightly, used the materials available, picked up the cup and other objects on the table, and started some simple yet mysterious scientific experiments.

Xia Qingdai looked at Owen thoughtfully. This time Owen was playing with real science, not metaphysics.

"He seems to be planting the seeds of science in the hearts of Qing officials...why?" Xia Qingdai looked up at Owen in confusion, but no emotion could be seen on the other's calm face.

Xia Qingdai understood it, but to the Qing Dynasty natives like Ma Yu and Zhang Yutian who had never been exposed to scientific thinking, this was metaphysics.

Even though Owen finally told them that this was what was happening in England—science was changing the world, Ma Yu and Zhang Yutian still looked at Owen with doubt, but in the end they didn't say anything else.

When the banquet was over, Ma Yu and Zhang Yutian, one after another, bowed to the seat where Owen had sat, like thieves, muttering something, but no one knew what they were saying.

Staunton was quite critical of Owen's behavior. He didn't understand what Owen said and had only a limited understanding of scientific knowledge. Among the people from the General Town Office who came today, Owen was the only one who understood science the most. But he just intuitively felt that Owen's behavior was wrong, definitely wrong.

Fortunately, the missionary who acted as an interpreter was not professional, and the Chinese to English translation was often completely different from the meaning, otherwise Staunton might have thought that Owen wanted to commit treason.

After coming out of the general town government, a group of people went to the urban area in a mighty procession, sightseeing as they walked.

The weather in Dinghai in July is very hot, and there is also a drought on the island.

There was insufficient rainfall this summer, and the water in the moat and reservoir was almost dry. Although the island is surrounded by water, it is all seawater and cannot be drunk. Fresh water resources are actually very scarce. Dinghai farmers who make a living from rice have a very difficult life.

To be honest, the reason why the Qing Dynasty during the Little Ice Age was able to feed 500 million people, in addition to the improvement of farming technology, was probably largely due to the high-yield corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes that were introduced into the country in the late Ming Dynasty and are now widely planted throughout the country.

However, the local officials would not let the English envoys know about the depressed situation.

Even the route they took to visit Dinghai City was selected and arranged by the authorities in advance, so it seemed very prosperous along the way.

But Xia Qingdai and Owen, who had sharp eyes, still drew a shabby conclusion from what they saw.

The 30-foot-high city wall may seem majestic, but when you look closer, you can see that the stone towers on top, the gun muzzles on the breastwork, and the arrow holes on the battlements all reveal the Qing Dynasty’s insufficient firepower.

The Industrial Revolution began, and the era has gradually become an era of hot weapons. City walls are vulnerable to cannons.

Owen could even conclude that the few old wrought iron cannons at the city gate could not withstand the firepower of the warships they were on. Not to mention the technological content of the cannons, even the number was not at the same level. Owen was shocked that the firepower of the gateway island of the Qing Dynasty was so low.

China is still a top player in Europe, and Chinese products are synonymous with luxury goods in Europe. But when he got closer, Owen couldn't help but feel disappointed.

But he just observed silently and said nothing.

Ma Yu, the general of Dinghai Town, was deciding to intimidate these red-haired men from England, so he took them to visit the sentry post inside the city gate.

Some soldiers were training here and were staying there. On the walls of the sentry room were hung spears, bows and arrows, knives and a small number of muskets.

Staunton and John Barrow looked at each other, and both saw contempt in each other's eyes. The mood that had previously shocked them in the town hall by the exquisite buildings and high-end and classy furnishings gradually calmed down, and even became disdainful.

After crossing the canal outside the city and passing through the long city wall, the group finally entered the town of the Qing Dynasty.

Dinghai City is not a magnificent place, but the houses lined up in rows look neat.

Most of these buildings are only two stories high, unlike the high-rise buildings in Europe. The roofs are mostly covered with colorful tiles that look like animal skins, and some of the exquisite roof ridges are even carved with statues, with exquisite craftsmanship.

Although the house is short, it exudes ancient charm and has an ultimate beauty. From the outside alone, it is still very impressive.

Of course, in addition to the elegant two-story buildings, there are also many dilapidated bungalows and shanties. But in those areas, local officials naturally cannot take the English people there.

The Chinese are very particular about store appearance, so when people walk into the commercial street, all they see is the lively and vivid flavor of the city.

Clothes, food, utensils, and other items were neatly displayed in the shops. On the open-air stalls, there were tied up live poultry and even dogs for food. Seeing the butcher skinning and killing the dogs on the spot, Xia Qingdai and Owen frowned and turned their heads away.

Along the way, the most common thing I saw was probably the incense dedicated to temples. At the foot of the Nanhai Guanyin Temple, Buddhism is indeed flourishing.

The roads in Dinghai City were relatively narrow, and a carriage could take up most of the road. Most of the roads were small alleys paved with square stones. The density of people was high, and it was very crowded. In addition, the weather was hot, and everyone was squeezed to the point of drooping.

In the UK, the streets of London are the only place where people can be compared to the crowded scene in front of us.

But London is one of the largest cities in Europe, while this place is just a small maritime town in the Qing Dynasty.

That would have been fine, but when the three of them, with their high noses, deep eyes, perfumed hair and waxed hair, walked into the streets with hair full of frizzy tails, they were just like monkeys in a circus, watched by the whole city's crowd.

As a group of people were walking on the road, they could hear the sound of "red hair, red hair" from time to time.

Even though Staunton and John Barrow didn't understand, after hearing it many times, they knew that it was definitely a way of addressing them. Looking at the frivolous faces of the crowd watching, it was clear that "red hair" was definitely not a respectful term.

"Lord Owen, you understand Chinese. What are these Han people saying?"

"It was too noisy, I wasn't paying attention." Owen said lightly.

Even in such a crowded and hot environment, Owen remained calm, as if nothing could affect him. Xia Qingdai had already left, unable to bear the pain of being together.