Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 381 Tiger Balm

A moist evening breeze blew from the seaside, dispelling the hot air over Jingbian Village.

Jingbian Village is a small coastal mountain village under the jurisdiction of Quanzhou Prefecture. Like ordinary coastal villages and towns in southern Fujian, Jingbian Village, with many mountains and little land and an overpopulation, also has the custom of going out to sea to explore the Southeast Asia.

Under the bright moonlight, seven or eight cautious figures appeared on the small road at the entrance of the village on the mountainside. They carried heavy bags on their backs, wore worn-out coarse cloth sandals on their feet, and looked carefully at the surrounding environment.

"Brother Yingji, we have reached a fork in the road ahead. Shangcuo Village is on the west side of the road. You can spend the night with your sister-in-law, nephews and nieces. Tomorrow at noon, when all the brothers have prepared with their families, we will meet at the entrance of Hutou Village as agreed."

"We'll meet at noon tomorrow night, I remember."

Sun Yingji replied in a low voice.

"Okay, then the three of us brothers will go first. Brother Sun, please be careful on the road."

The three young men bowed and said goodbye to Sun Yingji, then quickly disappeared into the night.

The companions who came back together left one after another. After walking on the mountain road for about half an hour, Sun Yingji returned to his hometown, Yangshu Village, not far from Jingbian Village.

The low, dilapidated thatched houses, the narrow village paths, the large stones covered with moss under the eaves, with the help of the faint moonlight, Sun Yingji saw the familiar scenes in the village again.

Yangshu Village is still as remote, quiet and poor as it was when I left two or three years ago.

Looking at the village where he grew up, Sun Yingji found the familiar taste of his hometown, but at the same time, he had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

"Deep and gloomy"

Recalling a phrase that the cultural instructor often used to evaluate the Qing government when he was serving in the Nanyang Legion Security Force, Sun Yingji suddenly felt that this phrase was also very vivid when used in Yangshu Village.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Although he had never lived in the mainland, his short service in the Nanyang Army made Sun Yingji feel an atmosphere different from that of his hometown.

High-spirited, hardworking and full of vigor, every regular army, garrison and militia member of the Nanyang Legion was training hard. In order to get the land promised by the officers and officials, they did not show any fear or cowardice even when fighting against the French and those gorilla-like African savages. Instead, they worked in groups of several soldiers, cooperating with each other, and used their muskets and bayonets to repel the attacking enemies time and time again, and won the war with less casualties than the enemy.

As a person who personally participated in the Sino-French War, after the war, Sun Yingji, like most of the temporarily recruited garrison troops and militia, obtained formal national status. At the same time, he was given a 260-acre pasture in the central plains of the mainland as a reward for his combat merits.

The 260-acre ranch included the 100 acres that ordinary citizens had and the 160-acre reward for military merit, but it did not include the share of land for his wife and children. Only after his wife and children arrived in South America and registered with the local government could they obtain another piece of land. So, upon learning that the French had lifted the blockade of Annan and the mainland routes, Sun Yingji followed seven or eight military acquaintances from the same county and hurried back home, taking his wife and four children with him to live in South America.

"Woof woof woof", as you walk into the mountain village, you can hear the barking of dogs one after another.

"Heizi, stop shouting."

Sun Yingji quickened his pace, walked to the door of his house, and whispered something to the black dog barking at the kitchen door.

“Woo, woo.”

Upon recognizing its owner, the black dog immediately stopped barking, ran to its owner with its tail wagging, and grabbed Sun Yingji's clothes with its upper limbs.

"Who is it?"

A light appeared in the room and a woman's voice was heard.

"It's me, Aji. I just came back from Southeast Asia. Open the door quickly."

"I'm coming."

The woman responded as she walked towards the door.

"Click", the bolt was pulled open, and Sun Yingji was welcomed into the room. The woman was both happy and complaining, "You went to Southeast Asia and there was no news for two or three years. I thought you had an accident outside, which made me worried every day. After you come back this time, even if it's a bit hard and tiring, I can't let you go to Southeast Asia to take risks."

When the young and strong Chinese went to Southeast Asia, the children, the land they rented, the taxes from the government, and other things all fell on the women. Sun Yingji understood his wife's difficulties and said with a smile, "I left home by boat at the beginning of the year before last. I first stayed in Borneo for half a year. Then I heard that a large coal mine (Hongji Coal Mine) was discovered in northern Annan, so I took another boat to Guangning Province, Annan. In the past two years or so, I have been tossing around in Southeast Asia. The few fellow villagers who followed me at the beginning separated one after another, so I couldn't find anyone to send a message home."

"What about when you get to Annan? Don't bully me because I've never been far away. Mr. Li from the neighboring village, his son who studied abroad came back and said that a group of overseas rebels and foreigners were fighting in Annan. Annan is next to the Qing Dynasty, but not as far away as Borneo."

The woman babbled, "You don't know how I've been through these years. People in the village often sent me news about a husband from a certain family who had a shipwreck or was killed by foreigners or natives. Every time I heard such news, I was worried. If I knew you were in Annan, where the war was going on, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to wait for you to come back. I would be worried to death every day."

"The French are not as scary as the villagers say. This summer, I fought a battle with the French with the troops. I killed a black French soldier and captured two Annan colonial soldiers. They just looked taller, but they were actually very timid. When they encountered hundreds or thousands of troops charging, some French soldiers dropped their muskets and ran away before they even engaged us."

"What, you fought a war with foreigners?"

The woman was surprised and asked, "Have you joined the army of that little long-haired remnant?"

Li Mingyuan was slandered by the Qing government as a demon who killed people without blinking an eye. "Little Longhair Remnant" was his official name in the Qing government's wanted list.

"Hush, keep your voice down, that's the Emperor of the Han Empire, not the remnants of the Longhaired Clan!"

Sun Yingji realized that he had let the cat out of the bag, and quickly covered his wife's mouth, explaining, "Listen to me, His Majesty the Emperor is a very good man, not as the court slandered him."…………

Sun Yingji briefly introduced to his wife what the cultural instructor had taught him when he was serving in the army, and then said earnestly, "Because I was in Annan, I joined the Nanyang Corps and fought a great victory with Lord Mei against the foreigners. The Han court awarded us more than 200 acres of land. I came back this time to bring you and your mother to South America to enjoy a peaceful life. If we get to South America, you can't be like you are now, not knowing anything and just saying bad things about His Majesty. If someone hears this and spreads it to the Han emperor, all the land I have worked so hard to earn will be gone."

"Are you telling the truth and not lying to me?"

"Of course it's true. Except for remote and closed villages like Yangshu Village, many people in big cities like Quanzhou Prefecture and Xiamen know that the South American Han Kingdom defeated the French foreigners."

"The South American Han Kingdom really has a good emperor."

After listening to her husband's explanation, the wife sighed.

"The Emperor of the Han Kingdom is naturally a good emperor. If the Emperor of the Han Kingdom was not a good emperor, how could he have given our family more than 200 acres of land? We would not have had the opportunity to live a good life, right?"

As Sun Yingji spoke, he opened the bag on his body and took out a tightly wrapped purse.

"In addition to the land awarded by the court, all the money I have accumulated in Southeast Asia for more than two years is in it, a total of 103 taels of silver."

"Boss, how did you save so much money?" The wife carefully spread out the silver coins and said with surprise and joy.

"Hey, didn't we fight a war with the foreigners? I killed a black soldier and found more than 40 taels of silver and a silver hairpin on him. Here, this is it. I'm keeping it for you."

Sun Yingji took out a hairpin wrapped in a cloth strip from the package as if presenting a treasure, and continued, "Those black savages are really worthless. There are six or seven hundred good Annan girls in Beiban area who have been raped by black people. When I killed that black soldier, the company commander praised me in the company and returned the confiscated silver and hairpin as a reward."

The lower class people didn't have so many particularities. Sun Yingji helped his wife put the hairpin on her head. His wife looked at it in the bronze mirror, carefully put it away, and said, "It's a very beautiful hairpin. I guess its owner is also a girl from a wealthy family. It's so pitiful that she was ruined by a black man at such a young age."

"There are countless people in Annan who have suffered a miserable fate. Although the owner of the hairpin suffered misfortune, I killed the black soldier, which can be regarded as revenge for her. If she knew about this in the underworld, she would rest in peace."

The couple had been separated for more than two years and when they met again, they seemed to have endless things to talk about.

"Mother, I'm hungry."

A skinny little girl just woke up and was rubbing her eyes. She hadn't noticed that there was another person in the room.

"It's the fourth girl."

Sun Yingtai looked at the little girl on the bed and said lovingly, "Xiao Qing'er, look what good things daddy brought back. Roasted chicken, chicken legs, and sugar figurines. They are all delicious."

"Ah, Daddy, Daddy is back!"

When Sun Yingtai left home, the little girl was about six years old and already had some memory, so she recognized the person in front of her as her father, and the little girl happily rubbed against Sun Yingtai's arms.

"It smells so good. Si Ya loves meat the most. Si Ya wants to eat meat."

Children from poor families would behave sensible and reserved outside, but when sitting in her father's arms and seeing the row of delicious food on the table, the little girl regained her childish nature.

"Eat whatever Si Ya wants. Daddy bought a lot of delicious food and will make sure Si Ya has enough to eat."

Sun Yingtai put his daughter on the ground and said lovingly, "Go wake up your brother and sister. After you finish eating the meat, daddy will give you something good."

After getting her father's promise, the little girl ran to the bed barefoot and woke up the other three sleeping children.

A family of six enjoyed the delicacies rarely seen in ordinary families under the dim candlelight. When the four children had all eaten their fill, Sun Yingtai took out the little toys she bought specially for the children and gave them to each of them.

"Si Ya, look at this little green bottle. It's magical."

Sun Yingtai was shaking a small bottle filled with clear green liquid in her hand and teased, "The stuff in the bottle feels so good when applied to the body. Who of you wants to try it?"

"Daddy, I want it,"

"Daddy, I'll go first!"

Several children rushed to speak.

"Si Ya is the youngest, so she should go first."

Sun Yingtai chose his youngest daughter. He carefully poured out some of the liquid in the small bottle and smeared it on his daughter's arm, asking with concern, "How do you feel, Si Ya?"

"It's so cool and comfortable! Daddy, I want some more!"

The little girl said happily.

"No, this thing is very precious. Give it to your mother for safekeeping. If you feel unwell or sick, apply some on your body."

"Boss, what is this thing? Can it cure diseases?"

The wife asked in confusion.

"I heard it's called Tiger Balm, a secret recipe made by doctors in local medical schools. It can drive away insects and prevent heatstroke. If you have a fever or a cold, drinking it can also cure the disease. This thing is very effective. When I was in Annan, many people rushed to buy it."

"That bottle must cost a lot of money. It's such a good thing, use it sparingly and don't let the children waste it."

The wife complained that her husband didn't know how to cherish her.

"The price is neither expensive nor cheap. If it's sold outside, 10 bottles cost one ounce of silver, and there's no demand. But in the army, every soldier gets bottles for free, so it doesn't matter if I give some to the children to try. It doesn't cost any money anyway."

"Even if you don't have money, you should use it sparingly. If you run out of money, you will have to spend money to buy more."…………

In the months after the end of the Annan War, a number of retired soldiers like Sun Yingtai secretly returned to their hometowns in mainland China, intending to bring their families back to their homeland for resettlement.

The farmland and pastures distributed by the local government as rewards to soldiers who participated in the war were the things that attracted them the most, and new and novel items like Tiger Balm that they had never heard of before were the main factors that aroused their fantasies about the local life in South America.

Tiger Balm has a common name in later generations, cool oil, Tiger Balm, or cool oil. It is a low-priced mosquito repellent and heat-reducing product prepared with pure traditional Chinese medicine formula.
It was originally invented in 1910 by Hu Wenhai, a Chinese medicine practitioner from the mainland, who borrowed from the common Chinese medicine prescriptions for summer heat relief. After the launch of the local chemical industry strategy, the pharmaceutical and biological field was one of the links. In 1880, the local government recruited famous Chinese medicine experts such as Cai Xiaoxiang, Ding Fubao, He Lianchen, and Wang Wenqiao from the mainland to establish the Hanguo Medical Science Society, which involved national nature.
And began to implement Li Mingyuan's proposal: improve Chinese medicine and Chinese studies, learn from Eastern and Western medicine, gather wisdom, and open up new areas.

Four guiding principles for progress.

In July 1880, after the efforts of local medical doctors and invited Western medical experts, the Hanguo Medical College completed the compilation and translation of the book "Xi Shi Gang Mu", and then used it as a guide book for local medical colleges. In December 7, Cai Xiaoxiang, Wang Wenqiao and others used the Chinese medicine secret recipe "Yu Shu Shen San" as the basis, and referred to ancient recipes from China, India and Myanmar, supplemented with herbs such as Litsea cubeba, mint, camphor, and then used scientific methods of Western medicine to manufacture. After more than three months of hard research and development, in March 1880, they produced a new medicine that can be applied externally and taken internally, and can also treat colds, headaches, nasal congestion, motion sickness, and seasickness. This is the famous Tiger Balm at home and abroad.

In May 1881, the first batch of Tiger Balm, which was low-cost and easy to produce, was delivered to the armies in the hot northern regions of the mainland, Southeast Asia, and the Congo colony to be used as mosquito repellent, heat relief, and as a backup medicine.

In July 1881, more than 7 bottles of Tiger Balm appeared in the folk markets of Southeast Asia and Africa. Within just one month, due to its excellent insect repellent and heat-relieving properties, it was welcomed by many white people in Southeast Asia, wealthy Chinese business families, and indigenous African chiefs and kings.

As the shipment volume increased, the price also went up higher and higher. By the end of July, the last batch of 7 bottles of Tiger Balm were even sold at a high price of one or two taels of silver per bottle.

Tiger Balm has a low production cost. Due to its monopoly and small quantity, the price has been rising all the way. However, as the production scale expands and the market gradually becomes saturated, the price of Tiger Balm will gradually drop to a normal level in the next two years. Before that, ordinary Nanyang Chinese families, indigenous people, and African natives still cannot afford Tiger Balm.

(End of this chapter)