Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

The third stop was a mining supplies store in the old suburbs. The narrow alley was even more dilapidated than I remembered, with most of the shops on both sides closed, leaving only the one at the far end with its faded sign. The pickup truck in front was still there, just like the one I saw years ago, covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating it hadn't been moved in a long time.

Lin Yanzhou pushed open the door and went in.

The shop was piled high with goods; bundles of fuses and detonator boxes were displayed on the left shelf, and several stacks of empty iron barrels were piled up in the right corner. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and rust.

Behind the counter sat an elderly man with gray hair, wearing old work clothes. His apron was covered in grayish-black powder stains, and his hands were rough with dark deposits that couldn't be washed off under his fingernails. He was winding a piece of fuse when he heard someone push the door open. He looked up, his gaze lingering on Lin Yanzhou for a moment, but his hands didn't stop.

"Buy saltpeter and sulfur," Lin Yanzhou said.

The old man slowed his movements, placing the wrapped fuse aside. He turned and pulled an old newspaper from the side of the counter, spreading it on the surface. His voice was unhurried: "How much do you want?"

"Two hundred catties of saltpeter, fifty catties of sulfur."

The old man didn't answer immediately. He reached for an enamel mug in the corner of the counter, took a sip of water, and then spoke, his tone flat: "Two hundred catties of saltpeter, not enough for blasting on the mountain. What are you using it for?"

"Mining exploration, conducting blasting tests."

Where are the saltpeter mines?

"In the neighboring province, I'm in charge of taking samples."

The old man looked at him without speaking. A few seconds of silence filled the shop. Lin Yanzhou activated his mind-reading ability; the old man was thinking, "Samplers from the neighboring province's mines wouldn't come to a shop like this to buy raw materials. The county has its own supply channels, all official to official channels, not through small shops like ours. This man isn't acting ethically."

"The mine has established procurement channels," the old man stated. "You're buying from me, which means you don't intend to use the official accounts for your goods. I won't ask what you're doing with them, but you have to tell me who will ultimately receive these goods."

"It will be in my own hands," Lin Yanzhou said. "I will conduct preliminary testing and will not go through the mine's procedures."

The old man picked up the fuse again. The previous words hadn't disrupted his rhythm, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Yanzhou's face: "I can get saltpeter, and the quality is better than what I have in my shop. The granules are uniform in size, the moisture content is within a safe range, and there are no lumps. But the sulfur won't do. The few dozen kilograms I have here were bought last year, and they've gotten a little damp. If you use them for blasting, the firepower will be reduced."

He wrapped the fuse around the cord twice more, his fingers tightening slightly as he did so: "If you can wait, I'll find a channel to get a batch of dried sulfur, with the moisture content controlled below the safe limit, high purity, and good stability for the products made from it."

"how long?"

"As early as the day after tomorrow."

Lin Yanzhou mentally checked the time: agricultural supplies to be delivered tomorrow, meeting Professor Wu the day after tomorrow morning, and returning to pick up the goods in the afternoon. "What time is it the day after tomorrow afternoon?"

"After three o'clock in the afternoon," the old man said. "I have two hundred catties of saltpeter in my warehouse, but the sulfur will have to be sourced from elsewhere. Fifty catties is the limit; I can't get any more than that."

"I need five hundred catties of saltpeter."

The old man stopped winding the fuse completely. He placed the unfinished section of fuse on the counter, sat up straight, and looked directly at Lin Yanzhou. The shop was dimly lit, and his slightly cloudy left eye appeared even deeper in the shadows: "Five hundred catties of saltpeter, do you know what that amount means?"

"Know."

"Five hundred catties of saltpeter, mixed with sulfur and charcoal in a 6:4 ratio, could make something that could rip an entire cliff face off." The old man tapped his finger on the table. "You're telling me you're taking samples from the mine? You don't need this much for sampling. And what you're doing with this amount isn't something someone taking samples from the mine should be doing."

He didn't shout or shoo anyone away, then leaned back in his chair and waited for Lin Yanzhou to speak.

"I'm not actually involved in the mining," Lin Yanzhou said, "but I need these raw materials. There aren't many people on the market who can get this quantity, but you can. I won't ask about your channels, and you shouldn't ask about my intended use. I'll pay double the market price, and there will be follow-up orders later."

The old man remained silent for a while. He neither agreed nor refused, but stood up and walked to the innermost corner of the shop. He lifted an old oilcloth, revealing a tin bucket underneath. He unscrewed the lid, scooped out half a spoonful of saltpeter with a long-handled ladle, and took a small pinch of sulfur, placing it back on the counter and spreading it on a newspaper.

"You can judge the quality of the saltpeter yourself. Look at the color, crystal size, and moisture content. I only have fifteen catties of dried sulfur on hand right now. I'll get the remaining thirty catties from elsewhere, and it should arrive the day after tomorrow."

He paused after saying that, giving Lin Yanzhou time to think it over.

Lin Yanzhou looked down at the saltpeter on the newspaper. The crystals were fine and uniform, whitish in color, and without any obvious dampness. He then rubbed a little sulfur between his fingertips. The dryness was acceptable, but the particles were not fine enough. If he wanted to use it, it would need to be processed further.

"The quality is acceptable," Lin Yanzhou said. "Of the 500 jin of saltpeter, how much will I be able to obtain the day after tomorrow?"

"I'll give you a maximum of 300 jin the day after tomorrow," the old man said. "The remaining 200 jin will have to wait four days. The same goes for the sulfur. I'll give you 30 jin of dried sulfur the day after tomorrow, and the remaining 20 jin will be replenished in four days."

"Too slow. The day after tomorrow, you'll need at least 400 catties of saltpeter and 40 catties of sulfur. Notify me when the rest arrive in batches, and I'll come to pick them up anytime."

The old man looked at him, as if assessing the risks and profits of the deal. His cloudy left eye narrowed slightly in the shadows, and he tapped his finger on the counter, the sound louder and shorter than before: "I can gather four hundred catties of saltpeter, but the quality won't be uniform. If you want it completely dried, you'll need two more days of drying time; I can't process it for you in the warehouse."

"What if there are problems due to inconsistent quality?"

"You can inspect it yourself. You don't have to take anything that doesn't meet the quality standards."

Lin Yanzhou activated his mind-reading ability. The old man was thinking, "I know the channels for this batch of goods, but four hundred catties is too much. If something goes wrong, I can't afford the responsibility. But if he doesn't take it now, this deal will fall through."

"Inspection and payment," Lin Yanzhou said. "I won't accept any substandard products, and I won't deduct your money. For qualified products, I'll settle the payment at three times the market price, and we'll count them on-site."

The old man remained silent. He picked up the dried saltpeter and rubbed it between his fingers again, then looked up and said, "Come at three o'clock the day after tomorrow. Bring cash, half as a deposit first, and the rest after you inspect the goods." He paused, "But you have to promise me one thing—if any problems arise after this batch of goods is in your hands, it has nothing to do with me."

"No problem, I at least guarantee I won't do anything illegal and won't get involved with you."

The old man didn't say anything more. He put the saltpeter and sulfur back into the barrel and covered it with the tarpaulin again: "Fifty thousand in deposit. Also, if you need this much in the future, let me know a week in advance."

Lin Yanzhou took out his phone and immediately transferred 50,000 yuan to the old man's account. When the notification sounded, the old man glanced down at the transaction record on his phone screen, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He straightened up: "Leave your phone number. I'll let you know when the goods are ready."

Lin Yanzhou gave the old man a number, which he wrote down in a notebook on the counter. The handwriting was thick and messy. As he closed the notebook, he added, "You can't move three hundred catties of saltpeter by yourself. When you come back the day after tomorrow, bring a vehicle that can hold it, or bring another person."

Lin Yanzhou said, "You don't need to worry about it, I can handle it."

He walked out of the alley, paused at the alley entrance, glanced back at the door that had been half-closed again, memorized the license plate number of the pickup truck parked at the door, and then looked at a small mark drawn with a marker along the edge of the door frame.

He drove, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel. He was going to see Professor Wu tomorrow, and then come back to pick up the goods. He thought about the crystals of the saltpeter and the moisture content of the sulfur. After the goods were in the ring, he wondered who in Xuan Shuo he could find to mix, grind, and produce them, and at what point in time to use them for maximum effect.