Chapter 6: Dengzhou

The little monk was not a monk but a divine doctor who had returned from abroad. This news had spread throughout the village last night. The reason it spread so quickly was due to the old steward Laifu's news broadcasting. He repeatedly told people about the sixteen worms he had expelled, regardless of whether they were interested or not.

What truly amazed everyone was the old master's tuberculosis. An elderly man who had been in a coma woke up within a day under the divine doctor's treatment. He could even sit up with assistance, and the coughing up of blood had stopped.

Chen Xie was brushing his teeth when he saw Zhang Yao smile and gesture, then continue. The image of his mouth full of foam was indeed a bit scary. Zhang Yao, who had already seen Chen Xie's various peculiarities, was no longer surprised. The saying goes that one's body and hair are gifts from one's parents and should not be damaged. This seemed not to apply to Chen Xie, who had short hair, which Zhang Yao initially thought made him look like a monk.

Zhang Yao's interest was not in why the man had short hair but in the toothpaste by the basin. He stared at it for a while. When Chen Xie finished washing up, he was still staring. The toothpaste was from Fangcao Toothpaste, produced by XX Daily Chemical Company, with an address and phone number.

The words on the toothpaste included several characters Zhang Yao did not recognize (simplified characters), which made him feel embarrassed. Some combinations of characters, even if he recognized them individually, made no sense to him. What was a daily chemical company? What was a phone? What were those strange characters?

Chen Xie felt that constant vigilance was futile and decided to take the initiative. He took a new toothbrush from the bag, squeezed some toothpaste on it, and handed it to Zhang Yao, smiling and holding his own toothbrush. "Like this." After demonstrating, Zhang Yao couldn't help but follow, dipping his toothbrush in water, taking a mouthful, spitting it out, and then brushing his teeth clumsily.

Hmm, the taste was nice, a bit sweet. "This is for brushing teeth. Oral hygiene is very important; otherwise, your teeth will suffer. By the way, don't swallow it. Spit it out, rinse your mouth with water, and then spit it out again."

Zhang Yao quickly got the hang of it and completed his first experience of brushing teeth with toothpaste, rather than using green salt or willow branches. After spitting out the last mouthful of rinse water, he felt an unprecedented freshness, making him want to sing.

"Truly a divine object! This thing, in America, must be something used by the gods, right?" Zhang Yao could only think of it this way. How could humans create such a thing? Although he didn't talk about strange and supernatural things, the facts were right there, and he couldn't help but believe. This toothpaste, if not created by divine power, how could it be made and put into such a tube?

"Uncle Zhang, this is not some divine object. It's an industrial product made through chemical production. Uh, I mean, it's a daily chemical product made in a workshop."

"What is chemical production?" "Chemical production is... ."

Chen Xie realized he had made a serious mistake by trying to explain modern chemical production to a Ming Dynasty person. This approach was beyond foolish.

"In short, this is made by humans and has nothing to do with the gods. Unfortunately, America is too far away. The ship capsized at sea on the way back, and I ended up landing in a small boat. Moreover, there are no descendants of the Southern Song Dynasty in America; they all died on the journey back home." He quickly laid the groundwork to prevent Zhang Yao from wanting to go to America. To make it more convincing, Chen Xie rubbed his eyes a few times while looking down, appearing sad. However, the effect was uncertain.

Fortunately, Zhang Yao didn't mind, patting his shoulder and saying, "It's good you're back, it's good you're back." His tone was full of concern, which made Chen Xie feel a bit guilty. Deceiving someone was not easy, especially an honest person.

"Is the old master up yet?" Chen Xie quickly changed the subject. The old steward Laifu appeared ghost-like and said, "He got up early and walked a few steps in the courtyard with the help of the second lady."

"Then let's go see. If the condition is stable, with continued medication, it should be cured within half a year." This was not boasting; antibiotics were incredibly effective in this era, far more so than the drug-resistant bacteria of modern times.

...

Three days later, on the same road, a carriage slowly headed toward Dengzhou City. The old master's condition was basically stable, and future treatment would focus on recuperation. Chen Xie left a month's supply of bottled medicine (with all labels removed) and explained how to use it. He then set off with Zhang Yao on the journey back to Dengzhou.

The Zhang family had a business in the city, mainly dealing in local seafood from Dengzhou and some goods from Japan and Dongjiang Town. Interestingly, merchants in this era generally did not pay taxes. From the perspective of a Ming Dynasty official, if the emperor levied commercial taxes, it would be seen as competing with the people for profit, making him a tyrant.

On the journey, while talking with Zhang Yao, Chen Xie mentioned commercial taxes. Zhang Yao looked as if it was perfectly normal. Even though Chen Xie was not very familiar with Ming Dynasty history, he felt a bit uneasy. Without commercial taxes, where would the state get its money? The Ming Dynasty also banned maritime trade, but for the common people and gentry, this ban was a joke, long since in name only.

Not paying commercial taxes and feeling so at ease, even Zhang Yao had this attitude. Chen Xie found it very strange and decided to study the problems of the late Ming Dynasty more thoroughly upon his return. When the cannons roar, gold flows in. Without money, how can you fight a war? This was common sense in modern times. The people of the Ming Dynasty were not foolish; why did they act this way?

With these questions in mind, Chen Xie followed Zhang Yao to the gates of Dengzhou City.

Two soldiers stood at the city gate, checking people entering the city. As the carriage approached, the city gate heard a series of shouts. Chen Xie, citing the stuffiness of the carriage, came out and sat on the carriage shaft, watching everything at the city gate. A fruit vendor, dressed in tattered clothes, fled in panic under the scolding and disappeared into the city. The two soldiers, one holding a rusty spear and the other a worn-out saber, looked malnourished and thin, with their battle robes full of patches. The red tassels on their hats were almost gone, with only a few strands left, no longer red.

The attendant Shuigen got off the donkey and walked up confidently. Whatever he said to the soldiers, they soon took action, waving their weapons and driving some of the people waiting to enter the city to the side.

As a modern person, Chen Xie found this scene somewhat unbelievable, but he showed no reaction. He sat calmly on the carriage shaft, watching the麻木的百姓，他们衣衫褴褛，甚至不敢抬头看一眼这辆穿过的马车。

宋、元时期，登州的辖区基本上沿袭唐制。明朝初年，登州的地利优势一度凸显，升州为府。《明实录》中提到设立登州府的原因时写道：“时以登、莱二州皆濒大海，为高丽、日本往来要道，非建府治，增兵卫，不足以镇之。”

《明·职官志》：“巡抚登莱地方赞理军务一员，天启元年设。”为防备后金从海路南下，明朝天启元年（1621年），山东巡抚分离出登莱巡抚，登州和莱州二府从属。

在现代人陈燮看来，就人口而言，这是一座不算太大的城市。但是就城墙而言，那就得算高大雄伟了，抬眼一看怎么也得有十米高，三米多的厚度。（注：登州城高11.5米，厚3.5米。）“没有进取心的民族，就算修再高的城墙，也挡不住侵略者的铁蹄。”

陈燮喃喃自语，张瑶在里头没听清楚，下意识地问了一句：“思华，说什么呢？”

“没说啥，这城墙挺高的。”陈燮赶紧改口，跟张瑶在一起呆了三天，对明朝这些人的思想观念有了一定的认识后，陈燮的言语变得更加谨慎了。一些在现代人看来没什么的话，在明朝就是惊世骇俗之语。

实际上明朝读书人说话的禁忌不多，他们可以随便骂皇帝，随便骂政府。往往理由在陈燮看来非常荒谬，就像张瑶，提到辽东边患的时候，其结论就是武臣无能，皇帝失德。跟文臣是一点关系都没有的，而且说这些话的时候，非常坦然。

但是陈燮从医学的角度提到女性裹脚是一种摧残的时候，张瑶的脸色就变了，立刻语重心长地跟他说了一堆明朝的道理。什么三从四德，什么女子无才便是德，什么不要再说这样的话，以免生出是非等等。

张瑶没有责备陈燮的意思，只是一厢情愿地认为，他从小生长在海外，对大明朝的世俗完全不理解，所以才有此言论。几次类似的谈话之后，陈燮变得更加谨慎了。原本还打算在登州开一个医院，培养几个护士玩制服诱惑，这个计划还没开始就胎死腹中。

相比高大的城墙，登州的街道只能用狭窄来形容。顶多就是跑小车的宽度，街道上污水横流，行人衣衫褴褛，有钱人都在马车里呆着。街面是石板铺成，时间太久没有修缮，马车走在上面颠簸难忍。这一路马车回来一个上午的时间，陈燮都怀疑屁股不是自己的了。总算进了城，自然再不肯坐在马车上，下来背着自己的大袋子跟着马车走。

张瑶没拦住，只能随他去。

一个现代人来到古代，好奇心自然是很浓的。不过这种好奇心很快就消失了，登州古城展现出来的是与现代繁华格格不入的破败。街上的人很多，但是这些人大多数都衣衫破旧，鲜有能见着衣衫没有补丁的明朝人。而且行人面色多菜色，站在医生的角度看，都有严重的营养不良症。

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The narrow streets of Dengzhou could only be described as such. At most, they were wide enough for a small carriage. The streets were filled with sewage, and the pedestrians were dressed in tattered clothes, with the wealthy staying in their carriages. The street was paved with stone slabs, but due to the lack of maintenance over time, the ride in the carriage was extremely bumpy. After a morning of travel, Chen Xie doubted his buttocks were still his own. Once they finally entered the city, he refused to sit in the carriage again, getting off and following it with his large bag on his back.

Zhang Yao didn't stop him and let him go.

A modern person naturally had a strong sense of curiosity when coming to the ancient world. However, this curiosity quickly faded. The ancient city of Dengzhou presented a scene of decay that was starkly different from modern prosperity. The streets were crowded, but most people were dressed in tattered clothes, and it was rare to see a Ming Dynasty person without patches. Moreover, the faces of the pedestrians were pale, and from a medical perspective, they all showed signs of severe malnutrition.