1636: The China Venture by Eric Flint & Iver P. Cooper

Author:Eric Flint & Iver P. Cooper [Flint, Eric & Cooper, Iver P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Action & Adventure, Alternative History
ISBN: 9781481484237
Google: bnnuwQEACAAJ
Amazon: 1481484230
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2019-09-03T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

Glorious Exhibition Gift Shop

“Hello, Mike,” said Martina Goss. “Who’s the young lady?” Liu Rushi, this time, was dressed as an elegant woman.

“Her name is Liu Rushi,” Mike told Martina. “She’s a calligrapher and a painter, and she liked the balloon ride and wanted to know more about our gadgets.” He then bowed to Liu Rushi. “I was hoping you would come.”

“After riding in your balloon, how could I resist your promise to show me additional wonders?”

Martina offered Liu Rushi her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I am Martina Goss.”

After a moment’s pause, Liu Rushi took it and bowed. “The pleasure is mine. You are his wife?”

“Oh, no,” said Martina. “Mike’s not married. My husband is Jim Saluzzo.”

“Where’s Jim?” Mike asked.

“In the back room, tinkering with an exhibit that stopped working. Why do you ask?”

“No special reason. I’m just giving Liu Rushi the grand tour. How is business?”

“We’ve had a run on kaleidoscopes.”

“If you have any left, I’d like one for Liu Rushi. Please put it on my account.”

Martina studied Liu Rushi more closely, then said, “Not a problem. What do you intend to show her?”

“Well, to start off with, my model airship. Wait here, Liu Rushi, it will just take a moment for me to fetch it.”

As Mike rummaged in a back room, Martina and Liu Rushi made small talk.

At last Liu Rushi said, “Would you mind if I asked you a more personal question?”

“Ask away,” said Martina. “I don’t promise to answer it, however.”

“I understand that you are married to Jim Saluzzo, and you are dressed just as the wife of a scholar-official should be dressed. But here you are working in a shop, speaking with any man that enters. How is that proper?”

“First of all, this is not an ordinary shop. This is a part of our exhibition of the technological achievements of Grantville. We don’t just want the Chinese intelligentsia to marvel over our gadgets; we want to be able to sell them in China, so we can buy Chinese things. There are only four people from Grantville in the mission, and we all have to do our share to encourage an interest in those gadgets.

“And secondly, it’s not at all unusual for women to run shops in Grantville, or for men and women to talk to each other.”

“How refreshing,” said Liu Rushi.

Just then, Mike returned. “Here it is!” he said. What he held was a roughly elliptical model blimp, a few feet in length and perhaps a foot in diameter. At least, those would be its dimensions if it were inflated, which it wasn’t.

“So I made the envelope for this from material left over after our hot air balloon envelope was cut and sewn for us. I scavenged the fins, rudder and propulsion and control system from a broken model airplane that my uncle gave me.”

Mike held up a small radio transmitter. “It’s radio controlled. If I turn this on, you’ll see the propeller turn on my makeshift gondola.” He held up the gondola, and demonstrated this.

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