"Robert Hurd!" When Tangning heard the name, she couldn't help but exclaimed: "You, you are Mr. Hurd, the Customs and Excise Department?!"
In fact, it's no wonder that Tang Ning was so shocked, because Hurd was one of the historical celebrities that Tang Ning was most interested in during this period. He went to the British Consulate in Ningbo as a translator at the age of 19, and became the deputy tax department at the age of 24, and then from 28
He was the General Taxation Department until 1973 and was in power for 45 years. He basically experienced all the major events in China during this period.
Although he also had some acts of corruption and nepotism, he was generally a qualified or even excellent professional manager. He helped China gain a lot of legitimate interests during his tenure, and even for a period of time, customs revenue accounted for the Qing government's income.
a large proportion.
"Mr. Tangning, you have never been to China. How do you know my position?" Hurd asked in surprise.
"Although I have never been to China, how could I not have heard of Mr. Hurd, the Chief Tax Officer? You are a rare official who can be recognized by multiple countries!" Tang Ning praised.
Hurd smiled bitterly and said: "Do you all agree? I heard that many people secretly said that I betrayed the interests of British businessmen to please the Chinese!"
"You can't say that. As a professional manager, your job and responsibility is to be loyal to your position! According to the Chinese, it means staying in your position, seeking your position, taking your responsibilities, and doing your job!" Tang Ning defended.
.
Because Tang Ning used Mandarin in the last sentence, Hurd was even more surprised: "Mr. Tang Ning, can you also speak Chinese?"
"I know a little, but I'm not very good at what I say!" Tang Ning said modestly.
Hurd shook his head and said: "Mr. Tangning, you are so humble. You already speak Chinese very well. Although it is not standard Beijing Mandarin, it does not affect communication at all. And the most important thing is that your pronunciation is very good."
There’s no English emphasis at all!”
Tangning thought to herself, of course, this is my mother tongue after all, but she still didn't want to say more on this issue, so she changed the subject and asked, "Mr. Hurd, are you going back to London for vacation this time?"
Hurd nodded and replied: "Yes, although my family has moved to China with me, I still have some old friends in London, so I come back every year to visit!"
Then he asked Tang Ning, "Mr. Tang Ning, are you going to China for tourism or business?"
Tangning thought for a moment and then replied: "A little bit of both. In fact, I have wanted to go to China for a long time. As for this time, it was because I encountered something weird, so I wanted to verify whether my inference was correct.
!” Then he talked about how Deanna’s friend made a fortune by opening a cafe in China.
After hearing this, Hurd waved his hands and said, "Mr. Tangning, you don't have to doubt that this guy is definitely a liar. You are right. Chinese people don't like drinking coffee at all. The only few cafes are opened in the concessions."
, the main customers are also foreigners like us!”
But then he added: "But don't stop going to China just because of this. China still has many beautiful scenery and delicious foods!"
"Don't worry, we've already boarded the ship. We can't return now!" Tang Ning replied with a smile.
After chatting for a while, Hurd suddenly asked: "By the way, Mr. Downing, does New Orleans belong to the Confederacy or not?"
"The Confederate States belongs to the State of St. Louis!" Tangning replied.
"That's the slave state?" Hurd asked tentatively.
Tangning nodded awkwardly and replied, "That's right, but there are far fewer people raising black slaves now."
"Oh? Why? Didn't you win?" Hurd asked in confusion.
Tangning pointed at Hurd and replied, "Because you British people don't buy cotton from us anymore!"
Hurd was stunned for a moment, and then he responded: "Oh, I understand, because our textile merchants do not buy cotton from your alliance countries, so you don't need to keep black slaves to grow cotton. If you think about it, it seems that
The suffering of black Africans is caused by us British!”
"If there's no business, there's no harm!" Tang Ning concluded.
But then he added: "Of course, saying this is putting the cart before the horse. In fact, no matter how big the benefits are, they should not be obtained by enslaving others!"
"So, Mr. Downing, there are no black slaves in your plantation?" Hurd asked "with bad intentions".
Tang Ning replied calmly: "I stopped running the plantation before the war!" Of course, Tang Ning would not tell him the cause and effect.
Hearing what Tang Ning said, Hurd was in awe and praised, "Mr. Tang Ning, you are a conscientious gentleman!"
"Thank you!" Tang Ning replied confidently.
After chatting for a while, Hurd got up and left, but before leaving, he solemnly invited Tangning to go to Beijing to see him when she had time. He would arrange for Tangning to visit Beijing. Although Tangning was complaining in her heart, "Can you take me to the Forbidden City?"
?But on the surface, he still agreed repeatedly. (The General Taxation Office moved from Shanghai to Beijing in 1865, but moved back again in 1929.)
But not long after, Hurd suddenly hurried back with a book, pointed at the book and asked breathlessly to Tangning and Heidi: "Mr. Tangning, Mrs. Heidi, is this "Downing Abbey"
Did you write it?"
Heidi nodded and replied: "Yes, if I remember correctly, you should have written this before we got married!"
"Oh, I'm really stupid. I should have reacted when I heard the names of Mr. Downing and Mrs. Heidi just now! If I hadn't happened to knock this book off the floor when I returned to the room, I would have reacted.
I didn’t react." Hurd blamed himself.
"Thank you for liking our work!" Heidi replied happily.
"I really, really like "Downing Abbey". I also like Mr. Downing's "Gone with the Wind" very much. I wonder if you have any new works recently?" Hurd asked.
Tangning nodded and replied: "It is true that there are still a few novels, but they have not been published in the UK yet!"
"Oh, that's such a pity! I hope I can buy it next time I return to London!" Hurd said a little lonely.
Tangning thought for a while and then said, "You don't have to wait so long. When I return to New Orleans, I will sort out my works over the years and send them to you in Beijing!"
"Thank you so much!" Hurd thanked him.
PS: In fact, Hurd is a modern historical figure that I am very interested in. It is a pity that writing about him could not pass the review. Otherwise, I would definitely write a novel about the late Qing Dynasty based on his experience.