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墨書 Inktalez
As the lunar calendar approached the end of the twelfth month in 1991, winter vacation was just around the corner.
In Annan County, there were many local specialties, some of which were renowned brands, such as the famous Daokou Roast Chicken, celebrated both domestically and internationally.
Legend has it that Daokou Roast Chicken was founded in the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1661), boasting a history of over three hundred years. Like Jinhua ham, Gaoyou duck eggs, and Peking duck, it has shone brightly among national foods.
In Lao Miao Township, beef was particularly famous. According to the county records, during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, a man named Zhang Guangmei from Old Temple made a living selling livestock. Noticing that many cows often died or were injured, he began to slaughter them for meat. Gradually, he mastered the art of cooking beef and started a business selling boiled meat. Over time, he continuously improved his recipes and techniques, and his beef became so tender and flavorful that it was often sold out.
It is said that when Emperor Yongzheng traveled south and passed through Old Temple, he caught a whiff of an extraordinary aroma that lifted his spirits. Curious about its source, he inquired and learned it was Lao Miao Beef. After tasting it, he was delighted and declared the beef to be “unmatched in color, aroma, and flavor,” truly a “delicacy of the world.” From then on, Lao Miao Beef became a tribute dish served in the Qing imperial court.
Later, it was approved for geographical indication product protection by the National Quality Inspection Bureau.
Another specialty was the Mutton Hot Pot from Eternity Town, with the most famous being Wensheng Pavilion's Mutton Hot Pot, which also dates back over three hundred years to the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The finished dish has a bright yellow color and is neither gamey nor greasy; it is tender and easy to chew, with a fragrant taste that lingers long after eating. It has been described as having “the kind of flavor that moves your entire body with just one bite.”
The county records state: “Traveling all over east and west is not as good as Eternity's Mutton Hot Pot.”
On the last weekend before winter vacation, Hu Ruoyun returned home specifically to buy two pots of Mutton Hot Pot from Wensheng Pavilion in Liang Village of Eternity Town.
For nearly half a year, Mao Jie had often brought him delicious food from home—from zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival to mooncakes on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, along with seasonal fruits... This thoughtful gesture deeply moved Hu Ruoyun.
He had overheard Mao Jie mention that his father loved lamb, so he decided to send a pot of Mutton Hot Pot to them as New Year’s approached.
Upon arriving at this workshop in Liang Village, Hu Ruoyun felt nostalgic: who would have thought that years later, this Mutton Hot Pot would be included in the list of “intangible cultural heritage” for protection?
He spent fifty-eight yuan on two pots—one for his homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, and one for Mao Jie to take home. Since it was winter, he wasn’t worried about spoilage.
Both Teacher Wang and Mayor Mao were deeply touched by his gesture.
Teacher Wang solemnly accepted it and patted Hu Ruoyun on the shoulder without saying a word.
Mao Jie tried to decline it again, but Hu Ruoyun retorted: “What are you being modest about? I didn’t say it was for you; I just asked you to take it back with you!”
Mayor Mao had seen much in life but still felt a tremor in his heart. This child, who was around the same age as his son and not from Gaoqiao Town, didn’t need any assistance or favors from him as mayor; besides, he had been influenced by this child’s kindness (even if unintentionally). As for food and drink—did his family lack any? It was merely something his son had brought along.
But this lamb was thoughtfully prepared by someone else; that deserved gratitude.
It is often said that people in officialdom have hard hearts; yet this time Mayor Mao was moved.
The day before winter vacation began, Hu Ruoyun went to the town’s Post Office to cash his manuscript payment remittance slip. The duty officer was still Mao Na; she swiftly handled Hu Ruoyun's paperwork while jokingly saying: “Xiao Hu, your manuscript payment this month is almost higher than my salary!”
Hu Ruoyun awkwardly laughed: “Sister Mona, it’s not as exaggerated as you say.”
After receiving over fifty yuan from Mao Na along with several stamps and a stack of envelopes, he was about to bid her farewell when she called out: “Xiao Hu, wait a moment.”
Then he turned around and took out a small envelope from a drawer under the counter. "These are two stamps I collected a few years ago, and I'm giving you two of the four."
Hu Ruoyun hesitated to take them, but Mao Na stepped out from behind the counter, pulled his hand with her left hand, and shoved the envelope into his palm with her right. "No need to be polite; they’re just two stamps."
After saying that, she turned and went back behind the counter.
Hu Ruoyun gently opened the envelope and found two identical stamps, each valued at 8 cents.
The stamp depicted a golden snub-nosed monkey, sitting on the ground and gazing ahead, its unique charm vividly captured in the design. On the left side of the monkey, the words "China Post" and "Year of the Monkey" were printed, while the lower left corner bore the code "T46," and the lower right corner displayed its value of "8 cents" along with the year "1980."
Even though Hu Ruoyun was not a stamp collector, he was familiar with this stamp. It was not just any ordinary stamp; even at that moment, its value had already increased exponentially.
In 1980, China issued its first set of stamps featuring monkeys from the Chinese zodiac. The moment these stamps were released, they were met with frenzied enthusiasm from collectors, sparking a wave of philately across the country.
The stamp in his hand was this very "Monkey Stamp"!
Historically, every price fluctuation of the Monkey Stamp coincided with significant movements in the postal market. From 1984 to 1986, its price skyrocketed from around 3 yuan to 30 yuan, marking the first major boom in China's philately market, where people lined up everywhere to buy stamps.
By the end of 1990, prices surged from 70 yuan to around 240 yuan, igniting another wave of postal market excitement in 1991.
In autumn 1996, the price of a single Monkey Stamp soared from about 300 yuan to 1100 yuan, triggering another grand postal market boom in 1997.
However, starting in the second half of 1997, prices began to decline sharply, leading to a decade-long slump in the postal market.
By the end of 2005, prices rebounded to 1700 yuan and continued to rise yearly: 2173 yuan, 3180 yuan, 3975 yuan, 4028 yuan, and finally reaching 6678 yuan.
In April 2010, a single Monkey Stamp sold for 8692 yuan; by December that year, it had reached an astonishing 9964 yuan. A complete sheet of Monkey Stamps (80 pieces) fetched an incredible price of 977,000 yuan.
In February 2011, a single Monkey Stamp sold for 10812 yuan and climbed to 12084 yuan by March.
From its inception, this stamp had become an unparalleled classic; many collectors dreamt of owning an '80 Monkey Stamp,' which would appreciate thousands of times over in the coming decades.
Hu Ruoyun stared blankly at the stamp in his hand. "Sister, this is too much..."
Mao Na waved her hand dismissively. "Come on; let’s head back to school. I need to go home for dinner too. I still have two more at home; keep those two for fun."
She smiled and reminded him playfully, "Just don’t stick them on an envelope and send them off."
Hu Ruoyun quickly promised he wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake; after all, these two little stamps would be worth over twenty thousand yuan in the future!
That evening, Hu Ruoyun racked his brain trying to recall any memories about these two stamps from his “foreseen future,” but he couldn’t remember anything at all.
——The future is quietly deviating from the “foreseeable” trajectory.
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