"Newspapers?"

"Oh, this is it. Ma Pong removed a large piece of paper from the cooperative's newspaper shelf, which was printed with words.

"What's written on it?"

"It's all kinds of news: Bairen City, Dongmen City and the whole county. Recently, there has been business news in Guangzhou. He flipped the other side, "These editions are all about writing novels and singing songs, and they are very beautiful." ”

Fu Fuji can't read and write, so naturally he can't understand the benefits. Or bring it back to the people in the village who can read and write—it's a rarity. To be careful, he added:

"There's no word in the way here, is there?"

"No, this newspaper still sends a few copies to the county government every day. If you want to take a copy, the delegates will give it to you for free. The female guy said.

Fu Fuji was relieved at this time. I took a copy and carefully folded it and hid it on my body. I walked around the store again, and saw a lot of haode silk and foreign cloth, so I wanted to buy some back, and the welfare society was a combination of copper coins, broken silver, and negotiable coupons. Seeing that the female guy was going to draw the pattern on the account book while planning to plate was similar to the pattern on his own brand, and the so-called towel also had this, remembering that Ma Peng said that this is called Arabic numerals, and the use of bookkeeping is much better than Suzhou yards, so he came to be interested, and watched there for a long time, and also talked to the guy - it turned out that the woman had only learned to read in recent months, learned arithmetic, and now not only can plan the plate, but also keep accounts.

"The hostess is such a kind person!" Female dude. Obviously very satisfied with his treatment, "food and clothing are all-inclusive, and I also have the ability to teach." I can still get a commission of 100 yuan a month. ”

Fu Buji saw that this shop was extraordinary, man. There is a degree of advance and retreat, it seems that all of them are literate and hyphenated, can write and calculate, and can't help but be moved - there are a few teenage house-raising girls at home, except for beating pigweed and herding cattle, it is not much use, it is better to send here as an apprentice, and it will be of great help to yourself after learning the ability. Immediately asked Ma Peng if he accepted apprentices here, he was willing to send a few children to come over for apprenticeship, and he also paid for food.

"I don't know." Ma Pong said, "Done. After the meeting, you can talk to the chiefs yourself. If you want to send someone to study, it is probably a sure thing. ”

Coming out of the cooperative, Fu Fuji followed Ma Peng in the East Gate Market. A few circles. The streets are clean and tidy, not to mention, there is not even a beggar or gangster-like figure, and even the prostitutes who stand on the street to solicit customers stand under the special yellow wooden pole sign in a regular manner, although they keep making provocative remarks, but they do not forcibly drag passers-by.

Policemen dressed like Ma Pong can be seen on the street from time to time. They are walking the streets all the time. No wonder it's so peaceful here.

"There is no such person here." Marpon told him, "Caught all sent. Quarry quarries for stones or go to the river to sift sand. As for whether it can come out, it's hard to say. He smirked, pleased with his presence. The yellow benchmark sign is a special street location for prostitutes, there are a total of eight signs in the whole East Store, prostitutes who want to solicit customers have to line up under that brand, the former one has done business, and the latter can continue to solicit customers, and CHA teams are not allowed.

"Chiefs, too. Even if it is enough to pity the old and the poor, this child prostitute doesn't even collect money for donations. As long as you get a permit, you can do business here. ”

Fu Fuji looked intently, and sure enough, each prostitute had a sign on their chest that was similar to his chest, but it was yellow.

Seeing that Fu Fuji was looking at her, the prostitute immediately made a charming smile: "Uncle come to play there, copper coins, silver, and tickets are all accepted." ”

Ma Peng scolded: "Go, go, don't solicit, this is the conference delegate." ”

The prostitute seemed to be quite frightened of the policeman, and pouted and fell silent.

Fu Fuji asked Ma Peng: "What is this ticket?" The cooperative shop also asked me if I had any. ”

"It's money tickets. Here it is also called the negotiable coupon. Merchants in Dongmen City use this. As he spoke, he pulled out a few pieces of colorful paper from his pocket.

"You can buy something with this piece of paper?" Fu Fuji was not convinced.

"That's what we're paying for, can we have a fake?"

Fu Buji looked at these pieces of paper for a long time and muttered to himself. He remembered that he had heard the elders of the clan say that many, many years ago, the imperial court also issued such paper money tickets, and at that time, the people insisted on collecting this kind of money when buying things in the Hou Guan's mansion, but they refused to accept it when paying taxes, no matter how much text was written on the paper, they couldn't buy anything in the market, and the common people used this as waste paper. He remembered that it seemed to be called treasure money or something.

"Brother Ma, can this thing work? In the past, the government also engaged in it, worthless waste paper. Fu Buji lowered his voice and said.

"Of course it works, one yuan can buy a pound of rice. Buy anytime. Ma Pong looked unhappy with his questioning, "Are so many merchants in this Dongmen market stupid?" Don't think that this is a Ming treasure banknote issued by the government. This is from the chiefs. ”

Listening to what he meant, the shorthairs are much more trustworthy than the Ming government. However, Fu Fuji does not think that the government has any credibility at all. It's just surprising that Ma Peng would believe in this group of "stalkers" of unknown origin so desperately.

"This is Delong Grain Bank, and the negotiable coupons are the ones they issued." Ma Pong said, pointing to a large shop in front of him. The shop is more imposing than the previous cooperative, with a two-story brick building on three steps, wide windows lavishly adorned with beautiful cast-iron balustrades, and a large door, with two stone-carved lions on the left and right in front of the door. This faction can't even compare with the county yamen.

"Brother Ma, why don't you see this grain store buying and selling grain?" Fu Fuji had serious doubts.

"This is the counter, and the delivery of goods enters through the door next to it, and inside is a large yard, which is very big."

Fu Buer was a little frightened when he saw the formation of this grain store, if it weren't for Ma Peng by his side, he probably wouldn't dare to go in. Inside was a tall hall, with a row of wooden counters like those found in pawnshops, but not as tall. The windows were wide and large, and the light that came in was so abundant that he was uncomfortable, and all he could hear was the sound of the plan. Obediently, the battle of this grain store is scary enough.

There was a wooden sign hanging on the wooden counter on the far left, and Ma Pong told him that this was an exchange office, and the shop had collected the circulation coupons, and if you didn't want it, you would take it here and exchange it for grain chips, and you could exchange it for rice directly in the courtyard.

"That's a dollar for a pound." Ma Peng took out a green ticket, the so-called big catty means that the 500-gram catty is heavier than the catty of this time and space, so it is named Da Jin.

Fu Buji knows a little about the big catties, because when he sent the long-term workers to sell grain, the long-term workers came back and said: The short hair does not need to be lifted there, but is directly weighed with a scale. At that time, in order to help the natives figure out how much a pound was, each large household that came to sell grain received a standard one-pound stone scale. Fu Fuji still has that stone guy in his house, ready to use it when he sells grain next year.

I rummaged through and looked at a few tickets for Ma Peng for a long time. Fu Buji was still a little confused, he didn't know how this piece of paper could be used, he vaguely realized that the key was that this piece of paper could be exchanged for food here. That's why merchants are willing to take it.

"It's an eye-opener." Fu Fuji became more and more determined to send a few house-raising boys to apprentice, not to mention, this group of short-haired twists and turns is more than others. But he also wants to let the houseboys learn well, what should his son do? Can you beat them? If you have three long and two short, won't it be difficult to protect your family property? The group of people in the clan may not be able to stand it. But he was reluctant to send his son to an apprentice.

After coming out of the grain store, I took a big tour in Dongmen City, and everything I saw was fresh and interesting. I secretly felt that I had come to the right meeting this time, and this little bit of knowledge alone was enough to go back and blow it for three and a half years.

Seeing that the sky was full of red clouds, it was getting late, so I had to go back to the hotel. But Ma Pong wanted to invite him to dinner:

"Fu Dongjia, I have eaten a lot of your meals in the past, and this time it will be mine."

Fu Buji thought to himself that this poor boy was a little more developed now, and he must have wanted to grow a long face in front of the past owner, and he was to follow him. Besides, I had to say something at the dinner table to be convenient, so I agreed at the moment and sent the boy back to the hotel first.

The far end of the side street of Dongmen Street is far away from the city center, and it is close to the periphery of Dongmen City, and there are not many pedestrians, and it is very secluded. There are small shops here, which are the business of the members and laborers of the city. There are several small restaurants and taverns, all of which are lit up at this time, Ma Peng usually has nothing to do after work, so he drinks and chats with a few colleagues here, and sometimes Director Hou Dugu will also come to participate. They became acquaintances with the shopkeeper and his fellows.

It's a small eater, small in size, with only six tables. On the wooden cabinet at the door were plates of cold dishes, mostly local seafood, wrapped in bamboo cages, and a jar of boiled peanuts in salty water—all of which were served as appetizers.

Ma Pong entered the shop and told the runner to find a seat inside for them. I asked for four dishes, a pot of wine, and two bowls of fish porridge. The two pushed the cup and changed the lamp for a few rounds, and Fu Fuji cut into the topic:

"Now you're also a poor person here in Shorthair, and you're having a good life, aren't you?"

"That's a lot better than carrying a job." Ma Peng said, "Recently, the currency system reform has been carried out, and a police sergeant like me can get 200 yuan a month, and can buy 200 catties of rice, and my mother and I are well fed, and we can add a new dress or something." He took a sip of wine, "I came out to work at the age of twelve, thinking that I would be a poor worker for the rest of my life, but I didn't expect it to be today!" It's like a dream! ”

"That's, that's." Fu Fuji wanted to inquire about the details of this meeting, so he vigorously persuaded the wine and dishes, and said a lot of flattering words, and saw that the atmosphere was already warm, so he asked:

"Brother Ma, why do you say that this short-haired chief wants us people from all over the country to come to the meeting?"

Ma Pong shook his head and said, "How do I know! The chiefs are thinking deeply, we don't understand. ”

Fu Buji was slightly disappointed, and deliberately provoked him with words: "Shorthair usually doesn't talk a little bit? You're also their henchman. ”

"What kind of henchman am I," Ma Pong laughed, "it's far from it." Let's just talk about our strengths, and it's not a big deal in shorthair. I heard that the heads and brains can't take his turn. He took a sip of wine, "But this time, the chiefs attach great importance to the matters to be discussed, and they have specially built a large viewing platform." He also instructed us to take good care of the village representatives - to satisfy you anyway. ”

As soon as Fu Buji saw that there was a door, he hurriedly struck while the iron was hot: "You can always guess something, right?" ”

Ma Pong thought for a moment before saying, "It's about 'cooperation'. I don't know what cooperation is. However, listening to the meaning of the leaders' words, it is to ask all villages to jointly organize group exercises and train together. There are other "benefits" to be given to the villages. As for what the benefits are, I don't know. ”

"You didn't say anything about sending food and sending errands, did you?" Fu Buji didn't care about the so-called benefits - if Shorthair didn't force them too much, it would be considered a favor from the emperor.

"I haven't heard of this, but there is a shortage of manpower here, and it also requires people to hold group exercises. I don't think there's any need for food, there's a lot of it here. ”

That's fine. Fu Buji thought that if it was a dispatch, it would be a big deal to send a few broken families with foreign surnames in the village, and it would not hurt any bones in the village.

Fu Buji took out a silver ingot and quietly stuffed it from under the table to Ma Peng:

"Brother Ma, this is a little meaning, please take more care of the village in the future, everyone is a villager-"

This ingot of silver weighs one or two, and although it is not very rich, it is not a small amount for ordinary people. This time, the village council took out twenty taels of silver and gave him some money to use up and down the city.

Ma Peng hurriedly refused: "I can't help it, I can't help it, Fu Dongjia, you're hurting me!" Take it back. ”

Fu Buji thought that he was just pretending to push and delay, but seeing that Ma Peng's face was full of panic, it was obviously not pretentious, so he had to take the silver back.

Ma Peng hurriedly looked around, and saw that no one was paying attention, so he continued to whisper, "Fu Dongjia, Shorthair hates this the most, I will accept your money, and if you smash the rice bowl, put it away." ”

Fu Fu Fu Dao; "Afraid of what? God knows, you know and I know—"

"The problem is that the chiefs know everything." Ma Peng said something in a frightened manner, and a policeman in the office had collected money from several shopkeepers. I didn't expect to be known by Director Dugu the next day. Then the man disappeared - I heard that he was now working as a coolie in the quarry.

"The strange thing is that no one else was there at the time except for a few of them - they all said that the chiefs had the power of ghosts and gods, and I wouldn't dare to do this."

Fu Fuji also gave him a chill down his spine, thinking of many strange things about the shorthairs, and feeling a little hairy in his heart.

At this time, the runner brought the fish porridge and brought a plate of crispy porridge to drink. Ma Pengyin had to work half a shift after dinner, and he didn't persuade him to eat and drink, so he devoured the porridge, and Fu Buji drank the porridge and said that he was full. Dinner was over, Ma Peng took out the money to meet the account, and Fu Fuji thanked him repeatedly. The two went out together and disappeared into the lights and crowds after dusk.

The guy cleaned up the table, and Goubrey got up from behind the counter and went into the closet. He took a piece of paper, a bottle of ink, and a quill from the locked haode cabinet, and wrote a line under the candle in crooked simplified characters:

"A surveillance report on the meeting between Sergeant Ma Peng of the Dongmen City Police Station and Fu Fuji, a representative of Michimura, in the store."