The meat that the shopkeeper said is good actually refers to the Sui five-baht coins minted and issued after the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, also known as the Kaihuang five-baht. Qian Wen five baht two-character seal book, the strokes are fine, the edge is wider, and the back of the money is good.

The original meaning of meat is good refers to the edges and holes of round jade and coins, because the Sui five baht coinage is fine, so the people mostly call it meat good.

In the early years, the imperial court was only allowed to open the circulation of five baht of the emperor, and the sample money was put in each checkpoint market, and if the check and comparison of the coin did not match the sample money, it would be destroyed as copper.

However, in recent years, the money shortage has become more and more serious, and the emperor of the great cause has added many coinage furnaces in Yangzhou to cast coins, because the materials are reduced, and more tin and lead are mixed so that the coins are white.

In the past, the weight of a copper coin of five baht was indeed five baht, and the copper content was high, but now a copper coin is actually only three baht in weight, and it contains less copper. In the past, a thousand coins weighed four catties and three taels, but now a thousand coins only weigh less than three catties.

In the people, of course, the common people and businessmen are more willing to use the five baht of Kaihuang, but the money minted in the year of the great cause must not be refused, and the people and merchants are helpless, and finally there are two prices in the market.

The exchange ratio of meat to white money is two to three.

"It's better to replace it with meat." Qin Qiong took the two copper coins handed over by the shopkeeper and looked at them a few times, and then said, "You want good meat, don't mix it with my white money." ”

"Lord, please rest assured, the small shop has a century-old reputation, and one is one."

Luo Feng took the two copper coins and observed them for a moment, the styles of the two coins are the same, for example, they are both round on the outside and square on the inside, and the word five baht is written on them, but there are still many differences when you look closely.

The fleshy contour has wider edges, the coin is thicker, and the color of the copper coin is red, because the main material is copper, and the coin contains 70% copper, 20% lead, and one weighs 5 baht.

Although the coins minted in Yangzhou, the son of the great industry, are also called Kaihuang five baht, in fact, a coin weighs more than three baht, and the color is whitish, and the copper content is greatly reduced.

The meat has always been good for a thousand pieces, four catties and three taels, which is much heavier than white money.

It is said that after the Qin Dynasty unified the world, the currency was unified, and the coin was half a tael, and one weighed half a tael. Later, in the Han Dynasty, coins became lighter and lighter, and finally five baht coins were minted. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the currency was chaotic, and after the Sui unified the world, it minted the emperor's five baht, and at the same time strictly prohibited the use of private minting and other old coins.

"Shopkeeper, how do you exchange gold and copper coins now?"

Luo Feng had some gold leaves in his hand, although these gold leaves were valuable, they were inconvenient to use, so he planned to simply exchange them for copper coins here.

"Is it better to exchange meat or for nothing?" The shopkeeper asked as usual.

Meat has a high credit and is extremely popular in the private market, but white money is also the official currency, and merchants must not refuse to accept it. Luo Feng thought for a while, "Let's change it to white money, but it has to be the white money of the great cause of Yangzhou, and the shopkeeper can't fool me and give me other privately minted white money or old white money." ”

There are also several kinds of white money, what is really allowed to circulate is the Yangzhou five baht minted by the imperial court, and there are many old money from various dynasties and the five baht money privately minted by illegal businessmen on the market, but this kind of money is worse in condition, often less valuable, and many profiteers will mix these white money with poor color to the people, so that the people will suffer.

"How is that possible?"

After reading it, the gold leaf shopkeeper said that the condition was very good, and he was willing to exchange it at the price of five baht for one tael in 12 Yangzhou.

"It's good to exchange meat for one or two for eight thousand, and it doesn't take advantage of you."

After weighing, the gold leaf is about three taels, so it can be exchanged for 36 Yangzhou five baht.

36,000 pieces of Yangzhou five baht, weighing more than 100 catties.

"Fortunately, you are exchanging white money, if you all exchange meat, I can't get so much meat here for a while." The shopkeeper said while arranging for the guy to move the money over to count.

The government has long stipulated that private merchants use money, and the people are free to trade less than 10 times, but if they trade more than 10 times, they have to use silk cloth, mainly because there are too few copper coins.

The third uncle also asked Xiao Jiu and them to come over and help with some money, Luo Feng looked at such a big pile of copper coins, when will they go one by one?

"Just order a string, weigh it after it's done, and then weigh it in each string, as long as the weight is the same, so it won't be wrong, if the weight is light, then call the shopkeeper to make it up to us."

The shopkeeper smiled and praised Luo Feng for his cleverness, while assuring, "As you order, you will never lose a penny." ”

Qin Qiong didn't even weigh it, and had already put the twenty pieces of meat he had exchanged for into the blanket.

"Actually, you don't need to exchange the gold leaf for white money." He persuaded Luo Feng that any gold shop would be willing to exchange gold leaves for white money, but it was difficult for white money to be exchanged for gold leaves.

"I can't save this money, anyway, it's more convenient to exchange it for white money." Luo Feng didn't care much, he was not a landlord, and he had to dig a cellar and save it all with a little money.

Uncle Luo Sanshu and they counted and weighed very carefully, and each string had to be weighed again, and if they didn't get it right, they had to fight for a long time, and finally the shopkeeper had no choice but to send two pennies for each string to make them satisfied.

Luo Feng took the seventy-two copper coins that came with the shopkeeper, and smiled helplessly, not that the third uncle was stingy, but everyone was used to living a hard life, and no one was a big spender.

"I'll invite everyone to dinner, there's a restaurant in front, we just have a meal, and then buy some dry food."

"Yes, yes." The third uncle looked at the copper coin and felt that he was meritorious, so he safely agreed to Luo Feng's proposal to treat him.

"Aren't you going to change some money?"

"If you don't change it, you can change it, anyway, you can use these silk cloths when you take them back."

said that he was invited to dinner, but when he really arrived at the restaurant, the third uncle only ordered the simplest soup cakes.

A big bowl of soup cakes for one person, and nothing else.

"Third uncle, I'm in for a treat, you can order a few good things."

"I ordered a soup cake with mutton soup, which is already very good, enough, although I got a few rewards, I can't use it indiscriminately. Gotta save some flowers! ”

If it weren't for helping Luo Feng fight for seventy-two copper coins from the gold shop just now, the third uncle would not be willing to take advantage of Luo Feng to eat this meal.

"A bowl of soup cakes for five cents is really black-hearted,, kill us like pigs." The third uncle sat there but did not forget to put his bag of money between his legs, while accusing the shopkeeper of profiteers.

A bowl of noodles for five cents is actually not expensive, after all, it is still noodles with mutton soup, and the key is that food prices have continued to rise in the past two years.

During the Kaihuang period, the prosperous era was peaceful, especially in the grain harvest year, the rice price in Chang'an was only five or six wen for dou rice, and the average young dou rice was about ten wen.

However, since the beginning of the great cause, grain prices have continued to rise, and at the same time, there have been frequent floods, droughts, and famines, and the people have been subjected to frequent forced labor, which has delayed agricultural time and reduced production and income, so that grain prices have risen more and more.

Now the rice is already 20 yuan, and the wheat millet is slightly cheaper, but the flour is not cheap.

A big bowl of soup cakes sells for five cents, but in fact, the store doesn't make much money, just barely making ends meet, and it's all a bad life.

"Shopkeeper, look at your haggis soup, how do you sell it?"

"A big bowl of five cents, the material is full and delicious, you are satisfied, how many bowls will the guest officer come?" The shopkeeper saw Luo Feng asking and hurriedly greeted.

"Bring us nine bowls of haggis soup, and remember to put some green onions." Luo Feng said.

"Don't break the bank, there is already mutton soup in this soup cake, and it's a waste of it." The third uncle was busy.

Xiao Jiu over there stared at the haggis soup motionlessly, how could he usually have the opportunity to eat mutton, even if it was pork, he couldn't eat it a few times a year.

"Third uncle, it's just a bowl of soup."

Nine people, a bowl without a bowl of haggis, add up to ninety cents.

The seventy-two cents he had just gotten in the gold shop were gone in a blink of an eye, and he untied a whole amount of money and took out eighteen dollars to pay the bill.

Fortunately, the taste is still very good, and the amount is very sufficient.

Everyone ate with a round belly and a mouth full of oil, and they were very satisfied.

"I ate a few buckets of corn in one meal, it's terrible, I don't dare to do this again." The third uncle wiped his mouth on the one hand, but on the other hand, he was heartbroken, a bucket of rice was twenty wen, a bucket of millet was only fifteen wen, and a meal of ninety wen was not just eating six buckets of millet.

As he spoke, he reached out to take ten copper coins to Luo Feng, "I can't let you go out alone." ”

"Third uncle, say I'll have a treat, you're bored like this." Luo Feng hurriedly pressed the third uncle's hand.

Qin Qiong also said on the side, "Third Uncle Luo, don't be polite, I'm embarrassed to do this again." ”

After everyone persuaded him, the third uncle finally stopped taking the money.

"It's okay, I'll eat you today, let's hurry up to the grain store to buy some food and then go home, with so much money outside, I'm always not very steady."

Luo Feng said with a smile, "Third uncle, you don't have to worry, I'm not worried about bandits now, I can't wait for them to send them to the door, don't forget, my second cousin is a fierce general, come one to fight one, come to two to fight a pair, and if you catch the bandits, you can change the pen and reward money." ”

Everyone laughed when they said this.

Everyone smiled and went to the grain store, and when they asked the price, the price of grain was still about the same as before.

Twenty Wen for Dou Mi, and fifteen Wen for Dou Su.

There are all kinds of grains such as rice, wheat and corn, some with shells and some with husks, as well as milled flour, new grains for this year, and old grains for several years.

Prices also vary.

Luo Feng wanted to buy more, and then asked the store to deliver food to the door, but the store said that he had to add money. The third uncle was reluctant to do so, "It's good to buy a stone first, pick it back yourself, and buy it again next time, you don't need to ask them to send it, and you have to get that unjust money." ”

So they all said that they would buy a stone and pick it back by themselves, so Luo Feng couldn't say how to buy more and ask someone to send it.

The third uncle picked and chosen, and finally bought a stone of corn grain that had been aged for two years, only 12 yuan a bucket, he thought it was very cost-effective, although the old grain was not delicious, but it was better than drinking porridge.

Several other teenagers followed suit and bought Chen Su, one person and one stone.

Luo Feng thought about it, he didn't do the same as them, he finally chose two buckets of ground flour, bought two buckets of milled rice, and then bought a stone of new millet harvested this year.

After paying two hundred dollars for rice noodles, Luo Feng had twelve more buckets of rice noodles.

The gold leaf was exchanged for thirty-six pieces of white money, five times the silk cloth with good meat and three times worth of white money was also replaced with white money, and eight times became twelve pieces of white money, and he actually had forty-eight pieces of white money on him, and he spent the seventy-two pieces of zero in one meal, and added another twelve pieces of money, and there were still forty-seven thousand nine eighty-eight dollars left, which added up to nearly one hundred and fifty catties.

With such a heavy amount of money and more than 100 catties of grain, he couldn't go home, so in the end, he found a cow and horse tooth man to buy an old horse that was more than ten years old, and spent ten yuan in white money for some bargaining, and there were nearly thirty-eight yuan left in hand.

In the end, the horse carried the money, Luo Feng picked up the rice noodles, and happily went home with everyone.