"Park, park!" Tang Zhidao in the black Mercedes-Benz saw a familiar figure from the window, and hurriedly asked the embassy driver to stop the car.

"Let's go back!" Tang Zhidao jumped out of the car, said hello to the driver, and walked straight to the "Han Ji Rice Line" opposite. The business of this small rice shop has been particularly good for a few days, surrounded by people on the third floor and three layers outside, and the queues that cannot be relied on are discharged dozens of meters away.

"Yu Xuan!" In the crowd, the little girl lay on Xiao Yun's shoulder and looked around, Xiao Yun was constantly squeezed in by the anxious crowd behind her!

"Uncle Tang, Uncle Tang!" The little girl also saw Tang Zhidao outside the crowd waving her little hand and shouting, Xiao Yun was squeezed in the middle of the crowd and only heard the sound but saw the person.

"Come out and wait!" Tang Zhidao took a lot of effort to squeeze into the crowd and drag Xiao Yun's mother and daughter out.

"Don't let go yet!" Xiao Yun blushed and broke free of Tang Zhidao's hand and said, "Why did you drag me out!" Since Tang Zhidao knew about her past, Xiao Yun tried her best to avoid Tang Zhidao, but fortunately, after Tang Zhidao became a translator at the German Embassy, it was rare for him to have a few meals at home and maybe even not return to the courtyard for several days, so as to avoid a lot of embarrassment.

"How dangerous it is for a woman to hold a little girl in your arms and squeeze around with so many people!" Tang Zhidao hugged Yu Xuan and said with concern, stampedes caused by rush purchases in later generations are not uncommon.

"Uncle, the rice at home is only enough to eat for two or three days!" Yu Xuan licked his lips and said, "My mother and I queued up all morning and didn't buy it, and we haven't eaten yet!" ”

"Haven't eaten lunch yet?" Tang Zhidao looked at his watch and it was already past two o'clock, and he couldn't help but blame him: "You see Yuxuan is hungry, let's go eat first!" ”

"But the rice hasn't been bought yet!" Xiao Yun wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, and said helplessly as she pointed to the team that was still lengthening.

"Can't you buy rice in the huge capital?" Tang Zhidao said comfortingly: "It's really not good, the German embassy can also be evenly pointed." ”

"Is there a mistake, you actually want eight oceans and one stone?" At this time, a big man from Han Jimi's store shouted: "Didn't you sell seven oceans and one stone yesterday!" ”

"Yes, I came to buy it last month and only needed 6 and a half oceans!"

"In just over half a month, the price of rice has risen by 20%, and many of us small people have survived." From time to time, echoing voices came out of the crowd behind.

"Yesterday was yesterday, today at this price!" The guy at the rice shop replied impatiently, saying the same thing dozens of times.

"You guys are too black-hearted, you dare to sit on the ground and raise the price!" The big man said angrily.

"What's wrong with the price of sitting on the ground? The price of the rice store in the entire capital has not increased, and this rice did not fall from the sky! The guy came to the anger and said loudly: "Love to buy or not, there are many people waiting behind!" ”

"Buy, buy, buy!" This time, the big man immediately wilted.

"It's all eight oceans and one stone?" Hearing that the price of rice had soared again, Xiao Yun muttered that if it weren't for Tang Zhidao subsidizing some silver money in various names from time to time, the family would have been unable to make ends meet.

"No matter how much money you have, you have to eat enough!" Tang Zhidao also said helplessly, as soon as the State Council's ban on exchange came out, it hurt the ordinary people inside and outside the capital, and the banknotes (exchange coupons) handed over by the two lines in their hands were like waste paper, not to mention, the soaring prices made the vast majority of people even worse.

"Why don't you take my money!" Mi Xing was quiet for a while, and a man with long shirt eyes said indignantly.

"Don't you see that line on the sign?" The guy sneered and said: "Since yesterday afternoon, Han Ji Rice Bank has only accepted ocean and copper coins, and no paper money will be accepted!" ”

"My banknotes are printed by the Bank of China!" The man in the long shirt said, waving the banknote in his hand. …,

"This gentleman looks like a reader too, and I haven't read the recent newspapers!" A person who looked like a steward came out of it and kindly explained: "The ticket you have in hand can't be exchanged for cash now, that is, a piece of waste paper." ”

"You're a liar!" The man in the long shirt and eyes said angrily: "The government's order strictly prohibits you from refusing to accept banknotes like this! ”

"Anyway, if you don't pay Dayang today, we won't sell rice to you!" Seeing that he was being exposed, the steward said: "Do whatever you like!" ”

"Humph! You wait, I'll report to the official to arrest you!" The man in the long shirt scolded as he squeezed out of the crowd.

"Is it true that the banknotes can't be used?" Xiao Yun also heard a little clue, and hurriedly asked Tang Zhidao beside her, nearly half of the savings in her family were banknotes.

"Not all banknotes, just banknotes issued by the Bank of China and the Bank of Communications; It's not that it can't be used, it's just that it can't be exchanged for cash! Tang Zhidao explained carefully.

"What's the use of not being able to exchange for the ocean!" Xiao Yun stayed there all of a sudden, the two banks of the CCCC issued not the fiat currency of later generations, and their banknotes could circulate in the market entirely because they could be exchanged for white flowers at any time.

"This is only temporary, maybe it will be possible to resume the exchange after a while!" Tang Zhidao flickered around, and his heart was also painful, if he hadn't snatched a mouthful of food from Jiang Dashao's mouth, he would be an out-and-out poor bastard now. The major yamen in the capital also used to pay salaries with the banknotes of the two banks, and it turned out that most of the belongings stored by Tang Zhidao were also exchange coupons of the Bank of China.

"The government has also banned shops from refusing to accept bills issued in two lines!" Tang Zhidao comforted again: "Let's eat some food first!" ”

"Mother, I'm hungry!" Seeing that Xiao Yun hadn't nodded, Yu Xuan on the side said with red eyes.

"Let's go get something to eat!" Xiao Yun, who was depressed, entered a dumpling restaurant under the pull of Tang Zhidao, and ordered two bowls of dumplings to eat.

"Brother Tang, you can eat some too!" Xiao Yun, who was a little hungry, ate several dumplings in a row before noticing that Tang Zhidao had been staring at him, and said quite embarrassedly.

"I ate at the German embassy at noon." Tang Zhidao said lightly: "In the future, just leave it to me to buy rice." ”

"Oh!" Xiao Yun replied and lowered her head, this man could only be a passerby in his life after all, and his identity was destined for the future.

When the three of them walked out of the dumpling restaurant, it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon, and the line in front of Han Ji Rice Store became slightly shorter, and the ordinary citizens who accepted their fate could only be slaughtered by others, just hoping that they would be content without rice when they didn't sell themselves.

"Get out of the way!" A dramatic scene appeared again, the man in the long shirt and eyes led two policemen over, it seems that this man still has some background, and it is estimated that he is a small clerk in the small yamen in the capital.

"Who is the owner of this rice shop?" One of the tall policemen slapped the counter of the rice shop with a big grin and said.

"The contemptible person is the owner of Han Ji Rice Shop, I don't know ...... two bosses" A short and fat middle-aged man wearing a round hat nodded and walked out.

"We received a report from this gentleman that your store refuses to accept banknotes from the Bank of China, is there such a thing?" The short policeman asked loudly: "After the above explanation, whoever dares to refuse to accept the banknotes of the two lines handed over by China will be punished heavily!" ”

"Boss, this! I'm also forced to do it! If others don't take my money, I can't take anyone else's! Han Fatzi wanted to deny it, but when he saw so many people around him, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to receive the ocean if he really denied it.

"As a last resort? I see that you old boy wants to make black money! The tall policeman stared wide-eyed and shouted, "Little Guozi, let's arrest him into the bureau!" ”…,

"The boss raises his noble hand, raises his noble hand, and spares the villain for a while!" When Han Fatzi saw the two policemen, he begged for mercy again and again.

"Raise your hand? OK! The short policeman held out his hand and said, "Bring it!" ”

"Take what?" Han Fatzi knew that he was going to bleed, but he still pretended to be stupid and said with the last glimmer of hope.

"A fine of ten oceans!" The tall policeman said impatiently: "Otherwise, come with us to the bureau!" ”

"Ten dollars is too much?" Han Fatzi felt pain for a while, but he still trembled and took out a few Bank of China banknotes in his arms and handed them over.

"Lao Tzu's fines have always only collected cash!" The tall policeman said angrily: "How can I explain the banknotes you gave to the Bank of China!" ”

"But......" Han Fatzi was blindfolded, maybe everyone around who witnessed this scene would cry and laugh.

"Or go with Lao Tzu!" The two policemen threatened.

"Wait a minute, boss, wait a minute!" In desperation, Han Fatzi still handed over ten pieces of white flowers to the ocean, and the two JCs took the ocean and whistled away.

"Now it depends on whether your store still sells rice for me!" The man in the long shirt came to the counter proudly and said, "Bring me 50 catties of fine white rice!" ”

"Get out!" Han Fatzi said angrily: "If you don't want to buy a grain of rice from me!" ”

"You, you, how dare you ......" The man in the long shirt and eyes was stopped by an old man next to him as soon as he wanted to go crazy, and the old man said helplessly: "Didn't you see that even the police don't collect money for fines?" ”

"Let's go back!" This scene of people's tragicomedy was also taken into the eyes of Tang Zhidao and Xiao Yun nearby, but what can it do? The little people can only be pushed forward by the times!

In May of the fifth year of the Republic of China, the "Beijing banknote craze" triggered by the government's directive to issue paper money indiscriminately by the two banks of the China Communications Bank had an extremely far-reaching impact, seriously disrupting the market and endangering the people, causing panic in the market, prices skyrocketing, and food and other daily necessities suddenly rising by more than 20%. In that time and space of later generations, Lu Xun wrote in "Writing Under the Lamp": "I still remember that at that time, I still had thirty or forty yuan in my arms to pay a ticket, but suddenly I became a poor person, and I almost ......had to go on a hunger strike." This is a true portrayal of the Beijing banknote trend in Beijing at that time.

Under the leadership of Song Hanzhang, a veteran of the Bank of China, Zhang Gongquan, a new leader in the financial industry, and with the full support of Shanghai's financial circles, the Shanghai branch of the Bank of China resolutely resisted the suspension order of the State Council, which played a very important role in stabilizing the once chaotic financial market. After the storm, the reputation of Bank of China Shanghai Branch was greatly boosted, deposits soared, and the business situation was completely renewed. The Shanghai branch of the Bank of Communications, which implemented the "suspension order", suffered a heavy blow to its credibility and suffered a great loss of vitality, and it did not slow down for a long time. Song and Zhang also became famous because of this.

The aftermath of the "Beijing banknote craze" was far from disappearing, and in late May, the Ministry of Communications ordered a portion of the railway freight to be charged in cash according to grades. Then buy train tickets, postage stamps, and telegrams, all of which are collected in cash, but not banknotes. The financial and taxation authorities are also required to collect taxes in cash. The Provincial Department of Finance of Zhili Province ordered the refusal to accept the two lines of banknotes to pay taxes. The general business community also began to reject banknotes about a week after the issuance of the suspension order. As a result, the silver money bank openly changed the two-line banknote market, and the market price of Beijing banknotes was often between 7% and 9% off, and the lowest was 5, 6%, or even 4% off.