More than 200 wen a catty, four or five catties is nearly 1,000 wen.

Chen Xiaodao: "Wouldn't you suffer a loss?" Let's weigh it. ”

"No, no, no. You don't want my car money, the extra money will be regarded as the car money. ”

Chen Xiao saw that the young man was very bold, so he didn't say anything more.

The carriage was galloping along the official road, and the coachman deliberately drove the carriage faster. He wanted to get to the county seat early, maybe he could return to the town today.

In the carriage, Chen Xiao chatted with the young man, knowing that his surname was Shi, and others called him Xiaoshi, who was fourteen years old this year. His father died, his mother remarried, and he lived alone.

He has been catching snakes and selling them for several years, and his income is not bad, but it is also very risky.

Generally, when a small snake is caught, it will be sold to a drug store; Catch a big snake and sell it to a restaurant.

Of course, the so-called big snake is only two or three catties. He had also seen larger snakes, but he did not dare to catch them. Because the strangulation power of the big snake is too strong, he can't control it alone.

Little Stone grew up in the county seat, and he traveled to many places in order to catch snakes. Sometimes he doesn't catch a snake, he will buy some things locally and sell them to the county seat, in short, he won't run empty.

Knowing that he was from the county seat, Chen Xiao asked him about the situation.

The county seat they went to is called Anxian, which is located in the foothill basin and is an important hub and transportation artery connecting the east and west of foreign countries.

To the east of Anxian County, you can reach Xia all the way; To the west, you can go to Xiling. To the north, it leads to Liang Thanh, the capital of the South Vietnamese Kingdom.

It is said that more than ten years ago, Xiling attacked the Xia Kingdom and invaded a large part of the Xia Kingdom's territory. The Xia State blockaded the border trade and cut off the trade with Xiling.

However, for merchants, Xiling had many things that Xia Guo needed, and Xia Kingdom also had many goods that Xiling needed. So the merchants made a detour to South Vietnam and turned around for trade through third countries.

Anxian County is located on this trade route, because of the flat terrain and open land, it has become a material distribution center and a trade trading place.

There are people from all over the world, both domestic and foreign. Xiaoshi's family came here from another county to do business, and then the business lost, his father died, his mother remarried, and he became a person.

Regarding the situation of Xiaoshi's family, he didn't want to say much, so Chen Xiao didn't ask again. However, I know that he came to the county seat at the age of four, became an orphan at the age of nine, and relied on the help of kind neighbors to help him, so he did not starve to death. Later, I learned that catching snakes was very profitable, so I started catching snakes.

Chen Xiao admires this young man very much, he is self-reliant at a young age.

Fang Yu asked Xiao Shi: "Which is the best restaurant inn in the county?" ”

"Malaysian store, Ruyi Building."

"Malaysia?" Fang Yu felt that the name was very novel.

"Damadian is the largest inn in the county, with a special horse courtyard, which can rest more than 300 horses."

Hearing this amount, Fang Yu could imagine how big this inn was, almost catching up with a battalion of the army. But they don't stop their horses, and such an inn can't imagine that it will be in the city.

"Ruyi Building is a restaurant?" Fang Yu asked.

"Yes, Ruyi House is the best restaurant in town. Their family eats a meal, as little as a few taels of silver, and as much as a few dozen taels. ”

A meal of dozens of taels of silver, Chunhong's jaw dropped. Their family's annual income is more than ten taels of silver, and one meal is enough for their family for several years.

Fang Yu felt that a meal of a few dozen taels of silver was not expensive, but "he" left in a hurry, and only brought six hundred taels of silver tickets and a dozen taels of broken silver with him.

Thinking of the silver ticket, he asked:

"Is there a rich village in the county town that can exchange Xiling silver tickets?"

This is the Nanyue Kingdom, and the silver ticket of the Xiling Kingdom cannot be used directly here.

"Is it a commercial ticket? Or is it an official ticket? Little Stone asked.

A "silver ticket" is a portable withdrawal voucher that was first issued by a firm.

For example, the "A firm" in the south needed 1,000 taels of silver to buy a batch of things in the north. It was very dangerous to go on the road with 1,000 taels of silver, so he issued a voucher for the withdrawal of silver in the south, and when he arrived in the north, he took out 1,000 taels of silver in the "A firm".

Such a withdrawal requires that "firm A" has both firm names in the south and north. This has limitations.

As a result, several major firms that have business dealings, such as "B firm" and "C firm", have reached an agreement between them to recognize each other's silver bills. Therefore, the silver notes of "firm A" in the south can be withdrawn in cash at "firm C" in the north.

This also gave rise to a special withdrawal and exchange institution - the bank.

Of course, the function of the bank is not only to withdraw and exchange, but also to deposit and borrow. At the same time, the bank also issued its own silver bills. It is also a commercial ticket.

As long as there is a business name bank, commercial tickets can basically be used. However, the silver stamps issued by the state government are very easy to use in the home country and are recognized by any money bank, but when they go abroad, they are not necessarily.

"It's an official ticket." Fang Yudao.

Xiao Shi thought for a while and said, "Xiling official ticket, it's best to go to Xiling merchants to exchange it." ”

"Why?" Chen Xiao didn't understand.

She knew what the ancient money bank was for, which was equivalent to a modern bank. However, she doesn't understand the "cross-border financial settlement" here.

Xiao Shi said: "Go to the money bank to exchange, and people will charge you at least 20% of the fee." Find a Xiling merchant to exchange, he can collect less. ”

"Twenty percent?" Chen Xiao was surprised.

For one hundred taels of silver tickets, twenty taels will be deducted, which is also too exaggerated.

Xiaoshi said: "Foreign official tickets are collected in South Vietnam. If you don't believe me, just go and ask. ”

The exchange of commercial bills, as well as the value of the goods, is in it. However, the exchange of official tickets is purely a piece of paper, and it can only be exchanged for cash after returning to China.

The money bank received the foreign official ticket, and it did not go abroad to do business, and finally had to exchange the silver ticket for the merchant of that country. Among them, the money bank receives one percent, and the merchant receives one percent, so the total is two percent.

Businessmen are there to make a profit, and their purpose is not to help others.

Fang Yu didn't expect that the exchange fee would be so high. Six hundred taels of silver tickets, only four hundred and eighty taels arrived. This degree of shrinkage is a little difficult for him to accept.

In Xiling Kingdom, official tickets are redeemed. That is, one hundred taels of silver tickets, exchanged for one hundred taels of silver. The exchange of commercial bills is between two and five cents, that is, one hundred taels of silver tickets, and two to five taels of silver are deducted.

- That's why many people like to store cash, if it's just a few hundred taels, it's not much, if it's tens of thousands of taels, hundreds of thousands of taels, this cost is not a small amount. But for merchants, safety on the road is the first priority, and taking a few large boxes of silver on the road is more than worth the loss.

Fang Yu hadn't expected the silver ticket to be redeemed before, but it was a bit painful to remove so much at once.

Next, they will have to live here, more than 400 taels of silver, how can it be enough.

Fang Yu asked Xiao Shi, "Do you know the people of Xiling?" ”

Little Stone knew that he wanted to exchange it for silver, and asked:

"How much do you want to change?"

"Six hundred taels."

Xiao Shi lowered his eyebrows: "The Xiling people I know can't take out so much silver." ”

The Xiling people he knew came to work in South Vietnam with their owners, and their income was okay, but they couldn't get a few hundred taels of silver.

Fang Yudao: "Can you help me inquire, can anyone help me change the silver?" ”

"Yes, no problem."

Fang Yu said again: "Otherwise, change one hundred taels first." ”

"Huh?" Little Stone didn't understand for a while.

"Let's use it for a while."

There are only a few taels of silver left on him, and then they have to stay in a hotel and eat, and a few taels of silver are enough.

"I'll have to ask first."

Xiao Shi felt that the Xiling people he knew should be able to take out ninety taels of silver. But it's hard to say, you have to ask first.