Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 178 Selling Grain
Under the big tree, Zhang Chi ate melons and told the boys around him about the outside world.Except for themselves, these people have never even been to the county seat, and they are full of curiosity about the outside world.Even the two yellow dogs lying behind were quietly listening to the story.

Father Lin came back from outside the village and saw Zhang Chi.Asked: "Erlang, where is your father?"

Zhang Chi said, "I'm at home. It's too hot today, so I didn't go to the fields."

Adie Lin said: "Come home with me quickly! The government has built a supply and marketing cooperative, and it is collecting grain at the Daliushu Wharf! Their price is thirty cents a bucket, which is much higher than the price of grain merchants. Go sell it quickly, so as not to lose money in the future."

Zhang Chi stood up and went home with Father Lin.

The prices of these grain merchants are getting lower and lower day by day.In the past, it was fifteen coins a fight, but these days it has dropped to ten coins.Families that are not in urgent need of money are not selling, and would rather wait.Wheat can be stored, and it will not go bad for a while.

When I got home, my father was watering the vegetables in the vegetable garden.Zhang Chi stepped forward and said, "Father, just now Father Lin next door said that some government supply and marketing cooperative collects wheat at the wharf of Daliushu Village. Thirty renminbi a bucket is enough money! Ask us if we want to sell it."

Father put down the bucket, wiped his hands on his body, and said anxiously, "Come on, let's go and have a look! Thirty yuan a bucket is of course good. A few days ago, the grain merchants lowered the price to ten yuan. Which one will you sell to them!"

Zhang Chi was taken aback for a moment.Said: "Since the price is good, we can carry the grain and sell it, why bother to see it?"

Father said: "How can I do without looking? There are many ways to do business with the government. I said such a price, but will I be paid? Will the money be converted into other goods? Is the bucket they collect grain big or small? Children, you can't just listen to the price."

Zhang Chi nodded.It seems that I am still young, and many of the dangers in this world are not aware of.

After telling my mother, the father and son left the house and walked towards Daliushu Village.There are small roads along the way, and it rained again a few days ago, making it a bit muddy.Fortunately, the father and son were wearing straw sandals, otherwise it would be distressing to waste shoes along the way.

It was noon, and the father and son were tired and thirsty after walking.Halfway there, my father said, "I knew I would have brought some water, but I was dying of thirst along the way! Let's walk faster and reach Daliushu Village to beg for some water."

Zhang Chi said: "There is a soldier with me in Shilipu Village. When you get there, just go to his house to drink."

Father nodded and looked ahead.There is not even a tree shade on the road, so I can only sigh.He walked to the side of the road to support the tree, took off the straw sandals on his feet, cleaned the mud with a branch, put them on and continued on his way.

When we arrived at Daliushu Village, it was the hottest time of the day.Under the big tree by the river, there are villagers standing or squatting in twos and threes.There were two boats on the pier, and a big shed was set up on the shore.

Zhang Chi said: "Father, it's been a hard journey, let's go and ask for some water."

My father said: "I've arrived at the place, let's go and have a look first. If it's really [-] cents a bucket, we people will be convinced. Although we don't grow as much wheat here as in Dengzhou in the north, this year the family still harvested more than ten shi. How much money do you have?"

Zhang Chi had no choice but to follow his father to the pier.

There are only three or five households selling grain under the shed, but the surrounding area is full of people.Obviously, there are more to see and less to sell.

Stepping forward, my father looked at it for a while.He asked a man next to him: "Brother, why are you all watching here? Thirty Wen per bucket is enough money, which is a good price this year. If you don't sell it to them, what's the use of keeping the wheat at home?"

The man said: "Thirty yuan a bucket, the price is really good. It's just a little, they don't give cash, and the folks are inevitably worried."

"No cash?" The father was taken aback. "Then what do they give? It's useless for us country people to ask for those discounted goods."

The man said: "It's not a discount, it's just that they don't give you cash. This supply and marketing agency just keeps an account for you, saying that it will pay you in a month. This is a newly opened agency. Who would dare to believe them? After a month, What do you do if you don't see anyone?"

Father nodded, finally understanding what was going on.Bookkeeping?How many people dare to believe them?
Zhang Chi stood there watching for a while, and saw his father standing still.Said: "Father, let's go up and ask."

Father said: "What is there to ask? Didn't you see that the villagers are here to watch? They collected the wheat and did not give cash, but just kept an account. They said that they would pay in one month. After one month, where will they go?" Looking for them?"

Zhang Chi said: "We still need to ask clearly. Didn't I hear that this supply and marketing cooperative is run by the government?" After finishing speaking, he walked forward.

There was a farmer selling his own wheat there.The bucket Zhang Chi used was recently awarded by the government, not the old and small buckets.When measuring, the surface of the bucket is just flat, without many of the previous tricks.

See another official next to him.Zhang Chi stepped forward, crossed his hands and said, "This brother, next to Zhang Chi, is from a nearby village. Now he is serving as a soldier in Xinye, and he is going home to visit his relatives this time. I would like to ask, how do you harvest the wheat now? Look at the folks over there. Come on, don’t come here to sell wheat.”

The officials looked Zhang Chi up and down.Said: "It turns out that you are a soldier, no wonder you have some knowledge. The supply and marketing cooperative was recently opened by the government. It had no capital at the beginning, so it could only owe the debt. Our debt is guaranteed by the government, and we will definitely pay back the money after one month. It's just that the people in the countryside lack money. Seeing, the government's announcement is here, but I can't understand it."

After speaking, he pointed to the wall behind him.

Zhang Chi saw that there was indeed a notice posted on the wall.Going up to look carefully, it turned out that it was issued by the Manufacturing Department and Xiangyang Prefecture together, saying that it was a matter of the establishment of the supply and marketing cooperative.Moreover, the newly established supply and marketing cooperative lacks capital, so the common people don't have to worry about their debts.As long as there is an account, even if the supply and marketing cooperative does not come out in the future, the Xiangyang government will pay back the account.

After reading the list, Zhang Chi said strangely: "Since it is said that the government will be the guarantor, why do the people still not believe it? The supply and marketing cooperatives collapsed, but the Xiangyang government will not collapse. Your thirty cents a bucket of wheat is much higher than the price of grain merchants. "

The official said: "You can't guess the minds of the people. Once someone takes the lead, you can talk nonsense, and others don't believe it. In some places, as long as someone who takes the lead believes, the rest will scramble for the first. The land will follow suit. This place won’t work.”

Zhang Chi looked at several food sellers and said, "Isn't someone taking the lead?"

The official said with a smile: "Most of them are Lizheng and elders, and the common people don't believe it."

Lizheng and Qichang are servants. If they owe them money, they will always find a way to get the money back. How can ordinary people do it?So everyone else is watching.The folks are envious of such a price, but they are not worried about not being able to get the money. Standing there is very contradictory.

At Xiangyang Wharf, Wang Xiaolie watched the porters going up and down, loading the wheat onto the boat.For transportation, Wang Xiaolie had someone make a batch of sacks, and the wheat was packed in the sacks.Two stones per sack is easy to transport and easy to count.

Looking at the busy backs of the workers, Wang Xiaolie slowly figured out one thing.Why is grain measured by buckets and stones in this era, but by weight in later generations?When retailing, it is not troublesome to use bucket stones, and it is very convenient when weighing a small amount.But in such a large transaction, it is very inconvenient.The wheat is put into a sack, and it is very convenient to weigh it. Isn't it possible to calculate the capacity by pouring it out?

Chen Yuyi came over and whispered to Wang Xiaolie: "Observation, in seven or eight days, only 15 shi was collected. A few grain merchants were discussing in a low voice over there, asking if we don't have that much grain."

Wang Xiaolie said: "It's normal to have various ideas when doing business for the first time. No matter what they think, the business will still go on. There should be more when we come next time."

"why?"

Wang Xiaolie said: "This time the grain collection is in arrears, and the supply and marketing cooperative did not give cash. Without cash, how can the people trust it? After all, we have only been in Xiangyang for less than a year, and our credit is not very good. .When the grain merchants shipped the grain back and gave us the money, things would be different at that time. The supply and marketing cooperatives paid back the debts, and when they saw the cash, the people’s minds would change.”

Chen Yuyi nodded and understood what Wang Xiaolie meant.

In this turbulent time, the credibility of the government is not very good.If you don't pay for the food, why should the people trust you?So now there are many people waiting and watching, but few people actually selling grain.Only when the supply and marketing cooperatives repay the money can the confidence of the people be enhanced.

There is not such a large fleet on the Han River, which can transport 200 million stone grains at a time, let alone grain merchants.To buy grain from Xiangyang, grain merchants can only transport it in batches.Every time they come, the confidence of the people will increase a little.So Wang Xiaolie was not in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)