unclear

Chapter 445 Changes with each passing day 5

"...Well, yes, it's a genuine product from Liuguangzhai! The jade letter is really Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon at the feet of the Emperor. There is such an elegant thing in a mere tea stall. Come on, brother, I'm treating you today, let you try what it means The best in the world!

Dad, give me each a cup of cocoa powder, one cup with more sugar, and one cup with the soft white sugar from Snow Sugar Factory, and one cup without sugar. Although this product is slightly bitter, it has an endless aftertaste and makes you feel energetic after drinking it, which is wonderful!

This is half a tael of silver. Please keep it. The two of us came all the way from Guangdong and stayed at the Fulai Inn in Dongjiangmi Lane. We are in Beijing to take the exam. I wonder if there are whole cans of cocoa powder for sale? "

But the two southerners didn't think the offer was too expensive. One of them seemed to have had a drink, and while taking out a piece of silver, he explained the origin clearly and tentatively asked if he could buy more.

"I can't help you. The little old man has only been open for two hours, and I really can't find it. Besides, there is only one jar around, and it was stuffed by someone. I have no hope of selling it. What should I do?"

Looking at the silver in the middle-aged man's hand, the tea stall owner swallowed twice. Are you greedy? So greedy! You can't make any money by selling tea from morning to night. It's precisely because there is no demand, so you don't have any silver scissors or coins around, so you can't make change. But seeing that the big deal couldn't be done and feeling unwilling to do so, his expression was too complicated.

"Hey, why are you an old man so ignorant of promotion? The master who wants to drink cocoa powder, there is no reason to push people away. After all, he is at the feet of the emperor, and even half a tael of silver can make it difficult for him. Don't wait for me. It’s embarrassing. Come on, I’ll look at the stall, and you can just go to the Sun and Moon Bank to exchange for broken silver. Go back quickly, don’t keep the Master of Juren waiting!”

When he was in trouble, Mr. Chang stepped forward and first belittled the tea stall owner. In fact, he used words to keep the two distinguished guests, and then pointed to the Sun and Moon Bank not far away and gave an idea.

"Yes, Mr. Chang has a good brain. Why did the little old man forget it? It's a sin! Mr. Juren, can you hand over the silver to the little old man first to exchange it? Don't worry, the old man in this bank can be the guarantee. , if the quality is at a loss, I will pay for it!"

After this reminder, the tea stall owner suddenly burst into laughter, but he still did not dare to pick up the money rashly. He also praised the Sun and Moon Bank so much that he even risked his life and fortune.

"Just take it, go and come back as soon as possible!" The middle-aged Juren who asked for cocoa powder was very happy, or he was rich and didn't care whether the half a tael of silver would be tampered with. Putting down the silver coins, he and his companions chatted in their native dialect and walked to the table at the edge.

"Mr. Chang, I have to trouble you to make a trip. I'll be here to serve you. If you don't run away in vain, I'll make you a cup to try later. I won't charge you a penny!"

The tea stall owner had completely calmed down at this time. He calculated the gains and losses as quickly as possible, handed half a tael of silver to Master Chang, picked up the porcelain jar, and carefully opened the wax seal.

As you put a small spoonful of dark brown powder into the glass cup, and then mix it with boiling hot water, the tea stall was suddenly filled with a delicate fragrance, like musk and flowers, sweet and looming.

"Okay, it's really a good thing! Yuhan, the cocoa powder here is mellower than what brother Wei drinks at home. It's really the best." Before it was brought to him, the middle-aged Juren was filled with emotion just by the taste.

Judging from his clothes, demeanor and the time he came to Beijing, it is obvious that he comes from a wealthy family. Only this kind of people would arrive in Beijing several months in advance, claiming to be rushing for exams but actually enjoying themselves. I don't care too much whether I can pass the exam in the end. Anyway, my family has money, so I can come back in two years at most.

"May I ask if you two would like to drink it with milk?" The tea stall owner made two large cups of cocoa powder but did not serve them immediately. Instead, he took out a small copper pot from the wooden box.

"Wonderful, add it, add it! I never thought that you, the store owner, are so familiar with the method of drinking cocoa powder. Did someone teach you this?" This question made the middle-aged Juren yell again, and he also expressed his displeasure with the tea stall owner. The attitude has risen to the level of equality, even using the word "please".

"Don't dare, I don't dare to climb high. But you are right, someone did teach you how to make cocoa powder and show off your shame." But the tea stall owner didn't think that Juren really wanted to talk to him as an equal and show off. He started to retreat, unwilling to stay any longer. "Shopkeeper, make me a drink too!" Perhaps the smell aroused his desire, or perhaps he was curious, but the official from the Ministry of Justice actually wanted to try it.

"I want a cup here, here, and a cup here, and put more sugar and milk!" It seems that everyone has the habit of blindly following this, more or less. Seeing that someone else ordered cocoa powder, and it smelled pretty good, the guests at the other table also shouted.

For a time, the tea stall owner changed from selling tea to cocoa powder, cup after cup, and in the blink of an eye, he earned almost more than ten dollars. If the cups were not enough, the quantity would be much more, and he could not close his mouth with laughter.

"Come, come, Master Chang. Thanks to you today, I will try it while it's hot. By the way, the noble man said that you should taste it slowly and don't drink too much at one time. If you feel flustered, dizzy, or nauseous, don't be afraid. Just drink it once, and you’ll get used to it.”

Before the cocoa powder was brewed, Mr. Chang, who went to exchange money, came back. The tea stall owner was really a fastidious person. Even if it cost as much as two coins, he would not hesitate to make an extra cup and hand it over, and also told some precautions.

"Suck it... Bah, what a strange smell is this? It's a bit like a steamer, but it smells quite fragrant!"

Mr. Chang didn't refuse much. He picked up the cup and took a big sip regardless of the heat of the water. The taste was not satisfactory. It's probably because of the price. If it costs just a copper plate like tea, I won't be so picky.

"Hey, shopkeeper, come on, come on! Your broken silver coin is weird. It looks like a silver coin from Fo Langji, but it's much smaller. But what's the point?"

The tea stall owner ignored Mr. Chang's complaints and put the broken silver in his hand on the table. As soon as he turned around, he was stopped again. The middle-aged Juren was holding a piece of broken silver between his fingers and examining it carefully, his face full of confusion.

In addition to the official silver of the Ming Dynasty, the shape, weight, and purity of the silver cast in various places are not the same, but they are generally in whole numbers, such as fifty taels, twelve taels, and five taels. These silver ingots, also called ingots, are of relatively high value and are not used too often in daily life.

Copper coins are generally used for small transactions, and there is a relatively stable ratio between copper coins and silver in different periods. But there are exceptions. For example, when traveling far away, you will not carry too many copper coins with you, but use silver ingots instead.

When transactions are needed, merchants will have two special tools, silver scissors and dengs. The former is responsible for cutting large silver ingots into small pieces, checking whether there is copper or lead inside the silver ingot, and then weighing it with a fork. Experienced merchants can often cut the exact weight according to the shape of the silver ingot with just one scissor.

It would be even easier if there was a bank nearby. You could go in with your silver ingots and cut as many as you wanted. It was a bit like going to the bank to change change in later generations. If you are a merchant, you can also take the accumulated broken silver to the bank and recast it into silver ingots, but you will be charged a small fire fee.

Just now, Mr. Chang took Juren's half a tael of silver and went to the Sun and Moon Bank to exchange it for broken silver. However, what he got back was not irregular pieces of broken silver, but four small silver cakes about the same size as copper coins, which were very round. , the edges are very regular, and there is a cross mark on the surface, which is deeply engraved.

In addition to casting copper coins, the Ming Dynasty did not issue precious metal currencies. Even if it obtained silver coins from European maritime merchants, they were all recast locally into silver ingots of various weights. Silver coins were rarely circulated on the market, and they were not related to the related ratio.

Since the middle-aged Juren is from Guangdong, he has probably seen European silver coins, so he felt that he had

(End of this chapter)