A few guests who were napping on the left and right looked surprised, and a few unknown villagers in front and behind simply scolded: "This is a little street guy coming here, he is screaming!"
"Don't let the chickens in my cage lay eggs. Can this little red guy afford to cut them down?!"
…
A man who looked like a drug dealer, carrying a medicine basket with many scattered objects hanging on his back, explained: "This seems to be Huang Dana's silly son from the landlord's family!"
Of course, Yuan Shuzhi didn't know whether there was a landlord named Huang Dana in Huangxi, and it was even less likely that he knew whether his stupid son was this one.
"Fifteen cents to go to Tangxia!" The Dan family sister who collected the money quoted a price.
The fool first took out a few one-cent and two-cent banknotes to buy tickets. Of course, the Dan family sister said it was not enough, so the fool continued to take out money. This time, what he took out was a familiar banknote. Lao Yuan did not see it clearly. , it looks like a silver dollar coupon, but the denomination is ten yuan.
This is rare. The Senate abolished the two-dollar reform and the purchasing power of one silver dollar is very large. Yuan Shuzhi's official monthly income is only a few yuan. In daily life, the bills of "fen" and "wen" are mostly used.
Yuan Shuzhi frowned. He had never seen a ten-dollar silver dollar certificate in his memory. The largest denomination of banknotes that can be seen on weekdays is only one yuan. This one yuan note is equivalent to a thousand cash, and ten yuan is a huge sum of money.
Where did you get this ten-yuan note? He couldn't help but feel a little confused.
"Is this money enough?" The fool raised the banknotes and was about to hand the money to Dan's sister. Suddenly, a man who looked like a merchant grabbed the money and said hurriedly: "Brother, I will help you pay for the ship." Money, I can get this money!"
He was very enthusiastic about scolding fools just now, but now he suddenly wanted to help others pay the bill. His attitude changed so quickly that the whole boat was shocked.
But the drug dealer suddenly said: "Brother, what kind of money did you take? Show it to everyone?"
The hawker just put the money in his pocket and ignored him. He looked like he was picking up a treasure after missing something.
A man with fair hair wearing a double-breasted "Australian coat" sitting at the back of the boat said slowly: "Brothers changing money, that money is the newly issued ten-yuan notes of the Song Dynasty. One piece can be exchanged for ten large silver dollars. You have to be a good person. Conscience, you can’t cheat this little brother!”
"Where did you get that wild thing? It's none of your business!" The vendor opened his mouth and cursed, looking arrogant and unreasonable.
The man in Australian attire smiled slightly and said, "If there is any injustice on the road, of course I will take care of it." He took out a waist badge from his side and showed it.
The vendor sneered: "You want to bluff people with a sign?"
The drug seller next to him took the sign, took a look at it and exclaimed: "Are you from the Song Dynasty Zifang Si Yamen?!" After that, he quickly advised the hawker:
"Since ancient times, people have not fought with officials, so please stop saying a few words! This is an official from the Song Dynasty!" After saying this, he handed over his badge.
The vendor took the sign and took a look at it. He looked guilty but refused to give in. He stiffened his neck and said, "Who knows what kind of yamen you are! Do you think this money is really worth ten silver dollars?" After that, he handed the waist tag back to the drug dealer. The drug dealer immediately returned the waist tag to the fake man. The whole process was very fast, like a butterfly darting through a flower.
"It can't be true or false." The "Australian cadre" said calmly, "You can help this little brother buy a ticket, but you can't just coax his money."
The hawker still looked unwilling to admit defeat and said: "You said it was worth ten yuan? This ten yuan note has never been on the market before. He took it out to buy things like this. Is it real or fake? I don’t know. I paid fifteen cents to buy a ticket for him in exchange for this piece of paper that I don’t know is authentic. I’m doing a good deed!”
The fake man seemed to be unable to stand it any longer. He stood up and said, "In this case, I will authenticate it for you and ask everyone to be witnesses. This brother who changed the money, please bring the money and let me take a look."
The hawker hesitated and said, "Are you trying to trick me?"
"I am an official of the Song Dynasty, how can I deceive you?" The fake Kun man had a righteous expression on his face.
The vendor then took out the ticket and handed it over hesitantly, saying, "Be careful, don't break it."
The fake Kun cadre took the note, took out a magnifying glass from his bag, raised the note to the light, and looked for something. After a while, I saw a vague crane appearing on the banknotes through the light, and immediately shouted: "Did you see it? This is the anti-counterfeiting mark of the new banknotes!"
After showing half a circle in the middle and rear of the ship, Yao passed the magnifying glass and banknotes and showed another half circle in front of the ship. Yuan Shuzhi was secretly surprised when he saw that there was indeed a crane watermark on the banknotes.
Until now, the "show" seems strange to others. Yuan Shuzhi was used to seeing "Xian'er" when he was hanging out at the bottom, so he knew that this was a scam. Care for children openly and secretly. This is a common routine in places where foreign merchants often come and go, such as ships, docks, inns, and roadside tea shacks. Specialized in deceiving passers-by. Although there are many tricks, the routine is the same.
He knew that this group of people committed crimes in a gang, and he didn't know what their relationship was with the boatman. It was not appropriate to make any announcement at this time. He just observed carefully and remembered the facial features of several people so that he could trace them later.
What really surprised him was not the scam itself, but the counterfeit money in front of him. As a civil servant in Guangzhou City, he knew that there were counterfeit coins circulating in the market, because the bureau held a special meeting to report this matter, and also reported the types and characteristics of the counterfeit coins seized.
Judging from the reported materials, all the counterfeit coins discovered were very poor quality and could be said to be fake at first glance. In addition to deceiving villagers in more remote places, the secret will be exposed in larger markets.
But the banknote in front of me is very close to the real currency in terms of material, pattern and writing. If it is different, it is that the pattern and color are different from the current banknotes.
It's just that the banknotes just flashed before his eyes, and Yuan Shuzhi had no time to take a closer look, and there was no way to get more details.
At this time, the hawker made an embarrassed and distressed expression, reluctantly took out two silver dollars and handed them to the fool, and said heartbrokenly: "This is all I have, I have already paid for it! I'll give it all to you, you I don’t know if this money is real or not, just exchange it for two yuan, brother, you’ve made a lot of money!”
As a "silly son of a landlord", of course he was stupid enough to get whatever he wanted without saying no. He took it and said with a smile: "A piece of paper can be exchanged for two silver cakes. You still call me stupid. I think it's you." stupid!"
However, the fake Kun man continued to persuade the fool with a distressed look: "You can't spend the money like this. You should go to a bank or bank to change it into change. You can exchange it for ten one-dollar silver coins! Why can't you change it for just two! Alas. Oh, little brother, didn’t you steal this money?”
The fool hurriedly waved his hands and said, "I didn't steal it! I didn't steal it! I don't dare! My brother gave me the drink." He also made a silly drinking gesture.
The fake man continued to ask: "Then what does your brother do?"
The fool replied: "My brother went to the countryside with the chief to collect money." Then he made an abacus gesture and said, "He has too much money to count and gave me a lot!" After that, he took out a wad of banknotes. They all look similar: "My brother gave me a lot."
The hawker looked like he was suddenly enlightened: "It turns out that your brother is the old man's accountant, no wonder he can make a lot of money!"
The drug dealer man said: "I want it too, and I'll give you two silver coins in exchange for one!"
He changed the money and patted his thigh with a look of regret on his face: "Oh, I usually carry a dozen yuan with me, but today I just bought some goods, and all the money was spent! If I had known better, I would have bought less medicine!" He also pointed at the ship. The neighbors shouted repeatedly.
The hawker and the drug dealer sang together and encouraged people around them to "cheat" the fool into exchanging one banknote for two yuan. After some manipulation, some of the passengers on the ship were fooled. A few well-dressed people, probably rich businessmen with a little money in their families, probably thought this was an opportunity to pick out the pie in the sky, so they took out their money and started to exchange, one, two... there was a businessman-like person, and he actually I took out ten yuan in one breath and exchanged it for five pieces.
If someone takes less than two yuan, the two men will say that they are too stupid to take the money and stop the fool from accepting it.
After all, two dollars is not a small amount of money. Most people can't afford such a large amount of money, and they look envious even if they can't exchange it. At this time, the hawker "came up with an idea" and asked several of them to "join together" to exchange one.
Since this note can be exchanged for ten yuan, it can be exchanged afterwards and divided according to the head. Everyone can understand this account. Now the cabin is boiling, and several people are pooling money to buy one.
But the fake Kun man looked upright and refused to "cheat the fool", and repeatedly advised the fool: "You can exchange this money for ten large silver coins in the city!!! How can you return it to them! Alas. Alas! Your brother will be so heartbroken when he finds out!"
After this farce, more than half of the people paid. Yuan Shuzhi did a rough calculation and found that the group got more than 30 yuan this time, which was regarded as a big deal!
Seeing that the money changer was gone, the fool got off the boat when he reached the bottom of the pond. After passing two piers, the drug sellers and hawkers also got off the boat one after another.
As for the few banknotes that were exchanged, they were carefully held in their arms, and everyone looked around vigilantly, fearing that they would be robbed if they were exposed. We arrived at another town, but it was a big wharf. It was around five o'clock in the afternoon, and the boatman was tipping here. Guests who want to go ashore to eat and shop can do so as long as they return to the ship before dark. Because ships still have to operate at night.
As soon as the ship stopped, the passengers on the ship rushed to the shore, including a few wealthy families who brought a lot of food. The boatman smoked his pipe and sneered. Yuan Shuzhi knew that he probably knew something, so he deliberately asked: "How come so many people came ashore to shoot?"
Before the boatman could say anything, the Dan girl smiled and said: "They are not going to make money. They are going to Delong to exchange money, waiting to make a fortune!"
"We don't care whether you get rich or not. Xiaoquan, prepare a few bamboo tubes in case someone jumps into the river."
(End of chapter)
