"Are you an ordinary teller? Impossible. With your English fluency, you can do big business in Shanghai. How can you work as an ordinary teller?"
Simpson knew how valuable and scarce scholars were in the Qing Dynasty at the moment, and there were very few Chinese who were proficient in English. They were talents everywhere, so how could they be just an ordinary teller?
The man didn't bother to pay attention to him. He waved his hand and told the waiter to go back. He turned to the old man who had just lined up and said, "Old man, what business are you here to do? It was your turn just now. Come on..."
The old man is the owner of a small restaurant. After working hard for more than ten days, he has saved some scattered dimes and wants to deposit them in the bank. How can he offend foreign adults?
"Ouch... It's broken, it's broken. Let the foreign master take care of it first. They are worried. I'm fine. I just saved a little money..."
"Ouch! What the old man said is wrong. You are just here to handle a dime business, and you are also my customer. Why should you give up to the foreign devils if you are also in line?"
"I'm not used to this bad habit. Please go ahead and ask... someone to bring you a cup of tea!"
Come on, this guy has such a personality, he just threw Simpson aside and ignored you. Simpson was disappointed, but this guy is really well-educated!
Speaking of people who can become travelers in history, they are basically people with very high emotional intelligence. Those with a bad temper are definitely not good. That kind of arrogant guy may be hacked in the mountains and forests for various reasons!
Only those who have high emotional intelligence, can deal with people from all walks of life, and can get along with each other equally regardless of high or low, can travel in this world!
Simpson knew that this man had a story, so he quickly asked his servant Dali to whisper a few words in a low voice, and even scolded the translator!
In the end, none of the people in Suzhou expected that the foreign devil actually took the Kunlun slave and the translator to apologize to the old man!
"I'm sorry, old man, I shouldn't have cut in line... I apologize for our rudeness just now!"
Oops, the crowd suddenly shouted, "This foreign devil is okay, he's different from what we usually encounter... But he was unlucky enough to meet Mr. Zhang, a man with a big temper. If it had been anyone else, there wouldn't have been this conflict." !”
The owner of the small restaurant's hands were shaking with excitement. It took him a long time to count the change. The teller smiled and finished the business for the old man and then looked up at Simpson!
"This gentleman is okay. He is not as annoying as other foreign devils... Judging from your clothes, you must have come to the Qing Dynasty for an interview, right? Do you rely on your pen to make a living?"
"Tell me, what kind of business do you want to do...Exchange pounds? Simple, how much..."
Simpson could tell from the teller's eyes that he was neither humble nor arrogant, which meant that this man had seen the world and must have a story. As a reporter, if he didn't dig deep into such material, he would be too unqualified!
"Thank you! I'm not sure how much I need to exchange... I'm going to rent a boat from Zhenjiang all the way to Beijing. Can you give me an estimate of how much money I should exchange?"
The teller stuck his head out, "Going to Beijing? At this time? Do you know that His Majesty the Emperor of Beijing is getting married soon. Except for the common people and officials with household registration, no one else can enter the city!"
"Could it be that...you have an invitation?"
Simpson licked his lips excitedly, "Oh! You actually know a lot of news about the capital in Suzhou. It seems that you are not an ordinary person... If you don't mind, I can buy you a drink tonight and ask you for advice..."
The teller looked up at the sky and thought for a while, "You can get the invitation to the emperor's wedding, which means you are not an ordinary person...a reporter from London, right? My guess is correct!"
"If you have this level of status, then you don't need to exchange too many Yingzi... In Zhenjiang, you can just ask the officials about their official ships. Those officials won't mind taking a big reporter like you along the way!"
"You should exchange three to four hundred pounds first. Anyway, there are many banks in the big commercial port next to the canal. If there is not enough, you can exchange it at any time..."
The business was done very quickly. At the current international exchange rate, one pound can be exchanged for about nine Chinese dragon-patterned silver dollars. Simpson exchanged more than 3,000 yuan, of which 200 were in cash and the rest were issued by the Chinese. of Nan Piao banknotes!
After changing the coins, Simpson imitated the Chinese and bowed his hands in a salute, "Don't you know what to call this gentleman?"
Before the teller could speak, the old gentleman who had just deposited the money said, "This gentleman is a celebrity in Suzhou City. He is a disciple of Hu Xueyan, the God of Wealth, and he is also the trusted boss of old shopkeeper Fan Jian!"
"Zhang Xiaowen! Mr. Zhang! Back in Ryukyu, Zhang was the boldest person who dared to complain in front of the head of state!"
Oops, the crowd suddenly exclaimed, some knew him and some didn't, but this name really resonated with his ears. The two escorts were moved and came over to salute with clasped fists!
"It turns out to be Mr. Zhang. Even people in the world have heard of your bold name... Even if we lick blood from the edge of our swords, we seem to be very brave, but if we really see a real dragon like the head of state, our knees will tremble!"
"You dare to file a petition in front of the head of state. This is how courageous you are..." The two bodyguards raised their thumbs!
Simpson knew he had found a treasure as soon as he heard it. He had heard Xiaowen's story in Shanghai. Although he didn't know much about it, he also knew that he was a ruthless character!
"Mr. Zhang... please be sure to show off tonight!"
Zhang Xiaowen was sent to the grassroots level for training by Xiao Letian, just to punish him for the big mistake he almost made before. The investment manager who controlled tens of millions of funds has now become a small bank teller!
Zhang Xiaowen looked up at the old man and said with a smile, "Can your teahouse open as an exception in the evening... Big hot dried shredded silk, Wensi tofu, squirrel mandarin fish, soy sauce pork... Let this foreigner also taste the taste of Suzhou, don't give it to foreigners Sir, save money, he just exchanged it for several thousand silver dollars!"
"Nothing to say, it's all up to me... You can come directly in the evening, I'll let my nephew row the boat and we can go out on the lake to enjoy the scenery..."
The conflict just disappeared. Except for the unlucky Indian boy and the translator, who got hit by a broomstick, everyone else was smiling and waiting for the banquet in the evening!
If you have enough time for a cruise in Suzhou City, Taihu Lake or Yangcheng Lake are of course the best, but Simpson doesn’t have that much time to waste. In the evening, the boat takes them directly to Jinji Lake not far outside the city!
Amidst the sound of oars and the shadows of lights along the way, the leisurely scenery of the Jiangnan water town is mesmerizing. Simpson also enjoyed a few Suzhou and Hangzhou side dishes!
Simpson wanted to know more about China and didn't want to just look at the surface, so he often asked Zhang Xiaowen some questions along the way!
