Phi-Fic Chapter 102 Exchanging Silver
Chapter 102 Exchanging Silver
Da Hu indeed followed Si Erlang in a horse-drawn carriage to the county town.
While in the car, Si Erlang asked Da Hu what Cheng Ruoan had said to him outside the medicine shed before he got in the car.
Da Hu didn't hide anything, only saying that his third aunt and third uncle had both advised him to learn martial arts from Chief Escort Qi.
As for the fact that the third branch of the family helped him pay his tuition, his third uncle had told him long ago not to tell anyone else in the family.
He only said that his master, Qi, the head镖师 (bodyguard), had taken a liking to him and was willing to let him learn the trade first. The tuition would be paid back with his wages each month after he became a镖师 (bodyguard).
Unaware of the crucial details, Si Erlang began cursing and swearing as he drove after hearing Da Hu's explanation.
"Your third aunt was just doing you a favor. She knew you wanted to learn, so she just casually said those things."
But she doesn't think about your eldest son's family at all. She doesn't even consider that your parents are gone, your eldest sister is almost of marriageable age, and your brother will need to take medicine for several months. We don't even know if he will be able to help with chores like before.
"And your younger sister is still so young. You're the only one who can carry on the family line. If you leave, what will happen to the rest of the eldest son's family?"
Da Hu was getting annoyed and retorted, "Second Uncle, if Er Shuan or Er Zhu had the opportunity to learn a skill for free, would you also advise them to think about their family and not go?"
“Of course not…” Si Erlang blurted out, but then changed the subject, “Your situation is different.”
"Your second aunt and I are still here in the second wife's household, so their absence won't have any impact."
Da Hu shrugged: "Regardless of the situation, my older sister and brother also told me the same thing: if there's such a great opportunity to learn a skill, then go for it."
As for the issue of the eldest son's family's status... Second Uncle, our Si family hasn't split up yet, has it?
Why do we have to bring up the number of rooms and how many rooms there are?
With your second, third, and fourth uncles supporting the Si family, there's no need for a junior like me to carry the family name.
Besides, what happens to our main branch of the family is something my parents should care about and be responsible for.
They are simply gone, not dead.
Second Uncle, the advice you gave me sounded really strange.
Sijiro:......
He knew before that among the entire main branch of the family, besides Xia Shi, only Da Hu was quick-witted.
But unexpectedly, after fleeing all the way, Da Hu's speaking skills have become even better.
Whether Da Hu goes to the escort agency to learn martial arts or not doesn't have a significant impact on their second branch of the family.
Once the land at home is cleared, everyone will farm it together. Even if one big tiger is missing, it's not a big problem.
Si Erlang decided to keep quiet; silence is golden.
And so, the carriage traveled quietly and leisurely towards the county town.
Meanwhile, in the county town, Si Shaoheng took Zhao to the clinic. After picking up the medicine according to Doctor Hu's prescription, they did not leave immediately.
He had the clinic find a female doctor, then gave her Dr. Hu's moxibustion prescription, and after making the arrangements, he said to Zhao:
"Mother, the main reason I brought you to the county town today is to find a female doctor to perform moxibustion on those acupoints on your body that Dr. Hu can't easily access. You can stay here and get the moxibustion done while I go take care of some things."
Madam Zhao exclaimed, "San'er, what business are you going to take care of?"
“I’m going to help Dr. Hu exchange some cash. He said Daxi Village is damp and he’s worried that the banknotes will spoil if left for too long.”
Si Shaoheng could lie without batting an eye.
The silver notes naturally did not belong to Doctor Hu, but were obtained by him and Cheng Ruoan through two "robberies".
Moreover, silver notes won't spoil if stored away, but bearer silver notes still carry some risk, so it's always better to exchange them for cash if possible.
After thinking about it, Zhao realized that it made sense. She quickly took out two fifty-tael silver notes from the sole of her shoe and handed her personal seal to Si Shaoheng.
"Third son, could you help your mother exchange the silver too?"
"it is good."
In Daxia, there are two types of banknotes. One type is a registered banknote. This type of banknote is used to deposit and withdraw silver at money shops and banks. It is not enough to just look at the piece of paper. Instead, you need to check whether the seal of the account holder matches the one on the banknote.
Another type of bearer banknote does not require a stamp; you can simply take it and exchange it for silver.
But if the amount is too large, it will be recorded in the money lending agency's little red book.
This means that if the government wants to investigate the flow of a large sum of money and goes to the money exchange, the people listed in the little red book will be the first batch of suspects to be investigated.
The couple robbed the bank twice, obtaining approximately six thousand taels of unregistered silver notes.
However, they exchanged supplies at every city they passed through along the way, and there were still more than a thousand taels of silver notes left to exchange. Cheng Ruoan asked him to come out today to exchange them for gold so that he could take them back to study.
After all, the "little gold mine" in the space can't just be left to gather ashes.
Both of them wanted to see the difference between the gold in Daxia and that small gold mountain, and whether the gold in the villa could be sold for cash.
Si Shaoheng went to two different money shops and exchanged the bearer banknotes and Zhao's banknotes respectively.
The gold-silver exchange rate in the Great Xia Dynasty was one to ten. Si Shaoheng exchanged his 1,200 taels of silver notes for two gold nails and four silver ingots.
The Zhao family only had two silver ingots.
After exchanging the money, he returned to the clinic to find Zhao Shi, just in time to see Si Erlang arriving with Da Hu.
There was more than one clinic in the county town, but when Dr. Hu asked Zhao to come to the county town to get medicine and moxibustion, he told her the name of the clinic: Baicaotang.
It was said during a meal, so naturally everyone heard it.
As soon as Zhao Shi and Si Shaoheng saw Da Hu, they knew the child was going to find Chief Escort Qi. Before they could say anything, Si Erlang spoke first:
"Dahu, you've already seen your grandma. Let your third uncle take you to find Chief Escort Qi. Don't delay their journey."
Si Shaoheng raised his eyebrows slightly.
Clearly, Si Erlang had something to say to Zhao Shi and was trying to get him out of the way.
“Third Uncle…” Da Hu looked at Si Shaoheng with a hesitant expression.
Once he decided to become an apprentice, he was afraid of missing the departure time of Chief Escort Qi and his men.
Si Shaoheng nodded and gave Zhao Shi the two silver ingots. "Mother, I'll take Da Hu there first."
"Hey...hey, alright, Da Hu, take good care of yourself. Since you've followed your master all the way to the northern lands as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), remember to come home and visit." Zhao Shi clutched her two silver ingots, her eyes filled with reluctance to part with her eldest grandson.
But in the end, he wasn't so reluctant as to give his eldest grandson a silver ingot for protection.
Da Hu didn't care at all. After saying goodbye to Zhao Shi and Si Erlang, he followed Si Shaoheng.
As soon as the two left, Si Erlang's eyes fell on the silver ingots in Zhao's arms, his greed barely concealed: "Mother..."
"If you're eyeing my dowry money, then don't call me mother." Zhao Shi said bluntly.
When parents scold their son, there's no need for politeness.
Sijiro:......
“Mother, I didn’t. I wanted to tell you about that Cheng Shi…”
After Si Shaoheng led Da Hu out of the street where Baicaotang was located, he took out a silver ingot from his pocket and secretly stuffed it into Da Hu's belt.
Big Tiger: !!!
He looked up at his third uncle in disbelief.
But Uncle San simply said, "You're almost an adult now. Calmness and composure are what adults should be like."
Da Hu tried to remain calm: "I...I've never seen so much money before, Third Uncle."
What a huge, plump, white gold ingot!
It must be about ten taels, right?
"You'll be learning your craft from the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), and you won't be able to go home for a long time. Fifty taels isn't much as a means of survival."
Big Tiger: !!!
But Si Shaoheng thought for a moment and added, "When you see Chief Escort Qi later, I'll put another fifty taels with him for you. I'll keep it all for you in case you lose it."