Infrastructure masters in the red building

Wang Erlang and Zhao Wuguang happily went to the house of Tao Village Chief in Taoyuan Village, the tall and magnificent building on stilts, and climbed up to the second floor.

On the second floor of the stilted building, an office area has been abruptly separated, with desks and chairs placed.When Jia Fang came, he liked to sit behind that table and talk to the villagers.If Wang Erlang and the others came early, they could still sit on the row of "beauties" facing the street on the stilted building for a while, waiting to talk to Jia Fang.

But this time when Wang Erlang and Zhao Wuguang came over, they smelled the smell of wine as soon as they went upstairs.As soon as their eyes wandered over the floor, they saw Zhang Youshi, who worked in Xiaoxiang Academy and always looked handsome on weekdays, lying on the floor with his arms and legs spread out.

Wang Erlang and Zhao Wuguang: ...

They had never seen Zhang Youshi's face before.

Jia Fang sat behind the desk, waved to the two of them, and said, "Come on, leave him alone!"

The two of them came up on tiptoe, and when they passed by Zhang Youshi, they walked around cautiously, but they saw Zhang Youshi kicked his feet suddenly, and chanted loudly: "Ten years of hard work, no one asks, and you will become famous all over the world in one fell swoop!"

Wang Erlang asked Jia Fang curiously: "Could it be that Mr. Zhang won the exam?"

Jia Fang shook his head and smiled, "No, he was just making an analogy." As he spoke, Jia Fang picked up a booklet on the table and said, "Only by this, Mr. Zhang is already famous even if he doesn't win the exam. The world is over."

Wang Erlang tilted his head to look at the title of the booklet: "Report on Blood Prevention?"

Jia Fang: "Recently, I have learned well in the literacy class."

Wang Erlang said a few words of humility quickly, and sat down opposite Jia Fang together with Zhao Wuguang.

Jia Fang cleared his throat: "Talk about the business. Now it's time to pay inspection allowances, but I want to tell you that there is a shortage of copper coins in the village now, so I decided to use these 'circulation notes' instead of copper coins." , I will give you allowances."

"Do you recognize these denominations?"

Jia Fang put "circulation coupons" of four denominations in front of the two of them.Both Wang and Zhao have been in the "literacy class" for a period of time. They can recognize the three characters "circulation coupon", as well as the denominations such as "five texts" and "ten texts".

But the question is - if you don't give them copper coins, will they use this thing?

Jia Fang reached out and pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "I had no choice but to do this—you can also see that the problem in Taoyuan Village is not that there is no money, but that there is no suitable money for everyone to spend."

As he spoke, he took out an ingot of silver, threw it on the table with a "thump", and said, "I can indeed distribute this to you, but this is the subsidy for your entire inspection team. If you can divide it into more than a dozen people I’ll let you figure it out for yourself.”

A silver ingot was thrown on the table, next to a stack of colorful papers.

"Tell me, which one do you want?"

Wang Erlang and Zhao Wuguang couldn't help but look at each other, obviously they couldn't make up their minds.

Just as they were hesitating, they suddenly heard Zhang Youshi lying on the floor behind him reciting loudly: "There will be times when the wind and waves break, hang the clouds and sail straight to the sea... The spring breeze is proud of the horseshoe, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day."

Wang Erlang thought at once: Mr. Zhang looked like a down-and-out scholar at first, but after coming all the way to Taoyuan Village, he listened to Mr. Jia's words, and now he is proud and promising, and he can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.Doesn't this mean that following Master Jia is right?

As soon as this thought changed, Wang Erlang immediately realized, and immediately said: "Need to circulate!"

His "inspection allowance" was also given by Jia Fang, and now he should obediently accept whatever Jia Fang gives him!

At the same time that Wang Erlang spoke, Zhao Wuguang also spoke almost at the same time, and said in unison with Wang Erlang, "Circular coupons!"

It was rare for the two to be so "consistent" for a while, looking at each other, they both understood their thoughts, and then turned their faces to look at Jia Fang.

"Very good!" Jia Fang pushed the stack of circulation coupons in front of the two of them. "Here is a circulation coupon for two dongs, which happens to be the allowance of your entire team for the past few days. Follow your little ones, and explain for me."

Wang Erlang and Zhao Wuguang were a little dumbfounded.The two of them are fighting to avoid this little "subsidy", but also to curry favor with Jia Fang.But now, the few younger ones who were with them also need them to persuade them?

The two looked at each other again.

Jia Fang smiled and said: "I believe you have a way to explain this matter clearly. However, if you fail, you can also come back to me, and I can still help you exchange these circulation certificates for silver. It's just that the entire process How to divide the ingots of silver, you have to figure out your own way."

Wang Erlang let out a "huh" and asked, "Master Jia, can this circulation coupon...can really be exchanged for silver?"

Jia Fang nodded: "Yes!"

As soon as he turned around, he took out a box from behind, opened it, and showed them the white taels in the box.

"Help me spread the word. I, Jia Fang, in this Taoyuan village, put as many circulation notes as there are silver deposits. If you want to exchange these circulation notes into money, I can't do it for copper coins. Yes, but there is plenty of silver, if you get enough coupons of one thousand Wen, I will give you a tael of silver, no fools."

Wang Erlang and Zhao Wuguang both stood up immediately, and together they cupped their hands at Jia Fang: "Mr. Jia has already talked about this, what else do we have to say?"

"This matter is on our two brothers."

"By the way, is "Menxue Mathematics" almost finished? You people, how do you divide up these coupons? Do you know how to divide them? Do you want to divide them in front of me? If you can’t find them, I’ll go and exchange them for you. What time?" Finally Jia Fang asked again.

Wang Erlang's arithmetic was very clever. He only flipped through the banknotes and said, "Don't worry, the third master, we can separate them. Wuguang and I each receive 150 Wen. We take two fifty Wen, three ten Wen, and four. Zhang Wuwen, other people's allowance is [-] Wen, take a piece of [-] Wen, a piece of [-] Wen, a piece of [-] Wen. It's just right!"

After he finished the calculations, Zhao Wuguang was still in a daze.

Jia Fang nodded: "Very well, go ahead, it may be difficult for you to spend the first time using this circulation coupon, try to explain it clearly to the other party, especially the part I just said, the redemption, please don't be afraid , just find the 'financial office' to exchange."

Both of them took a sigh of relief, and then said goodbye to Jia Fang, carefully walked around Zhang Youshi who was drunk on the ground, and left the Taoyuan Village office.

Only then did Jia Fang close the silver box next to him, looked towards the firepit, and said, "Old man Jin, old man Tu, please come out!"

He put the box containing the silver and the box containing the negotiable notes on the table, pushed a thick account book over, and said in his mouth: "From now on, the 'financial office' will point to you two. gone."

While saying this, Jia Fang also felt a little humorous in his heart: for a while, the so-called "Taoyuan Village" financial office will be supported by these two.

These two are the "talents" that Jia Fang discovered during his "basic examination".He found these two full-score test papers among the arithmetic test papers full of zeros, and hurriedly invited someone to ask them, only to find out that one used to be a pawnbroker, and the other was a cashier for an old rich landlord.

So Jia Fang invited these two to come out of the mountain.When he explained the main purpose of the Financial Office's issuance of "negotiable notes", the two of them understood immediately without asking too many questions.One thought it was feasible, while the other was a little hesitant, not sure if the villagers would accept it.

"We have to try whether we can accept it or not. We can't stop working or doing business in the village just because there are not enough copper coins." Jia Fang tried to persuade them, and they both agreed to give it a try.Therefore, Jia Fang named the director of the "Financial Office", both of whom are deputy directors.

"But there is one thing, since we are going to do this, we must keep financial discipline. These are the reserves for Taoyuanzhai to issue so many circulation coupons. My requirement is that the reserves must be sufficient, and no big guys use them. The negotiable notes cannot be exchanged for silver taels."

"In addition, you two, those who manage accounts don't care about money, and those who manage money don't care about accounts. I think both of you are clear about the old rules of this business?"

Accounts and facts are separated, and responsibilities are incompatible. Jia Fang still has basic common sense about this.At this time, it is necessary to hit the two people with a few words: "I will send someone to check the account book and the physical objects regularly. If the two are not correct, or if there is something wrong with the negotiable notes and the silver, I will definitely investigate."

"As the saying goes, the waves behind the Yangtze River drive the waves ahead, and many of those young graduates have the potential to do this job. If the two of you feel that this position is not bad, you must keep the money well and calculate the accounts accurately. Otherwise I would consider promoting young people instead of using you two."

The two shopkeepers listened obediently to Jia Fang's words.Jia Fang knew: they were both old, and it was a bit impossible to open up wasteland, plow the land, and build houses like the young boys in the village.

But now this "financial office" job, Jia Fang has made it clear that this is a "public job" that guarantees income from droughts and floods. As long as they don't lose the chain and don't steal from themselves, this job will always be theirs.

Moreover, among the two, Lao Tu, who is in charge of the "real things", that is, silver and circulation coupons, his only son was just cured by Zhang Youshi with Artemisia annua a while ago, and now he is always talking about Jia Fang and Zhang Youshi's life-saving grace, There should be no other thoughts.

Sure enough, after Jia Fang finished speaking, the two old shopkeepers promised Jia Fang in unison: "I will obey the order of the third master."

Wang Erlang and Zhao Wuguang distributed the "circulation notes" to the ten subordinates who followed them, counted them one by one, and then handed them over to confirm the currency value on the circulation notes.

The subordinates all looked at each other in blank dismay: "Is it true that you won't give copper coins this time?"

Zhao Wuguang nodded painfully.

Those subordinates immediately said: "Forget it, just treat the past ten days as a waste of work for everyone. What do you want to use this floral paper for?"

Wang Erlang was more active, and said, "Don't... let's take this 'circulation coupon' first, and have a look in the stockade to see if we can exchange things."

"Let's go, let's go to the cafeteria in Sancun." Wang Erlang yelled, and when it was time for dinner, a dozen people began to sing in unison.So the big guys went to the "Sancun Canteen" together with the circulation coupons they just got.

Now there are more and more people making meals in the "Sancun Canteen" on a daily basis. These aunts and ladies in the canteen can be busy all day, and the food they cook is not enough for the customers.

Wang Erlang touched the circulation coupons and copper coins in his pocket, thought for a while, and summoned up the courage to step forward, first called "Ma'am" affectionately, and then said, "Give me a five-cent piece."

"Okay!" A five-cent meal was poured into a blue and white sea bowl and handed to Wang Erlang. The cook with a large spoon commanded, "go over there and pay—" -Next!"

Wang Erlang held the blue-and-white bowl carefully, he was not willing to eat five Wen on weekdays, and it was only three Wen as a cushion.It's rare to be extravagant today, but it also depends on whether the other party is willing to accept his circulation coupons.

In front of the woman collecting the money, Wang Erlang took out a circulation coupon with a face value of "five coins" and handed it over without confidence.

The woman was obviously taken aback, took it over, looked at it carefully, then brought it to her eyes, looked at the details on the paper with wide eyes, then read it over and over several times, finally stretched out her fingers and flicked it, listening After hearing the sound, she put the circulation note into her money box.

This is... done?

"Sister-in-law... this circulation coupon..." Wang Erlang was a little tongue-tied, as if he didn't know how to explain it.

"Accepted." Without raising her eyes, the woman turned her head to look at the other side: "Next."

Wang Erlang never expected that the "Three Village Canteen" would accept his circulation coupons without saying a word.Is it that simple?

Soon, Zhao Wuguang also bought a "five Wen coins", and the two went to the chopstick cage together, each took a pair of chopsticks, squatted on the ground and began to eat.

Unexpectedly, behind the two of them, a younger brother in the inspection team took out a circulation coupon with a face value of five Wen, saying that he wanted food for three Wen.

——That’s right, if you have three Wen, who would be willing to eat five Wen?

Wang Erlang immediately forgot to eat, holding the bowl and staring at the woman collecting the money.He is very clear: the minimum denomination of the "subsidy" issued to the younger brothers is only five cents.This little boy, once he bought this three-cent meal, he would need two copper coins from the "Sancun Canteen".

When it was time to check out, Wang Erlang squatted behind his younger brother, his heart pounding, his eyes staring straight at the woman, watching whether the woman would accept her or not, and whether she was looking for it or not.The same is true for Zhao Wuguang, who pushed Wang Erlang with his elbow, but his eyes were all on the hands of the woman who collected the money.

"what?"

"real!"

I saw that the woman really found two copper coins and handed them to the younger brother.The little brother put it in his pocket with great care, and only then did he hear the woman say with a pleasant face: "Little brother, is this a payment from the superior? Please visit our house more often in the future!"

The younger brother gave a loud "hmm" and ran to Wang Erlang's side, imitating his two elders, squatting down and starting to eat.

After a while, all members of the inspection team got meals in exchange for circulation coupons.Wang Erlang was full of joy, knowing that the "subsidy" in his pocket was enough to feed him in the canteen for a month.

He lined up with the team members and squatted to eat in front of the ladies in the cafeteria.No one came over for a while, and the woman who collected the money was busy counting.

"Old Xing's family has almost received a thousand-wen circulation coupon." The woman at the cash register shouted at the woman in charge of the spoon.

One thousand Wen, that is, two or three hundred meals.With the daily flow of people in the "Sancun Canteen", this is really trivial.

"Sister Pang, see if you want to go directly to Mr. Jia and exchange a tael of silver with him?"

Sister Pang thought for a while and said, "I don't think it's necessary. After all, we still have to use the money to buy materials. People in the village send us rice, grain, vegetables, and it's not easy to use the whole ingot of silver. "

The old Xing family said: "It seems that these flower papers are actually better than silver."

Sister Pang said: "It's also easier to use than copper coins. Hanging money is always heavy. With this flower paper, it's just a light stack."

Wang Erlang, who was listening on the side, did not forget the important task of "promotion" entrusted to him by Jia Fang, and hurriedly said: "Sister Pang, don't always make flowers and papers, these are called 'circulation coupons'."

Sister Pang gave a "hmm" and said, "Okay, circulation coupons."

The old Xing's family asked again: "Your flowers... circulation coupons, what if others don't recognize them when you go to buy them?"

Sister Pang: "If other people don't recognize me, I will give you copper coins. We can't force others to accept this kind of coupons. We collected too many coupons. When we can't spend them, we will go to Mr. Jia and exchange them for vain money. "

Sister Pang didn't forget to add: "But sooner or later they will discover the benefits of this thing. I guess in the future, apart from going to nearby fairs, we won't have to bring so many copper coins, at most we can bring a few as change."

Old Xing's family nodded along, "I heard that Mr. Jia also meant the same thing."

After the discussion, the women sighed together: "I didn't catch up with the distribution of those lands earlier. After all, my family didn't have an acre that could grow [-] catties of crops-now who would have thought that the money earned from opening this cafeteria would be more expensive than planting crops?" Much more land."

"That's right, it's earlier than getting the money for farming. Those families that have divided the land have no money yet!"

Wang Erlang recognized these women from the three villages, and knew that they were the pillars of the family who were not in good health, or there were some old and some young.He seemed to understand the benefits of Mr. Jia's encouragement to "start a business with your own strengths" last time.

"Hey, how do you say it, but what to do now is not making money? Mr. Jia sent a settling allowance and lent us money to build a house. Now every household is built, even if it is to help someone move two yuan Bricks, and you can get a few small coins. No one will worry about lack of work. Anyway, I can deal with it during this period of winter leisure."

"Yes, I used to worry that the copper coins were not enough, and I was helping others for nothing. Now, no, there are circulation coupons for it."

"I also heard that there will be so many people in our Taoyuan village in the future, so we don't have to go to the neighboring towns to go to the market. It's straightforward—on the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, we will set up a fair in our Taoyuan village. If outsiders want to come, they have to use our Flower... Circulation coupons!"

"Is it also used by outsiders?"

"Yes," Sister Pang said confidently, "outsiders come to trade with us, and they also use negotiable notes. At most, they can be exchanged for copper coins at one go when they leave the village."

Wang Erlang interrupted suddenly excitedly, and said: "Yes... If they think it's a waste of time and don't bother to exchange the circulation coupons, they can just save the circulation coupons and use them next time. Wouldn't the circulation coupons be spread to other villages? ?”

He didn't know that if Jia Fang heard about this idea, he would surely sigh and think: In this way, the total amount of currency issued will have to be recalculated again.