Under the big tree, Zhang Chi was eating melon and telling the teenagers around him about the outside world. Except for himself, these people had never been to the county seat as far as the county seat and were full of curiosity about the outside world. Even the two yellow cats lying behind

The dog was also there quietly listening to the story.

Lin's father came back from outside the village and saw Zhang Chi. He asked, "Erlang, where is your father?"

Zhang Chi said: "I'm at home. It's too hot today, so I didn't go to the fields."

Father Lin said: "You come home with me quickly! The government has built some kind of supply and marketing cooperative, and they are collecting grain at Daliushu Wharf! Their price is thirty cents per bucket, which is much higher than the price of the grain merchants.

!Sell it quickly to avoid losing money later."

Zhang Chi stood up and went home with Father Lin.

These grain merchants harvest wheat, and the price is getting lower day by day. It used to be fifteen cents per bucket, but it has dropped to ten cents in the past few days. Families that are not in urgent need of money are not selling anymore, and would rather wait. The wheat can be stored.

It won't be bad for a while.

When I got home, my father was watering vegetables in the vegetable garden. Zhang Chi stepped forward and said, "Dad, just now Lin's dad next door said that some government supply and marketing cooperative harvests wheat at the dock of Daliushu Village, and it pays thirty cents a bucket for it! Ask me

Do we want to sell it?"

The father put down the bucket, wiped his hands on his body, and said hurriedly: "Come on, let's go take a look! Thirty cents per bucket is certainly good. The grain merchants have lowered the price to ten cents a few days ago. Which one will be sold to them?"

Zhang Chi was stunned for a moment and said: "Since the price is good, we can just pick up the grain and sell it. Why bother to go see it?"

The father said: "How can we do it without looking at it? There are many ways to do business with the government. I have said such a price, but will I pay it? Will the money be converted into other goods? Is the bucket they use to collect grain big or small?

My child, you can’t just listen to the price.”

Zhang Chi nodded. It seemed that he was still young and was unaware of the many dangers in this world.

After telling their mother, the father and son left the house and walked towards Daliushu Village. There were small roads along the way. It had rained a few days ago and was a bit muddy. Fortunately, the father and son were wearing straw sandals, otherwise they would have spent a lot of time walking along the way.

Shoes are just annoying.

It was noon, and the father and son were tired and thirsty from walking. Halfway through, the father said: "If I had known, I would have brought some water. I would have been so thirsty along the way! We walked faster and reached Daliushu Village to ask for some water.

.”

Zhang Chi said: "There is a soldier with me in Shilipu Village. When you get there, just go to his house to drink."

Father nodded and looked ahead. There was no shade on the road, so he could only sigh. He walked to the roadside and supported the tree, took off his straw sandals, took a branch to clean up the mud, put them on and continued on his way.

When we arrived at Daliushu Village, it was the hottest time of the day. Under the big trees by the river, villagers were standing or squatting in groups of three or three. There were two boats on the dock and a large shed was built on the shore.

Zhang Chi said: "Dad, it's been a hard journey along the way. Let's go get some water."

The father said: "We have arrived at the place. Let's go and take a look first. If it is really thirty coins per bucket, our people are convinced. Although we don't grow as much wheat here as in Dengzhou in the north, this year our family still harvested more than ten stones.

How much money do you have!"

Zhang Chi had no choice but to follow his father to the dock.

There were only three or five households selling grain under the shed, but they were surrounded by people. Apparently they were watching more and selling less.

Walking forward, my father watched for a while and asked a man next to him: "Brother, why are everyone here looking at it? Thirty cents per bucket is a good price this year. If you don't sell it to them, what will you do if you keep the wheat at home?

use?"

The man said: "Thirty coins per bucket, the price is indeed good. The only thing is, they don't give cash, so the folks will inevitably be worried."

"No cash?" My father was surprised. "Then what do they give? We country people have no use asking for those discounted goods."

The man said: "It's not a discount, it's just that they don't give you cash. This supply and marketing cooperative just keeps accounts for you and says you will be paid in a month. This is a newly opened cooperative, who dares to believe them? After a month,

What should I do if I don’t see anyone?”

Father nodded and finally understood what was going on. Accounting? How many people dare to trust them?

Zhang Chi stood there and watched for a while, then saw his father standing still. He said, "Dad, let's go up and ask."

The father said: "What do you have to ask? Didn't you see that the villagers are here to watch? They collected the wheat and didn't give cash. They just kept accounts. They said they would give the money in one month. Where will they be in one month?

Looking for them?"

Zhang Chi said: "I still need to ask clearly. I heard that this supply and marketing cooperative is run by the government?" After speaking, he walked forward.

There was a farmer selling his own wheat there. Zhang Chi saw that the bucket he was using had recently been awarded by the government and was not the old big or small bucket. When measuring, the bucket surface was exactly level, and there were no more tricks like before.

Seeing an official nearby, Zhang Chi stepped forward, crossed his hands and said: "This brother, I am Zhang Chi, is from a nearby village. He is now serving as a soldier in Xinye, and he is going home to visit his relatives during the holiday. I would like to ask, how are the wheat harvested now? Look,

The folks over there just watched and didn't come over to sell wheat."

The official looked Zhang Chi up and down and said: "It turns out you are a soldier, no wonder you have some knowledge. The supply and marketing cooperative was recently opened by the government. There was no capital when it was first opened, so we had to pay debts. Our debts are guaranteed by the government. One month later

The money must be paid back. It’s just that the people in the countryside lack knowledge. The official announcement is here, but they can’t understand it.”

After speaking, he pointed to the wall behind him.

Zhang Chi saw that there was indeed an announcement posted on the wall. He stepped forward and took a closer look. It turned out that it was issued by the Production and Purchase Department and Xiangyang Prefecture together, saying that it was about the establishment of the supply and marketing cooperative. Moreover, it was said that the supply and marketing cooperative was newly established, lacked capital, and needed the people.

There is no need to worry about their debts. As long as there are accounts, even if the supply and marketing cooperative does not come out in the future, the Xiangyang Prefecture will repay the debts.

After reading the article on the list, Zhang Chi said strangely: "Since we said that the government will be the guarantee, why don't the people believe it? If the supply and marketing cooperative fails, the Xiangyang government will not fail. Your thirty cents for a bucket of wheat is much higher than the price of the grain merchants.

"

The official said: "You can't guess what the people are thinking. As soon as someone takes the lead and you tell someone, others won't believe it. In some places, as long as someone in the lead believes it, the rest of the people will rush to get the upper hand.

The land will be sold accordingly. This place is not good."

Zhang Chi looked at several people selling grain and said, "Isn't there someone taking the lead?"

The official laughed and said: "Most of them are upright and senior officials, but the people don't believe them."

Li Zheng, the elders were servants and they would always find a way to get the money back if they owed them money. How could ordinary people do it? So everyone else was watching. The villagers were covetous of such a price, but they didn't

Worried about not getting the money, I stood there very conflicted.

At the Xiangyang pier, Wang Xiaolie watched the porters going up and down, loading the wheat onto the ship. For transportation, Wang Xiaolie had a batch of sacks made, and the wheat was packed in the sacks. Each sack cost two stones.

Easy to transport and easy to count.

Looking at the busy backs of the workers, Wang Xiaolie slowly figured out one thing. Why did grain in this era use buckets and stones to measure, but later generations used weight? When retailing, it is not troublesome to use buckets and stones when weighing less.

It’s very convenient. But it’s very inconvenient when doing large transactions like this. Wheat is put into sacks, and it’s very convenient to weigh it. Can’t the capacity be calculated clearly only by pouring it out?

Chen Yuyi came over and whispered to Wang Xiaolie: "Observe, it took seven or eight days to collect 150,000 dan. Several grain merchants were whispering over there, wondering if we didn't have that much grain."

Wang Xiaolie said: "It's normal to have various thoughts when doing business for the first time. No matter what they think, the business will still have to go on. By the time I come next time, there should be more."

"Why?"

Wang Xiaolie said: "This time we collected grain because we had to pay the bills first, and the supply and marketing cooperative did not give cash. How can the people believe it without cash? After all, we only have less than a year in Xiangyang, and our credit is not very good.

.It will be different when the grain merchants transport the grain back and give us money. Only when the supply and marketing cooperative pays off the debt and sees cash will the people's minds change."

Chen Yuyi nodded and understood what Wang Xiaolie meant.

In these years of war and chaos, the credibility of the government is really not very good. If you collect grain and don’t give money, why should the people trust you? So now there are more people waiting and watching, and fewer people actually selling grain. When the supply and marketing cooperative pays back the money,

Only then can people's confidence be enhanced.

There is not such a large fleet on the Han River that can transport one or two million stones of grain at a time, let alone grain merchants. To buy grain from Xiangyang, grain merchants can only transport it in batches. Every time they come, the confidence of the people will increase.
Chapter completed!