The Five Jieku (pawnshop, called Jieku in the Song Dynasty) opened in Bazhou City is an important source of wealth for the Ding family. Ding Hao is now also the inspector of the Five Jieku, but every time he goes to the city, it is mostly for
When the Ding family went to buy things, most of the time they just took a stroll around, drank tea and chatted with the first shopkeeper and the second shopkeeper. Sometimes he was very bored, so he ignored his status and went to hang out with the shop assistants.
Let’s watch them make money together.
Guanpu is a gambling method in the Song Dynasty, similar to modern dice. The only difference is that they use copper coins. Tossing dice depends on the number of points. Tossing copper coins depends on the number on the face and the back. If the money is thrown, the number on the back is the same.
, is called "pure". If it is all on the back, it is called "pure", which is equivalent to the "leopard" in throwing dice, killing all.
Ding Hao hung out with them for some days, and with his quick mind, he actually figured out some tricks. He occasionally played tricks with the shop assistants, and actually lost less and won more. If Ding Hao lost, he treated everyone as a tea, and if he won, he would win.
He then spread the money back, so the guys were very kind to him.
On the surface, Ding Hao's inspection of the treasury is just a day's work as a monk, but Ding Hao is a very serious monk. Since Ding Tingxun entrusted him with the task of inspection of the treasury (pawn shop), he will try his best to carry out this task.
Done well, no matter what the old fox's intentions were, he believed that he should have a clear conscience. These days, he just wants to master some rules and inside stories of the pawn industry that he is not familiar with as soon as possible.
Now, he is finally ready to take action. Today he is going to Zhutou Jieku. Jieku is a pawn shop, but Zhutou is not mocking the customers who come in to pawn, but because this Jieku is located in Zhutou Hutong. The reputation of Zhutou Hutong is
It is said to be famous because there used to be a pork head meat vendor at the entrance of this alley. Now the pig head meat vendor has disappeared, and the original deli in a dilapidated thatched house has been replaced by a bright and grand courtyard.
, this courtyard is the Dingjia Jieku, but this alley is still called Zhutou Hutong.
The street in front of Zhutou Hutong is now the most prosperous downtown area in Bazhou City and is a very lively place. However, the profit of Zhutou Jieku among the five Jieku of the Ding family is only slightly higher than that of the one in Beicheng slum area.
A little higher, far lower than the other three companies. Ding Hao felt that if there were no operational flaws, then this company must have more serious problems.
Zhutou Jieku is built in a very grand style. The courtyard is made of blue tiles and white walls, and inside is a large tile-roofed house with three entrances and three exits. There are two welcoming willow trees in front of the door, and the willow branches have just spit out a little bright yellow. The vermilion door is painted so that you can see it.
There are two large yellow door knockers on the door, the steps are made of granite, there is a pole to hang a lantern on the left side of the door, and a horse hitching post on the right side of the door. The sign on the lintel reads "Pig Head Release Library"
There are four big characters, and above it is a pattern of "bats and rats hanging money" made of green bricks, smoothed with white ash and painted in color.
One was poor, the other was rich, and three and four opened pawnshops. Pawnshops have been a very profitable industry since ancient times, and the facade was naturally built with extraordinary style. Ding Hao and Xi Zhuer were familiar with the roads, and walked in immediately when they got to the place, crossing the height that was almost knee-high.
At the threshold, I saw an old woman with white hair, bending over and sweeping the yard slowly.
When Ding Hao saw her, he smiled and said, "Grandma Liu is so diligent, and the ground is already so clean, do you still need to sweep it?"
When the old woman looked up and saw him, a smile suddenly appeared on her face: "It turns out to be Brother Hao, haha, you haven't been here for two days."
This woman was about sixty years old. She was wearing an underskirt and a undershirt. She was still in good spirits. Ding Hao greeted her with a smile and saw a rattan basket in the yard, containing leftover soil and sundries.
The old woman was about to lift it up, so she stepped forward to hold the handle and helped her lift the basket behind the door. Then she nodded politely and walked towards the warehouse.
Ding Hao, the steward, has no airs. He is as polite as the housekeepers and is especially considerate to the elderly. These elderly servants treat him as their own nephew. They don’t even call him Steward Ding, they only call him Brother Hao.
, although a little less respectful, but very kind.
The pawn shop was quiet and dimly lit, with a high counter and a fence that reached the roof. Ding Hao walked to the small window, raised his head and lightly tapped on the window panel. A person inside the counter slowly explored the pawn shop.
Come forward. It was a waiter. When he saw Ding Hao, he shouted in surprise: "Oh, Manager Ding, you are here. Please wait a moment. I will open the door right now."
The waiter hurried to the door, opened the side door and said with a smile: "Manager Ding, Brother Xue, please come in quickly."
"Haha, is Manager Ding here?" A man came out after hearing the sound. He was in his early fifties, lean and smart, dressed in a green robe, starched and straight, with his hair combed neatly.
Ding Hao hurriedly cupped his hands and said with a smile: "It belongs to Shopkeeper Xu."
In the Song Dynasty, the official rank was Chaofeng Lang, who held the title of doctor. Folks also used Chaofeng to honor scholars. Therefore, the head of a pawnshop at this time was not called Chaofeng, but was generally called shopkeeper or manager. Shopkeeper Xu was called Xu Muchen, an old man in the Ding family.
The shopkeeper has been managing this pawn shop for the Ding family.
Ding Hao saluted, and Shopkeeper Xu's serious face moved slightly. He nodded politely and said: "Manager Ding, why do you have time to come here today? Sit down, someone is here, why don't you serve tea quickly?
."
"Haha, you're welcome, Mr. Xu. Mr. Ding is here to take stock of the warehouse. He has to buy some things in a while, so he can't stay long."
Shopkeeper Xu paused while stroking his beard, his old eyes flashed, his eyebrows slightly raised, and then he smiled slightly: "Oh? Is Manager Ding going to take inventory today?"
Ding Hao observed his every move and said with a faint smile: "Yes, I have been on this inspection mission for some time. If I don't check once, it will be difficult for my boss to explain to me. Old shopkeeper, do you think this is the case?"
"
Xu Muchen laughed, nodded repeatedly and said: "What Manager Ding said is, Zhizhou, you accompany Manager Ding... go to our warehouse and have a look, I'm guarding the front store."
The second shopkeeper is called Wang Zhizhou, he is in his thirties, a very shrewd and capable man. Ever since Ding Hao came in, he has been standing at the door leading to the inner hall. Hearing the instructions from the big shopkeeper, he nodded quickly: "Manager Ding
,this way please……"
The warehouse of this warehouse is not small. There are five houses in a row. The things pawned by the people are stored in categories. Each room is arranged on the left and right according to the dead pawned and the live pawned. After the redemption period has passed, there are still no pawned things.
The live pawn items that use the tickets to redeem the pawned items are replaced with dead pawn labels and placed on the other side.
It can be seen that the two old stewards of the Ding family are good at pawning. Judging from the account book, many pawned items can be collected at very low prices and resold at extremely high profits. Ding Hao carefully followed the account book
He was counting the inventory item by item. Manager Wang looked at him with a rather strange look: "Strange, hasn't this Ding Hao never read a book? How can he read the account book by himself? Could it be...that the rumor is true? This
Have people really been enlightened by the Fox Fairy?"
Ding Haohun didn't notice the strange look in Manager Wang's eyes. He grew up in an orphanage as a child and didn't have many recreational activities, so he read books when he had free time. He read a lot of books, including many tomes in traditional Chinese characters, which he read for a long time.
Many words can understand their simplified meanings, but he has not learned them word for word. When he is asked to read them, he will know which words they are. If he is asked to write them, it will be difficult to write them because of the lack of strokes and drawings.
Ding Hao checked it carefully for a long time, then turned to Wang Zhizhou with a frown: "Manager Wang, there seems to be something wrong with this account..."
Manager Wang was stunned for a moment: "Ah? What's wrong?"
"Steward Wang, look, this pair of copper vases with golden carps playing in the water, and these three sets of unlined clothes, are all living things. They haven't expired yet, so how come they were transferred to the items for sale?"
Manager Wang laughed dryly and said: "Oh, what did I think it was? Manager Ding, you don't know something. Our shop has been operating for many years, and we know the background of the people who come to pawn often."
Although some people are pawning things, they don't have the money to redeem the things at all, so... if they sell them in advance, the funds can be returned earlier. Haha, last winter, when Guangyuan was transporting grain, the boss was big
It hurts our vitality, we servants have to be careful in managing things, don’t we?”
Ding Hao thought for a moment, shook his head and said: "Manager Wang, Ding is indeed not very proficient in the pawn industry, but... I still know that the price of a living pawn is lower than a dead pawn. They know full well that they will not have the money to redeem it when it expires.
How could you choose to be a good person?"
Manager Wang was a little impatient, and said with a smile: "Manager Ding, you are young after all. I don't know that some people are not self-aware. They always think that they have some abilities and will have ways to solve problems when the time comes. The result is of course
The loss is even worse. Hahaha, if these people don't know the basics, how can we make so much money by opening the warehouse? The people who pawned clothes and copper bottles are all people nearby, and we know their basics, Manager Ding
Just don’t worry.”
When Ding Hao listened to him speaking, he seemed to be talking about the pawnbroker, but his words always seemed to be stabbing him, but he didn't feel dissatisfied. He just smiled lightly and said: "Perhaps, according to Wang's stewardship, he can sell the things earlier.
, the funds can be withdrawn as soon as possible, but... once someone really has money and wants to redeem the original item, what should they do then? Buy an item of equal value to compensate? I don’t think there is a saying of double compensation. This
If the estimate is wrong, the benefit of early sales may not be worth the compensation. Besides, it will also damage our reputation in releasing the warehouse, right?"
Steward Wang stopped smiling, gritted his teeth and said coldly: "Steward Ding, are you accusing me of not being able to do things?"
Ding Hao raised his eyebrows and said, neither humble nor arrogant, "How dare you? I'm just talking about things. Isn't that right?"
In the outer hall, Steward Xu heard the high-pitched voice inside and walked in quickly, asking hurriedly: "What happened?"
"Chief steward, we have tried our best for the Ding family. It's a good thing, but steward Ding has been left with nothing. Look, this pair of copper bottles and the three sets of unlined clothes are all so-called things that will definitely not be redeemed.
When I said we should sell the goods in advance, you agreed to it, Manager Ding, but now Manager Ding doesn’t agree with it.”
"Oh, so that's why. Haha, Manager Ding, you have never pawned, so you don't know the intricacies of it. According to the rules, the pawned items cannot be sold before they expire, but these few items
They can't redeem things. I've been doing this for forty years, and I'm still not sure about this? Do you think..."
"I'm sorry, Shopkeeper Xu, maybe what you said is right. But what do I do as an inspector? I investigate these unruly things. If I were in your old position, maybe I would also
If you do this, you are not in your position, and you are not pursuing political affairs. Since you are in your position, you must fulfill your duties faithfully. Shopkeeper Xu, please understand my difficulties."
Xu Muchen's face slowly darkened. Ding Hao pointed to the account book and said: "If it is not due for a day, it cannot be sold. This is the rule written in black and white on it. This Jieku has been open for ten years. If you want to
If it opens for another ten years, or even fifty years, or a hundred years, then this rule cannot be broken. If there is nothing else to mention, if someone knows that Jiekuli has handled the goods in advance and uses this loophole to blackmail, it is not a loss.
?”
Shopkeeper Xu said with a stern face: "What does Yi Ding mean by taking charge?"
Ding Hao smiled like a shy girl, but his voice was unmistakable: "It's not according to my wishes, but according to the rules. No one that has not expired can be sold!"
