Chapter 9

The business deal was finalized, and in the end, Shopkeeper Shi couldn't resist Yang Feng's terms and made the transaction at the price Yang Feng proposed. Following this, Shopkeeper Shi sent a few of his assistants to follow Yang Feng to the Lai Fu Inn, where they carried away the two boxes of mirrors Yang Feng had brought. After inspection, it turned out that Yang Feng had brought a total of 137 mirrors of different styles, for which he received 3,580 taels of silver.

With the mirrors sold, Yang Feng was now troubled by the pile of silver in front of him. After all, there were no paper bills during the Ming Dynasty. In the early Ming, the government did issue a form of paper money called Baochao, but the founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, did not understand that issuing paper money required a reserve. In simple terms, for every 1,000 cash notes issued, there needed to be 1 tael of silver in the treasury. This way, the paper money would not depreciate.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang, who came from a poor background, had no idea about this. Whenever he needed money, he would print Baochao recklessly. By the end of the Hongwu era, the value of Baochao had depreciated by over a hundred times, and it eventually became synonymous with waste paper. By the Zhengde era, the government had to stop issuing Baochao, and the people returned to using precious metals as currency.

3,580 taels of silver is not light. According to the Ming Dynasty's calculation, with 16 taels per catty and each catty weighing 590 grams, 3,580 taels of silver would weigh about 132 kilograms. Although this weight was not too heavy for Yang Feng, whose physical strength had greatly improved, he wasn't foolish. Carrying a large bag of silver on the street would make him an easy target, especially since there were no police officers to protect him. What? Ask the Five City Military Command to provide protection? Are you kidding?

Shopkeeper Shi stood by silently, smiling at Yang Feng's dilemma, and no one knew what he was thinking. But who was Yang Feng? He quickly turned his eyes to the amused Shopkeeper Shi and the array of antiques on the shelves, and an idea struck him. He cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner.

He bowed to Shopkeeper Shi and said, "Shopkeeper Shi, I've sold the mirrors to you, but now it's my turn to buy something from you."

"Oh... Young Master Yang is interested in our trinkets?"

Shopkeeper Shi looked at Yang Feng with surprise. He hadn't spoken earlier not because he didn't want to help, but because he wanted Yang Feng to take the initiative. Now that Yang Feng had, he was surprised that his first request was to buy something.

"Shopkeeper Shi, you're too modest," Yang Feng rubbed his nose and said, "If the items here are considered trinkets, I can't imagine what could be considered valuable. Although I've lived in Nanyang for a long time, I have always admired the Ming Dynasty. This time, I came to the Ming to sell my goods and buy some interesting items to take back. Since you're in this business, it's a perfect match."

"Oh, that's great," Shopkeeper Shi's smile revealed a hint of "surprise." When they were negotiating the business deal, Yang Feng had been very straightforward, but now he wanted to buy antiques, which was like offering himself up for exploitation. Antiques were different from other goods; their prices could fluctuate greatly, and if he didn't take advantage of this, he would feel he was failing his employer.

As Shopkeeper Shi was sharpening his knife, Yang Feng smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Shi, let me be honest with you. I know very little about antiques, so whatever price you give me, I won't haggle. If I'm satisfied, I'll continue to do business with you when I come back to the Ming in the future."

"Whew..."

When Yang Feng spoke, the smile on Shopkeeper Shi's face froze. Why? Because Yang Feng was being very honest, telling him outright that he knew nothing about antiques and would accept any price without haggling. Dealing with such a customer, Shopkeeper Shi couldn't be too harsh. If he overcharged, it would damage the reputation of Donglai Silver Shop. Moreover, Yang Feng had mentioned that he would bring more goods from Nanyang in the future, making it even harder for Shopkeeper Shi to overcharge.

After carefully observing Yang Feng, Shopkeeper Shi said helplessly, "Young Master Yang, you are so astute at such a young age, I truly admire you. If you see something you like, just let me know, and I'll give you a fair price."

"Shopkeeper Shi, you are truly generous!" Yang Feng flattered him, then asked casually, "Shopkeeper Shi, I have a particular fondness for Xuande furnaces. Could you get one for me?"

"Xuande furnaces?" Shopkeeper Shi was taken aback, staring at Yang Feng for a long time before laughing bitterly, "Young Master Yang, you're really giving us a tough challenge. Xuande furnaces are imperial tributes, and very few have ever made it to the public. Even if they do, they are extremely expensive. Perhaps you should consider something else."

"Are Xuande furnaces that hard to get?"

"What do you think?" Shopkeeper Shi rolled his eyes, a rare expression.

"Is that so?"

Yang Feng scratched his head. Before coming, he had researched online and found that Xuande furnaces from the Ming Dynasty were highly sought after in the future, with genuine and replica pieces having vastly different prices. He had thought about bringing a few back, but now he felt embarrassed after being turned down.

Seeing the slightly disdainful look on Shopkeeper Shi's face, Yang Feng said helplessly, "Alright, what do you recommend, Shopkeeper Shi?"

Shopkeeper Shi thought for a moment and said, "Young Master Yang, since you want to bring some items back to Nanyang, you don't necessarily need a Xuande furnace. We have a few nice trinkets here. Please follow me..."

An hour later, with Shopkeeper Shi's recommendations, Yang Feng spent over 2,800 taels of silver on a few trinkets. Yes, in Shopkeeper Shi's eyes, 2,800 taels of silver could only buy some small items. After the purchase, Yang Feng also asked Shopkeeper Shi to help him obtain a travel permit and buy a house in Nanjing.

Shopkeeper Shi was not surprised by Yang Feng's request. In his view, if Yang Feng wanted to do business in Nanjing long-term, a legal identity and a house were necessary. It would be abnormal not to have them. Moreover, by asking Donglai Silver Shop to handle such personal matters, Yang Feng was showing goodwill towards the shop.

Yes, in Shopkeeper Shi's eyes, Yang Feng's actions were a gesture of goodwill. Otherwise, with money in hand, why would Yang Feng need to owe Donglai Silver Shop a favor for such a small matter?

Since Yang Feng had shown his goodwill, Shopkeeper Shi would not be difficult about it. He smiled and said, "Since Young Master Yang has this need, Donglai Silver Shop will do our best to assist you. You can rest assured."

Donglai Silver Shop was indeed efficient. Two days later, Yang Feng finally obtained his travel permit and his first house.

The house was located on Chaotian Palace Street near Shicheng Gate, a typical three-courtyard, four-room house, covering about 300 square meters. The entire house cost Yang Feng over 400 taels of silver, which would be less than 300,000 RMB in modern currency. Hearing this price, Yang Feng was amazed, not because it was too expensive, but because it was too cheap. After all, this was a house near Mochou Lake and Shicheng Gate. In 21st-century Nanjing, 300,000 RMB would barely buy a bathroom, and that with only a 70-year lease, not a permanent property.

After settling everything, Yang Feng finally returned to the modern world with the antiques he had bought in the Ming Dynasty...

At dawn, Zhang Sicheng, still half-asleep, was woken up by the phone on his bedside table.

After the phone rang for five minutes, Zhang Sicheng, unable to pretend to be asleep any longer, grabbed the phone and answered it angrily, "I don't care who you are, give me a good reason not to be angry, or I'll block your number, I swear!"

"It's me, Brother Zhang," Yang Feng's somewhat awkward voice came through the phone, "I have something important to discuss with you. I'll be at your shop in half an hour. I have some trinkets to show you, and I promise they are really good. You'll be happy when you see them."

"You better be telling the truth. If you're lying, you know my temper!" Zhang Sicheng hung up the phone as soon as he finished speaking.

Hearing the beeping from the phone, Yang Feng couldn't help but laugh bitterly. After returning to the modern world last night, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep. He finally called Zhang Sicheng at seven in the morning, forgetting that Zhang Sicheng was known for his bad temper in the morning. He had walked right into the line of fire.

PS: New book uploaded, please recommend and collect!