Chapter 391 - 364: Exchanging for Copper (Part 2)

Chapter 391: Chapter 364: Exchanging for Copper (Part 2)

Chen Pi was completely bewildered, but he committed it all to memory and answered, "Yes."

Only then did he return to the counting house to collect two hundred taels of broken silver of varying purity, then went to the stables to hitch up an ox cart.

The father and son headed for the market outside of town.

There were two major markets near Lingxi.

One was Zhuoyan Market, located by the docks. It was mostly frequented by fishmongers and laborers. It was lively, to be sure, but the crowd was disorderly.

The other was Yiniu Market. In its early days, it was a place for trading and leasing draft oxen, but it gradually grew into a general market. The farming families from nearby mostly came here to trade, and it was a bit more orderly.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Pi decided to go to Yiniu Market first.

The ox cart creaked and groaned, and by the time it slowly made its way to Yiniu Market, the sun was already high in the sky.

Today was market day. Both sides of a long dirt road were lined with vendors, and the air was a mix of hawkers’ cries, the sound of haggling, and the braying of livestock.

Chen Pi found an empty spot at the entrance of the market to park the ox cart. He had his son set up a wooden sign they had prepared beforehand next to the cart.

On it, a few large words were written in charcoal: "Exchanging for Copper Coins: One Tael of Silver for 600 Wen."

The moment the sign was up, it immediately drew a lot of attention.

Exchanging silver for copper coins was rare enough, but to do so at the official rate was even more peculiar.

The onlookers whispered and pointed, but very few actually stepped forward to make an exchange.

After all, for one thing, while sixty wen for one mace of silver was the fair price, it offered no extra benefit, so the common folk didn’t think it was a good deal.

For another, some people were suspicious.

’Why does the Chen Family suddenly need so many copper coins? Could it be that the price of copper is about to rise?’

’Or is there some other scheme afoot?’

The villagers, though simple, were also shrewd. They were unwilling to make a trade they didn’t understand.

After waiting for the better part of an hour, only a handful of people came by, exchanging a few mace of broken silver.

Seeing the sun begin to set and the market crowd thinning, Chen Pi grew anxious. He gritted his teeth and said to his son, "Dalin, change the sign. Write: one tael of silver for five hundred and fifty wen."

The moment the price dropped, its appeal skyrocketed.

Many farming families and small vendors were tempted.

At this price, it was like getting an extra fifty wen for free—enough to buy several pounds of coarse salt.

Word spread like wildfire.

In no time, a crowd of people flocked to the ox cart to exchange money.

Chen Pi kept his master’s instructions firmly in mind and didn’t dare to be careless.

He had his son guard the burlap sacks while he personally inspected the copper coins that were handed to him.

Though he couldn’t read, he had a sharp eye.

He specifically chose to accept coins that were dark, had heavily worn edges, and were even stained with grease and grime. Those that looked brand new with clear inscriptions, however, he pushed aside, bluntly refusing them.

The other party was annoyed. "What’s wrong with new ones? It’s not like they’re fake!"

Chen Pi’s face was stern. "If you don’t want to trade, then please move along."

Though the people grumbled, for the sake of the five-wen profit per mace, they had no choice but to take back their brand-new copper coins and find some old ones, or simply give up on the trade.

In this way, in less than four hours, all two hundred taels of broken silver had been exchanged.

The burlap sacks on the ox cart were now piled high with strings of copper coins.

Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Pi had his son pack up, lock the money chest, and prepare to head home.

The ox cart had just left the market when a figure suddenly darted out from the side of the road.

The figure fell to his knees with a THUMP in front of the cart, blocking the way and crying out, "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle! Help me, I’m begging you, please help me!"

Chen Pi was startled. He reined in the ox and took a closer look, only to realize he recognized the man.

The man’s name was Cai Shangzhuo, and by seniority, he was a distant nephew of Chen Pi’s.

Years ago, when the Chen Family still grew rice and needed a large number of temporary laborers, Cai Shangzhuo had worked under him for several years.

Later, the Chen Family switched to growing mulberry trees and mostly employed female workers. Cai Shangzhuo was a bachelor with no female relatives who could come work, so he stopped coming.

"Shangzhuo? What are you doing? Get up, quickly!"

Chen Pi jumped off the cart and went to pull him up.

But Cai Shangzhuo refused to rise. He grabbed Chen Pi’s leg, tears streaming down his face. "Fourth Uncle, please save my younger brother. He... he’s about to die!"

Chen Pi managed to pull him to his feet and asked with a frown, "Xiaoguo? What trouble has he gotten into now?"

He had a very poor impression of Cai Xiaoguo, who was an idle, trouble-making sort.

Wiping away his tears, Cai Shangzhuo haltingly explained what had happened.

It turned out that Cai Shangzhuo had a younger brother, Cai Xiaoguo.

The complete opposite of his honest, simple brother, Cai Xiaoguo was an idle, lazy good-for-nothing who had been running with the local gangs in the county since he was young.

He had been a troublemaker since childhood, and after their parents passed away, Cai Xiaoguo only got worse. He insisted on dividing the family property and forcibly took four of the eight acres of their ancestral land from his brother.

He immediately sold it for one hundred and twenty taels of silver, then pocketed the money, claiming he was going off to make his fortune. After he left, there was no word from him.

A few days ago, someone from the Jingshan County Magistrate’s Office suddenly arrived, saying that Cai Xiaoguo had been caught having an affair with the wealthy Master Shen’s new concubine.

On the day of the incident, Cai Xiaoguo was captured by the Shen Family and dragged to the County Magistrate’s Office.

The Shen Family sent word that they would only settle the matter privately for two hundred taels of silver. Otherwise, they would press charges for adultery—a capital offense punishable by being drowned in a pig cage.

"Two hundred taels?"

When Chen Pi heard the amount, his eyes went wide. A furious heat rushed to his head, and he kicked Cai Shangzhuo away, roaring, "You, Cai Shangzhuo! You son of a bitch, you dare to tail me? You think you can scheme against me, is that it?"

Cai Shangzhuo staggered from the kick but quickly scrambled back. "No! Fourth Uncle, I was just desperate, that’s why I came to beg you! How would I dare scheme against you? I’ll sell my four acres of paddy fields and our ancestral home. That should get me over a hundred taels. Then my brother and I will sell ourselves as slaves to the Chen Family to cover the rest. I’m begging you, please speak to Master Chen on our behalf and save my brother!"