Chapter 4: Ginger is still spicy when it's old
Gan Jing also thought he was knowledgeable, but the drawing in front of him with strange symbols he couldn't understand at all. The characters that Qi Xi called numbers looked like an ancient font from a western country. Then Qi Xi presented a thick stack of small paper slips to Gan Jing, on each of which she had made two holes and tied them together with twine. She carefully explained the principles of the abacus and vouchers to Gan Jing, but judging by his expression, it was enough for him to digest for a while. In this regard, Xiaoshi's comprehension seemed to be slightly higher.
"I also roughly compared, your method is indeed recorded more clearly, but who did you learn from? I know Uncle Gui definitely can't teach you these things." After listening to Qi Xie's explanation, Gan Xin looked at these things called "Ding Zi Account" and "Voucher", and couldn't help but be impressed. She really had some skills, just talking about this accounting technique, no one in the Gan family could match it, and she indeed didn't misjudge the person.
Qī Xi was still teasing the two little turtles, and they seemed to have gotten a bit fatter than before. Of course, this was just Qī Xi's imagination, as she couldn't help but feel that the little turtles were even more resilient than herself, able to survive under Gān Jìng's tyranny. "It's nothing, really," said Gān Jìng, "I just learned it from a foreign merchant I met in my childhood at Hēi Shuǐ Zhài. This method of accounting is very common in their country." Although Gān Jìng looked like he didn't quite believe it, meeting a foreign merchant at Hēi Shuǐ Zhài wasn't anything out of the ordinary, so for now, he reluctantly accepted this explanation and said that he would promote this accounting method to every shop in the Gān family.
The account book of Guangyuan Pawnshop was personally delivered by Uncle Gui. The rules of the Gan family were that account books were not allowed to be taken out of the accounting room, and every half year, the boss would check the accounts. Even at that time, the managers of each shop had to reorganize and copy the accounts in the shop and send them to the Gan family for archiving purposes. Of course, the accounts organized by Qiuxi and Xiaoshi were not much different from those done by Uncle Gui, and it could be said that they simply copied them verbatim. They also didn't forget to take away the meticulously made account books and receipts. It's likely that Uncle Gui was quite satisfied with their efforts, otherwise he wouldn't have been smiling so warmly when they met at the Gan mansion this morning.
"Are there any problems with the accounts of Guangyuan Pawnshop?" In fact, he was not unaware of the intricate relationship between Guangyuan Pawnshop and his elder brother, but this was something he had intentionally avoided all along. After all, it involved too many things, and he didn't want to make his parents too disappointed in him. Unfortunately, seeing how his father protected his elder brother in every way, his heart had long been chilled. Wasn't the youngest son also a son?
"On the surface, it's very clean, unexpectedly clean." Although Gan Jing didn't say it outright, many things were unspoken between them, but Qi Xie had already made up her mind in her heart. Her principle of doing things was actually very simple: whoever treated her well would receive her wholehearted devotion, and vice versa, she would return their kindness a hundredfold. The Gan family had so much salt production, yet Gan Jing alone sent her to Guangyuan Pawnshop, and now suddenly asked about the accounts. Coupled with what Gan Jing previously analyzed about the situation of the Gan family's eldest son, Qi Xie didn't think it was a coincidence that these things were connected. Although Gan Jing said it was to repay his father's lifesaving kindness back in the day, her father had also taught her that when receiving someone's kindness, one should repay it like a gushing spring. When she and her father were at their most desperate, it was Gan Jing who extended a helping hand.
"Since you can say so, it's natural that you have a different view on the account."
"We are just ordinary people in the mortal world, and it's impossible for an ordinary person to do everything perfectly. The accounts are the same, they're so clean that it's suspicious, every expense seems reasonable and clearly written, but many of the expenses can't be verified, like this one." Qiuxi pointed at the "Other" category on the report, "This category is the most ambiguous, although each item looks small, but when added up, you'll find that this expense has taken up almost half of Guangyuan Pawnshop's profits. As the manager of Guangyuan Pawnshop, I've said all I need to say, as for other matters, it's up to Master Jing to decide."
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The city of Shazhou was just a small border town, but this did not diminish its appeal to merchants from all over the world. It was not uncommon to see foreigners on the streets, and the traditional ranking of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants was deeply ingrained in people's minds. Recently, with the flourishing of literature and culture in Eastern Jin, many families who were not struggling to make a living sent their children to school to pursue a career as officials. As a result, merchants were looked down upon by these scholars, despite the fact that they relied on them for their daily necessities. In the eyes of foreigners, people from Eastern Jin were not good at doing business, and many took advantage of this by coming to Eastern Jin with fake goods, exchanging them for silk and tea.
On this day, it was quite strange to see that several foreigners did not go to the government office, but instead rushed into the Gan family's Guangyuan pawnshop: "I want to pledge this thing, boss, you take a look at how much silver it's worth." The foreigner placed a wooden box on the counter, and Uncle Gui took it with a calm expression. As soon as he opened it, his eyes lit up in front of him. The pearls in the wooden box were almost as big as two fists put together, with a round shape and uniform color, still shining brightly even in the dark. It was indeed top-grade goods, not inferior to those tribute pearls at all. So, he immediately smiled and held out five fingers to the foreigner.
That foreigner seemed to still be hesitating, but in the end he gritted his teeth: "Alright, 500 taels it is." Every foreigner who came to do business in Eastern Jin had a bulging wallet, yet this person had fallen on such hard times that he was forced to pawn something at a pawnshop. If he didn't come back to redeem it within three months, then it would be a dead pawn. The pearl was of the highest quality, and this time they had really made a profit.
"Received and stored!" The man also took the pawn ticket away with a huff, seemingly discontented in his heart. It was unfair that such a fine pearl could only be pawned for 500 taels. The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt, but there was nothing to be done - this was the rule of the pawnshop.
"Congratulations to the new boss for making another big deal." The young shop assistant on the other side, although young in age, was also a seasoned market veteran and could naturally see how much profit the pawnshop would make from this transaction. As expected, the old boss was still sharp, while the new boss had not even shown up yet. The two bosses were sitting at the top, and these shop assistants were most concerned with positioning themselves in the right direction. Although the new boss was "appointed" by Young Master Jing, it seemed that following the old boss was safer for now. With this thought, the shop assistant also began to fawn over the old boss.
Gu Uncle was a seasoned veteran, with a bitter smile: "What's there to congratulate, I'm still making clothes for others? This pearl is not worth just a thousand taels." His hand lightly touched the pearl, gazing at his fingertips for a long time, and finally, a hint of a knowing smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
