Chapter 22 Heaven's Currency

  The commune changed its leader in charge of propaganda work and began to make efforts to catch up. Unexpectedly, Mr. Zhou went on strike and refused to work for the propaganda theory guidelines. All fast boards, smooth mouthfuls, slogans, local opera short plays were stopped. Zhang Mulan personally came to do the work, but Mr. Zhou was unwilling, saying that if he got anxious, he would roll up his bedding and return to Mazitang Bay.

  I couldn't help but secretly laugh at Zhang Mulan's awkward situation.

  Chinese intellectuals have always believed in the spirit of "not bowing down for five pecks of rice". For a meager 12 work points per day, one has to listen to the whims of others - what a ridiculous fantasy.

  Zhang Mulan had no choice but to listen and obey. However, he didn't want Mr. Zhou to return to Mazitang Bay either. In any case, Mr. Zhou was Director Yan's teacher, even if he lived in the commune eating idle rice, with 12 work points per day, a big Red Flag Commune could still afford it. Zhang Mulan did not want to offend Yan Yucheng for no reason over this small matter.

  I've decided to treat Mr. well.

  To know that I helped Fang Wentuo repair radios and other things, accumulated nearly ten yuan, is the "richest" among the young generation of Hongqi Commune, haha!

  I bought a pound of pork with skin at the co-op and rushed to Mr.'s house in high spirits.

  When pork was in short supply, you needed a meat coupon to buy it. Nowadays, things have relaxed a bit. Moreover, the butcher knew I was Director Liu's son, so he naturally gave me some face and opened the back door for me, not requiring a coupon, and cut me a pound of solid hind leg meat.

  "Xiao Jun, where did you get the meat?"

  The gentleman was holding a book of "Shi Jing" and was reading with great interest when he saw this and asked.

  "Uncle, I bought it."

  I answered honestly and sincerely.

  I have the potential to lie shamelessly, but it depends on who I'm talking to. With some people, I can talk nonsense all day long, while with others, I basically only tell the truth.

  Unless absolutely necessary, I would rather not deceive my teacher.

  "What did you buy? Where did you get the money?"

  The teacher's gaze finally moved from "Shi Jing" to my face, with a suspicious expression.

  "I helped Fang Wenchu fix his radio, and he gave it to me."

  The master's face suddenly looked unwell, and he said seriously: "Xiao Jun, helping others is a virtue. You did the right thing by helping others, but taking money for it is not right. At your young age, you must not develop a bad habit of being greedy."

  Since Mr. Zi followed the master to read books, the master has always been gentle and polite, never speaking to me in such a harsh tone. This is also no wonder, he had high expectations for me and did not want to see his most favored disciple covered in the smell of copper at a young age.

  In Mr.'s subconscious mind, there is still the idea that "all things are inferior, only reading books is superior".

  Got it, flattery will get you nowhere, and now you're in trouble.

  I had to talk glibly: "Uncle, he can't fix radios. I've helped him fix many times. He only charged me a little money and said he'd buy me candy. If I didn't help him fix it, he wouldn't have any business. His legs and feet are inconvenient, poor thing... Besides, this is also my labor income..."

  The master was taken aback and was about to speak again when his wife began to grumble in discontent.

  "Oh my, look at you! Someone's child is so filial, earning a little money and not even wanting to spend it on sweets, but instead thinking of buying meat for you. What more could you be dissatisfied with? From ancient times to the present, how many children as sensible as Xiao Jun have you seen? Honestly..."

  While talking, she took over the meat and turned into the house.

  The master shook his head and said seriously, "You should focus on studying hard and acquiring knowledge now, it's the most important thing, don't waste your studies by only thinking about making money."

  "Uncle, I know," I replied hastily and obediently.

  I originally wanted to debate with him and explore the idea that "the purpose of reading is to make money", but I thought better of it. When it comes to wealth of knowledge and eloquence, even if I were reborn, I still wouldn't be a match for him, so why bother taking on unnecessary trouble.

  The master spoke seriously with his mouth, but at noon, he ate a piece of fat meat, which was very delicious. I think he is also very satisfied with my filial piety.

  After lunch, I studied English for an hour and then bid farewell to the master. I walked to Fang Wenhui's small repair shop to see if there was anything that needed fixing. This morning, I spent 52 cents on a pound of meat for Mr. Xiang, thinking about it is heart-wrenching, I must hurry up and make it back.

  Arrived at the repair shop, but found that the door was ajar.

  It's strange, in broad daylight, why isn't he doing business?

  I pushed the door open with some confusion, and found that there was no one in the store either. Maybe he went out. Just as I was about to turn around and leave, I heard a noisy voice coming from the inner room, and after listening carefully, it seemed like they were saying something like "hurry up and hurry up".

  Hey, this voice sounds familiar, isn't he gambling?

  I know Fang Wenhui loves to gamble. On ordinary days, he likes to play a few hands with three or five second-rate sons near the commune, and most of the hard-earned money is thrown into the water.

  At that time, there were no mahjong or poker cards, and even the popular rural gambling tools like dice had been mostly confiscated by the authorities. However, this couldn't stop those who wanted to gamble; with just a copper coin or a silver coin (called "silver horn" in the local dialect of Red Flag Commune) and a rice bowl, they could set up a makeshift casino.

  But they didn't know whether Fang Wen was betting with copper coins or silver ingots.

  I was consumed by curiosity and walked straight into the inner room. Inside, I saw a thick fog of smoke, with five or six young rascals gathered around a square table, deeply engrossed in their gambling. As soon as I entered, they were all startled.

  "Where did this little kid come from? Get out, get out..."

  A second-rate rascal saw I was alone and scowled, shouting loudly.

  I glanced sideways and saw that he had three or four one-yuan bills in front of him, as well as some IOUs, and was apparently the winner. In contrast, Fang Wentuo only had a few miserable IOUs left in front of him, looking like he had lost again this time.

  I ignored the pale face and smiled at Wen Yu, saying: "How, lost again?"

  "Isn't it? TM's luck is really bad."

  Fang Wen scolded and cursed.

  "Is there a radio repair?"

  "There's nothing, nothing. These days there's no business at all... Sigh, Xiao Jun, can you lend me two bucks? I'll return it to you in a couple of days..."

  Fang Wenhui suddenly borrowed money from me, which made several other second-rate people feel very surprised.

  "Fang Bozi, whose child is this? Are you asking him for money?"

  Guang Baozi asked.

  This cripple has been studying wireless repair with me for many days, but I taught him hastily. He just watched from the side and learned slowly. On ordinary days when there was no one around, he would sometimes jokingly call me "Shifu" (master), but deep down he still regarded me as a child who didn't understand anything. Even if I had money, I wouldn't lend it to a gambler. Let alone my entire family property put together is not even worth a single "Dà Tuánjié" (a type of Chinese bond), how could I lend it to him to throw into the water?

  "He is the son of Director Liu of Gong She."

  "Director Liu? Liu Jincai?"

  Guang Biao's tone became more cautious. Although Lao Da had been in office for a short time, his prestige was quite high. Especially at the end of last year, he arrested over a dozen masters and some second-rate sons who were not doing their job properly and took them to the reservoir construction site to work. All the idle men were intimidated. You know that this reservoir is still under construction now.

  "Is there another Director Liu in our Hongqi Commune?"

  Fang Wentu seemed somewhat pleased with himself, as if he had some sort of familial relationship with my dad.

  Don't say anything else, just don't drive me away. And naturally, no one will come to fawn on me either. After all, I'm too young, and even if someone tried to curry favor with me, they wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise in front of my dad.

  "Xiao Jun, can you lend me two dollars?"

  Fang Wenhui estimated that he would soon be defeated and continued to beg with a thick face.

  "I don't have any money! I gave all my money to my dad."

  Fang Wentan deflated. Come to think of it, he had given him nearly ten yuan in "wages", which was a small fortune for a child to carry around.

  "Hurry up, hurry up..."

  Guang Banzai acts as the landlord, lifts up his bowl and grabs a copper coin.

  This gambling method is very simple, first spin the copper coins on the table, then cover them with a bowl. After the copper coins stop spinning, you can place your bets, betting on one side (the copper coin has two sides, referred to as "front" and "back"). If you win, you get paid; if not, you lose. It's similar to Russian roulette. Coins can also be used as a gambling tool.

  It was completely unintentional that my eyes glanced at the copper coin, and my heart suddenly "thudded" violently, with a dizzy feeling for an instant.

  The copper coin facing me has two characters "Tian Guo" engraved in intaglio.

  Isn't it the coin cast by "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom"?

  In my previous life, although I wasn't a collector of ancient coins, I knew something about the knowledge of collecting ancient coins. The "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" existed for over a decade and controlled several provinces in southern China, minting large quantities of coins in cities like Suzhou, Hangzhou, Hengyang, and Shaoxing. Originally, these coins were not rare. However, after Zeng Guofan suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the kingdom's coins were considered treasonous objects and were also destroyed. The Qing government collected and melted down a large number of Taiping coins every year. As the years went by, the number of surviving Taiping coins became fewer and fewer.

  Things are valued by their rarity. The fewer they are, the more valuable they become.

  The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom currency has five shapes: small flat, folded five, worth ten, worth fifty, and worth one hundred. The coin text is mostly in Song typeface, followed by regular script. There are six types of patterns on the front and back, including "Tian Guo Tong Bao", "Tian Guo Sheng Bao", "Tai Ping Tian Guo Sheng Bao", "Tian Guo Tai Ping Sheng Bao", "Tian Guo Sheng Bao Tai Ping" and "Tai Ping Sheng Bao Tian Guo". Due to the earliest casting of "Tian Guo Tong Bao", the smallest number, extremely rare transmission, and the most precious.

  By the mid-1990s, a "Tian Guo Tong Bao" was worth between 35,000 and 40,000 yuan.

  At the current price of less than 10 yuan, 30 or 40 thousand is undoubtedly a huge sum, and it's normal to feel dizzy for a moment. I just don't know what kind of text is on the back of that copper coin.

  At this time, only Fang Weng heard saying: "I'll take the treasure."

  It turned out that he was referring to the reverse inscription on this copper coin. Could it really be "Tian Guo Tong Bao"?

  At this moment, I stared intently at the porcelain bowl. After a crisp "ding-dong" sound, the bowl was lifted, and it turned out to be "heaven". Fang Wentao cursed in a low voice, watching his only few dollars also belong to Guang Zhenzi.

  "Lost again...such bad luck...I'm done gambling..."

  I suddenly said: "Whose copper coin is this?"

  "What's wrong with me?"

  I was overjoyed to find that it was Fang Wenchu's. If it were someone else's, it would be more difficult to deal with. Asking them for it would likely be met with refusal. But since it was Fang Wenchu's, it would be easier.

  "Want to play with me?"

  A single character "play" reveals my identity as a little kid, so they won't be suspicious of me.

  "Go, go, go! You think it's all beautiful, but when I ask you for a loan, you won't even lend me the money..."

  "Alright, I'll give you a dollar, buy this copper coin."

  I didn't hesitate at all, and immediately took out a dollar bill and handed it to Fang Wentao's face, deliberately waving it back and forth twice.

  "Really?"

  Fang Wenhui hastily snatched the banknote from me, still somewhat perplexed.

  "Xiao Jun, why did you spend one yuan buying this useless thing?"

  The Liujia Mountain dialect calls copper coins "Mingqian", but its origin is unknown.

  "This is fun, I can use it to draw circles."

  I might as well pretend to be stupid, and not wait for Fang Wen's words, but instead rushed forward, grabbed the copper coin in my hand, and hastily flipped it over to take a look at the back. The two characters "Tong Bao" were prominently printed on it.

  Haha, it's indeed the rarest "Tian Guo Tong Bao", and its condition is above average. Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming joy, almost shouting out loud.

  Jian Fangwen was overjoyed and said: "Fang Quezi, come again?"

  "Of course, come again, won't you want to run away?"

  "Okay okay okay, come on come on... Kid, lend us your money for a while, is that alright?"

  I immediately grasped "Tian Guo Tong Bao" tightly and put it into my pocket, shaking my head repeatedly.

  "Never mind, never mind, it's all the same with silver coins."

  Another rascal was impatient and took out a five-cent coin.

  The fatty saw that I had a "bright coin" and laughed, saying: "Kid, why are you being so stingy? We have lots of these bright coins at home, one yuan each. Do you want to buy some?"

  Is there really such a good thing in the world? I simply can't believe it! Nodded immediately.

  "Okay, you take me there, as long as I like it, I'll buy it."

  "Really?"

  The light boy didn't expect me to be so refreshing, and it was a bit unexpected.

  "Of course it's real. I only bought it because it looks good."

  One yuan per coin, no matter what copper coins are very cost-effective. Until the 1990s, a casual transaction was a profit of hundreds of times. Unfortunately, I only had less than ten yuan of "capital" in my hand, and I naturally had to make a choice.

  Who doesn't want to pursue maximum profit? Hehe!

  At this point, I was waiting for Fang Wen to lose again. After all, he had never won before, and losing was only a matter of time. But unexpectedly, this kid suddenly got lucky, his luck changed in an instant, and he kept winning, not even half an hour later, Guang Ze surprisingly lost everything.

  The fatty suddenly scolded loudly, seeing me still waiting on one side, and instantly looked like he had seen a lifesaver.

  "Kid, you really want to buy a bright future?"

  "Yes, I've been waiting for you here."

  "Alright, you wait here for a moment, I'll go back home to get it."

  He quickly ran back and forth, I reckon he must be living very close by. When he came back, he surprisingly had seven or eight copper coins in his hand, which he handed over to me with a somewhat nervous expression, as if afraid that I would change my mind.

  I took it over and examined it carefully, and unexpectedly found another "Tian Guo Tong Bao" of equal quality, as well as three "Qi Xiang Tong Bao". "Qi Xiang" was the reign title used by Emperor Tongzhi of Qing at the beginning of his reign, derived from the phrase " Qi Xiang" in the "History of Song". However, it was changed to "Tong Zhi" after only two months, making "Qi Xiang Tong Bao" also a rare ancient coin. One of them has a back pattern of "Gong Ju", which is roughly equivalent in value to "Tian Guo Tong Bao".

  In 1977, ancient coin collecting was still a very cold and unpopular hobby, almost no one had heard of it, so there was absolutely no possibility of forgery, no motivation to forge. The copper coins brought over are 100% genuine.

  I suppressed the wild joy in my heart, pretended to look at them for a while, picked one out and said: "One yuan each is too expensive, I can't afford it. I'll just buy this one."

  "No, no, you have to keep your word. Since I've brought it here, you must buy it."

  His face turned red with anger, and his tone was laced with a hint of menace.

  I've seen people giving money, but never so eager to give it away.

  "I've said it before, I don't have that much money..."

  "How much do you have?"

  "Three dollars."

  "Alright, three blocks for three bucks, bring it over quickly, one hand with the money and the other with the goods..."

  I secretly smiled to myself, pretending to be reluctant as I took out three dollars and handed them over to Guang Banzai. Guang Banzai was overjoyed, stuffing the copper coins into my hand in one swift motion, then ran to the gambling table shouting "Again! Again!"

  However, he is meticulous in his work and doesn't forget to remind him of one thing at the end.

  "Kid, you bought it yourself, I didn't scare you. Don't tell your dad, okay... Hey, all of you can be my witnesses, right?"

  "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else, and especially not my dad."

  I finally got the treasure, and I didn't have the heart to watch them gamble anymore. I turned around and walked out the door. As soon as I reached the entrance, I couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. I'm sure Fang Wen and others inside heard it and were bewildered, not knowing what I was laughing at.

  Speaking of which, isn't this cheating? After all, at that time, no one was willing to spend three bucks to buy eight shabby "bright coins". The light bulb even took advantage of me. If in 1985, the first stock of New China - Shanghai "Electric Vacuum" went public at a price of only $0.90 per share, I bought it and waited for it to rise to $1,700 before selling it, no one could say that I was cheating.

  This is probably the innate advantage of a traverser!