Chapter 0002: Pawnbroking

Stopping in his tracks, Yang Feng reached into his pocket, gripping tightly the two hard objects within as he strode purposefully towards the pawnshop. He had truly had enough of the coarse grain cakes mixed with a large amount of wild vegetables; he even began to doubt whether, if he continued to eat those bitter and astringent coarse grain cakes for a few more days, he might transform into a proud member of the glorious bandit army.

Although Yang Feng did not understand how much these two coins were worth in this era, he knew that he had definitely been taken advantage of by that old man. However, he felt that he was not in a position to bargain, so he could only grit his teeth and agree. After all, what he urgently needed now was to find a place to settle down and find a way to return to modern society

I want to pawn!

It is indeed rare for the shopkeeper to be surprised by this. Yang Feng replied without hesitation, according to the answer he had previously thought of: "Our great Ming Dynasty, with its majestic authority, educates the world. It is quite normal for the people of the South Seas to admire the grandeur of our Ming and to use our Ming characters!"

Although he was somewhat uncomfortable speaking to someone while looking up, Yang Feng still said: "Shopkeeper, I want to take this item."

"Alright, please follow me!" Although I wanted to take a closer look at this oddly dressed guest for a while longer, the staff, well aware of the shop's rules, restrained their curiosity and led Yang Feng to a counter.

The small flag, known as Songtou, transformed from an impatient expression to one of surprise; he had never seen anyone from Nanyang before. With this thought, he stood up, dusted off his backside, and said, "Let's go... and take a look"

Oh, this is indeed quite an unusual outfit

Indeed, that is the case. For this explanation, which seems quite laughable in later generations, sounded perfectly normal to the ears of the court official at that time. The China of that era had not yet endured the ravages of the Manchu invaders and the Western powers for hundreds of years. At that moment, China was already the most powerful and prosperous nation in the world. Whether officials or common people of the Ming dynasty, when facing any other country, they would possess a sense of confidence and superiority as the Celestial Empire. The inferiority complex that later generations felt when encountering Westerners had no market in the Ming dynasty.

As Yang Feng stepped into the pawnshop, a strange sensation immediately enveloped him. The walls of the shop appeared quite tall, yet the surrounding windows were both high and small, casting a dim light. On the dark, gloomy walls, several red paper strips were affixed, inscribed with the phrases: "Lost tickets cannot be redeemed without a guarantee," "Insect damage and rodent bites are left to fate," "Antiques and jade items are only accepted for a full year," and "No firearms or theatrical costumes will be pawned."

Looking at the decor of the pawnshop, Su Jin couldn't help but silently scoff. If this were the twenty-first century, which store would dare to use such a terrible decorative style? It would probably have gone out of business long ago

Song Tou approached Yang Feng, scrutinized him for a while, and then asked in an official tone: "Who are you, where do you come from, and where are you going?"

Soon, when Song Tou saw Yang Feng, he was also taken aback by Yang Feng's "strange" appearance

Walking along the riverbank beside Xuanwu Lake, Yang Feng strolled slowly down a wide street, taking in the surroundings as he walked. Of course, at this moment, with his stomach empty, he was not admiring ancient architecture or looking at beautiful women, but rather observing the shops around him. Suddenly, a large character "Dang" in front of a shop caught his eye. The purpose and nature of shops with such a sign have remained the same, whether in the Ming Dynasty of 1625 or in the twenty-first century over three hundred years later, and for the first time, Yang Feng felt a sense of familiarity with this type of shop.

The old man looked down and saw a silver-white coin the size of a thumb. One side of the coin featured a chrysanthemum and some letters that the shopkeeper did not recognize, while the other side bore the inscription 'People's Bank of China' in simplified characters. Although the shopkeeper had never seen such a coin before, the exquisite craftsmanship of the coin still left him utterly astonished. The carvings on the coin, whether in terms of the characters or the objects, could be described as vividly lifelike. Having spent most of his life as a court official, the old man was well-traveled and knowledgeable, having handled countless items throughout his career, yet he had never encountered a coin of such remarkable quality.

Upon arriving at this counter, Yang Feng furrowed his brow. The wooden counter gave him only one impression, and that was "tall," exceedingly tall. Standing at 1.78 meters, the counter was still a head taller than him. Yang Feng estimated that the counter was at least 2 meters high. At the other end of the counter, an elderly man dressed in a green robe and wearing a melon-shaped hat, with a gaunt face, was scrutinizing him with piercing eyes, as if assessing Yang Feng's background. When their gazes met, he slowly asked, "Esteemed guest, what would you like to do?"

After speaking, Yang Feng placed the object he was holding with some effort onto the counter, which was noticeably a head taller than him, producing a soft "pop" sound.

Su Jin took a deep breath and said, "Shopkeeper, I am a merchant from Nanyang who has come to the Ming Dynasty to do business. I encountered pirates at sea, and all the crew and subordinates were killed by them; I was the only one who escaped. Now I am left with nothing but some rare coins produced in the far west. These coins are made of precious gold and silver, not only are they exquisitely crafted, but they can also withstand the test of time without damage. I intend to exchange them for some silver with you, so that I can settle in Nanjing and wait for the arrival of the next fleet, thus facilitating your business."

The companion beside him also curled his lips, "You saw that person too; he has nothing left but his clothes. Unless Captain Song is willing to snatch those clothes away, what can you possibly ask from him? Didn't you hear what he just said? All the cargo on his ship has been robbed. Now, leaving a good impression might mean that he will remember Captain Song's kindness in the future"

After listening, Song Tou pondered for a while and then scrutinized Yang Feng for a moment. Having served as a city gate official for so many years, the practice of taking advantage of passing travelers had always been their "fine tradition." He intended to ask for some benefits, but after observing Yang Feng for quite some time, he realized that apart from his peculiar attire, he was almost devoid of possessions. He muttered a curse under his breath, feeling unlucky, and waved his hand dismissively, signaling Yang Feng that he could leave.

Seeing a person whose attire was evidently much better than that of the two ragged soldiers approaching, Yang Feng realized that this must be the head of the guards at the city gate. He reiterated his earlier explanation and then added, "I have just arrived from Nanyang to the Ming Dynasty, but my ship was attacked by pirates at sea, and I was the only one who managed to escape. I hope that Your Excellency will allow me to enter Nanjing to find a place to stay, and when the next ship arrives, I will certainly not forget Your Excellency's kindness today"

Seeing the small flag signal the way, Yang Feng cupped his hands in gratitude and walked towards the city gate. Watching Yang Feng's departing figure, Old Qi Liu smiled and said to his companions, "Today, our leader Song has shown rare generosity, not making things difficult for that foreigner"

"Strange attire, is it from the South Seas?"

After leaving the inn, Yang Feng casually ate something and then found an inn to stay in. Next, he would carefully study the mirror that had accompanied him from the modern era to the Ming Dynasty, as whether he could return home would depend entirely on it

For the first time in his life, Dong Xi Yang Feng spoke a sentence aloud in a slightly trembling voice

Um ... ...

A quarter of an hour later, Yang Feng walked out of the pawnshop, tightly clutching a piece of newly acquired loose silver in his hand

This is indeed the case, but in my opinion, it is likely to be quite difficult

In the hushed whispers of the two, Yang Feng entered Nanjing, one of the largest and most prosperous cities of this era. He walked along the San Shan Gate towards Xuanwu Lake and discovered that although the weather was very cold, there were still quite a number of people on the lake embankment. Moreover, the clothing worn by most of these individuals was far superior to that of the ragged farmers he had seen in the village over the past few days. Numerous red-painted flower boats traversed the surface of Xuanwu Lake, and as Yang Feng walked along the embankment, he occasionally heard the sounds of laughter from men and women. On ordinary days, such a scene would have prompted Yang Feng to express his admiration, but today he felt no such inclination. He was not only cold and hungry, but he also sensed that numerous gazes were fixed upon him, making him feel as if he were a monkey in a zoo being observed by a crowd. It was an extremely uncomfortable feeling. ... Oh no!

Indeed, that fellow's hair is barely an inch long, and his clothing looks quite peculiar, clearly not the attire of our Ming Dynasty

As Yang Feng was looking around, a young attendant, dressed in a brown short shirt and appearing to be around twenty years old, approached him. Initially intending to greet him, the attendant was momentarily taken aback by Yang Feng's attire. He then asked in a Nanjing accent, "Esteemed guest, how may I assist you?"

Oh..." The face of the official revealed a shrewdness that was inconsistent with his age, as he said with a half-smile, "Esteemed guest, do not think that this old man is blind; this coin clearly bears the characters of our Ming Dynasty, and moreover, it is in simplified script. How do you explain that?"

Suppressing his surprise, the old man asked nonchalantly, "Esteemed guest, could you tell me what this is?"

Of course

This piece of silver is not much, only about 3 taels. It was exchanged by Yang Feng for the last two one-yuan coins he had on him. Although he has only been in this era for a few days, Yang Feng has roughly understood the price level of this time. It is now the fifth year of the Tianqi era, and the price fluctuations in the Ming Dynasty are not that exaggerated yet. Currently, the price of rice is about 9 qian of silver for a shi of rice, which means that 1 tael of silver can buy approximately 200 jin of rice. According to this calculation, 1 tael of silver is equivalent to about 600 to 700 yuan in later times, so 3 taels of silver would be around 2000 yuan.