Chapter 2580 - Investigation (Part 7)
Several dozing passengers stirred with irritation, and unfamiliar villagers seated nearby began hurling complaints: "What brat is making all this noise!"
"My chickens won't lay in their coop now—are you going to pay for that?!"
...
A man who appeared to be a medicine peddler, carrying a wicker basket festooned with various odds and ends, offered an explanation: "That's the fool son from Landlord Huang Danna's family, I believe!"
Yuan Shuzhi had no idea whether a landlord named Huang Danna actually lived in Huangxi, let alone whether this was truly his simpleton son.
"Fifteen wen to Tangxia!" the boatwoman called out, collecting fares.
The fool fumbled through his pockets and produced several one-wen and two-wen paper notes. The boatwoman told him it wasn't enough. He kept digging. This time he pulled out a somewhat familiar-looking bill. Yuan Shuzhi couldn't see it clearly, but it appeared to be a silver dollar certificate—with a denomination of ten yuan.
This was rare indeed. Since the Senate had abolished the tael in favor of the yuan, a single silver dollar held considerable purchasing power. Yuan Shuzhi's official monthly salary amounted to only a few yuan. In everyday transactions, people typically used fen and wen notes.
Yuan Shuzhi frowned. He'd never encountered a ten-yuan silver dollar certificate before. The largest denomination he'd normally see was one yuan, equivalent to a thousand wen. Ten yuan represented a small fortune.
Where had this note come from? The question nagged at him.
"Is this enough?" The fool waved the bill, about to hand it to the boatwoman, when a man who looked like a peddler suddenly snatched it from his grasp. "Brother, let me pay your fare—just give me that note!"
Moments ago, this same man had been cursing the fool with great enthusiasm. His abrupt change in attitude left the entire boat astounded.
The medicine peddler spoke up: "Hey now, what kind of money is that? Let everyone have a look!"
The peddler stuffed the note into his robe and ignored him completely—the very picture of someone who'd stumbled upon a hidden treasure.
A man with close-cropped hair wearing an "Australian jacket" sat at the stern. He spoke up leisurely: "Friend, that's a new ten-yuan bill issued by the Great Song. One note exchanges for ten silver dollars. You should show some conscience—you can't swindle this young fellow."
"Mind your own business!" the peddler snapped, looking thoroughly unreasonable.
The short-haired man in Australian dress smiled faintly. "When I see injustice, I naturally intervene." He produced a waist badge and flashed it.
The peddler sneered. "You think waving some badge around will scare me?"
The medicine peddler examined the badge and exclaimed in alarm: "You're from the Great Song's Directorate of Intelligence!" He quickly urged the peddler: "Since ancient times, commoners don't fight officials. Hold your tongue! This is a Great Song official!" He passed the badge over.
The peddler took it and studied it, his expression shifting between guilt and stubborn defiance. Stiffening his neck, he said: "Who knows what kind of office that is! So you're telling me this note is really worth ten silver dollars?" He handed the badge back to the medicine peddler, who immediately returned it to the fake-Baldy. The exchange happened swiftly, like a butterfly flitting between flowers.
"Absolutely genuine," the "Australian cadre" replied with composed authority. "You can pay for this young fellow's ticket, but you cannot simply cheat him out of his money."
The peddler remained defiant. "You say it's worth ten yuan, so it's worth ten yuan? This ten-yuan note never existed on the market before. He pulls it out to buy things—who knows if it's real or counterfeit? I'm spending fifteen wen to help him buy a ticket in exchange for a note of unknown authenticity. I'm doing him a favor!"
The fake-Baldy man rose to his feet, unable to remain seated. "Since you put it that way, I'll authenticate it for you. Everyone here can bear witness. Friend, let me see the note."
The peddler hesitated. "You're not trying to trick me, are you?"
"I'm a Great Song official. How could I trick you?" The fake-Baldy man's expression radiated righteous indignation.
Only then did the peddler reluctantly produce the note and hand it over, adding: "Be careful—don't damage it."
The fake-Baldy cadre accepted the bill, withdrew a magnifying glass from his satchel, and held the note up to the light, searching for something. Before long, a blurry crane materialized in the backlit paper. He called out: "See that? This is the anti-counterfeiting mark on the new notes!"
After displaying it in a half-circle around the middle and rear of the boat, the medicine seller took the magnifying glass and note to show passengers at the front. Yuan Shuzhi observed that the paper note did indeed bear a crane watermark. He felt a chill run through him.
By now, while the other passengers watched with fascination, Yuan Shuzhi had seen enough. His time among the lower classes had taught him to recognize "shills" when he saw them. This was a scam—obvious plants and hidden ones working in concert. It was a common routine at boats, docks, inns, and roadside tea stands—anywhere outside travelers congregated. The tricks and names varied, but the fundamental scheme remained the same.
He knew this gang was operating together and couldn't be certain of their relationship with the boat operator. Making a scene now would be unwise. Instead, he observed carefully, memorizing each person's features for later investigation.
What truly alarmed him wasn't the scam itself, but the counterfeit note. As a Guangzhou civil servant, he knew counterfeit currency circulated on the market—the bureau had held meetings specifically to announce this, detailing the types and characteristics of discovered counterfeits.
According to those briefings, all known counterfeits were extremely crude—obviously fake at a glance. They might fool villagers in remote areas, but would be spotted immediately at any decent market.
But this note was different. The material, patterns, and lettering all closely resembled genuine currency. Only the design and color diverged from current notes.
Yet the bill had passed before his eyes too quickly—Yuan Shuzhi had no opportunity to examine it closely or gather more details.
Meanwhile, the peddler adopted a pained expression and reluctantly pulled out two silver dollars, pressing them into the fool's hands. "This is everything I have—my life savings! Take it all. Who knows if your note is real or fake. Exchanging one note for two dollars—you're robbing me blind, brother!"
The "landlord's fool son" accepted whatever was given without objection, taking the money with a grin. "One piece of paper for two silver cakes—you all call me a fool, but I think you're the fools!"
The fake-Baldy man wore an expression of distress as he continued advising the fool: "You can't spend money like this! You should go to a money shop or bank to exchange it for small change—you could get ten big one-yuan silver dollars! How did you end up with only two?" He sighed heavily. "Young fellow, you didn't steal this money, did you?"
The fool waved his hands frantically. "I didn't steal it! I wouldn't dare! My brother gave me this for drinking." He pantomimed raising a cup to his lips.
The fake-Baldy man pressed further: "What does your brother do?"
"My brother collects money in the countryside with the Chiefs." The fool mimed counting on an abacus. "He has so much money he can't count it all—he gave me lots!" He pulled out a stack of similar-looking bills. "My brother gave me lots."
The peddler feigned enlightenment: "So your brother is an Elder's accountant—no wonder he can get big money!"
The medicine peddler chimed in: "I want some too—I'll give you two silver coins for one note!"
After making his exchange, he slapped his thigh in apparent anguish: "Ah, I usually carry over a dozen yuan on me, but I'd just bought goods today and spent everything! If only I'd bought less medicine!" He kept lamenting loudly to everyone within earshot.
The peddler and medicine peddler worked in tandem, inciting others to "cheat" the fool by exchanging one note for two dollars. After some manipulation, passengers began falling for it. Several well-dressed individuals—apparently from merchant or gentry families—must have thought fortune had smiled upon them. They started pulling out money to exchange. One note, two notes... One merchant produced ten dollars at once and exchanged for five notes.
Whenever someone had less than two dollars, the two men blocked the transaction, claiming it would be cheating the fool.
Two dollars was no small sum—most passengers couldn't produce that much. Those who couldn't participate watched with envious expressions. The peddler then "helpfully" suggested that several people could pool their money to exchange for a single note.
Since the note could be exchanged for ten dollars, they could simply convert it afterward and divide the proceeds equally. The math was simple enough. The boat cabin erupted with excitement as groups of passengers pooled their coins to buy notes.
Throughout this farce, the fake-Baldy man maintained an upright facade, refusing to "cheat the fool" and repeatedly advising him: "You could exchange this note for ten silver dollars in the city! Why are you giving them away?" He sighed with theatrical distress. "Your brother will be heartbroken when he finds out!"
By the end, over half the passengers had paid out money. Yuan Shuzhi made a rough calculation—this single trip had netted the gang more than thirty dollars. Quite profitable indeed.
When no more exchangers remained, the fool disembarked at Tangxia. After two more docks, the medicine peddler and the peddler also left the boat, one after another.
The passengers who'd exchanged notes clutched them carefully against their chests, glancing around warily, afraid of revealing their newfound wealth and attracting robbers. At another market town—a major dock—the boat stopped around five in the afternoon for a break. Passengers who wished to go ashore for food or shopping were free to do so, but had to return before dark since the boat would continue sailing through the night.
The moment the boat steadied, passengers scrambled ashore. Among them were quite a few wealthy folk who'd brought ample provisions and had no need to seek a meal. The boatman puffed on his pipe, a cold smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Yuan Shuzhi sensed the man knew something, so he remarked casually: "Strange that so many people suddenly want to go ashore for a meal break."
Before the boatman could respond, the boatwoman laughed: "They're not going for a meal—they're rushing to Delong to exchange their money. Waiting to get rich!"
"Whether they get rich is none of our concern," the boatman said. "Xiao Quan, get several bamboo tubes ready in case someone wants to jump in the river later."
(End of Chapter)