Lu Zhaoan looked worried: "Yaoniang, the money wasn't stolen, so how come you've already lost your mind?"
Gu Yaoniang glared at him.
Her eyes were large and watery, and since she wasn't truly angry, her gaze wasn't particularly menacing.
Lu Zhaoan chuckled softly.
Gu Yaoniang asked him, "Does the Lu family own a bank?"
She had heard before that wealthy families in the previous dynasty usually owned banks with branches in larger cities. These branches had special exchange tickets, and by presenting the ticket and the owner's token, one could exchange the same amount of silver as stated on the ticket at the branch in the city.
In this way, the stewards of these wealthy families could go out to purchase goods without carrying large amounts of cash. This would not only avoid the danger of being targeted by bandits during their journey, but also save them time and effort.
However, money matters are a sensitive issue, and no family is willing to deposit their hard-earned money in another's bank. Moreover, the transportation and allocation of money are risky. Even if a trustworthy family were willing to entrust their money to another, it would require a great deal of manpower and resources, and few families would be willing to take on this risk for another.
The major families neither trusted others nor were willing to take risks for them. Therefore, the various banks did not communicate with each other and were only used within the families themselves.
In this dynasty, the country is at peace, and the bandits on the roads have been almost completely wiped out by the government. It is rare to hear of anyone out and about.
With the world no longer in turmoil, the number of able-bodied men forcibly conscripted by the imperial court decreased significantly, resulting in more able-bodied men available to guard homes. The worry of having their money stolen was reduced, though carrying cash was still somewhat inconvenient, leading many families to close their money shops.
The Gu family's foundation is not deep; it's just that Gu Xingzhi is a person who dislikes trouble. The Gu family's business also has a bank, but it only has branches in a few major economic and trade cities.
Given the size of the Lu family's business, Gu Yaoniang felt that having a bank would be much more convenient. However, she wasn't sure if Lu Zhaoan would find it troublesome, hence her question.
Lu Zhaoan was surprised by her question, but after a moment's thought, he seemed to understand her intention.
"The Lu family certainly has them. Perhaps you intend to..."
He drawled out the last syllable, and Gu Yaoniang smiled sweetly: "Why don't we say it together?"
Lu Zhaoan nodded.
"Ticket redemption is now mutually accessible!"
"Ticket redemption is now mutually accessible!"
The two spoke in unison, expressing their thoughts, and then smiled knowingly.
"I've thought about exchanging bills with other merchants before. In business, it's inevitable to come and go. If we go back and forth more often, my money might go into their pockets and before they even have a chance to enjoy it, they'll send it back to me again, adding or subtracting from it."
But with other businesses, either I didn't trust them with my money, or they didn't trust me. After all, it's real money; I only feel secure when I have it in my own hands. So, I've never tried this before.
Lu Zhaoan felt somewhat disappointed. He had long thought that if transactions could be conducted using exchanged tickets, business dealings would be much more convenient.
They were both worried that if they used the vouchers, someone might try to cheat them, writing arbitrary amounts on the vouchers while the treasury didn't have enough silver. To be so convenient and end up being ripped off would be like losing the watermelon for a sesame seed—wouldn't that be like losing the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed?
Unless the other party is truly trustworthy, using vouchers for business does indeed carry considerable risk.
Gu Yaoniang asked with a smile, "I wonder if our Gu family business is the one that Boss Lu entrusted to us? In any case, I trust Boss Lu completely."
Lu Zhaoan clicked his tongue twice, feigning a sigh: "Since Boss Gu has said so, even if I don't believe it, I can only grit my teeth and believe it."
Gu Yaoniang smiled, glanced at him sideways, and gently turned her head away, leaving only half of her beautifully curved neck for him to see.
"So you've boarded my pirate ship, haven't you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized they were inappropriate and quickly looked away.
Lu Zhaoan also sensed something, but only smiled and did not reply.
Having done business together for over a year, the two had developed a tacit understanding and trusted each other implicitly, making this exchange of tickets quite appropriate.
Since Gu Yaoniang and Lu Zhaoan had reached a consensus, they decided to discuss the details of the mutual exchange of commercial drafts between the two companies in the study.
When Bishuang, Bizhu, and Ping'an finished arranging things over there and came to the study to report back to Gu Yaoniang, Gu Yaoniang and Lu Zhao'an's plan to use the exchange tickets had already taken shape.
Both the Gu and Lu families were wealthy merchants in Shuojing, so they wouldn't worry about each other having enough money for ordinary business dealings. Moreover, having done business together for so long, they trusted each other's character.
However, being business-minded and responsible for their own businesses, the two agreed that every two months they would each show the other the cash in their vaults as a form of verification, to reassure each other.
As for redeeming the tickets...
Since the exchange tickets were used internally by each family and never exchanged with each other, the two men gave the tickets they used for exchanging money in their business a new name: "commercial tickets."
The Lu family's paper sold well, was well-known for its quality, and was famous throughout Shuojing City. But if you wanted something truly unique, it had to be the Gu family's "Pearl Xuan Paper".
Pearl Xuan paper is as white as a pearl, with a natural pearly luster. It is soft, smooth, and does not disintegrate when wet. It will not decay or yellow over the years. When written with the finest Huizhou ink, it will survive a fire, although the paper itself will not be completely burned. The part of the paper that has been stained with ink will never be ignited again.
Pearl Xuan paper is extremely rare, supplied only to a few masters of the Gu family, and never sold to outsiders. It is only occasionally seen by outsiders when visiting relatives and friends.
This kind of durable paper is perfect for making commercial invoices.
Gu Yaoniang and Lu Zhaoan agreed on the format for writing commercial drafts and the content of the drafts, which must include a detailed date and time.
Furthermore, the commercial draft was made in duplicate, and only when both the Gu and Lu families' seals were affixed across the seam was it considered complete. The seals were exquisite, with designs drawn jointly by Gu Yaoniang and Lu Zhaoan, and then handed over to the Lu family's skilled craftsmen for polishing and engraving.
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