Chapter 229 A Study of Prices in the Song Dynasty
Half an hour later, Bai Jianjia observed the clothes of the people passing by the alley and finally concluded that there was a 98% chance that she had traveled back to the Northern Song Dynasty.
At the same time, Bai Jianjia sorted out her belongings and was quite surprised.
First, there was a 25g gold bracelet, which was a gift she received on her 22nd birthday. Gold represents auspiciousness, so Bai Jianjia wore it when she went out to visit the graves. Unexpectedly, it came in handy.
25g of gold is equivalent to 5,000 copper coins. According to Professor Cheng Minsheng's record in "Research on Prices in the Song Dynasty", the daily living expenses of ordinary people are about 15 to 20 coins. If she saves a little, it will be enough for her to use for more than half a year.
A Coach bag, a giant, also known as a "special-capacity" bag, contains some of the essentials a girl needs when going out: five pieces of Seventh Dimensional, two hairbands, a small makeup mirror, two Alps lollipops, a bag of Maltesers, a box of about fifteen strawberries, a power bank, a pack of tissues, a box of Lianhua Qingwen, a box of ibuprofen capsules, a pack of face masks...
The Maltesers are sweet and delicious, and the big strawberries are plump and juicy.
Bai Jianjia rubbed her stomach which was growling with hunger, thought for a moment, and reluctantly put the food back into her bag. She secretly warned herself that she must not cut off her long-term source of income because of a momentary appetite.
Yes, strawberries are a long-term source of income. They are nutritious, taste good, and are easy to grow.
Wild strawberries have existed in China for a long time, with documented evidence dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. They were called "cituo" (刺蝨) and were sour and small. Because they weren't particularly tasty, they were primarily used as medicine and never became a truly popular fruit.
Popular varieties like the Red Beauty Strawberry and Cream Strawberry aren't derived from wild Chinese strawberries, but were imported directly from Europe. Strawberry cultivation began in China in 1915, but it wasn't until the 1980s that strawberries became widely available in households, a mere four decades ago.
The cultivation process was omitted and the task was completed in one step, allowing the people of the Song Dynasty to eat delicious strawberries. What a standard of living this is.
Digging and digging in the small yard, planting small seeds, which bloomed small flowers and then grew big strawberries, and we laughed together...
I, Bai Jianjia, want to be the strawberry king!
Bai Jianjia looked at her clothes and frowned slightly.
A long trench coat, gold-rimmed glasses, slightly curly hair, a beige sweater, jeans, and white sneakers. If this outfit appeared on the streets of the Northern Song Dynasty, it would probably cause a sensation and attract a lot of onlookers.
"It's urgent, so I can't think of anything else. Let them watch me. It won't hurt me anyway." Bai Jianjia made a decision. "The most important thing right now is to quickly exchange the gold bracelet for copper coins, change clothes, find an inn to stay in, and have a good meal."
According to "Chaoye Miscellaneous Records," during the Northern Song Dynasty, gold, due to its high value, was primarily used to exchange for banknotes, pay taxes, and pay military expenses. It was generally not used as a medium for direct commercial transactions. Instead, people could trade by exchanging gold for copper coins. There were specialized currency exchange shops on the market that offered currency exchange services.
Bai Jianjia walked out of the secluded alley, looked around, and quickly turned into a shop not far away. There were four big words written on the plaque - Xu's Cloth Shop.
"Miss, are you here to buy cloth? Our store just received a new batch of goods yesterday..." As Bai Jianjia entered, a fat man with a wealthy body came up from behind the counter and asked eagerly.
Shopkeeper Xu had been in the cloth business for most of his life, dealing with brocade, silk, satin, linen, and coarse cloth every day. He had a very sharp eye and could tell good from bad at a glance. Although this girl's clothes were strange, they were all made of high-quality materials...
"Shh!" Bai Jianjia made a gesture of silence with her left hand, pointed outside with her right hand, then bent down and hid behind the display stand.
This operation made Shopkeeper Xu look confused. He walked out of the shop and looked around, but there was nothing.
"Girl, what are you doing?"
"Shh!"
Shopkeeper Xu: “…”
Five minutes later, Bai Jianjia emerged from behind the display stand, feigning innocence and pleading pitifully, "Uncle, I ran away from home secretly. Can you please help me find a set of clothes that a normal girl can wear?"
"I have clothes here, do you have money?"
"No!" Bai Jianjia shook her head.
Hearing the girl say that she had no money, Shopkeeper Xu lost his patience and said lazily: "My dear girl, you open a business just for money. It's not easy for me to support my family."
After saying that, he walked back to the counter and sipped his tea. If Bai Jianjia wasn't such a delicate girl, he would have kicked her out. She had no money and still wanted to buy something. How could such a good thing happen in the world?
"I have this!" Bai Jianjia rolled up her sleeves, took off the glittering golden bracelet from her fair wrist, and slapped it in front of Shopkeeper Xu: "Can you use this to pay for your shop?"
Shopkeeper Xu took the gold bracelet and stroked it carefully, a greedy look in his eyes. The purity, style, color, and workmanship of this bracelet clearly showed that it was something only the wealthy could afford. It was very rare in the market, and the price could easily quadruple with a single resale.
"Are you really the daughter of a wealthy family who ran away secretly? Could you be a maid who stole things from the master's house and ran away?" Shopkeeper Xu was suspicious and couldn't help asking.
If this is dirty stuff and is found by the government, not only will the gold bracelet have to be returned intact, but you may also be charged as an accomplice, because the owner is a master!
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