After choosing a sunny day, Wang Fu, two cousins ​​and two brothers-in-law drove two carriages and came to Liangxiang.

The Liang Township in autumn is very lively. The road that had just passed by flat at the beginning of the year is crowded with people. Winter wheat has been planted and the hoe has been put on. Now everyone has some free time. Even if they plan to take some work in the winter and earn some cash, they will not be in a hurry for these two days.

This is more and more like this in Liangxiang City, with people crowded with people, as if the entire Liangxiang County is visiting the county town. The shops on both sides of the road are open, and the shops are filled with customers looking at and picking up goods. The shops in the shops are opening their mouths and keep talking to this, and at the same time they have to bargain with those new customers.

Even outside the shops, there are many small stalls along the streets, most of which are sold by people in the countryside with their own products, including eggs, chickens and ducks, chickens and ducks, puppies and lambs, radishes, vegetables and fish, and many even sell pickles, small stools, bamboo chairs and reed mats.

In the past, this Liang Township was not so lively. In the past two years, it has become more lively every day.

However, Wang Fu has no time to stroll on the street now. They have to rush to the brick factory in Liangxiang to pull bricks and tiles.

The brick factory was outside the city. After walking not far after they passed through the county town, they saw piles of bricks under a small hill.

There are many bricks and tiles in the brick factory, and there are many craftsmen and workers. There are a bunch of bricks and tiles everywhere, red bricks and green tiles, which makes people feel very happy to see.

There are many carriages in the brick yard, and it seems that they are all here to buy bricks and tiles. After finding a manager from the brick factory, Wang Fu learned that although there are many bricks and tiles here, they already have a master.

Wang Fu became anxious as soon as he heard this.

"With so many bricks, why do you say there is no goods?"

"Oh, brother, I really didn't coax you. You have seen anyone who deliberately introduced business. There are indeed many people buying bricks and tiles this year, and I didn't expect it. After the autumn harvest, people who come to buy bricks and tiles are coming. You also want a few thousand, and he also wants a few thousand. Our brick factory originally didn't have much inventory. As a result, they were all ordered all at once." The manager said embarrassedly.

"Brother, you must give it to me evenly. Look, my car has been brought in, and the craftsmen and helpers at home have been hired, so I'm just waiting to pull the bricks and tiles back. Without bricks and tiles, I can't build this house." Wang Fu said anxiously.

"Oh, there's nothing we can do. Everyone else comes first and returns the deposit."

"Do you a favor, I'll give you cash and give it to you now."

The manager looked embarrassed, and Wang Fu quickly took out a pack of big front door. He bought this pack of cigarettes to install the storefront. He was originally going to hand over one, but now he had to hold back the pain and stuff all the packs to the manager.

The manager refused and took the cigarette.

"Let me do this, I'll tell our factory owner to see if I can arrange a thousand bricks and tiles for you first."

Wang Fu's cousin said, "A thousand bricks are not enough, at least more than five thousand."

"Are you going to build a few rooms, all of which are made of bricks?" asked the manager.

Wang Fu nodded, "I plan to build three brick and tile houses." The brick and tile houses were quite grand at this time. Since we wanted to build them, Wang Fu certainly wanted to build a better one. The three main houses must be brick houses, and then the yard is wood-room or something. It doesn't matter, and the wooden houses and earthen houses are fine.

"Actually, I think it's not necessary to use so many bricks for three rooms. It would be more cost-effective to use bricks for multiple walls and wood for interior walls. If this is the case, three main rooms have 3,000 red bricks. Now our bricks are one silver dollar and two hundred bricks, and three thousand bricks only 15 silver dollars. Adding tile money, a total of 30 yuan is enough."

Wang Fu and the others were shocked by the price.

This brick costs five cents, but a big steamed bun is only sold for five cents, and an egg costs only eight cents. Now a brick costs five cents. Buying a brick is equivalent to buying a big steamed bun

"Brother, your price is too outrageous. The house built by Wang Yuanwai's family in our village was only two cents before. At that time, a brick was only two cents, and you have increased by more than twice."

The manager smiled and said, "Brother, how could it be the same as today three years ago? Three years ago, you couldn't make a lot of money in a year, right? Now it's different. Not to mention those who are officials and officials, all of them have increased their salary. Just say that we ordinary farming has also increased their income. Look at the outside, the brothers who come to build bricks are like you. They have harvested a lot of money in the fields and saved some money in their hands. They all want to build a few new houses and get married to their sons. Now we are now

I can't be busy here at all. As soon as the bricks are burned out, they will be ordered immediately. If several people think it is expensive, then we can only say sorry. The bricks and tiles are still at this price now, and maybe they will have to rise in a few days. In fact, we have no choice. Now everything is rising, and the wages of the master who burns bricks have already increased several times. There are also the labor of the workers and the firewood and charcoal we burn, all of which have increased the price. Even our taxes have increased."

"Brother-in-law, can we buy it?"

Wang Fu was very confused. Of course, he hoped to build three houses into brick and tile houses, but the price was really expensive. A brick and tile alone cost 30 silver dollars. This did not count other wood, wages, food, etc.

If this continues, the cost of these three brick and tile houses will be a bit overspending.

Wang Fu thought for a while, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "Buy!"

"Brother, let's buy it. Can we arrange bricks and tiles for us? As you said, bricks and tiles are thirty silver dollars."

"There may not be so much stock at the moment. Why don't you pull a batch back first, and wait for the next one?"

Wang Fu looked at the people who were waiting in line for bricks and tiles, and was reluctant to wait. What if the house was half repaired and there were no bricks and tiles when it came.

"I will give the cash and the bricks and tiles to all, and I will pay the money immediately, which is a lot of money."

The manager was very happy to see Wang Fu so happy that he was willing to pay the full amount of cash. The bricks and tiles in his brick factory are indeed very popular now, and many people come to buy them, but there are also many people who pay part of the money first and then have to owe some part of it, and they make an appointment to pay it within one year. If Wang Fu pays it for one time, of course it is best.

The manager took the idea and gave them the bricks and tiles needed.

After buying bricks and tiles, they had to buy lime, stone, wood, tung oil, etc. As a result, after a walk in Liangxiang, Wang Fu and the others found that these things generally increased a lot compared to the materials bought by Wang Yuanwai’s house a few years ago, and some even rose by two or three times.

If the two brothers-in-law and two cousins ​​had not expressed their willingness to support Wang Fu in some money, Wang Fu would have wanted to give up.

But when you see the hot market, it is not that the price of various goods has risen sharply, but that there are more people rushing to get goods, and you can see people queuing everywhere.

If Wang Fu hadn't offered to pay the cash in one lust, he would have been afraid he would not have been able to buy it.

When he was pulling the bricks back, Wang Fu also bought some meat in the county.

He found that the price of meat had also increased. Now the price of meat is actually 5 cents of silver per pound. Wang Fu cut four pounds of meat and asked for two cents of silver. When he paid, Wang Fu felt very painful. He was already thinking about it and would still kill the pigs he raised at that time to save money from buying such expensive meat.

But it was so expensive that there were so many people crowding in front of the butcher meat stall.

In the words of the butcher, after the autumn harvest this year, all kinds of prices have risen sharply, and everyone has some money in their hands, but the interest on bank deposits has fallen so much, and everyone is afraid that prices will continue to rise, and that the money in their hands is worthless, so they are becoming more and more anxious to buy more things.

Build a house, buy cloth, wood, and make furniture, marry a wife for his son, and buy a dowry for his daughter. In short, in this city close to the south of Jingyuan, everyone is rushing to buy things and is in a hurry to spend money.

At night, Wang Fu and his wife Zhang were lying on the bed, and they both had insomnia again.

I had insomnia because my family suddenly had a huge sum of 100 silver dollars at my house. At this time, I suddenly realized that the 100 silver dollars was not as valuable as they imagined.

The three brick and tile houses they wanted to build in their family, at least 36 yuan per room. Three houses cost 108 yuan, which is not counted. The wages of several craftsmen, their apprentices and helpers, have to be 30 or 40 yuan. Now that prices are rising sharply, the craftsmen have also put forward wage requirements, which has increased a lot two years earlier.

After this calculation, the three brick and tile houses in their family were built, and a yard would be built at that time, and a kitchen, a firewood house, a pigpen and a cowshed would be built. In this way, it would cost at least 150 yuan. If you want to marry a wife for your son, you would have to buy a marquis.

"The head of the family, today I heard that the Chunsheng family in the neighboring village told his son that he had a marriage, and the other party asked for eighty yuan in bride price!"

"Oh my God, eighty yuan, why don't they rob it?" Wang Fu said angrily.

Zhang Shi also sighed, "Why is this silver dollar so valuable suddenly?"

Wang Fu thought for a while before saying, "We have made more money now, and everyone has money in their hands, so the one who sells things will naturally become arrogant. It's like a kiss. A family of women asks for hundreds of families, and the female family naturally needs high."

Zhang said, "Our family has two daughters, so it won't be a loss anyway."

When Wang Fu heard this, he couldn't help but smile.

In the early years, poor families could not give brides without money, so they often adopted the method of changing their brides. Two families with children exchanged brides with each other and each married their daughters to their sons. In this way, everyone saved the brides and brides.

Some families prepare even early. When their son is only a few years old, they immediately adopt a baby girl as a child bride and prepare a wife for their son early.

"Actually, our lives are much better than before. At least we don't have to worry about food and drink. Now we can still build a house. Although it is a little expensive, we have only saved up more than two years of money. We don't even have to owe any real debts to build three new houses. The three children can make money every month."

"But the bride price is still very terrifying. Eighty yuan is almost enough to build two brick and tile houses. If you build stone and tile houses, three are enough. You say these families are really there, and their families have no sons. They don't marry their daughters, they are simply selling their daughters." Zhang said unhappily.

"We have two daughters in our family. How much do you plan to receive at that time?" Wang Fu asked with a smile.

"The two girls are still young, one is only fourteen and the other is only fifteen. No matter how you have to go through two years. It's better to get married later, and it's not too late to stay at 17 or eighteen." Zhang said. Now the two daughters work in a textile factory and have a salary of four yuan a month. If they work overtime, they even have overtime pay, and they also provide food and accommodation in the factory, and even give a set of clothes a season. The two daughters are honest and know how to give the salary to their family.

Four yuan a month, full in a year, and you can get a thirteen monthly salary, with more than fifty yuan, and both girls can earn 100 yuan a year. If you get married two years later, you can earn 200 yuan for your family.

Isn’t it better to take the money my daughter earns to her family than to ask for a high amount of bride price?

Unfortunately, the silver dollar is not as valuable as before. Otherwise, fifty silver dollars a year would be worth more than twenty taels of silver. In the past, a strong laborer like Wang Fu might not have saved up so much money for ten years.

Wang Fu couldn't sleep, so he sat up. He took out his small cash box from the kang kitchen and took out two silver dollars.

He looked at the two silver dollars carefully, and the emperor's side avatar on the front, such exquisite silver dollars. How great is it, but now it is not as valuable as before.

In the Ming Dynasty, silver was very valuable at that time, and copper coins were not valuable. But that was because most of the copper coins at that time were privately cast fake and inferior coins, with poor quality, no copper, thin and white, and some could even be pinched in half. At that time, everyone didn't like this kind of money, but silver was still very valuable.

Especially when it comes to taxes every year, everyone exchanges silver for taxes. At that time, the silver was always one or two more expensive than usual. The silver at that time was not as good as the silver dollar now.

Even today's copper coins are well-cast like silver coins. They are round copper plates with tooth patterns on them, and they have characters and patterns on both sides.

"Why is this silver dollar worthless?" Wang Fu was puzzled.

In the capital, in the Forbidden City.

This increasingly powerful storm of rising prices also caused great headaches for the imperial secretary of finance.

The imperial court obtained a large amount of gold, silver and copper blocks from Japan. After obtaining sufficient raw materials, the Imperial Bank Mint Bureau started working day and night, and minted a large amount of silver and copper coins, and even minted a lot of commemorative gold coins with higher value.

Theoretically speaking, so much real money and silver investment, the imperial court had more sufficient gold and silver reserves, and the Han Dynasty's currency should be stronger, so why are prices soaring now?

Secretary of Finance Lu Weizhang didn't know what he did wrong, and he could not stabilize the current rise in the material market. He could only enter the palace to meet the emperor and apologize to the emperor.

"Too much currency chases too little commodity, inflation will occur, leading to rising prices and depreciation of currency. At this time, the market will be the seller's market." Liu Jun was very calm about the panic of his father-in-law Lu Weizhang.

"In fact, there is no need to panic at the moment. The current price increase is still normal. It can even be said that the current level of inflation is actually beneficial to the court."

Lu Weizhang was very confused. This is normal and could it be beneficial?

"You have to first understand why the price rise is now and why. Only by finding the root can you solve the problem. Judging from the current situation, the inflation we are facing now mainly comes from two aspects. The first is the increase in national income."

"In the past two years, from court officials to military soldiers, their salary has been continuously improved. There are even a large number of teachers, as well as craftsmen, workers, etc. in the business field, and their salaries have been greatly increased. Everyone's salary has been increased, even several times. First, everyone's money has increased, and consumption needs have been increased. Second, the salary of craftsmen and workers has increased, which means that the cost of goods has also increased, especially the court's industrial and commercial tax system, which makes it impossible for industry and commerce to evade taxes. In fact, merchants have finally passed on to consumers."

"On the one hand, everyone has money and purchasing power increases, while on the other hand, the cost of commodities increases. Especially when the demand is greater than the supply of commodities, it becomes the seller's market. Prices will inevitably rise and the purchasing power of money will inevitably decrease. This is the salary that drives inflation."

Lu Weizhang had never thought about this aspect at all, or he didn't think so thoroughly. But now in the emperor's words, he instantly grasped this subtle relationship.

The increase in salary has turned out to be such a chain relationship. Whether it is the salary of officials, soldiers, teachers, or the salary of craftsmen, their salaries are not created out of thin air. Officials, soldiers, teachers and others take the salary of the state finance comes from the state finance, and the state finance comes from taxation.

A large part of the tax is also attached to production costs and ultimately to commodity prices.

The increase in labor wages in those production links also causes the cost of goods to rise, leading to price increases. In addition, after everyone's wages are generally increased, everyone has money and purchasing power increases, so demand is greater than supply, the seller's market is formed, prices rise, the purchasing power of money decreases, and inflation occurs.

"There is another reason for inflation at present, that is, in addition to the inflation driven by wages, it is also partly due to inflation driven by profits. In order to seek greater profits, those merchants will also intentionally increase the price of products, especially those monopoly industries. There are also some industries that have joined forces to raise prices through interbank guilds and chambers of commerce to increase profits, which ultimately drives prices and leads to inflation."

"Of course, there is another very important factor that has also led to inflation, that is, our current immigration, construction and other imperial policies have greatly increased domestic demand, and the comprehensive expansion of various military industry, transportation, infrastructure, minerals, metallurgy and other industries. The processing and manufacturing industry has driven the increase in the demand for raw materials, huge domestic demand and excessive growth have led to insufficient supply of goods, and eventually inflation."

Liu Jun is not worried about the current situation. As long as it is not structural inflation or input inflation, it is not a bad thing to need to pull up inflation now. In a short period of time, it may cause a little chaos, but there will be no big chaos.

The court has continuously lowered the benchmark interest rates of deposits and loans in recent years, in order to provide a better financing environment for industry and commerce. At the same time, it has a large amount of gold and silver reserves. Even if the court's currency depreciates, it will not depreciate much, and there will be no uncontrollable credit bankruptcy problems.

"Now you understand how to solve this problem, right?" Liu Jun asked.

Lu Weizhang nodded, "Since the supply of goods is insufficient, we will find a way to increase the supply."

"That's it. The pulse is correct. Now you just need to apply medicine according to the prescription." (To be continued.)

ps: Thank you for your love for my sister and brother for your reward, thank you!
Chapter completed!