In the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce's Kong Yi House, Yu Shu was holding a handful of silver pieces. She looked at the pass to the second floor in the hands of the servant opposite her. She made up her mind and gave the money to the servant. Holding the "ticket", Yu Shu finally entered the library on the second floor. It was lunchtime, so there was no one upstairs. The big room was filled with bookshelves of different heights. There was a strong aroma of ink wood floating in the air. No one spoke upstairs, only the sound of footsteps could be heard.
Yu Shu took a book nearby and flipped through it. Most of them were articles related to Yi Xue. Because they were ancient, she couldn't understand them, so she put them back.
He looked around and saw an old man standing under a bookshelf in front of him. He seemed to be very knowledgeable and knowledgeable.
She went to ask for advice.
Sure enough, she found the right person. The old man listened to the type of books she mentioned and thought for a moment. Then he led Yu Shu and said: "Follow me."
Under a row of bookshelves near the window, the old man bent down and rummaged for a while. He took out a thick book and gave it to her: "Do you want this?"
Yu Shu took it and looked at it for a while. Her eyes shone brighter and brighter. She nodded in surprise and said: "Yes, thank you."
This thick book was more than 100 pages. It was a record of natural and man-made disasters. For example, in a certain year, a certain place and a certain county suffered a drought. In a certain year, a certain person fell from a horse at a certain time. In a certain year, a certain person fell from a horse at a certain time. In a certain year, a certain person was born with a serious illness. All these were recorded in detail.
It was more detailed than what Yu Shu needed, which made her feel that the 10 silver pieces were not spent in vain. If you want to buy a book, find a servant downstairs to pay the bill. If you want to make a copy, go there to buy a pen and paper. "The old man left after saying this.
Yu Shu held the book and turned to find a servant. After asking the price, she decisively went to the direction the old man pointed to to buy paper and prepare to make a copy.
A book costs 15 silver pieces. She wanted to buy it.
She couldn't go to the gambling house today. There were too many shady things going on in that kind of place. She couldn't help but be cautious.
Yu Shu spent a dime to buy a dozen rattan papers and found a table by the wall. She lay down and began to flip through the book. After skimming through about ten pages, she took out a charcoal pen and copied the content she needed.
She didn't even eat lunch. She just sat there and copied for two hours until she was so hungry that she couldn't hold the charcoal pencil in her hand anymore. She wiped her hands and closed the book, rubbed her neck, and looked up. She saw someone sitting opposite her flipping through a book. It was Mr. Pei from the casino. Yu Shu glanced at him. He noticed it and raised his head to smile at her. Yu Shu smiled back. She was on guard. She packed her things and went to return the books.
Shoved it at the bottom of the shelf so that no one would buy it. She went downstairs.
But when he heard footsteps behind him, he turned around.
She saw Mr. Pei coming out behind her.
Mister Pei's clothes were very particular. He had a silver crown on his head and wore a green robe. His sleeves and lapels were embroidered and covered with a layer of muslin. His belt was fastened with a jade buckle and a perfume pouch ring. He even wore a shiny thumb ring on his finger as he leaned against the stairs. He looked like a rich man.
In the corridor, their eyes met again. Pei Jing said: "Young master, please wait. I am Pei Jing, the deputy manager of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce. I met you in the gambling house just now. I wonder if I can invite you to have a pot of tea and exchange some mathematics." Pei Jing thought that he was a young man.
Now that she had revealed her identity, the young man would definitely do her a favor. Unexpectedly, Yu Shu rejected him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Pei. I have something to do later."
Pei Jing had seen countless people and it was not difficult for him to hear that Yu Shu was making an excuse. He also saw that her face was a little guarded. He looked outside and said in a low voice, "Young Master, you don't know, but you just won five rounds in the gambling house and have already been targeted. There are a few villains waiting for you outside. If you don't have anyone to rely on and you are followed by them, they will definitely threaten you to help them gamble. If you don't agree, you will inevitably suffer."
Yu Shu was secretly frightened. She had been careful and held back a few tricks. She did not expect that she would still be targeted. Yu Shu's silence confirmed Pei Jing's suspicions. This outstanding young man was unorthodox and had no family.
"I still have some reputation. If you come with me, those lowly people will have some misgivings and won't make things difficult for you. Young master, are you willing to drink a pot of tea with me and have a chat?"
Yu Shu looked at the good-natured middle-aged man in front of her. She thought for a while. Then she nodded and agreed to go with him.
The commerce of the Da 'an Dynasty is prosperous. In order to better occupy the market, distribute resources, and exchange what they need, merchants with shops and suppliers with resources have joined together. Thus, a few civil commercial organizations have been born. These organizations are called chambers of commerce. The Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce is the largest one in Yi Yang City. It is also one of the most famous chambers of commerce in the south.
These large chambers of commerce are the economic backbone of every region. They control the trade of grain, oil, cloth, salt, sugar, horses, and other important goods.
Antiques.
Although the trade of jewelry and other luxury goods is regulated by the Imperial Court and has to pay a large amount of tax every year, they enjoy preferential treatment that small merchants cannot enjoy. In terms of status, they are a level higher than others.
Pei Jing was the deputy manager of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce in Yi Yang City. He was born in a merchant family. When he was young, he learned Yi. At the age of twenty, he was recommended to become a fortune teller. A few years ago, he passed the Da Yan Examination in the capital. He was highly respected by his peers. When he was close to forty, he successfully occupied a position among the managers of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber of Commerce itself does not make a profit. But every month, it needs to handle a large number of accounts. As one of the deputy managers of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce, Pei Jing is most praised for his ability to calculate. A quarter of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce's accounts have to go through his name. In order to prevent any shops from falsifying their accounts and reporting their profits and losses, the Chamber of Commerce will often hire some experienced accountants.
Last month, an accountant who worked at the Yiyang Tai Heng Chamber of Commerce returned to his hometown. Pei Jing asked around but could not find a suitable candidate to replace him. As a fortune-teller, he had high standards. In his opinion, a good accountant was not a good one. What he wanted to find was a fortune-teller who could learn and put to use. Today, at the gambling house, he secretly paid attention to Yu Shu. When he found that the five questions she won were all practical questions, he couldn't help but be excited. He also noticed that she did not have any family background. She was still young, so he wanted to train her to be his subordinate. So, he followed her to the Kong Family's trading house.
If he was interested in this talented young man at the beginning, then when he saw her using the ten taels she won to buy the Kong Family's book tablet and copying books upstairs, he was very interested. If he remembered correctly, this young man won five rounds in the gambling house in the morning and won a little more than eleven taels. He knew that she had planned to buy the book tablet, so she did not gamble too much. She only won what she deserved and then stopped. This showed that this young man was careful, not greedy, and knew when to advance and when to retreat.
So, he patiently accompanied Yu Shu in the library for the whole afternoon. When she was about to leave, he went to talk to her.
In a teahouse a little far from the Kong Family's trading house, Pei Jing and Yu Shu sat down and ordered three kinds of tea and a pot of biluochun tea.
Pei Jing poured tea for the two of them. Yu Shu took a small sip and went to eat the tea. Because she had eaten the food of others, she cooperated and answered Pei Jing's question, "Young Master, what is your surname?"
"My surname is Yu."
"I see that Mr. Yu is young, but you are very good at arithmetic. May I ask how many years you have been studying arithmetic?"
"A few years." If she really counted from elementary school, she had at least studied for more than twenty years.
"Is the abacus working?"
"Yes."
"Can you read?"
"Yes." After studying for more than a month, she could read and write the commonly used traditional Chinese characters.
"I saw you reading in the library of the trading house just now. Could it be that you have also dabbled in the study of Yi?" Arithmetic was included in the study of Yi, but the study of Yi that was commonly referred to was a higher level of knowledge.
"I just like it and am just reading," Yu Shu said vaguely. Pei Jing was very good at reading people's expressions. He knew that Yu Shu did not want to say more, so he changed the topic, "Mr. Yu, have you heard of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce?"
Yu Shu shook her head.
Pei Jing smiled bitterly to himself. He had originally planned to use the reputation of the chamber to gain her trust, but now it seemed that it would not work.
"Tehen is the largest chamber of commerce in Yiyang City. It has a very good reputation. If you have any old people in your family or know of businessmen, you will know it immediately."
Yu Shu did not know much about ancient chambers of commerce, so she did not think it was powerful just by listening to Pei Jing. She did not know that the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce in Yiyang City was respected by the Kong, Ji, and Liu families.
"I am ignorant and inexperienced. Please don't laugh at me, Mr. Pei." Yu Shu ate a few snacks and drank a cup of hot tea. After her stomach felt better, she asked bluntly, "May I know why you are looking for me?"
Pei Jing was waiting for her to ask, so he answered unhurriedly, "I am looking for Mr. Yu to come to our chamber of commerce and help me manage some accounts. I will pay you some money every month. Would you be willing?"
Yu Shu stared blankly. Only now did she realize that this person wanted to recruit her. She could not help but feel that this person was being too hasty. She said, "Mr. Pei, forgive me for speaking bluntly. Your family is such a large chamber of commerce. If you really wanted to find an accountant, how could it be a child like me? Moreover, do you think that at my age, I would know how to manage accounts?"
Pei Jing smiled. In his heart, he had a good impression of Yu Shu's straightforwardness. He said, "Mr. Yu may not be that old, but your ability to calculate is not bad. I have been calculating for all these years, so I will not make a mistake in this aspect. Many of the accountants in Yiyang City belong to families. It is not easy to find a good accountant. If you are willing, I can guide you into the profession. Accounting is not difficult, as long as you have the heart to learn. How about this, if you agree, I will first accept you as an apprentice. Every month, I will pay you two taels of silver. After you finish my apprenticeship, I will give you five taels of silver every month. "
Pei Jing had a good plan. He said that this one month was also a period of observation for Yu Shu. If Yu Shu could not satisfy him, then he could resign. It would only be a waste of two taels of silver and some energy. Hearing this condition, Yu Shu was a bit tempted. Five taels of silver a month was considered a high income among the commoners in Yiyang City. Although she had won more than ten taels of silver this morning, gambling was not a proper way to earn money. It was fine to occasionally earn some extra money, but how could it be a proper livelihood?
She originally had the idea of making a fortune in business to pave the way for her future shop. If she could study in the chamber of commerce for a period of time, it would definitely be helpful for her to understand the ancient business market. If this Mr. Pei did not lie to her, the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce was a good place to go.
As for learning accounting, that was her old profession. In terms of accounting skills, she could boast shamelessly that she was five hundred years ahead of the ancient people.
At that time, she only needed to pretend to learn from him for a month, and then become a regular employee.
Seeing that Yu Shu was tempted, Pei Jing added fuel to the fire, "If you work in my chamber of commerce, you will be guaranteed by my chamber of commerce. Occasionally going to the gambling house to play is harmless. For the sake of the face of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce, no one will make things difficult for you." This fire accountant added fuel to the fire. For Yu Shu, who had no one to rely on, this was exactly what she wanted, "Mr. Pei, let me go back and ask my family. I will give you an answer tomorrow. How about it?"
Pei Jing was eighty percent sure that Yu Shu would agree, so he generously said, "Tomorrow morning, I will wait for you at this tea house."
"Then, I will leave first."
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