One stone in the Ming Dynasty weighed about 120 catties, 10 liters for a bucket, and 10 buckets for a stone, so a bucket of rice was about 12 catties.

Xu Jin returned to his yard with 12 catties of rice, and he was already tired and weak, this body was too weak.

Xie Xiaowan, who was chopping firewood in the yard, rushed out, took the cloth bag from Xu Jin's hand, opened it and said in surprise: "Xianggong, you are really going to rice!" ”

Xie Xiaowan had also tried to ask Xu Youcai for food a few times before, but they were all prevaricated back by this cunning and treacherous couple for various reasons, but they didn't expect Xianggong to go for a while, and he would easily get food.

Xie Xiaowan smiled, her eyes were bent into moon buds, very good-looking, and her facial features were exquisite, but her skin was a little darker, otherwise she would be in the current middle school, and it would be absolutely no problem to get a class flower-level flower or something.

Xu Jin subconsciously reached out and scratched the little girl's nose, and said with a smile: "Couldn't I lie to you!" ”

Xie Xiaowan suddenly blushed again, and said deliciously: "I'...... Go cook for Xianggong! After saying that, he ran into the house in a panic with the rice bag.

Xu Jin froze in place in embarrassment, not that he intended to tease, but just out of a kind of behavior of the elders to spoil the juniors. It is said that Xu Jin's psychological age is almost sixty, and he can be a grandfather for this girl, so he naturally does not have that kind of dirty mind.

"Hey, who said that Xu Laoshi fell into the river and drowned, isn't this jumping around?"

Xu Jin just wanted to enter the courtyard, and suddenly there was a sound like a broken gong behind him, and he turned around to look, but saw that the four people were walking this way, and the speaker was the one in the middle, about forty or fifty years old, with two mouse whiskers, dressed as a housekeeper, followed by two families in green clothes and small hats, and the fourth person was the chief Xu Youguang.

Xu Jin's mind flashed the information of this rat's whisker, this guy's name is Guo Quan, and he is the housekeeper of the Guo family, a big family in the town, although he is not evil, but he is definitely not a good person, and there will be no good thing to come to the door.

"It turned out to be Butler Guo, why bothered you to come to the door in person?" Xu Jin said quietly.

"Ouch, look at people, it's different if you've drunk ink, Xu Lichang, you have to learn from others!" Guo Quan smiled, the title of the chief housekeeper made him very useful.

Xu Youguang laughed twice, and at the same time looked at Xu Jin with strange eyes, this kid seems to be a little different, not like before, could it be that he poured a belly of river water this morning, but he opened up?

In order to prevent the peasants from making trouble, the Ming Dynasty implemented a strict system of protecting the armor and sitting, every 110 households were organized into a mile, 10 households were a first, and the chief was a small leader.

Steward Guo twisted the mouse whiskers and said slowly: "Xu Laoshi, although you listen to what you say, you still have to do official business, and the money you borrowed should be repaid!" ”

Xu Jin thought about it carefully, frowned, and said, "Steward Guo, are you mistaken, I haven't borrowed money from Guo Yuanwai!" ”

"Hey, you didn't borrow it, but your daughter-in-law borrowed it, and the IOU is here, in black and white!" Guo Quan took out a note and unfolded it.

Xu Jin glanced at it, and saw that it was written: There is a loan of 50 yuan from Xu Jin's family, a villager of Xujia Village, with an interest of three cents, and it will be paid off within three months. A fingerprint was stamped on the IOU.

"Xiaowan, did you borrow this money?" Xu Jin turned around and asked Xie Xiaowan, who had just come out of the house, who nodded with a pale face, and his thin body trembled with fear.

Xu Jin frowned, not to blame Xie Xiaowan, this sensible girl borrowed money probably to raise money for "herself" treatment, but the interest was too pitiful.

For example, borrowing 50 yuan, one month later, it will become 67 yuan, two months will become 89 yuan, and three months later, it will be 118 yuan, which is more than doubled, which is very perverted.

Steward Guo smiled and said, "Xu Lao Shi, if there is no doubt, you should pay back the money!" ”

Xu Jin secretly sighed, turned around and said softly: "Xiaowan, take out that bag of rice!" ”

"Oh!" Xie Xiaowan returned to the house and took out the bucket of white rice and reluctantly put it on the ground.

Steward Guo opened the bag and scooped out a handful of white rice to see the color, then clapped his hands, and said with a smile: "Xu Lao Shi, what do you mean by this?" Rice instead of silver? ”

Xu Jin nodded and said: "Exactly, there is really no silver money at home, and this rice bucket should be worth a hundred yuan at the market price, I hope Steward Guo can be more accommodating!" ”

"Hey, originally contemptible people have always only collected money and not things, but you are so happy, replace silver with rice, and replace silver with rice, but, Xu Laoshi, you also said just now, the market price of this bucket of rice is only worth 100 yuan, but your family owes 118 yuan with interest, and there is still a difference of 18 yuan!"

Xu Jin said lightly: "Steward Guo, isn't it ten days before it expires, forget the interest on the 18 yuan!" ”

The date of the loan on the IOU is August 25, and it is true that there are still ten days to be enough for three months, and the reason why Guo Quan hurriedly came to the door to collect the debt was because he heard that Xu Jin's sick son had fallen into the river today, and he was worried that he would hang up, and if the little widow sold his land and ran away again, then the money released would not be recovered.

Guo Quan's horse face suddenly lengthened, and he sneered: "Xu Lao Shi, according to the rules, repay the loan in advance, less than a month, and the interest will also be charged as a month." Contemptible people see that you are young and easy to talk, so be polite, don't treat yourself as a green onion, 18 Wenqian you say forget it? ”

Xu Jin said lightly: "The "Da Ming Law" of this dynasty clearly stipulates: All private money and pawn property are not allowed to take more than three points per month, although there are many years, but one book and one profit, the offender will be flogged forty, and the surplus profit will be counted as stolen goods, and the heavier one will be punished with stolen goods, and the rod will be one hundred. ”

Because he deeply felt the harm of private usury, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, demanded that the interest rate of private usury should not be higher than three cents, and later it was clearly written into the "Da Ming Law", which strictly prohibits usury interest rates higher than three cents, and the interest income of one year shall not exceed 100 percent of the principal. Don't look at just a hundred big sticks, this thing is hit on the buttocks, at least you will stay in bed for months, and at worst you will die with a whimper.

The interest rate of the Guo family's usury is three-thirds, and the profit obtained in three months has exceeded 100 percent, which obviously violates the provisions of the Ming law.

Therefore, Guo Quan's face suddenly changed when he heard this, he stared at Xu Jin viciously, and said coldly: "Xu Lao Shi, is this a threat to the contemptible people?" ”

The two sturdy family members behind Guo Quan were even more fierce in their eyes, and they rolled up their sleeves and prepared to beat people.

Xu Jin's expression was calm, and he said without humility or arrogance: "Steward Guo is serious, my father is a talent in the sixteenth year of Hongzhi's academy, and there are still a few people in the county who can speak in the same year. ”

Threat, the threat of Chiguoguo!

Guo Quan's face changed again, and then he woke up that Xu Jin's deceased father was the Xiucai Gong of this county, although Xiucai had no power, but he had connections, maybe there was really a high school official in the same year.

And although the Guo family is a big family in the neighborhood, no matter how much money there is, it is a fart in front of the official master, even if it is just a scribe who is not in the county government, there is a means to rectify the Guo family.

Of course, the Guo family dared to lend usury without support, so they might not be afraid of a talented person's connections, but this matter is illegal after all, it is okay to bully honest farmers, and it is a bit tricky for a reader like Xu Jin who understands the "Da Ming Law", and there is really no need to risk it for more than a dozen dollars.

Steward Guo weighed for a moment, and finally sneered: "Hehe, you really deserve to be a scholar!" After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and planned to leave.

"Steward Guo is slow, please leave the IOU!" Xu Jindao.

Steward Guo snorted coldly, threw the IOU to Xu Youguang, the chief next to him, and then left stupidly, and the bag of white rice was naturally carried away by the family.

Li Chang Xu Youguang handed the IOU to Xu Jin and gave a thumbs up in admiration, Xie Xiaowan, this little girl is also a little star full of admiration, she is so good, she let Guo Papi, who was collecting debts, go away in a few words.

Xu Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, this time it was thanks to the nerd's memory that he was familiar with "Da Ming Law", otherwise it would not be so easy to bluff Guo Quan away today.

Xu Jin took the IOU and tore it up, and said apologetically: "I'm troublesome to the second brother today!" ”

The chief Xu Youguang is of the same generation as Xu Jin, ranking second in the clan, and is already in his thirties, almost two laps older than Xu Jin.

Xu Youguang said with a smile: "It's not troublesome, only to find out that the tenth brother is so powerful, Guo Papi that guy has always been the only one who takes advantage of him, and today he was deflated in front of the tenth brother, tsk, it's really happy, but the tenth brother should be careful of that revenge, Guo Papi's heart is wilted!" ”

Xu Jin smiled and said, "Thank you second brother for reminding me, I can save it!" ”

"Oh, there's another thing to talk to the tenth brother, the tenth brother is almost fifteen years old, and he will have to serve in forced labor next year, I guess he has to clean up and dredge the river!"

Xu Jin's heart couldn't help sinking, I really wanted to scold your uncle, this troublesome thing is one after another, and he doesn't let people live.