The clerk was stunned again. "What did you say? Payment first, goods afterward?"
This was not the place to discuss the difference between payment first and goods first, nor the merits of either.
It only needed to be said that in an agrarian society centered on farming, not many people left their hometowns to make a living. Most spent their lives guarding a patch of land, surrounded by familiar faces.
Under such circumstances, goods first and payment afterward was not merely a way of trading; it also involved one's personal credit. As long as one had no bad reputation in the surrounding villages, no one would think one might run away after owing a debt.
The commandery governor was not a native of Fushan, but he was an official and had to care about his reputation.
Thus, in the clerk's eyes, Feng Jun's demand for payment first and goods afterward was an enormous insult to the commandery governor.
Although he knew the other party might be someone extraordinary, he still had no choice but to speak with a grim expression. "Mr. Feng, do you not trust the commandery governor?"
Feng Jun hated this sort of sanctimonious rhetoric most. His brow furrowed slightly.
Still, he considered that this might be a clash of perceptions caused by differing cultural backgrounds.
After all, he came from the information age, while this place was still set against an agrarian society.
This kind of cultural conflict could not be explained in a sentence or two and might even provoke fierce arguments.
So he did not answer the clerk's challenge and instead cut through the mess decisively. "Those are my rules for doing business."
The clerk remained indignant. "Mr. Feng, this is Fushan Commandery. The commandery governor represents the rules of the imperial court."
There was...