Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

This is a day of rest.

Zhang Sanlang changed into the new clothes made by Sun's wife and daughter, left the old house, and headed towards the dock.

Cargo ships ply the Guangji River, their mast ropes snapping in the wind. Dockworkers jog across the pier carrying sacks of grain, their sweat staining the bluestone slabs and leaving a trail of dark marks.

Old Sun's fried tofu stall is located at the east end of Guangji Bridge, on an open space near the riverbank.

An iron pan sat on a low wooden frame, the fire beneath it licking the iron sheet. Mother He helped to stick the tofu slices onto the pan one by one, the vegetable oil sizzling on the pan, the aroma of beans mixed with the aroma of oil wafting out on the river breeze.

Several dockworkers squatted in front of the stall, skewering tofu that had been fried until golden brown on both sides with bamboo sticks, blowing on it as they put it into their mouths.

"Business is pretty good." Zhang Sanlang walked up to the stall.

Old Sun was skewering tofu with bamboo sticks when he looked up and saw him. He grinned and said, "Sanlang's here. You're off today? Thanks to your idea, we can sell 120 coins a day these days when business is good."

As he spoke, he handed over a skewer of fried tofu. Zhang Sanlang took it and took a bite. The tofu was fragrant and crispy, and the sauce on it was freshly made by Mother He the night before.

Qingge squatted to the side, handing empty plates to Mother He. His face was covered in soot, and Ximei wiped it off with her sleeve. He turned his head away.

"Is the tax application process complete yet?"

"It's all taken care of. He Lantou brought it himself. The monthly tax is only sixty coins. He even praised my stall for being clean." Old Sun bent down and added a piece of charcoal to the stove.

As they were talking, a tall, thin man in gray clothes walked over from the dock, with half a rope hanging from his waist, swaying as he walked.

Old Sun said in a low voice, "He Lantou is here."

He Lantou was the head of the dock area, in charge of the commercial taxes of dozens of stalls along the river, and had twenty or thirty servants under his command.

He helped Old Sun set up his stall at the county government office.

"Posting Division!" A warm greeting came from behind.

Zhang Sanlang turned around.

He Lan first bowed to Zhang Sanlang, then gestured with his chin towards Old Sun, "Old Sun, your stall has been doing well these past few days. Several acquaintances at the docks have mentioned it to me. Nobody's giving you any trouble, has anyone?"

Just as Old Sun was about to speak, a fishmonger next to him interjected, "He Lantou, Qian Laohei came by today and said that the new stall will charge a fee."

He Lantou's face darkened slightly.

He turned to Old Sun and asked, "Has Qian Laohei been here?"

"He came by. He said that since this stall is located on the dock, he has to take a cut. I said that the tax has already been paid to He Lantou, but he said that's official tax, and the levy is levy, they're two different things."

He Lantou cursed, "You shameless bastard," and then turned to Zhang Sanlang: "Zhang Tiesi, it's not that I didn't put in the effort."

"Qian Laohei is a subordinate of Clerk Kong in the Criminal Division. Not to mention me, even the dock inspectors wouldn't want to clash with him. Clerk Zhang, you work in the Personnel Division, handling documents from all departments. I heard you've been seconded to the Revenue Division for tax verification?"

"From now on, the tax forms we submit at the dock will need to be posted with extra attention from the supervisor." He took a half step closer and lowered his voice, "To be honest, our job as dock supervisors looks respectable."

"Actually, whether the tax bills we submit each month can be approved and approved quickly depends entirely on whether someone in the tax office speaks up for us."

"If the tax office could help us with the autumn tax this year, and speak up for us dock vendors during the tax assessment, it would save us the trouble of running around."

"Uncle Sun is from your old residence, so I will naturally take good care of him. If there is anything I can do to help you in the future, just let me know."

Zhang Sanlang paused at his lips, holding the bamboo skewer in his hand: "Qian Laohei isn't the boss, so why should he be collecting fees at the dock?"

"Because he's one of Clerk Kong's men, the Criminal Investigation Department is in charge of arrests and legal proceedings. They can seize cargo ships on any pretext. Which vendor on the docks would dare offend the head of the Criminal Investigation Department?"

He Lantou tightened the hemp rope around his waist. "A few years ago, Qian Laohei occupied a secondhand warehouse at the dock. Kong Yashi's name card was posted on the door, and idlers dared not approach him."

"When he encounters unfamiliar customers selling river seafood, he first detains the goods for inspection, then deliberately claims that the goods are of poor quality, forcing them to sell them to him at a low price, and only then does he let the dock broker weigh them."

"The fishermen suffered in silence and dared not speak out. You're with Uncle Sun, so I'm telling you this, but don't tell anyone else. The man surnamed Qian has a long reach, but someone else is also eyeing him."

"Who?"

"County Lieutenant Xu. Last time, a mountain dweller was cornered by Old Qian demanding money. County Lieutenant Xu's archers happened to be patrolling by and stared at him for quite a while."

"County Lieutenant Xu is a former clerk who was promoted to official, and he hates these private brokers who extort money under the guise of the government. You, Zhang, have been in the clerk's office for a long time, and you know more about some things than I do. If you have any information, you can let County Lieutenant Xu know. But I never said that."

He walked a few steps away and then turned back, lowering his voice even further: "There's one more thing. Manager Zhang came to the dock yesterday to pick up goods and saw Uncle Sun's stall."

"He said that the third branch of the family not only occupied the ancestral land, but also made the old gatekeeper set up a stall, which was shameful. I'm telling you this, but don't say I spread it."

Zhang Sanlang placed the bamboo skewers on the stall without replying.

There are three registered guards in Juancheng County, responsible for guarding the city gate, the market, and the wharf.

Nominally under the jurisdiction of the county government, they received a meager monthly stipend, but in reality, they were doing jobs that made a living between officials and commoners.

These people are mostly street hustlers; they are tough, loud, and know the rules of all walks of life.

The proper officials looked down on them, while the local ruffians were wary of their status as county officials and the tax certificates they held.

He Lantou had been guarding the dock for over a decade. If a boat captain overloaded the cargo, he could tell at a glance how much tax was owed. Every merchant caravan traveling along this section of the canal had to pay a few strings of cash to the dockkeeper.

The new vendors didn't know the rules, and his shout was more effective than a whip crack.

It was this skillful balance between official and private connections that allowed him to keep the dozens of vendors at the dock and the cargo ships that came and went year-round in check.

He Lantou was well-known to everyone in the county government, yet he had formed his own faction, with a dozen or so clerks and street vendors as his deputies, each of whom brought two or three apprentices or sons to help him.

Relying on mountains to eat mountains, relying on water to draft water.

He Lantou could gather dozens of people with a single shout. Of these people, only He Lantou received a stipend from the county government; the others depended entirely on the dock for food and drink.

If he were to really take Qian Laohei seriously, even Kong Yasi would have to give him some face.

However, are any of those who make a name for themselves fools?

Although He Lantou was unhappy with Qian Laohei's meddling at the dock, he was unwilling to break ties with Kong Yasi behind him. So he casually reminded Zhang Sanlang that he could find County Lieutenant Xu Kai.

After He Lantou left, Old Sun approached him and asked, "Sanlang, will this cause you any trouble?"

Zhang Sanlang narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Your stall has paid taxes, He Lantou acknowledges it, Hufang acknowledges it, if Qian Laohei comes again, make him bring the tax certificate."