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

Liao Tiesi's slight disappointment hadn't completely faded when he heard the words "Tianzhi." He paused slightly, looked up at Zhang Sanlang, and his eyes gradually brightened.

After Zhang Sanlang finished speaking, he lowered his head and rubbed his fingers together. When he looked up again, his brows had relaxed, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly, but he forced them back down.

"Clerk, this...this additional five hundred coins, plus the stipend, wouldn't it be..." He didn't say "almost the same as before," but his eyes couldn't hide his calculations.

He stood up, straightened his clothes, bowed to Zhang Sanlang, and spoke with a more solemn tone than when he entered, along with a hint of suppressed excitement.

"Rest assured, Clerk. Hand over the land tax register to me and Clerk Li. If there are any errors, you can hold me responsible!"

Zhang Sanlang waved his hand and called Wang Tiesi in again.

He had been listening intently from outside, having overheard Liao Tiesi's words, and his expression became somewhat agitated as he entered. He sat down next to Liao Tiesi, his hands resting on his knees, his body trembling slightly.

Zhang Sanlang looked at him and said, "You will no longer be involved in the two taxes. The household register, household registration stubs, and the five-class property register will all be under your management. You will handle all changes such as land sales, inheritance, and registration by yourself."

"You will be responsible for verifying all the actual population and land ownership records reported by each township. Similarly, if there are any errors in the records, you will be solely responsible. You and Liao Tiesi will each receive an additional allowance."

Wang Tiesi immediately stood up, his back straighter than ever before: "If there's a mistake in the ledger, you can hold me responsible. If I can't even keep a few ledgers safe, then I've been wasting my salary..."

After a moment, the signing room fell silent.

Zhang Sanlang glanced at the outer room.

Zheng Qian and Qian Shouye sat at the desk by the window. Qian Shouye's abacus beads clicked a few times. Zheng Tiesi shook his head, pointed to a number in the book and said something. Qian Shouye then dialed the number again.

Liao Tiesi walked up to Li Youtian's desk and pushed the land tax register in front of him. "Brother Li, from now on, you and I will be in charge of these registers. Let me explain in detail..."

Wang Tiesi was flipping through the household register, scanning it page by page, occasionally picking up a pen to jot down a line on the side.

Zhang Sanlang mentally reviewed everyone's tasks, pulled a piece of paper from the corner of the table, and took a few steps towards the outer room: "There's another matter. Magistrate Gu has already informed me, so I'm letting you know in advance today."

The people outside simultaneously stopped what they were doing.

"Starting this month, the rations will revert to the old system, with grain distributed without monetary payment. The clerk will receive two shi of millet per month, the assistant clerk one shi, and the assistant clerk and handyman five dou. These will be drawn monthly from the official granary."

Liao Tiesi and the others exchanged bewildered glances. "They've switched back to distributing grain rations? What do you mean?"

Zhang Sanlang didn't answer him and continued reading: "The salary remains unchanged. The clerk gets three strings of cash, the assistant clerk gets one and a half strings, and the assistant clerk and the handyman get one string each."

"Miscellaneous allowances are paid in cash: clothing and food allowance, firewood and charcoal allowance, salt and vegetables allowance, work food allowance, and tea allowance. The clerk receives one string of cash, and the assistant clerk and handyman each receive two hundred cash. Those who run errands outside the office receive an additional three hundred cash per month."

Qian Shouye's abacus beads started clicking again.

He lowered his head and tapped the key twice, muttering something under his breath.

Zheng Tiesi didn't move beside him, but simply tapped the table a few times with his finger.

With his hands tucked into his sleeves, Liao Tiesi asked, "Sir, does this mean my monthly salary will remain the same, my miscellaneous allowance will increase slightly, and I'll receive an extra portion of rice each month?"

Zhang Sanlang nodded.

Liao Tiesi glanced at Wang Tiesi: "Wouldn't that mean an extra five dou of rice and two hundred coins in income?"

Wang Tiesi paused on the paper with his pen in his hand, pursed his lips down, but couldn't resist and curled them up again.

Zhang Sanlang returned to the inner room and sat down at the table. Outside, a buzzing sound filled the room, as if hundreds of ducks had entered and were making a racket.

After discussing it, Li Hang and Gu Yansheng adjusted the stipends and distributed them to everyone in the county government, resulting in increased income for everyone, which naturally made everyone happy.

Zhang Sanlang had just calculated his monthly income.

The clerk's stipend was two shi of millet, which, at market price, could be exchanged for one guan (a unit of currency). His salary was three guan. Miscellaneous allowances were one guan. He also concurrently managed the criminal affairs office, and Li Hang approved an additional two guan for his expenses.

This seven strings of cash was his monthly income, honest and upright, without any shady dealings, and he wasn't afraid of anyone auditing his accounts.

In addition, each clerk also had ten mu of official land under his name, with an annual rent of six strings of cash, which amounted to five hundred cash per month. Although it didn't go directly into his pocket, this amount would be included in his year-end bonus.

All these incomes combined amounted to ninety strings of cash annually! Although it couldn't compare to Sun Jizu's three hundred and fifty strings, it was enough for him to live a decent life in Juancheng.

Besides these, he was also exempted from all miscellaneous corvée labor for his entire family, such as repairing city walls, dredging ditches, and transporting grain and fodder. No one in the Zhang family had to do any of these tasks. When Qingge grows up, he can just focus on his studies.

Li Hang also selected people from the miscellaneous servants to serve him in the hall, where they were responsible for serving tea and water, organizing documents, and running errands.

Having money in hand brings peace of mind.

After Zhang Sanlang secured his position as a clerk, his family's life changed day by day.

Let's start with the food.

In the past, the stipends were given in cash, and after receiving them, one had to use the money to buy food rations. The miscellaneous subsidies were also very meager, so Wang Yue'e always had to carefully consider the depth of the rice bin when cooking.

Now, the grain rations directly provided are more than enough to feed the family, and they can even frequently bring back a few bushels of fine flour and white rice from the county granary. Qing-ge'er, who used to drool at the sight of pancakes, is much calmer now.

The monthly salary used to be only 1,500 coins, but now it has skyrocketed to 3 strings of cash!

In addition, there's an extra two strings of cash for part-time work in the prison, plus one string of miscellaneous allowances, so I can get six strings of cash back every month!

The kitchen became visibly more prosperous.

Previously, meat was only served once every ten days or so, but now at least one meat dish is served every day. Sometimes it's river fish bought at the dock fish market, and sometimes it's a few pounds of pork that Wang Yue'e casually cuts on the street.

Qing Ge'er's head grew rounder and rounder as he ate, gradually taking on a somewhat robust and chubby appearance. The only thing that worried Zhang Sanlang was that the boy hadn't grown much taller; instead, he was growing wider and wider, and his body was showing signs of becoming as round as a ball.

happy Mei'er has also grown taller, and the sallow complexion of her face has faded, revealing the rosy and fair skin that a girl should have. She is no longer as thin as before.

Because Lin Xiuer practices martial arts every day, she can eat the equivalent of three people. Not only is she as tall as Lin Qiaoer, but she is also much fatter than Xi Meier.

The short stick, originally used by adult archers, danced effortlessly in this girl's hands. Zhang Sanlang would avoid her whenever he saw her, afraid she might drop it on his face.

They changed their clothes as well.

Zhang Sanlang used to only have four or five pieces of clothing, which were washed until they were faded.

Now I've bought several new outfits.

For everyday home use and entertaining guests, he wore a moon-white linen robe with wide, unrestricted sleeves and a blue cloth sash tied at the waist. He wore it alone in hot weather and layered it over a plain-colored silk undergarment in cool weather. Linen was breathable and absorbent, making it more comfortable and relaxed than silk.

On duty, he wore an indigo fine linen shirt, with a dark green silk sash tied around his waist, and a dark blue silk half-sleeved garment over it. It was both respectable and understated.

When going out to a banquet, he wore a dark blue crepe robe with a cross-over collar and right-fastening front, the cuffs slightly gathered, and a fine, subtly patterned trim along the hem. Over this robe, he wore a grey squirrel wool straight-cut jacket, and a black leather belt was tied around his waist.

During festivals and sacrificial ceremonies, they wore ochre-colored brocade robes with subtle floral patterns, the patterns of which were faintly visible as they moved. Over this robe, they wore dark blue velvet vests, with a section of snow-white fine cloth peeking out from the collar.

These four outfits cost twelve strings of cash!