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

On the main street, the signs of the cloth shops swayed in the wind.

Manager Zhu was standing behind the counter using an abacus when he saw Zhang Sanlang come in. He put down the abacus and went to greet him.

"The posting officer is here. What would you like to order?"

"Manager Zhu, how much is this linen today?"

"The price has increased by fifty coins, but the price for posting to the post office remains the same: one hundred and twenty coins per bolt."

"Take a piece, please."

Manager Zhu turned around, pulled a bolt of linen from the shelf, and placed it on the counter.

Zhang Sanlang held down the cloth. "Manager Zhu, no rush. Give me two more bolts of silk. It doesn't need to be too good, just ordinary plain silk will do."

Manager Zhu looked up at him and said, "Has the post office made a fortune? They're using linen and plain silk all the time."

"It wasn't about making a fortune. It was just a gift."

Manager Zhu didn't ask any more questions. He took two bolts of plain silk from the shelf and placed them next to the linen. "One bolt of silk for the post office is worth three hundred coins, two bolts are worth six hundred coins. Add the linen, one hundred and twenty coins, for a total of seven hundred and twenty coins. Round it down to seven hundred coins."

Zhang Sanlang counted out seven hundred coins and placed them on the counter.

Manager Zhu took the money, tied up the cloth, and handed it over.

"Hey, Director Zhang, you said last time that the price of cloth would rise, so I bought a batch. Sure enough, it went up by 20%. Here's a small token of my appreciation, please don't be offended."

He pulled a packet of compressed tea from under the counter and stuffed it into Zhang Sanlang's hand.

Zhang Sanlang accepted the cloth, thanked him, and carried it out of the cloth shop.

He then went into Song's Grocery Store.

Manager Song was doing accounts behind the counter when he saw him come in. He put down his pen and went to greet him, "The posting officer is here. What would you like to order?"

"A few kinds of snacks. Osmanthus cake, sesame cake, and candied fruit, two packages of each. Also, two catties of brown sugar and two catties of dried dates."

Manager Song turned around and took the goods from the shelf, wrapped them one by one with oil paper, and tied them with hemp rope in a cross shape.

"Is the posting department sending gifts?"

"Visiting neighbors is a way to mark the occasion."

Shopkeeper Song smiled, and the abacus clicked away for a while. "Snacks are thirty coins per package, six packages are one hundred and eighty coins. Brown sugar is forty coins per pound, two pounds is eighty coins. Dried dates are twenty-five coins per pound, two pounds is fifty coins. That's three hundred and ten coins in total. Round it down, three hundred coins."

Zhang Sanlang counted out three hundred coins, placed them on the counter, picked up his things, and went out the door.

Back in Kujing Lane, Zhang Sanlang went to the west wing first.

Aunt Sun was squatting at the door washing clothes. The wooden basin was filled with the family's old clothes, and she was pounding them on the stone slab with a washing mallet.

Ah-Yun sat by the door pasting paper boxes, her fingers covered in paste.

"Sister-in-law Sun." Zhang Sanlang placed the bolt of linen on the low stool by the door. "A while ago, A-Yun helped Xi-Mei-Er make clothes, and she hasn't thanked her yet. This beige bolt is for A-Yun to make a dress."

Aunt Sun looked up, saw the bolt of linen, her eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again. She wiped her hands on her apron and stood up. "Officer, what are you doing? A neighbor is just helping to make a few clothes; it's not worth giving them a bolt of cloth."

"It's worth it." Zhang Sanlang pushed the cloth into her hands. "A-Yun's craftsmanship is excellent. The clothes made for Xi-Mei and her brother are even neater than those in the shop. Please don't refuse this small token of my appreciation, Sister-in-law Sun."

Aunt Sun took the cloth, felt it in her hand, and then turned to look at A-Yun.

A-Yun lowered her head, smearing paste from her fingers onto the cardboard box, and her ears turned red.

"Well... then thank you very much, Post Office." Aunt Sun held the cloth in her arms, being polite in words but not letting go of it.

Zhang Sanlang nodded and turned to walk towards the alley entrance.

Old Wu's pancake shop was at the alley entrance. The oven had been sealed, leaving only residual warmth. Old Wu was sitting at the shop entrance, holding a bowl of tea, watching the passersby on the street.

"Wu Bo." Zhang Sanlang walked over and placed the various kinds of pastries he was carrying on the low table.

Old Man Wu looked up at the packets of pastries. "Sanlang, what are you doing?"

"Uncle Wu, this is just a small token of my appreciation. You always give me an extra one or two when I buy steamed buns. I've always remembered it, but I've never had a chance to thank you."

Old Man Wu put down his teacup, looked at the snacks, then at Zhang Sanlang, and smiled. "Sanlang, just say what you have to say. I've lived for over sixty years, and I still have that much sense."

Zhang Sanlang sat down opposite him. "Uncle Wu, I'm busy with official duties and not often at home during the day. My two children, Ximei is nine years old and Qingge is only five. There are many child abductors these days, and I'm worried they might run away while playing."

He looked at Old Man Wu and said, "Uncle Wu is at the alley entrance; he can see who goes in and who goes out. If you see any strangers taking my child out of the alley in the future, please stop them or have someone go to the county government to give me a message."

Old Man Wu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down. "Sanlang, are you worried that someone might harm your child?"

Zhang Sanlang didn't reply, he just looked at Old Man Wu.

Old Man Wu was silent for a moment and then nodded. "Alright. I can't help with anything else, but guarding the door and keeping an eye on someone won't take much effort. You can go to the yamen with peace of mind. Your two children won't be able to leave this alley."

Zhang Sanlang took out a string of five hundred coins from his sleeve and placed it on the low table. "Uncle Wu, keep this money for your tea."

Old Man Wu glanced at the string of coins, didn't refuse, and put them into the money drawer beside him. "Sanlang, you're an honest man. I won't stand on ceremony with you. From now on, your family's affairs are my Wu family's affairs."

He paused and lowered his voice, "As you know, my second son is a constable under County Commandant Xu, with a few archers under his command. Kujing Lane is on his patrol route. I'll tell him to take an extra turn every day and keep an eye on it."

Zhang Sanlang nodded quickly, "Uncle Wu, thank you."

"No need to thank me." Old Man Wu waved his hand. "We're neighbors, and your two kids are so well-behaved, I like them too. Besides, Erlang's patrolling the streets is just his duty!"

Zhang Sanlang stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to return to his old residence.

The next day, when He the carpenter finished his shift, he had already started working.

He squatted at the doorway of the east wing, chiseling at the old mortises on the door frame. Wood shavings flew up and landed on his shoulders and hair.

happy Mei stood to the side watching, holding a teacup in her hand.

Carpenter He took the teacup, tilted his head back and took a swig, then continued working. "Director Zhang, I've measured the courtyard gate. The old door panel is too thin, so we'll replace it with a thicker one. I bought a new bolt made of sturdy jujube wood. I had my wife go to the blacksmith to have the iron latch made; we can pick it up tomorrow."

Zhang Sanlang squatted down, looked at the door frame, and said, "Brother He, thank you for your hard work."

"What's so hard about it? I took your money for drinks, I can't live without doing any work." After saying that, Carpenter He lowered his head again to chisel the mortise. The chisel struck again and again, and wood chips flew everywhere.

At the base of the wall were piles of broken bricks and mortar that He the carpenter had brought that morning, as well as several bundles of dry straw.

Qingge ran out of the gatehouse, still holding the cricket cage in his hand.

happy Mei stood under the eaves, watching He the carpenter work, and then glanced at Zhang Sanlang.

She didn't ask why they suddenly wanted to repair the courtyard wall, replace the door panels, and add window lintels.

The nine-year-old child has already learned not to ask too many questions.

The water on the stove boiled, and she turned around to get the kettle and poured He the carpenter a bowl of tea.