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

As the sun began to set, Carpenter He packed up his tools, dusted off the sawdust from his clothes, and said, "Officer, that's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow morning."

Zhang Sanlang saw him to the door, saying, "Brother He, you've worked hard."

Carpenter He waved his hand and walked towards the backyard.

Zhang Sanlang closed the door, inserted the newly replaced latch, and tested it again.

On the low table, Xi Mei had already set out the bowls and chopsticks. Qing Ge climbed onto the bench, picked up the bowl, and started eating.

Zhang Sanlang sat down, picked up the bowl of porridge, and took a cloth bag from beside his feet, placing it down. "Ximei, this is what your father bought today. Open it and take a look."

happy Mei put down the bowl and untied the cloth bag.

The two bolts of plain silk were neatly folded and gleamed with a soft light.

She reached out and touched it, her fingertips pausing on the silk. "Father, this silk is so thin."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at her. "Plain silk is just like this. It's light, thin, breathable, and cool to wear in the summer."

Xi Mei put down the corner of the silk and gently smoothed out the wrinkles. "It's so thin, I'm afraid it won't last long. It'll tear if you just rub it while working."

"You wear linen on ordinary days and plain silk when you go out to visit others." Zhang Sanlang picked up a piece of pickled radish with his chopsticks. "You're nine years old now, you should have some decent clothes."

happy Mei lowered her head, her fingers stroking back and forth on the silk surface.

Thin, smooth, leaving no residue where the fingertips pass.

Xi Mei glanced at him, folded the silk again, wrapped it in cloth, and placed it on the wooden chest by the bed. "Father, I'm not a young lady from a wealthy family. Why should I wear silk? Take it back and return it."

"We can't return it." Zhang Sanlang picked up a piece of pickled radish with his chopsticks. "Manager Zhu said the price of cloth will go up again. It won't spoil if we leave it. After the New Year, when the weather gets warmer, we'll make a new set for our family, and keep the rest."

Although Ximei is sensible, she is still a girl after all, so how could she not love beauty?

Seeing that Zhang Sanlang's words were undeniable, she had no choice but to lower her head and eat.

"happy Mei'er".

"Um?"

"From now on, don't go too far when you go out. Just play in the alley. If you go to the main street to buy things, Dad will come back and we'll go together."

Xi Mei put down her bowl and looked at Zhang Sanlang. "Father, are you afraid someone will come looking for trouble?"

Zhang Sanlang took a sip of porridge and said, "It's better to be safe than sorry."

happy Mei pursed her lips. "Don't worry, Father. I won't let anyone take Qing Ge'er away."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at her and nodded.

Qingge'er lay on the table, his mouth full of porridge, and asked indistinctly, "Who's taking me away?"

Xi Mei gently patted his head. "No one's taking you away. Eat quickly."

Qingge pouted and lowered his head to continue eating his porridge.

The next day, when inspecting the autumn tax general ledger, Zhang Sanlang went to the household office again.

Wang Tiesi neatly stacked several large piles of registers, arranging them by township and village, with a label tucked under the cover of each pile. Zhang Sanlang sat at his desk, transing the summaries from each township into the master register, his handwriting straight and even, without a single correction on any page.

After repeated proofreading, the general ledger was completely copied. Only then did Tao Yashi emerge from the inner room, still holding the teacup he never let go of. His movements were slow and leisurely, as if he were taking a stroll in his own yard.

Zhou Qianxing followed behind him, the copied autumn tax register tucked under his arm. The two left the household office one after the other, walked around the main hall, and headed towards the registrar's office.

The office of Registrar Gu was not large, consisting of a bookshelf on one wall, a desk on the other, and an official's hat chair.

Last year's autumn tax booklet was spread out on the table, and the tea in the teacup had been cold for a long time.

Gu Yansheng sat behind his desk, put down his pen when he heard footsteps, and only raised his chin slightly.

"Registration Officer Gu, the autumn tax inventory for this year has been verified." Tao Cheng placed the general register on the table, turned to the first page and pushed it over. "The land tax is equivalent to 15,000 strings of cash, the commercial tax is equivalent to 1,500 strings of cash, and the exemption fee is 1,500 strings of cash."

"A total of 13,000 strings of cash were handed over to the prefecture. The county retained 3,000 strings of land tax, 500 strings of miscellaneous taxes and official expenses, and 1,500 strings of exemption from corvée labor, totaling 5,000 strings of cash. This is 2,000 strings more than last year."

Gu Yansheng picked up the general book and carefully flipped through it from beginning to end.

The tax system is divided into sections for land tax, commercial tax, miscellaneous taxes, and exemption from corvée labor. Each page has a label on the side indicating the amount exempted for each township and village.

The total was meticulously recorded with thick, dark ink.

He studied it for most of the hour, then looked up at Tao Cheng with some surprise, "There isn't a single mistake or error, that's rare!"

Tao Cheng turned his head to the side and gestured with his chin toward Zhou Qianxing behind him.

Zhou Qianxing immediately bowed and stepped forward: "Reporting to the Registrar, this year's agricultural tax was distributed by township first and then by village, following the method of the Posting Office. The tax was checked in three shifts, which greatly reduced the number of errors and omissions."

"There were no major errors in the amount of tax exemptions; the numbers reported by the clerks in each village and township were all verified."

"The Posting Office? The one that was seconded from the Clerk's Office?"

"That's right. He has been copying case files in the civil service for many years and is very familiar with the land tax register and the grain tax register. Most importantly, he is very proficient in the money and grain tax. This autumn, the household registration department was short-staffed, so I transferred him here to help."

Gu Yansheng leaned back in his chair, looking at Tao Cheng across the table: "You've been working as a clerk in this county for several years now, and this year's accounts are the clearest they've ever been. In previous years, we always had to send them back for re-auditing several times, but this year there's not a single thing we can return."

"You know where the extra two thousand strings of cash are. Keep what should be kept, and hand over what should be handed over in full. As for the expenses of official residence maintenance, post station upkeep, autumn and winter sacrifices, just make a list according to the usual practice and get it approved."

Tao Cheng quickly replied, "Yes. This year, the land tax has increased by 1,500 guan because the number of acreage reported by households in each township is more accurate than in previous years. In previous years, households that withheld their reports have now been properly registered."

"There was an extra shipment of southern goods at the port, so we collected several hundred more strings of cash in back taxes. The exemption fee is the same as last year."

Gu Yansheng nodded, turned to the last page of the master book, picked up his pen and signed his name at the end, put down the pen and leaned back in his chair, "We've kept too many this year, so don't skimp on repairs, lest we have holes again next year."

"Don't lose the decorum of welcoming and sending off guests in the government office, but don't exceed the usual practice of previous years. As for the sacrificial animals, fruits, and vegetables, allocate more for this year's winter sacrifice."

"The stables at the post station need renovation, and there are several places where the roof tiles and windows of the official residence and outbuildings need repair. There are also several miscellaneous expenses that were cut in previous years that need to be made up. The money for the offerings and charcoal for the autumn and winter sacrifices should be included in the total amount, which should not exceed 10% of what is left this year."

Gu Yansheng flipped through the general register and then spoke up: "There are dozens of jars of newly arrived official wine stored in the storeroom. I'll have someone send you ten jars later. Also, take ten shi of rice from the rice granary and send them over as well."

"Also, you received an excellent rating in the Personnel Department's year-end evaluation. You just mentioned that Zhou Quan wanted to be transferred to the Rites Department?"

"Yes. The position of assistant in the Ministry of Rites has been vacant for a while. Clerk Feng has come to ask several times, and Zhou Quan himself is willing. It's just that he left the Ministry of Revenue, so we need to fill the vacancy."

Gu Yansheng nodded slightly. "Who do you want to fill in?"

"Zhang Shouli, the clerk of the Personnel Department. He came up with the method for this autumn tax inventory, and the clerks of the Revenue Department all respect him. He's just temporarily in charge; we'll train him slowly to see if he's up to the task."