Chapter 3100 Discussion
Beihai County now has two sets of finances. Because the official salt issue involves confidential information, Bai Shan is not confident in handing it over to Song Zhubu, or even to any official in Beihai County. After all, it has a huge impact.
Therefore, the sale of official salt has a separate set of account books, which is now managed by Bai Shan himself, with the help of Yin Huo and Bai Erlang, as well as his own aide Mr. Cui, so it is not difficult.
but!
Song Zhubu is the chief clerk of Beihai County. He has been running the business in Beihai County for many years. Not only does he have a wide network of contacts, but he also has a good vision. Even though he has no access to the affairs of the salt field, but by looking at the people at Longchi Wharf, the various timber and stones transported there, as well as the long-term workers on the official fields, and the cartloads of grain moved out of the treasury every month, he can tell that the current expenses are far greater than the income.
Bai Shan didn't bother to guess whether he was loyal or not. After all, the New Year was approaching, and it was a good opportunity for him to send people to the local areas to inspect the government fields to prevent any problems with the farmhands on the fields.
Song Zhubu received the difficult task and went home to pack up his things. He didn't know that Bai Shan was intentionally transferring him out, and just thought it was a routine patrol.
Moreover, County Magistrate Bai has attached great importance to the official land in recent months. He has recruited long-term workers and opened up a lot of wasteland for cultivation. Therefore, Chief Secretary Song believed that Bai Shan valued him.
So even though Song Zhubu felt that the journey to the countryside was cold and bumpy, he still happily ran back home to find his wife, "Pack my things, I'm going to the countryside tomorrow."
Mrs. Song, "Why are you going to the countryside again? It's winter now, isn't it time for farming? What are you going to do in the countryside?"
"What do you know? Lord Bai has opened up a lot of official fields. This year, he planted a lot of wheat. Next year, he'll plant rice, beans, and other crops on the remaining land. I have to go to the countryside to see if those farmhands are cheating or not."
He said, "Those farmhands need to be paid every day. Those expenses are all from the county government, so we can't let them sit idle. That's why I have a lot to check on this trip to the countryside. This is a rare opportunity for Lord Bai to use me since the beginning of winter, so I have to do it well. Don't hold me back."
When Mrs. Song heard this, she packed his luggage that night and put a lot of dry food in the bag. She told him, "Don't worry about coming back. I will take good care of the family. Just work hard for Master Bai."
Song Zhubu felt that he could hear anger in this sentence. He asked uncertainly, "Are you sincere or not?"
Mrs. Song glanced at him and said, "How could I be jealous of Master Bai?"
At this point, she softened a little and helped Song Zhubu put on his outer robe. "Just go back to work with peace of mind. There was a bit of a rift between our Song family and Lord Bai some time ago, so this is a good opportunity to ease the tension."
Song Zhubu: "It's not me who has a falling out with the Lord, it's my uncle!"
Mrs. Song straightened his clothes and said, "Anyway, in the eyes of Lord Bai and outsiders, you two are together."
This made Song Zhubu feel upset for a while, and he was still a little unhappy when he took his bag to the county government office. In the eyes of everyone, Song Zhubu was very dissatisfied with the decision to go to the countryside.
The yamen runners and clerks who went to the countryside with him were a little nervous, hoping that nothing would happen on the way.
They had a lot of things to check when they went to the countryside. The long-term workers under Bai Shan were already familiar with the job and had trust in the county government, so their wages had been negotiated from once every three days to once every two weeks.
The wages settled for half a month must also be paid according to the lines marked on the wooden sign. They need to complete a certain amount of tasks every day, and their wages will be deducted if they fail to do so.
After the winter wheat was planted, the farmhands thought they would be idle and might not earn any wages, but Bai Shan gave them a lot of instructions, asking them to ferment fertilizer, build roads, repair canals, build houses, cattle sheds, chicken coops...
So, the farmhands who had wanted to pack up and go home immediately settled down again. It was heard that those who did a good job could be selected to repair the dock.
For them in the past, building the dock was extremely hard work, but not anymore.
I heard that the workers building the dock were paid higher wages than them, had better food and accommodation, and would be more likely to be allocated land in the future so that they could stay in Beihai County.
Now, they have received another order that every official farm must build a pigpen that can raise at least twenty pigs, so the farmhands are now even busier. Although it is the slack season, there is something to do every day.
This is in stark contrast to the idle villagers in the village not far away.
This made the villagers unable to help but take advantage of the slack season to repair their houses and chicken coops and join in the composting process...
When Song Zhubu was traveling among the various government-owned farms, Zhou Man finally met veterinarian Pan.
There were no horses in Beihai County that needed fanning, and no one had reported any sick cattle or horses, so the animal husbandry office seemed useless. At least the officials in the county government didn't quite understand why County Magistrate Bai spent so much money to hire veterinarian Pan.
"Slap the pig?"
Bai Shan and Zhou Man nodded in unison. Bai Shan said, "I've already sent people to procure piglets. They'll be temporarily raised in the official farms outside the city, and then they'll be castrated and sent to the official farms across the country."
Veterinarian Pan was a little uneasy. "Are you going to fan it right away? I've been thinking about it since the adults talked to me last time, but I'm not very familiar with pigs. Castration is going to be necessary. I..."
Bai Shan immediately said, "There are a few pigs in Guantian Village. We can try it with them."
Zhou Man asked curiously, "How do you fan a horse?"
Veterinarian Pan didn't know what to say when he saw Zhou Man's look.
Seeing how embarrassed he was, Zhou Man simply asked for more details, "They must have removed his testicles. How did you do it? Was the incision big?"
Veterinarian Pan glanced at County Magistrate Bai, who was sitting next to him. Seeing that he didn't seem to care at all, he simply stopped being coy and started discussing with Zhou Man, "Actually, there's no need to make a big move..."
The two of them opened up the topic and discussed back and forth. Although humans and horses are different, surgery requires an incision, so there are always common points, such as how to prevent external evil infection after the operation and ensure the horse's peaceful rest.
This is true for humans and horses, and pigs naturally have something in common as well.
After discussing this with Zhou Man, Veterinarian Pan gained some confidence and a plan in mind. He said with a smile, "When the time comes, I'll ask for your guidance, Master Zhou."
Zhou Man immediately said, "I should ask Veterinarian Pan for advice. I'm actually quite interested in this as well. You can go and look at the pigs first. When the time comes to castrate them, we can do it together."
Veterinarian Pan frowned and asked, "What age of pig is suitable for castration? We can't do it the same way as horses. Horses are usually trained after they're one year old. After they're taught to ride and raised until they're fat and strong, they're fanned and then nursed back to health for a while before being retrained to ride again..."
But for pigs, they can be slaughtered when they are one year old... right?
Bai Shan looked at Zhou Man.
Zhou Man studied the information in the encyclopedia and immediately said, "Piglets between seven and thirty days old are fine. Within this timeframe, the earlier the better."
See you at 8pm
(End of this chapter)
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