Chapter 402: An Accidental Success (Additional Update for June Monthly Tickets of 2500)
The owner of the bookstore seemed to know that Bai Erlang didn't like reading, so as soon as he turned around and came in, he asked the clerk to bring him a stool to sit on, and also had someone bring him a plate of snacks to treat him.
The reason why he was so attentive was that the Bai family was a big customer of their bookstore.
I wouldn’t dare say it’s the largest, but it’s one of the few big customers.
Not to mention that Bai Shanbao came to their bookstore from time to time to buy books, pens, ink, paper and inkstone, and Mr. Bai also bought some new books from their bookstore regularly to store.
He didn't know whether the other party would read it or not, but Mr. Bai would basically collect a set of every new book that came in.
This young man doesn't even look at the price when buying things, he just buys based on his preferences, so he is even more generous.
The shopkeeper greeted Bai Erlang with a smile, and in order to prevent him from getting bored, he even held a cup of hot tea and chatted with him, such as what the young master has been doing recently, what book he is reading...
Bai Erlang was bored, he didn't like reading, and it wasn't fun to go out alone, so it would be nice to have something to talk about while waiting.
The two of them started chatting animatedly, while Manbao and Bai Shanbao were each looking for interesting books on the bookshelf.
When Yang Heshu strolled into the bookstore, he saw Bai Erlang sitting and talking at the counter. He subconsciously looked at the bookshelves in the bookstore and saw the two children.
Yang Heshu couldn't help but smile and walked in with his hands behind his back.
When the shopkeeper looked up and saw Yang Heshu, he immediately stood up to greet him.
Yang Heshu smiled, pressed his hand, asked him to sit down, and walked straight into the bookstore.
Bai Erlang also saw Yang Heshu, but he didn't stand up. Instead, he greeted him lazily, "Master Yang."
Yang Heshu smiled and nodded, then stopped and asked, "Are you not going to school today?"
"The master gave us a day off so we could buy an abacus."
"Oh, you guys are going to learn the abacus?" Yang Heshu looked at him and said with a smile, "That's pretty fast. It seems you're good at math."
The shopkeeper looked at him in surprise and doubt. Is this... an acquaintance?
Yang Heshu went straight into the bookshelf to look for a book. Bai Erlang didn't bother talking to him, but turned to the shopkeeper and asked, "Where were we just talking?"
The shopkeeper: "...Talking about you guys going to the river to dig mud and make mud balls to fight with."
"Oh, yes." Bai Erlang took a sip of tea and continued.
Nearly an hour later, Manbao and Bai Shanbao each took out two or three books.
The shopkeeper didn't expect Manbao to buy two books, so he asked with a smile, "Did you make money, young lady?"
Manbao said proudly: "My father gave it to me."
The shopkeeper then understood that this was free money and he didn't feel bad about buying books.
The shopkeeper smiled and paid her the bill, then went on to count the books Bai Shanbao had bought.
Manbao spent all the money his father had given him, and then he was satisfied with the bag and handed it to Daji. When he turned around and saw County Magistrate Yang standing behind him, he was delighted and said, "Sir Yang, what a coincidence."
Yang Heshule said, "I've been here for more than half an hour, and I passed by you three or four times before you noticed me."
Bai Shanbao also looked at him curiously.
Yang Heshu knew that the two children hadn't noticed him. He coughed awkwardly and said with a smile, "It's almost noon. How about I treat you to lunch?"
"Okay, okay." Even Bai Erlang was happy and offered suggestions. "We know which restaurant in the county town is the best."
Yang Heshu burst into laughter and said happily, "I know that too."
There are only a few restaurants in the entire county, and only one big one. How could he not know?
Although he had only been in office for about three months, he had already eaten at all the restaurants in the county town, and was almost bored enough to eat at roadside stalls.
Yang Heshu handed the two books he had chosen to the shopkeeper, asked his followers to pay the bill, and then took them to the restaurant.
In the past, people had to travel in and out by horse and carriage, but now they have to rely on their feet. There is no other way. If you ride a horse or take a car, you can tour the entire county in less than fifteen minutes. What's the point?
To kill time, it is better to walk with your legs, and you can always see different scenery.
The group slowly arrived at the restaurant. Yang Heshu did not go into the private room, but found a seat on the second floor.
The three of them found their seats and sat down. Bai Shanbao looked around and said, "It feels like the county town is a bit more lively than before."
"Really?" Yang Heshu also looked around and said with a smile, "Maybe it's because of the busy spring season before, no one had time to come out. Now that the busy season is over, everyone has some free time."
"Not entirely," Manbao, who had been to the county town the most, said after looking out the window, "It must be because there's no entrance fee anymore, so everyone likes to go in. Look, there are so many children down there."
Everyone looked downstairs and saw a group of children laughing and circling around a man selling candy figures. Every time the stall owner made a candy figure, the children cheered.
Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang nodded in agreement.
Yang Heshu was stunned and asked, "What's the purpose of this entrance fee?"
"Of course it's closed. There's no entrance fee anymore, so everyone can enter the city whenever they want." Manbao looked at Yang Heshu and said sincerely, "Sir Yang, you're such a good county magistrate."
Yang Heshu: ...He has done so many things along the way and no one has ever praised him as a good county magistrate. But he was praised just because he didn't ask for an entrance fee?
Why did he cancel the entrance fee?
Oh, because I don’t think it’s necessary.
It is impossible to keep a detailed account of one or two cents. The gatekeepers, the general flag-bearers, and the chief clerks above may all intercept the money.
The money accumulated in the county government office every month is not much, but it wastes everyone's time and the people's time.
So he canceled it.
But……
Yang Heshu was a little confused. "It's just a penny. Will everyone stay out of the city just because of this?"
"Of course," Manbao said as a matter of course, "one cent could buy a vegetarian bun, and two cents could buy a candy figurine. If my nephews and nieces and I all go to the city, it will cost ten cents, which can buy five candy figurines."
Yang Heshu: ...It sounds like quite a lot.
"Since it costs ten cents, why not go into the city by yourself and use the remaining nine cents to buy something delicious? We can just wait at home." Manbao said, "Children from our village rarely went into the city before because it was too far. But after the entrance fee was introduced, adults didn't like to go into the city anymore. If they needed something, they would go to the market to buy it. If they couldn't find it there, they would ask people from the city to bring it to them. My second brother often brought things for people from the village."
Yang Heshu couldn't help but clench his fists. He never expected that the entrance fee would have such a big impact. Isn't this just one or two cents?
Manbao looked at him suspiciously, "You're not going to charge the city fee again, are you?"
Yang Heshu came back to his senses, smiled and shook his head, "No, the entrance fee is not worth charging."
"That's right, that's right. Don't be like County Magistrate Fu, or I'll have to sell you candy."
Yang Heshu asked curiously, "Why do you want to sell me candy?"
Manbao said seriously, "To earn the city entrance fee."
(End of this chapter)
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