The soldier said to Ma Gui, "Write down everything you just said to me in the letter. Especially remind my family to take the receipts and never let anyone else claim them.
Also, tell them that when they collect the money, five taels means five taels. I've already paid the handling fee, so they don't have to pay a penny. Also, tell them not to worry about me, I'm doing fine here."
Ma Gui nodded and wrote down the truth.
Two pages filled with writing.
Ma Gui asked the soldier, "Do you want to check to see if there are any mistakes?"
The soldier scratched his head and said, "Boss, can you help me check if everything on this letter is correct?"
Gu Ting put down his pen and scanned Ma Gui's letter word by word. "Except for a few typos, the content is correct. It's all written according to what you said."
The soldier chuckled, very satisfied.
Gu Ting felt a little embarrassed.
When he was in school, he was a complete academic loser. But he didn't expect that when he arrived at the military camp, he would become a top student and be admired by others.
It's really shameful.
Furthermore, his handwriting is ugly. In the words of Confucius, it has no character.
It's just a little better looking than the courier Ma Gui's handwriting.
The handwriting of the sour scholar next door is ten times more beautiful than his.
Gu Ting covered the letter paper and didn't let the soldier see it.
It's so embarrassing for a boss to have such ugly handwriting.
Gu Ting frowned.
He really doesn't like writing letters; it's troublesome.
After all, he had received some education, so he absolutely could not write letters in sloppy language like the courier Ma Gui.
No matter what, his writing must have some literary grace, something elegant and refined that lets people know that all those years of studying were not in vain.
This made Gu Ting suffer.
A sentence is quick and easy to say, but when I write it down, I can't find the right wording.
It's really difficult for him.
He dropped his pen and said, "I'm going out for a while."
I didn't care what everyone thought and just went out with the letter paper.
He turned a corner and secretly climbed over the wall into the old scholar's house.
He opened his mouth and shouted: "Scholar, scholar. Business is coming to you, why don't you come out and greet the customer?"
"Who the hell is yelling outside?"
The dirty scholar opened the broken window, saw Gu Ting, and immediately grinned.
"It's General Gu. Come on, come on. Do you have any wine?"
Gu Ting opened the door and walked in. "I don't have any wine today, so I need your help to polish this letter for me."
The old scholar had a look on his face that said, "I understand everything, I promise not to tell anyone." "General Gu is writing to his family again. He's been writing quite frequently lately."
"You talk too much nonsense. My sister gave me a nephew. I haven't been back for a few years. I have to pay more attention to him."
"That's right, that's right. General Gu loves his family so much. Your family is blessed."
"Don't talk nonsense. First, take a look at what I wrote and see if it's okay. What needs to be improved? You polish it for me and I'll copy it again."
The old scholar sat under the window and looked carefully in the light of the sky.
Then I picked up my pen and made some revisions and polishing.
"General Gu, take a look at my revisions."
Gu Ting finished reading it and grinned, "Yes, that's the flavor. Here's your writing fee, take it and buy some wine."
Gu Ting directly gave him half an ounce of silver. The old scholar did not refuse in a pretentious manner. He just said, "Thank you, General Gu. Please come often."
Gu Ting walked out the door, then turned back and asked, "Do you want to work at the express delivery station next door? It'll provide food and accommodation, and a monthly salary. Next year, you'll also have a month and a half of vacation, and the company will send you home directly."
The old scholar laughed heartily. "Thank you, General Gu. With my status, I can't go to the express delivery station. I don't want to ruin their business. Even if the express delivery station can send me back to my hometown, I can't go back. General Gu, have you forgotten that I am a criminal?"
A good scholar ended up in the northwest, either because he committed a crime and had to hide from the government, or because he was sentenced and exiled to the northwest.
Obviously, the old scholar should be the second case.
No one remembers exactly when he came to the Northwest, but everyone around him knew that there was such a person as him here.
I guess the government wouldn't have known there was such a person under its jurisdiction unless they looked through the old files.
Just because the government office has forgotten him doesn't mean he can move around freely.
As soon as he entered the city gate and showed his identity documents, it was clear that he was a criminal. He could make trouble out of nothing.
No wonder the old scholar seemed to live a carefree life, but never went to the city, married or had children, and never mentioned returning to his hometown.
Gu Ting scratched his head and asked, "First, let me tell you, what did I do wrong?"
The old scholar smiled and said, "General Gu, don't worry about me. I have lived for most of my life and I am content!"
"Talk to me. As long as it's not a serious case of rebellion and the death penalty, I'll think of a way and maybe I can really help you." Gu Ting still didn't give up.
The old scholar shook his head and said, "Thank you! My family has all died, so there's no point in going back. This place is great, I've already planned to be buried here forever."
Gu Ting frowned, "Don't you want to go back and sweep the graves and pay homage to your ancestors?"
The old scholar was silent for a moment, then laughed again, "The people are dead, what's the point of offering sacrifices to ancestors? I'm afraid my ancestors would have expelled me from the family tree long ago."
Gu Ting sighed, "Think about it carefully. If you have figured it out, we can talk about it next time we meet. Don't underestimate me. Although I am not that good, my family is very powerful. With just one word from me, the express delivery station can accept you as an employee."
The old scholar laughed meaningfully and said, "I believe it! I always believe what General Gu says."
"That's it, goodbye!"
Gu Ting apologized and climbed over the wall to leave.
The old scholar sang loudly and sighed into the wine.
As the singing came, people at the express station started saying, "The old scholar is drunk again!"
"Don't mention it, the old scholar's singing is quite charming."
"The smell of farts. The smell of coffins cannot be detected."
Gu Ting returned to the courier station, put the copied letter into an envelope, sealed it, and placed it together with the bundle.
He said to Ma Gui, "Give me a remittance slip. I need to send money."
"Boss, didn't you say your sister is rich? Why are you sending money back?"
"You know shit!"
Gu Ting smiled proudly, "I send money back home, not for household expenses like you guys do. I invest it and make money. You've all heard about the cement road, right? I invest my money in it and just sit back and reap the dividends."
"Wow! Boss, such a great opportunity, please introduce it to us too."
"Do you have money, kid? Have you paid off your gambling debts? When you have saved up ten taels of silver, come to me and I will send it back to the capital for you to earn interest."
"Do I have to save up ten taels? Is five taels okay?"
Gu Ting rolled his eyes, looking disgusted. "Look at your lack of ability. You can't even come up with ten taels of silver. You've wasted all these years."
"Boss, I have ten taels of silver. Can I also have a share of the profits?"
Gu Ting stared at the soldier. "Aren't you going to send money home? Where did you get ten taels of silver?"
The big-headed soldier was tall and strong, with a fierce scar on his face. He had an embarrassed expression, which irritated Gu Ting greatly.
"If you have something to say, just say it and don't make weird gestures." Gu Ting was very disgusted.
The soldier, behind someone's back, whispered to Gu Ting, "I've saved a total of sixteen taels. I sent five back home, and I was planning to use the rest to gamble in the city during the New Year. But since the boss has a way to make money, I'll give up the opportunity to go to the city during the New Year and give you the money. You can help me invest."
Gu Ting snorted, "You guys will be killed by gambling sooner or later."
He made up his mind that when he returned to the military camp, he would report it to General Pei and put an end to the gambling culture in the army.
All the money earned with one's life was lost at the gambling table. Who wouldn't feel sad when seeing it?
Only these gamblers themselves don't feel sorry.
Gu Ting thought about it and decided that if he let his sister handle this matter, she would definitely have a better way.
So he asked for pen and ink and wrote a second letter. This letter, written entirely in plain language, only addressed one issue: the rampant gambling in the army, and how to solve it.
Seeing the soldiers lose all their money at the gambling table, and then retire penniless with no hope for the rest of their lives, how can I not feel heartbroken?
After all, there are limited express delivery and toll booths, and they cannot accommodate all veterans.
Gu Ting didn’t dare to think too much about how miserable the rest of life would be for those veterans with no future.
He could only write down all his worries on a piece of letter paper and ask his sister to help him with advice.
Gu Ting accepted ten taels of silver from the soldier and wrote him a receipt.
The soldier refused, saying that he trusted Gu Ting.
Gu Ting insisted on giving it to him. "Just take it if I tell you to. If I die someday, you can get your money back with this receipt. Without this receipt, my family won't recognize it."
"That's unlucky, General."
"That's unlucky. You're all just people with your heads tied to your belts. Stop talking so much nonsense."
The soldier could only accept the receipt and keep it close to him.
This time, Gu Ting sent back three hundred taels of silver.
He earns a lot here, but also spends a lot.
Over the course of a year, he had saved over three hundred taels. He kept the remainder for the New Year and sent the remainder back to the capital, asking his sister to invest it for him, so that his money could make more money.
The last time his sister wrote to him, she said he hadn't touched his dividends over the years, investing them all. Over the years, he had accumulated tens of thousands of taels.
Gu Ting grinned. He was also a man with a certain fortune.
When it was time to get married, he didn't ask his family for money. He prepared the betrothal gifts himself and married a girl he liked.
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