Chapter 52: Good idea, good idea
After finishing a day's work, Mr. Zhang felt his neck stiff and his shoulders ached. He couldn't help but reach out and pinch them, but the relief was very limited.
At this moment, even Lord Zhang missed his wife at home. If she were there, her massage skills would definitely be able to relieve the pain.
After all, he is old and can't stand the fatigue of this kind of office work, so Mr. Zhang had to stand up and stretch his muscles to avoid not only sore shoulders but also numbness in his hands and feet.
I don’t know if the three newcomers can help, I hope they can’t help and instead cause more trouble.
What they want are skilled and experienced yamen officials, not a group of ignorant students. Lord Zhang sighed, thinking that although the Fifth Prince is a prince, he is young and it is his first time to go out to do business, especially such a tedious task as managing the Qingzhou River. But the prefect, Lord Fang, is not so cooperative.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Master Zhang stretched out his waist and stretched his old waist. Then he went out and asked, "Where are those three students? Are they still serving food?"
"Sir, they're all over there. I don't know what they're doing. They haven't finished yet."
Lord Zhang frowned, feeling that these three were truly troublesome. They had already caused trouble on their first day. They should just go back to school. "Let's go and take a look."
The most chaotic time is usually when meals are served. These servants don't know the rules and make a lot of noise when it comes to eating, for fear that they will miss a bite. It gives Lord Zhang a headache just watching this.
Who would have thought that when he came one day, he found that the conscripts who usually refused to listen to his calls were actually queuing up obediently.
Lord Zhang couldn't help but feel puzzled, but he didn't rush to ask. He walked forward along the flow of people and saw three crime scenes placed in the front. The three students who came today were sitting in the back with paper and pen on the table.
The two servants who usually cooked were maintaining order, shouting, "Don't worry, we have everything."
What on earth is this?
At this moment, the sharp-eyed Lu Mingchuan spotted the newcomer and quickly stood up and saluted: "Master Zhang."
Su Fengzhang and Wenzhu finally realized what was happening and were about to stand up to salute when Master Zhang waved his hand and said, "It's already so late, why haven't you finished distributing the food yet? We still have to go to work tomorrow."
"What are you doing?"
Lu Mingchuan turned to look at Su Fengzhang. The meaning was very clear, allowing Lord Zhang to know who the leader was at a glance.
Su Fengzhang smiled and explained, "I just came over to discuss this with the two young men. Some people always feel that the daily food distribution is unfair. They eat less while others eat more. Also, there are too many people and it's hard to remember. Some people get food twice, leaving others with nothing to eat. They can only add another bowl of water to the pot."
"If this continues, it will easily allow those who are lazy to take advantage, while the hardworking and honest people will suffer losses."
Mr. Zhang naturally knew about this kind of thing. He frowned, looked at him and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"
Su Fengzhang said, "The students don't have a good idea, so they thought of registering everyone and giving each person a name tag with basic characteristics written on it, just like the examination for scholars."
"When they receive their food every day, they draw a circle on it and change the sign every month. As long as they don't lend their sign to others, this kind of thing won't happen."
Upon hearing this, Master Zhang frowned and said, "It's not easy to take the exam. We don't have the time."
Su Fengzhang laughed and said, "It's called an exam sign, but you can actually just use bamboo strips from the firewood pile. They might not be neat, but they're easy to write on and won't break easily. What's even better is that they're readily available and don't cost a thing."
The Qingzhou area, including their Hushan County, is a place where bamboo is produced, and this thing can be seen everywhere.
Lord Zhang looked down and saw that there were piles of bamboos behind their table. The bamboos were originally split randomly and were very rough, but they could be used to make temporary signs. After all, the laborers did not mind.
However, there were only three of them in total, while there were more than a hundred laborers, so their movements were a little slow.
Master Zhang took a closer look and nodded: "That's a good idea, but it's a little troublesome."
Su Fengzhang added, "Actually, I have another idea. The sign we made today is a bit rough, just tick the number to avoid confusion. Then draw thirty lines and cross one out every day. This way it's simple and clear, and you don't have to calculate every time."
As expected, Lord Zhang nodded when he heard this. He had originally thought that this thing was a bit complicated. Wouldn't it require someone who could read to watch over it every time? But if it was operated this way, it would be much easier. It didn't matter whether one could read or not.
As for the falsification, Lord Zhang was not so worried. After all, the civilians were illiterate. Even if there were literate people, they would not bring pens and ink with them when they went out to serve, so it was impossible for them to make corrections themselves.
Seeing that he looked okay, Su Fengzhang suggested again, "Master Zhang, I actually have another idea, but I don't know whether I should tell you."
Mr. Zhang took a closer look at him. Seeing that he was mature and steady despite his young age, he liked him even more. "Tell me about it. I won't blame you even if you're wrong."
Su Fengzhang then spoke, "Now that the sign has been made, it can be used for food and work. When the time comes, those who work diligently will be given an extra spoonful of rice, and those who cheat and play dirty will be given less. We are all serving here, so those who work hard and those who don't should not be treated the same."
As soon as he said this, Mr. Zhang's eyes changed. He couldn't help but laugh and nodded, saying, "Indeed, your method is good. Otherwise, relying on a few supervisors to beat and scold is useless. After all, they can't just sit there and watch all day long."
"I've taken note of this method." The more Lord Zhang thought about it, the better it seemed. When serving, the civilians were lazy, which was their biggest headache. They couldn't just beat or scold them harshly. If they beat someone to death, they would have to pay with their lives.
After saying this, Master Zhang actually wanted to praise: "I didn't expect that you three have some skills."
Wen Zhu was still standing there stupidly, while Lu Mingchuan, who was standing beside him, was a bit of a pushover. He kept saying, "Master Zhang, thank you for your compliment. We are new here and not familiar with river affairs. It would be great if we could help out a little."
Master Zhang laughed and then asked curiously, "Are these people so obedient? They line up just like that when you tell them to? They weren't so obedient before."
Su Fengzhang smiled and said a little embarrassedly, "The students made the decision on their own. They said that those who wait in line can get their meals first and get more side dishes. After they get their nameplates, if they want to write letters in the future, they can come to us three and we won't charge them."
This labor service will definitely last for a long time, and this place is in the wilderness, so no one will come here except the people from the yamen. However, the yamen runners who come to deliver food every few days can help take the letters back, so this is still somewhat attractive to the people.
Master Zhang finally understood and nodded in satisfaction. He then asked, "I haven't asked for your names yet."
"I am Su Fengzhang, a student from Hushan County." Su Fengzhang introduced himself.
"I'm Wenzhu, a student from Hushan County." Wenzhu also said.
"I, Lu Mingchuan, am from Huaishan County. It is truly a great honor for me, as a student, to be able to work with you, my elders."
Lord Zhang glanced at them and roughly understood the personalities of these three people. He had no feelings for Lu Mingchuan, who liked to flatter others, but was quite interested in Su Fengzhang.
"So you are Su Fengzhang." Lord Zhang said with a smile.
"Do you know me, sir?" Su Fengzhang was a little surprised. Although he was the top scorer in the provincial examination, in fact, the top scorer in the provincial examination was nothing. Besides, this sir Zhang was not an official in Qingzhou Prefecture.
"Do you know a centurion named Liu Wei?" Lord Zhang asked with a smile.
Su Fengzhang naturally remembered Liu Wei, who had saved the entire Yuexi Village from the bandits, and nodded quickly: "It was Lord Liu who apprehended the bandits and saved my Yuexi Village from being destroyed."
"He is my neighbor. I heard him mention you when we were drinking together in the past." Lord Zhang laughed. Liu Wei did not just mention you simply. His words showed admiration and praise for the young man, saying that he was young but courageous, and he would have a bright future.
Su Fengzhang's eyes moved slightly, and he smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Lord Liu still remembered me. I had originally planned to go and see my savior after the prefectural examination, but unexpectedly something happened and I missed the opportunity."
Mr. Zhang smiled and said, "It's not like you missed him. You wouldn't be able to find him even if you went there. He was transferred away at the beginning of the year."
Su Fengzhang was about to ask again, but Master Zhang didn't mention it. He smiled and said, "Just do your work. If you have any difficulties, come to me. I won't waste your time."
As soon as Mr. Zhang left, Lu Mingchuan couldn't wait to ask, "Brother Fengzhang, so you know Mr. Zhang?"
Su Fengzhang sat down and continued writing the sign, answering with two minds at once: "I don't know him. It's just that one of Mr. Zhang's neighbors once saved my life. It's a coincidence."
Wen Zhu also said, "Is that the Captain Liu Wei you mentioned? What a coincidence."
Lu Mingchuan's eyes darted around, and no one knew what he was thinking privately. Finally, he muttered, "It seems that Lord Zhang is quite pleased with us. I wonder what his specific official position is. I wonder if he can praise us in front of the prefect when the time comes."
Su Fengzhang did not discourage his fantasy, but he felt that he was dreaming. Lord Zhang's rank must not be high, otherwise it would be impossible for him to handle those messy little things personally. It was still unknown whether he could meet Prefect Fang. Besides, even if he could meet the prefect, why should he praise them.
But Lu Mingchuan felt that this matter was worth fighting for. In the next few days, he was extremely attentive to Lord Zhang. Wen Zhu was shocked by his enthusiasm and secretly told Su Fengzhang that this man had no integrity, did not look like a scholar, but more like a businessman.
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