Chapter 656: The Two Major Household Clerks (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Luan Xin: "..."
The lord told him that Lin Hucao was not old, but did not tell him that the other party was so young. Although Lin Feng's height had reached adult size thanks to the nourishment of his literary talent, and he was only half a head shorter than himself, the childishness on his face could not be concealed.
He immediately returned the greeting, saying in a gentle voice, "Luan Xin, courtesy name Gongyi. I heard from the lord that Lin Hucao would be arriving soon, but I did not know the exact time. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly."
Lin Feng smiled shyly: "It was my presumptuousness to disturb you."
Luan Xin's serious treatment made her feel somewhat flattered.
She was the youngest and least experienced among the men under her lord's command, which led her to always adopt a humble attitude and act like a student whenever she met a teacher, constantly seeking their guidance. Most teachers addressed her by her courtesy name, but Luan Xin did not.
This gave Lin Feng the illusion that he was an adult.
She secretly straightened her already upright back even more, so as not to show her fear. The two walked side by side into the Household Registration Office. The clerks were coming and going, and the files on the desks were piled up in stacks, so dense that there was no room to step in some places.
Luan Xin personally led the way for Lin Feng. Looking at the messy government office, he looked a little embarrassed: "Although I am ten or twenty years older than Lin Hucao, I am not very familiar with the affairs of the Household Department and am still figuring things out. I hope that Lin Hucao can give me more guidance in the future, so that we can learn from each other and make progress together."
Lin Feng hurriedly waved his hand: "I dare not accept such praise, I dare not accept such praise."
Before coming to the Household Registration Office, she went to the Prefectural Government first.
Lin Feng learned some basic information about Luan Xin from Qi Zhubu. Before surrendering, Luan Xin was a trusted strategist under Qiu Cheng, holding a position equivalent to his own teacher, Chu Yao. Although Luan Xin hadn't demonstrated his combat prowess, Lin Feng was a junior in terms of seniority and experience in officialdom.
She still has so much to learn.
She was nominally the head of the Household Affairs Bureau, but in reality, she was only responsible for promoting agriculture and sericulture. Matters such as household registration, sacrifices, and marriage were temporarily delegated to her teacher, Chu Yao, and a group of other officials in the Household Affairs Bureau. When Luan Xin asked her to give him some guidance, she panicked.
Fortunately, Luan Xin asked questions that were all things she was good at.
He spoke fluently and eloquently, effortlessly holding his own.
Lin Feng secretly wiped away his sweat.
At least I didn't tarnish the teacher's reputation.
Luan Xin listened intently, nodding occasionally and showing sudden understanding at times, growing more and more appreciative of Lin Feng with each word. This young lady, though young, was indeed capable, frank, and enthusiastic, sharing her knowledge without reservation—a truly rare quality. "Hearing your words is worth more than ten years of study," he said. "Lin Feng has been a great help to me. These past few days, I've been so worried about where to begin with next year's spring planting..."
It was somewhat difficult to put a strategist like Luan Xin, who advocated extreme war tactics, in the position of Revenue Clerk. Luan Xin had no choice but to spend his days busy with Revenue Clerk affairs and his nights studying the Revenue Clerk's archives by lamplight.
The only saving grace was that the Household Affairs Office still had some old staff members available.
Otherwise, the Household Registration Office would have to shut down.
Lin Feng listened to Luan Xin's complaints and showed some sympathy.
Encouraging agriculture and sericulture was not simply a matter of encouraging and urging commoners to cultivate the land; its actual scope was quite complex. It covered everything from crop rotation methods, farming tools, and techniques, to soil quality, manpower, and yield per acre, and down to fertilization, irrigation, drought and flood prevention. It encompassed agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and other miscellaneous sideline occupations—all of which fell under the jurisdiction of the Revenue Clerk.
If there's spare time, one should also compile summaries and archive records for future readers. In comparison, simply farming, selecting and cultivating superior seeds is far too leisurely. Lin Feng's ability to pick things up so quickly is entirely due to her scholarly approach.
【Essential Techniques for the Common People】
This was not only her scholarly way of life, but also a comprehensive agricultural masterpiece. Although the "Essential Techniques for the Common People" was missing a few volumes, its contents were still very useful. In contrast, Luan Xin was not so lucky; he had to start everything from scratch.
"If it's just spring plowing, there are rules to follow."
When it comes to farming, no one loves it more than our lord.
To facilitate management, a set of standards was gradually adopted under Shen Tang's rule, and Sibao County was no exception. Lin Feng suggested to Luan Xin, "Luan, the Registrar, before the end of the year, go to the lord's side early and urge him to borrow more people..."
Luan Xin asked her, "What's the trick to this?"
The Household Registration Office doesn't have many people, but it's enough for now.
Lin Feng said, “There are many intricacies involved. According to past practice, most of the land within the Sibao County must be re-registered and recorded before spring plowing. ‘Unclaimed land’ must be re-divided and rented to displaced people for cultivation. Unregistered tenants must also be re-registered. No one can be hidden. Farm tools must be made, oxen must be bought, grain and seeds must be carried… and canals must be built to facilitate irrigation…”
Luan Xin could bring rain; as long as there was enough literary talent, there would be no worry about rain or drought. However, his individual strength was limited; he could only provide temporary relief, not lasting peace. For long-term development, it was still necessary to allocate manpower to build water conservancy projects, which would benefit future generations.
Even without the drawbacks of the scholar's way, Luan Xin wasn't a quick-witted person, and his actions were always lukewarm. He mentally reviewed every word Lin Feng spoke, counting on his fingers, his already unhealthy complexion growing even paler.
This is not the amount of work that would take two or three months.
Luan Xin exclaimed in horror: "So many?"
Lin Feng sighed, "That's why we have to poach people."
She also secretly passed on some experience to Luan Xin, such as which captain had a good temper and whose troops were quick and efficient. They were fast, of high quality, and occasionally they could even bargain—borrowing men from the army required paying them extra military pay, all of which had to be allocated from the annual budget of the Household Department, and the annual budget allocated by the prefectural government was limited, so they had to save wherever possible.
If you have a good relationship with someone, you can even get something for free.
Lin Feng enjoyed playing with Lu Ji and the others. Whenever the Longwu County Household Registration Office needed manpower, it was very cost-effective to ask them for it.
But when it comes to meticulous budgeting, they still can't compare to their own teacher. The budgets of all the government offices were reviewed by their teacher, Chu Yao. From He Yin to Long Wu, for a full four years, the budgets of the government offices were strictly controlled every year. It was considered good if they could avoid deficits at the end of the year.
Even though he was his student, he couldn't get an extra penny.
Luckily, he was very capable, otherwise the teacher would have been in a sack long ago.
Luan Xin: "..."
Lin Feng talked on and on, almost slamming on the brakes.
He coughed twice and said, "Anyway, that's it."
Luan Xin sighed: "I'll go borrow someone this afternoon."
Listen to advice, and you'll have a full meal.
Lin Feng's experience was indeed useful. When Luan Xin went to the prefectural government office to explain his purpose, Shen Tang's eyes showed relief.
The new employee is quick to grasp the company's core spirit—"involution"—which makes things much easier for everyone. She smiled and said, "I was originally planning to bring up what Gongyi said at the morning meeting in a few days, but I didn't expect you to bring it up on your own initiative. That's great."
With a wave of his hand, he assigned Xun Ding to Luan Xin.
They euphemistically said, "You two are already familiar with each other, so there's no need for a break-in period."
Luan Xin: "..."
Xun Ding: "..."
Gu Chi was trying so hard to suppress his laughter that his lips twitched.
Luan Xin was Qiu Cheng's former subordinate, and Xun Ding was a hired hand hired by Qiu Cheng at a high salary. The two had indeed worked together briefly and were familiar with each other!
Xun Ding pointed to himself, looked at Shen Tang, then at his old father, his face blank. He had reason to suspect that Shen Tang was confused: "This, this, I'm not familiar with the affairs of the Household Department either."
Shen Tang said, "No, you know it well."
Xun Ding: "???"
Shen Tang then looked at Xun Zhen, intending to have him train the new recruits, but to her surprise, Gu Chi volunteered and took on the task himself. The reason was readily available: he was still weak and not fit for strenuous work, so assisting the Revenue Department was just the right amount of work for him.
When Gu Chi speaks, how could he not respond?
Then--
The knife pulled my buttocks; it was an eye-opener.
The giant blue crocodile kept dying and rolling around.
Mud flew everywhere, and stones flew in all directions.
For the first time, Xun Ding realized that his own warrior totem was incredibly skilled at digging, and for the first time, he also discovered his talent for digging irrigation canals. As he led his soldiers to work, he thought to himself, "Wouldn't that damned Gongxi Chou be more suited for this job?"
Slap your thigh!
Gong Xichou ran too early!
At the same time, Gu Chi and Luan Xin had a very pleasant conversation.
The two seemed like longtime friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time. The atmosphere was harmonious, and they talked about everything, leaving Lin Feng feeling neglected.
However, she didn't care; she had important matters to attend to. One of the reasons she was summoned to Sibao County by Shen Tang was to assist Luan Xin in familiarizing himself with the affairs of the Household Affairs Bureau. The other matter was to search through the treasury of the Household Affairs Bureau of Sibao County to see what rare and exotic plants it contained.
The Household Affairs Office was responsible for agriculture and sericulture.
Not only must superior varieties be carefully selected and passed down to improve crop yields, but also more grain crops must be explored and developed, and cultivation practices observed. Each household administration office has a "treasure trove" containing all sorts of rare and exotic seeds and plants; a careful search might yield unexpected discoveries.
Shen Tang sent Lin Feng to try his luck.
"Hey, Luan Hucao, what's this?"
_(:з」∠)_
I lost track of time while writing, but when I checked the word count, I decided to write another 500 words.
P.S.: I'll try to resume regular updates in February (*▽*)
(End of this chapter)
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