Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Studying is Expensive
The training at Jinnan Road has ended. Some people passed and some failed. Now all the vacant positions are officially empty.
Li County and Lingzhou immediately issued a joint recruitment notice, and the place became very lively for a while.
There are few positions for county magistrates, and the requirements are extremely strict, with a lot of rules and regulations, and the applicant must have experience working at the grassroots level.
This requirement was a real blow to the students who had just graduated from middle school. They had thought they could catch up with the trend of the times and become officials like Shitou and Wen Lanniang.
So everyone went to sign up to be Bai Zhi honestly.
Yang Yidong was so busy on Jinnan Road that he had almost no time to sleep. Everything had to be started from scratch, so you can imagine the workload.
Therefore, the students who just rushed to Jinnan Road immediately became busy.
Ding Shui was lucky. Right after graduation, he encountered a situation where Jinnan Road was in urgent need of talents. He took the Baizhi exam just like he did when he took the middle school entrance exam, and he successfully passed.
But since the score was low, the place they were assigned to was relatively ordinary. People with high scores like Yan Qingxuan were directly assigned to the provincial government where the prefect Yang was.
Ding Shui was assigned to Qiancheng County.
The economic development of Qiancheng County was relatively backward, but fortunately the county magistrate was a smart man and greeted this group of Baizhi people who came from Xihe Road in a very kind tone.
Jia Wenshi himself understood that he was not from the Anping County Lord system, and his life as a county magistrate was over. These men and women who came here to be Bai Zhi still had a lot of room for advancement in the future.
The Bai Zhi under the Anping County Lord is very different from the Bai Zhi in the past. Now Bai Zhi is no different from a yamen runner.
There's no need for him to be arrogant and offend others.
Sun Yuhua and Jia Wenshi originally wanted to host a banquet at home to welcome these people from Xihe Road, and to get everyone acquainted with each other so that future work could be carried out more smoothly.
Unexpectedly, everyone rejected him.
The reasons are similar.
"County Magistrate Jia, this banquet might be considered illegal eating and drinking. We just took office and don't want to leave this stain."
"Yes, yes. If they happen to come for a random inspection at five o'clock in the morning, all of our careers will be over."
"Although the county lady hasn't explicitly stipulated it, Magistrate Liang has said that drinking culture is a feudal dregs, and we young people should take the lead in resisting it."
"That's right, we are young people of the new era, we don't play that game."
Jia Wenshi was completely bewildered. He tried to explain, "I'm really just entertaining you all. We're only having dinner, not drinking. Alcohol is very expensive, how can I afford it?"
Still no one agreed.
Seeing that he could not persuade her, Jia Wenshi had no choice but to give up the idea.
When Sun Yuhua heard the news, she couldn't hide her impatience. "How can this be? They just arrived. If you don't treat them to a meal, won't it seem like you're looking down on them?"
Jia Wenshi's eyes widened. "Of course I know this. It's easier to get the job done when everyone is familiar with it. I've invited them so many times, but they just don't want to come. What can I do?"
Sun Yuhua snorted, not understanding what these young people were thinking.
It's just a meal, what's there to be unhappy about?
However, the two of them comforted themselves by thinking that they could save a lot of money by not treating guests. Even if they bought ingredients outside and cooked, the cost would still be considerable.
My three daughters are still waiting to go to Lingzhou to study. How can they afford the rent, food, and clothing?
Jia Wenshi quickly adjusted and began to work with this group of people.
Qiancheng County wants to develop salt mines, but Jia Wenshi is not very optimistic about this matter. He has been the county magistrate of Qiancheng County for so long. The salt mine is a good thing, and digging salt wells is not difficult, but why has no one mined it? It is because this salt is not edible!
It is said that the Lord of Anping County has great supernatural powers, but he still has doubts about this matter.
The salt mine investigation team came and left in a hurry. Not long after returning, they issued a document to Qiancheng County.
We need to recruit workers to mine salt and dig salt wells.
Jia Wenshi understood clearly that this must mean working for the county government for free, as it has been the case since ancient times.
As a result, when Jia Wenshi looked down, his eyes widened.
There is actually salary, and it is settled on a daily basis.
Jia Wenshi felt deeply moved. The Princess of Anping really treated the people just as the rumors said.
There is even a special note at the end that random checks will be conducted on the distribution of funds every five o'clock in the morning. If corruption is found, the person will be immediately dismissed and strictly punished, and three generations of the family will be banned from politics.
Since becoming the county magistrate, Jia Wenshi has heard the words "Wu Geng Tian" many times, but he just doesn't know what kind of magical powers this organization has.
So after the meeting, he asked out of curiosity.
Now there are many answers.
"The people in Wugengtian are really powerful. Their skills are amazing. And they are all ruthless and merciless."
"They are elusive, like ghosts."
"They were all raised by the county lady since childhood and are loyal to her."
Ding Shui thought for a moment and said, "You'd better be careful, Magistrate Jia. If you do something bad, the fifth watcher might be watching you from the rooftop."
Jia Wenshi was frightened and subconsciously looked towards the roof. Fortunately, there was no one there.
In order to mine salt mines and salt wells, Bai Zhi and the yamen runners had to inform the people and also had to register the people.
Ding Shui deeply understood why one must go to the grassroots level before becoming an official.
He had been talking about wages for a long time, twenty cents a day, but those people still asked.
"How can there be so much? Are you trying to fool us?"
"I... only want ten cents, and I'll give you the rest. Can you appoint me as the one to do the work?"
Ding Shui was overwhelmed after hearing this.
But the purpose of his studies was to serve the people, so he didn't even dare to speak loudly.
"Mining and well drilling are both physically demanding and very tiring, and everyone gets paid through hard work."
"Sir, you can't say such things. If the county magistrate finds out, I'll be punished, and you won't be able to do your job. You deserve the wages for your work."
"Ah, ah, ah, don't be anxious, don't be anxious!!"
Zhang Ying and his father lined up obediently. Zhang Ying boasted that he had seen the troops of the Anping County Lord before and was more knowledgeable than the people in the county. He also told these people how good the Anping County Lord's rule was and how it was completely different from that thief Song.
It was Zhang Ying's turn. Unlike the others, he didn't ask any extra questions and just answered whatever was asked.
It's rare to meet a normal person, Ding Shui was so moved that he almost cried.
After completing the registration, Ding Shui returned to the county government office for a work lunch.
Nowadays, the work of the county government is described according to Lingzhou and Li County, so the working meals are naturally simple. In addition, the products in Qiancheng County have not yet recovered, so the taste of the food is average.
The girl who was eating lunch with Ding Shui seemed to have infinite visions for the future. "Once the salt mine in Qiancheng County is mined, the price of salt will come down. Then every household will be able to afford good salt, and our lunch won't be so bland anymore."
Ding Shui finished his work lunch and was about to leave work when he saw County Magistrate Jia standing at the door and waved to him embarrassedly.
Jia Wenshi said mysteriously, "Mr. Ding, I have three daughters who want to go to Xihe Road to study. I want to ask you, this shouldn't be considered collusion."
Ding Shui smiled and said, "That's nothing. Why didn't Magistrate Jia come and ask earlier?"
Jia Wenshi said with a worried look, "You know how busy the county office is these days. No one can spare the time. I'm afraid of wasting everyone's rest and work time. What if Wu Geng Tianzhen is watching me from the roof?"
Ding Shui followed Jia Wenshi back home.
Sun Yuhua had been pacing anxiously in the mansion for a long time.
The two concubines beside her said softly, "Madam, there's no need to be so anxious. Since my husband has said he wants to find out, we can just wait for him to come back."
Sun Yuhua sat down and took a sip of tea. "I told him to go and ask, but he insisted that he was busy with work recently and was afraid that someone would come to check on him at dawn. It's just a few questions, how can it be so serious? I think he's just suspicious all the time!"
After saying this, Sun Yuhua sighed to the two concubines again, "With the two of you gone this time, it's just him and me in this house. There's no one to talk to and relieve my boredom. I'm really annoyed just looking at him."
Jia Wenshi brought the people back and introduced them one by one. "Mr. Ding said that studying is a big deal and cannot be explained in a few words. We should go back to the mansion and talk about it slowly."
Ding Shui picked up the tea and moistened his throat. He had been talking to the people all day and was really tired.
Ding Shui first asked about age, "How old are the three little girls from Magistrate Jia's family?"
Sun Yuhua told the truth.
Ding Shui: "The eldest girl will have to go to night school, but the other two girls can enroll in elementary school if they register this year. You should get ready quickly. Lingzhou is building an elementary school this year, so you can study there. You can also study in Li County. In fact, the teaching staff in Li County is better."
Sun Yuhua was confused. "What do you mean by teaching staff?"
Ding Shui patiently explained, "The primary and secondary schools in Li County have been established for many years, and the teachers there have all been teaching for many years. Most of the teachers at Lingzhou Primary School are recent graduates. Isn't it obvious that the teachers in Li County are better?"
Jia Wenshi grasped the key point, "Then why did Lord Ding ask us to go to Lingzhou to study?"
Ding Shui shook his head. "That's because the rent in Li County is expensive. The house I rented before was only a dozen steps away from the middle school. Guess how much it cost per month?"
Ding Shui stretched out his hand and gestured for a number.
Jia Wenshi, Sun Yuhua and the other two concubines gasped.
One of the concubines couldn't help but say, "You're asking for that much money in just one month. What will happen if you study for several years?"
Ding Shui agreed: "Yes! It's really not worth it."
Sun Yuhua asked tentatively, "What if we rent somewhere farther away?"
"It's far and not cheap. Besides, if it's far, won't the child have to get up earlier and come home later? Doesn't that mean she'll have less time for homework and sleep? You might think it's okay for a day or two, but over time, won't she fall behind her classmates?"
Ding Shui spoke with an unavoidable excitement. "We can't let our child lose at the starting line. Since you two are sending him to study so far away, you must be hoping he'll become an official in the future."
Jia Wenshi and Sun Yuhua were said to be silent.
Ding Shui patted Jia Wenshi's shoulder comfortingly and said, "This time, a lot of teachers have been transferred from Li County to Lingzhou. County Magistrate Jia can still afford to send students to Lingzhou. If they go to Li County to study, I'm afraid others will think that County Magistrate Jia has a fortune."
Jia Wenshi's hands trembled. "Just study in Lingzhou, just study in Lingzhou."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com