Qing Yao

Chapter 10 Makes sense

I sincerely thank "An Jiao Gu Ri Tian" for his support for this book!
Even though I got into the company through the backdoor, I definitely have to take a test on the business side. I can't just rely on sweeping the floor, pouring tea, and wiping the table to spend my whole life in the company.

No matter how hard you try, you still have to be able to get started with basic business, or at least be able to do it decently, unless you have a relative who is an official and can get you a dummy salary account registered with the company.

Zhao An would not be able to find such a relative even if he searched the family tree. It was a great honor for his Zhao family to have a cousin who worked as a "clerk" in the tax bureau.

Without saying a word, Zhao An took a quick look at the account book that Wang Tai threw to him, and found that it was the account for the dredging of the Slender West Lake last year. The project was undertaken by Ganquan County, but from the list of accounts, it could be seen that Yangzhou Prefecture did not allocate project funds to Ganquan County. Instead, the county raised the project funds through levies on merchants, that is, "voluntary" donations.

Therefore, the task of verification naturally fell on the Taxation Department, because it was the Taxation Department that collected the money.

Without thinking much about it, he picked up the abacus and started to calculate. However, the abacus beads looked really awkward in his hands. It was not just unfamiliar, it was extremely unfamiliar. It was obvious that he had never touched an abacus before.

It's no wonder that Zhao An is unfamiliar with his ancestors' gadgets. It's just that the technological age has brought too many conveniences to people. How could he, who is used to calculators, play around with an abacus right away?

"Don't be impatient, take your time, I'm not familiar with it at first"

Master Liu Xiaolou seemed to be at a loss for words, and the "team leader" Wang Tai frowned. However, when he thought about how Zhao An had performed well after entering the calculation room, and that he was the nephew of Wang Defa from the study, and that he had just told others that he just needed to practice more, he could only shake his head helplessly and go to calculate his account himself.

Zhao An must be a little anxious. No matter how well he remembered the abacus formulas, he was still not familiar with them. But he also knew that such things could not be rushed. After calming down, he carefully calculated each stroke.

Although the speed is slow, the account is good.

Because in addition to using the abacus, he also secretly calculated using addition and subtraction in his mind. When he encountered a number with zeros or tails that he couldn't calculate mentally, he would secretly use formulas on paper to calculate.

Wang Tai was busy with his own accounts. Liu Xiaolou was assigned other tasks by Wang Tai. The people in other groups were also very busy. Who would come to see how the new accountant did the accounts?

After counting like this for the whole morning, a crisp bell rang in the yard. People from various departments put down their work and ran to the cafeteria in groups of three or five, talking and laughing.

The scene was similar to the school Zhao An attended in his previous life.

Those who live nearby can go home for a nap after dinner. As for working hours, those at the lower levels have much more freedom than officials. So, being small has its advantages. If you really work in a big government office, there will definitely be many more rules and regulations.

I have the impression that the adults in Beijing have to go to work at four or five in the morning. During this working time, they really look respected in front of others but suffer behind the scenes.

This is a sin that everyone wants to suffer.

Zhao An was not in a hurry to eat. He waited until everyone in the accounting room had left before he stood up, took a breath, and shook his body which was a little sore from sitting. Then he went to eat leisurely.

It is called a canteen, but it is actually just a brick house with two simple sheds connected to the outside, which are equipped with tables, benches, bowls and chopsticks.

As a profitable business, the canteen must have meat dishes at noon, but the quantity is pitifully small. God knows how much money Ding Laosan, who contracted the canteen, earns in a year.

Apart from the guards and custodians, the other people who come to the cafeteria to eat are the low-level staff from various departments.

The middle-level managers had their own separate dining area, where they ate more generously than the lower-level staff. Zhao An's uncle, Wang Defa, ate there. Ambassador Ding sometimes ate with the middle-level managers, but most of the time they ate at restaurants outside.

The Taxation Bureau has a designated restaurant for receptions, where visitors from the prefecture and county are accommodated. I heard from the doorman, Wu Laoer, that the restaurant owner's wife might be having an affair with Ambassador Ding.

I guess it's true.

When Zhao An arrived, the young master Liu Xiaolou had almost finished eating. Because he was in a hurry to deliver the account books to the county government office, he specifically said something to Zhao An before leaving.

Zhao An nodded and went to get his meal. After eating, he did not go back to the accounting room to show off his diligence in studying and working. Instead, he went to the gatehouse to chat with the doorman Wu Laoer, just like he did a few days ago.

If you are not working when everyone else is working, that is your fault; but if you are working when no one else is working, that is also your fault.

It may seem illogical, but it's true. Wu Lao Er, also a native of Yangzhou, had been at the Taxation Department longer than anyone else. It's said he'd been there for over a decade during Emperor Qianlong's reign, welcoming and seeing off countless ambassadors. It's no exaggeration to say that Wu Lao Er is constant, while ambassadors are ever-changing.

Zhao An likes to chat with Wu Laoer because the old man talks about everything and knows everything, just like the taxi drivers in Beijing in his previous life. It is very interesting to talk about everything.

"Uncle Wu, I'm eating."

When I entered the room, I saw Wu Laoer eating. The food was all from the cafeteria, but there was an extra plate of peanuts, and only half a bowl of wine was left.

The old man really loves drinking. He even has a bowl of wine for breakfast, so the concierge office smells of alcohol every day.

I don’t know what this old man’s connections are, but no one in the company dares to say anything about him.

This is also one of the reasons why Zhao An ran to the gatehouse.

Opportunities are not given by God, but you find them yourself.

If the drunken old man really has a relative who is an official in the provincial government, wouldn’t he be a benefactor to Zhao An?

However, after a few days of contact, there was no clue about the noble person.

Zhao An was not in a hurry. He wanted to play the long game and catch the big fish. It didn't matter even if the old man didn't have any noble people behind him. He could just consider it as having fun with the old man.

"Xiao Anzi, I heard that you were given three rooms?"

Wu Laoer quite likes the young man who comes to talk to him during lunch break every day. Firstly, he is old and likes to have someone to talk to, and secondly, this guy often cleans the door for him.

"Yup."

Zhao An picked up the broom behind the door and swept the dirt on the ground into the dustpan, thinking that the old man was quite well-informed.

Wu Lao Er picked up the bowl and gulped down a mouthful, then wiped his mouth and said with a smile, "Wang Tai from your third room is a good man, he doesn't have any bad intentions. It's a good thing for you to follow him."

"Ah."

Zhao An didn't know what to say, so he just smiled and nodded. "Mr. Wang is very good to me. Even though I'm not very good at using the abacus and my calculations aren't fast, he didn't say anything to me."

"If you're not familiar with it, practice more. Practice makes perfect. Who is born to be an abacus? Don't be impatient, take your time."

After taking a bite of the dish, Wu Laoer casually asked Wang Tai what account he wanted Zhao An to settle.

This wasn't a secret, so Zhao An said, "It's about the dredging of Slender West Lake last year."

Wu Laoer said, "Oh!" "Last year, the county collected taxes for dredging. The money was transferred to the department, so you must do the accounting."

"Uncle Wu, shouldn't the county allocate funds for dredging? Why are merchants being asked to donate money instead?"

Zhao An was quite puzzled about this matter this morning. In his opinion, such public welfare municipal projects must be funded by the government, so there was no reason why the burden should be borne by the people.

If the people are asked to pay, what else can the government do?

Unexpectedly, Wu Laoer was also puzzled: "Why do the people need officials if they don't pay?"

(End of this chapter)