The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

The Daqian New Year holiday starts on the first day of the first lunar month and ends on the fifth day.

According to the law, there is no holiday on New Year’s Eve.

Of course, that’s what the regulations say, but actually taking a holiday is another matter.

Especially for officials in remote areas like Sun Shan, it doesn’t matter whether they have holidays or not. They can just hide in the backyard and sleep in a rocking chair when they have nothing to do on weekdays.

Sun Shan ordered the etiquette office to arrange for staff on duty to ensure that there were people on duty at the yamen during the New Year period.

The ritual official was helpless. In previous years, as long as the magistrate sealed the seal, he could go home and there was no need to be on duty in the yamen.

Although I had some objections to the magistrate's arrangement this year, it was completely fine according to the rules, so I had no choice but to accept it.

Sun Shan added, "Those who stay in the government office will have their wages doubled."

With these words, the ceremonial officer immediately made a 360-degree turn.

Smiling, he said, "Sir, I will make careful arrangements to ensure that there are enough people on duty during the New Year holiday. Even if there is an emergency, we can respond immediately. Sir, please rest assured."

Emma, ​​you should have told me earlier if you wanted to be paid. And it's double the salary.

It doesn’t matter whether we celebrate the New Year or not, as long as we pay the money, everything will be fine.

The ceremonial officer thought that once the news was announced, the yamen runners would definitely rush to take up their duties.

Working five days is equivalent to working ten days. Where can you find such a good thing?

Besides, if you have money, you can always celebrate the New Year. It would be better to work and earn money in the government office than to go home for the New Year.

A few days later, Sun Dingnan came back.

Sun Shan felt like he hadn't seen anyone in ages. The first thing he said when they met was, "Brother Nan, how come you've lost so much weight?"

It's so pitiful. He used to have some baby fat, but now he's become hard-boned.

Not only is he thin, but he's also a lot darker. He doesn't have the slightest bit of educated temperament at all, and is a typical skinny and dark farmer.

Sun Shan compared himself and didn't know if he had shrunk or become shorter?

If the village chief saw this, he would be heartbroken.

Although Sun Dingnan is dark and thin, he is in high spirits. He said with a smile: "I was too busy to eat, so I lost weight. But fortunately, the workshop has been repaired and the villagers have started producing guano fertilizer."

Sun Dingnan took the account book and told Sun Shan the material cost, labor cost and other account books in detail.

He said anxiously: "Master, we have spent a lot of the 3000 taels we raised last time. If we don't sell the guano, I'm afraid the treasury will be out of money."

3000 taels may sound like a lot, but when you actually spend it, it goes away quickly.

A little here, a little there, and finally the money is gone.

Especially when it comes to road construction, the labor costs are indeed cheap, but with so many workers, they build the roads regardless of the cost, and a lot of money is wasted all at once.

The most important thing is that the workshop does not accept credit, and payment is made upon completion of the work, and there is very little money left in the treasury.

The workers were so happy to work that before leaving, they asked if they would recruit workers after the New Year. If they did, they would be the first to sign up.

Of course people want to come and work. It is rare in this day and age to be paid so readily.

What's more, the money is provided by the government, which is extremely rare.

Sun Dingnan and Mr. Wang became increasingly anxious as they watched the money in the treasury decrease day by day.

The guano workshop only pays out but has no income, so how can we not be anxious?

More than half a year has passed, and not a penny has been deposited into the treasury.

Sun Shan also noticed Sun Dingnan's anxiety and said soothingly, "Brother Nan, don't worry. We'll just do the initial work and then wait for the money. There's no need to rush this."

After a pause, he added, "Besides, this money isn't ours. It belongs to the lords of Yuanlu County. If they're not anxious, why should we be? If they lose money, it's them who lose, not us."

Sun Dingnan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. "Master, you're right. Fortunately, the money this time was pooled together by quite a few people. Even if there's a loss, if it's shared, no one will lose much. If there really is a loss, Master Wang will suffer the most."

Sun Shan nodded repeatedly: "The Wang family is a big family with a lot of wealth. We won't feel bad if we lose this little bit."

That is to say, if Sun Shan really suffered a loss, Mr. Wang would definitely come to complain and curse Sun Shan behind his back.

Sun Shan asked again, "Did you learn a lot from following Master Wang this time?"

Speaking of this, Sun Dingnan became happy.

He said seriously, "Master, if I hadn't worked with Master Wang, I wouldn't have come into contact with many things. Alas, doing business is not easy. Master Wang is indeed capable, and his Wang family can be seen in all walks of life in Yuanlu. In addition to relying on Chenzhou Prefecture, he is also capable on his own."

Sun Dingnan told Sun Shan everything he had seen and heard while following Master Wang.

For example, where to buy bricks, where to buy wood, how to recruit workers, how to calculate costs and get the price to the lowest.

There are many things you simply cannot understand unless you experience them yourself.

Sun Dingnan said with emotion: "Master, even if I know the general process now, I may not be able to do it smoothly if I do it alone. There is still a lot to learn in the future."

Sun Dingnan is absolutely right. If you don’t experience the process of some things, you won’t understand how they work.

Even if you have experienced it, the process may not be the same next time.

You never stop learning, and there is still a lot to learn in the future.

This was Sun Shan’s first time entering officialdom, and he still couldn’t understand the twists and turns involved.

To outsiders, he, the county magistrate, seemed to have the final say. After issuing a task, his subordinates would do it accordingly.

In fact, this is not the case at all.

Just like the villagers of Da Niao Village were selected to work in the workshop, in fact, this work position had long been eyed by many people, and various forces wanted to seek entry through various relationships.

If this "factory" had not been created by Sun Shan, he would definitely not have so much say.

For example, the yamen runners all had their own positions, and the men from Sunjia Village had no way of getting in.

Sun Shan couldn't just fire the yamen runners and let his own people in, right?

Such a radical approach is bound to backfire.

Sun Shan had no choice but to create a "work station" instead of seizing it by force.

Fortunately, there are few officials in Yuanlu and the people are not very fond of causing trouble, which is why Sun Shan has been so successful so far.

If he went up a level, not to mention the capital and Changsha Prefecture, even to Chenzhou Prefecture, Sun Shan had no confidence that he could get along well with his colleagues and balance his own interests with theirs.

It seems that to become an official one has to work one's way up step by step. It is always more practical to have basic work experience than to be parachuted in.

Of course, Sun Shan also has high requirements. He is responsible to his superiors and to his subordinates.

Some officials only like to be accountable to their superiors, as this may help them move faster.

Sun Shan shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He would just take it one step at a time. His brain was not good enough and he couldn't think that far ahead.

He said to Sun Dingnan: "You still have to work during the New Year. Thank you for your hard work. You have to go to Aojiawan to celebrate the New Year."

Sun Dingnan shook his head repeatedly: "Master, it's not hard. It doesn't matter where you celebrate the New Year. Besides, I have Dalang and Erjie to accompany me. I'm not lonely at all."