He remembered that after paying off the two debts before the Chinese New Year last year, there was 67 yuan left in the house, there was no meat hanging under the eaves, there were no new clothes on the kang, the rice cabinet and the noodle jar were almost bottoming out, and the oil and salt in the stove room had run out. It was his wife who carried him behind his back and took her beloved rotten silver hairpin for four hundred and thirty copper coins in exchange for rice, flour, oil, salt and two catties of mutton. On the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve, he ate dumplings during the New Year, and his wife only ate vegetarian dumplings without horns, and gave him all the meat-filled dumplings with horns, and told him that he was happy and disgusted when he was fishy. Those mutton dumplings were swallowed by him with tears...... On the fourth day of junior high school, he wanted to go back to Li's Zhuangzi to pay New Year's greetings to his mother-in-law's wife and brother, until the third day of junior high school, he was still worried about a little meager gift, and his wife solved a big problem for him, she took out a string of money from the cash cabinet like a trick, and said to him: Her brother's three dolls are three wen each, and the filial piety to her mother is twenty wen, and the remaining seventy wen is just four feet of good cloth, and the rest can buy two catties of snacks. He was so careless that he didn't even notice that his wife was not wearing her favorite water-blue silk jacket that day. It wasn't until the end of the first lunar month that he asked about it stupidly......

The oil lamp burst into flames, and a sudden flash of light woke him up. He stared at the oil lamp whose wick was about to burn out, and his thoughts were still in the longing for his loved ones......

After a long time, he reached out to wipe away a line of tears hanging on his cheeks, and picked up a military newspaper from the table with a wooden face.

Only then did he realize that he didn't know when, the border soldiers on duty had already stood by the door of the study.

He asked the orderly what was the matter. The orderly said that Guan Shushu was looking for him in a hurry, and he was waiting in the hall right now.

Guan Shushu is the third elder of the Guan family who went to Xiazhai to report the news last time, and Guan Xuan's younger brother; After Dujiadian suppressed the bandits, he conferred the official status of Feng Yilang. Shang Cheng felt that this young man had read books and had a good brain, and he was smart and down-to-earth, so he specially asked the opinions of the two brothers before coming to Zhongzhai, and brought the third child of the Guan family to Zhongzhai to make a clerical work. However, this Guan Xian is still an apprentice, and he rarely has the opportunity to deal directly with Shang Cheng, so Shang Cheng can't think of what he will do for a while.

He asked the orderly to call Guan Xian in, and by the way, he brought himself a basin of boiling water, and brought a clean towel, his right eye was so stinging that he couldn't stand it, and he had to use a hot towel to apply it a few times.

Guan Xian has now entered the study. This is a young man in his early twenties, his facial features are very similar to his brother's, but he does not have the sleek sophistication of Guan Xuan, a lake green silk straight jacket is cleaned up, as soon as he enters the door, he first gave him a very respectful scribe salute, and said: "The day before yesterday, my eldest brother came to visit the adult, but the adult was not there. Originally, he was waiting for the adults to come back in the village, but he knew that the adults would be busy with affairs as soon as they came back, and most of them would not have time to see him, so he left a sentence: My eldest brother asks the adults to come to the house to sit and sit ...... during the New Year's Festival."

Shang Cheng was a little surprised. Although it is said that he has a good relationship with the two brothers of the Guan family, it seems that it is not etiquette for them to come to visit them first during the Chinese New Year, but they leave a message to let them "sit" in the past. Could it be that Guan Miao has any confidential matters to discuss with himself? He immediately went through all the things reported by his subordinates in his head, and he didn't find anything wrong. And if there is really something important, Guan Yao shouldn't go back. He couldn't figure it out, so he asked Guan Xian: "Is there something wrong with your eldest brother looking for me?" ”

Guan Xian shook his head and said that he didn't know either.

.

Shang Cheng thought for a while and said, "I'll try to find time to go to your house that year." For the time being, he didn't know how to celebrate the New Year when he became an official, whether there were any rules, and he didn't know if he would be able to have leisure time at that time, so he simply agreed vaguely, and said whether he would go or not.

But Guan Xian, a guy with a clear mind, actually asked his boss's boss: "Then please show me the next time, and when I get home from the vacation, I will tell my eldest brother that the family is well prepared." ”

Shang Cheng waved his hand and said, "They are all acquaintances, what else are you going to prepare?" You don't need to prepare, just have a hot tea. ”

"My eldest brother said that he must ask the adults to tell me the exact date."

Shang Cheng couldn't think of what kind of medicine was sold in Guan Xuan's gourd, and he would be so solemn. He pursed his lips and thought for a moment, and said, "It's either the third or the fourth year of junior high school." It is set on the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and I will go to the old man's house to pay New Year's greetings. ”

Guan Xian agreed and was about to withdraw, but Shang Cheng stopped him again: "Don't be busy leaving, I have something I want to ask you." He pointed to a chair in front of the table for Guan Xian to sit down on. He stood up and moved the shelf in the corner of the room to his seat and set it up, asked the orderly to put half a basin of hot water steaming from the white mist on the shelf, wrung the hot towel with his hand, wrapped it in a ball and pressed his right eye, bared his teeth and inhaled cool air and asked Guan Xian: "You are working in the household department, do you remember the balance of money in the account book and the surplus materials in the warehouse?" ”

Speaking of official business, Guan Xian was much more relaxed than those officer secretaries in the village, and sat on a chair and replied respectfully: "These things have detailed account books in the household department, and if you want to check the account books, you should find Jiang Shuzhi in the household department." If you just want to ask for a large number, you should have a copy here. ”

Shang Cheng took out the copy from a pile of files on the table, shook it at Guan Xian and said, "There is only this one, the report for the first half of this month." I don't have anything to know about it. Seeing that Guan Xian's eyes were puzzled and suspicious, and there was a little nervous look on his face, he explained to him with a smile, "Don't think about it, it's not to check your accounts." I also saw you and suddenly remembered this. Originally, I shouldn't have asked you about this, but Lao Jiang had already gone home on a business trip, and he couldn't be called back; You're here just now, so I'll ask you a few questions by the way. ”

Zhuang Xian relaxed and asked, "The final summary of this month hasn't come out yet, but it's only a matter of the past two days." I don't know what adults want to ask? ”

"How much money is actually in the warehouse?"

"Two days ago, there was an inventory in the warehouse, counting five hundred and forty-three copper coins and another one hundred and sixty-four wen; cloth one hundred and seven horses; twenty-six horses of silk; Ninety-four stones in the valley, one hundred and thirteen ...... in the valley" Zhuang Xian has a good memory, and he counted it all the way with his fingers. “…… 1,973 bundles of forage. ”

Shang Cheng listened to him while comparing it with the report in his hand, and finally asked, "Why is there such an extra amount of money and cloth?" ”

"One is a month's and a half month's food and salary sent by the North Zhengbian Military Division, and the other is Nian Jing from Sixiang Bali, both of which have just been delivered in three days, so the inventory has risen a lot."

Shang Cheng put the report on the table and asked in a deep voice, "Have you budgeted for the various expenditures before that year?" ”

Zhuang Xian asked with some surprise: "Didn't your lord already approve the degree of Jiang Shu's office two hours ago?" ”

Hearing him say this, Shang Cheng was also a little stunned. Did he approve the spending plan of the household department? He frowned and thought about it, it seemed that there was such a thing, but he had forgotten the details of the report, there were too many people who came to him for instructions at that time, and the reports of Jiang Shu's office were all related to the distribution of salaries and grains, and he didn't read them carefully and used them. Now it seems that he was a little sloppy at the time, and he didn't expect that it was the spending plan of the previous year. He rewrung a hot towel and said to Zhuang Xian embarrassedly: "When I came back just now, I was too busy, and I had a lot of official business, and I didn't read Lao Jiang's report carefully. Do you remember the general content? ”

Zhuang Xian looked up and thought for a moment, and said slowly: "Remember." The salary expenditure is 200 and 7 and 875 wen, the annual reward is 148 and 320 wen, the minister's money is 100 and 2, the material money is 134 horses, and the silk ...... "The case was done by him and Jiang Shuban together, and it was still his pen, and he remembered the content clearly, how much the officer scribe was, how much Lu was, how much was the salary, how much was the cloth money, and how much was the money; How much is the soldier's salary, and how much is the reward......

He spoke in detail and clearly, but Shang Cheng had already heard it all the time, and he was silently calculating the numbers for a long time, and suddenly interrupted: "Stop!" This is already an overspending! Where is there so much money? How do you create a spending budget? ”

Zhuang Xian nodded calmly and said, "It's indeed overspending." However, the command of the border army did not send the full number to the yamen, and according to the old practice, the outstanding part was replenished month by month after the Lantern Festival. And because the salary in Shangzhai is usually paid after the change of guard in the summer, there is this expenditure in the account, but in fact there is no need to prepare so much money. ”

Only then did Shang Cheng understand the truth of this. But these are not the things he wants to ask: "I will ask you one thing if I don't care about these current reissuances, after sending this money, how much savings can Curry have?" ”

"Forty-three copper coins, thirteen silk horses. The rest of the grain is not counted. ”

Shang Chengden sighed. If you convert the silk into it, there are only seventy or eighty yuan, which is enough money for a fart! He is about to send New Year's goods to Shangzhai, and he also wants to send charcoal and quilts, and plans to dig two new wells for them, and by the way, build a large reservoir with stones, which costs money, and it is a big price......

Since the surplus money on hand is not enough, Shang Cheng is not in a hurry. He thought, just wait for tomorrow to discuss with Lao Jiang of the household department, to see if he can find a temporary way to use it first, no matter what, he must first send the New Year's charcoal quilt to the house, even if he comes forward to do the work, first deduct a part of the annual reward of the officers and scribes, and ensure that the soldiers and border households in Shangzhai have a prosperous year. And he also found a very good project of misappropriation, which is the minister's money. The minister, as the name suggests, is office expenses, and he will temporarily borrow this hundred or so yuan, so that everyone will suffer a loss, so that no one can have an opinion. However, he still asked Zhuang Xian very cautiously, what exactly does this minister's money refer to, in case this is also everyone's welfare, he will go to other places without saying hello, and he will definitely attract people to talk and gossip.

"It's an adult's office bill."

Zhuang Xian's answer surprised him. Why did the minister's money turn out to be his office expenses? After asking, he learned that this money was an administrative expense given to him by the imperial court, and the main purpose was to usher in the reception of officials from all walks of life, and this more than 100 yuan was his accumulated minister's money for three months in winter, and he could use it if he could, if he couldn't use it, according to the convention, the surplus part was carried into his own pocket, which was actually recognized as an official "welfare". However, only when a local magistrate reaches a considerable level can he have such "treatment".

Shang Cheng was simply overjoyed, and asked repeatedly: "That is to say, I will use this money casually?" ”

Zhuang Xian lowered his eyes and replied respectfully: "Yes, my lord, the minister's money is distributed by you at will, and according to the custom, there is no need to write off the account to the household. ”

"Okay." Shang Cheng was so happy that he even forgot about his suffering eye disease, "Now things are easy to do!" ”