Jin Tong's new job seems simple to say. He followed his senior colleague "Lao You" to study for a day, and he mastered the key.

Walking the streets, visiting households, reading meter levies, and issuing receipts, although trivial, there is nothing complicated, just understand the four operations.

The Toll Section divides the area for which each meter reader is responsible. The Shengshan office, including Jintong, has only three full-time meter readers, who are responsible for collecting electricity bills from the county. The surrounding towns are collected part-time by the company's local electricians. Anyway, those places don't use much electricity and don't have much work.

Electricity bills are collected on a monthly basis, and the busiest days for meter readers are at the end of the month. However, every month, there will be people who miss the door-to-door charge, so they usually have to supplement the collection.

The company's staff uniform is light blue, the style imitates military civilian clothes, and a small strip of cloth is sewn on the left chest, with four small characters on it: "Xingliao Electric Power", which is not ugly or beautiful. Of course, the deterrent effect of this uniform on ordinary people is not as good as that of patrol police, but it is not something that ordinary people can ignore at will.

With this skin on, meter readers can easily knock on residents' doors. Most of the time, the job is not difficult.

The trouble is, there are always people who are deliberately in arrears. There are two kinds of them, one is the small people who are living in poverty, and the other is the factories of large electricity users. The former is really short of money, and the latter is probably uncomfortable not taking advantage of it.

According to the Northeast Electric Power Management Regulations, electricity can only be cut off if the electricity bill is in arrears for more than one month. In the beginning, they often beg for accommodation, or simply ask the meter reader to come back in a few days, so that the day drags on until the end of the next month, and the meter reader threatens to cut off the electricity, so that these people will make up the previous month's electricity bill and continue to drag on this month's bill.

For the company, as long as the user finally pays, a delay of a month is nothing, but for the meter reader, it is quite a headache. The user's procrastination increases their workload, and also affects the performance appraisal, which has a great negative effect on the selection of outstanding employees, promotion and salary increase.

These troubles are still trivial, and the most annoying thing is the repeated prohibition of stealing electricity. The company's internal bylaws stipulate that every meter reader must be aware of the two most common methods of stealing electricity.

First, the external line bypasses the electricity meter and allows the electricity to go directly to the home. In this regard, the company has a fixed investigation, and the meter reader will also randomly inspect the door.

It is important to know that no matter how small the amount of electricity stolen is, it will be recognized as theft and criminalized by the "Daqi Criminal Code". This method is easy to detect and the risks are high.

The other is extremely difficult to verify. In this era, inductive mechanical meters are easy to manipulate, and only a magnet is needed to easily adjust the speed of the meter.

This requires the meter reader to have a general understanding of the quantity, type, power, and usage habits of the user's household appliances, and can quickly estimate the user's electricity consumption and compare it with the number displayed in the meter.

Therefore, this job is not so simple, in addition to keeping in mind the formula for calculation, you must also have good communication skills, you can understand the actual electricity level of each household by observing words and feelings, and inquiry. This is a quality that a conscientious meter reader should have.

However, "Lao You" said to Jin Tong that if you want to make money and water, these loopholes are an opportunity to start. He is experienced and can easily manipulate the meter numbers to the benefit of it.

The benefits may come from the user's "gratitude" or from the user's "ignorance".

But Lao You also said that no matter how you operate, there is a limit, which cannot be excessive. The electricity consumption of each household is fixed, the floating range is not large, and it is easy to be complained or found by the company's audit department if it is too high or too low.

Therefore, the oil and water in this are very limited.

Lu Qing, director of the office, knows these tricks, but he knows even more the truth that when the water is clear, there are no fish. But if the meter reader is not too greedy, he will turn a blind eye and leave it alone.

After three days of internship with "Lao You", Jin Tong finally took up his post independently. Because it is the second half of the month, there are some days before the end of the month, and there are not many things. There is only one main collection work left, street lamp fees.

The first time he knew about the street lamp fee, Jin Tong was very surprised. He has been a human being for two lifetimes, and no matter what world he does, he has never heard of the truth that street lamps still charge residents.

At first, he thought that Xingliao Electric Power was making its own assertion and abusing its name to charge indiscriminately. I consulted Lu Qing privately to find out that this was actually a historical problem left over from decades ago.

It turned out that Taizu encouraged the development of electric light companies, and Xu Guogong took the initiative to share his majesty's worries and engage in electric power in the northeast. But the generator was bought, the power plant was built, where are the users? Who does the company go to collect electricity bills from?

Your Majesty also knows that the promotion of electric light requires years of hard marketing. Before the wires are pulled into thousands of households, we can't watch the power plant idle and the electricity can't be transmitted, so let loyal ministers like Xu Guogong lose their bottoms!

Therefore, with the climax of this wave of power plant construction, large and small cities in Northeast China have set off a tide of power transformation.

First of all, government departments have used electric lights, secondly, schools, hospitals and other financial institutions have said goodbye to gas lights, and finally street lights are municipal projects. During that period, local governments also provided benefits to government employees in the name of electricity subsidies, encouraging civil servants to install electric lights at home.

In this way, Xu Guogong's electric light company has a basic guarantee, there is no need to worry about losing money, and the later development is much smoother.

But in the final analysis, local governments pay for the power transformation. However, local fiscal revenue is limited, and such a continuous expenditure must always be found somewhere to make up for it.

The electricity bill of government agencies is not easy to be directly distributed to the people; The electricity of schools and hospitals is paid to Xingliao by themselves; As for the street lights...... It is convenient for small people to travel, especially the residents and merchants near the left have benefited greatly, so it is not too much to collect some money, right?

As a result, local governments, such as Shengshan County, paid the electricity fee for street lights to Xingliao, and also arranged for patrol police to collect "street light fees" once a month in the street lamp installation section.

The firm is divided into A, B, and C, and pays a monthly fee of 1 yuan, 7 jiao, and 5 jiao; Households are also divided into three classes, with 4 jiao, 2 jiao, and 1 jiao per month.

And that's not all.

The presence of street lights makes it the most convenient for motorists. Therefore, the county carriage shop and rickshaw shop have to be charged at a monthly fee of 5 jiao per vehicle. Ordinary residents have a car, and they also pay the same standard. It's okay if you don't pay the money, don't go out at night, the patrol police will detain the car when you go out.

Such "expropriation" not only recovered the electricity bill, but also earned back the maintenance cost. (Author's note: Facts of the Republic of China, slightly adapted)

However, at this time, it has been "reform and reform" for several years, the wisdom of the people of Daqi has gradually opened, and the people have the concepts of "government functions" and "public services" in their hearts, and the reasonableness of the street lamp fee has been widely questioned not long after. Not only in the Northeast, but also in newspapers across the country like to use this as a bug to discuss some sensitive political topics.

After a long time, local governments also feel that they have made a shame for a little money, which is very ugly. But no matter how ugly it is, the electricity bill cannot be paid, so a few years later, the Northeast no longer sees the scene of patrol police collecting electricity bills, and local governments have contracted the street lamp fee to Xingliao Company.

Xingliao's meter readers collect street lamp fees on their behalf, and after collecting all the fees, they hand them over to the local government departments, and the government then pays the fees to Xingliao.

The reason why the government wants to take a hand is because, first, the street lamp fee is essentially an administrative fee, not an electric power company selling municipal services to the public; Second, the meter reader has no law enforcement power, can not force the charge, can not cut off the power of the street lights, Xingliao in order to maintain its reputation, and ask the following not to urge too much, so the grass people often owe street lights for half a year, a year or even several years!

It is easy to have the government as an intermediate link, no matter whether the money is collected or not, the government never defaults on paying electricity bills, after all, it is Xu Guogong's industry, who dares to repay the debt?

Over time, this money became a bad debt of the local government, and the reputation and real profits all went to Xingliao.

Xingliao Electric Power started early, and encountered many new situations. The cost of street lights is just one of the small things. However, the case of Xingliao is of great educational significance for other consortia in Daqi to establish electric light companies.

They are no longer like Xu Guogong, who built more than a dozen power plants in one go, but based on developed areas and central cities, steadily and steadily, and gradually developed, and absolutely did not engage in such a moth as "street lamp fees". For municipal projects, the government is willing to bear the electricity bill, and the government has no money.

Today, there is a street lamp fee in Daqi, and it is only in the northeast. Although the price has not been raised since the establishment of the fee standard, in recent years, the public opinion circles in the north still strongly call for the complete abolition of this unreasonable fee. Among them, the most fierce flag is the largest newspaper of Xingliao Group, "Xingliao Daily".

This seems to be a self-defeating face, but it is not.

Whether the street lamp fee is canceled or not, the company's dime electricity bill is indispensable. The meter reader charged the people this unjustified fee, and handed it over to the government under the banner of it. The infamy belongs to the government, and the consortium will of course fly whatever flag it wants.

So what do meter readers think about this appeal?

Of course, the "old tour" is not happy.

Although citizens don't want to pay a penny for street lights, meter readers have a way to force people to pay.

The street lights are maintained by Xingliao Electric Power, and although the power cannot be cut off rashly, the bulbs are easily broken. Once it breaks, whether and when to replace it is up to the employees of the power company to decide.

In the first three days of the internship, Lao You demonstrated to Jin Tong how to take the opportunity to collect money.

In an alley next to Lishu Street, several street lamps were broken and no one repaired them for three months.

When Lao You urged a household to pay for household appliances, the head of the household paid the money and asked the power company to repair the street lights.

Of course, Lao You asked the residents of their alley to pay off the outstanding street lamp fees!

The head of the household, who was in his thirties, wore a pair of glasses, and claimed to know the common sense of electricity, so he naturally refused to be the wronged boss and threatened to repair it himself.

Lao You is hard-hitting: If you dare to repair it yourself, you will destroy public power facilities without authorization and be fined! Cause serious damage, be careful to squat in the shift room!

The head of the household was stunned and did not reply.

Lao You's tone changed, and he kindly persuaded him to gather the neighbors together, scrape together some money, and pay a little first. "I have a good relationship with the outside worker", I get the money to invite someone to have a meal and sell personal favors, so that I can find someone to repair it.

In the afternoon of the next day, the head of the household took the initiative to come to the office to find Lao You and brought two yuan, Lao You was so angry that his nose was crooked, and he kicked him out, "You send it to Hanako!" ”

On the third day, the man finally brought five yuan raised by more than a dozen residents, and Lao You was satisfied, found a familiar outside worker, and went out to change the light bulb.

Of course, the bulb should use "the tungsten lamp invented by my Xingliao Group"! The price is a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for! This bulb will keep it from going bad for a year! You guys make a lot of money, you know no! Let's not ask for more, take another three dollars!

"The five yuan I gave before was the labor fee! Now it's time to buy light bulbs! ”

"Five dollars are out, and you are reluctant to pay three?"

The onlookers totaled for a while and put together three more pieces.

It was dark and the light bulbs had been replaced, but the street lights were not yet on. Because when you fix the lights, of course, you have to pinch the electricity. When will it be powered on again?

Please pay another two dollars for the "electricity bill".

Can that not be given? If you don't give it, the bulb won't be in vain!

So, ten dollars were spent, and the street lights were finally repaired.

In fact, the maintenance of street lights and the replacement of light bulbs were contracted by the county government to the power company, and residents did not have to spend a penny. What labor costs, buying light bulbs, are included in the electricity bill paid by the government to Xingliao.

But Lao You has the ability to collude with outside workers to make money. Who is this to say!

Ten yuan, two yuan was handed over as the "street light fee" received this month to complete the basic task. The remaining eight pieces of Lao You and the outside line worker 21 are added to the five...... As for Jin Tong, Lao You invited him to go down to the restaurant and eat hot steamed mutton.

At the dinner table, Lao You picked up a piece of mutton with chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce, stuffed it into his mouth, and said inarticulately: "The master leads the door, and the practice is in the individual!" The meter reader makes money, and most of it depends on the street lamp fee, depending on whether you will come to the problem! Now that the ability has been taught to you, if you want to eat fat, hurry up and make a friend of an outside worker, the relationship must be iron! Then you can make money together! ”

Jin Tong said yes again and again, talking and laughing.

After a meal, Jin Tong finally figured out the interpersonal relationship up and down the office. The next day, that is, on the evening of the fourth day of employment, he invited several colleagues to dinner, and the grade was of course the highest "Yao Ji" in the county.

There are a lot of employees in the office, but Jin Tong didn't want to show off, and only invited a few people who would come into contact with him on weekdays, including the clerk, the accountant, two outside workers and two other meter readers.

A meal of wine and food doesn't cost a few dollars, but if you do your best, you will be exempted from life in the future.

He made outside workers, but he didn't want to make money, but he would inevitably encounter such and such troubles in the future, who knows if there will be a time to ask for help.

The so-called rolling turbid world and red dust refining the heart, even if you can't leave the world independent, at least don't go along with it. So much for.