Chapter 27

(Third update, feeling quite drained, need recommendation votes to recover!!!)

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The banquet lasted until midnight before it dispersed.

The next day, when the old man woke up with a hangover, he saw the large bundle. He asked the old woman, who was sitting at the foot of the bed sewing shoe soles, "What's inside?"

"Take a look yourself."

"Based on my experience, it should be strings of coins, about thirty guan." The old man said as he opened it, and it was exactly right. He said proudly, "See, my skills are still as good as ever!"

"Don't get too cocky." The old woman rolled her eyes and said, "We can't keep this money."

"Why can't we keep it?" The old man disagreed, "Lin Rongxing has caused me so much trouble; it's only right that he bleeds a little." Clearly, just looking at the surface couldn't reveal the old man's true intentions.

"The Lin family isn't well-off anymore." The old woman sighed, "In the past two years, they've been involved in lawsuits and had internal thieves, spending money like water. To gather this much money, they must have sold their ancestral land." She was right; without the Lin family's expenses, the case wouldn't have been retried so quickly. At least Wang Xingye would still be working in the salt fields.

At a time when copper was valuable and money was cheap, thirty guan of copper coins was a significant amount. The old man was puzzled, "What's wrong with you, wife? Are you not a money-grubber anymore?"

"You're the one who only takes in and never gives out!" The old woman glared at him, "I have my reasons for what I do."

"What reasons? Tell me," The old man crawled over and hugged the old woman's waist.

"Behave yourself, it's broad daylight." The old woman slapped his hand away, "I've set my eyes on the Lin family's daughter."

"Oh..." The old man sat up, "You want to find a wife for Xiao'er? Then we really can't take this money." He then asked curiously, "You mean Lin Rongxing's sister?"

"Are there two Lin girls?"

"You're joking." The old man laughed, "She's a well-bred lady from a scholarly family; how could she look at Xiao'er?"

"Don't underestimate your son," The old woman rolled her eyes, "He may not be like you in other ways, but his ability to charm girls is even better than yours." She then recounted the observations she had made over the past two months, including some assumptions, to the old man.

"Oh? Oh? Oh!" The old man was enlightened, "Good boy, he's really got the timing right! This can be done!" He put on his shoes and said, "We shouldn't delay. I need to take advantage of the Lin family's enthusiasm and make it a done deal."

"That's exactly what I mean." The old woman nodded, "Get ready and go quickly!"

"Alright." The old man hastily ate some breakfast and left with the bundle. He returned in the afternoon, belching, still carrying the bundle.

"What, didn't it work?" The old woman was unusually unhappy to see the money.

"Well, how to put it..." The old man threw the bundle on the bed, "First, get me a bowl of water."

The old woman brought a bowl of water and poured it for him, "Speak up, you're going to drive me crazy!"

"Ah, you silly woman, you've made me lose face." The old man wiped his mouth and glared at the old woman, "Lin Xiucai's father died only a year ago, and they are still in mourning! I used to be a head clerk, and now I'm running around to propose marriage, just to be laughed at..."

"So what if they're in mourning, just claim it first." The old woman didn't care, "What did the Lin family say?"

"The Lin family didn't object. They said as long as the two children are willing, we can send the betrothal gifts after the mourning period is over."

"I knew you could do it!" The old woman was delighted.

"Don't be too happy," The old man said with a wry smile, "Later, Lin Xiucai invited me to dinner. During the meal, he told me he plans to settle his affairs and move back to Suzhou after his school registration is restored."

"Move to Suzhou..." The old woman understood. Although Lin Xiucai had been exonerated, his wife had been unfaithful, and later became a prostitute, which made Lin Rongxing lose face in front of his neighbors. Moving to Suzhou to rest and start anew was a reasonable choice.

But Suzhou was four hundred miles away from Fuyang. Although it wasn't far, in this era, it was like being separated by a vast sea. The old woman was anxious, "If the Lin family moves to Suzhou, my daughter-in-law will be gone!"

"Right." The old man nodded and smiled bitterly, "But I can't take advantage of the Lin family's guilt and make unreasonable demands." He patted the bag of money, "This is more practical. With this, we won't worry about our son not finding a wife."

"That's different. No matter how rich you are, it's hard to find a well-mannered girl." The old woman didn't agree with him, "I'm still hoping for a grandson who can become a scholar. I really want this Lin girl!"

"If you have the ability, keep her." The old man grumbled, "I have no more ideas." He then turned over and fell asleep.

"I won't believe it!" The old woman said, stabbing the shoe sole hard.

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In the following days, the old man's former colleagues in the government office took turns inviting him to dinner. Close friends like Hu the constable and Li the clerk even came to his house to give him money. It wasn't out of sudden kindness to help their old boss, but because they knew that the old man, Wang, was sure to be promoted. Although he was already a head clerk, the next step was to become an official. Although he wouldn't be an official in Fuyang, who could predict the future? Sending a helping hand in a time of need always had its benefits.

One evening, the old man invited Li the clerk to his house for dinner. They drank and talked about various matters, naturally including the affairs of the government office.

"The county magistrate has done well this time," Li the clerk sipped his wine, "With the momentum of overturning the iron-clad case, he has made significant changes in the office."

"Ha ha..." The old man naturally heard the hint of mockery in his words, but he was more concerned about the position left vacant by Xu the clerk: "Some are happy, some are sad. Is Xu Shan finished?"

"Of course." Li the clerk nodded with a hateful expression, "This traitor, who took He Chang's bribe, deserved this fate!"

"The position he left vacant..." The old man said casually, "Many people are eyeing it, right?"

"Of course." Li the clerk nodded. The government office had very few official positions. Those within the official positions were called 'regular clerks,' with each department having one clerk and two sub-clerks, a total of three, as set by Emperor Hongwu. However, Zhu Yuanzhang clearly thought everyone had superhuman energy like him. The various complex tasks could not be handled by just two or three clerks, so the office hired several 'scribes' to help with writing and 'assistants' to help with running errands. These non-regular clerks were essentially temporary workers.

The number of non-regular clerks far exceeded that of regular clerks. Who wouldn't want to turn from a temporary worker to a regular one? But the regular positions were set by the ancestors and couldn't be changed. Only when a position became vacant could it be filled. This time, a criminal clerk had fallen, and the number of people eyeing the position was understandable.

"Has it been decided?" The old man asked anxiously.

"Not yet." Li the clerk shook his head and looked at the old man, "Old brother, you're about to become an official, do you still want to compete with the young ones for a job?"

"First, being a head clerk is better than being an official. I don't know what I'll become in the future," the old man poured Li a cup of wine, "Second, it's not for me, but for my son."

"Oh," Li the clerk scratched his head, "Old brother's matters are my matters, but as a criminal clerk, I can't appoint my own subordinates. Now all the departments are eyeing this position, and it's worrying Old Shu..." He paused and lowered his voice, "To be honest, don't waste your effort. It's said that this position has already been claimed by Sima the secretary."

"What does he need it for?" The old man was greatly disappointed.

"Who knows? A regular position is valuable, and it can be sold for favors." Li the clerk smiled, "If Old Brother doesn't mind, this time there are also vacant assistant positions, which I can decide on. How about letting your nephew take it first, and then try to become a regular when there's an opportunity?"

"Uh..." The old man frowned slightly. He knew the ins and outs of the government office better than anyone and knew that 'assistants' mainly ran errands. He shook his head, "Being an assistant isn't promising. At the very least, he should be a scribe. Only those who can write and calculate have a future."

"A scribe is also possible," Li the clerk said, "But to be selected as a scribe, one must pass the examination by the three heads of the office." He smiled bitterly, "Your nephew can't even write, how can he pass?"

"Don't look at people with old eyes." The old man said coldly, "My second son's writing is already passable." He took out a piece of paper and handed it to him, "Although it's still a bit rough, it should be enough for the office."

Li the clerk took it and saw that it was indeed true. He thought, "Maybe he had someone write it for him." He smiled, "Alright, I'll talk to the personnel department and see if I can find a way for your nephew."

After seeing Li the clerk off, the old man saw that Wang Xian was still practicing writing in the room. He walked in and asked, "Xiao'er, why do you practice writing every day?"

"Father, I want to be self-reliant, but I can't do physical labor for now." Wang Xian smiled bitterly, "So I'm practicing writing to find a job that involves writing and calculating."

"It's good to have such aspirations," the old man nodded, "I've already talked to Uncle Guan today. After a while, I'll send some gifts and have you become a scribe. What do you think?"

"Uh..." Wang Xian didn't know how to respond. He had been waiting for Sima Qiu to help him find a job, but there was no news.

The old man thought he was dissatisfied with the scribe position being a temporary job and scolded, "You ungrateful boy. I spent years to become a scribe! If you do well, I'll have Uncle Guan keep an eye out for you, and when there's a vacancy, it will be yours."

"Father, you misunderstood me." Wang Xian sighed, "I'm satisfied."

"That's better. I'll push this matter forward in the next few days to get it settled," the old man nodded, "to avoid any delays."

"Thank you, Father." Wang Xian wanted to say that he was actually planning to find Sima Qiu, but thinking that more options meant more hope, he kept quiet.

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