Chapter 9

"Here, the total expenditure is 56,735 coins. The warehouse still has three mosquito nets, eleven hoes, 3,000 pounds of lime, 400 pounds of charcoal, 80 pounds of bamboo charcoal, two jars of glutinous rice wine, two baskets of brown rice, and twenty-five eggs. Head Liu, this is what the ledger says. I don't know the unit prices of these items, so I can't verify them. Please forgive me."

Yun Zheng closed the ledger and respectfully handed it back to Head Liu with both hands. Cang Lao was so pleased that he could hardly sit still, but Head Liu just held his wine bowl and drank on his own. Yun Zheng bowed and waited for Head Liu to speak.

After finishing his bowl of wine, Head Liu looked up at Yun Zheng's eyes and said, "You didn't find any discrepancies? We are all rough people, and sometimes we might make mistakes in the accounts. You are a scholar, didn't you notice anything wrong?"

Yun Zheng refilled Head Liu's wine bowl and placed it in front of him, saying, "I only heard that you wanted to verify this ledger, not to audit it. If you need me to recheck the accounts, I will do it."

Head Liu, with his full beard, laughed heartily and slapped Cang Lao's shoulder hard, saying, "You old dog, you have good luck. Your village has produced such a smart child, and it's a sign of prosperity for your village. I gave the same ledger to the Huo family's boy in Guangling Village, and he actually pointed out that I had made mistakes in the accounts and offered to help me correct them. Damn it, I've been a head for two generations, and do I not know that three times seven is twenty-one? If I didn't record it as twenty-eight, where would the money for my men's drinks come from? Even the county magistrate wouldn't bother with such a ledger, and a half-literate man dares to look down on me. He must have read too many books and needs to go out in the rain to clear his head."

"A man in his twenties doesn't understand human relations as well as a child. Old Cang, I'm giving you face. This child is the one. He will start work tomorrow. The job of keeping accounts will be his. What's his name? His surname is quite unusual."

Yun Zheng bowed again and said, "My name is Yun Zheng."

Head Liu got up and put on his raincoat. The other constables also stood up and began to prepare to leave. Cang Lao tried to persuade them to stay for dinner, but Head Liu refused, citing the late hour and the worry of not making it back to Dousha Pass.

Before leaving, Head Liu looked at Yun Zheng meaningfully and said, "The ledger for provisions doesn't have much profit. After all the layers of deductions, it's just enough to fill your stomach. Boy, you can eat your fill, and it's reasonable to bring some food home for your younger siblings. But if your hands get dirty, be careful, or the heavens will strike you down."

Yun Zheng smiled and held out his hands to Head Liu, saying, "Thank you for your advice, Head Liu. Look at my hands. Despite chopping wood every day, they have never been tainted. I hope to keep them clean until the day I die."

Head Liu took out a lotus leaf package from his chest and placed it in Yun Zheng's hands, smiling and saying, "You're an interesting child. Here, there's half a chicken. It's a reward for you. Even the emperor doesn't let his soldiers go hungry."

Before Yun Zheng could refuse, Head Liu shouted and led the constables down the stairs, then rode his ridiculous Yunnan horse into the mist in the drizzle.

Yun Zheng helped Cang Lao back to the bamboo house. This time, the bamboo house was not as oppressive as before. Cang Er, Xiao Shu, and the three women all gathered around, asking questions nonstop. Only Xiao Shu was drooling at the sight of the lotus leaf package.

Yun Zheng opened the oil paper package, tore open the half chicken, and offered the chicken breast to Cang Lao with both hands. Cang Lao laughed and took it, eating it immediately. Yun Zheng then tore off a chicken leg and wrapped it in the lotus leaf to take back for Yun Jianqiang. The remaining chicken meat was given to the eager Xiao Shu.

Cang Lao wiped the oil from his mouth and held Yun Zheng's hand, saying, "Our village has finally produced a child who can hold a pen instead of a hoe. Good, Grandpa didn't misjudge you. You will go to Dousha Pass with me tomorrow. Yun Er will stay here, and the family will watch over him. The labor service lasts forty days, and you won't be able to take care of him if you go out early and return late."

Yun Zheng thanked Cang Lao again, worried that Yun Er might get into trouble alone at home, and hurriedly said goodbye and went home.

When he got home, he found Yun Er and Yun San talking under the covers, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. The dog was barking loudly. Yun Zheng threw some dry wood into the hearth and started cooking.

"Big Brother, are you really going to do the labor service? I heard from Baogu and the others that it's very hard. I thought we wouldn't have to do it this year, but it still came. Can you handle it? If not, we can leave. In a big city, we will have more opportunities. With your skills, it won't be hard to find food."

Yun Er, hugging the yellow dog, said worriedly.

Yun Zheng continued cooking and took out the chicken leg from his chest, skewered it on a branch, and roasted it over the fire before giving it to Yun Er. "These are not things you should worry about. Your task now is to grow up quickly. Don't say such heartless things in the future. A man must have a sense of responsibility. If we just leave, what will Cang Lao do? Do you think the constables would just let the old chief take the blame for one missing person? We finally have a household registration. If we leave now, we will be considered fugitives, and if caught, we will be conscripted into the military, which is even worse."

Yun Er knew Yun Zheng's character and mumbled a complaint before starting to gnaw on the chicken leg. One chicken leg was not enough for Yun Da, Yun Er, and Yun San. Yun Da only ate a small piece, and the rest went into Yun Er and Yun San's stomachs.

"Big Brother, I'm actually quite content now. Really, it's much better than my past life. No one has ever been willing to suffer for me, except for you. I know that if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to suffer like this, and you wouldn't have to move stones or struggle for that useless household registration."

Yun Zheng looked at Yun Er strangely and said, "Who said I'm going to suffer? If your big brother can't even escape a labor service, I've wasted all these years. Don't say such disgusting things in the future."

Yun Er suddenly jumped out of the covers and leaped onto Yun Zheng's back, trying to strangle him with his small arms. He had really thought Yun Zheng would go to move stones and was extremely upset, but now he realized Yun Zheng was just teasing him, which made him even angrier.

Yun Zheng ignored Yun Er's weak attempts and continued to sit by the hearth, stirring the soup in the earthen pot, letting Yun Er play on his back.

Yun San helped Yun Er shout a few times, but seeing no one was paying attention, he put his chin on his paws and yawned, then closed his eyes to rest.

The freezing rain continued to fall outside, but the cold in the bamboo house seemed to be driven away by the aroma of the rice.