I rewrote family history

Chapter 95 The Doorway to Gift Giving

"The county school is the original government school. After the reform and abolition of the imperial examination, the county school became the Hongwen school... Mr. is very prestigious in the school and has the qualifications to study in Japan, which is why he was invited as the deputy chief of the education department. ..."

Having said that, Xu Cong paused, "It's just that Mr. didn't intend to be an official at first..."

A top local school must be inextricably linked with the county government, not to mention that Hongwen School was originally a government school in the Qing Dynasty, and the teachings in it can talk to the county magistrate.

The teaching instruction is the name of the school official, the eighth rank official.

This point, the school students who have been in school for a long time understand.

"For Confucianism, there is one professor in the prefectural government, and four instructing. One in the prefecture, three in teaching. One in the county, and two in teaching. Professor, Xuezheng, and teaching are in charge of educating the students they belong to, and they are in charge of teaching."—— "History of Ming Dynasty Official Records Four".

"Mister refuses to be an official?"

Xu Rong and Wu Hao were surprised when they heard this.

officials, and those who refuse to be officials.This is a rare thing.But after thinking about it, they understood.The county government office is not a good place to go. The old man has been regretting that he got the "triangle" reward.This is a place where filth is hidden, and it is reasonable for Mr. Wang not to be an official.

"Yes, he refuses to be an official. He has some concerns in his heart, because the reputation of the county government is not very good. If he enters the county government, his reputation will be damaged to a certain extent..."

Seeing what the two of them were thinking, Xu Cong nodded, "I remember that it was around the time of the winter solstice, and I went to my husband's apartment to persuade him."

……

……

The first year of the Republic of China, November.

winter solstice.

The county seat, Confucius Temple Street.

It was already cold.The north wind was howling, and Xu Er was stupefied, wearing a scarf and carrying two large bags of gifts, and walked in the direction of Hongwen Hall.

His bare hand was red, and it went straight into the sleeve.

In the past few days, fine snowflakes have been falling, so the street is covered with white snow as far as the eye can see.As night approached, the street lights on the street also came on.From a distance, one could see an old man in a torn fur fur pushing a wheelbarrow, adding kerosene to the lampshade.

This is a helper in the county government workshop, his surname is He, and his name is He Laodan.I heard from an older official that he used to be an opera singer and was in charge of the pear orchard. When he was young, he was also a figure in the Liu family class. He performed on stage in the Tiansheng Tea Garden in Fucheng, Nanyang Prefecture. The biggest hit was twelve taels of gold.It's a pity that I don't know what happened later, but I was reduced to a helper in a workshop.

No, it's not called a studio anymore, it's called the civil affairs department.

Xu Er stunned himself to force himself to go against what he said in his mind.Now that the dynasty has changed, if you talk about the old stuff, it won't be a big deal for acquaintances, but if someone with a heart makes a fuss about it, it will be a big deal.As a member of the county office, he had to avoid language mistakes as much as possible.

The sound of sour teeth stepping on the snow sounded, and he walked towards Hongwen Hall, getting closer to He Laodan.

There was another street lamp, He Laodan put down the wheelbarrow he was pushing, and approached it.He stomped his feet first, probably to keep warm, then he stood on tiptoe hard, jumped up a little, his legs quickly clamped the iron-clad lamp post, and then he used his thick black hands to remove the iron chain of the lampshade , Snow at the junction of iron chains.

The street lamp is about seven or eight feet off the ground, a head taller than ordinary people.

Xu Er stopped in a daze, and stared at He Laodan curiously.With such a posture and such an old age, he really believed the old official's words, "Twelve taels of gold" had been in Liyuan, and he reckoned that he might still be a martial arts student.

A small pottery vase, in the shape of a big-bellied gourd, about half the size of a palm.He Laodan took out the clay bottle from his black cloth coat, uncorked the bottle, and poured streams of white kerosene into the lamp holder along the slender mouth.After adding kerosene and ignition paper, another street lamp came on.

When the light came on, the lock on the lampshade was reattached again.

This is to prevent someone from stealing the oil.

He Laodan put one foot down slightly, and when he felt at ease, the other foot also fell down.His chest rose and fell a few times, then he bent down and patted his clothes.The attached snowflakes fell down one after another in an instant, sinking into the ground like moth-like shadows.

While shaking off the snowflakes, he also noticed someone behind him.

"Master Xu, are you here too?"

He Laodan bowed and said hello.

"It's the winter solstice, I'm here to give Mr. Liu some festival gifts." Xu Er's stupid reply was short, and then he said a polite word with concern: "After you finish your work, go home early, it's winter, come back Let’s have a hot meal at home....When the winter solstice comes, you have to eat dumplings.”

He knew in his heart that with the speed of He Laodan's street lights, it would probably take more than an hour to finish his work.In the county, there are not only the main points of street lights on Confucian Temple Street, but also other places.

"Mr. Liu, is it Mr. Liu who the county magistrate invited to be the deputy chief of the education department?"

He Laodan's eyes turned hot, and he hurriedly asked.

At first, like Xu Erlian, he was a helper in the workshop.It's just that Xu Er's fool is a bit more high-end, literate, and copying books.And he is not very literate, so he can only do some manual work, such as today's lighting of street lamps, which is done by him.It's really too hard.

If a new section chief takes office, even if he can't be transferred as a section member, it's hard to think about it, but if he can become the section chief's errand boy and help him serve tea and water, it will be much better than the current job.Like Mr. Xu, didn't he just lean on Chief Zheng's thigh?
"This matter is not certain. Whether the teacher agrees to take up the post is still unknown." Xu Er shook his head in a daze, he breathed into the palm of his hand, warmed his hand, and then said: "I'm going to give the boxing gift this time, see Mr. Liu, It is also to persuade him..."

Yesterday, Section Chief Zheng talked to him.Let him try to persuade Mr.

Since he was working in the county office, he had to listen to Section Chief Zheng.Being an officer is a good thing.All he can do is persuade.The person who makes up his mind is still Mr.

Persuade me, it's not a big crime.

"Master Xu, take a break first." Seeing that Xu Er was about to leave after saying hello, He Laodan yelled, and when Xu Er turned his head, he showed a hint of heartache, and moved a few steps towards the wheelbarrow.He used a gourd clay pot larger than the previous sample, and filled a bottle of oil.

"I will give this can of oil to Mr. Liu as a gift. It is my kindness." With a flattering smile on his face, he bowed and handed the stolen can of kerosene to Xu Er, "As for Mr. Xu's , after a while, I will make it up for you. I have nothing to ask, but I just want to have a leisurely job in the future."

Up and down.What is good at the top will be worse at the bottom.County Magistrate Chen loves money, so gift giving has become a common practice in the county office.Including He Laodan, a helper of the county government, he also knows that he should give gifts when asking for help.

A conditional gift is the best thing to receive.What I'm afraid of is that I only give gifts and don't ask for work.

"I can't be the master of my mentor's affairs."

Xu Er stunned glanced at the can of kerosene, shook his head, and said, "Mr. Liu has always been jealous. If you give a gift, you will definitely offend him and make me eat it. I can't accept this gift..."

It's just a gift of a can of kerosene, not to mention that it's difficult to take out, and secondly, accepting the gift is equivalent to falling into the trap.He doesn't take gifts lightly.He knows the disadvantages of receiving "grace", and he will not be free after receiving "grace".

"Yes, Master Xu, I am in a hurry."

He Laodan slapped his old face lightly, apologized, bowed and left.

The wheelbarrow rolled the snow, and it was the next street lamp.

The gray-white fox made a small plum blossom mark on the snow, and it jumped onto Xu Er's shoulder. The two passed by He Laodan again, and then walked around to the back door of the school without saying hello, and entered the apartment.

Stop at the door of the apartment and knock on the door.

"It's Xu Cong? You're here? It just so happens that I just cooked dumplings, stuffed with lotus vegetables and pork, come in and eat them quickly, don't let yourself catch a cold because of the snow."

It was a woman with little feet who opened the door. When she saw Xu Er's fool, she had a look of joy on her face.

Everything in Xinye is strange to her.Besides her husband, the first person she met was Xu Er Lengzi.Although Yu Qing was added later, the first student was always different.

"Master, this is a gift, please accept it."

Xu Er stunned put the boxing ceremony in his hand on the ground, and when he heard the little-footed woman blame him for spending money, he scratched his head, "It's not good to always come here for food, if you don't accept it, sir and wife, I will be embarrassed to come next time It's time to eat, come and go, besides, I have a big appetite, by the way, Mrs. Shi, give me more dumplings, I eat seven taels, this time I gave a gift, don't dislike me..."

It's not disgust, it's just a rhetoric for accepting gifts.

"Oh! I didn't see that you lost weight from hunger. You are growing. I'll make some more dumplings for you, and I'll give you a catty of dumplings. If there's not enough for you later, I'll make more dumplings for you."

The little-footed woman cursed with a smile, then she picked up the presents on the ground and put them in the back room, then walked out to the stove in the east corner of the school to prepare dumplings.

Even though she doesn't care about these gifts, there is a difference between giving and not giving.

In the apartment, only the teacher and the student were left.

Xu Er stunned took off the scarf and hung it on the clothes hanger, then opened the straight-backed chair and sat on it, "Sir, I heard from others... that the county magistrate Chen plans to hire you as the chief of the education department, which is a good thing , but the people from the county office said that you rejected the matter."

Seeing that the husband was not happy, he explained: "Because I heard about this, I guess... Sir, you and your wife must be detained in the apartment this year, so I came here specially to give you a gift."

The imperial court issued an order in November, and the county government became the county office.At the same time, there are more education departments in the county government, so sir has the opportunity to be the deputy chief of the education department.Therefore, according to common sense, if the husband does not want to offend the county magistrate Chen, he will definitely not run away at this juncture, but stay in the school.

Escaping means that he is not open-minded and has opinions on County Mayor Chen.

These words mean...he didn't come to be a lobbyist.

"You have been in the county government for a long time, and your mind has become more active..."

Liu Changda glanced at Xu Er stunned with complicated eyes.

Xu Er, who had just entered the county office, didn't even know the meaning of the octagonal palace "lamp" that Zheng Xuli gave him, but after a year of experience in the county office workshop, he knew it from the slightest, and guessed that he would stay here this year. In the matter of the apartment. (Temporary dispatch does not count as official entry into the county government)

Insight into world affairs is knowledge, and human feelings are learned.

Knowing more is better than not knowing.

"Sir, it's the county office, the county governor's office."

Xu Er stunned subconsciously corrected Liu Changda's name.

After the words came out of his mouth, he suddenly felt a little inappropriate, so he immediately stood up and bowed to apologize.

"No problem."

"You reminded me right."

Liu Changda waved his hand, asked Xu Er to sit down, and then lit a cigarette. He took a puff and exhaled the smoke, "The county magistrate Chen will become the county magistrate, and the county government office will become the county office. If I meet Chen County magistrate, don't be confused when you speak. Otherwise, it would be a bit bad for him to remember me..."

Speaking of this, he rarely laughed twice.

With just this smile, he was gasped by the smoke and coughed violently.

"I don't want to hide it from you. I am a bit moved by the invitation of County Magistrate Chen, oh no, the invitation of the county magistrate Chen. The deputy chief of the education department is a good position. I am free. The school director also told me about this. If you can get the position of the deputy chief of education, it will be good for the school..."

After sipping tea and moistening his throat for a while, Liu Changda sighed, "It's just that the county magistrate Chen's notoriety is too notorious, and the students in the school have long been dissatisfied with him. Students, it's hard to raise your head."

Last time, Xu Er was still struggling with gift giving.But he, when things came to an end, he was like Xu Er's fool.A small position in the book office could not confuse him, but the position of deputy chief of the education department made him tempted.This is also a form of bribery.

Therefore, his "sorry to look up" is not only aimed at the students of Shi Wuzhai, but also his protégé—Xu Er Lengzi.

"Sir, someone asked me to give you a gift just now..."

Xu Er suddenly thought of He Laodan, "That's a servant of the county office. He heard that I came to visit you, sir, so he stole a can of kerosene for lighting the street lamps, and wanted to honor you. Such a person, follow your husband It is not uncommon to be rumored to be the deputy chief of the education department."

He is Liu Changda's disciple, so there are many people who fawn on him.He Laodan is not the first, nor will he be the last.

"You mean to say?"

Liu Changda leaned forward and stifled the cigarette butt.

He saw just now that the gift brought by Xu Erlian didn't include the can of kerosene.It can be seen that his disciples did not accept the gift.

"I think, sir, you are not a timid person."

Xu Er said against his will.

The husband is afraid of the words of the students in the school, and he is also afraid of offending the county magistrate Chen.When the two unequals meet, the county magistrate Chen really has real power in his hands. He feels that the husband will be afraid of trouble.

Walking out of a humble place, he has a glimpse of human nature.

Instead of embarrassing Mr. himself, it is better for him to persuade him.

"The dumplings are here."

"Sour soup, be careful, don't burn you."

Before waiting for Mr. Lai's reply, the woman with small feet came in with a large porcelain bowl. The bowl was full of dumplings, each of which was plump, bobbing up and down in the red oil soup and making fine pieces A handful of green onions are also sprinkled on it, red, white, and green, which look very attractive.

"Thank you Mistress."

Xu Er stupidly placed the bowl on the rosewood desk carefully, and ate the dumplings.

(End of this chapter)