What a lucky world!

Chapter 15: Outlaws also need audits!
According to the address left by Mr. Wu, Zhang Mu found Mr. Wu's home.

It was a two-courtyard house in the inner city, quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle. Compared with the Liu Zuo family, who were also accountants, it was obviously a world of difference.

Logically, the monthly salary of the accountant of the escort agency is the same as that of the escorts, which is 10 taels of silver per month. Mr. Wu obviously cannot afford such a house.

but……

He married a good wife!
This house is a dowry!

Zhang Mu was led into the main hall by an old servant. Mr. Wu was talking to a burly, bearded man. Upon seeing Zhang Mu, Mr. Wu quickly stood up and said, "Oh, my helper is here."

Zhang Mu quickly stepped forward and bowed. Mr. Wu held Zhang Mu's hand, then led him to the bearded man. He said with a smile, "Old Han, this is the Brother Mu I was talking about... Brother Mu, this is today's host. You can call him Brother Han."

"Brother Han!" Zhang Mu responded. The big man surnamed Han smiled heartily and said, "Why call me Brother Han? Just call me Old Han like Old Wu."

"Old Wu, Brother Mu is such a handsome man. When I was Brother Mu's age, I was still living a carefree life in the mountains. It's really frustrating to compare yourself to others..."

Zhang Mu’s eyes flashed slightly: On the mountain?

Mr. Wu smiled gently. "Brother Mu, there are many people in the restaurant and there are many gossips. I can't say much about some things. But before we settle the bill, there are a few things I need to explain to you."

"After you have read the contents of today's account book, you are not allowed to mention a single word to anyone else."

Zhang Mu nodded: "Of course."

"Besides, we just check the accounts and don't take them personally."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Mu's eyes. The so-called account headings were actually the names of income and expenditure in the account book, such as [food], [carriage and horses], [gift money] and so on. Mr. Wu mentioned this matter so seriously. Could it be that there are some secrets in these account headings?

But...what the heck.

He just came here to make some extra money.

Zhang Mu nodded readily: "Mr. Wu, don't worry. I know the rules!"

"Hahaha, Brother Mu is so straightforward..." Old Han on the side laughed and said, "Don't worry, you won't be unfairly treated in terms of remuneration."

Mr. Wu also smiled and said, "Then let's get started now!"

Old Han clapped his hands when he heard this, and Zhang Mu saw two people carrying a wooden box into the main hall.

The box was opened and it was filled with account books.

Mr. Wu patted Zhang Mu on the shoulder: "Come on..."

……

The hall was brightly lit with candles.

Zhang Mu and Old Wu each sat at a table, concentrating on their calculations, while Old Han sat aside, with a plate of peanuts and a pot of wine, looking leisurely.

When Zhang Mu saw the first few account books, they seemed normal. They were all about rice, flour, grain, oil and the like, but the quantities were a bit larger, each involving thousands of people. However, when he opened the subsequent account books, he was a little shocked.

[300 broadswords], [500 spears], [600 powerful crossbows], [5,000 arrows], [36 sets of full body armor]...

Is this an army?
When he looked further, Zhang Mu was even more shocked.

[Three Thousand Jin of Golden Bud Grass]: This is the raw material for the common hemostatic medicine "Jin Chuang San", and the escort agency also has it in stock.

[Eight Hundred Blood-Soothing Pills]: This is a pill that only warriors of the first rank can use. Its main function is to regulate blood and qi.

[Three Hundred Qi-Replenishing Pills]: This is also a pill for entry-level warriors, and it is the kind used in battle. Even the Yuanwei Escort Agency only distributes a hundred of these pills a year.

In addition, there are many entries that are on the scale of large forces.

These are just the expense items, and the income items make Zhang Mu shudder.

[Qi Condensation Level 1 Monster Meat 8,000 Jin], [Qi Condensation Level 2 Monster Meat 5,000 Jin], [Qi Condensation Level 3 Monster Meat 2,000 Jin]...

[Nine Thousand-Weight Demon Bones], [Eighteen Demon Hearts], [Sixteen Pairs of Demon Eyes]...

There are many entries in here that Zhang Mu cannot understand, such as -

[Eliminating the kiln]!
This entry has many sub-branches, such as [Shunshui Wan in Gaoliu County], [Bingdian Wan in Sanhe County], [Shangen Wan in Gutian County]...

Fortunately, the amount of money below is still clear and does not affect Zhang Mu's calculations.

But as he was doing it, Zhang Mu saw another strange entry -

【Filial piety】

Zhang Mu naturally did not understand the meaning of this entry, but there were many branches under this entry, among which was the [Wan'an County Escort Company], followed by the account details of [Five Hundred Taels].

If Zhang Mu remembered correctly, the last time he was doing the accounts at the escort agency, there was a similar entry at the same time -

[Qianyuan Mountain Offering: Five Hundred Taels]

The "mountain sacrifice" here is certainly not a sacrifice to the mountain god, but a toll paid to the green forest stronghold [Qianyuan Village] on Qianyuan Mountain!
Five hundred taels of silver every quarter.

"Qianyuan Village?" Zhang Mu was startled and subconsciously looked at Old Han, who was sitting next to him drinking. Old Han was very perceptive and immediately noticed that Zhang Mu was looking at him. He smiled and said, "What's the matter? Brother Mu, are you tired? Come over and have a drink?"

Zhang Mu hurriedly smiled and shook his head to hide his panic. He continued to check the accounts with his head down, but his heart beat faster.

Qianyuan Village is a bandit village entrenched on Qianyuan Mountain. It is quite powerful. It is said that even Yongning Prefecture has failed to wipe it out despite sending troops several times. It can be said to be a powerful force.

They actually asked Mr. Wu to check the accounts!
And Mr. Wu seems to be very familiar with them!

"Brother Mu..."

Just as Zhang Mu was lost in thought, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder. Zhang Mu looked up and saw that Old Han had suddenly appeared behind him. Old Han's hand was like an iron claw, squeezing Zhang Mu's shoulder and saying calmly, "Don't overthink it." "You're just helping us settle the accounts."

At this moment, Mr. Wu also looked up and chuckled, "Did you see that?"

Zhang Mu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I dare not see it!"

"Hahahaha..." Mr. Wu and Old Han laughed at the same time, which alleviated Zhang Mu's nervousness.

"It's no harm in seeing it." Mr. Wu took a sip of tea and said, "You'll have to escort people in the future, so you'll inevitably have to deal with Old Han and the others. It's good to get to know them now!"

Zhang Mu thought about it and nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Wu."

"Okay, let's continue checking the accounts... Old Han, don't disturb him!" said Mr. Wu.

Old Han shrugged and sat back down. Zhang Mu also lowered his head and began to calculate the accounts again. For a moment, the hall returned to silence, with only the clattering sound of the abacus.

……

Outer city, Wuren Lane, and the slums.

The bright moon hangs high.

Scarface Li Er squatted at the gate of the slum, staring at the alley entrance.

"Strange, why hasn't this kid come back yet so late?"

……

The sky is about to dawn and the east is white.

When Zhang Mu closed the last account book, he stretched.

After a whole night, I finally finished calculating the account books.

"Old Han, everything has been cleared up. The total difference is four hundred and sixty-three. Here are the problematic accounts." Wu Xiangui handed Old Han an account book.

"Son of a bitch! The village treated them so well, and they're actually making money from it." Old Han's face looked a little ugly. He reached out to take it, stuffed the account book into his arms, calmed down, and bowed to Zhang Mu and Wu Xiangui: "Thank you for your hard work!"

"Old Han, don't get excited. It's just over four hundred taels of silver. For a stronghold, it's already very good." Wu Xiangui comforted him.

Zhang Mu stood aside, his face hesitant. Old Han saw this and said, "Brother Mu, what's wrong?"

Zhang Mu glanced at Wu Xiangui, who said, "Just say what you want to say."

Zhang Mu nodded and said, "Brother Han, we have calculated the figures in the account book, but there are still some errors besides the figures."

"For example, the price of purchased rice has been very stable for the past three months. However, as far as I know, starting last month, government warehouses across the country began releasing old grain to make room for this year's new grain purchases. Market prices have been falling, and at their worst, they were almost halved. However, the recorded rice prices have seen a slight increase."

"Also, the expenditure on Qi, blood and food is also increasing month by month, but judging from the consumption of elixirs, the number of warriors is relatively stable."

"Unless a person's appetite suddenly increases two or three times during these three months."

"And then there's the replacement of weapons. The replaced weapons are counted as lost. The account book says they're melted down and recast, but if you find a blacksmith who can recast you a pound of iron, only five ounces will remain."

Listening to Zhang Mu talking, Old Han's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Wu Xiangui pulled Zhang Mu, and Zhang Mu stopped talking.

"Brother Mu, could you give me a list of these problematic accounts?" Old Han said, "I won't help you for free. I have something else to thank you for."

"Brother Han, you're too polite. This is part of the account verification. I'll write it down right away." Zhang Mu hurried back to the table, picked up the pen and started writing. After a moment, Zhang Mu handed the written list to Old Han.

Old Han blew the ink dry and put the list away.

Wu Xiangui said to Zhang Mu, "Breakfast is ready in the dining room. Go and have some first."

Seeing Wu Xiangui's expression, it was obvious that he wanted to talk to Lao Han alone, so Zhang Mu responded, bowed and said goodbye, and walked out of the hall.

Looking at Zhang Mu's back, Old Han sighed: "What a pity..."

"What a pity?" Wu Xiangui asked.

"It's a pity that he joined your escort agency, otherwise I would really like to take him up the mountain. Our village chief will definitely like this cleverness!"

Wu Xiangui shook his head. "Just think about it. This kid's talent is top-notch even in the city. Madam Zhuang is keeping a close eye on him. Maybe within two or three years, the Yuanwei Escort Agency will have its fifth escort leader..."

Old Han said with disdain, "He's just a bodyguard. If he follows our village leader, maybe he can..."

"Okay, okay, I sent someone to help you, not to poach your talents. When will you return to the mountain?" Wu Xiangui interrupted Lao Han and said.

"There's no rush to return to the mountain." Old Han's face grew serious, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Let's avenge Brother Luo Sanpao first..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiangui did not respond, but looked up at the horizon.

At this time, the dawn light shone into the yard through the clouds.

Its daybreak.

……

In the morning light, Scarface Li Er walked out of Wuren Lane with a depressed look on his face.

Damn, do accounting clerks nowadays have enough money to stay out all night?

(End of this chapter)