Qing Yao

Chapter 6 The salary is not too high

When Zhao An appeared in front of his cousin Wang Defa again, the most appropriate description of his condition was that he was exhausted.

Half truths and half lies.

The psychological state is probably similar to when you get off a car and find the county governor right in front of you, and you have to jog a few dozen steps.

"What took so long?"

After waiting for a few days but his cousin still didn't come, Wang Defa must have complained. Ambassador Ding had already greeted him and praised his cousin to the sky. Ambassador Ding also promised to send someone to come and see him, but the person ended up being gone for several days, leaving him with no choice but to keep greeting the ambassador.

"uncle,"

Zhao An hurriedly explained the story he had prepared on the way. First, he told his neighbors about the family affairs. Although there were nothing valuables at home, he couldn't just leave it alone.

"My nephew thought that Qingming Festival was approaching, and since I came to Yangzhou, I rarely go back home a few times a year, so I specially made an effort to bury my parents' graves, but ended up delaying it."

What Zhao An meant by "rounding the tomb" is exactly what it sounds like. The tomb mound that has been getting smaller due to rainwater will be reinforced and enlarged with soil, so that the tomb can be found when people visit it at the end of the year.

This must be done before Qingming Festival, because there is a folk saying that old graves cannot be dug after Qingming Festival.

After listening to his cousin's explanation, Wang Defa let out an "Oh" and stopped complaining a lot. Older people attach great importance to filial piety. As his cousin, he feels relieved that his cousin can have such filial piety.

Ma prepared a few dishes, and the father and son talked while drinking.

According to Wang Defa, he had already informed Ambassador Ding and his colleagues, and was just waiting for Zhao An to go for the "interview".

As long as you pass the interview, there will be no problem with this job.

"Master, I joined the Taxation Department. What exactly do I do in the Taxation Department?"

Zhao An is very concerned about the business he is engaged in.

Wang Defa laughed and said, "Don't worry. I'm not asking you to patrol the fences or run errands. You're supposed to work in the government office like your uncle. First, you can hone your skills as an assistant in the accounting office. Once you're familiar with it, we can do it."

"Suanfang" is the accounting office of the Taxation Department. It is responsible for calculating how much tax is collected, how much tax is deducted, how much tax is payable, and the expenses of the government office. It is a key department.

Zhao An was very satisfied with his cousin's arrangement. He would not work in a powerful department when he came to work. Could he go to the gatehouse and sell newspapers to the security guard?
Although he is not an expert at using an abacus, he still knows the formula of "one by one, add one; two by two." He will become proficient in it after a few days.

If all else fails, just give him some addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and I guarantee there won't be any mistakes.

The work department has been decided, and the next thing Zhao An is concerned about is the salary.

There is definitely no establishment. The tax ambassador of Ganquan County is just a low-level official. Just imagine, the head of the unit barely has a professional number in the Ministry of Personnel, so how can the people working below have an establishment?

Zhao An didn't know much else, but he knew one thing: the county-level government offices and subordinate units in the Ming and Qing dynasties did not actually rely on imperial funds, but on the county treasury.

The county's financial support is not fixed by any tax, but is collected by the county magistrate under various pretexts. If more is collected, those who work for the county will get money, and if less is collected, then the county will suffer a collective loss.

My impression is that "huohao" is a welfare provided by the imperial court to county-level officials.

The so-called "fire consumption" refers to the loss when the collected broken silver is melted and recast into silver ingots. The "fire consumption" levied when collecting taxes is definitely greater than the actual "fire consumption" of casting, and the difference is used by local officials.

In general, the fire consumption in counties and prefectures was two or three cents, or even four or five cents per two taels, and less in remote areas. This naturally increased the burden on the people. During the Yongzheng Dynasty, the "fire consumption to the public" system was implemented, but this reduced the income of local officials. Rich areas could still maintain it, but officials in poor areas even had to borrow money to pay the "salaries" of their subordinates.

What should officials do if they cannot support the workers and are not allowed to collect fire consumption fees?
Thus, the salary for maintaining integrity came into being.

But the source of the silver for maintaining integrity is actually the local fire consumption or taxes. To put it bluntly, the wool comes from the sheep.

It's just a different bottle, the same old thing. None of this matters to Zhao An; all he cares about is getting paid.

The salary was not high. In the first year, I could only get one tael and two cents per month, which was less than fifteen taels per year.

What is the concept of fifteen taels?

Zhao An bought rice when he was at home. A pound of rice cost ten coins in the market, and one tael of silver was one thousand coins, which means that one tael of silver could buy one hundred pounds of rice.

In the past, one hundred kilograms of rice cost about three or four hundred yuan, so fifteen taels would be about five or six thousand yuan.

The average monthly salary is less than five hundred.

This salary level is obviously too low. After all, you are an employee working in an organization. Who can you support with this salary?
Wang Defa's words made him stop thinking about his salary. He said, "Your monthly allowance is a little low, but don't think it's too little. You're new to the company. If you work here for a long time, even if you can't buy a house in Yangzhou, you can still find a wife."

There are some things that Wang Defa did not say explicitly, and he could not say them, that is, people working in the yamen do not get a fixed monthly salary.

Even as a clerk, he only earns a few dozen taels of silver a year, but the gifts he gives you privately are at least a hundred taels a year.

Who sends it?
Of course it’s those merchants.

The Taxation Department collects commercial taxes!
When doing business, there are rules to follow for which shop is bigger and which is smaller, which has higher profits and which has lower profits, who has to pay more and who has to pay less.

With people in the yamen, everything can be discussed.

"Nephew has no objection, I will listen to you in everything!"

Zhao An was not stupid either, so he raised his glass to toast Wang Defa.

"You are my cousin, and as your elder, I will definitely help you with everything. However, once you enter the company, you must be strong and learn everything. If you don't understand, ask. Never act on your own. Also, no matter who asks you to do something, you must do it. Never contradict others, and never be petty."

After drinking two more cups, Wang Defa felt that he had had enough, so he asked Zhao An to go and rest, and to recuperate before going to the Taxation Department with him at dawn.

Zhao An quickly agreed and helped his cousin Ma to clean up the dishes. Wang Defa nodded slightly at his diligence.

He was not afraid of trouble, but he was afraid that this aunt's only child in the world would be incompetent and lack vision and insight.

Fortunately, the child looks okay.

Nothing happened that night. The next day, before dawn, Wang Defa got up and asked Zhao An to wash up. Then he took his cousin to his workplace, the Ganquan County Taxation Bureau.

No matter how important Wang Defa was, he could not have his own sedan chair or carriage. The father and son went there on foot. On the way, they stopped at a noodle shop that Wang Defa often ate at and ordered two baskets of soup dumplings. After eating, Wang Defa did not pay the bill. Zhao An did not say much. When he left, he glanced at the waiter in the noodle shop and found that he was writing something on the account book with a pen.

It seems that the outstanding accounts will be settled at the end of the month.

This is the advantage of being a "big shot" at work. If Zhao An didn't pay the bill, he would have to squat there and follow the rules.

The taxation office of Ganquan County is located in the most prosperous Xiaguan area of ​​Yangzhou, more than ten miles away from Wang Defa's home. On the way, Wang Defa kept telling his cousin what to do when he entered the office and met Ambassador Ding. Zhao An agreed with his mouth but was wondering in his heart whether this taxation bureau was as decent as in later generations.

When we got there, we found that it was just a yard covering a few acres, and there was not even a guard at the gate.

It’s very similar to the rural primary school in my previous life.

There are more than a dozen rooms in it, surrounded by a wall.

If it weren't for the plaque of Ganquan County Taxation Bureau hanging at the door, it would definitely feel like a village committee.

(End of this chapter)