Qing Yao

Chapter 92 Get an Official Position (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Zhao An's courtyard was less than 500 meters away from the prefectural school as the crow flies. It was just a short walk along the east wall of the courtyard, through an alley lined with poplar trees, and then a turn.

Zhao An didn't need to take a carriage for such a short distance, and he certainly didn't want to ride in that official sedan chair that looked like a monkey show. He decided to treat it as a walk.

One side of the alley is against the wall of the academy, and the other side is a row of blue brick and tile houses, with a shop in the front and a residence in the back.

Most of them are family-run businesses.

The businesses near the academy were bound to be related to education, so there were shops selling classic textbooks, student supplies, and of course, food.

The prefectural school had already closed for the day, and students were leaving the school one after another. Because the Yangzhou prefectural school was restricted by policy from enrolling students from the surrounding prefectures and counties, the students at the prefectural school were basically locals from Yangzhou, apart from some children of officials.

Since most of the students are locals, there is no need for accommodation. Students who can study at the academy must come from well-off families, so they will naturally spend money in these shops after class.

Principal Zhao, dressed in casual clothes, had only met with faculty and staff and had not yet convened a school-wide assembly. In addition, he was too young, so he looked no different from a student when walking on the street.

Unlike the students who gather together to play and have fun, Principal Zhao's eyes are on work, and his heart is also filled with work.

I stop every few steps, my mind is full of work.

It's not that we want to drive away the small businesses around the school and make a profit by contracting out school property, but rather that we want to further explore the commercial value of students enrolled through the school's temporary enrollment program.

Since they are here to study temporarily, most of the students' families probably don't own a house in Yangzhou.

If you don't have a house but still need to go to school, you either have to live in the dormitory provided by the school or rent a house.

The problem is that the school currently has no dormitories available for students, and there are no plans to build new dormitories this year. Therefore, students who are temporarily enrolled have no choice but to rent apartments.

The business opportunity lies therein.

After taking a walk around, Zhao An planned to have Ma Xuezheng and the others conduct a survey of the surrounding area the next day to see if they could rent all the houses available for rent in the name of the academy, make some minor renovations, and then rent them out to students studying there.

If the original tenant objects, they will ask Ganquan County, where the area is located, to "coordinate" the matter.

The students' affairs are of paramount importance; the tenants should at least have this sense of the bigger picture.

In this way, a substantial amount of student rent can be collected, and it's not a one-time payment, but a revenue stream that can be generated annually.

It is definitely a sustainable and stable source of income.

This isn't just about making money; it's actually a genuinely good thing.

Instead of letting those unscrupulous landlords collect this money, the school should collect it. You know, Principal Zhao may not be good at teaching and educating students, but he's absolutely good at management.

If you want the original tenant to vacate the premises, you must give them some compensation, at least the rent. But the academy only has a few hundred taels left in its accounts, where would it get the money to pay?
Following this line of thought, Zhao An came to the conclusion that he had to get something for nothing.

Who is the White Wolf?
Real estate agent.

These days it's called "Zhaihang" or "Fangya".

When a stranger arrives in a new place looking for a place to stay, they will inevitably have to rely on travel agencies, otherwise it will be very difficult to find a place.

The reason is that guilds in the feudal era had monopolistic attributes and were commonly known as guild bullies.

Whether you're a landlord or a tenant, renting a house without going through Zhaixing is absolutely unacceptable; they'll make a huge fuss about it.

Zhao An plans to form a strategic partnership with a rental agency, with the academy providing the name and the rental agency providing the funds, and the rent collected being split proportionally.

Six out of ten were from the prefectural schools, and four were from residential schools.

You can also split it in half.

It's a business with no initial investment anyway.

The biggest advantage of this approach is that it prevents Principal Zhao from being accused of profiting from the people and taking the opportunity to amass wealth.

At the same time, it can also minimize liability.

The first thing they contacted was the directly responsible Zhaixing, not the partner Fuxue.

This gives the principal ample time to resolve the issue; otherwise, if something goes wrong and is brought directly to the principal, it becomes much more difficult to handle.

The plan is absolutely feasible. With the prestigious reputation of the academy and a large pool of potential students, which travel agent wouldn't be tempted?

With another way to make money, Zhao An was naturally in a great mood. As soon as he arrived at his door, the gatekeeper, Old Qin, greeted him: "Sir, you're back!"

"came back."

Zhao An smiled and nodded, indicating that Old Qin didn't need to be so polite.

Old Qin was a veteran of the Yangzhou Prefectural School. He had worked as a security guard there in his youth, and now that he was older, Ma Xuezheng had arranged for him to work as a doorman at the principal's house. His wife, Zhang, was also assigned to work as a maid at the principal's house. The couple were essentially both employed by the Yangzhou Prefectural School.

The position of gatekeeper sounds like it's just about guarding the gate, but it's actually a very lucrative job. When outsiders want to get close to the principal, the first hurdle is getting the gatekeeper on their side. And how do they do that? By offering bribes.

It's just that Zhao An didn't have any close associates; otherwise, outsiders would never have been able to take advantage of him as the principal.

Hearing the commotion, Wang Da, the principal's private "driver," also came out. He was a rough-looking man in his thirties, and his driving skills were second to none among school bus drivers.

The other gatekeeper, Lao Xia, was not on duty and was resting at home. He and Lao Qin worked in shifts, one person per day.

After sending Lao Qin and Wang Dazi off to their tasks, Zhao An went straight back to the living room, where Chunlan had already set out a table of food and wine, waiting for her "husband" to return.

Aunt Zhang, the nanny and Lao Qin's wife, was helping to tidy up.

The dishes were not made by the young lady, but by Chef Ding, who was assigned to Zhao An by the prefectural school. However, Chef Ding only came over to cook dinner every day and then went back to the canteen and did not stay at the principal's house.

Aunt Zhang prepares breakfast and lunch.

Chef Ding also works part-time; his family runs the school cafeteria.

"grown ups!"

Upon seeing Zhao An return, Aunt Zhang hurriedly tried to bow, but Zhao An smiled and waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for such formalities at home in the future. Aunt Zhang nodded and withdrew. Servants like them were not allowed to dine with their masters, especially since their master was an official.

As the rules dictate, Zhao An had no intention of getting too close to these servants, because he might pack up and leave any day, and if he developed feelings for them, would he take them with him or not?

"Husband,"

The young woman called out timidly, then lowered her head, picked up the wine pot, and poured a cup for Zhao An.

"Where's Xiaoxiao?"

Zhao An sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and put a slice of meat in his mouth.

The Qianlong era was only about two hundred years after his previous life, and the way of eating and cooking was similar to that of later generations, which suited Zhao An's taste quite well.

"Xiaoxiao is asleep."

The young woman's voice was still timid.

"Oh, if you're bored staying at home, have the driver take you and Xiaoxiao out for a drive. I've been busy with official business lately and haven't had much time to spend with you and your daughter."

As they were talking, he looked up and saw the young woman standing there, and couldn't help but laugh and say, "Why don't you sit down and eat?"

"Oh."

Hearing this, the young lady sat down somewhat awkwardly.

This sight reminded Zhao An of the awkwardness he felt in his past life when he helped out at his boss's house and was asked to stay for dinner.

The young lady wasn't like this when she lived in the county school's official residence. Her sudden change is probably related to his official demeanor and also influenced by the servants sent by the prefectural school to serve the principal.

Once you get used to it, you'll gradually adjust and enter the role of an "official's wife".

Zhao An, who had been busy with his cousin's affairs all day, was also very hungry. After drinking two small cups of wine, he asked the young lady to serve him rice. Just as he took a bite, the gatekeeper, Old Qin, came to report that a father and son surnamed Wang were outside requesting an audience.

Last name Wang?

Zhao An quickly got up and went to the door to greet them personally, because he knew that it must be his uncle and his son who were coming.

The uncle and his son came to express their gratitude, and Zhao An's cousin, Wang Wanquan, was carrying several items.

Wang Defa had obviously told his son Zhao An's true identity, but he must have told his son that this matter must not be revealed to anyone. Therefore, Wang Wanquan, the cousin, was not only as reserved as a young lady in front of his cousin Zhao An, but he was also very curious about his cousin who had become a professor at the prefectural school.

Seeing a fairly good-looking young woman standing next to his cousin, Wang Defa knew that she was the widow of the original owner of the house whom his cousin had "taken over." Not knowing how to address this cousin's wife, he nodded.

The young woman nodded in agreement, and both of them felt somewhat awkward.

If Zhao An didn't accept the gift his cousin brought, it would make the father and son feel embarrassed. So he smiled and accepted the gift, and instructed the young lady to fetch bowls, chopsticks and wine cups. He first invited his uncle to take a seat, and then pulled his honest, well-behaved, and extremely reserved cousin to sit down.

He personally poured the wine for the father and son.

"If it weren't for you, Xiao An, today's events wouldn't have happened,"

Uncle was about to express his gratitude when Zhao An interrupted him, saying, "Uncle, if you keep talking about this, you'll really be treating your nephew like an outsider."

After speaking, he looked at his somewhat wooden cousin and said with some shame, "Today in Jiangdu County, I really couldn't reveal my identity to you, cousin. Please don't take offense."

"It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it wasn't."

Wang Wanquan, who was not good with words, first nodded and then shook his head, not knowing what he was saying.

"We're cousins, blood is thicker than water. Come, cousin, all my words are in this cup. I toast you!"

Zhao An raised his glass and downed it first as a sign of respect. Wang Wanquan, who did not drink, also picked up his glass and gulped it down.

Wang Defa, who was watching from the side, was both pleased to see his cousins ​​reunite and happy that his nephew had achieved so much. He picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp.

The three men toasted each other, and after a few drinks, the usually taciturn Wang Wanquan became more "lively" and gradually opened up.

Zhao An was naturally delighted; family members should be together and filled with laughter.

Even if he becomes governor-general or provincial governor, in the eyes of the Wang family father and son, he will still be Xiao Anzi, not some Lord Zhao.

Just as he was about to pour more wine for his uncle and son, his uncle suddenly put down his chopsticks and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Little Anzi, can I ask you for a favor?"

Zhao An hurriedly replied, "Sir, please speak freely. As long as it is within my power, I will certainly do it for you."

"it is good,"

Wang Defa nodded, pleading for his son's brother-in-law, Qian Xiuwen, hoping that Zhao An would show leniency and preserve his academic degree.

After hearing this, Zhao An seemed thoughtful, and looked at the somewhat nervous Wang Wanquan: "Cousin, did the Qian family come to see you this afternoon?"

"No, no."

Wang Wanquan's evasive gaze betrayed him.

Seeing this, Wang Defa sighed softly: "The Qian family has suffered such a great loss, they dare not do anything now, but they will definitely cause trouble for your cousin later. Sigh, I'm telling you this so that your cousin can have a more peaceful life in the future."

"Qian Xiuwen is now just like my cousin, a man without official rank or title. What is there to be afraid of?"

As he said this, Zhao An gently twirled the wine cup in his hand.

Wang Defa said helplessly, "That's true, but the three Qian brothers are usually a bit arrogant. The second Qian brother is even more reckless. You've met your cousin, and he's not like an official like you. With his honest and simple nature, how can he not be bullied?"

"That's it,"

Zhao An put down the wine cup he was spinning. "Then I'll get my cousin an official position."

(End of this chapter)