sbdcsierra Chapter 166: The official in charge of corruption
Chapter 166: The official in charge of corruption
After closing the stall that day, Li Yuer said to them, "When the house in Fushui Village is built, we will invite Master Guo to teach there. Big Brother, when the time comes, you can discuss with everyone and draw up a shift schedule.
You and my brother definitely can’t rest together, so the two of you who keep accounts should rest separately.”
Datou was packing up his account books and said, "Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible."
Li Yuer is now the only one who can go to work whenever he wants, which is equivalent to a major shareholder.
"Brother, please accompany me to buy some things later." Li Yuer said to Li Erlang.
Li Erlang also likes shopping. He hasn’t been shopping for a long time, so he naturally agreed.
After closing the stall, Li Erlang followed Li Yuer for a stroll.
"Yu Baoer, what are you buying tea for?" Li Erlang found that Li Yuer bought a lot of things that looked good but were useless.
He also likes to drink tea, but he would at most buy a bag of coarse tea to satisfy his craving, and would not buy exquisite wooden boxes of tea.
Li Yuer didn't intend to hide it from him, and said, "I plan to buy the vacant land at the dock, and these are gifts for meeting you."
"Ah?" Li Erlang was about to say something to persuade them, but when he found that the store was full of people, he lowered his voice and said, "Do you really want to buy a garbage dump?"
He thought Li Yuer was just joking before, but he didn't expect it to be serious. That place is dirty and shabby, what's the point of buying it?
Li Yuer smiled and said without further explanation: "Investment is about playing the long game to catch big fish. Big brother should learn to have a longer-term vision in the future."
The wharf will develop sooner or later, and occupying the land now will bring many times the profit in the future.
The two men took a donkey cart to Huihai County, just in time to catch the clerk returning home from get off work.
Seeing the two people waiting at the door, he greeted them with a smile: "Why don't you come in?"
Li Erlang smiled and said, "What a coincidence, we just arrived."
He is no longer as reserved in socializing as he was at the beginning, and Li Yuer finds that Li Erlang has a talent for socializing.
A few people entered the house, and Lin enthusiastically went to boil water to make sugar water.
After spending a few times together, they were no longer so restrained in getting along with each other.
Because of the Li family, the clerk was able to survive under Wu Baopi's blood-sucking policy.
The Li family set up a stall to buy seafood from Nao Nao and his friends, and they wanted all the good seafood. Nao Nao and his friends could get an average of 30 to 40 kilograms of seafood a day, and one kilogram sold for two cents on average, so each person could earn 50 to 60 cents a day. Excluding the days when the flood season was bad, they could earn about 2 taels a month.
It was the sum of his salary for several months. Their life became much easier all of a sudden, and the money for his second brother's tuition and the imperial examination was no longer a problem.
After boiling the water, Lin started to set the table and even fried a plate of eggs. The two did not refuse, and they ate and chatted as if they were visiting relatives.
After dinner, Li Yuer talked about buying land.
The clerk didn't expect that Li Yu'er really wanted to buy the garbage dump at the dock, so he said, "How about this, I'll go back to the government office this afternoon to get a feel for what's going on. I don't think this will be difficult, but it may cost some bribes."
The longest term of office for a county magistrate is seven years. It seems that County Magistrate Wu wants to get promoted quickly by bribing others, so after they came to Huihai County, they have been squeezing the people's money.
Recently, there has been a trend of selling land. Master Du even set up a Hongmen Banquet and invited the officials below to drink. His purpose was to sell land. Of course, the land would not be sold for free, and a kickback would be charged.
For example, the Li family spent three taels of silver as a bribe to buy land, and this was the result of the mediation of the clerk.
There is no need to ask, as long as it is Master Du's intention, the officials under him must follow it, otherwise he will find a way to deal with you.
The old official who was killed before was just a warning to others.
The clerk has been getting angry these days. Master Du once gave him a task and hinted to him: "Clerk, you are a smart man. If you do a good job on this task, the old man's position will be yours."
Wen Huaizhang was a minor official in charge of household registration and had no real power. The old man mentioned by Master Du was the one who was killed by them. He was originally in charge of resources, such as land, oceans and other real estate. Although large-scale land transactions had to go through the county magistrate, there was still room for maneuver.
Although neither of them has a rank, they are both full-time employees, while he is a deputy, and he manages resources much more profitably.
Wen Huaizhang didn't dare to refuse and had been feeling anxious these days. He used his connections to sell some land, and his father helped him contact some villagers or friends who wanted to buy land, but they were all ordinary people, buying pieces of land here and there and making very little profit.
Master Du had not been in a good mood for him these past few days, until the Li family bought a lot of land and gave him three taels of silver as a tribute, Master Du's attitude towards him finally brightened up.
Although the clerk wanted Li Yuer to buy some land, he still wanted to persuade her to buy some practical land. Even if it was wasteland, spending a little money to hire someone to reclaim it and maintain it for a few years would be better than buying a garbage dump at the dock.
"Yu Baoer, excuse me for asking, what do you plan to use this land for?"
There was nothing to hide. Li Yuer answered frankly, "It is used to temporarily stop the boat."
"Stop the boat?" Wen Huaizhang's expression turned a little strange. This kid is so willful. "How many boats do you have?"
“There’s only one boat right now, but there will be many.”
The clerk's mouth twitched, "It won't be too late to buy the land after we buy the boat."
"It's too late. The sea will open in two months. I have to clean up the land as soon as possible."
The clerk asked curiously, "How are you going to clean it up?" It seemed unnecessary to carry out large-scale construction to stop the ship.
Li Yuer thought for a moment and said, "Build a pier."
"Build a dock?" It was the first time that the clerk heard of someone building a dock by himself. The county government did not stipulate that private individuals could not build docks, but there was no need for it. Wouldn't a dock that big be big enough for you to dock your ship?
"So you really want to buy it?" the clerk finally confirmed.
Li Yuer nodded seriously, "The sooner the better. Oh, by the way, Brother Wen, don't worry. We know the character of the person above us. As long as it's almost done, we are prepared."
In the afternoon, the clerk rushed back to the yamen to inquire about the matter.
He went directly to Master Du to test the waters. Master Du narrowed his eyes, thought for a while and said, "But is there anyone who wants to buy it?"
The clerk pretended not to care and said, "No, I just want to share your worries."
Master Du asked calmly, "What do you mean?"
The clerk pretended to be profound and said, "Think about it, sir. These fields and homesteads are so easy to sell. With the increase in the population of our town, when the people have sons, they can build houses and marry wives, and they can grow crops to eat. Sooner or later, they can sell them.
No one wants land like this, such as beaches, docks, islands, and mountains. If we can sell these things at a low price, wouldn’t it be better?”
Master Du took a sip of tea and thought to himself that their masters would definitely not stay in this godforsaken place for long. Only with enough silver to pave the way could they go far and climb high. Those barren mountains and remote islands and mudflats were all useless waste and could be sold off.
What's more, when the dynasty changes, if the land can be taken back, it will only take a few words from the officials.
"Okay! You decide."
The clerk bowed and said, "Don't worry, sir, there will be results in a few days."