Chapter 44: Official Status (IV)
Xu Youlin carried more than 2,000 kilograms of solid alcohol away. Huo Chong took another sip of mouthwash made of salt and alkaline noodles, gurgled it in his mouth, and spit it out.
The junior brothers and sisters followed suit, spitting out the mouthwash in a rude or elegant manner. Even if they didn't drink it, just the smell of it made their teeth feel a little soft. If there was no mouthwash, Huo Chong was worried that if he and his group did it again, their teeth would fall out.
When Huo Chong got home, he felt uneasy. Even when he was teaching his juniors to read and do arithmetic, he would often daydream while they were reciting. He would only remember that he was teaching when his juniors reminded him.
The junior brothers were just a bunch of fools, and they didn't react at all. But the seventh brother Qian Qing came over during the break and said, "Big Brother, are you tired?"
Seeing that his junior sister was also a cultured person, perhaps the most cultured person in Liujia Village, Huo Chong couldn't help but tell his junior sister about the donation for fame. Qian Qing obviously understood, but she didn't show any surprise, but asked in confusion: "Big Brother, don't you want to be an official?"
"Become an official? Haha!" Huo Chong laughed dryly. In Huo Chong's mind, the Qing Dynasty was a dynasty that must be destroyed, but Huo Chong also found that human beings' adaptability was really terrifying. Even the golden rat tail, which Huo Chong regarded as a symbol of great shame and humiliation to the barbarians, made Huo Chong accustomed to it in the past few months.
Even so, Huo Chong was still unwilling to be an official. First, he would lose a lot if he became an official. Although it was unclear what he would lose, at least Huo Chong would not have the opportunity to do projects among the people. Secondly, Huo Chong did not intend to rebel, nor did he intend to serve the Qing Dynasty.
Moreover, the price Xu Youlin proposed was indeed not cheap. Six hundred taels of silver was just the money for donating to the official title. If he wanted Xu Zhixian to recommend Huo Chong, he would need to give Xu Zhixian another four hundred taels of silver.
Xu Youlin's term of office would end next spring at the latest. Xu Youlin's hints had almost become explicit instructions, requiring Huo Chong to gather the money before the end of the year.
If it was sixty taels of silver, Huo Chong would not frown. If it was two hundred taels, Huo Chong could accept it. Because Huo Chong also made three hundred taels from selling solid alcohol this time. By the end of the year, he might make six hundred taels. But Xu Youlin made it clear that he would not want to be short of one thousand taels.
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Qian Qing whisper: "Big Brother, I heard from my father that there is actually no good in passing the imperial examination to become an official. If there is any benefit, it is that you can have a place to seek justice."
"Ah?" Huo Chong didn't know how to react to this statement. Qian Qing was really interesting. What did it mean to have a place to reason? This... Huo Chong only felt that this statement had an indescribable sense of rationality, but it was difficult to grasp where this rationality was.
So he asked, "Seventh Brother, where is this place to reason?"
However, Qian Qing's face showed deep sadness, her eyes were wet and her nose was red. After a while, she covered her face and choked up.
Huo Chong did not try to comfort her, but simply filled a basin with water and placed a towel over it. Qian Qing cried for a while, then wiped her face with the towel and said to Huo Chong, "I am sorry to have embarrassed you, Senior Brother."
"It's okay." Huo Chong comforted him from the bottom of his heart: "I feel angry when I think of your family's literary inquisition. I just don't know what to say to you. Lao Qi, don't worry, I don't want to be an official for this reason. These dogs... dogs are all bad people!"
Qian Qing obviously didn't want to talk about this. She calmed herself down before continuing, "Big Brother, my father also passed the imperial examination. My mother asked my father why he spent so much effort on studying. My father said that he didn't want to be an official. It's just that without a name, there's no way to reason with him. My father has to go back to his hometown every year. If he doesn't go, the police will only take copper coins instead of one tael of silver for one thousand coins. Copper coins can be exchanged for silver, 850 coins for one tael of silver. After exchanging copper coins for silver, they can make 150 coins. When my father goes back to his hometown, the police dare not."
Huo Chong had not expected Qian Qing to say anything, but when he heard this, he suddenly understood. This was the reason why Huo Chong intuitively agreed with the phrase "there is a place for reasoning".
As the saying goes, it is easy to see the King of Hell but hard to see the little devils. Without a title, Huo Chong would not be qualified to face the officials directly. Those black-hearted officials could beat the people under them to death.
Whether to pay taxes in copper coins or silver is the simplest and most straightforward. The so-called one-cent tax added by the upper level can be increased by one tael at the place where the tax is collected. It is these intermediate links that are exploited layer by layer.
Huo Chong saw the current situation of the Qing Dynasty during this period and did not think that he could do whatever he wanted in this shop after donating his fame. That was why he was unwilling to spend the money. However, Qian Qing's reminder made Huo Chong understand that donating fame itself meant benefits . Especially for a guy like Huo Chong, an official position could avoid too many troubles. Avoiding troubles itself could save Huo Chong a lot of money.
"Seventh Brother, thank you. I figured it out." Huo Chong couldn't help but express his gratitude to Qian Qing.
Qian Qing hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Big Brother, are you short of money?"
Huo Chong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Don't tell me you know any treasure?"
Qian Qing was stunned for a moment, perhaps because she had never heard of such a joke. She did not ask further questions, but continued, "I have relatives in Linzi. Since it is about donating to gain fame, my relatives may be able to help Senior Brother find a moneylender."
Huo Chong couldn't laugh anymore. He looked Qian Qing up and down and asked, "Seventh Brother, do you want to go to your relative's house?"
Qian Qing waved his hands quickly, "No. I don't want to. Senior Brother, please don't misunderstand me."
Huo Chong didn't think there was anything wrong with Qian Qing wanting to go to live with his relatives. Even if Qian Qing didn't speak so roundaboutly, but said earlier that he had relatives in Linzi, Huo Chong would have sent Qian Qing to his relatives' home in Linzi.
Saving Qian Qing was a surprise. Huo Chong was just interested in the girl's courage to kill wolves. Seeing Qian Qing's constant denial, Huo Chong did not expose her. He said straightforwardly, "Seventh Brother. Linzi is not far from Zhangdian. I have nothing to do these two days. I also want to go to Linzi. You can go with me."
Qian Qing lowered his head and said after a while of silence: "I will go with Senior Brother."
Zhangdian is a little bit west of Zibo City, and Linzi is dozens of miles east of Zibo. These two places were both districts of Zibo City in the 21st century, but not now. Huo Chong has money now, and he really wants to go to these places. Although Zibo must be very bad now, it has things that cannot be seen in the 21st century.
The next day, Huo Chong hid the silver. Without much preparation, he took some money and set off with Qian Qing, the fourth and sixth brothers.
As he walked along the road, Huo Chong thought of the silver he had hidden, and he was really worried about it. Lao Liu asked, "Big Brother, you are frowning, what's the matter?"
Huo Chong also felt that he was really restrained, so he simply told his fellow apprentices the story of "The neighbor XX didn't steal anything".
This story made everyone laugh, and with laughter and joy, the group headed straight to Zibo.
