Chapter 173: Care

Han Lian finally touched the abacus he had been longing for.

High-end wood, master craftsmanship, limited edition, top-tier goods.

Exclusive to the Xunweis Dongshu Wenfang.

The feel was superb!

It made one unable to stop once they started touching it.

And with this touch, he truly did not stop.

Literally.

In just half a day, Han Lian deeply understood why the three clerks were so enthusiastic.

He had absolutely no spare time for socializing; he started working the moment he sat at his station.

As the new miscellaneous servant of the Wenfang, Han Lian naturally could not touch anything confidential.

But the work that needed to be handled now was not confidential; the part involving goods conversion and data calculation was all transferred to Han Lian. At first, Han Lian was quite excited, fiddling with his newly acquired abacus and working with passion.

Having so much real work handed to him meant they valued him!

He looked again at the items whose value needed to be calculated.

Wow! It's Sugar!

Oh! So much money!

Two hours later.

I am just a heartless calculation machine.

Data, it's all data!

The first day on the new job, from excitement to numbness.

Wen Gu came by once, took a look, and was very satisfied with everyone's work state; the newcomer had also integrated perfectly.

Han Lian had arrived quite timely.

Sugar was already a luxury item before, and now its price was soaring due to the rapid decrease in quantity.

These items that Fu Pian had dug out from the thieves' den needed to be reclassified and appraised, especially the sugar.

And it couldn't be converted into gold, silver, or copper coins; it had to be converted into grain!

The clerks of the Wenfang had no experience in this area.

Cheng Zhi only had a good memory, and his arithmetic was very average. The other two clerks were not skilled in this either.

Not to mention the clerks from the other two courtyards; they couldn't handle this kind of thing at all.

There were people in the Shen Family who were proficient in this, but it was not very suitable for them to frequently contact the Patrol Guard Division. Helping out temporarily was fine, or if Lao Zhao personally issued a task, such as Uncle Shen helping the Patrol Guard Division audit accounts.

At other times, the Shen family tried to avoid contact with the Patrol Guard Division, as it easily touched Lao Zhao's sensitive nerves.

Although Wen Gu was also considered Shen, he did not have the surname Shen after all. He was able to become a Deputy Envoy in the Patrol Guard Division because after he saved Zhao Shaozhu, Zhao Shaozhu gave him a push, and with Lao Zhao's further trust, he finally stood in this position of real power.

Originally, Wen Gu had thought that if there really was no one who could do this, he would go to Lao Zhao and say a word, then go to the Shen Family to pull someone over to help. Now that Han Lian had arrived and could get to work quickly, there was no need to make an extra trip.

The new miscellaneous servant of the Wenfang was very efficient; after a preliminary estimation, he produced a set of data.

Han Lian handed over the account book, feeling uneasy in his heart.

Although the Deputy Envoy in front of him was very young and looked quite amiable, anyone with social experience knew that the more someone was like this, the more cautious one had to be. Han Lian carefully observed Wen Gu's reaction.

He saw Deputy Envoy Wen flipping through it, his brows gradually furrowing, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

Han Lian suddenly felt a bit panicked.

Thinking carefully, the process of his own calculation and recording should have been no problem; it was all converted according to the references provided by the Wenfang. Could it be...

Did Deputy Envoy Wen want to intercept some from it and pocket it himself?

It wasn't that Han Lian was maliciously speculating, but he had seen too many such examples.

Did those who intercepted public property lack money?

No, on the contrary, they were all very wealthy and had noble status.

But the richer they were, the greedier they became.

He did not know Wen Gu, and the things he had heard from others could not help him judge the current situation.

Han Lian lowered his eyes, his heart conflicted.

Thinking of Deputy Envoy Wen's kindness in hiring him, and the advice Station Master Cheng had given him before he came...

After careful consideration, Han Lian made a decision!

If Deputy Envoy Wen asked him to cook the books later, should he... perhaps push back slightly, then just give in.

Over there, Wen Gu had already finished flipping through it quickly, set this preliminary estimate account book aside, and smiled at Han Lian: "Thank you for your hard work!" He also provided Han Lian with some on-the-job care and even advanced him some Grain Tickets.

If he had no other place to live, he could first stay in the Patrol Guard Division's temporary dormitory. If he had nowhere to eat, he could first eat at the Patrol Guard Division's canteen, making it more convenient to work! After the Patrol Guard Division expanded its establishment, there were more personnel, and now they followed the example of Jingxing Fang and set up an internal canteen, which also issued Grain Tickets.

People from the Patrol Guard Division could eat at the canteen if they wanted to, or bring food from home if they preferred. If they didn't want to use the Grain Tickets, they could exchange them with colleagues.

Wen Gu also asked Clerk Lu, this steady senior, to guide the newcomer.

Han Lian was very moved.

On his first day at the Patrol Guard Division, there was no expected difficulty or exclusion; although it was still different from what he had expected, all in all, it was quite good.

Ignoring the soreness in his arm from using the abacus, the Xunweis Dongshu Wenfang truly made him feel warmth and care!

After handling the Wenfang's affairs, Wen Gu took the account book to find Lao Zhao.

The value of this batch of sugar was not enough!

It was not enough to satisfy the appetites of those wealthy households in the city!

There were more and more wealthy households in Xinzhou City, so they had to get more high-end luxury goods.

Low-to-mid-end ones couldn't extract much from the wealthy households.

When Lao Zhao saw the account book, he was initially quite satisfied with the value of this batch of sugar, but after hearing what Wen Gu said, Lao Zhao reflected—my appetite really isn't big enough!

One should be like Wen Gu, able to fleece as much as possible!

But there is also difficulty. Sugar is a rare item for others, but not for the nobles and the wealthy.

They all have stockpiles!

They will not spend a high price to buy low-grade sugar.

Therefore, Wen Gu and Lao Zhao put their heads together and came up with a strategy.

Wen Gu came out of Zhao Fu, called for Yu He, and went to the warehouse to pick out a box of inferior sugar.

The purer the sugar is refined, the more resistant it is to storage.

Most of the cargo looted by the Caishan Horse Bandits is refined sugar. As for the rest, even if it is still not pure enough, there is no major problem.

As long as it is stored properly, it does not matter if it is kept for another two or three years.

Wen Gu did not look at those high-end sugars, but instead opened the chest of low-grade sugar.

In this era, the noble class has a set of their own standards for evaluation.

If one divides the grade of sugar by color, purple is the highest grade, amber is second, and after that is light yellow. Light white is the lowest grade. Among the cargo that Fu Pian brought back from looting the bandit den, there was also some light white sugar, with a coarse texture; one look and it was clearly dregs.

When Qiao Yuan originally let the caravan carry this low-grade sugar, it was not for trade, but for greasing palms.

Those difficult, low-level petty officials could be sent away with this kind of low-grade sugar.

Therefore, the caravan also carried quite a lot of this coarse, light white sugar.

The horse bandits did not care about high or low grade; to them, sugar was a luxury! So these low-grade sugars were also stored away well. Now all these goods have been brought back.

The nobles certainly would not look twice at low-end goods, but if they were purified and refined again, these sugars could be reborn and gain an air of nobility! Wen Gu packed a box of low-grade sugar and, taking Yu He as a guard, made a trip to Qingyun Temple.

Nobles have their own standards of appraisal, and they firmly and stubbornly believe that their own standards are correct, and they are not easily swayed by others. Only others cater to them; rarely do they accommodate the aesthetics of others.

It does not matter; whatever kind you like, I will produce that kind for you!

You think purple sugar frosting is the most superior, then I will make purple ones for you!

As long as you can bring out enough grain to buy it!

Wen Gu wrote a list.

These coarse, low-grade sugars, through purification or refining, can produce different types of high-end goods to satisfy the preferences of nobles with different tastes. Further purified sugar can be more delicate and white.

And re-refined sugar can be more purple, tender, and mellow.

As for the technical side, let the specialists handle it!

Qingyun Temple.

Qingyi Daozhang had a long, sour face.

He had been feeling vexed lately.

The matter of the "Immortal Pill" had indeed boosted his reputation once again.

However, this "Immortal Pill" still caused quite a few troubles regarding human favors; for him, it was both sweet and a burden.

To balance interests, he was already annoyed enough from trying to keep everyone happy every day; now, seeing this dog-like face of Wen Gu, he was even more annoyed!

Qingyi Daozhang held the list Wen Gu handed over with his fingers in a very perfunctory manner, glanced at it with his eyes, and then lightly set it down.

This was already the greatest respect given in consideration of Wen Gu's status as a Patrol Guard Division Vice Commissioner.

The few things written above could just be done by the Zhao Family workshops; why bother me, this Daoist Priest?

Wen Gu did not mind the other party's obvious attitude of refusal and said: "Please have these sugars partially purified and partially refined. You are skilled in the business and have done it before; it is not a difficult task for you. If the refining technique can be further improved, that would be even better! I trust you to get things done."

I, damn it, do not trust you!

I, damn it, am even less willing!

You dog, always finding trouble for me!

Qingyi Daozhang slapped the list onto the table with a 'bang': "You surnamed Wen, do not go too far!"

Wen Gu said: "I am giving you a cut of the money."

Qingyi Daozhang immediately took the list back to look at it carefully: What percentage?