Chapter 159: Household Registrar

Yan Huaiwen was a meticulous yet decisive person.

After weighing his options, he decided to stay in Huju(Tiger Roost).

Together with Liang Manshan, he accepted the olive branch extended by Lord Tian and transformed into a household registrar at the Huju city office, also known as a hushu.

His first task upon taking office was to register and document his own group.

Yan Huaiwen adapted quickly, astonishing the workshop registrar assigned by Lord Tian to guide them.

Workshop registrars, also called gongshu, managed all construction and maintenance work in Huju, including road and bridge repairs. Over the past three years, Lord Tian had undertaken large-scale construction, erecting high walls across the six northern frontier outposts. While not impenetrable, the fortifications provided a significant sense of security.

As a result, conscription for corvée labor proceeded smoothly.

The towering walls also reduced the frequency of incursions by the Northern and Western Rong tribes near Huju’s borders. The people could live in peace, and grain tax revenues steadily increased.

A well-stocked granary was the foundation of Lord Tian’s confidence in offering better conditions than other cities.

It was unclear whether Huju alone suffered from a lack of talent or if Guanzhou as a whole was truly experiencing a decline in capable officials.

The entire city office had only five or six scribes, each handling multiple duties.

Before Yan Huaiwen and Liang Manshan arrived, Lord Tian himself had been overseeing household affairs.

With the addition of the two, the household registry department suddenly became the most staffed among the six bureaus—Personnel, Household, Rites, Military, Justice, and Works.

Seeing that the two conducted their work with great order, Gongshu Zheng felt at ease and returned to report to his superior. Before leaving, he warmly invited them to gather that evening at Ruifeng Tavern in the city.

Watching Gongshu Zheng hurry off, Liang Manshan clicked his tongue in wonder.

“This Gongshu Zheng is quite the character, inviting us to a banquet at night…”

Yan Huaiwen knew he misunderstood and shook his head with a smile. “It’s not what you think. Winter days in Guanzhou are long, the ground is frozen, and spring planting and autumn harvest seasons are still ahead… Now is the best time for construction projects.”

Liang Manshan’s eyes lit up. “If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean we’ve avoided labor service?”

Yan Huaiwen smiled slightly.

Liang Manshan, while rubbing his wrists, glanced around and lowered his voice. “Brother Huaiwen, should we just hand in this roster as it is?”

The villagers lined up obediently, truthfully reporting their details. With Gongshu Zheng present earlier, Liang Manshan had no chance to make adjustments and had to record everything as given.

Yan Huaiwen glanced at him and spoke softly. “Write sloppily. Once it passes Lord Tian’s review, we can carefully transcribe a proper copy.”

Liang Manshan felt reassured.

The more he thought about it, the more he admired Brother Huaiwen’s wisdom.

Messy handwriting not only sped up the registration process but also provided a perfect excuse to create a secondary, well-organized version later.

Yan Huaiwen thought to himself: This is nothing. The officials under me in the past had far more elaborate ways to deceive me—ingenious and varied.

—

After finishing their day’s work, Yan Huaiwen and Liang Manshan took their paperwork with them.

As scribes working for the government, they actually received no salary. Even the paper and ink needed for their duties had to be provided by themselves. If their superiors were considerate, they might offer some subsidies. If not, they had their own ways to make do.

For them, returning to their group was merely a change of work location—from the city gate to a straw hut.

They ate a simple meal: a steamed bun with pickled vegetables from the Yan family and a bowl of cooled rice soup.

Liang Manshan resumed writing, his cursive script becoming increasingly illegible—so much so that probably only he could decipher it.

Yan Huaiwen was pulled aside by his younger brother.

His two children, sister-in-law, little niece, and Tianyou all looked at him expectantly.

Yan Huaiwen sighed. “What’s the rush? The land isn’t going anywhere.”

“Uncle, we really want to see it, really!” Yan Yu pleaded coquettishly.

“A little later. Gongshu Zheng invited me and Manshan to a banquet tonight. While there, I’ll try to borrow the city’s land registry map to confirm whether the place Tianyou mentioned actually belongs to Huju.” Yan Huaiwen patiently explained.

“What’s a lishu?” Yan Yu asked.

“A scribe responsible for mapping land and recording tax registers.”

“Father, did you get a good look? Is that land part of Huju?” Yan Yu asked anxiously.

Yan Lao’er was stumped.

“I… think so…” He suddenly felt unsure.

Seeing his daughter’s expression turn doubtful, he quickly added, “I took a shortcut and came across a river I couldn’t cross. Following it for a while, I found a bridge with stone markers on both sides—one labeled ‘Huju’ and the other ‘Gufeng.’”

Yan Huaiwen said, “That must be the border between Huju and Gufeng.”

“Exactly! That’s what I thought. So, the land on this side of the bridge should be ours, right?”

“I still want to see it with my own eyes.” Yan Yu blinked pitifully. “Uncle…”

Yan Huaiwen sighed inwardly. He really had no way to refuse this girl.

“It’s too late today. We’ll go tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Yan Yu pressed her advantage. “It’s not late! Uncle, if we go in broad daylight and someone sees our ox cart missing, it’ll raise suspicion. We should go tonight instead!”

Worn down by her persistence, Yan Huaiwen finally relented. “Fine. After I return from the banquet, we’ll go together.”

Yan Yu beamed, revealing her teeth. “Uncle, you need to change for the banquet, right? Let me find you something nice to wear.”

Yan Huaiwen enjoyed the attentiveness of his little niece.

Meanwhile, Tianyou chattered on excitedly.

“…You’ll see when you get there—it’s perfect! Several mountains connected, some high, some low. Just imagine how much game there must be! And that river—it narrows at one point, so if you’re a strong swimmer, you could even cross it! And the forest! We walked right through it—the trees are tall and dense. It’s perfect for building houses…”

—

When Yan Huaiwen and Liang Manshan returned from the banquet, they carried a faint scent of alcohol.

Yan Huaiwen remained composed, but Liang Manshan’s face was flushed red.

Yan Lao’er asked with concern, “Manshan, how much did you drink? Are you alright? Want me to get you something to sober up?”

Liang Manshan, embarrassed, wished he could vanish.

Waving his hands frantically, he stammered, “No, no need, Brother Huai’an. I didn’t drink much—just one cup.”

Nearby, Liang Fengnian whispered to Yan Yu, “My father always gets red when he drinks. My mother calls it ‘flushing.’”

Liang Manshan was even more mortified. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he quickly changed the subject. “Brother Huaiwen mentioned you’re going to inspect the land. I’d like to come too—let’s go together.”

Yan Lao’er readily agreed. “Of course! Just give me a moment—I’ll find Qi Wu to attach a second cart.”

Yan Lao’er dashed off, and soon, Qi Wu arrived with Qi Da to help.

In no time, the two-wheeled ox cart was transformed into an extended four-wheeler.

Liang Fengnian immediately clambered onto the cart beside Yan Yu, deliberately ignoring his father.

Liang Manshan laughed in exasperation.

“That rascal—does he think I wouldn’t bring him along?” he grumbled to Yan Lao’er.

Yan Lao’er chuckled. “Kids grow up and get their own ideas. Look at my daughter—she’s got her mind set on this.”

—