My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 83 Xinping Village

Xinping Village is about 20 miles away from Pingding Village. It is a village formed by people who fled famine from various places and has little contact with the surrounding villages.

As Lin Ziping and his group were about to arrive at Xinping Village, he couldn't help but ask Lao Huang about Zhang Xiaohu's whereabouts: "Lao Huang, where is Zhang Xiaohu?"

Old Huang patted Lin Ziping's head lightly and smiled slightly: "Silly boy, who said we came here to see Zhang Xiaohu?"

Lin Ziping scratched his head, somewhat confused: "No..."

“Silly boy, Zhang Xiaohu is in the county town now,” Old Huang replied.

"Then why are we here?"

"Uncle will teach you a lesson today," Old Huang said, taking out his pipe. "Do you know which county government office has the best prospects?"

"The Clerk's Office, the Household Registration Office?" Lin Ziping recalled what the Xiao family had said when they were dividing the tasks.

"Yes, but not entirely." Old Huang kept it a secret.

Lin Ziping clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Uncle Huang, please enlighten me."

"The Personnel Department is in charge of official documents and personnel, while the Revenue Department is in charge of land, population, taxes, and finance. They hold resources and are the core of the county government. They have the most contact with the higher-ups and are likely to become their confidants. When the higher-ups are promoted and become wealthy, their confidants naturally rise in rank. Even if they are not confidants, their actions are likely to be noticed by their superiors. Promoting confidants is of course the first choice, followed by those whom the higher-ups deem capable. But once the higher-ups change, the situation of these two departments becomes delicate. Do you understand?" Old Huang lit his pipe and took a deep drag.

"This is what they call 'a new emperor, a new court,' Uncle Huang, I understand." Lin Ziping nodded.

Old Huang tapped Lin Ziping's head lightly with his pipe, then looked around and said, "What emperor, what minister? Don't talk nonsense, be careful what you say."

Well... I wasn't paying attention for a moment and forgot that this is an ancient setting, and we can't just casually talk about things like the emperor.

Lin Ziping covered his mouth and nodded.

“But you’re right, so if you don’t have connections or connections, don’t go to these two branches. Take Bai Xin, who came with you, for example. His family is a well-known gentry in Zezhou. Several of his elders work in the prefectural government. He grew up in the county government and has known everything about it since he was a child. He hasn’t even come to Fuchun yet, but he already knows everything about the county government. Coming to Fuchun is just for him to gain experience,” Old Huang said.

I never imagined Bai Xin had such a powerful background. No wonder he seemed so familiar with the county government office.

"What about the Ministry of Works? The Ministry of Works is in charge of engineering, water conservancy, construction, and land reclamation. It must be very important, right?" Lin Ziping thought of the engineering projects of his own time. Building bridges and roads, constructing dams and reservoirs were all projects that benefited the people.

Old Huang glanced at Lin Ziping and said, "You want to ask about Xiao Wu, right?"

Hmm, now that you mention it, I'm also thinking of asking about the Xiao family's situation.

Lin Ziping gave an embarrassed smile, as if Lao Huang had seen through his thoughts.

“Everyone has their own advantages. Don’t envy Bai Xin and Xiao Jiazheng. The military camp is only now that there is no war. Otherwise, it would be a place that many people would want to enter. Let me give you some advice. You are from out of town and have no parents. Don’t be unhappy or act recklessly just because others are better off than you. Everyone has their own fate, and there are some things you can’t argue with.” Old Huang said earnestly.

Did Lin Ziping envy Bai Xin and Xiao Jiazheng? He thought they probably did, but he knew before that there were differences between people. Some people were born into privilege, and their success was guaranteed from birth. Others' success was built on the support of several generations of their family. Instead of being dissatisfied, ordinary people should be down-to-earth and work hard to become a good foundation.

Lin Ziping snapped out of his thoughts and said earnestly, "Uncle Huang, I know."

Seeing this, Old Huang nodded in satisfaction: "Xiao Lin, I didn't misjudge you, but I also didn't say anything wrong. The barracks you're in is not bad either, otherwise why would Shi Yong try so hard to get there?"

It seems Shi Yong has a history with Inspector Chai, and Old Huang seems quite dissatisfied with Shi Yong. However, it's a big no-no for colleagues to complain about their superiors and colleagues. If you're not careful, you might say something bad about someone and then believe it yourself, only to find that the person you were complaining about is now chatting away with you. In the end, you'll end up with no one doing anything right.

Lin Ziping blinked his big, bright eyes and said with a clear, innocent look of naivety, "I think Brother Shi is a really nice guy."

"Sigh, you," Old Huang said with a hint of exasperation, "I was just about to say I thought you were good, but... this... did you go crazy from studying all that? I don't believe Shi Yong went out yesterday without any clues, but did he tell you anything? And you even handed him the clues you found. Sigh, Xiao Lin, you need to be more careful."

I was careful at the time, so I gave it to him in front of a lot of people. Besides, didn't I just happen to run into Zhang Ershun at his house? Even if I hadn't run into him, I wasn't sure Zhang Ershun would confess to me on my own.

Lin Ziping pinched the jade pendant in his pocket, a simple smile on his face, and said, "I didn't mean we were investigating this case together. Having more people means having more ideas."

"Well... never mind, just observe more and talk less in the future, and learn slowly." Old Huang sighed. "I brought you out today, so don't be foolish enough to go back and tell others about what happens later."

Lin Ziping remained noncommittal: "Uncle Huang, you still haven't told me why we came to Pingding Village?"

Old Huang put away his pipe: "Yesterday in Pingding Village, I met an old woman who mentioned that Qinniang looks a lot like a woman from a family in Xinping Village. Today, we came here under the pretext of looking for Zhang Xiaohu."

"The world is so vast, it's not surprising that one or two people look alike, is it?" Lin Ziping asked, puzzled.

“How many people have you met? There’s no such thing as two people who look alike for no reason. There must be a connection,” Old Huang said. “Since we’re already here, let’s go take a look.”

"What are you doing here?" As soon as they arrived in the village, a group of children with bamboo poles blocked their way, and other villagers also looked at them curiously.

"Kid, take me to your village head," Old Huang said loudly.

The children gave way, holding bamboo poles and saying, "The village head isn't here, leave our village quickly."

"We are officials from the Fuchun County government. Do you know the consequences of delaying our work?" Old Huang pulled out a knife and shouted.

The situation was somewhat tense. Lin Ziping also drew his knife and looked warily at the group of children in front of him. Sometimes, the fighting power of unruly children should not be underestimated.

Soon, a middle-aged man emerged from the villagers and walked towards Lin Ziping and Lao Huang.

Seeing this, the children put away their bamboo poles and made way for them.

"Haha, my son is just being silly, please forgive him, officers." The middle-aged man chuckled and clasped his hands in a respectful bow to the two men.

"How could Xinping Village be so rude!" Old Huang said unhappily.

"Please forgive me, sir." The middle-aged man smiled broadly and then said to the children, "Go home quickly."

"go!"

The children glanced at the middle-aged man, then at Lin Ziping and Lao Huang, and ran off with the child who had spoken.

"Sirs, I am the village head of Pingding Village. How can I help you?" the middle-aged man asked.

Old Huang sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in return, and asked, "We need to inquire about someone from the village head?"

"Who?"

"Village head, we're not just going to stand at the village entrance and chat idly, are we?" Old Huang said.

The middle-aged man laughed loudly: "It was my fault for neglecting you two gentlemen. Please..."

Old Huang gave Lin Ziping a wink, and Lin Ziping sheathed his knife and followed the middle-aged man into the village.