Chapter 337: Who Will Be the Accountant?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Tian Zao’s words sounded bureaucratic, making people uncomfortable when hearing them. Still, captain Zhou decided to find out who she was talking about.
“Who do you recommend, Director Tian?”
After a slight pause, Tian Zao couldn’t remember the person’s name right away. “Uh… Wang Xing! Yes, it’s Wang Xing.”
It wasn’t surprising that Tian Zao couldn’t remember Wang Xing. She had just met him and received gifts from him, implying she needed to do a favor for him in return.
Wang Xing was one of the few in the village who knew that Tian Zao would soon replace the chief captain. This knowledge was obtained after navigating through multiple connections and inquiries.
Upon learning Tian Zao was to become the new chief captain, Wang Xing prepared gifts and rushed to Tian Zao’s home in the county town. Initially puzzled by the gift of milk and eggs, Tian Zao understood his intentions when Wang Xing introduced himself and stated his purpose.
Remembering that her mother needed milk for calcium and liked eggs, and given it was merely a recommendation for an accountant role, Tian Zao felt it wasn’t a difficult task and agreed.
Soon after sending Wang Xing away, she called the chief captain, only to find she was a step too late.
The chief captain seldom communicated with the villagers and wasn’t familiar with their personal feuds and grievances. He had selected Jiang Chuan for the position, and it would be an embarrassment to retract the official appointment after issuing it.
Moreover, Jiang Chuan had just resolved a seed shortage for the village. It would be unjust to strip him of the accountant role now.
Privately, the chief captain considered Jiang Chuan a friend. Jiang Chuan always greeted him, brought gifts back from trips, and this time even brought fish and wild mushrooms. For various reasons, both personal and professional, Jiang Chuan deserved the accountant position.
The chief captain began to argue, “Director Tian, the appointment letter has already been issued. It’s not appropriate to take it back now. Moreover, Jiang Chuan’s abilities are recognized by all. He handled the accounting when the national grain was distributed. Wang Xing has no experience in this. What if he doesn’t do well?”
Tian Zao thought about it. Indeed, she didn’t have much of a relationship with Wang Xing, only receiving two boxes of gifts from him. If it came down to it, she could simply return the gifts. There wasn’t really a need to vouch for Wang Xing.
However, this was the first task she had arranged before taking office. If she didn’t see it through, the villagers would undoubtedly gossip when she became the chief captain.
What if others then doubted her capabilities and didn’t heed her instructions in the future?
She was, after all, an outsider, without any emotional bond with the villagers. The village was a place where group mentality was strong. If even one person stirred up trouble and disobeyed orders, the subsequent tasks would become incredibly challenging.
Considering this, Tian Zao was unwilling to be lenient. Her tone became sharp, “Chief captain, I will manage the commune in the future. I certainly want to appoint people 1 trust. I’ve met Wang Xing. I believe he’s dependable, swift in action, and intelligent. Accounting isn’t difficult; he can certainly master it easily and would be better than Jiang Chuan.”
The Captain wasn’t impressed. Her management of the commune was something for a month later, not now.
If Wang Xing was genuinely better, why didn’t he step forward when there was chaos and grain piled up without any distribution? Why didn’t he handle the accounting then?
Now, it was simply because the captain was leaving, and the standards for accounting might become lower, making Wang Xing see the position as a lucrative opportunity.
The captain was always very meticulous about accounting. Even minor mistakes were taken seriously, which is why many accountants were criticized and reprimanded if they made a mistake. Over time, they naturally became reluctant to hold that position.
But now, with the captain departing, they were betting that the next leader would be less strict, thus making many eager to try for the role..