It was almost early September by the Western calendar. The days outside the pass were getting shorter and shorter. At 8:30 in the morning, the sun, leaning toward the south, hadn't risen very high. At this time, Shopkeeper Han Haitao's teahouse had already opened. Business these days for Shopkeeper Han was extraordinarily good; people came and went every day, whether to pay taxes or ask for news, either ordering a pot of tea or buying some snacks.

In the past, Shopkeeper Han would always sit behind the counter. Now, he was nowhere to be seen. Those coming to pay taxes were somewhat surprised, but thinking Shopkeeper Han might just have gotten up late, they waited patiently.

They heard tea guests at a nearby table talking loudly, discussing the matter of President Yuan Shikai wanting to proclaim himself Emperor.

"If the President wants to be Emperor, will the Revolutionary Party in the south fight again?"

"What's there to be afraid of? With so many Marshals under the President, which one can't fight? I heard the Marshals have already formed a petition group, begging the President to take the throne."

"Yes, I also heard foreigners support the President becoming Emperor."

Although everyone chatted enthusiastically, it was too far from the capital outside the pass. They just talked about the same few things over and over. The tax payer also found it boring. Just then seeing the waiter come out, he asked, "When will Shopkeeper Han come out?"

The waiter looked somewhat lost and just answered, "In a while," before lowering his head to wipe the table.

Seeing this, someone at the next table said to the tax payer, "I'm afraid Shopkeeper Han won't be coming out today."

"Why?" The tax payer was puzzled.

The guest at the next table beckoned. When the man sat over, he whispered, "The Governor issued an order: in the future, those who serve as tax collectors can only be tax collectors. Not only can they not do business themselves, but their families also cannot run businesses like teahouses or restaurants."

"Ah? Does the government really manage to this extent?" The tax payer was very surprised. After thinking for a moment, he actually looked a bit pleasantly surprised.

At this time, in the inner room of the teahouse, Shopkeeper Han was sitting with several shop owners from the street. The owners kept persuading him, "Shopkeeper Han, so far, you are the only one from our street who has become an official. If you stop being a tax collector, us brothers will have a hard time. Rest assured, Shopkeeper Han, we will buy this teahouse from you; we won't let Shopkeeper Han suffer a loss."

Shopkeeper Han already had ideas in his heart, so he said frankly, "Brothers, I was able to become a tax collector because the Governor was short of people at the time. Now that the Governor has established a firm foothold in Siping, how could he still lack one like me? I still want to come back and continue doing business. After all, at my age, how can I really change careers?"

Hearing this, a shop owner immediately expressed objection. "Shopkeeper Han, you are wrong to say that. Look at the Governor; he has such ability at such a young age. Will he still be in our Siping in a few years?"

Shopkeeper Han was stunned. He naturally understood the meaning of these words, but he really hadn't thought about He Rui's future development.

The other owners nodded repeatedly. "That's right, Shopkeeper Han. I heard storytellers say that Jiang Ziya was seventy when he assisted King Wu of Zhou. How old is Shopkeeper Han? Exactly the age to get things done. Someone always has to be the Marshal of the Northeast. If Governor He becomes the Marshal, and Shopkeeper Han follows Governor He now, what position will you have then?"

Shopkeeper Han chuckled lightly, feeling these words were truly ridiculous. However, a moment later, Shopkeeper Han could no longer laugh. He Rui was sent by Director-General Duan Qirui from the capital, and the current General Zhen'an, Marshal Zhang Xiluan, had sent weapons to He Rui several times. When He Rui officially took office as Governor of Siping, the Japanese Major General from the Kwantung territory came specifically to congratulate him. Just based on this prestige, it wouldn't be strange for He Rui to become the Marshal of the Northeast.

Seeing Shopkeeper Han hesitating, the shop owners hurriedly persuaded, "Shopkeeper Han. What we said just now about wanting Shopkeeper Han to help us was all joking. It's not easy to meet someone like Governor He; Shopkeeper Han should think more about his own future."

Even with new thoughts, Shopkeeper Han still went to the Tax Bureau. He saw people rushing in and out of the Tax Bureau gate, very busy.

He thought it would take a long time to see Chen Deli, but unexpectedly, he met him very quickly. He saw two large stacks of documents piled up on the table in front of Chen Deli. Chen Deli himself ordered a staff member, "Prepare the printing of tax receipts for each town. Print them according to the previous format. Even if the tax content is different, print them according to those ready-made formats first. We haven't finished the new tax regulations yet. So make a file explanation stating exactly what tax is being collected this time."

After the staff member left quickly, Chen Deli invited Han Haitao to sit down. "Shopkeeper Han, have you thought it through?"

Han Haitao asked carefully, "Assistant Chen, if I join the Tax Bureau, what work will I be assigned to do?"

"Now so many towns in Siping lack tax collectors. Shopkeeper Han understands taxation and knows accounting work. You will be sent to a town first as a tax collector to complete the tax collection in the town for this year."

Han Haitao was startled. He originally thought he would continue to be a tax collector in Siping City, but he didn't expect to be sent to the countryside.

Looking at Chen Deli's gaze fixed on him, Han Haitao knew Chen Deli's decision could not be changed. After a brief internal struggle, even though he was very unwilling to go to the countryside, Han Haitao answered, "I'll sell the teahouse and focus on tax work."

Chen Deli nodded and said refreshingly, "Welcome to officially become a member of the tax collectors. Please go back and prepare, then report to the Personnel Department. The Personnel Department will arrange it."

The next day, Han Haitao reluctantly left the teahouse he had operated for a long time and headed for the assembly point. Many people were already waiting at the assembly point, all cadres heading to the countryside to carry out work. There was no reluctance of parting, nor earnest exhortations. After completing identity verification, small teams set off toward the vast rural areas of Siping.

He Rui continued his massive amount of paperwork as usual. The scribe brought a stack of letters to be sent out. While He Rui was reading them, Zhao Tianlin arrived. Seeing He Rui, he said, "Brother He, I have a few more classmates who heard about the Governor's deeds and want to come to Siping to work."

He Rui originally thought Zhao Tianlin was here to talk about funding or grain, but unexpectedly, Zhao Tianlin brought good news. He Rui chatted with Zhao Tianlin for a while. After asking about their majors, He Rui said, "Brother Zhao, could you invite the *Ta Kung Pao* journalist to come again? Siping's land reform is about to be completed. Once completed, we can start building state-run farms. I need the journalist to help me publish some news to attract investment."

Zhao Tianlin frowned slightly. "Does Brother He want to invite foreigners to do business?"

He Rui knew that Zhao Tianlin had a dispute with the French in Tianjin this year, leading to his resignation in anger. But He Rui didn't hide anything because of this and answered frankly, "Correct. Domestic merchants with strength already have their own business scope; they are unlikely to run outside the pass to seek business opportunities. The only ones willing to come and willing to invest money are foreign merchants."

Although Zhao Tianlin was unhappy, he didn't voice a rebuttal, only sighing, "Brother He must be careful of those people."