Chess and tea indoors, spotless accounts outside in the granaries.
When He Yanming led Zhang Zai into the Granary Depot, the sun was already sinking in the west.
The Granary Buildings towered above them. A plaque hung over the entrance, bearing the words "Abundant Provisions Granary" in weighty, powerful strokes, written by a celebrated local scholar invited during Suzhou Prefecture's renovation years ago.
The warehouse doors stood wide open, revealing a meticulously ordered interior.
Grain sacks stood stacked like soldiers in formation, rank upon rank, in imposing order.
Zhang Zai entered without a word, inspecting each sack and examining each granary in detail.
He Yanming accompanied him, composed and occasionally offering an explanation, his tone courteous without being either servile or overbearing.
"Deputy Superintendent Zhang, every year's receipts and disbursements for this granary are recorded in ledgers. Every entry can be checked, without the slightest discrepancy."
Zhang Zai accepted the ledger, opened it, and examined the entries one by one.
The figures were orderly, the dates clear. Every transaction bore the handler's signature mark and a superior's written approval.
When the official showed no fear, the accounts were spotless!
Zhang Zai closed the ledger and turned toward another granary.
The warehouse doors swung open, revealing layers upon layers of grain sacks.
He chose a sack at random, reached inside, scooped out a handful, and slowly opened his palm.
Grain rained softly through his fingers, every kernel plump, free of mold and weevils. It was unquestionably grain from an earlier harvest.
He Yanming stood beside him, smiling calmly.
"Is there anything else you would like to inspect, Deputy Superintendent Zhang?"
Zhang Zai did not answer. Instead, he crouched to inspect the marks on the warehouse floor.
The blue-brick paving was dry and clean, with no signs of seepage or