The receipt appeared because finance used the wrong word.
She called it a record.
Yang Ruoqian knew better.
Anything that proved a useful absence was a receipt waiting to happen.
At nine, the assistant lead showed him the proposed line.
Fresh proof received. No repeated review needed.
Yang felt the office tilt.
"Why are we thanking the proof?"
"It is not thanks," the assistant lead said. "It is a status line."
"Status lines become receipts."
Finance looked interested again.
Yang pointed at her.
"Do not become interested."
At nine-thirty, he issued the order.
"No freshness receipts."
The operations manager asked, "No confirmation that current proof arrived?"
"No."
"No note that stale proof was replaced?"
"No."
"No internal record?"
Yang paused.
Internal records were useful to bury.
They were also useful to the system.
"Ugly internal record."
Finance said, "Ugly records are still records."
"Then no record."
"Then staff may ask the same question again."
