“Mother,” Huang Lao Er pouted, “I’m not smart enough to deal with smart people. Being with Han Yi feels like I’m naked.”

It's really frustrating that everything is so clearly visible to everyone.

“It’s good that you know you’re not smart,” Jiang Nuan was amused by her son’s words. “Your wife is smart, so consult with her more when you encounter problems. Don’t be like your older brother, who clearly has no brains but thinks he’s very capable and wants to fly to the sky with just a little wind.”

“My wife is indeed smart,” Huang Lao Er nodded in agreement. “She’s smarter than me, works quickly, and is also good-looking.”

It's rare to encounter someone who's so good at flattering their wife, and Jiang Nuan's smile grew wider and wider. "She really is a fool who has a lucky streak!"

Hearing this, Huang Lao Er wasn't angry at all; he just smiled憨憨地.

He may not be very smart, but his wife is smart and his mother is even smarter. With them both around, it doesn't matter if he's a little slow.

Of course, Huang Lao Er didn't actually think he was stupid; he just thought he was straightforward.

After all these years of carrying goods on a shoulder pole and selling them, he has never made a mistake.

After a long while, remembering his purpose, Huang Lao Er slapped himself in frustration, "Mother, the government officials have arrived."

"Officials from the government?" Jiang Nuan blinked and guessed, "Is it a notice to impose corvée labor?"

In the countryside, nothing major happens, and you only see government officials a few times a year.

Jiang Nuan couldn't think of anything else besides this.

“Yes,” Huang Lao Er rubbed his hands and said sullenly, “Mother, the service period has been extended by ten days this year, and the pay has also increased.”

"How much silver was added?"

"It's doubled," Huang Lao Er said indignantly. "The service period has been extended by ten days, but the money for corvée labor has doubled. It's really unfair."

"It costs four ounces?" Jiang Nuan gasped. "How can it be so much?"

This is no small amount.

Four taels of silver is more than enough to marry a wife.

Farmers save every penny, and even if the whole family works together, they can't save more than two thousand copper coins in a year.

“Exactly,” Huang Lao Er immediately chimed in, “This is too expensive. Luckily, our family has made some money.”

Otherwise, they really wouldn't be able to afford the corvée labor fee this year.

"Where is the corvée labor location?" Jiang Nuan asked thoughtfully. "How far is it from our Huangjiakou?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Lao Er's expression softened considerably.

“This year it’s quite close, only a little over ten miles away,” he continued, changing the subject, “but the work has become much heavier. Huangjiakou is responsible for repairing twenty miles of river embankment and twenty miles of official road.”

Repairing the river embankment is fine, but it's not time for a major overhaul yet. Just dig some soil and move some stones to fill it in.

The official road will be in trouble!

The soil needs to be dug up, burned, and then glutinous rice ash slurry poured over it before being compacted little by little.

All of these were physically demanding jobs, even harder than pulling a plow. After the entire corvée labor, one could easily lose their life.

"They even assigned tasks?" Jiang Nuan suddenly realized something was wrong. "Wasn't it just a matter of serving the required number of days before?"

Huangjiakou had only 23 households in total, and the maximum number of people serving corvée labor was also 23.

Such heavy work! You can't treat people like animals!

“Who can argue with that?” Old Huang said with a gloomy look in his eyes. “They clearly don’t care about the lives of us farmers!”

In previous years, corvée labor at least kept people alive, but this year, they've completely disregarded it.

After a period of forced labor, it's uncertain how many people will be able to return.

Thinking of this, Huang Lao Er felt a deep sense of powerlessness.