"Understood, Uncle Village Head. We're not that unreasonable! Don't worry, the rice in our house is all good this year."
"Yes, yes, village head, you can rest assured!"
Everyone chimed in with their assurances, and they weren't just making empty promises. Even in previous years, scoundrels like Chen Guang'an and Chen Erjun wouldn't dare to mess with the grain tax.
Since ancient times, the common people have never fought against the officials! This is a truth ingrained in our bones.
Chen Sheng glanced at the baskets and saw that the rice in each household's baskets was exactly as they had said, without any miscellaneous items. He felt more at ease and his tone softened as he spoke.
"We'll use the new farming method next year, and life will definitely get better and better! Everyone here is a smart person, so let's not lose sight of the bigger picture. That's a stupid thing for us people from Shiligou to do!"
“Of course, do you think we’re that stupid? Next year, when we plant rice with Da Wa’s mother, we’ll harvest a full three shi (a unit of dry measure)! My family has four mu (a unit of land area), and if we plant them all, that’s…that’s…more than ten shi! We’ll be laughing in our sleep!” said a young man in the crowd.
Although I racked my brains for a long time but still couldn't figure out the correct number, it didn't affect my ability to express my good wishes at all.
An old man nearby, skilled in divination, squinted and smiled, saying, "You simpleton, four mu of land is only twelve shi, isn't it? That's two shi more than ten shi!"
"Haha, Uncle, I know, there's just a lot!" The man scratched his head sheepishly, and the villagers around him laughed along, but none of them meant to mock him.
None of them were at home; they were so excited they couldn't sleep all night. The whole family counted on their fingers for ages, and the number was simply astonishing!
"Alright, everyone, you should know that this is a good thing that Da Wa's mother brought us. We people of Shiligou should be grateful! Now, let me say a few words from the bottom of my heart. Da Wa's mother and her family have brought us a good income, and Master He has also ensured that our children can go to school! You must never forget this kindness. If they need help, we must do our best to help them, understand?"
Now that they have reaped real benefits, almost every household in Shiligou has benefited. Even Chen Erjun's family and Liu Meixiang's family followed suit and raised rice paddy fish, making a lot of money.
Although the village head tried to appeal to emotions, it worked quite well. Everyone said they weren't ungrateful people and would do everything in their power to help Da Wa and A Niang whenever they needed it!
Thinking back, in the first half of this year, everyone helped build houses, sell fruit, sell adobe bricks, and raise fish in rice paddies. Every household earned a lot of money. Seeing that the children in the family could bring in income, instead of doing any real work like climbing on the roof and removing tiles, this year they actually picked a lot of wild apricots by climbing trees. Even the dogs at the village entrance became much friendlier to those kids!
Dog: If they don't mess with me, I won't bother with them! Even seven- or eight-year-old dogs dislike me, haven't you heard of that?
Qin San Niang happily accepted everyone's compliments, saying that everyone was too kind.
Of course, there were always dissenting voices, such as Liu Meixiang's: "Hmph, does she really think she's something special? She just heard it from some expert, it's not like she knows it herself! Showing off!"
Of course, she could only say this in private; otherwise, if those around her heard, it would be disastrous. She'd learned her lesson now. Even so, when it came to doing things, she'd follow the crowd—that was definitely the right thing to do!
Liu Meixiang was in a good mood today. Her husband wasn't home, and the government had issued an arrest warrant, so in principle, she didn't need to perform corvée labor or pay the head tax, which saved her a lot of money! She and her child were living a very comfortable life! They could even eat meat every few days! Now, she truly didn't want her husband to come back; she was perfectly content living alone!
Chen Guang'an's family owns a lot of land. Liu Meixiang has no parents-in-law, and her two sisters-in-law have both married into other villages. This season's harvest was quite good.
She sold over a thousand catties of rice paddy fish, earning a full tael of silver! She was overjoyed the moment she received the money!
She'd spent half her life with that nemesis Chen Guang'an and had never touched a single tael of silver! In the past, when the family harvested grain, the men would always take it to the county to sell, and the money would never reach her hands. Chen Guang'an was a gambler, and she had no idea how much he'd lost! Now that she was in charge of the household, she started to work hard. She planned to save more for her son so that she would have a say as a mother-in-law!
If Qin San Niang knew what she was thinking, she would definitely give her a thumbs up! Liu Meixiang is a rare smart person. Although she has done a lot of foolish things before, being stuck with such an unreliable man is also a calamity in her life!
However, Liu Meixiang is not someone she should sympathize with, since they are sworn enemies.
Before long, everyone saw the two constables get off the oxcart. The village head hurriedly went forward to greet them, bowing and scraping as he led the two to the table in the grain yard.
"Officers, you must be working so hard in this sweltering heat! Have some water to soothe your throats." With that, he poured two bowls of pale yellow liquid from the large bamboo tube.
The constable had seen this before; he could tell at a glance it was jam water, and it tasted delicious! He picked it up and drank it all in one gulp, a refreshing coolness spreading from the inside out, washing away the heat of the journey!
Hmm, Shiligou is indeed a good place! It's no wonder he's just a minor official; he can get some perks here collecting grain taxes. The two of them had been here before with the Minister of Agriculture, so they knew about the bumper harvest in Shiligou this year and that there was plenty of good food and drink. Although it's strictly forbidden to accept meals during grain collection, drinking some water shouldn't be considered a violation, right? Although this water wasn't ordinary water; it was the ridiculously expensive fruit juice sold at Ruyi Pastry Shop!
The lead constable cleared his throat and said sternly, "Today, we two are here on orders to collect grain. This year's tax rate is the same as in previous years. This isn't the first time everyone has handed in grain, so we must ensure the quality. The rice must not be damp or moldy, must not be mixed with old grain, and of course, must not have many straws or husks. Anyone who tries to pass off inferior grain as superior will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane! In serious cases, in addition to the caning, they will also be sentenced to one year of penal servitude! Understand? Let's begin!"
Wu Chunhua, who had inquired with Wang Guixiang, said that the tax rate was more lenient than in the north, at 12:1. One shi (石) was about 120 jin (斤), and if it was three shi, the tax alone would be 36 jin. With a yield of one and a half shi per mu (亩), the tax was 18 jin, leaving very little grain. No wonder the farmers couldn't get enough to eat!
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