64 Mushroom Tax
◎You want to open a tofu shop?◎
Xixiang.
The wall of the village head's house is six feet high, a rare sight in the village. However, no matter how high the wall is, there are many nimble little ruffians sitting on it.
A wooden table sat in the courtyard, with Ye Yunzhao on one side and the village chief of Xixiang on the other. However, the courtyard was packed with people, who gathered in circles around the wooden table, surrounded by a constant chatter. Ye Yunzhao closed his eyes, feeling a little breathless.
The headman took a piece of wood and knocked on the table three or five times, which made her eyes twitch.
"What are you yelling about? Why are you pushing so hard?" the village head shouted, pointing at the wall. "What are you guys doing? Get down quickly! If you make trouble again, you won't be able to grow mushrooms!"
The village head roared at the top of his lungs, then angrily slammed the table with a clapper. "Didn't I tell you? One person from each household needs to sign up! Get out! Get out!"
Ye Yunzhao secretly glanced at Aunt Xiangyun who was standing next to him. She was staring at the wall of her own courtyard with concern, afraid that some ignorant people would crush the wall.
The head of the village quarreled and chased everyone out, and finally drove everyone out of the yard. Ye Yunzhao took the opportunity to stand up and breathe some fresh air.
Seeing her pale face, Aunt Xiangyun hurriedly asked, "County Magistrate Ye, are you okay? I heard you were sick a few days ago. Do you want to find a barefoot doctor in the village..."
Before she could finish, Ye Yunzhao waved his hands hastily: "I'm fine, it's just that there were so many people around just now that I feel a little dizzy."
"They're just fooling around..." Aunt Xiangyun scolded softly, then explained, "I hope County Magistrate Ye will forgive them. They're just too tired to live with poverty, and now that they heard you can help grow the woven mushrooms, they can't help but feel overwhelmed."
Aunt Xiangyun was very thoughtful in what she said and did. Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "I understand."
"It's done." Xixiangli was walking towards the yard.
It was cold in late autumn, but his coarse cloth shirt was soaked with sweat. He wiped the sweat off his face and said, "This bunch of nonsense... But fortunately, it's done. County Magistrate Ye, only one person from each household will come in to listen to your introduction."
When Aunt Xiangyun saw her husband like this, she hurried into the house and took out a handkerchief and handed it to him.
The village head wiped his sweat and shouted to the outside of the courtyard: "Come in!"
In a short while, the front yard was full of people, but it was better than before, as there was still place to squat and sit.
The village head secretly glanced at Ye Yunzhao and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was in better spirits than before.
He thought to himself that even if Doctor Li and County Magistrate Han had not told him so, he would still take good care of this rare and good county magistrate.
"County Magistrate Ye, please speak." said the village head.
Ye Yunzhao nodded and said slowly: "I think everyone knows about growing mushrooms."
Someone in the crowd threw out a question, trying to confirm it: "County Magistrate Ye, are you growing the woven mushroom?"
"That's right." Ye Yunzhao said.
Before she finished speaking, a voice rang out:
“Then my family will definitely plant it.”
"It's the same in my family. If my mother knew about this great thing, she would be so happy that her teeth would drop!"
"Village head, please write down my family's name!"
…
Ye Yunzhao stood up, raised her hands and pressed them down, making a gesture to keep quiet. After the whispering died down, she said:
"I'm sure everyone knows the benefits of growing safflower mushrooms better than I do. I'll carefully monitor the cultivation process. As long as they follow my instructions, I can guarantee that every household will grow safflower mushrooms!"
After hearing her words, the few families who were worried about not being able to grow crops started laughing and hurriedly said, "Plant! Plant!"
"but--"
The people in the courtyard pricked up their ears in a hurry, only to see Ye Yunzhao clear his throat: "But, let me be frank. First, you must plant according to my requirements, and second, if you plant mushrooms, you need to pay taxes to the county."
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd exploded. Aunt Wang, who was crowded in the yard to join in the fun, was also stunned. She had just been chattering with others, but now she was a little at a loss.
The aunt next to her poked her twice: "Laiwang mother, your family even built a mushroom house. Did County Magistrate Ye tell you that you have to pay taxes?"
No!
Aunt Wang forced herself to remain calm, forced an awkward smile, and replied unsurely, "Of course... of course, we'll just listen to County Magistrate Ye..."
Someone couldn't wait any longer: "County Magistrate Ye, how much do you want to pay?"
Yes, how much should I pay? If I pay more, why bother myself with trouble? I will work hard for a year and get a few mushrooms in the end.
After thinking this through, a few people patted their butts, stood up, and wanted to leave while talking.
Ye Yunzhao said: "Twenty percent tax."
"How much?" a farmer asked in disbelief.
Aunt Wang, who hadn't smiled just now, now grinned and said, "You heard right, twenty plus one percent tax! That's too little!"
You have to know that during famine years, the imperial court mercifully reduced taxes, but it was only reduced to 15%. Despite this, the people were already very grateful.
The weaving fungus is expensive. If you sell it for 200 coins, you only have to hand over 10 coins, and you can get 190 coins!
This account was calculated quickly by those with sharp minds, and someone immediately said, "County Magistrate Ye, my family grows it!"
Once someone starts talking, naturally many people will follow suit.
Ye Yunzhao felt a little happy when he saw them signing up enthusiastically in front of him.
Support is her tonic.
But at this moment, a discordant voice rang out from the corner: "When has the court ever asked us to pay mushroom tax?"
The village head didn't expect that such a huge pie was about to fall on him, and there were still people who were picky!
Someone in the crowd said bluntly, "This is a great thing. County Magistrate Ye can guarantee that it will grow well. Isn't it a business that is guaranteed to make a profit? Why are you saying such depressing words here? Don't anger County Magistrate Ye. If he leaves this good thing to Dongxiang, he will look down on us even more!"
Uncle Zhao snorted softly, "What's the matter? You won't let people tell the truth. As the old saying goes, if you don't listen to the advice of the elderly, you will suffer the consequences..."
The fact that Xixiang's development is not as good as Dongxiang has always been a thorn in the heart of the village head. If he can surpass Dongxiang this time, he will be proud of it.
Thinking of this, the village head frowned and turned back to look at Uncle Zhao in the corner: "Go away, if you don't want to plant, forget it, don't be annoying here."
Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "I'm sure other people have the same question in their minds, but they may not dare to speak out because of other people."
She paused. "The imperial court doesn't have a mushroom tax. You could say I set this tax specifically for the people who grow basil mushrooms in Lingnan County. The reason is simple. You can look down at your feet."
Everyone looked down at the words, their skinny, dark feet curled up in their straw sandals. Some of the sandals had been worn beyond recognition, leaving their big toes awkwardly exposed. Regardless of the quality of the sandals, everyone's trouser legs and sandals were covered in mud, some more, some less.
"I'm sure everyone knows that many of Xixiang's main roads don't have bluestone slabs, let alone the side roads. When it rains, the yellow mud mixed with rainwater is unpleasant to step on." Ye Yunzhao sighed, "In fact, I made up my mind the first day I came to... Lingnan County. I hope that under my administration, bluestone slabs will be paved everywhere and everyone can walk on stone roads.
Therefore, the 20% mushroom tax is specifically used for road construction in Xixiang! This money is taken from the people and will be used for the people. If you believe what I say, you can come to the village head to sign up. If you don't believe it or don't want to, I won't say anything more. "
Her words were so passionate that everyone's blood boiled. "Twenty percent tax, so what? It wasn't much anyway. Wouldn't it be more comfortable to walk on a paved road?"
Aunt Wang took the lead and said, "County Magistrate Ye, I will hand it over!"
"I'll pay!"
Ye Yunzhao's eyes flickered as she watched the people in the courtyard rise one by one, the sunlight shining on their faces. She seemed to be back in the days when she went to the countryside to help alleviate poverty and discovered that farmers were the most simple and kind. At this ordinary noon, the two worlds seemed to merge into one, and she saw everyone's beautiful hope for the future.
*
After handing over the task of counting which families wanted to grow mushrooms to the Xixiang village head, Ye Yunzhao was about to leave when Madam Cuihua hurriedly caught up with him.
She felt a little embarrassed and whispered, "Master, I should have supported you in growing mushrooms, but I bought a stone mill a few days ago..."
Ye Yunzhao didn't care about this matter at all, but he was a little curious about the stone mill. He asked, "Are you planning to open a tofu shop?"
Speaking of this, Madam Cuihua's face lit up, her eyes sparkling. "After you warned me last time, I went to Yuezhou City to ask around. There are only two largest tofu shops in the city. I also asked several grain shops, and they said soybeans are only fifteen cents a dou, but tofu is actually selling for three cents a jin."
One pound of soybeans can produce at least three pounds of tofu, and one dou can produce a full ten pounds. How can the profit be so huge?
Ye Yunzhao seemed to be thinking: "Hearing you say that, it is indeed a way to make money."
Hearing her affirmation, Cuihua was even more delighted: "Master, I feel relieved when you say that. These past two days, I secretly went to the nearby county and bought a lot of soybeans. They are cheaper than at the grain store!"
Ye Yunzhao nodded and said with a smile: "Okay, but do you know why tofu is so expensive in the tofu shop?"
Madam Cuihua was stunned and shook her head.
Ye Yunzhao couldn't figure it out either. She was afraid that her words would disturb others, so she immediately said, "Perhaps there are too few tofu shops... But I know a few tricks of making tofu. If you have any questions in the future, you can come to the county government office to find me."
Madam Cuihua was shocked and murmured, "Master, you can even make tofu? Do the imperial examinations have to test these things..."
When it comes to making tofu, Ye Yunzhao owes a debt of gratitude to an older woman he met in a previous life. Her tofu was truly exceptional, but sales were limited, and she could only earn a small profit. Later, Ye Yunzhao, who was in charge of poverty alleviation, started a livestreaming program in the village to help farmers sell her processed soy products. The business flourished, and the older woman later became a prominent female entrepreneur in the county.
If the elder sister knew that her method of making tofu could help women of another era, she would probably be happy.
【Author’s words】
I heard you can use emojis when you're talking [rainbow fart]
Thank you angel babies for visiting me often =3=
I'm busy typing, I'll try to update daily~
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