Chapter 73 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 73 This method is simple and convenient...
The threshing ground is not far away, on a piece of open space south of the village.
Every year in late September, this place becomes particularly bustling. The year's hopes are briefly pinned on this patch of land, until the rice is harvested and the superiors come to collect the land taxes. The rest is the family's harvest.
It's pretty much the same every year at this time, but this year was a bit different. Firstly, it was Yu Qinglong's first time participating in this event, and secondly, the disaster had brought enormous losses, so the atmosphere was inevitably heavy.
He also used to think that land taxes were collected door to door, but now he realized that it was impossible to collect them door to door, and that they were actually delivered door to door.
Tax grain had to be delivered wherever the officials were on duty. Forget about working for them. If they didn't pay the grain, they had to exchange it for cash, but most of the time, more people paid grain.
When Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu arrived, they saw many villagers gathered. Some stood with sacks beside them, some clutched money bags, and some seemed to be empty-handed. But nearly every household had people waiting in line.
There were eight officers in total. They were all tall, carrying swords, and from a distance they looked well-trained.
Yu Qinglong asked Fang Shu, "Husband, is there anyone you know?"
Fang Shu said, "No, they all look unfamiliar."
At this time, the village head bent down slightly, and after hearing what a kid next to him said, he turned his head towards Fang Shu and said, "Shoucheng, you're here."
Fang Shu and Yu Qinglong walked over quickly.
The village chief was about seventy years old, thin and small, but a very fair person. However, his eyes were cloudy and lifeless, and he looked much more haggard than before.
Fang Shu quickly supported the old man: "Head, your eyes..."
The village head said, "Hey, you're old and useless, it's a good thing you're at home. Mr. Niu, this is our village's scholar, his name is Fang Shu. He's familiar with our village and can write and count quickly."
The leading official was named Niu. He was a muscular man with a square face and a resolute expression. He stood in a dignified manner, as if the wind couldn't penetrate him. He glanced at Fang Shu and introduced himself: "Niu Quan, in charge of the farmland tax for the nine villages in Xihe this year."
Fang Shu clasped his fists and said, "Greetings, Lord Niu. I'm Fang Shu, and my courtesy name is Shoucheng. I wonder what Lord Niu needs me to do."
Niu Quan said, "Master Fang, please record all the registered residents of Xiaxi Village. Record the number of people in each household, including the number of males, the number of elderly, women, children, and boys, and the harvest this year. Also, record the amount of rice, corn, wheat, soybeans, and so on."
Fang Shu was slightly surprised and asked, "All of them?"
Niu Quan said, "Yes, all of them. We have our own accountant. We do this so that we can compare them later and strive for greater accuracy."
Yu Qinglong knew from Fang Shu's expression that this was a lot of work, so he asked, "Does Lord Niu have any references?"
Niu Quan said: "Not yet. But this is a mission assigned by our garrison commander, and we must complete it faithfully."
"Then can I give you an example for Lord Niu to decide?"
"Who are you?"
"This is my wife, surnamed Yu," Fang Shu said. "She's smart and has a lot of ideas. If Lord Niu doesn't mind, you can let her try."
"Okay. What examples do you want to give?"
Yu Qinglong gestured to Fang Shu to hand him the paper and pen, and drew a square table on it. The first row of cells listed the gender breakdown of the population, the number of acres of land owned by the family, the name of the grain, the yield of each variety, the total yield, the tax results, and a note.
The vertical column is the name of the head of household.
He pointed to the table and said, "Master Niu, please look at this. Now you don't have to write down the gender and rice type over and over again. Just record the quantity, row by row. You can tell which family is which at a glance. It's much faster, and the accountant only needs to look at these columns when he does the calculations."
Niu Quan: “…”
Fang Shu: “…”
Another officer, who had been watching for a while, exclaimed, "Great! This saves both time and effort."
Niu Quan was also a bit surprised. He hadn't held out much hope. Although this was his first time doing something like this, he'd seen how others had memorized it before. But after this person drew it, it seemed to become much simpler and easier to handle. The key was that it was clear at a glance!
"Mr. Fang, can your husband read?" Niu Quan asked Fang Shu.
“I know all the commonly used characters.”
"In that case, could you ask him to help me remember it?"
"This... Long Ge'er?"
"My husband and I are willing to serve," Yu Qinglong said. "However, I am not originally from Xiaxi Village. I have only been married here for a short time and am not yet completely familiar with the locals. My husband will record the name of the head of household and the members of the household, and I will fill in the remaining numbers. I wonder if this is acceptable to you, Lord Niu."
"Yes." Niu Quan said, "Thank you both for your help."
Most of the time, scholars don't need to appear here. They don't have to pay taxes anyway, and this matter usually has nothing to do with them. They are just here to help, so the officials are much more polite.
Fang Shu sat down and wrote down the names and ages of each household head in the village, along with the number of people in their household, their names, genders, and ages. He wrote down the age in the lower right corner of the name, a fact also taught by Yu Qinglong. If he was unsure, he would ask the village head or the surrounding villagers.
After recording one sheet, he handed it to Yu Qinglong, who then called over the people whose records were on it, and had them report their harvest numbers and record them down in order.
The couple worked together seamlessly. What they thought would take a whole day to complete was actually finished in just over an hour.
They filled in the records, and so did the accountant sent by the officials, using the method Yu Qinglong had taught them, which was very quick. All that was left was for each household to pay the land tax according to the amount required for the year.
Normally, Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu would have nothing to do by this time, but this year, the Yu family's rice had been transported to the threshing ground here. Yu Qinglong then asked Niu Quan, "Master Niu, I wonder if the land tax in Shangxi Village has been collected yet?"
Niu Quan said: "Not yet, the next one is Shangxi Village."
Yu Qinglong said, "I wonder if I could record my father's tax records on the tax rolls for Shangxi Village right here. After the flood, my father's house collapsed, so he had no choice but to move here temporarily. To make it easier to look after the rice, he also moved it here. If that's convenient, my father and his family will pay the land tax here."
Niu Quan asked, "Is the householder here?"
Yu Dayou came out and said, "Sir, I, Yu Dayou, am the head of the household and the father of this child."
Niu Quan took a look and saw that Yu Dayou and Yu Qinglong did have many similarities, so he nodded and said, "Old Wu, draw up a tax collection list for Shangxi Village and put this person as the first household."
Yu Dayou said, "Thank you, sir."
Yu Dayou went to the accountant. The accountant was also clever. Seeing that Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu had learned the same trick, he made a tax collection list for Shangxi Village, listed Yu Dayou as the first household, and collected the tax grain on the spot.
In this way, they no longer have to transport tax grain to Shangxi Village, saving the trouble of going back and forth and not having to queue.
But this time, we had to pay several stones of grain, and there wasn't much left after it was paid.
Yu Dayou couldn't help but feel worried.
I have some money, but not enough food. I have to spend money to buy food to last until the next year. Building a house will be even more difficult.
He sighed deeply and was about to call his youngest son to go back to the village together, but he saw his youngest son going to pay some copper coins to the accountant.
Yu Qinglong paid for Li Zheng. Li Zheng wanted to come, but he didn't let him. Otherwise, he would have to take the child out on such a windy day, and it would be a shame if Yan Pan got cold again.
Li Zheng's fields were also flooded. They managed to harvest some of the crops, but 80% of them were not enough to pay the taxes, so this year they paid in cash instead of grain.
After Yu Qinglong paid the bill, he asked his father to go home with him, but he saw Fang Shu standing not far away, surrounded by several people.
They were all villagers from Xiaxi Village. They were either elderly and unsupported, or widows and orphans. Without strong labor, they couldn't grow much. Now, with such a severe flood and the taxes they paid, their situation was even worse.
Among them was Uncle Wang, whom Yu Qinglong still remembered. This old man had once said that Fang Shu had become much stronger after being with him.
"Just help us defend the city. Next year, when the harvest is better, we will definitely return the food to you." Uncle Wang burst into tears. The old man who was originally so optimistic now felt completely powerless when it came to making a living.
"Yes, Mr. Fang, please be kind and help us. We can't even pay our taxes, let alone eat. Even if we take away all the food today, it won't be enough. It's like asking for our lives."
"this……"
Fang Shu was also a little embarrassed and couldn't help but look at Yu Qinglong.
Yu Qinglong came over and asked, "How much money will it take to cover their taxes?"
Fang Shu said, "I got six taels of silver."
Yu Qinglong hesitated for only a moment before saying, "Then lend it to me. I can't let someone starve to death. I'll just have to write a note and pay it back when I have the money."
Fang Shu said, "Then I'll write it right away."
Uncle Wang was about to kneel down when he heard this, but Yu Qinglong quickly held him back. "Don't cry, Uncle Wang! Shoucheng and I will bring the money over in a moment. We're quick, so we'll do it."
Uncle Wang sobbed, and the others supported him and thanked Yu Qinglong again and again.
Yu Qinglong offered a few words of comfort and then went to Fang Shu's place. Fang Shu wrote the IOU, and Wang Bo and the others put their fingerprints on it. Afterwards, Yu Qinglong went home with Fang Shu to get the money.
Others were still queuing up to hand in their food, and some didn't have enough, so they went home to get more.
Yu Dayou said, "I'm afraid it won't be back for three to five years if I lend this money. Is it a big deal if we have to defend the city and take the imperial examination next year?"
Yu Qinglong said, "It's not a big deal. Besides, what could be more important than human life? These people grew up watching Shoucheng. He has a kind heart. If we leave him alone, he won't be able to sleep peacefully at night."
Fang Shu felt warmed when he heard this.
Now he earns less than his husband, and he feels embarrassed to use the family's money. Fortunately, his husband understands him.
Yu Dayou said, "You're right. One cannot live without conscience. You two are both good children."
Yu Qinglong thought of something and said, "Oh, Father, I was just thinking of discussing this with you. Is it feasible for us to build our house in Xiaxi Village next year? This way we'll be close and can look after each other. As for the farm work in Shangxi Village, we can hire people to do it. We can also buy some land in Xiaxi Village. The flood was so severe this time, I heard some people are selling their land."
Yu Dayou was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Silly boy, an acre of good farmland costs more than ten taels of silver. What are we going to buy it with? Besides, it's still unclear whether we can build a house next year."
"What if we can build it? Can we build it in Xiaxi Village? Shoucheng gave Father ten taels of silver this morning. If it's not enough, we'll give more. Father, please think about it. My second brother earns quite a bit from carpentry now. When my eldest brother gets better, I'll find him something to do. He'll always be able to make some money. Building a house won't be a problem. Besides, it's close by, so when the two little ones are born, they can learn to read and study with Shoucheng. How great!"
"Father-in-law, don't worry about the money for building the house. Just think about where to build it." Fang Shu also said, "If you don't object to building a house in Xiaxi Village, we can look for a suitable piece of land later."
"This is no small matter. I need to go back and discuss it with your father-in-law. And we borrowed the ten taels of silver for the lunch box. Your father-in-law is already very grateful for your dedication to defending the city. I can't just take your money for nothing."
"We are all family. It's too polite of you to say that, father-in-law. I love Long Ge'er, so I should also love his family."
"Father, don't worry about money. Just think about the two little ones. Wouldn't it be great if they could also go to school in the future?"
Of course that's good. Who doesn't want their son to become a dragon and their daughter to become a phoenix?
Yu Dayou said he would go back and think about it.
Yu Qinglong knew that this was a sure thing, so he quickly took Fang Shu back to get the money and went to the threshing ground again.
By now, almost everyone who could pay taxes had done so, with only a few missing. They paid the taxes for Uncle Wang's households, only to hear Lord Niu say the same thing: "Once we lend this money out, it's going to be hard to get it back."
Fang Shu said: "Human life is of paramount importance."
Niu Quan nodded and said, "Mr. Fang, could you please tell me who taught you the tax calculation method for the grid you drew today?"
Yu Qinglong didn't know who was the first person in history to come up with the idea of making a spreadsheet, so he could only say, "I came up with it myself. This spreadsheet can be used not only for calculating taxes, but also for recording other things. It's simple and convenient."
Niu Quan said, "It's really convenient and saves us a lot of time. Thank you both for coming today."
Fang Shu and Yu Qinglong clasped their fists simultaneously and said, "Master Niu, you're too polite."
The two said goodbye and left. Niu Quan looked at the record sheet again...
This thing would definitely be very convenient if it were used in the accounts of their garrison troops.
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The author has something to say: Fang Shu: [Poor]
Qinglong: What's wrong, husband? [Sunglasses]
Fang Shu: Husband, will you divorce me in the future? I am so useless [bursts into tears]
Qinglong: No, if I divorce you, I won’t be able to sell my books [covering my face with laughter and tears]
Fang Shu: This must be God's blessing on me [Please]
Qinglong: I want food today, aunties, please help me get a cow [let me eat]
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