Sister-in-law Huang sighed and explained, "Huang Ye's leg injury has emptied the family's savings. Not only did Huang Ye's wife's dowry go down the drain, but their cotton-padded clothes were also exchanged for medicine. They don't have many nice clothes left."
"I can't believe it," Jiang Nuan could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Sister-in-law, how many families like this are there in Huangjiakou?"
"Not many," Sister-in-law Huang said after thinking for a moment. "Only two or three families. The dock in front of our village can be used when the water rises during the flood season. I heard it can take you to the prefectural city. The men in our village can carry sacks, so we have an easier time than the surrounding villages."
"That dock isn't abandoned yet?" Jiang Nuan asked in surprise.
It's not that she thinks that way, but the dock is particularly rudimentary.
A few large rocks in the river were supported by several wooden pillars, only an arm's length wide, barely better than a log bridge.
“Of course not,” Sister Huang said, raising her chin slightly with pride. “Our village’s dock has helped us earn a lot of money. Look at the houses in our village, neat and tidy mud houses with a few tiles on the roof. This is not something that an ordinary village can do.”
Hearing this, Jiang Nuan broke out in a cold sweat.
If she hadn't seen the short, dilapidated mud-brick houses in Huangjiakou with her own eyes, and only heard her sister-in-law say that, she would have thought she was living in a small villa.
When did mud-brick houses become a source of pride?
However, Jiang Nuan dared not say these words aloud.
"This dock has indeed made great contributions."
“Of course,” Sister-in-law Huang said with a smile. “It’s also thanks to our ancestors that we were found such a blessed place. The surrounding villages are extremely envious. They also want to move goods at the dock. Why should we let them take advantage of our dock? We had to fight several times before no one dared to make a move.”
"They even got into a fight?" Jiang Nuan found it unbelievable. "How did they fight?"
"Didn't you see it with your own eyes?" Sister Huang turned her head in confusion. "Have you forgotten about it?"
"Yes, right," Jiang Nuan touched her nose and explained her reasoning, "I might have been so scared that I forgot."
"It was really scary, several people died," said Sister-in-law Huang with a sigh. "Fortunately, the men in our village are strong, so there were no casualties."
"Someone died?" Jiang Nuan tightened her throat. "Sister-in-law, isn't the government doing anything about it?"
"How can we manage it?" Sister-in-law Huang explained, "These kinds of conflicts between two villages are decided by fists. The government can't interfere. If the government gets involved, it will break the rules."
"This..." Jiang Nuan was so shocked she couldn't speak.
When did the government's deterrent power become so low?
"Don't worry about this and that," Sister-in-law Huang tapped Jiang Nuan's head. "Don't think so much. The government doesn't usually care about us. What they care about most is taxes and corvée labor. As long as these two things are done right, they won't interfere with anything else."
"Why?" Jiang Nuan asked blankly, "It's never a good thing for civilians to be injured or killed, won't it affect tax revenue?"
“Of course not,” Sister-in-law Huang looked at Jiang Nuan strangely. “Our taxes are based on the amount of land, not the number of people. Although the corvée labor is performed by household, there are so many people in a large family. It won’t make much difference if one or two people are missing.”
"So that's how it is!" Jiang Nuanzhen felt she had learned something new.
"Don't overthink it," Sister-in-law Huang said, thinking that her words had frightened Jiang Nuan. "The men in our village are all very strong. Nothing will happen to you. Just relax and live your life peacefully."
“I know,” Jiang Nuan forced a smile, “Sister-in-law, where are we going?”
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