When I got home, the meal was already prepared.
Since the tax and silver issues had been resolved, everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable meal.
The next day, Li Yan woke up late. After washing up, she walked around the house and found that only Lin was at home. Li Yan hurriedly asked, "Mom, where are the others at home?"
Lin said, "They said they were gathering at the clan leader's place. It seems like they have something to announce."
Li Yan was puzzled. Hadn't the tax and silver issue been resolved? After breakfast, Li Yan decided to go and see the clan leader.
From a distance, they could see the patriarch standing on the boulder saying something to everyone. The crowd suddenly became excited, and Li Yan seemed to hear crying!
I trotted forward and heard, "There's no way out! We just paid our taxes, and now we have to pay this ridiculous 'fire consumption fee'! This is going to drive us to death!"
The so-called "fire consumption fee" refers to the loss when melting the broken silver received from the people and recasting it into silver ingots. Officials impose all these expenses and losses on the people.
Often, the actual "fire consumption fees" levied are far greater than the actual losses, and the difference is all embezzled by officials.
An old man beside Li Yan murmured, "Why not just die and put an end to it all!"
"If I have to pay two qian of fire expenses for one tael of silver, then I have to pay four qian of silver."
"Your amount is still relatively low. My family needs to pay six cents of silver as compensation!" another villager continued.
No one expected this to happen, and everyone was caught off guard.
The villagers seemed to have become numb, like lambs waiting to be slaughtered at any time, ready to eat their flesh and drink their blood. As sheep, they had neither the power nor the ability to refuse.
The scene was quiet for a moment, and Patriarch Li said to everyone: "Let's go back, everyone go back and think of a solution!"
Li Yan turned around and went home first, and the others also came back one after another.
The aunt knew that this family could afford the fire expenses, but she was more worried about her mother's family at the moment.
Her younger brother from her mother's family is lazy and likes to eat. The whole family relies on the land grown by her parents to make a living. She wanted to ask for a tael of silver to go back and help her parents, but she was afraid of being scolded by her mother-in-law.
When she first got married, Li Dalang would still give her money. Later, her mother-in-law found out that her good-for-nothing younger brother asked her for money every now and then, so she ordered Li Dalang to hand over the money to mother-in-law You for safekeeping.
Just as Liu was hesitating about how to start, a voice came from her ears, "Take it." Li Dalang came up to his wife with a small silver coin in his hand.
Liu took it with surprise and asked, "Where did it come from?"
Li Dalang said innocently, "My mother asked me to give it to you. She still cares about us. Don't accuse me of being partial in the future."
Liu curled her lips, but ultimately did not refute her husband's words.
On the other side, Li Yan didn't have any ideas at the moment. She could only go to Xiu'er's house first and found out that Xiu'er still needed four taels of silver for fire expenses. She went home to get the silver and sent it to her: "I'll advance your money first, and you can study embroidery with my mother without worry!"
Li Xiu took the money and gave it to her grandmother. She thanked Li Yan profusely and secretly vowed to learn embroidery from Aunt Lin and live up to Li Yan's trust in her.
In the next few days, the chickens, ducks, sheep and pigs raised in Lijiazhuang were really unlucky. All those that could be sold were taken to the market.
Even though the villagers were extremely reluctant, they had no choice but to sell the only valuable asset in their home.
Some families even took their winter quilts and cotton-padded clothes to pawnshops in the city.
The villagers struggled to raise enough money for their own "fire expenses" and finally got rid of those "evil ghosts" who ate people without leaving any bones.
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