Chapter 20: Autumn Tax (Part 2)

Returning home, Liang Qu cleaned out the rice jar, boiled some hot water, poured it into the rice jar, stirred it, confirmed the water temperature, jumped in, applied soap, and took a refreshing bath.

It's true that he often goes into the water, but without soap, he always feels something is missing. Fifteen or sixteen is an age with vigorous metabolism, his head is always oily, and he practices martial arts and sweats all day, without that refreshing and clean feeling.

During this period, Liang Qu also discovered a wonderful use of water flow. After applying soap, he controlled part of the water flow to rinse it clean and then let it flow away, completely without needing to change the water.

At night, Liang Qu laid out the newly bought mattress and slept comfortably.

For the next few days, Liang Qu went out by boat, practiced martial arts on the boat, Ah Fei caught fish, and then returned in the evening, pretending to have caught fish all day, and during this period, he began to increase the appearance of expensive fish species, saving another six qian of silver.

Perhaps because he slept well, he was more energetic when practicing martial arts, and his efficiency improved significantly.

"Hey, the damn weather is getting colder and colder."

This day, Liang Qu hugged the quilt and didn't want to get out of the bed, just wanting to sleep in.

There is really a difference between reality and novels. In the past, one could always see some protagonists practicing tirelessly day and night, treating it as a meal, but the reality is that unless you are a robot, you really can't do continuous rotation. Practicing for three hours in a row is very powerful, and any more will collapse.

"Collect autumn tax, collect autumn tax, everyone hurry to the pier to pay grain!"

Liang Qu, who was just about to sleep in, heard someone shouting outside the door and was startled.

The date of the autumn tax is not fixed, only within a few days, and the specific day depends entirely on the clerk.

He hurried to put on his clothes and went out, finding that every household had begun to move grain to the pier.

"Damn it, isn't it good to pay silver? You have to pay fine rice, and I have to move more than two hundred jin myself."

It's a pity that he can only complain in private, and he has to do it if he deserves it.

More than a hundred jin of rice cannot be moved in one trip, and it is not easy to move. Fortunately, seeing Li Libo's family at the pier, Liang Qu asked them to help look after it, and ran back to move it again before it was finished.

"How is it? Where have you learned in the martial arts hall recently?"

Li Libo sighed, "Hey, I just finished learning Ape Fist and started learning Tiger Fist. The progress has caught up with you."

Liang Qu patted him on the shoulder, not knowing how to comfort him.

"By the way, why haven't you been there these few days?"

"Isn't it because I'm busy with the autumn tax? And I have no one to help me manage it."

"Oh."

"Ah Shui, my child is stupid, you have to help him more." The old man standing on the side spoke. It was Li Libo's father, Li Dakang. He had heard Li Libo say that Liang Qu had good bones, and heard the news that Liang Qu had beaten the Wang brothers to a pulp a few days ago.

"Definitely, definitely."

Liang Qu felt that the scene in front of him was inexplicably similar to the scene when he was in school in his previous life. It is really pitiful for parents in the world.

"Next! Chen Jiechang!"

In front of the pier, the village head held the household register and called names one by one. The household head and the village secretary sat at the table, holding brushes to record. On the side, there was a small clerk kicking the official bushel for weighing grain. Every kick could make the full rice grain fall down a little, spilling out a little, which made people's hearts jump.

There were also young people who wanted to pick up the spilled rice, but were loudly scolded by the clerk: "Don't pick it up, that's loss! Hey, I'm talking about you, still picking!"

The official kicked the man on the ground, directly kicking him into a sprawl.

This is the famous "drenching the tip and kicking the bushel". The grain pile has to be loaded in a pointed pile shape, and a part will exceed the bushel wall. At this time, a kick will kick out a lot of rice grain. After kicking, the missing part is still made up by the common people.

To put it bluntly, it is that loss is difficult to define how much. Transportation risks are various. Drenching the tip and kicking the bushel is that officials transfer transportation risks to the common people. If transportation loss is small, they will embezzle it, so the more they kick, the better.

"It looks hard to deal with this year, fortunately we prepared a lot." Li Libo had lingering fears, then sighed, "If only I could become a martial arts master,

not only would I not have to pay tax, but I could also get money, the same as a provincial graduate master, and even more majestic."

"Pingyang Town collected taxes yesterday. Ah Shui, you didn't see it. A few martial artists who broke through the barrier went over, and the clerk didn't dare to kick, laughing until the wrinkles opened..."

Li Libo mocked secretly, but before he finished speaking, he was kicked hard by his father: "You child, why do you dare to say anything? Shut up!"

Li Libo looked sad and stopped talking.

The long troops moved forward slowly. During this period, there were people who couldn't pay taxes from time to time, kneeling and crying, but the result could only be dragged to the side after being whipped, and the final outcome would only be to serve corvee labor.

Liang Qu watched the cruel scene and was helpless. All his savings were only six qian of silver and one and a half stones of rice. He could only wait quietly in the team. When it was his turn, he paid the grain hastily, watched the clerk kick it down and it was missing a lot, and then went back to get rice to make up for it.

Liang Qu was not stupid enough to move all the more than two hundred jin of rice prepared in advance. Seeing that it was missing, he immediately made up for it. The official would not praise you for being quick, but would only become worse.

After collecting, Liang Qu saw the village head tick on the register, and only then breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the clerk was not black-hearted enough to count his dead "father". After all, he had been dead for less than two months. If he moved it back, this group of people would definitely do it.

Liang Qu packed up the cloth bag and walked back against the crowd. As a result, before he reached halfway, he heard crying again from behind, and a terrifying whip sound exploded.

"Damn thing, the snot rubbed on my leg!"

Liang Qu thought it was another poor person who couldn't pay taxes, but when he looked back, he was surprised to find that the person who was whipped was actually Chen Qingjiang's father, Chen Renxing!

What's going on? Didn't I see Uncle Chen bring grain earlier? That quantity should be enough!

The situation is not right, Liang Qu hurriedly pulled Li Libo: "Brother Li, hurry to my house to get rice, there are still three dou of rice left."

Li Libo was very surprised, but he also understood that it was not the time to ask questions, and walked quickly out of the crowd with his head down.

At this time, Chen Qingjiang was protecting his father, begging the clerk to allow some time.

"It's really not that I don't want to pay taxes, but there is no way! A few days ago, my little son caught a cold. In order to treat the illness, there were no savings at home. Moreover, my little son is really only six years old, not seven yet!"

It turned out that Chen Qingjiang did not have enough tax. His family of five, two men and one woman and two small ones, should have paid two stones and six dou of rice.

But the clerk kicked too hard, kicking out a gap of seven dou, and not only that, he forced Chen Qingjiang's eldest son, who was over six years old, to be seven years old!

A seven-year-old man, that reaches the threshold of paying taxes!

It's just that the age is the age, the share is not as much as an adult, only three dou of rice is needed, but in this way, the gap almost reached a stone of rice!

Chen Qingjiang thought there would be a gap, but he only prepared three dou of rice, and there were seven dou left, which could not be made up no matter what.

The clerk snorted coldly: "Are you saying I wronged you?"

"Don't dare, don't dare, just ask the master to allow more time, the commoner will definitely make up for it!" Chen Qingjiang knelt on the ground, kowtowing for mercy, and Chen Shun, who was six years old on the side, cried loudly.

The onlookers were silent, no one dared to speak, and no one came out to help.

That's seven dou of rice!

Converted into copper coins, it's more than seven hundred wen. Who is so generous to be willing to take it out?

The child's crying made the clerk upset: "What can I do if I can't pay taxes? But it doesn't matter, it just so happens that Lanzhou is going to build a canal, and there is a shortage of manpower..."

Liang Qu was terrified. I don't know how many people will die digging the canal. Can they come back after going?

Seeing that Chen Shun's crying made the clerk unhappy and he was about to whip again.

Liang Qu rushed up and pulled little Shunzi behind him, rubbing his hands and apologizing with a smile: "Master, calm down, Uncle Chen is confused and forgot that there is rice at home. I will take it for you now."

As soon as the words fell, Li Libo ran over, shouting to let go, carrying the rice bag and pouring it into the bushel, exactly three dou.

The clerk sneered: "Only three dou, what about the other four dou?"

Liang Qu took out the six qian of silver he had just saved and apologized with a smile: "There is really no way. I have been too busy recently and have no time to buy rice. This six qian of silver is all filial piety."

There was no gap at all, it was just an excuse for greed. Six qian of silver can completely buy six or seven dou of rice, a total of nine dou, adding up to two more dou.

The clerk weighed it and accepted it calmly: "Okay, no next time."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Master."

Liang Qu wiped his sweat, hurriedly helped Chen Qingjiang support his old father, and held little Shunzi's hand, leaving under the clerk's gaze. ===== CHAPTER 21 =====