Chapter 32

Chen Wuji chatted and joked for a while, finally convincing Huo Sanniang to take two sets of clothing.

She and Shen Youwei each took one set.

A light green fire hemp cloth dress, two sets of clothing, plus Chen Wuji's shoes, total cost 190 wen.

Although Huo Sanniang's face was twisted with pain when paying, as soon as she held the clothes, Chen Wuji could still see genuine and clear joy in her eyes.

In their impoverished days, even just the cheapest piece of clothing could probably be considered a great surprise for Huo Sanniang.

Huo Sanniang carefully wrapped the dress and placed it in her bamboo basket, then pulled Chen Wuji to the grain shop.

A few days ago millet was three wen per jin, but today it suddenly rose to four wen.

Because of the new clothes, Huo Sanniang kept smiling, but when she saw the grain price sign, she instantly slumped and muttered softly, "How did the price suddenly go up?"

The grain shop's assistant poked half his head out from the side, snorted, "With a big drought in the north, of course the grain has to rise in price? Later it will keep rising. What do you want? Buying early is profit; don't think about waiting for a price drop—maybe you'll starve before the price falls."

"Give me fifty jin of millet," Huo Sanniang said after hesitating.

"Sure thing, please wait a moment!"

Fifty jin of millet was quickly brought out from the side door; the assistant, smiling, handed over a scale pan: "Sincere discount: 205 wen total—200 wen for the millet, 5 wen for the sack."

Huo Sanniang paid with a grimace, watching the copper coins in her money bag nearly run out, feeling as if her soul were about to be sucked out.

This money was earned at the risk of his life by that foolish boy, Wuji...

While Huo Sanniang was paying, Chen Wuji slipped his hand into the bottom of the grain sack, grabbed a handful of millet, inspected its quality, and worried that the grain might be mixed with contraband.

That assistant had a face full of dishonest deceit.

However, the grain was fairly clean, with no admixture of stones or the like.

After confirming there was no problem, Chen Wuji tied up the bag and placed the millet into his back basket.

"Wuji, let's go buy you some medicine, then hurry up and pay the taxes; carrying this money on us makes me uneasy." After leaving the grain shop, Huo Sanniang said to Chen Wuji, feeling pleased.

Hmm.

Chen Wuji replied.

In this era there was no paper money; the main currency was copper coins.

Moreover, all denominations were one-wen coins, with no larger denominations.

A string of one thousand wen coins could serve as a collar; it was quite heavy, and walking made them clink loudly, which was indeed inconvenient.

Some wealthy families used silver; a small silver ingot of one tael could offset the thousand wen of coins that Huo Sanniang carried, but ordinary commoners rarely had the chance to handle silver.

They had no opportunity to exchange their money for silver.

The xianya was not far from the East Market; it was just a few steps away.

When Chen Wuji and Huo Sanniang passed by, many commoners were queuing to pay taxes.

The Dayu Dynasty had two ways of paying taxes.

One is the most direct and simple: regardless of tax type, everything is paid with money. This is simple and convenient—one can either wait at home for the clerk to come collect, or bring the payment to the xianya oneself.

The other involves grain plus silver, which is much more troublesome: commoners must first go to the xianya to pay the silver portion, then take the receipt to the official granary to deliver the grain.

With this method, even if people are queuing, it may not be finished in a day.

Chen Wuji and Huo Sanniang queued at the end of the line; after waiting about half an hour, it was finally their turn. Huo Sanniang told the clerk their native place, then produced a tooth register as proof.

The clerk examined the tooth register, then began calculating the exact amount of tax Chen Wuji's household owed.

This took a while, with some dragging out.

Once the money was tallied, things became simple: collect the money, issue a receipt, and it was done.

The fifteen hundred eighty wen coins that had just been jangling on Huo Sanniang's person instantly went into the clerk's small scoop. That thing was like a gold‑swallowing beast—one gulp and it hardly made a sound.

Chen Wuji carefully put away the receipt, preparing to leave with Huo Sanniang, when the clerk suddenly called out to them, circling their name in the register with his brush and asking, "Are you Chen Wuji of Xishan Village?"

"Yes." Chen Wuji replied.

"Next month, you've been assigned to go to the prefectural city to dredge the canals. Will you go in person or pay the substitute service fee?" the clerk asked.

Chen Wuji instantly wanted to curse his mother.

You damn well aren't done yet, are you?

We laborers just paid fifteen hundred eighty wen, and now you're pulling this stunt?

Chen Wuji happened to know that dredging the canals was a corvée task known as the "King of Hell's duty," a trip that could be nine deaths out of ten.

In Xishan Village, several people have died while dredging the canals, and even their bodies were never found.

Seeing Chen Wuji clench his fists, Huo Sanniang quickly grabbed him and politely asked the assistant officer, "Assistant Officer, how much is the substitute service fee?"

"Three hundred wen!" the clerk, accustomed to such situations, kept his right hand steady on the brush, but when Chen Wuji's face changed, his left hand gripped the knife sheath on the table.

"Thank you, thank you." Huo Sanniang quickly expressed her thanks.

The clerk didn't even lift his eyelids, merely saying blandly, "Don't think of getting angry at me; this is the court's rule, and I don't want to make things difficult for you. Likewise, don't think of making things difficult for me—I'm not afraid to tell you that more people die under my hand in a year than at the East Market Entrance execution ground."

"Thank you, Assistant Officer; we'll pay the substitute service fee at month's end!" Huo Sanniang gave thanks, and after the clerk gave a noncommittal hum to indicate he understood, she hurriedly dragged Chen Wuji out of the office.

"Silly Wuji, how could you lose your temper there? You could really get beheaded!" Huo Sanniang gripped Chen Wuji's arm tightly, almost using all her strength.

Chen Wuji smiled and said, "Wife, I just think that guy is too bullying—he just took our money and now wants more, worse than livestock. He treats us like the village's chives, cutting one batch after another before they've even grown, already planning the next harvest."

"These are the court's rules, and they've been this way for many years. Let's go, but don't even think of causing trouble here unless you want me to become a widow again." Huo Sanniang said angrily.

This time she seemed truly angry, her face looking awful.

Chen Wuji felt somewhat uneasy inside.

Just when his anger flared, he really wanted to beat that bastard to death with two punches.

But it was only that moment; soon he figured it out.

What good would beating a clerk do?

This is the idea of the emperor and high officials far away in the capital; beating a clerk treats the symptom, not the cause—it would drag oneself down, and also implicate Huo Sanniang and Shen Youwei.

With a lovely wife and beautiful concubines, gentle and charming, he is no longer a rough fellow who can act on whim.