Starting from the Greyhound, seventy-two changes.

Chapter 6 Exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes
"Come on, poor boy, after you've done your business, it's time to pay taxes."

Old Master Li watched Chen Ku pulling firewood over and took a puff of his pipe.

However, Chen Ku noticed that there was not much joy in Old Master Li's eyes for earning more than seven taels of silver, but rather a sense of sadness and boredom.

He soon found out why.

Arrived at the gate of Yaochai City Archway.

"Hand over all the transaction receipts in the city." Two yamen runners were guarding there, and there were several staff members behind them.

Old Li sighed heavily and handed in all the transaction receipts in Yaochai City.

The tall yamen runner just took a glance and quickly calculated the total bill.

"Your trade in the market this time totaled seven taels and nine coins of silver.

The herbalist is registered as a householder and the tax is one tenth of the tax.

The tax on mountains and swamps is '7 coins and 9 cents'."

Chen Kuben thought that was the end.

Unexpectedly, the yamen runner continued, "My Qiulong Prefecture is located in the border area, and there are often vagrants and bandits causing chaos. The prefecture must suppress the bandits and train soldiers to protect the people. Therefore, the 'suppression pay' and 'training pay' in the military expenses must also be shared by the people, each at 10% of the tax."

Old Master Li nodded miserably.

Chen Ku was stunned.

In addition to the taxes that the registered households paid on the proceeds from mountains and swamps, they also had to pay "two taxes".

And it's not over yet.

The yamen runner continued, "Recently, the dam in Baojiao County has fallen into disrepair. We have a portion of 'donation tax'. Each household will donate 20% of the tax to repair the dam."

Chen Ku truly experienced what it means to...

Heavy taxes and levies!

At last.

There is actually one more item.

"For trade in Yaochai City, there is also a 'stall protection fee'..."

The last one.

Chen Ku understood.

Protection fees.

This is something that completely fell into the pockets of the yamen runners in Yaochai City.

"Excessive taxes and levies, and layers of exploitation..." Chen Ku felt a chill in his heart.

At this moment, he seemed to understand why his elder brother took the risk of "smuggling".

If we don't engage in smuggling, these taxes will weigh on us, and even if we can barely survive, we won't be able to breathe loudly for the rest of our lives.

“This is a tax receipt.”

In the end, after paying all kinds of taxes and levies, Mr. Li's income of seven taels and nine cents was only left, which went into his own pocket.

"Okay, next one."

Chen Ku's scalp tingled.

Even Mr. Li, who is not a retail investor, has to pay almost half of the tax.

As a retail investor...

It was Chen Ku's turn.

It's almost like the skin has been peeled off.

His income of four hundred coins was said to be half tax. According to Master Li's procedure, he would have to pay almost seventy percent of his income!

Seventy percent of it belonged to other people, so he had to pay nearly three hundred coins in taxes.

"What? You dare to buy firewood when you haven't even paid the tax?" The tall yamen runner looked coldly at Chen Ku's cart of firewood and said, "If you can't pay the tax, then do the corvée."

Chen Ku took a deep breath, feeling the cruelty of this world, and finally said, "Yes."

If it weren't for the three hundred coins that Brother Zhao gave me in favor of me, I would have almost been unable to leave the Yaochai Market.

Then he looked at the yamen runner's contemptuous eyes and thought to himself:
"Evil official! If I ever grow up, don't fall into my hands!"

I wanted to buy rice and flour, but now I can only bring a cart of firewood back...

"Next." Chen Ku was about to pull the cart away to make way for the people behind him.

But he saw a man in tight warrior clothes, long gown and long boots. He just glanced at the yamen runner, nodded, and walked straight past Chen Ku.

"Mr. Wang, take care." The bailiff actually bowed in return.

Chen Ku was greatly shocked.

"Why doesn't this person have to pay taxes?" Before Chen Ku could say anything, Li Ji Yang stared at the man who walked away with his long sleeves thrown away.

In the distance, the person who walked away seemed to have heard it. He turned around to look at Chen Ku and Li Ji Yang with a faint smile.

Ignore it.

Turn around and leave.

Could it be someone from the government?
Chen Ku lowered his head and thought.

The yamen runner said coldly, "I haven't seen anyone wearing long gowns and long boots. Someone in Mr. Wang's family passed the exam to become a 'Wusheng' and has the status of a student. Our dynasty values ​​martial arts over literature. Scholars must pass the examination to be exempt from taxes, but warriors only need to pass the examination to be a 'Wu Tongsheng' to be exempt from all taxes. How can you peasants compare to that?"

"Yes, yes, yes, the child is ignorant." Grandpa Li apologized quickly and took his grandson away.

"Let's go first." He said to Chen Ku quickly.

After walking out of Yaochai City, we arrived at the main street.

Then he scolded Li Jiyang, "Don't talk nonsense again. Fortunately, the man in the long gown didn't argue with us. Otherwise, he would have slapped you in the face for talking nonsense, and I, your grandfather, would have no way to do anything."

The long gown represents status.

Chen Ku felt the oppression of this world.

And the huge gap between their identities.

"If we dig up a precious medicine, the first thing we will do is to remove our retail investor status."

"Poor boy, do you want to go home first, or follow us around?"

The old boss lit his pipe, knowing that Chen Ku didn't have much money left after paying the taxes, and wondered if he could help him a little more.

Li Jiyang said bluntly, "My grandfather is going to cut a few pounds of meat. You come with us and we'll cut some for you, too."

Chen Ku declined immediately.

He can accept small things, but he dare not take meat because it is too precious.

The kindness and favors of others are very valuable and should be cherished. If you shamelessly follow suit and cut some meat for yourself, the favors will become increasingly worthless in the future.

Old Li didn't say anything more. He tapped his pipe and said, "Then go home early."

After separating from his grandfather and grandson in the town, Chen Ku pulled a cart of firewood and went to a stall of a traveling doctor, where he spent a dozen coins and bought a few packets of anti-diarrhea medicine.

In the afternoon, I pulled the cart back to the village, which meant I was back from the market.

As soon as he returned to the village, someone in the village saw him and shouted, "Second son of the Chen family, you are finally back. Go home and check. Huang Ba from the neighboring village has brought a few people to your house."

Chen Ku was furious.

Huang Ba is a well-known gangster leader who roams around in several villages.

The most crucial thing is that it was said that it was this person who tipped off his eldest brother and went to the government to identify the person, which led to the current situation of the family.

He left the cart at the entrance of the village, drew out his sickle, and rushed home.

Soon.

When I got home, I didn't see Huang Ba.

The only sounds in the room were my sister-in-law sobbing and my mother sighing.

Chen Ku stepped into the house and looked around. He found that everything in the house was fine. He immediately asked his mother, "What happened? Why did Huang Ba bring people here? Did he bully you?"

Asked again.

The sister-in-law wiped away her tears, still sobbing, and said, "Brother, I am a member of your family in life and a ghost in death! Please don't chase Hu Zi and me away, I still have to wait for your brother to come back."

Chen Ku looked at his mother: "What happened?"

Mother Chen sighed and said, "That Huang Ba, after you left, brought people here and said that he liked our house and was willing to give us some money, and by the way, he wanted to buy your sister-in-law and Hu Zi over."

Chen Ku was furious: "How dare he! He really thinks there is no man in this family, how dare he come and eat the whole family!"

Suddenly, a line of text flashed in the changing graph in my mind.

[If there is a Huang Ba, he will attack the master of the evil plot. Killing him will bring evil spirits. ]

(End of this chapter)