Chapter 6 Exorbitant Taxes
"Let's go, poor boy. After the business, it's time to pay taxes."
Old Master Li watched Chen Ku pull the firewood over and took a puff of dry tobacco.
Chen Ku noticed that Old Master Li's eyes did not show much joy for earning more than seven taels of silver, but a sense of sadness and boredom.
Soon he knew why.
Arrived at the gate of the memorial archway of Yaochai City.
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"Hand in all the transaction bills in the city." Two yamen runners were standing there, and there were several officers behind them.
Old Li sighed heavily and handed in all the transaction bills in Yaochai City.
The tall yamen runner just glanced and quickly calculated the total account.
"Your trade in the city this time totaled seven taels and nine cents of silver,
The tax for the registration of herbalists is one tenth,
The tax for mountains and swamps is 'seven cents and nine cents'."
Chen Ku 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 government office must suppress the bandits and train soldiers to protect the people. Therefore, the "suppression pay" and "training pay" in the military expenses also need to be shared by the people, each of which is one tenth of the tax."
Old Master Li nodded in distress.
Chen Ku was stunned.
In addition to the taxes paid by the registered households from the mountains and swamps, they actually had to pay another "two pays".
And this is not over yet.
The yamen runner continued, "Recently, the dam in Baojiao County has been in disrepair for a long time, and there is also a part of "donation tax". Each household donates 20% of the tax to repair the dam."
Chen Ku really experienced what it meant to...
Exorbitant taxes!
Finally.
There was actually another item.
"For trade in Yaochai City, there is also a "stall protection fee"..."
The last item.
Chen Ku understood it clearly.
Protection fee.
This is something that completely fell into the pockets of the yamen runners in Yaochai City.
"Exorbitant taxes and levies, layers of exploitation..." Chen Ku felt cold in his heart.
At this moment, he seemed to understand why his elder brother took the risk of "smuggling".
If he didn't smuggle, these taxes would weigh on his head. Even if he could barely survive, he would not be able to breathe loudly for the rest of his life.
"This is the tax receipt."
Finally, looking at the income of Mr. Li of 7 taels and 9 cents, after paying various exorbitant taxes, only less than half of it fell into his pocket.
"Okay, next one."
Chen Ku's scalp numbed.
Mr. Li, who was not a retail investor, had to pay almost half of the tax.
His identity as a retail investor...
It was Chen Ku's turn.
It was almost like a skinning.
The income of 400 wen was said to be half tax. According to Mr. Li's process, he had to pay almost 70% of the income!
70% was other people's, and he had to pay nearly 300 wen in tax.
"What? You dare to buy firewood without paying taxes?" The tall yamen runner looked at Chen Ku's cart of firewood coldly: "If you can't pay taxes, go to do corvée labor."
Chen Ku took a deep breath, felt the cruelty of this world, and finally said: "I can pay."
If it weren't for the three hundred coins of kindness from Brother Zhao, he would have almost been unable to leave this medicine firewood market.
I immediately looked at the yamen runner's contemptuous eyes and said in his heart:
"Evil official! If I can grow up one day, don't fall into my hands!"
I originally wanted to buy rice and flour, but now I can only pull a cart of firewood back...
"Next."
Chen Ku was about to pull the cart away to make way for the people behind.
But he saw a man in a tight warrior costume, long gown and long boots, just glanced at the yamen runner, nodded, and directly passed Chen Ku.
"Mr. Wang, please go slowly." The yamen runner actually bowed back.
Chen Ku was shocked.
"Why doesn't this person have to pay taxes?" Before Chen Ku could speak, Li Jiyang stared at the man who threw away his long sleeves and walked away.
In the distance, the man who walked away seemed to have heard it, turned around and looked at Chen Ku and Li Jiyang, revealing a faint smile.
He ignored it.
Turned around and left.
Could it be someone from the yamen?
Chen Ku lowered his head and thought.
The yamen runner said coldly: "Didn't you see that he was wearing a long gown and long boots? Someone in Mr. Wang's family passed the exam for 'Wusheng' and has the status of a student. My dynasty values martial arts over literature. Literati must be scholars to be exempted from taxes, while warriors only need to be 'Wu Tongsheng' to be exempted from all taxes. Can you mud legs compare?"
"Yes, yes, yes, the child is ignorant." Master Li apologized quickly and took his grandson away.
"Let's go first." He said to Chen Ku quickly.
After leaving Yaochai City, they arrived on the street.
Then he scolded Li Jiyang, saying, "Don't talk nonsense in the future. Fortunately, the man in the long gown didn't argue with us. Otherwise, he would slap you in the face for talking nonsense, and I, your grandfather, would have no way to do anything."
The long gown means status.
Chen Ku felt the oppression of this world.
And the huge gap between their identities.
"If you dig up precious medicine, the first thing to do is to get rid of the identity of a retail investor."
"Ku'er, do you want to go home first, or follow us for a while?"
The old headman lit his pipe. Knowing that Chen Ku didn't have much money after paying taxes, he 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."
Chen Ku immediately declined.
He could accept small things, but he didn't dare to take meat. It was too precious.
The kindness and favors of others are very important, and you should cherish them. If you shamelessly follow them and cut some meat for yourself, this favor will become thinner and thinner in the future.
Old Li didn't say anything more. He knocked on his pipe and said, "Then go home early."
After separating from his grandson in the town, Chen Ku pulled a cart of firewood and went to a stall of a traveling doctor. He spent more than ten coins and bought a few packets of antidiarrhea medicine.
In the afternoon, he pulled the cart back to the village, which was considered as coming back from the market.
As soon as he returned to the village, someone in the village saw him and shouted, "Second boy of the Chen family, you are finally back. Go home and see. Huang Ba from the neighboring village has brought a few people to your house."
Chen Ku was furious.
This Huang Ba was a well-known gangster leader who roamed in several villages.
The most important thing was that it was said that his eldest brother was tipped off by this person and went to the government to identify him, which led to the current situation at home.
He left the cart at the village head, drew out the sickle, and rushed towards home.
After a while.
When he arrived at home, he did not see Huang Ba.
There were only the sobbing of my sister-in-law and the sighing of my mother.
Chen Ku stepped into the house and looked around. He found that everything in the house was fine. He immediately asked his mother: "What's wrong? What did Huang Ba bring here? Did he bully you?"
He asked again.
My sister-in-law wiped away her tears and was still sobbing. She said: "Brother, I am a member of your family in life and a ghost of your family in death! Please don't drive me and Hu Zi away. I have to wait for your brother to come back."
Chen Ku looked at his mother: "What happened?"
Chen's mother sighed and said: "That Huang Ba, after you left, brought people here and said that he liked our house and could give us some money. By the way, he wanted to buy your sister-in-law and Hu Zi."
Chen Ku was furious: "How dare he! He really thought there was no man in this family and dared to come and eat the whole family!"
Suddenly, a line of text flashed in the changing picture in his mind.
[If there is Huang Ba, it will be a conflict with the owner of the picture. Killing him will bring evil spirit. 】
