Druid Fairy

Chapter 48 Autumn Tax
“One drop of the precious liquid every five days, that’s six drops a month, which is twice as efficient as the centipede’s venom production.”

Moreover, the medicine is mild and can even be taken by Qin Shi. It can replenish qi and blood, making her cheeks rosy and her beauty undiminished by the passage of time.

The existence of the Purple Seven-Leaf Golden Elixir is undoubtedly one of the most important assets in the family. It is estimated that it will provide important assistance to the Li family's development of martial arts for the next two or three decades.

Let's not talk about the future, let's talk about the present.

At the Zhou family's martial arts training ground, Li Pingfu fought against three opponents with ease. His muscles and bones emitted a low, thunderous crackling sound, which, upon closer listening, resembled the low growl of a wild mountain cat, a buzzing vibration.

Zhou Enxian narrowed his eyes, both amazed and impressed: "The younger generation is truly formidable."

The sound of muscles and bones resonating, like the thunderous roar of tigers and leopards, is usually only unleashed upon reaching the "Bone Realm." Li Pingfu, having only reached the "Muscle Realm," has already grasped the mysteries of the "Bone Realm," indicating his immeasurable future achievements.

Of course, talent alone cannot achieve such rapid progress; to master martial arts, precious qi and blood elixirs are indispensable.

As expected of a former landlord, Brother Li has a substantial fortune. He's talented, wealthy, and has a stable foundation. We should get together more often for drinks and conversation to strengthen our bond.

Aside from that, Zhou Enxian had no other ideas or intentions to investigate further.

Everyone has some savings!
He had spent half his life in the martial arts world, killing and being killed, navigating a bloody and treacherous path. Now, at his age, he had made no further progress, his ambition and desires had diminished, and he only hoped that his disciples would be successful and that his children would provide for him in his old age.

…………

Li Pingcan planted paper mulberry trees in the wasteland.

He used a shovel to dig mud pits one by one, burying the paper mulberry seedlings he had found in the mountains one by one. After planting a batch of seedlings, he stood there like an old farmer, wiping away sweat and showing an expectant smile.

The weather has suddenly turned cold; I don't know if it will survive.

There have been too many things to do these past few days, and the tree-planting plan has been neglected for a short period of time. The main reason is that the autumn heat wave is too intense, making it harder for the trees to survive, so it's not very efficient.

Fortunately, with the precious medicine, his strength increased significantly, making tree planting much easier.

[You successfully planted a paper mulberry tree. Druid experience +1]

……

The panel popped up a notification about the batch of paper mulberry trees he had planted that had gradually survived, but only about a quarter of them had survived. His Druid experience points had only increased from 572 to 591, and he was still more than 400 surviving saplings away from the 1000 required to level up.

"Hopefully, we can finish planting them all before next winter."

As long as it's not the scorching heat of three years ago, it's fine. That drought left a very deep impression on him.

Li Pingcan washed his face by the stream, packed up his farm tools and headed home. Just as he approached a few houses, he heard a noisy commotion.

He originally thought that people in the village bickered, that's how it is in the countryside, that they can argue about anything, and that even a child who poops outside instead of in their own manure pit can be scolded by his parents and grandparents for half a day—manure is also an important source of fertilizer and pig feed.

Unexpectedly, I heard something important: a notice was posted in town announcing that this year's autumn tax would not be collected in silver, but in grain!

Some say it was influenced by Fenghuang County, while others say it was a sign of war... opinions vary.

"Damn it, it's so much better to pay in silver. We still have to go to town to buy rice, so the price of rice is bound to skyrocket."

"I think it's a scheme devised by those corrupt officials who are greedy for money."

The villagers complained.

Collecting money and collecting rice seem equivalent, but there are huge differences between them. Just take "ghost feet" and "canal waste" as examples. With each layer of exploitation, the amount of rice and grain can be 20% to 30% more.

What could the court do if it wanted to change things? They could only accept it respectfully and happily!

Paying taxes in the autumn was already a comfort zone for Peach Blossom Village. Li Pingcan was also very unaccustomed to this change, but he didn't know the ins and outs, so he planned to go home and listen to his father's opinion.

"This is not a good thing."

Li Rongzhou's expression turned slightly solemn. The tax system of the Dayu Dynasty was the poll tax, which was levied on males who were seven years old or older, while females were taxed at half the rate.

Peach Blossom Village makes a living by growing peaches. The dry rice grown in the cultivated fields is only for their own food. If they were to pay taxes based on grain, their family would need to pay more than four shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain.

"Prepare six shi of grain first," Li Rongzhou said. Li Pingcan asked in confusion, "Didn't you say four times? Why prepare six shi?"

Li Rongzhou explained, "Can'er, you haven't seen the 'stacked grain measure'. When the government inspects the grain, they deliberately kick and shake it to make it overflow. The overflowing part is not counted as tax. Farmers all over the country have suffered from this 'ghost kick' for too long."

Li Pingcan suddenly realized that the government was truly arrogant, cheating you right in front of your face and you still had to be grateful!

Li Ping'an suddenly said, "Father, have you forgotten that we have a scholar in our family who doesn't need to pay the poll tax?"

Upon hearing this, the father and son exchanged bewildered glances.

Having been treated like cattle and horses for so long, it had become a habit, and they almost forgot that their family had already risen in social class.

After the initial relief came a sigh. While their family was free of trouble, the rest of Peach Blossom Village suffered. Apart from martial artists like Zhou Enxian who didn't have to pay tribute, even the old village chief had to obediently pay grain tax.

How much food do we have left at home?

"About thirty shi (a unit of dry measure)." This is the total amount of grain from the autumn rice harvest, plus a batch of grain that Li Pingcan purchased in advance. It's enough to feed the family for eight or nine months.

Li Rongzhou thought for a moment, "Your Uncle Li Fang's family didn't grow much grain this year, and they have a large population. Grain prices will skyrocket during this period, and you'll lose a lot of money if you go to town to buy it. Pingfu, go and share some with your uncle."

"Okay." Li Pingfu replied, glancing at his younger brother.

Li Pingcan did not object.

Although my father saved Uncle Li Fang's life back then, and the kindness was beyond measure, Uncle Li Fang had been bringing things to our door every few days over the years, and the two families were quite close. At times like these, we should lend a helping hand whenever possible.

Often, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative.

…………

"Thank you, Brother Can."

Li Qianyuan smiled, revealing dimples. Looking at the two malt candies that Li Pingcan handed her, she jumped up and down happily, her face flushed.

Even the youngest girl has someone she secretly likes. Li Pingcan has fair skin and delicate features; he's a real heartthrob and very popular with girls.

On the other side, Li Pingfu also moved all the grain to Li Fangshu's warehouse.

"Thank you so much," Li Fang said gratefully.

"Hey, Uncle, there's no need for thanks between our two families. Let's have a drink sometime. My father is really looking forward to your peach wine."

"Haha, let's drink it tomorrow."

Li Fang's honest face broke into a wide smile; Li Rongzhou was truly a kind and honest man.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."

There were the sounds of horse-drawn carriages clattering and drivers shouting.

When Li Pingfu went outside, he saw that grain merchants had come to Peach Blossom Village, since most villagers could only buy grain to pay the autumn tax.

He glanced at it a few times, then stopped paying attention.

……

Grain merchants were bustling about with their carts and horses, and a figure moved among them, chatting warmly with the villagers.

"I heard that a scholar has come out of your village?"

"Of course!" Seeing the envious glances, the villagers were immediately filled with pride and said proudly, "That second son of the Rong family, I could tell at a glance that he was destined for greatness. Sure enough, he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. He will surely be a high-ranking official in the future."

"Our ancestors have blessed us; your village has truly excellent feng shui."

“Of course, Li Ping’an is a true disciple of the Li family. How could our ancestors not protect him?” the villager hurriedly replied. Thousands of years ago, we all shared the same ancestor and the same origin. What he said was the truth, and no one could say it was wrong!
"May your descendants prosper." The person who asked the question looked at the Li family's ancestral graves, his eyes gleaming.

(End of this chapter)