When the pears are green

Chapter 121 Paying Land Tax

Two days of sunny weather.

On this day, the sun was hanging above the treetops, and Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou decided to go to the river beach to take a look.

The mulberry seedlings have grown leaves. The newly unfolded thin, dark green oval leaves are swaying in the wind in the fields, showing a thriving scene.

Song Li squatted on the edge of the field and used her thumb to measure the height of the mulberry seedlings. In a few days, it should be possible to thin out the seedlings.

Jiang Qingzhou also squatted beside Song Li. He whispered, "The village head said a few days ago that he would organize digging ditches on the riverbank after the autumn harvest. It will be much more convenient to water the crops next year."

Song Li knew that all the villagers who were reclaiming wasteland on the riverbank must participate. She withdrew her hand from the mulberry seedlings, then took Jiang Qingzhou's hand and looked at it carefully. She still remembered how this hand turned red from being frozen in winter.

"When the time comes, I'll be with you." Song Li raised her head and stared at Jiang Qingzhou.

Jiang Qingzhou knew that Song Li's expression showed that she would not allow him to refuse. He smiled and nodded, then thought that he would find a reason to get Song Li away when the time came.

Song Li stood up happily, she stood on tiptoe and looked at the river in the distance. The river was much wider than in spring.

Jiang Qingzhou quickly supported Song Li, as he was afraid that the staggering Song Li would fall.

Song Li put his heels back on the ridge and asked Jiang Qingzhou: "Qingzhou, can we fish in the river?"

Jiang Qingzhou knew what Song Li meant, and he smiled and replied, "I've heard that private transactions are not allowed in mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas. The government only prohibits cutting down trees, but you can catch fish. But you can only catch big fish, and if you catch small fish, you have to release them. If you don't release them and someone reports you, you'll be thrown into jail, just like fishing in the spring."

Song Li thought this was the ancient version of sustainable development.

The two stood on the ridge of the field for a while. Jiang Qingzhou saw that some villagers kept looking over here, so he led Song Li around the river beach.

"Qingzhou, why did you take me around in such a big circle?" Song Li asked a little puzzled.

Jiang Qingzhou smiled and replied, "I want to let those gossiping women know that you are back. They have been concerned about you for the past few days since you were away, and have been asking if we have had any conflicts."

Song Li laughed after hearing this, and she comforted Jiang Qingzhou: "Qingzhou has been wronged."

Before Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou entered the house, they heard the sound of "swoosh, swoosh" coming from the yard. Song Li pushed open the door and saw Jiang Qingye and Zhang Ping'an shooting at the sycamore tree behind the kitchen with slingshots, and Ruyi handed them bullets.

The three people in the yard stopped what they were doing when they heard the sound of the door being pushed open.

After seeing Song Li, Ruyi stuffed the bullet in her hand into Zhang Pingan's hand, then quickly walked to Song Li and asked, "Cousin, how is aunt doing recently? My grandma was talking about aunt yesterday!"

Song Li had no impression of the old lady of the Zhang family. She only heard some things about her from Song Yue occasionally. The old lady of the Zhang family loved Song Li's uncle Zhang Cheng, so she lived with Zhang Cheng after the family split up.

Song Li told Ruyi about the recent situation of the Song family and Song Yue's upcoming engagement.

Ruyi was happy for Song Yue. She said she would go home to prepare a gift for Song Yue and asked Song Li to help her give it to Song Yue.

"Cousin, my mother wants you to help us go to the town to pay the land tax tomorrow morning." Ruyi said to Jiang Qingzhou beside her.

Jiang Qingzhou nodded in agreement.

Ruyi talked to Song Li for a few more words, then took Zhang Pingan home.

"Ruyi will definitely tell her aunt about Yueyue's marriage when she returns home. Ruyi is older than Yueyue, and her aunt might be anxious again. Constable Chen can't be so reserved any longer!" When Song Li saw that Zhang Ping'an also had a slingshot, she realized that this was Constable Chen's way of trying to please Ruyi. However, this method was too difficult to guess. How could a simple Ruyi possibly guess it?

"If I meet Constable Chen tomorrow, I'll remind him." Jiang Qingzhou felt the same way.

Song Li nodded, and she asked Jiang Qingzhou some questions about paying land taxes. Jiang Qingzhou said that there were also many women going there, so Song Li asked Jiang Qingzhou to take her to see it tomorrow.

The next day, after cleaning the kitchen, Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou pushed the cart to Zhanggou Village.

Jiang prepared the grain to be delivered yesterday. Due to several days of continuous work, Jiang felt a little unwell.

Jiang Qingzhou asked Jiang to rest at home, and he said he would take Ruyi and Song Li with him.

Jiang Qingzhou loaded the grains from the cloth bags onto the cart. He pulled the cart from the front, while Song Li and Ruyi pushed it from the back. The three of them slowly walked towards the government office in the town.

Along the way, Song Li saw many people paying land taxes. Some carried cloth bags, while others pushed them in wheelbarrows or carts. Although there were many people on the road, the atmosphere was very depressing, with only constant sighs.

"Well, even though the tax rate is thirty percent, everyone knows the scale of the government office, so it's better not to tell us." A young man said angrily.

"Is there no one to take care of this?" someone asked.

"Who's in charge? They're all in the same group. But, there was one year when the scale was fine. I heard that someone from higher up came to check, and he was a high-ranking official. That's why those ruthless people didn't dare to adjust the scale." A gray-haired old man on Song Li's left was whispering to the young man next to him.

After hearing this, Ruyi also asked Song Li softly: "Cousin, this is my first time to pay the land tax, is that true? My mother used the scale at home to weigh it, will it be not enough?"

"Ruyi, don't worry. My aunt must know the ins and outs of this." After Song Li finished speaking, she turned her head to the side and stopped listening to those sad voices.

When Song Li and the others arrived, there were already quite a few people queuing in front of the government office. A clerk stopped Jiang Qingzhou and asked, "Which village are you from?"

Jiang Qingzhou smiled and replied, "Uncle, we are from Zhanggou Village."

"People from Zhanggou Village, line up over there." Jiang Qingzhou thanked the clerk again, then pulled the cart towards the rightmost team.

Song Li glanced at the long line. She stood on tiptoe and saw a man in official uniform sitting at the gate of the yamen, with two yamen runners holding water and fire sticks standing on his left and right.

"Have you heard that the person sitting up there is the county magistrate? Maybe..."

"The county magistrate doesn't come every day. We are just lucky. Who cares? As long as I don't suffer any loss, that's fine."

The people standing in front of Song Li were talking in low voices.

Time passed little by little, and finally it was Song Li and the others' turn.

"Which village are you from and what's your name?" asked a clerk holding the accounts.

"The younger one is from Zhanggou Village, his name is Zhang Peng." Jiang Qingzhou replied quickly.

The clerk flipped through the account book and asked Jiang Qingzhou: "Zhang Peng? Which Zhang Peng?"

"It's Zhang Xiao's eldest son." Ruyi answered for Jiang Qingzhou.

"It turns out to be Zhang Peng. Ten acres of land, one hundred kilograms of weight. Untie the rope and let me see." After checking the information, the clerk walked to the cart.

Jiang Qingzhou quickly untied the two cloth bags. The clerk touched the wheat with his hand, then reached into the cloth bags and stirred them a few times.

The clerk looked at the dust on his hands. He pointed to something similar to a scale and said to Jiang Qingzhou, "It's still clean. Put it on."

"Xiao Li, I can do it myself." Jiang Qingzhou pushed away Song Li's hand who wanted to help, and carried the cloth bag up by himself.

The balance suddenly tilted, and another fatter clerk took the weights and added them. The fatter clerk wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked Jiang Qingzhou to take the empty cloth bag on the cart. He kept scooping out the excess wheat bit by bit with a ladle.

Song Li estimated in her mind that it was probably about 20 to 30 kilograms.

The fatter clerk tied the cloth bag again. He asked Jiang Qingzhou to pour the wheat in the bag into the official cloth bag, and then urged Jiang Qingzhou and the other two to leave quickly.

Jiang Qingzhou put the cloth bag on the cart and pushed it out of the yamen.

"Big rat, big rat, don't eat my millet. I have been married for three years, but no one cares about me." Song Li hummed softly, and she turned around to look at the long queue of people.