Allure of a Country Maiden

When Xiaoer returned home, she happened to meet Shen Chengyao, "Dad, where have you been and are you back now?"

"Xiao'er is back. I just came back from the village chief's house." The two father and daughter entered the house together.

When Mrs. Liu saw that they were all back, she set out the meal, "By chance, you are all back, let's eat first."

Xiaoer washed her hands and face before sitting at the table, "Did dad go to the village chief's uncle's house to hire someone to open up wasteland?"

"Well, the village chief promised to help us talk about it tomorrow. It just so happens that tomorrow the village chief will also call the villagers to talk about paying taxes and performing labor services."

"What percent of taxes will be paid this year?" Ms. Liu asked after hearing this.

"It's still 30% the same as last year. This is also because the past two years have been bad. The court takes care of the people, and taxes should be raised next year." Shen Chengyao said what the village chief said.

"What about hard labor? When will it be served? How many people will be in each family?"

“For labor service, families with two or less adult males will have one male child per family, families with three to four adult males will have two males from each family, and families with more than five adult males will have three males. We have to leave in five days and have to go for a month.”

"We have chosen a day to build the house. Dad is not free at that time. Can I pay some money to replace it?" There are so many things that need to be dealt with in their family recently. If Shen Chengyao goes to do hard labor, the house will not need to be built.

Moreover, working as a labor force is a very hard job. You don’t get paid. All you do is dredge water conservancy, build roads and bridges. These jobs are all jobs that benefit the people, so those who don’t get paid can also build temples. Yes, this would cost ten cents a day, so many people were unwilling to do hard labor, but there was nothing they could do about it, it was compulsory.

"It costs 20 taels per person to pay the silver." Shen Chengyao was actually very hesitant in his heart. It was a bit much to pay 20 taels if he didn't go to work as a laborer. He was a little reluctant to give it up, but go ahead. His family happened to be opening up wasteland to build a house, and he was needed for many things. Go manage.

"Even if it's fifty taels, we have to pay it. We can't live without dad when we open up wasteland and build houses." For those who don't want to do hard labor, they have to pay twenty taels. I think the national treasury must be empty, and they want to use this to get money from the rich. Take back some money, after all, no one among the common people can spare twenty taels, and they have to do a lot of work to save enough twenty taels.

"Our family can not build a house yet."

"No, I want to live in a new house." After hearing Shen Chengyao's words, Xiaoer immediately started acting like a child.

"I also want to live in a new house." Jing Hao agreed.

"Then just pay twenty taels." Seeing that none of his children agreed, Shen Chengyao compromised.

"My eldest brother and his family are back today, probably because of the labor service." Liu changed the topic.

"Two members of the eldest brother's family have to go to the labor force. Neither the eldest brother nor Wen'er have gone to the labor service. They probably went home to discuss what to do." In the past, whenever there was a labor service, Shen Chengzong, Shen Chengyao and Shen Chengzu went together. People from the big house have never served. This year, the eldest son and the old man will have to go to work for two people. If the old man goes, then Shen Chengguang and Shen Jingwen will be drowned in saliva.

Sure enough, after dinner, Shen Chengyao was called to the room not long after.

"Father, mother." Shen Chengyao came to the upper room to greet his parents first, and then said to Shen Chengguang: "Big brother's house is here."

"Third brother, come and sit here." Shen Chengzu was also called to the room.

"The third child heard that you bought land to build a house. That's okay. I didn't expect that the first person to buy land and build a house after the separation was actually the third child. I bought one or two acres of wasteland. Are the mud bricks ready?" The tone in which Shen Chengzong said this was not a good one. It could be said to be harsh and sarcastic.

"If you can't speak, don't speak!" Mr. Shen glared at Shen Chengzong.

Shen Chengyao didn't take his brother's sour words to heart. After he sat down next to Shen Chengzu, he asked, "Dad, did you come to discuss something with us brothers?"

"Isn't your eldest brother in town? You need to get the news quickly. You have to start paying taxes and doing hard labor in the next two days. I just want to ask you what your plans are."

Shen Chengzong asked Li's natal brothers to help with the North-South business. He invested all the money and said, "My family has no money and has lost everything. Of course we can only pay food and serve in the army."

"Fortunately, our son, Hua, is only 13 years old, one year short of being 14 years old, so he doesn't have to serve in the military. In previous years, I went to work for a month and almost lost half my life." He deliberately looked at Dafang's family and gloated. This year the family was separated, and Dafang and his family could no longer escape the fate of being forced into hard labor. In the past few years, there was always an old man protecting me, saying that even though a scholar was not admitted as a scholar, he was still a child, so how could he serve in labor force.

"My family cannot build a house without people. If I want to pay taxes, I will pay food directly, and for labor, I will pay silver."

The old man was stunned for a moment, and then came to his senses. Shen Chengyao probably didn't know that those who didn't want to do hard labor this year had to pay twenty taels. In previous years, it only cost five taels to replace the hard labor.

"If you don't serve this year, you will have to pay 20 taels each."

Shen Chengyao had no reaction after hearing this. He had known it for a long time, which was a surprise to Shen Chengzong and Shen Chengzu.

"Why is there so much more money this year? What is the percentage of taxes?" Shen Chengzu asked hurriedly. Although his family has a small number of people, after paying taxes on the land's output in previous years, which is enough to feed and clothe the family, there will only be little surplus. If taxes are increased, food and clothing will become a problem.

"The tax hasn't changed, it's still 30%." Mr. Shen shook his head.

Shen Chengzu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, "I also plan to pay the food directly and go to work." Not to mention that his family didn't have so much twenty taels of silver, but he couldn't bear it. He went to work outside and couldn't even get 20 taels for a year. , not to mention working for a month, just doing heavy work for a month. He is used to it and doesn't think it's anything.

Old Shen and Shen Chengguang were surprised to see that Shen Chengyao had no big reaction. Shen Chengguang rolled his eyes. Is the third family rich? I can take out 20 taels of silver.

The old man sighed: "There is also a disadvantage in dividing families. In previous years, three people from each family were enough to work hard, but now our family has five people. Jing Wen is still a half-year-old child, and he has been studying since he was a child. , and he is a child, so he must not do hard labor, otherwise he will damage his body and delay his studies. Your eldest brother also has to be in charge of the shop, so he can't go there, so I have to go to the big room. "

"What are you talking about? You are already old. If you go to do hard labor for a month, you don't know if you will come back. What are you going to do with having so many sons? Let them provide some money, so you don't have to go. , If they don't come out, I will go to the government to sue him immediately," Shen Zhuang glanced sharply at the three sons sitting below.

After hearing this, Shen Chengzong quit, "Mom, the family has just been separated. You also know that all the twelve taels of my family's separation were lost to Butler Hu. How can I still have money in my family? I am powerless. If I could be separated , I immediately went to take my father’s place without saying a word! Young people have to go to serve and get some exercise, let an old man do it, and they won’t even think about becoming an official in the future.” After saying this, he glanced at Shen Chengguang again.

"Boss, what are you talking about? I'm going there myself, it's no one's business." Mr. Shen was unhappy after hearing this about burying his eldest grandson.

Shen Chengyao didn't say anything. Although he felt that it was not good for his eldest brother and eldest nephew to pay such attention, he also knew that his father had cared about them since they were young, and he also felt that he could not do it when his eldest nephew went to do hard labor. , his father is going, this is normal. My family had just discussed that if Mr. Shen went, they would pay five taels of silver. If you go up the mountain with more than five taels of silver later, you'll make it back in no time.

Shen Chengzu was also in a dilemma, but his mother had said so. What could he do? After the separation, the 10 taels of silver in his family had not been used much, and there was money left. Alas, he originally planned to build a house with just a few more taels saved. Now it seems that the plan to build a house has to be postponed again.

"Anyway, I don't have any money to contribute, and you know that, dad. If you really want to contribute, just ask the third and fourth sons. The third child has money to buy land and build a house. Can't he still not be able to contribute 12 or 80 taels? No. How dare you build a blue brick house with a hundred and dozens of taels?" Apparently someone had forgotten that he had promised someone else to build a mud brick house just now.

"Okay, the third and fourth brothers each give you ten taels, and everything is over." Shen Zhuang didn't bother to listen to their nonsense anymore, and directly gave the order to drive them away.

Shen Chengyao and Shen Chengzu were dumbfounded after hearing this. Are they planning to leave the whole family? !