allonlinenovel Chapter 161 The Tax Collectors Are Here
Chapter 161 The Tax Collectors Are Here
I was a female householder, and the county magistrate said that I only needed to pay 20% tax!
By this calculation, I only need to pay about fifty kilograms. At that time, I sighed and thought, no wonder it is difficult to establish a female household. It turns out that there are such great benefits.
As for the real estate and land you buy yourself, you don't need to pay taxes because you don't grow crops there, so no grain tax will be collected.
By the fifteenth day of the ninth lunar month, every household had prepared the grain they were to pay. Fortunately, Xu Qingzhao's family had no land, otherwise she would have had to prepare her share as well.
Around one or two in the afternoon, a group of soldiers appeared at the village entrance, pulling an empty ox cart. Zhao Huanxi quickly packed the delicious food and wine he had prepared into a lunch box and asked Lu Lin to deliver it.
The leading officer was initially very disdainful, but when he opened the food box, he saw that it was filled with various meat dishes, with no trace of vegetables. There was also a pot of exquisite Fu Sheng Zui, emitting a fragrant aroma.
"My lords, you have been exhausted on this journey. Please enjoy a simple meal. Don't worry, we will pay the grain tax as usual and will not shortchange you."
The leader's expression eased a little. They, who were doing field work, had a less comfortable life than the soldiers cleaning the county government office. They were the ones who had to take the lead in any dirty or tiring work, and their monthly salary was shockingly low.
So every time taxes are collected, even the higher-ups acquiesce, and they can manipulate the situation and get some small amounts of money.
As long as you don't overdo it, the higher-ups won't care.
They had dry noodles for breakfast. Other villages had to face threats before they could collect enough food, but this village was special and was treated to good food and wine.
The village chief also stepped forward and said, "I am the village chief of Dashi Village. Don't worry, everyone. We are all honest people. You can just watch from the sidelines."
Don't hit someone who smiles at you. Now that they have said this, it seems a bit unreasonable for me to refuse.
The leader said, "Alright, if you dare to secretly reduce the price, according to Jinyang law, you, as the village chief, should know the consequences."
The village chief smiled innocently: "I know, I know."
So a few men dressed as soldiers sat behind the large rock. Since the village chief had borrowed a table and chairs, they sat there and began to drink and eat. But they never took their eyes off the measuring bowl, fearing the villagers might do something under their noses.
But once I tasted the food on the plate, my eyes narrowed in delight. It tasted really good, something you wouldn't even find in a restaurant.
If Zhao Huanxi knew what was going on in the soldiers' minds, she would be overjoyed. After all, she cooked this meal herself.
She did this not to give villagers the opportunity to evade taxes, which is a serious crime and she dare not do it.
Instead, she hoped the officers and soldiers would show mercy. She had watched a lot of TV dramas in her previous life, and while the scenes of collecting grain taxes were somewhat dramatic, the reality was probably pretty close. Furthermore, Xu Qingzhao had also confirmed this phenomenon.
The King of Hell is belligerent and the little devils are difficult to deal with. These people dare not offend the rich in the town, so they can only look for opportunities to make money in the village.
The normal tax rate was one ping dou, or twelve jin. However, these tax collectors could collect one jian dou, or about fifteen jin. This was exploiting a loophole in the law and enriching themselves.
As long as the recorder wrote it down on a piece of paper and you pressed your fingerprint on it, it was considered that you had paid the tax. However, most farmers were illiterate and had no idea how much was written on the paper. They just pressed their fingerprints foolishly and had no way to appeal.
So she resorted to this desperate measure, after all, she was betting that these people were not rotten to the core.
Seeing the villagers measuring the grain in an orderly manner and then weighing it onto the oxcart, and seeing that the grain was evenly distributed, but the officer said nothing, Zhao Huanxi knew that his bet was right.
Missing one meal from her is not a big deal, but the saved food can last for a long time. Although the villagers didn't say anything, they were grateful in their hearts.
In previous years, each family would pay an extra two or three kilograms per mu of land. It was customary, and no one dared to object.
But this year, all it took was a meal to silence these officials. Huanxi really has some ability.
In fact, Zhao Huanxi has mastered this principle. When asking someone to do something for you, you give them benefits first.
No matter what the benefit is, as long as it can make the other party profit and make the other party feel that he has made a profit, then he will help you 90% of the time.
After those people had eaten and drunk their fill, they began to check the account books and the quality of the rice. Finally, the leader shouted:
"Where is Zhao Huanxi?"
She was dressed very simply in the crowd, just like an ordinary rural woman. She knew she was going to be called, so she blended in and observed.
"Sir, I'm here." She raised her hand and came out, looking a little nervous.
The leader simply glanced at her, then looked at the account book in his hand and said, "You are the only female household in Dashi Village. According to Jinyang law, you only need to pay 20% tax each year. Did you know that?"
She knew this was going to happen, so she lowered her head and replied submissively, "I know, but out of gratitude for the kindness of the County Magistrate and the County Magistrate, I paid 50% of the tax. If I didn't have several children at home, I would have paid the full amount."
Seeing her so capable, the soldier nodded and said, "I didn't expect that a common peasant like you could have such an idea. It's quite good. Well, it's getting late. We have to go to the next village, so we won't stay here any longer. Village chief, please sign and stamp this."
The village chief hurried forward and took out his village seal, stamped the account book, and signed his name.
After the group of people walked away, everyone felt relieved. Some of them had prepared some extra things and were now planning to carry them home in sacks.
Several aunts who were close to Huanxi came up to her and thanked her profusely, saying that the harvest was poor this year and they should save as much as possible. The extra money would be enough to feed the children at home.
"Girl, thanks to the idea you came up with, otherwise we really wouldn't be able to survive this year."
This is a bit exaggerated. It only saved everyone a few dozen kilograms of food rations, and it won't cause them to not survive.
But there are still many people who agree.
"That's right. Many families in our village have been affected by disasters, and their harvests are not as good as in previous years. If it weren't for Huanxi girl's method, I'm afraid there would be a lot of quarrels."
"She's a very sensible girl. I wish we could have a daughter as sensible as her someday~"
The crowd was filled with peaceful sounds. Even the village chief and the team leader nodded repeatedly. They were all beneficiaries, so naturally they agreed.
Zhao Huanxi accepted everything. She was not the kind of person who would do good deeds without leaving her name behind. She wanted these people to remember that she, Zhao Huanxi, had helped them.
But there were still some dissenting voices among the crowd.
"Tsk! It's just a meal. Why are you so proud? Do you really think you're such a big shot?"