The Prodigal Son’s Happy Life - Chapter 582

[Chapter 582 Tian Fu]

When the village chief heard Emperor Chu’s question, he was startled, obviously not understanding what he meant.

After a moment, he smiled and said with some excitement: “Of course, of course it’s enough. Thanks to this crayfish, we can sell it for so much money.

Otherwise, it will be difficult for the people in our village to survive this winter.

It turns out that this year’s harvest was not good, and there was also a famine. The people from the Central Plains were all like hungry wolves. If Master Fuyin hadn’t sent troops to guard the village,

the labor in the village would have been really bad .

I can’t keep these grains.

This year is good, this year is really good. With Master Fang and the crayfish, I can not only eat enough this year, but also save more.”

He rambled, turning over and over, only a few. In a word, it is nothing more than thanking Mr. Fang, thanking Crayfish, and thanking the court.

Fang Xiu listened with great embarrassment.

Many times I want to remind you: all this is the result of the imperial court and your majesty. You keep thanking me for everything I do.

But as Emperor Chu listened, his expression changed somewhat.

He gradually came back to his senses.

It seems that these farmers, instead of blaming Chunfeng Tower and Zuihua Pavilion, are actually very grateful to them?

He couldn’t figure it out.

It’s obviously exploitation, it’s obviously oppression, but how come it turns into a gift in the eyes of these people?

These people are still too simple.

Emperor Chu listened, but he still couldn’t hold it back and said, “Old man, do you know how much a pound of these lobsters will cost when they arrive in the city?”

The village chief heard this question, thought for a while, and replied: “Others I’m not sure, I just know that Zuihua Pavilion seems to be selling for fifty taels per catty, and Chunfeng Tower is selling it.”

At this point, he glanced at Emperor Chu, and seeing that his expression didn’t change, he said, “Chunfeng Tower seems to be selling for ten taels. “

Do they actually know?

Emperor Chu was obviously stunned when he heard this answer.

Now that you know it, why are you so willing to accept the price of twenty cents per pound?

Finally, he couldn’t hold it back anymore and asked his doubts.

“If that’s the case, then why does the old man still have to order twenty cents per catty?”

“Hey, after catching these lobsters, they can’t be eaten immediately. They have to be cleaned and oiled, as well as the ones from the shop. Money, nothing is a cost. Selling the Zuihua Pavilion for fifty cents is already a small profit.

The Zuihua Pavilion is a restaurant owned by Mr. Fang. We have to let Mr. Fang earn more no matter what, it is not

your family, Mr. Zhao. Chunfeng Tower, that’s where the adults go. Old man, I heard that the adults cost hundreds of taels of silver to eat a meal and thousands of taels of silver to raise a horse. These ten taels of silver are also considered. It’s nothing.

We want to sell the lobsters for ten taels of silver, but those adults don’t want to come here to eat. Do

you think this is true?”

After hearing this, Emperor Chu was speechless for a moment. To right.

He had always thought that these villagers were just too simple and simple, and they were willing to give themselves up.

However, after listening to the village chief’s words, he realized that all this was a helpless move.

After thinking for a while, he added: “I heard from the old people in my house in the city that this year’s harvest is not good, which is what happens everywhere.

However, no matter how bad the harvest is, compared with the Central Plains Road, it is still worse. It’s quite good, so I won’t be able to eat enough.”

When the village chief heard this, the expression on his face was very wonderful, showing disdain but pretending.

After holding it back for a while, he said: “Mr. Zhao, you have been in the city for a long time. Of course, you don’t know the world outside.

Not to mention that this year’s harvest is not good, but when the harvest was good in previous years, in the village , not many people can have enough to eat.”

When Emperor Chu heard this, his expression changed again.

This time when he went out of the city, it could be said that he heard and saw things that he had never heard of or seen in the previous forty years.

His expression was a little gloomy, he forced a smile, looked at the village chief, and asked, “What do you mean by this, old man?”

The village chief raised his eyes and glanced at Emperor Chu, seeing that his expression didn’t seem to be fake, it should be I really don’t understand what’s going on here.

So, he explained: “We farmers, how much of the crops we plant can be left after the harvest is not decided by ourselves, but by the court.

We will keep as much as the court asks us to keep. We have to pay as much as the court asks us to pay. Every year, we have to hand over most of the food. One is sent to the government office, and the other is collected by someone. It seems that

I am stupid, old man

.

I don’t understand what it means. I always thought that the government office is the imperial court and the imperial court is the government office.

Only when collecting grain, the imperial court and the government office are separate.”

At this point, Emperor Chu understood in his heart.

This is land tax and dingyin. Part of it is handed over to the local state capital and used for state capital expenditures. The other part is handed over to the Ministry of Household Affairs and charged into the national treasury.

He thought for a moment, looked at the village chief, and said, “But isn’t the grain handed in calculated according to the number of people in a household?

One laborer is handed in one portion.”

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the village chief.

This was also the first time they had been chatting for so long that the village chief interrupted him: “It’s because of this that the people in the village don’t have enough to eat.

In this village, singles like the old man are only a minority after all. One household For a family of seven or eight, the amount of food required is at least three or four.

However, how much land does the family have? How

much

food can it produce? No matter

how much land you divide, you can’t plant it!

Since there is no land, there will be no food. If you don’t have food, what will you pay for it?

You can only sell the land and get it later. The money was handed over as food.

This was the first year, what should we do in the second year

? Rent land.

Now it’s better. Previously, the court and the government couldn’t pay the grain, but now they have to give the landlord a share of grain. One cow can’t

grow

much land!

The more land he has, the more grain he will hand over to the landlord.

But if he plants less, he will not be able to hand over the grain to the court.

The harvest has been good in recent years, but this year’s harvest is a bit worse. Your Excellency, please collect the lobsters. Otherwise, I don’t know how many people in this village would sell their sons and daughters

. When the people from Zhongyuan Road came to our village to grab food, they wanted to see how hateful they were. But think about it. , none of these are other people’s children, and none of them are other people’s parents,

and they are willing to steal and rob them.

Isn’t this because they are desperate and hungry, and there is really no way

. Sir, without crayfish, in two years our village will be like them!”

(End of Chapter)