When the three of them left, Li Luo breathed a sigh of relief. It's really uncomfortable to be forced to borrow food.

Cui Xiuning said a little distressedly: "Before I could cover the heat, I went to three liters at once." How could they borrow from us? ”

Li Luo smiled bitterly: "I met him on the way back from buying grain, and he said something. Naturally, he saw me coming back with food. ”

"Then he's a thief. However, these Koreans are very hardworking, so they won't get to this point. Cui Xiuning was a little puzzled.

"It's not surprising, I'll settle the score for you. He said that a family of five only had eight acres of land, and this year's harvest was not good, with only nine stones of grain, which was ten yuan in money. But the Ding tax and field tax will have to be four times, the exemption money will be consistent, and the east tax will be consistent, adding up to six times, and a family of five will only have three or four yuan left to live. ”

"No wonder, it's so ruthless!" Cui Xiuning said. A year's income, the government wants to take away most of it, can it not be ruthless?

"So we can't plant even if we have land. Too bitter, too tired, too poor. Li Luo said.

"We still have 13 cents left. If you don't want to chop firewood, go to your neighbor's house and buy firewood. ”

"Okay."

"Do you know how many days a fox is pregnant?"

"I don't know. But I know the dog is two months. ”

"Look at its belly, it is estimated that it is about to give birth."

"What do you mean, policeman? You don't want to raise cubs for her, do you? ”

"Jokes. Did I say that? ”

In the afternoon, Li Luo went to buy firewood. He had already asked about the most firewood from Anjia nearby, so he went directly to Anjia. Hearing that Li Luo wanted to buy firewood, the An family immediately warmly invited him into the house to roast the fire.

The courtyard of An's house was full of firewood, and the fire pit in the house was bigger, burning big firewood, so it was warmer, which made Li Luo sit down and didn't want to leave.

But the life of the An family is obviously not easy, and the adults and children are all dish-faced. All kinds of dried vegetables were dried under the eaves, and the only bright color in the house was two salted fish hanging from the fire pit and smoked and grilled. While the two children were roasting the fire, they kept looking at the salted fish and swallowing their saliva.

"Daddy, is it okay to eat fish at night?"

A little girl who was older asked.

The owner of the An family said angrily: "The fish is eaten for the New Year!" Turning his head, he said to Li Luo embarrassedly: "Let Li Langjun laugh at Smecta." He also heard that Li Luo was in distress and a child of a family.

"Modongzhai is also close to the sea, how can there be a shortage of fish to eat?" Li Luo asked.

"There is no beach, the water below is too deep to go without fishing boats. If there are fishing boats, the taxes are heavier, and life is equally difficult, and if one is bad, it will be buried at the bottom of the sea. The master of the An family explained, and immediately changed the topic, "How much firewood does Li Langjun want to buy?" ”

"How do you sell the law?"

"Dry firewood is 5 yuan and 100 catties, and live firewood is 3 yuan and 100 catties." The master of the An family rubbed his hands and said.

So cheap?

"Then two hundred catties of dry firewood, one hundred catties of live firewood." Li Luo simply spent all 13 dollars.

The owner of the An family was a little anxious when he heard it, "Li Langjun may not know that these firewood are only enough to burn for five or six days in the cold winter and wax moon, and there will be a month or two before the spring warms up, so why do you have to buy two or three thousand catties to burn it!" ”

Li Luo snorted, "In a few days, I may have to go to Jianghua Mountain City, and I may not come back for the New Year, so I won't buy so much first." "Two or three thousand catties? Li Luo couldn't afford it at all.

Although the owner of the An family was a little disappointed, he still said enthusiastically: "Then wait for Li Langjun to come back and buy more, Smecta." ”

Li Luo took out 13 last copper coins, "Please ask Brother An to send firewood to my house." ”

"How can Li Langjun make a difference, of course it is the villain who does it." The owner of the An family took the copper coin and happily agreed. It's only 300 catties of firewood, less than half a mile, and this little work is not a problem at all.

Li Luo left Anjia and learned more about the lives of the villagers.

Not long after the owner of the An family sent the firewood, another guest came to the Li family. When Li Luo and Cui Xiuning saw the visitors, they immediately panicked.

The visitor was a middle-aged Goryeo man, dressed in a green robe, wearing a wide crown with a wide brim, leather shoes on his feet, a straight sword at his waist, and a hint of majesty in his eyes. The whole thing is the dress of a Goryeo official, and he looks a little bit of an identity, and his complexion is not bad.

The two immediately guessed that this must be Muramasa.

It's here to collect taxes!

Someone came to press the handle of the knife, Shi Shiran walked into the courtyard, looked around, and then looked at Li Luo and Cui Xiuning, with a trace of inquiry and questioning pressure in his eyes.

Li Luo arched his hand perfunctorily and put himself on the shelf, "It must be Muramasa at the bottom, right?" ”

The visitor's eyes narrowed, and the pressure in his eyes narrowed slightly. Although the village is a small official, he is in charge of the government of a village, and the villagers call him 'the village lord' when they see him.

But the little man and woman in front of him seem to be tall and arrogant, and this arrogance is very natural. Looking at their bearing and appearance, they are by no means ordinary people. It is difficult for a disciple of an idle family to have this kind of temperament. Even if they dress too shabby, they are very different from ordinary people.

Could it really be rumored that he is of the Li family of Inju, born and raised in the Central Plains, and now he has returned to Goryeo, but he has not yet recognized his ancestors and returned to his ancestors?

Besides, how many people will recognize their ancestors indiscriminately? It seems to be mostly true.

Thinking of this, Muramasa finally smiled politely and arched his hand: "It is Muramasa Gaojian below." Dare to ask Your Excellency, where is the root? ”

"It turned out to be Masashi Takamura. In the lower Li Luo, Benguan Inju. ”

"Oh? I wonder if the Li family of Renzhou has a relationship with Your Excellency? ”

"It's the family."

"Disrespectful, disrespectful! But the duty is related, forgive me for being abrupt, dare to ask your Excellency if you have a family family? ”

This Gao Jian is an official after all, and he is obviously not so easy to fool. In Goryeo, the disciples of the family are not only born, but also a qualification title, and they are based on their family.

"I haven't returned to the sect yet, not yet." Li Luo then explained the reason for the fabrication again.

Although Gao Jian didn't dare to believe it, he didn't dare to deny it, so he decided to put it down for the time being, and then slowly verify it was not too late, it was unwise to offend Li Luoshu in front of him, and he always had to leave room for a turn in the future.

If this person is found to be fake, then he will be arrested in Renzhou and handed over to the Li family for disposal, and it is possible for him to take the opportunity to get the favor of the Li family.

He thought for a while and said, "Since Your Excellency has no family of the world for the time being, and you can't be registered as a family member, how about remembering the Li family of Modong for the time being?" ”

Li Luo knew that this village was very difficult, but he also knew that the other party was already very polite, so he had to nod: "Then let's remember it as the Li family of Modong for the time being." ”

After Gao Jian learned some more about the situation, he took out a pen and paper from the kudzu bag and wrote: "Modong Li Luo, returned from the Central Plains, and the Li family of Renzhou is suspected to be from Renzhou, but it has not been verified. He is nearly eight feet tall, twenty years old, with a white face and no beard, and a very lofty appearance. His wife, Cui, is twenty years old, nearly seven feet tall, with a face as white as jade and a beautiful appearance. to the fifth day of the first month of the sixteenth year of the Yuan Dynasty. ”

In fact, Li Luo and Cui Xiuning are both twenty-two, but they are both twenty years old.

After Gao Jian finished remembering, he took out a field deed from the kudzu bag and said: "The Li family in Modong has seven acres of land." This year, the poll tax is 600 wen, the field tax is 100 wen, and the east tax is 400 wen, a total of three 100 wen. ”

What the? Li Luo almost scolded. Although Cui Xiuning didn't understand, he didn't know it well.

Just a few days after I came, I have to pay three times and 100 yuan? Li Luo's previous calculation of the consistent tax was that there was no land tax. Now that seven acres of land have been suddenly divided, there is an extra land tax of more than two dollars at once. No wonder they are so kind to take the initiative to divide the land to outsiders, it turns out that this is the case.

But they haven't farmed yet, what's the point?

"Gao Murazheng, when I first arrived, I just wanted to divide the land and pay the field tax, how can it be reasonable in the world?" Li Luo said coldly.

Gao Jian saw that his expression was cold, and he didn't dare to offend easily, so he had to explain: "Master Li, if you have a family family, you naturally don't need to pay a penny. But there is no home to rely on, and dare to derelict his duties in Xia'an? This tax law was strictly enforced by the imperial court, and it was known that it was inappropriate, but it could only be done. The government has always been like this for the newly settled population! ”

Li Luo shook his head: "Then we don't want this field." For we did not depend on the fields for our occupation. ”

Gao Jian shook his head and said: "Of course you don't want Tian, but you still have to pay the field tax." The house where Your Excellency lives was originally owned by the Pan family, who had seven acres of land. But the Pan family was out of business, and the seven acres of land were taken back by the government. Now that this house has become the Li family, the Pan family's field next to this house will naturally be distributed to the Li family, and the Li family will have to pay the land tax for the Pan family. This is the government's rule. ”

Li Luo is really hehe, if you don't want land, you have to pay land tax, the Goryeo government is so talented. "I heard that the Min family only has eight acres of land, why don't you give the Pan family's seven acres to the Min family? The Min family will also pay an extra seven acres of land tax, which will not reduce the government tax! ”

Gao Jian was stunned for a moment, and said with a wry smile: "If the head of the Li family is a child of the family, the truth will definitely be known when you think about it, but it is not easy to say it clearly." ”

"So, the seven-acre tax is necessary?"

"Exactly. The law is like a sword! ”

"Can you give me some time?"

"If it is someone else, it must be delivered within three days. But the head of the Li family is different after all, and he is willing to be accommodating for one or two and delay for some time. However, it must be paid before the twentieth day of the lunar month at the latest. ”

"I'm so tired of Gao Muramasa, I'll invite Gao Mura to eat and drink in the future." Although Li Luo knew that Gao Jian was an empty favor, he couldn't help but accept it.

Gao Jian left the land deed, and said goodbye after being disturbed.

Li Luo and Cui Xiuning looked gloomy, even if the fire was burning, they didn't feel warm.