Li Qiu waited for Old Man Li to finish speaking, and then arranged: "The rice at our house has been put away for drying, and we don't have to go to the town to set up a stall in the future, and the yarn for weaving is also available, and I have been weaving cloth at home with your sister-in-law these days. ”

"I also have a younger brother, the second brother's family relies on the family's three acres of land income, we will regularly go to the Canton restaurant to send Houttuynia cordata in the future, I want the second brother to plant with us, and open up more wasteland behind the land, when the time comes, the two families will divide it equally, and half of the silver sent to the Canton restaurant will be given to the second brother's family, and the excess will be dried and stored as food to eat, and we will tell the village people next spring, everyone will plant some as food to eat, I will go to the second brother's house with the boss later! By the way, I informed Brother Dadao and Uncle Jiang, we won't set up stalls in the future, and they won't have to send meat and fish anymore, you say it's okay. When Mr. Li's father and mother died, he explained that the two brothers wanted to help each other, and there was no condition to help Li Zhongshun before, but now that the family has a way to make money, Mr. Li thought of his younger brother.

"Our big house and family all agree that it is appropriate to help the second uncle." Li Yangde took the lead in expressing his position.

Li Yangwu saw that the second brother had spoken, "Our second room also agrees, the second uncle's family is our closest relative, we can't eat meat and watch them drink soup, this is not what relatives should do." ”

"I haven't set up a family yet, I listen to my parents and brothers." Li Yangming said a little shyly.

Old Man Li looked at the sons in the family who were very sensible and filial, and he was relieved, "Okay! You are all good children, and the Li family will rely on you in the future. ”

After this family meeting, the Li family will develop in a new direction, which may be good or bad, and time will tell.

The next day, the day will be bright, "Dong Dong Dong...... pay attention, please pay attention, the villagers of Lijia Village, today is the day when the government collects taxes, please don't run around, and the people from the government will go to each house one by one to collect taxes, please get ready. Everyone in Lijia Village was woken up by the sound of bangzi, and listened carefully to the fact that it was Village Chief Li who informed the people in the village about the payment.

The old man Li and the three brothers of the Li family, who went out to do farm work early in the morning, also took a hoe into the courtyard, and several juniors who were still sleeping were also woken up, rubbing their eyes in a daze and groping for their clothes and walking to the yard.

"Grandpa, are there any people from the government who come to our house today?" Li Chenggang was also disturbed by the sound of gongs and drums in the courtyard, and when he saw that the old men Li had gone home, he couldn't help but be curious.

Old Man Li looked at the juniors in the yard, "Yes! You wait a while, don't run around, just stay at home, the adults are busy with the affairs of the endowment, you take care of the third child. ”

"Don't worry! Dad, let's have breakfast now! Lest I wait for the official to come and miss the meal, and I don't know when I will be able to eat, I will go to the kitchen and ask my mother. After Li Yangming finished speaking, he turned around and ran to the kitchen.

Seeing Li Qiu's who was preparing to scoop rice, Li Yangming stepped forward to help bring a bowl out, "It's time to eat, let's go into the kitchen and serve rice." ”

Seeing Li Yangming serving the meal, the other small ones also hurried into the kitchen to help, after the food was served, everyone began to eat, but today they didn't sit in the hall to eat, everyone squatted in the courtyard with the dishes and bowls, and kept paying attention to the situation in the village.

The sound of crying can be heard in the distance, it should be the official messenger urging people to pay the money, the Li family is a little ignorant of the taste of hastily ending the morning food, anxiously waiting for the official to arrive, fortunately, the family has just earned a sum of money recently, if the food is not enough, there is still the confidence to pay the silver.

"Bang bang bang bang ......, Brother Ting Yuan, open the door quickly, Master Yang is here." Hearing the sound of Village Chief Li knocking on the door, Old Man Li was in front and the others were behind, so he hurriedly got up and went out to greet him.

Old Man Li opened the door and saw that it was Village Chief Li who entered the courtyard with a middle-aged man wearing a crown, a blue robe with a blue edge, and a white face and a fat body, followed by ten Tsing Yi Catchers, Lin Zheng and Wu San were also among them.

"This is Master Yang's book, and he is specially ordered by Luozhi County to collect this year's taxes in our Lijia Village." Village Chief Li introduced.

Old man Li hurriedly got out of the way and let the Yang master bookkeepers enter the house, the men of the Li family moved out of the table and chairs and put them in the courtyard, the woman entered the house to prepare tea, and the old man Li arched his hand and said: "Yang Zhubo, Li Village Chief and all the catchers, please sit down, Li Tingyuan of Lijia Village, grass people." ”

Lord Yang took the lead into the courtyard and sat on the main seat of the tables and chairs placed in the courtyard, and the others sat in the courtyard.

"Bring me the family registration records here." Master Yang asked the messenger around him to move a box of bamboo slips.

Yang Zhubo found out the household registration records of Lijia Village, turned to the records of Li Tingyuan's family, and read: "Li Tingyuan in Lijia Village has a total of 12 people, including 7 men, 3 people who are 15 years old and above, and the family has five acres of land, including 3 acres of rice and 2 acres of cash crops. ”

After listening to the words of Master Yang, everyone breathed a sigh of relief for the time being, in previous years, the rice at home would be sold to pay back, rice is a relatively expensive grain, and the money sold is exchanged for low-priced grain to eat, which is a common practice for everyone in previous years, fortunately, there has been a large amount of new income recently.

Old Man Li replied to Master Yang: "Master Yang, the grass people don't need grain to replace them this year, and the household and Ding Fu pay the silver money, please arrange for someone to go into the house with the grass people to say the rice that needs to be paid." ”

"Okay, this is the official who went to Lijia Village today, one of the few families that are relatively simple, it seems that there are still a few rich families in your village, and a few of you will go in to weigh the grain." Master Yang stretched out his hand and pointed to a few messengers, asking them to enter the house with the scale and weigh the grain.

"My lord praised it, the grass people were similar to other people's families in previous years, and this year I went to the town to do a little business, and I can make a living. Old Man Li led the way in front, followed by four poor people, and the eldest and second brothers followed into the utility room.

Li Qiu's family went into the house to get the silver money of 122015 Wen to be paid, and half an hour later, the Li family finished handing over the Tianfu, Hufu, and Ding Fu to be paid this year, and politely sent Yang Zhushu, the messenger, and the village chief Li and others out of the door.

After closing the courtyard door, the family's hanging hearts were both relieved and a little heavy, and they each found a place to sit in the courtyard, and Old Man Li sat on the top, "The life of the common people in this world is really difficult!" If it weren't for the money I earned this year, we wouldn't have been able to keep a pound of rice, and I estimate that there are still eight stones of rice left at home, and I don't know what the situation is in the second brother's family. ”

"I think most of the people in the village can't pay enough, they may only be able to sell their children, daughters, and land to borrow debts, if someone sells the land, the land of the Wenshan brothers and sisters will take this opportunity to buy it back! It is not easy for everyone to reduce the price. Li Qiu sighed.

"Well, mother, you're right, usually no one sells land, if you have the opportunity, you can buy two acres of land, the household registration of Wenshan brothers and sisters is still in Wenjia Village, and there is no field at present, because Wenshan is still young, there is no need to pay Tian Fu and Ding Fu, but when Wenjia Village collects it in a few days, it is necessary to pay ten taels of silver." Li Yangde was worried.

Hearing Li Yangde's words, Wen Shan stood up, "Grandpa Li, Grandma Li, uncles and aunts, you have taken good care of our brothers and sisters, the last time my father's funeral and my sister were sold, I have borrowed eight taels of silver from you, we can't let you pay ten taels of silver for us anymore, and the money from the sale of the fields in Wenjia Village will be used to pay the ten taels of silver!" There is no need to buy us land anymore, we can't plant too little and still have to work for you, if you buy land, wait until next year, in addition to the household endowment, we will increase the pressure of the field endowment, we can no longer drag you down, please listen to me, as for the land at home, when I grow up, I believe that I will be able to earn it back on my own. Wen Shan said firmly, and then pulled his sister to kneel, hoping that the Li family would agree.

"Hey! Don't kneel at your knees, you kid! Hurry up, we took these problems into account when we asked you to come to our house, and since you brothers and sisters insist on asking for it, then let's do it! We can't guarantee that you will have a good life, but if there is food for our Li family, you two brothers and sisters, don't kneel down in the future, we are a family. Old Man Li and Li Qiu stepped forward to help the two brothers and sisters and admonished.

"Yes, everyone should think on the bright side, this year the family has earned money and surplus food, and next year will be better." Li Yangqing also comforted everyone.

"Big brother, big brother, open the door." Li Yangwu heard Li Zhongshun's voice, and quickly ran to open the courtyard door, "Second uncle, are you doing it for taxes?" ”

"No, I'm going to trouble my eldest brother to lend me some silver, the money is not enough!"

"Second brother, you speak slowly." Old Man Li stepped forward to greet Li Zhongshun and arranged for him to sit down.

"Big brother, I have harvested about ten stones of rice in three acres of rice field, two stones in the field, and the household and Ding Fu need to pay ten two hundred and fifty Wen, and there are only two taels of silver at home, so I will mortgage all the rice, all the Fu adds up to 11 taels and eight hundred and fifty Wen, and I am still short of 850 Wen, I need to borrow another one or two silver from my brother for emergency relief, Yang Zhubo is still waiting at my house!" Li Zhongshun's anxious face was sweating, and his hands grabbed his clothes and feet hard and put them down, and there was nowhere to put them.

"Second brother, don't worry, I'll lend it to you, I told you about planting Houttuynia cordata last time, you will take the two brothers Li Si and my family to open up the wasteland tomorrow, and we will share half of the money from the sale, and we will make food for more." Old Man Li hurriedly asked Li Qiu to take out a tael of silver and hand it over to Li Zhongshun.

Li Zhongshun took the silver with both hands and said gratefully: "Big brother, thank you, the silver is not divided in half, you have many families, you all take care of me, I will give three manpower to divide the money, and it will be completed in three parts, so be it!" I don't want more, I'll go first. ”

After Li Zhongshun finished speaking, he didn't have time to stay any longer, so he hurried home with the silver.

"Dad, Houttuynia cordata generally yields about 5,000 catties per mu, if planted well, the yield of an acre can reach 6,000 catties, and it can be harvested in the year when planted in winter and spring or early summer, and can be planted all year round. This year's main thing is to sell money, next year's spring and other people in the village have planted, the price can not be sold, and it is not even worth much, tomorrow with the second uncle on the slope behind the house to open two points of wasteland to manage well, and also save some as food to eat. ”

"Okay, let's make some more money from it this year, and teach the village to plant next year!" Old Man Li agreed.