章 129: Chapter 129: The Corvée

In past years, the most that people would pay to avoid labor service was two or three taels of silver. This time, however, the required five taels made even the wealthier families in the surrounding villages hesitate. As for the poorer villages like Xiushui Village, the situation was even more difficult.

Suddenly, everyone in Xiushui Village stopped worrying about their crops and rushed back home to discuss the situation with their families.

Even Lin Dayou, who was cultivating on the mountain, was called back to the old family home by Lin Dashan to join the discussion. Lin Xiao, Lin Yun, and Lin Lei also wanted to be involved, so they followed along and headed down the mountain as well.

Originally, Mo Yuanjiao had planned to continue practicing his array engraving today, but seeing his master and the sect leader leave, he felt a bit frustrated. Isn't this just about the government assigning some labor? Why does it require such a serious family meeting? he thought, scratching his head in confusion. Unable to figure it out, he went back to the Array Hall to immerse himself in the "Basic Array Engraving Manual."

At the Lin family's old home, although the two branches of the family had long since separated in practice, their household registration remained unified, so they were still considered one family. This time, just like in previous years, they only needed to send one person for the labor service. However, the question of who should go became a point of contention.

While it was true that Lin Dashan had gone last time, that was a regular labor service assignment, not too strenuous—just moving some stones and digging some soil for ten days or so near Cuifeng Town. If it had been the usual kind of service, no one would have had any objections, and they would have simply taken turns.

But this time, it was an emergency conscription for reinforcing dikes, a task that could very well be life-threatening. As a result, the Lin family found themselves at an impasse.

The main disagreement was between Lin Dayou and Lin Dashan. Lin Dayou believed that since it was his turn, he should go. But Lin Dashan, as the older brother, felt it was his duty to protect his younger brother and insisted on going instead.

Their stalemate left both Old Man Lin and Granny Lin at a loss. They couldn't bear to see either of their sons in danger, so they suggested paying the five taels to avoid the service altogether. Though they didn't have the full amount, they thought they could scrape together the rest.

However, both Lin Dayou and Lin Dashan were against this idea. It was too difficult to save money, and spending it all at once would make life even harder in the future.

The issue didn't drag on for long, though. It was resolved when Lin Xiao pulled out five taels of silver, the earnings from his time in the county, after buying supplies and still having seven or eight taels left. He used the money to solve the immediate crisis for his family.

Although he felt that with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, he could handle the labor service without any problems, he hesitated when his father gave him a sharp look as soon as he stepped forward to volunteer. Well, no matter how strong my cultivation is, my father definitely won't let me go for the service, Lin Xiao thought.

So, he opted to use money instead.

When Lin Xiao produced the five-tael silver ingot, a brief, awkward silence fell over the Lin family.

Lin Dashan thought, Even after all this time, I sometimes forget that my nephew is a cultivator.

Old Man Lin cleared his throat and declared, "Alright, since the money issue is settled, you two brothers can stop arguing and stay home!"

He then turned to Lin Xiao and said, "Sanlang, we'll consider this money as a loan from you. We've got four taels and fifty coins at home. Once we gather the remaining fifty coins, Grandpa will repay you, okay?"

Before Lin Xiao could respond, Lin Dayou quickly interjected, "Dad, what are you saying? This service was supposed to be mine, and Sanlang's money is just sparing me from the labor. How could we ask for repayment?"

Lin Xiao nodded in agreement, "Exactly! Grandpa, don't treat me like an outsider. We're family, and as long as we stick together, anything that can be solved with money isn't really a problem!"

He trusted that even if he didn't ask for the money back, his family wouldn't try to take advantage of him. For him, the warmth and unity of his family were far more precious than any amount of silver. He would gladly pay any price to maintain that.

With the matter resolved, peace returned to the Lin household. However, similar discussions were taking place in homes throughout Xiushui Village and across all the towns under Anqun County's jurisdiction.

In most households, the able-bodied men were trying to find ways to avoid being the one to go.

Liu Yunian, on the other hand, didn't have to worry. His family had long since separated from the main Liu household, so he was the only male registered under their household. He only needed to pay a hundred coins, which, while a significant sum for many rural families, was manageable for him after making some money on his recent trip to the county.

As for Tietou's family, somehow, the responsibility of labor service ended up falling on him.

Tietou's father had taken a job building a house in the neighboring village and wasn't home. Tietou's mother protested tearfully, but to no avail. In the end, the Hu family submitted Tietou's name for the service.

When the village chief saw that they had submitted Tietou's name, he was surprised. The Hu family wasn't the wealthiest, but they had a sizable household. Tietou's father was the eldest of three brothers, and they all lived together, so there were plenty of adults who could have taken on the responsibility. But it wasn't his place to interfere in family matters, especially since Tietou had already turned thirteen and was considered an adult under Pusi Kingdom law. From the age of twelve, males were taxed as adults.

As for Jiang Youfu, he didn't have to worry about such matters at all. His grandmother always kept his pockets full of roasted beans and only asked him to do light chores before letting him go off to play.

Sun Yigao's family didn't have to worry either...

But early the next morning, before dawn, when the village was still preoccupied with the conscription, a small figure appeared at the entrance to Xiushui Village.

It was a young boy.

He was small and slight, his face smudged with dirt, but in stark contrast to his grubby face, his hair was neatly tied in a ponytail, and he wore a clean, albeit worn, outfit that had been washed to a pale color.