Capítulo 19: Chapter 19 Autumn Tax Part 1
Learn martial arts?
A martial arts prodigy?
The people present mulled over the two phrases, feeling that something was off—such a person should not appear in Yixing City, at least not in the case of Liang Qu.
Who was he?
An orphan.
An identity that was exceptionally heavy in any era.
Other than selling oneself for survival, most became beggars, quietly starving to death in some winter.
The Liang family had never had it easy, and many neighbors still vividly remembered the death of the widower Liang Dajiang. His burial did not involve merely wrapping his body in a straw mat, but he did only receive a thin wooden coffin and a hasty burial in the mountain behind, marked by a wooden stele.
Liang Dajiang's fishing skills were quite mediocre as well, and other than a good boat that had been left behind, his home did not even have a fishing net. Naturally, his son, Liang Qu, wouldn't have been much better.
The only thing that could be considered good was perhaps that Liang Qu was not bad-looking, but in this world, no matter how handsome a boy was, no one would come to propose a marriage, let alone fill an empty stomach.
Yet, seeing the three brothers flee in disarray, it seemed this was the only explanation.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
They had thought that Liang Qu's fate would be no different from other orphans—either sold into servitude or begging. Unexpectedly, he was now unlike anyone else, transformed entirely.
First, his fishing yields improved, bringing in nearly a hundred coins worth of fish every day, and later he even caught a Treasure Fish of splendid quality, one that sold for the price of two. Now it appeared that the money he earned from selling fish was what he had used to learn martial arts.
Studying and practicing martial arts were always the best two paths for ordinary people to stand out.
Let's not talk about studying for now. As for learning martial arts, it wasn't far from the common folks. If they hadn't seen it, they had at least heard of it, yet they had never heard of someone from around here making a name for themselves through martial arts.
After learning, they couldn't even help their families hold onto a river mouth, irrigate more land, or catch extra fish—the money was wasted.
In contrast, Liang Qu seemed to have learned something valuable.
No matter what, being able to get to this point today proved that Liang Qu was not quite like ordinary people, and some began to offer compliments aloud.
"Ashui has come into his own; he will be a gentleman in the future."
"If he really becomes a martial master, he better not forget us neighbors."
"Exactly, exactly. Once you become a martial master, I'll let my son learn from you too!"
Liang Qu, looking at everyone's reactions, wasn't particularly pleased. He simply said it was his good fortune.
He revealed his martial arts training because he didn't want scoundrels knocking at his door every couple of days. Therefore, he conveyed two pieces of information to everyone.
One, I'm out of money, it's all been spent on martial arts training fees.
Two, I have a talent for martial arts, so if you're thinking of coming to freeload, weigh your options first.
Of course, there was another reason: his transformation would become increasingly significant, and when the time came, no questions needed to be asked; if asked, the answer was martial arts training.
What's that, you ask why others haven't undergone such changes? Do they have the outstanding foundation I have?
Planting a seed of possessing unique talent at the start made it less abrupt for the more outrageous changes that would follow.
Once the crowd's excitement had dissipated, and Liang Qu returned home, he moved aside the rice vat and dug out the Silver Coin buried in the dirt, breathing a sigh of relief once he confirmed not a single coin was missing.
It wouldn't be long before he had to pay the autumn taxes, and it would be a disaster if there were no money.
Fortunately, thanks to his Whipping Technique and every adult male's share of taxes and duties, a fisherman's tax was simple—one tael of silver per adult male.
However, since the purity of the silver varied and the standard was Official Silver, the issue of refining losses arose, naturally charged to the common people; the actual tax paid was about one tael and three coins.
In Dashun, one would be of age at sixteen. Technically, Liang Qu still lacked a few months, but those in the know understood that it didn't matter whether you were short by a few months or even a year—you were "sixteen".
It was just unfortunate that, theoretically, after being whipped, you should be able to pay with silver directly. Yet, several jurisdictions in the Jianghuai Zeye region still had to continue paying in grain to supply the capital city.
Because of this, he would need to buy rice tomorrow, or else the price could skyrocket.
After setting his plans, Liang Qu tucked the money into his chest and then took out a stick to draw a table on the ground—starting his martial arts training.
Recording growth in a table, to determine the best time and efficiency for training was considered a Scientific Physical Training Method.
The next morning.
Liang Qu took his silver and went to the Rice Shop early, finding that there were still quite a few people buying rice.
He entered through the door directly across, looked up to see a long counter, and beside it, a row of rice bins filled more than halfway for display. If one were buying a small amount, they could take it away in containers. For larger purchases, they would fetch the goods from a small storeroom.
The Shopkeeper sat behind the counter, fiddling with an abacus, painting strokes with a writing brush. Seeing someone come in, he glanced over and continued with his own business.
Liang Qu looked plain and poorly dressed, not like someone with money. Naturally, the Shopkeeper wasn't interested in serving him.
"Here, take this, thirty-six wen in total, pay at the counter."
"Young man, take a look, which kind of grain would you like?"
An attendant, on the other hand, greeted with enthusiasm, rushed over after finishing his tasks, even making time to answer questions from others.
Liang Qu looked over; polished rice, brown rice, inferior rice, glutinous rice, sweet potatoes—there were quite a variety, just no prices marked.
"How much for a jin of polished rice?"
"Ten wen a jin."
"So expensive? Wasn't it just nine wen a jin a few days ago?"
The attendant laughed, "Isn't this the autumn tax period? People buying rice has increased. Nobody wants to do tough jobs, so naturally, the price changes every day. If you come in a couple of days, it might even be eleven or twelve."
Such rapid changes; no wonder there were no price tags, Liang Qu thought.
"Can't it be a bit cheaper?"
"This..."
Tap.
The Shopkeeper put down his brush and looked up indifferently, "This is the price everywhere now. If you want to buy, then buy; if not, please leave quickly. The store isn't large; make way for others."
Liang Qu felt a twitch in the corner of his eye and really wanted to take off his shoe and smack him with it, but Yixing City had only this one Rice Shop. Offending them meant he could only go to Pingyang Town to buy his rice.
A stone of rice weighs over one hundred fifty jin, carrying it for over ten miles would likely be deadly tiring, and if you hired a cart, that would be an unnecessary expense.
Moreover, a stone of rice might not be enough. If you encounter a cheating seller, they might count a stone of rice as only seven dou, necessitating the purchase of one and a half stones to be safe.
Having money and grain was truly a show of might.
Not wanting to cross paths with money, Liang Qu could only continue to inquire, "One jin of rice is ten wen, but if I buy one and a half stones and pay with silver, how much would that be?"
"One and a half stones paid in silver?" The Shopkeeper pondered it and fiddled with his abacus, "That would be one tael and six coins of silver, how about that?"
Liang Qu silently calculated. He wasn't very skilled at bargaining; he generally just listened to the price, and if it seemed fair, he would buy, if not, he would walk away.
One and a half stones for one tael and six coins of silver, that seemed reasonable.
"Alright, then one tael and six coins it is." Liang Qu took out his money pouch. The attendant next to him reached out, but Liang Qu dodged, "Does your Rice Shop deliver rice to homes?"
"Your home is in...?"
"Just in Yixing City."
"Then of course it's included."
"Alright, bring out the rice."
Liang Qu paid directly, not worried about being duped.
One thing he felt content with since arriving in ancient times was that shops wouldn't cheat the local people. If they wanted to exploit someone, they did it openly. Like the fishing trap, where they'd hit you willingly, telling you upfront how much they'd cheat you without sneaky tricks. Otherwise, with the population's mobility here, they'd not survive.
After the rice was delivered and arranged at home, Liang Qu bought two baskets for the rice, a quilt, two sets of clothes, two pairs of cloth shoes, a good fishing net, a bar of soap, a pig-bristle toothbrush, and some tooth powder, spending all his money.
Carrying the quilt on his back and holding a pile of things, Liang Qu reflected on how money really doesn't last long; He had only purchased some daily necessities and the remaining one plus tael of silver was gone.
However, hugging the soft quilt, he was certain he'd sleep well tonight.
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