Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 314 - 313: Household Tax

Qin Yao lightly coughed twice, feeling a rare moment of guilt.

But it was just for a moment.

She handed the letter on the table to Ah Wang, "Go to Lin County and deliver this letter for me."

Ah Wang took it, nodded in agreement, driven by habit, seeing that the envelope had an address and a recipient’s name, he had no concept of asking why. He tucked the letter into his chest, turned around, and was about to go deal with the fat fish in his hands.

Qin Yao hurriedly called him back and instructed, "Make sure the letter is delivered to the person directly, and don’t reveal your identity, also!"

Ah Wang quietly waited for her to continue.

"Be safe."

Ah Wang’s eyelashes fluttered quickly a few times, nodded, "Okay."

Qin Yao took out the prepared travel expenses and handed them to him, a small purse containing two hundred cents and the [Smiling Half-step Madness]and [Seven-step Fall]he prepared for her previous travel.

"You might need it," Qin Yao teased.

Ah Wang’s mouth slightly twitched, he took out the two essential travel medicine bottles and placed them on the windowsill, only taking the purse, and turned around, using his stubborn back to tell her: Please don’t insult his ability!

Qin Yao shrugged with a smile, "If you don’t want it, forget it." She put it away herself.

"Leave after lunch, ride Old Huang, I’ll take the ox cart to pick up Da Lang and them in the afternoon."

Ah Wang understood that she was in a hurry. He quickened his pace in cleaning the fish and, in less than half an hour, served a pot of spicy fish on the dining table.

After quickly finishing two large bowls of rice, he put down his chopsticks, went to the attic to pack simply, and rode away.

Qin Yao suddenly remembered something, looked up at the sky that had just cleared but was now turning cloudy, and sighed helplessly, "It’s going to rain tonight."

She didn’t mention taking a raincoat.

But the person had already disappeared, Qin Yao could only wait for him to come back to educate him.

In the afternoon, it wasn’t Ah Wang who picked them up, which made Da Lang Brothers and Sisters four unaccustomed, but seeing their mother, they were pleasantly surprised.

Qin Yao drove the ox cart past a muddy path where a wide and smooth new road appeared, the ox cart ran steadily and quickly.

The road into the village had been two-thirds completed, only the last section was left, it was expected to be completed by October, by then the time needed from Liu Family Village to Jinshi Town would be cut by a third.

Originally it took three hours to walk back and forth, once the road is completed, it would only take two hours.

It would be even faster to drive or ride a horse.

Now that two-thirds of the road was done, Qin Yao felt it took much less time to drive than before.

Upon arriving at Liu Family Village, it was late afternoon (around six-thirty).

The workers had left work twenty minutes earlier, the entrance to the stationery factory was closed, leaving only a small side door for the guards to enter and exit the warehouse.

The convoy had already set off again, starting to deliver the second batch of book boxes.

Bai Shan had no news during the autumn harvest period, maybe he was too busy, and it was unclear how the stationery boxes were selling.

Qin Yao thought about matters at the factory as the cart slowed down and when she reached the village well, she saw villagers gathered there, and the village chief was notifying everyone to prepare to pay the grain tax.

"In a few days, the government officer collecting the grain will arrive, so each household should quickly bring their grain tax to the ancestral hall here. The amount each family needs to pay has already been calculated by Liu Gong, if unclear, ask him to avoid confusion and trouble later."

After these instructions, he glanced at Qin Yao and her five children on the ox cart, walked over, and pointed at Da Lang to remind him:

"Your family should prepare extra for the household tax, Da Lang is already ten years old, from now on you’ll have to pay two hundred cents household tax annually."

The age limit for this household tax varies across dynasties, some collect at twelve, some at fifteen or eighteen, while others consider eight or nine already eligible.

Sheng Country’s is relatively early, but in terms of population, once Da Lang turns sixteen, he will be able to go to the government to receive thirty acres of land for farming.

This includes ten acres of mulberry fields, ten acres of grain fields, and ten acres of forest, but upon receiving it, he’ll have to start paying taxes.

However, such situations are constantly changing, and fixed amounts vary each year. It often correlates with population.

In the early days of the country’s establishment, with vast land and sparse population, such high land quotas existed.

Progressing to the mid-stage, such quotas disappeared.

One could also opt not to receive it, avoiding taxes, and the family could retain a labor force.

Liu Family Village’s residents did not apply; even Liu Fei did not apply, afraid of farming such vast land alone.

Moreover, acquiring the land means forming a separate household, and future labor obligations and taxes would be calculated separately. Most commoners found it not worthwhile.

This is also a reason why villagers avoid the division of the family household.

If someone is cut off from the family, they will be viewed differently for a lifetime by the villagers.

Da Lang never thought he would have to pay household tax, shocked and feeling he was causing trouble for the family, he remained silent all the way.

After returning home, he immediately called Second Lang, Sanlang, and Si Niang into the room and asked Second Lang to bring out all their saved allowances.

Second Lang knew his brother’s intentions, and usually tight-fisted, he didn’t hesitate, immediately pouring all the copper coins from the money box onto the bed.

Copper coins clattered onto the bedding, Sanlang couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

Si Niang looked at her second brother in excitement and curiously asked, "How much have we saved?"

Second Lang remembered the account clearly and answered, "Three hundred and eighty-one coins."

"If we hadn’t bought so many lanterns on the last trip to the Prefecture, we would have saved up to four hundred coins by now," Second Lang regretted.

The lanterns initially seemed fun to play with, but having grown tired of them, they now just sat in the corner of the table to be lit at night, but the candles needed to be pre-cut into segments to fit inside, which he found troublesome, and hadn’t lit them for a long time.

Thinking back now, he felt it would have been better if the money hadn’t been spent.

Sanlang, recalling the trip to the Prefecture, had entirely different feelings from his brother. He said, "But if we hadn’t bought them, we’d still be thinking about it and would buy something else instead, the money would still be spent, and even if we bought identical lanterns, they wouldn’t be from the Prefecture."

Si Niang nodded in agreement, the Dragon and Phoenix twins snickered, deciding to light the lanterns tonight!

Da Lang told them to stop arguing, selected two hundred coins, and asked his siblings for their opinions,

"I want to pay Aunt Yao’s household tax with this money, and when Second Lang and Sanlang reach the age of majority, you’ll use your allowances, is that okay?"

Si Niang curiously asked, "Don’t I have to pay, big brother?"

Da Lang shook his head, uncertain, there seemed to be other taxes like a head tax.

Si Niang said she’d ask the teacher tomorrow at school, and if she also had to pay, it would be even with her brothers.

If not, her brothers would make it up to her later.

Second Lang gave her a look, "Little miser."

Si Niang, refusing to be outdone, glared back, "Big miser!"

However, when their big brother decided to take the money, she nodded in agreement.

Second Lang and Sanlang also agreed, as they would also pay eventually.

Therefore, while Qin Yao was battling the evening meal in the kitchen, Da Lang walked in with the money, handed it to Qin Yao without saying anything, and then set to work diligently.

With Ah Wang absent, he knew his stepmother couldn’t make a decent dinner alone and didn’t want her to suffer, so he stepped up himself.