Fight the Giants

  Chapter 102 Drenching tip and kicking dendrobium

  After Yang Fu left, Huo Xi climbed onto the grain bag to check the grain.

  Finding that the oilcloth was well covered and not damp, he was relieved. As soon as the sun came out, the tarpaulin was lifted again, exposing the grain bag to dry in the sun.

   "Boy Huo, didn't you go ashore with your uncle?" Yu Jiang asked her from the bow of his boat.

   "Good morning, Uncle Yu. I want to stay and see how the food is delivered."

  Yu Jiang smiled, thinking that the kid had gone ashore with everyone to watch the fun.

  In the middle of the day, the sun has risen high.

  He Feng, who hadn't seen him for a day, rowed over, and Huo Xi greeted him: "Brother He."

  He Feng nodded to her with a smile: "It will be Bingzi's turn in a while. As soon as the boat ahead moves, you all row the boat over."

   "Okay, Brother He, don't worry."

  Seeing that He Feng was about to leave, Huo Xi stopped him again: "Brother He, if there is nothing wrong with unloading the food later, can you return by yourself, or do you want to return together? Do you have any ideas?"

He Feng then said: "Before, when you were packing grain in Jiangning County, you had a bamboo stick. When handing over, you presented the bamboo stick to the supervisor, and handed over the grain on the bamboo stick. After the handover, I will give you Take a bamboo stick that has been redeemed, and you take it back to the Hebo Office for registration, and at the end of the year you can get a certain amount of fishing tax discount on this sign."

  Seeing that Huo Xi nodded, he said again: "After the payment is over, you can return on your own, but the stay should not exceed the time limit. The tank boats behind are still coming to Huai'an, so don't affect the grain delivery of the tank boats behind."

   "Yes, thank you Brother He Feng."

  He Feng nodded to her and left by boat.

   After waiting for a while, the boat ahead moved, Huo Xiyao woke up Huo Erhuai, and the father and daughter quickly rowed the boat to the pier.

   "Bingzi No. 1, stop the ship."

  Huo Erhuai hastily stopped the boat. Immediately, someone set up a gangplank on the boat, and supervisors boarded the boat to inspect the grain and check the bamboo sticks.

   "Bingzi No. 1, eighty stones!"

As soon as the words fell, Huo Xi saw a dozen or so porters boarding her family's boat. Someone climbed onto the grain bag and unloaded the grain. There was a porter with his back to the grain bag, and stretched his hand behind to put the grain on the boat. He picked up the bag on his back, bent down again, and walked to the shore after carrying the grain.

  Going to the pier, a steward stuffed a bamboo chip into the hand of the porter, and the porter carried the grain to the grain exchange place at the pier.

  Huo Xi saw that each porter received a bamboo chip at the pier for every bag of grain he carried. Look at the waist of the porter, there is a bag tied to it, containing several, dozens of bamboo chips.

   "Xi'er, what is the bamboo stick in the porter's hand for? Is it the same as our bamboo stick?"

  Huo Xi shook his head: "It should be counted. After moving the food, it will be used to settle wages with bamboo chips."

  Just like she and Yang Fu were moving goods at the outer city wharf, some boat owners would also give bamboo chips to the movers, and after the shipment of a ship was finished, the bamboo chips would be used to settle the copper bills.

   "Then why didn't you just issue copper coins?" Yu Jiang was also on the Huo family's boat, very puzzled, isn't this superfluous?

"The distribution of copper coins is easy to lose. If they are lost on the way to move the goods, it will be a waste of a day. And it is not easy to settle and distribute. Those porters will take the bamboo chips to the settlement window after the day's work, and change the copper coins uniformly before returning home. In this way It is not easy to lose or be stolen. It is convenient for those who settle wages, and it is also convenient for porters.”

  Yu Jiang nodded after listening. This trip has really gained a lot of insight.

  Huo Xi turned his gaze to the pier again.

  See those porters carrying the grain bags onto the wharf and stacking them in one place, and then the supervisor on the shore will open the grain bags one by one and pour them into the official dendrobium.

  The grain inspector next to him stood aside and inspected the quality of the grain to see if there was any evidence of fraud, missing catties, or the grain was damp and moldy.

  After inspecting the grain, the guards will shovel up the grain, lift up the chaff, and then bag the grain.

  Then according to different types of grain and different purposes, they are pulled by porters or carts to different warehouses for storage.

   This is a little different from when farmers pay grain taxes.

  Both the previous dynasty and the current dynasty stipulated that farmers should not pay gold and silver when paying grain taxes, but only grain, and they should pay it themselves. Transport taxes and food to the destination by yourself, and bear the expenses and losses along the way.

  Some county governments want to be greedy for taxation, so there is a word called "drenching and kicking dendrobium".

  It is to ask farmers to pour grain into the dendrobium. The official dendrobium is a vessel used by the government to measure the amount of grain. One dendrobium is ten dou, one dou is ten liters, ten dou is one stone, and one dendrobium is one stone.

  Pour grain into the dendrobium, and it will be counted as a "dendrobium" if it reaches a tip.

   Not only that, but the yamen servants kicked Dendrobium vigorously when collecting taxes and grains. In this way, the pointed part of the grain in the dendrobium will fall, and this part of the fallen grain is "loss".

   This part of the loss will be put into the government's pocket openly.

  So this kick, for the peasants, if they had to pay a grain tax of one shi, they happened to bring only one shi, so it was over. It is definitely necessary to go back to get food to make up for it, or to hand over copper coins to the guards, and this is the end of the matter.

  Most farmers are aware of this trick, and they will bring more wasted grain to prepare for the exploits of the servants.

   And for the yamen servant, this kick is also very skillful. You can't kick too hard, kick the Hu down, and have to reload. If you kick too little, you won't be able to achieve your goal, but if you kick too much, it may arouse public resentment.

   When the time comes, the people will be full of grievances, and if they can't be suppressed, they will die.

  So this kick is really a technical job.

  The "style" of this kick needs to be fast, accurate and ruthless, short and fast. Many yamen servants need to practice before taking office.

  Huo Xi also wanted to see this kind of kick, and was afraid of being exploited, so he didn't go ashore with Yang Fu and others. Her house is equipped with 80 shi grains, my dear, if this is kicked, her family will have to make up a lot of lost money!

   But I didn't expect that the supervisors and officials of the Huai'an Wharf would not come to inspect the grain?

   Strange.

   Is it because their grain was brought by the capital? And it was escorted by the garrison of the capital? Huaian Cang dare not make a move to be greedy?

   Or is it only a few months since the new emperor ascended the throne, so he dare not make any big moves?

   This is the first year of the new emperor's ascension to the throne, and the new emperor restarted the northward levying and transportation of grain.

  Looking at it, Huo Xi heaved a sigh of relief. Otherwise, if there is no money for this journey, and you have to pay for losses, that is called an injustice.

  Huo Xi was afraid to vomit blood all over his face.

   After more than an hour, the Huo family's boat was emptied of 80 shi of grain. Huo Erhuai also got the signed bamboo strips.

  The father and daughter let out a long sigh of relief.

   This is the sixth day out, so it's over.

   "Father, let's row the boat forward."

   There are grain ships waiting to be delivered behind, so don't block the way of others.

"Hey. It's finally over. Dad is relieved after talking all the way. After a while, you and Fu'er will go to the shore for a stroll, buy some good things for your mother and Nian'er, and bring them back to make them happy. Happy."

   "Well. Dad won't go with us?"

   "Father wants to look at our boat, there are many good things on board."

  As Huo Erhuai said, he rowed the boat forward and found a place to stop. After tying it up, I saw Yang Fu happily looking for it.

   "Brother-in-law, Xi'er!"

   "Fu'er, why are you so happy. Did you find a cloth merchant to collect silk?"

  Hearing this, Huo Xi cheered up, and also looked towards Yang Fu.

   There are easter eggs~

  (end of this chapter)