When the two sisters saw Mrs. Wang, they called out sweetly in unison: "Aniang!"
"Where's Dad?" Wang asked as he walked over.
Xu Yue handed a half-full bowl of oil residue to her mother-in-law and replied: "My father went to the mill to grind flour and make pork dumplings for lunch. Mother, this oil residue is delicious, you can try it."
Mrs. Wang twisted one and tasted it before pushing back all the oil residue and letting the two sisters eat it by themselves.
"Isn't it delicious?" Xu Yuehu asked.
Mrs. Wang nodded, of course it’s delicious.
But looking at the small stature of the two sisters, he said funnyly: "You are still growing, eat more to supplement your nutrition."
Xu Yue and Xu Erniang looked at each other, feeling both warm and heartbroken.
With their small bodies, I'm afraid it will take them another ten years to reach adulthood. It will be a long time~
Not long after the mother and son stayed in the kitchen, Xu Da came back holding the ground flour.
The old woman who complained about the mill as soon as he entered the door scolded him for wasting time and grinding flour all morning, which affected other people.
Xu Yue dipped her hand into some ground flour and looked at it. It was very fine and almost the same as the refined flour of later generations.
He immediately happily took the flour clay pot and told Xu Da that his scolding was not in vain, "We will have dumplings to eat soon!"
The family's eyes suddenly lit up and they were looking forward to it.
Ever since the night she settled in the county town, Xu Yue took out the remaining quick-frozen dumplings in the small kitchen of the laboratory and fried them for her family to eat. The fried dumplings became the white moonlight that the family wanted but could not have.
With fine flour, this wish can be realized immediately.
The development of pasta in Daqing has been very mature. There are people selling fermented yeast on the streets. If you want to make buns and steamed buns in the future, you can also eat them.
Xu Dalang is responsible for rolling out the dough, Xu Da is responsible for chopping the meat filling, Xu Erniang is responsible for lighting the fire, and Xu Yue is responsible for technical guidance and seasoning.
Wang, who had been tired for several days, was ordered not to work by her family, so she sat under the eaves and warmed up the small stove, quietly watching the family members working in the kitchen.
When all the ingredients were ready, the family washed their hands and gathered around the Kang to make dumplings.
Except for Xu Yue, everyone else has just learned how to make dumplings, so the dumplings they make are all kinds of weird, but because they are made by themselves, they taste particularly delicious.
Xu Da cooked two large bowls full and dipped them in vinegar. The family of five ate until they were full, and they lay down in a row on the kang, feeling satisfied and happy.
As I was lying down, there was a commotion outside the door, and then the courtyard door was banged with bangs!
The family of five looked at each other and sat up from the warm Kang. The mother and son stayed in the house while Xu Da went out to open the door.
As soon as the courtyard door opened, two officials rushed in. Xu Da almost thought that he had committed something and was going to be arrested and imprisoned.
When I asked, I found out that they were here to collect taxes.
"Taxation? I wonder what kind of tax Chai is talking about?" Xu Da asked carefully.
I was thinking that Liu Rong had clearly said before that they were newly settled refugees and could be exempted from taxes and fees for one year. Why did they suddenly collect taxes again?
At this time, it was also very lively outside the door. Many officials came from Beicheng, knocking on doors to collect taxes and fees. Everyone was as confused as Xu Da.
Obviously, nothing like this had ever happened before.
An officer held a gong in his hand and shouted:
"The new document issued by the superiors, what is being collected this time is the Dong'an tax. According to the head of each household, children under ten years old are worth fifty cents per person, and children over ten and under fifty are one hundred cents!"
A bunch of poor people in Beicheng City are already living a very difficult life. Seeing that they can now go out to play Kang with Master Xu and earn some hard money, they still think that they can have a good year this year.
But I didn't expect that after receiving this document, I would have to pay an additional Andong tax that I don't know what it is. All of a sudden, the already poor family would be even worse.
The Xu Yue family can get the money, but this confusing way of increasing taxes makes people unhappy.
Moreover, the preferential tax-free treatment policy mentioned before is of no use at all.
Facing Xu Da's inquiry, the official who came to collect taxes pointed to the city gate and said, "Look, how many refugees are coming from south to north?"
Master Xu's famous official has also heard that his own fire bed is currently being held by the brothers of the fire bed gang led by Wang Dayou, so his attitude towards Xu Da is quite gentle.
He sighed: "Brother, to tell you the truth, from the time the list of disaster victims was issued until now, you are the only two families who have come to our river. I have never seen the others."
“How can we continue to implement relief measures since there are no victims?”
Having said that, he didn't want to waste any more words with Xu Da, so he motioned to him to pay the tax money quickly.
At this time, Liu Rong, an acquaintance, walked in. Seeing Xu Dabian, he smiled helplessly and said:
"The twelve counties in Hejian County are all the same, and you are not the only one. We official servants also have to pay Andong tax. Brother Xu, please pay the money and go inside to warm up. This little money will be beneficial to your family.
It’s probably nothing to say.”
His eyes seemed to be saying, I know your family is not short of money, so don't pretend to be poor.
Xu Dake didn't know that Liu Rong had seen Wang bring back so many prey yesterday. He just thought he was joking about bringing people to Pan Kang, so he smiled flatteringly, said nothing more, and went into the house to get the money.
Xu Yue and Xu Erniang were under ten years old, so they only had to pay fifty cents. Wang, Xu Da and Xu Dalang each had one hundred cents, and a family of five had to pay four hundred cents.
Xu Yue took out the money from the research room, her heart, liver, spleen and lungs ached. She struggled with Xu Da for two times to decide whether to hand it over or not, but Xu Da snatched it away. Her face collapsed and she fell into her sister's arms.
Depressed.
Mrs. Wang patted her little daughter's head comfortingly, "It's okay. I'll ask your father to earn it back for us later."
Xu Yue felt a little better. When Xu Da sent Liu Rong and others back, she couldn't help but asked in confusion:
"Dad, why do we need to add an extra winter fee to the good people? Is it possible that the Hejian County treasury is already so poor that we can't open the pot?"
Xu Da shook his head. He didn't know much news, but when he was sitting on the Kang in the prefect's mansion a few days ago, he heard some news about Yanzhou.
Xu Da poured himself a cup of hot water to moisten his throat and asked:
"Do you still remember the reinforcements from the Yuan family in Jizhou that we met on the road when we headed to Puyang, Dongjun?"
Xu Yue nodded, she still remembered that there was a young white-faced general in the Jizhou Army.
"Before, young lady, you said that Jizhou was going to eat Yanzhou, which is true, but Jizhou probably didn't expect that a Xuzhou Cao clan would come out halfway, and before the Jizhou army arrived, they first killed the Yanzhou herdsmen and then surrendered.
The Red Scarf Army incorporated them into its ranks."
"The Jizhou reinforcements have not returned yet. I guess the so-called Andong tax increased this time is related to this matter."
Hearing this, Xu Yue immediately looked at A Niang.
