After Yang Fu left, Huo Xi climbed onto the grain bag to check the grain.
I was relieved when I found that the oilcloths were well covered and had not been affected by moisture. When the sun came out, I opened the oilcloths again and exposed the grain bags to dry in the sun.
"Boy Huo, why didn't you go ashore with your uncle to play?" Yu Jiang asked her from the bow of his boat.
"Good morning, Uncle Yu. I want to stay and see how the food is exchanged."
Yu Jiang smiled, thinking that the child had gone ashore with everyone to watch the fun.
In the middle of the morning, the sun has risen high.
He Feng, whom he hadn't seen for a day, rowed over in a boat. Huo Xi greeted him: "Brother He."
He Feng smiled and nodded to her: "It will be Bingzi's turn in a moment. As soon as the boat in front moves, you can row the boat close to it."
"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 to do after unloading the food, can we return on our own, or should we go back together? Is there anything you can say?"
He Feng then said: "Before, when you were loading grain in Jiangning County Yamen, you had a bamboo stick. When you exchanged it, you presented the bamboo stick to the supervisor and exchanged it with the grain contained on the bamboo stick. After the exchange, it will be given to you.
A bamboo stick that has been redeemed, you can take it back to the river station and register it, and you can use this bamboo stick to reduce a certain amount of fishing tax at the end of the year."
Seeing Huo Xi nodding, he added: "After the exchange is over, you can return on your own, but the stay cannot exceed the time limit. The following canal ships are still coming to Huai'an, so don't affect the following canal ships to deliver grain."
"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 Xi shook Huo Erhuai awake, and the father and daughter quickly rowed the boat to the dock.
"Bingzi No. 1, stop the ship."
Huo Erhuai hurriedly stopped the boat. Someone immediately put a gangplank on the boat, and a supervisor came on board to inspect the grain and check the bamboo sticks.
"Bingzi No. 1, eighty stones!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Xi saw about a dozen porters boarding her family's boat. Some people climbed onto the grain bags and unloaded the grain. There were bearers below who had their backs to the grain bags and reached back to unload the grain.
He put the bag on his back, bent down, carried the grain and walked to the shore.
When we got to the pier, a steward put a bamboo stick into the porter's hand, and the porter carried the grain to the grain redemption area at the pier.
Huo Xi then saw that each bearer received a bamboo stick at the dock for every bag of grain he carried. Looking at the waist of each bearer, there was a bag tied with several or dozens of bamboo sticks.
"Xi'er, what is the bamboo stick in the bearer's hand used for? Is it the same as our bamboo stick?"
Huo Xi shook his head: "It should be counted. After the food is moved, the bamboo chips will be used to settle wages."
Just like she and Yang Fu were moving goods at the outer city pier, some shipowners would also give the movers bamboo chips. After a ship's worth of goods had been moved, the copper coins would be settled with the bamboo chips.
"Then why not just issue copper coins?" Yu Jiang was also on the Huo family's boat and was very confused. Isn't this unnecessary?
"The copper coins are easy to fall off. If they are lost while moving the goods, the day's work will be in vain. And it is not easy to settle and distribute. The porters will finish their work for the day, take the bamboo chips to the settlement window, exchange the copper coins at once, and then return home. In this way
It won’t be easily lost or stolen. It’s convenient for the people who settle the wages, and it’s also convenient for the porters.”
Yu Jiang nodded after hearing this. This trip out has really gained a lot of knowledge.
Huo Xi turned his attention to the dock again.
I saw the porters carrying the grain bags onto the pier and piling them up in one place. Then the supervisor on the shore opened the grain bags one by one and poured them into the official harvest.
The grain inspector next to him stood aside to inspect the quality of the grain to see if there was any evidence of fraud, or if the grain was damp and moldy.
After inspecting the grain, the servants will shovel up the grain, lift up the chaff, and then bag the grain.
Then, according to different types of grain and different uses, they are pulled by porters or carts to different warehouses for storage.
This is slightly different from when farmers pay grain taxes.
Both the previous dynasty and this dynasty stipulated that farmers should not pay gold or silver when paying grain taxes, but only pay grain, and pay it themselves. They transport the taxed grain to the destination and bear the expenses and losses along the way.
Some county governments wanted to collect taxes, so they came up with a term called "Lin Jian Ki Hu".
It requires farmers to pour grain into dendrobium. The official dendrobium is a vessel used by the government to measure the amount of grain. One dendrobium is equal to ten dou, one dou is ten liters, ten dou is equivalent to one stone, and one dendrobium is equal to one stone.
When you pour grain into the dendrobium, it will be considered a "dendrobium" only when it reaches the top.
Not only that, when the government officials were collecting taxes and grains, they would kick the stems violently with their feet. This would cause the sharp portion of the grains piled in the stems to fall off, and this fallen grain was considered "loss".
This part of the loss will be put into the pockets of the government openly.
Therefore, for farmers, if they have to pay a grain tax of one stone and they just bring one stone, they are finished. They will definitely have to go back to get grain to make up for the payment, or hand over copper coins to the policemen.
Done.
Most farmers are aware of this trick and will bring more lost grain to prepare for the exploits of the servants.
For the Yamen, this kick is also very skillful. You can't kick it too hard, and you will knock Hu down and have to reload. If you kick too little, you will not achieve the goal, but if you kick too much, you may not be able to do it again.
Arouse public dissatisfaction.
When the public dissatisfaction boils over, it will be doomed if it cannot be suppressed.
So this kick is really a technical job.
The "style" of this kick needs to be fast, accurate and ruthless, short and flat. Many government officials need to practice it before taking office.
Huo Xi also wanted to see this kind of kick. She was afraid of being exploited, so she didn't follow Yang Fu and others ashore. Her family had eighty shi of food, dear, if this kick was enough, her family would have to make up for it.
A lot of money wasted!
But I didn't expect that at Huai'an Wharf, the supervisor would not come to inspect the grain?
Strange.
Is it because their grain is transported from the capital? And it is also brought by the garrison of the capital? The Huai'an warehouse does not dare to take any action to embezzle?
Or is it that the new emperor has only been on the throne for a few months and he doesn't dare to make any big moves?
This was the first year that the new emperor ascended the throne and resumed his journey north to transport grain. The new emperor was liquidating the old people of the old dynasty. The ghosts outside the treasure gathering gate have not yet dispersed.
Huo Xi breathed a sigh of relief as he kicked the stems without getting wet. Otherwise, he would have had to pay for the money along the way, which would be an injustice.
Huo Xi was afraid that she would vomit blood all over her face.
In more than an hour, the Huo family's boat was emptied of eighty shi of grain. Huo Erhuai also received the signed bamboo strips.
The father and daughter let out a long sigh of relief.
This is the sixth day since I came out, so it’s finally over.
"Dad, let's row the boat forward."
There are grain ships waiting for delivery behind, so don't block other people's way.
"Hey, it's finally over. Dad is relieved after mentioning it all the way. After a while, you and Fu'er will have a nice walk on the shore, buy some good things for your mother and Nian'er, and take them back to make them happy.
Happy."
"Hmm. Dad, won't you go with us?"
"Dad wants to take care of our boat. There are a lot of good things on our boat."
Huo Erhuai said as he rowed the boat forward and found a place to stop. After tying it up, he saw Yang Fu happily looking for it.
"Brother-in-law, Xi'er!"
"Why is this Fu'er so happy? Could it be that he found a cloth merchant to collect silk?"
Huo Xi perked up after hearing this and looked towards Yang Fu.