The flames in the fire pit were burning, and the sparks exploded on the charcoal shook with the wind, illuminating the faces of the people around them. The firelight stretched the shadows very long, as if they were firmly on the ground. of iron chains.
"Everyone is here"
A gray-haired old man looked at the familiar faces around him.
They are all familiar faces. Many of them have grown up by watching them. Some have worked together in business, and some have fought and scolded their father.
The fourth eldest son of the Li family, the eldest son of the Wang family, the second uncle of the Zhang family, and the most effective surnames in the village are all here.
"The second child came back from the farm. The landlord's book said that this year's taxes must not be less, and they must be paid as in previous years."
"But there was a disaster this year. "Didn't the court say that money and food for the affected counties would be exempted?"
A middle-aged man frowned.
“The landowner’s office said that there was no Wen Ning in the affected counties, so the county magistrate received a commendation from the court, saying that he was loyal to the country.”
“This dog official, Are you going to trade our lives for a future?"
"The guy named Tian is not a good guy. He just wants to make a fortune by collecting taxes."
It's special when people get older. Afraid of the cold.
I hope I can catch the fire, and I hope there are a few more people around me.
"The landowner's book said that this year's money and grain must be collected normally, and the rules must not be broken."
The old man continued, "And those who drank Fu Shui in each village must also "More punishments."
"Why the punishment?"
"It's not easy to pay the money and food, what else do they want to do?"
"Drink the talisman water. If you make friends with a demon, you will be punished with an eighty-point cane according to the law, and you must pay money, or the county government will pull them out one by one regardless of age or sex."
The old man looked at the fire, and the flames were burning a little. The coldness in the air was tearing apart, but it seemed as if there was a solid piece of ice frozen in his heart.
The sticks of the government officials, ten sticks can kill someone, but a thousand sticks can hit someone without hurting, it all depends on whether the money is enough.
Silence.
"Can the county give me a smaller penalty if the man at home gets a cane?"
A man asked.
"No, the landowner's book said that either everyone will be beaten, or they will all pay."
The old man shook his head and said, "And the county magistrate's term is up, he wants to Make a fortune and then leave."
"When his term is up, will he force us to death?"
A man said angrily, "Didn't we inform the Tian family? Did you lure those two immortals to their farm?"
"They are not immortals, they are demons. You will get us into trouble by talking nonsense, and we didn't tell anyone. At most, we just told the Tian family He mentioned it. "
"The landowner's book said that the Tian family will record our benefit, but the money is collected by the county official."
The old man looked in front of him. of several men.
“Money has to be paid, as for how much, let's add it all together."
The man who had been silent suddenly said.
"Together, I won't be able to make a single cent. "
"Fourth" the old man frowned, "What do you mean?"
"No money. We only have some seed grain left at home for the winter. "
Li Laosi rubbed his palms and said, "If we pay the money and food, my family will starve to death. How can we collect the fine money for them?"
"We won't pay it either. That grain of grain in the ground was grown by me, the emperor. Even if he suffered a disaster, he would not even ask for compensation, but he would still have the nerve to fine him money. ”
“These dog officials are willing to trade our lives for our future. Why don’t we let them come and take our lives?” "
The old man will take care of it for a month. After one month, he will have to continue drinking, otherwise he will be infected with the plague. Now people are catching demons everywhere. He also has some talismans that can be sold to our village at a low price. If we don’t pay for food, we have to pay for a life. If we don’t pay for food, I’m afraid the landlord will not sell the talisman to us so easily.”
A group of people were trapped
<. p> was silent.The old man also sighed.
"Everyone lost their temper and the dog officer scolded them. We should discuss how to pass this test first. In fact, selling children and daughters sounds miserable, but even if they are sold to a wealthy family as slaves, it is still It’s better than having to endure hardships with your own parents.”
Yes, what else can we do.
It’s really a big deal. There are millions of soldiers in the court.
The man-eating monsters in Xuan Mountain to the north that had been there for so many years were all exterminated at once.
"It's better."
Li Laosi clapped his hands and took out something from his chest.
"Look what this is"
"Yellow Talisman" "Where did you get it from, Fourth?" "God, this can be saved."
Li Laosi looked at them, took out a white cloth from his pocket and slowly tied it on his head.
“I met other missionaries. They were leading people to the county town. They wanted to resist taxes and asked the county magistrate to waive this year’s money and grain, and they also wanted to open warehouses for relief.”
< p>"Resisting taxes, isn't that a rebellion?" "It is impossible for the county magistrate to agree. Once he agrees, doesn't it mean that he has deceived the court?""Fourth, do you still have this talisman?"
Li Laosi looked at them, "I also asked the missionaries. They said that if the county magistrate didn't obey, they would go to Cizhou Prefecture and tell Xing Yushitai. If Xing Yushitai didn't listen, they would go to Jiankang and tell them. Emperor, as long as you tie a white cloth strip on your head and follow them to resist taxes, you will have a yellow talisman."
"That's not really a rebellion."
"Oh, let's go quickly. Report the news to the farm, maybe the landowner's book will record us."
Li Laosi looked at them, "It's a rebellion, but do you still have a way to survive if you don't rebel? The people around are rushing to the county town. If we don’t go, where can we get Huang Fu? Can Master Tian send it back to the farm? I think the farm will be the first to die.”
He patted his butt and stood.He stood up and said, "You can continue the discussion here. I will take people there tonight."
The old man looked at him and opened his mouth weakly.
"This is not a tax resistance, this is a rebellion."
"It's a rebellion. It's time to rebel."
Li Laosi looked at the old man. Fifth Grandpa, what’s the difference between this way of life and that of the Nine Clans?”
“Fourth Brother, I’m going to fuck you, when will you leave?”
A man bit his finger and looked at he.
"No, let's go our separate ways. I'm afraid you'll tie me up to see the officials."
Li Laosi smiled and said, "You have to think clearly. The surrounding villages are resisting the tax. If our village dares not to resist, how will we live in front of the folks in this village?" After speaking, he shook off the dust on his clothes and walked out the door.
The door was pushed open, and a gust of cold night wind rushed in, blowing the fire and almost extinguishing it.
The old man sighed and said nothing.
He knew that he would not be able to pay the money and food this year.
Originally, we could all come up with a figure together, but now that one family is missing, it is destined to be impossible.
And I don’t know how many talented young people will follow the fourth child.
"Let's all go."
The old man looked at the faces of the people around him through the flames.