Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

When Lu Yao woke up, he found himself already dressed and lying on the kang in the east room.

Zhao Beichuan and the two children were not around, so he quickly got up and called out, "Beichuan?"

Xiaonian and Xiaodou ran over and said, "Sister-in-law, you're awake. Eldest Brother went to chop wood on the mountain. He said you were tired and told us not to disturb you."

Lu Yao couldn't help but blush when he recalled what happened last night. Although they didn't go all the way, they had done everything else, and their relationship had progressed quite rapidly.

It had to be said that young people had great stamina; after all the trouble last night, Zhao Beichuan still got up early to chop wood today.

"Have you eaten?"

"We've finished eating. We ate half of the leftover meat and rice from yesterday, and the rest is kept warm in the pot for you."

"Go play." Lu Yao folded the quilt and got off the kang, feeling a mix of pain and itchiness between his thighs. It must have swollen from the friction. He couldn't help muttering under his breath, cursing Zhao Beichuan for being like an animal...

After finishing his meal, Lu Yao took out the alum he bought yesterday, crushed it, mixed it with salt, and sprinkled it into the wooden basin where the rabbit skins were soaking. Once he returned from selling tofu, he could start tanning them.

Lin Daman came in to move the tofu and greeted Lu Yao upon seeing him awake. "Master Zhao sent the wooden cart back and asked us to take the mule cart to sell tofu."

Lu Yao asked, "Can you handle the mule cart?"

"I've driven it twice before; it should be fine."

"Then let's take the mule cart to sell tofu today."

Lu Yao loaded the scale and the jute bags for the beans onto the cart and also brought the pig leg he had cut last night to give to his family in Lujia Village later.

Lin Daman was still not very familiar with driving the mule cart, and as they left, the shaft almost hit the door frame, making him break out in cold sweat. "I haven't driven a cart in a long time; my hands are a bit rusty."

"It's okay. We need to practice more, or it will be difficult to push the small cart through the mountains when the weather gets colder."

Lu Yao sat on the cart and shouted to sell tofu while Lin Daman led the mule in front. Soon, they encountered several people buying tofu.

"Wow, the tofu seller has upgraded to a mule cart! You must be making a lot of money!" The one speaking was a toothless old man who often came to buy tofu.

Lu Yao smiled and said, "Not much, just hard-earned money."

"This mule isn't cheap, look at its big frame; from far away, it looks like a horse!"

"It cost more than six strings of coins, depleting our savings."

The old man said, "Young people these days are bold. If I had six strings of coins, I wouldn't spend it on a mule."

Lu Yao didn't say anything and served the old man his tofu. Lin Daman continued leading the mule into the village, tying it to a tree and shouting to sell tofu. People started coming over one by one.

Many of them, seeing the mule cart, spoke with envy. Lu Yao knew they were jealous but couldn't stop using it because of jealousy.

Today, they sold less tofu; only three-quarters of a slab. Lu Yao planned to take the remaining tofu directly to Lujia Village to sell.

As Lin Daman was about to leave, someone called out, "Wait, wait." A tall, thin woman approached. She was surnamed Yang and lived next to Old Lady Song's house.

"Big Sister Yang, buying tofu?"

The woman waved her hand mysteriously and said, "Did you know that Song Changshun brought Song Guofu back yesterday?"

"What?!" Lin Daman exclaimed in surprise.

Lu Yao was equally incredulous, thinking that after all the drama, how could they bring him back?

Big Sister Yang said, "They brought him back secretly last night. I saw it when I went to the outhouse. Song Guofu looked terrible, skin and bones, tsk tsk..."

After a few words, Lin Daman led the mule out of the village. Passing by Song's house, he couldn't help but glance inside.

Lu Yao comforted him, "Song Changshun isn't worth your sadness."

"I'm not sad. To be honest, thinking about him makes me feel sick. Living with him for so many years has been unbearable."

"Maybe it's good for them to be together now. One is stupid, and the other is bad. Just watch, they won't end well."

*

"Mom, you... you eat." Song Ping placed a bowl of millet porridge on the kang.

Song Guofu smiled gently, but it scared Song Ping, who screamed and ran away.

His appearance was terrifying. In the nunnery, he drank only a thin bowl of porridge every day, causing his cheeks to sink deeply, leaving him nothing but bones.

At first, he resisted, but after a few beatings and days of starvation, he gave up.

Every day, he did heavy labor without enough food, occasionally bullied by the women there. Within a month, he was mentally and physically exhausted. If not for his hatred, he might have died inside.

He hated Old Lady Song for sending him to such a place and Song Changshun for his heartlessness. He also hated Lin Daman for catching him cheating. Without these events, he wouldn't have suffered so much!

Inside the nunnery, he swore a deadly oath: if he could get out, no one would be spared!

"Cough, cough, cough..." Eating too quickly, the millet choked him, causing him to cough violently.

Outside, Old Lady Song and Song Changshun exchanged glances, both regretting their decision.

A place like the nunnery wasn't somewhere you could easily send someone in or take them out. Bringing him in was free, but redeeming him cost five strings of coins!

That money was Song Changfu's hard-earned savings, meant for his grandson, now spent on Song Guofu.

Old Lady Song said, "I told you not to bring him back, but you insisted. Look at him now; he won't last long. When he dies, we'll have to pay for a coffin!"

"I didn't know he'd be like this..." Song Guofu never looked good, but now he looked like a ghost. Song Changshun had no desire to touch him.

"You brought him back; you deal with him. Don't expect me to serve him!" Old Lady Song left, leaving Song Changshun circling the door, finally pushing it open.

"Sister-in-law..."

Song Guofu hid his hatred and slowly lifted his head, tears streaming down his face. "Why are you here?" His weak appearance reminded him of the past.

Song Changshun's heart softened, and he walked forward, taking his hand. "I was wrong that day, making you suffer."

Song Guofu shook his head, tears in his eyes. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have been with you. I heard you divorced Daman. It's all my fault..."

"It's not your fault. Even without you, I couldn't tolerate his temper. He doesn't act like a brother at all. Ugly and violent, I should have divorced him sooner!"

"Ah, it's all my fault, causing you to lose your home."

"Don't talk like that. Take care of yourself. From now on... live with me, and we'll raise Song Ping together."

*

On the other side, Lu Yao and Lin Daman arrived in Lujia Village with the mule cart. With the mule cart, they reached faster than usual. A journey that usually took half an hour took only fifteen minutes today.

Lu Yao asked Lin Daman to sell tofu while he carried the pig leg to his family's house.

Knocking on the gate, Lu Yun soon came out from the house and, seeing it was Lu Yao, reluctantly opened the gate.

"Where's our mother? Are you alone at home?"

"Dad and Second Brother went out to work, Mother is visiting neighbors, and Sister-in-Law and Lu Miao are also here."

Lu Yao, carrying the pork and exhausted, said, "Go find Mother and tell her I brought some pork for her."

Lu Yun was taken aback and quickly ran out, returning shortly with Old Lady Lu.

"How did you bring so much meat!" Seeing the pig leg in the kitchen, which weighed over ten pounds, Lu's mother exclaimed.

"Da Chuan hunted a wild boar the day before yesterday. He sold half of it in town yesterday, and we couldn't finish the rest, so we brought it here."

"We should have sold it all! This must be worth a lot!" The old lady winced, knowing that pork cost fifty coins per pound, making ten pounds worth five hundred coins!

"Sell it quickly. We're not wealthy enough to eat such a large piece of meat."

Standing nearby, Lu Yun drooled at the sight of the pork but didn't dare to speak up due to Lu Yao's past domineering personality.

"Now that it's here, there's no point taking it back. Let the brothers have a taste. If there's any left, Sister-in-Law can take a piece back to her family."

Lu's mother relaxed, patting Lu Yao's arm. "Now that you're married, you've truly grown up. You're no longer the way you used to be."

Lu Yao smiled guiltily. "By the way, Da Chuan and I bought a mule cart. Whenever you need it, just ask Second Brother to come get it."

"Oh, when did you buy it!"

"The mule has been around for more than ten days, and the wooden cart was just finished yesterday. It's parked at the village entrance now, and Daman is selling tofu with it."

Old Lady Lu held his hand and sighed. "In the past, you wouldn't even light a fire or cook a meal. Now you're doing the tiring tofu business. Take care of yourself and don't overwork. Having children is important; you and Da Chuan have been married for over two months, yet there's still no sign of pregnancy."

Lu Yao blushed, recalling last night. "We're not in a hurry to have children yet."

"How can you not be in a hurry? Money can always be earned, but having children shouldn't be delayed!"

Regardless of the era, urging for grandchildren never seems to go out of style. Lu Yao had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"I'll go stew the meat. Your father and Lu Lin will be back soon; stay and eat with us."

Lu Yao waved his hand. "There's still a lot of work to do at home. When things calm down, Da Chuan and I will come together."

Lu's mother couldn't persuade him to stay, so she and Lu Yun saw him off at the gate. Just then, Lin Daman, who had finished selling tofu, arrived to pick him up.

Lu Yao climbed onto the cart. "Go inside. Cook more meat for the brothers. Don't be stingy. Next time we hunt a wild boar, we'll bring more."

After they left, Lu Yun spoke up, "Third Brother has really changed." In the past, Lu Yao was selfish and would never share meat, preferring to let it rot rather than give it away.

Lu's mother sighed deeply. Anyone who had experienced death would change their ways.

"Go call your sister-in-law. I'll cut her a piece of meat."

Lu Yun promptly went to the east room to fetch Hu Chunrong, who soon arrived with her son. Seeing the large piece of meat on the cutting board, which weighed over ten pounds, she was stunned.

Lu Yun told her that Lu Yao had brought the meat, but she found it hard to believe. Lu Yao, known for being self-centered, actually shared the meat? It was like the sun rising from the west!

"Mother, did Third Brother come by earlier?"

"Yes, take this piece of meat to your mother-in-law. We can't finish it all, so it shouldn't go to waste."

"This... this is too much."

"Your family can eat it. Lu Yao said he wanted to give it to you. Forgive him for his past mistakes."

"Alright." Hu Chunrong finally let go of her past prejudices. Since Lu Yao was trying to make amends, she wouldn't hold grudges anymore.

*

Returning from Lujia Village, it was just past noon.

Lin Daman unhitched the mule and led it back to the stable. Lu Yao fetched a bowl of soybean residue to feed the mule, stroking its head. With the mule cart, travel became much easier, saving them nearly an hour.

With the beans soaking, there was nothing else to do until evening when they could grind them.

Taking advantage of the free time, Lu Yao took out the soaked rabbit skins and began scraping off the remaining flesh with scissors.

He remembered from a video in his previous life that leather tanning required repeated soaking and scraping to remove all the fat, making the skin soft and warm.

While working on the rabbit skins, Lu Yao suddenly heard the sound of galloping horses outside. He put down his tools and stood up to look out.

Three horses approached from the village entrance. They were tall and strong, each ridden by an official in official robes. The leading official carried a gong, striking it loudly.

Children ran out, peering through the wooden gates.

Recalling the original body's memories, Lu Yao realized it was tax collection time. Every year after the Mid-Autumn Festival, officials would visit villages to collect taxes.

The tax rate was relatively high—three parts out of ten. For every ten bushels of grain produced, three bushels had to be paid. Zhao's family owned twelve acres of land, meaning they had to pay about thirty-six bushels of grain.

Besides land tax, there was also head tax, which required males over three years old to pay twenty-five coins. For larger families like the carpenter's, the head tax could amount to several hundred coins.

However, women and boys were exempt from head tax. Zhao's family only needed to pay for Zhao Beichuan and Zhao Xiaodou.

As the officials passed by, people from every household came out. Aunt Tian waved at Lu Yao. "Let's see what the situation is this year."

This year's harvest was worse than usual due to flooding in the summer. If the same tax rates applied, many would starve.

By the time they reached the village center, a crowd had gathered. The Village Headman was checking the land records with the officials. Wan'gou Village had 810 acres of top-quality land, 1200 acres of medium-quality land, and 665 acres of low-quality land, totaling 801 stones of grain to be collected.

After verifying the figures, the Village Headman cautiously said, "Sir, quite a bit of land was flooded this year. The villagers might not be able to pay so much..."

The surrounding villagers chimed in: "Our fields are downhill and were mostly flooded. We barely harvested anything."

"Indeed, our fields were hit even harder. We might not survive the winter."

"Please, sir, reduce the tax a little."

The official raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying Wan'gou Village won't pay the land tax?"

Not paying land tax was a serious offense punishable by corporal punishment.

The Village Headman trembled, quickly replying, "No, no, I'm just asking for mercy. Could you please reduce it a little... otherwise, everyone might not survive until spring."

"I can't make that decision. Orders from above state that the tax remains unchanged. Other villages were hit worse than yours and haven't asked for reductions!"

Seeing no hope, the Village Headman sighed and nodded, sending someone to notify every household to prepare the grain in the next few days.

The official cleared his throat and announced loudly, "You have three days to prepare the land tax. The grain must be of good quality, not old, and not mixed with weeds or stones. Any violations will result in thirty lashes and a fine of five stones of grain!"

The villagers fell silent, realizing that resistance was futile against absolute authority. Even if they were not mere arms, they were merely hairs.

Lu Yao patted Xiaodou and Xiaonian, who were still watching the commotion. "Let's go home and prepare some food."

As the three of them approached their house, they saw four or five men standing in front of their door.

Lu Yao asked, puzzled, "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

"Little Lang from the Zhao family, please lend us some grain!"