HLnovel Chapter 156 High Taxes
Chapter 156 High Taxes
Before entering the city gate, everyone's heart was already filled with endless fantasies and longings for this "Guicheng" which is known as the most economically prosperous and financially powerful city.
Imagine the scene inside the city, how prosperous and bustling it must be.
The streets are crowded with cars and pedestrians;
There are rows of shops and a dazzling array of goods that are dizzying;
The tall buildings tower into the clouds, majestic and imposing;
The dignitaries were dressed in splendid clothes, walking through the streets with dignity...
Perhaps there are also the magnificent palaces and temples, the solemn and dignified government offices, and the bustling streets and alleys.
You may hear shouting and bargaining on the streets, mixed with laughter and the hustle and bustle of the world.
After night falls, the bright lights and flashing neon lights make the whole city look like a dream, as if you are in a fairyland.
These scenes have all been played in everyone’s mind at one time or another!
But when everyone walked along the main city road and actually entered the city entrance, they found that the picture in their minds had never appeared in Guicheng!
Before my eyes, the blooming flowers are no longer there, and the shops on both sides of the street are closed at a glance. The spider webs piled on the signboards can be used to catch fish.
It seems that these merchants have not been in business for a long time.
The only five or six shops that were still open had long queues of people waiting in line.
Judging from the clothes the crowd were wearing, most of them were wearing coarse linen clothes.
It is easy to tell at a glance that these people are disaster victims who went to Chongzhou City to make a living.
Among the crowd, there was a small group of people wearing brocade clothes, which were the cheapest and lowest-grade fabrics. They might be local people from Guicheng.
The people at the front of the line were quite tall and I couldn’t see the shop sign, so I had no idea what they were buying.
She noticed that these people wearing brocade had their hands exposed, which were dark and had a few calluses faintly visible on the palms.
Those who are familiar with it know that these calluses are caused by working with a hoe for a long time.
Obviously, these people wearing brocade cloth are local farmers from Guicheng!
It is the busy farming season now. Farmers are not at home farming, but are queuing up in long queues at the market to buy things.
This made Lu Qingqing very curious. What on earth were these shops selling?
"Brother, look what they are buying?" Lu Qingqing tugged at Lu Yuanzheng's sleeve.
Lu Yuanzheng was tall, and his eyes swept across the shops with long queues. He saw the plaques on the doors of the shops clearly, and quickly turned back to Lu Qingqing and said, "
"The shops that are still open for business are rice shops, clothing shops, grocery stores, etc."
These are all essential things for food, clothing, housing and transportation!
When Yang Liuqing heard this, he looked at the crowd in front of him and frowned:
"These are the things we want to purchase. With so many people buying them, won't they all be sold out soon?"
As she spoke, Yang Liuqing felt an urge to queue up as well. However, at this moment, Lu Yaoyao's stomach growled, which suppressed her urge.
Yang Liuqing squeezed her hand and said, "Yaoyao, are you hungry?"
Lu Yaoyao nodded embarrassedly. Yang Liuqing took out a steamed bun, broke it into two halves, gave one half to her and the other half to Yuer!
However, the two girls took it and gave it back to Yang Liuqing. First, Lu Yaoyao said
"Second Aunt, I can still hold on for a little longer. I won't eat yet!"
Yu'er also said, "Aunt, I'm not hungry yet, you and uncle can eat."
How could they not be hungry after traveling at such a high intensity for such a long time?
At this moment, everyone was hungry and tired, except for these two girls who were filial and pretended not to be hungry!
Now, no matter how big the matter is, it is not as important as eating!
Lu Qingqing asked someone and found out where to get food at this time.
Then he quickly led them through the crowd queuing in front of them, walked a few more streets, and finally when the last rays of sunset sank to the west, they found the restaurant that the man had mentioned!
The streets we passed through along the way were also closed, with a lot of garbage piled on the ground.
As they walked by, the garbage emitted a foul stench in the wind, it was as disgusting as it could be!
Fortunately, they only had to turn the street to reach the restaurant.
It is called a restaurant, but in fact it is more like a roadside stall. Seeing this, several people were secretly shocked!
Simply build a wooden shed, use four pillars to fix the four legs into the ground, and then put a tarpaulin on the roof to keep out the wind and rain!
Under the oilcloth, there are six tables that can seat ten people!
When they arrived, the boss who was counting the bills suddenly raised his head and looked at them carrying their luggage and families. He seemed to be used to this phenomenon. He stood up and asked:
"Dear guests, please sit down and have a look at what to eat?"
The boss put down what he was holding, walked forward enthusiastically, moved the stool away, took the things in their hands and put them away, then took out a menu and showed it to them!
It’s called a recipe, but in fact there are only three dishes!
Raw fish fillet congee, pork slices with wolfberry soup and rice, and stir-fried meat with hot peppers and white rice!
Seeing this, Lu Qingqing was no longer in a hurry to eat. Instead, she was eager to know what had happened in Guicheng.
It’s such a big city, and they paid such a high entrance fee to get in, but there isn’t even a decent restaurant!
What is all this about?
Seeing the boss's enthusiasm, Lu Qingqing quickly asked:
"Boss, we just passed a few streets and almost all the shops were closed. What's going on?"
Boss Zhou Hai sighed and said:
"Alas, it's all because of the taxes. This year, our taxes have tripled. Who can afford to open a shop? On the day when the taxes go up, everyone closes their shop early and goes home to farm."
No one is very clear about what the concept of three times is.
But Zhou Hai quickly made an analogy, and everyone immediately realized how outrageously high the tax was.
"For example, if a bowl of noodles costs five cents, then you have to pay two cents in taxes! In addition to taxes, you also have to hire workers and pay rent. Even if you have a mine at home, you can't afford it!"
After that, the boss sighed again and continued, "I used to have a shop, but the taxes were so outrageous that I couldn't continue running it. I could only stay here and rely on the occasional customer to supplement my household expenses."
"But, no one in the city has opened a shop anymore, where can you get supplies to live?"
"At first, I bought from farmers in the city. Later, when all the farmers left, I went to nearby counties to buy, or I bought from caravans passing by."
Hearing him say that all the farmers had left, Lu Qingqing couldn't help but ask:
"What happened to the peasants in the city?"