Exorbitant Taxes and Levies Are Fiercer Than Tigers!

Zhou Wanwan really couldn't stand this kind of plot. She sighed and knocked on their door.

The woman wiped away her tears and said, "It's so late now, who... who could it be?"

Zhou Wanwan knocked on the door and said, "Hello, I'm just passing by, could I have a bowl of water?"

The woman paused for a moment, then said, "Why is it a young girl? It's so late now, it's not safe for her to be out. Why don't you come in?"

Zhou Wanwan led Zheng Chunhe into the house. The woman poured a bowl of water and handed it to Zhou Wanwan, saying, "This water is tap water; it hasn't been boiled."

Zhou Wanwan looked around at the bare walls and asked, "Is this Dao Family Village?"

The woman nodded and said, "Yes, from Dao Family Village."

"Is your village facing some difficulties right now?" Zhou Wanwan asked softly.

The woman's eyes reddened.

"Every household is struggling. Before the locust plague, our Dao Family Village could barely survive, but now..."

But now the taxes are getting heavier every year. Today they demand this, tomorrow they demand that, there are so many kinds of taxes that it's impossible to count them all.

The meager harvest from the fields was barely enough to pay the taxes and levies to the officials. After that, there wasn't much left, which was far beyond what ordinary people like us could afford.

Not only are the taxes heavy, but we also have absolutely no food left at home. This year there was a locust plague, and everything was eaten up.

In the entire Dao Family Village, not a single family had surplus grain.

Zhou Wanwan knew that the people were poor, but she never imagined they were this poor.

Suddenly, they heard a whistle outside, and the two elderly people in the house immediately stood up and said, "They've come to pick us up."

Zhou Wanwan didn't understand what was going on either, but she saw the two elderly people walk out, and then all the elderly people in the village also walked out.

Zhou Wanwan saw more than a hundred elderly people with white hair supporting each other.

The village was filled with cries of "Father, Mother, no! Don't leave us..."

"Grandpa, Grandpa, don't go, I don't want you to leave, waaaah..."

The village chief sighed and said, "Remember this, these elderly people did all this for their children. From now on, you must remember to pay your respects to them during every festival."

The elderly looked at their children and grandchildren, their hearts filled with reluctance, their eyes brimming with tears.

The woman, who had been kneeling, knelt on the ground and wept bitterly as she looked at her elderly parents. "Father, Mother, I am an unfilial daughter-in-law who cannot take care of you. In the next life, I will still be your daughter-in-law."

The villagers all knelt down at once.

Only Zhou Wanwan and Zheng Chunhe stood still.

The village chief looked at them and said, "Are you two from out of town? Something big has happened in the village today, so we won't keep you any longer."

Zhou Wanwan looked at the village chief and asked, "What are these old people doing up the mountain?"

In fact, Zhou Wanwan knew in her heart that these old people must have gone up the mountain with the determination to die.

The village chief sighed, tears streaming down his face:

"There's no way out, nobody wants to die! The exorbitant taxes are like a tiger! Dao Family Village, there's no way out."

Children are hope, they are the future, so we old folks must sacrifice ourselves to leave a way out for them.

Most of these people are over forty-five years old.

In ancient times, people had shorter lifespans; 40 years old was considered old age.

Zhou Wanwan looked at them and sighed, "Are there many villages like this?"

The village chief of Dao Family Village shook his head helplessly and said:

"There are so many, as numerous as hairs on a cow. It's not just Dao Family Village; the surrounding villages are the same."

Today, we all decided to die together.

He had barely finished speaking when he saw elderly people from several other villages slowly walking over from a distance.

A village chief greeted him, saying, "Let's go! Let's go up the mountain today. Every day we delay, the children will have one less bite of food."

"That's right! Let's go, let's go up the mountain."

These people began to sing a folk song:

"The weather is freezing cold, snow is hitting the walls, and the officials are busy pressing for taxes."

After paying the grain tax, the bin was empty; tree bark and grass roots served as rations.

Father fainted from hunger, mother wept bitterly, and the child cried out for his parents from hunger.

Ragged clothes can't keep out the frost, and there's no hot pot or soup in the stove.

Taxes are like knives, grain is like frost, the people suffer, and tears stream down their faces.

Living is difficult, dying is strong; on the road to the underworld, I will not hesitate...

Looking at these elderly people, Zhou Wanwan couldn't stop the tears from flowing. If they weren't forced into a desperate situation, who would willingly choose this path?

Zhou Wanwan looked at the village chiefs and said:

"I can save you, but in doing so, these villages will come under my control."

Are you willing?

All the village chiefs looked at each other in bewilderment. The Dao Family Village raised his hand and said, "Everyone, wait... you... you really can save us?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said:

"However, your village said I need to sign an agreement stating that all the land in your village will belong to me from now on."

I get 40% of the village's output, and you get the remaining 60%.

But the Dao Family Village shook his head and said, "The annual taxes are too low. The produce from the land isn't even enough to pay the taxes, let alone enough to give you."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "You don't need to worry about that. Just tell me whether you're willing or not, and I can guarantee you'll live."

A dozen or so people hauled the grain from the Big Scholar Tree over.

Everyone looked at the grain on the ground, their faces showing longing.

The Dao Family Village looked at the other village chiefs and said, "Sign. We'll sign whatever you want us to sign."

It's better than starving to death.

Zhou Wanwan looked at them and said, "You'll also have to sign a contract of servitude. If you're willing, I can give you a way out."

Soon the indentures and other formalities were completed, and Zhou Wanwan also distributed food to them.

There were four villages in total. Zhou Wanwan gave each village 50 bags of grain, saying:

"This is just for you for now. Once you've settled in, I'll find someone to teach you how to farm."

You just need to follow my people's instructions. Do you see this jade pendant?

Those people will come looking for you with the jade pendant.

The villagers all knelt down. "Thank you, young lady! Thank you, our benefactor!"

The woman also knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Girl, thank you. I'll do anything you ask."

Zhou Wanwan helped her up and said, "Go see your man! I know medicine, see if I can help him get better."

Zhou Wanwan entered the room and began taking the pulse. After a long while, she sighed and said, "Consumption! It's a bit difficult to treat!"

The man's expression darkened, and the woman beside him began to cry.

Zhou Wanwan looked at her and said:

"Why are you crying? I said it's difficult to treat, not that it's incurable."

She took out several medicinal herbs from her cloth bag: Ophiopogon japonicus, Fritillaria cirrhosa, Astragalus membranaceus, and a small handful of roasted licorice root. These herbs were used to treat tuberculosis cough and to moisten the lungs and replenish qi.

She gently placed the herbs on the man's chest, near his lungs. The fresh herbs slowly emitted a faint white vapor, which traveled along his skin and into his lungs.

The man's cough gradually subsided, and the tightness in his chest seemed to slowly dissipate.

Once all the energy from the medicinal herbs had flowed into his lungs, Zhou Wanwan took out silver needles and quickly inserted them into several acupoints on his chest and back.

The man's face, which had been flushed red, gradually lost its color, and his coughing went from a series of violent coughs to a few soft coughs, before finally stopping.

His eyes were filled with disbelief. "This... this is much better? The coughing isn't so bad anymore..."

Zhou Wanwan put away the needles, wiped her hands, and said softly, "Stabilize the situation first, then we'll gradually adjust the treatment. Don't overexert yourself or let it get cold."