Chapter 263 Tax! Tax! Tax!
After eating at the merchant Adela's shop, Kevin went around selling the salt he brought in the square in the center of the town. At first, no one bought it, so they had to do it again and again. They lowered the price, and at sunset they finally made some money, but it was definitely a loss.
Even so, they still have things they have to face.
"Master Tax Officer! We have made so much money in one afternoon, so please do us a favor and exempt us from taxes."
Kevin and others begged in a low voice. The tax collector came to ask for money.
The tax official shook his head and said firmly: "I don't care how much you earn, as long as you do business in this town, you have to pay taxes to the lord. Don't try to escape my eyes."
< br>"Sir, we are salt people who make a living by boiling salt. Because of the rise of salt farms, the price of the salt we boil has to be lowered repeatedly in order to sell it. We have only made such a small amount of money and have already lost a lot of money. If you take some of it as taxes, our trip will be in vain."
The tax officer still said with a straight face: "I have no control over what you are talking about. As a member of Fulan Port. Tax officer, you can't break the rules just because of the special circumstances of one or two people. Rules are rules. Without rules, how can Mr. Grayman rule his territory? "
Kevin and others still refuse to give up. After begging in every possible way, the tax collector finally got tired of it, so he raised his hand and several tax collectors from the city hall surrounded him.
“I don’t have time to talk nonsense to you anymore. There are two options, either to pay taxes obediently or to replace it with hard labor. You can choose for yourself!”
Seeing that the other party had given an ultimatum, everyone had no choice but to obey obediently. After paying the taxes, the money bags in everyone's hands felt obviously lighter.
The tax official snorted and led the tax collector away, "What a bunch of poor people. If Lord Grayman hadn't driven away the pirates, would you still be able to do business in the town safely?"
Kevin and others clenched their fists angrily, but did not dare to speak out.
Everyone thought about it and walked towards the new church in Port Fulan. Only Kevin seemed a little awkward.
After arriving at the door, Kevin said angrily: "I'll wait for you outside, hurry up!"
The companions shook their heads and entered the church.
......
"Almighty Lord, please bless us and show us a clear way...."
The villagers prayed silently to the statue of the gods devoutly. After praying, he handed the bag of salt he carried to the priest standing next to him.
“This is our village’s offering to the Lord of Light this month, please accept it on your behalf, Lord Servant of God.”
The "offering" they call is actually the so-called "tithe" - believers must give one-tenth of their output or income to the church.
It is actually very painful to hand over such a bag of salt. After all, it was cooked hard, but... But if you don't hand it over, what if you are punished by God? That's what the priests said. It's better to believe that it exists than to believe that it doesn't exist.
Furthermore, the tithe collected by the church is also recognized by the lord's palace and must be paid. If the church finds out that you haven’t taken the initiative to pay it, tax officials will still come to ask for it. If you insist on refusing to pay, it will definitely make you miserable when you get in front of the lord.
The priest tested the weight of the salt bag, showed a satisfied smile, and said in a soft tone: "The Lord of Light will surely bless the Lamb who believes in Him."
Everyone bowed and left.
...
Seeing his companions coming out of the church, Kevin, who had been waiting a little impatiently outside, sneered, "I'm afraid the Lord of Light didn't enjoy even a fraction of the offerings we handed over, so let's go in." into the pockets of his loyal servants.”
Most of the companions looked helpless, and they also knew that the church was not very clean.
Only one person who was usually very pious suddenly changed his face, "Kevin, if you keep talking nonsense, I won't sell salt with you next time."
He The warning had no effect, and Kevin continued to ridicule: "You are so active and diligent in making offerings, and you have never seen the Lord of Light bless you. You are not a pauper like me."
"You...you..." This devout believer couldn't stop him, and he was about to take action when he got anxious.
"Okay, okay, what's the point of fighting over a little blowjob? Don't let the people in the town see our joke."
The other companions quickly They were separated, and the two of them were still shouting and cursing in the distance.
The devout people shouted: "The servants of God have worked hard for us all day long to serve the Lord of Light, and it is natural for them to receive a little reward."
Kevin counterattacked: "Their [remuneration] is not just a little, their life is comparable to that of the nobles, and it is not in line with the provisions of the "Holy Code" at all!"
...
Everyone embarked on the road back to the village listlessly, chatting while walking.
“It seems that we can’t live by boiling salt anymore. We have to think of other ways to make a living.”
“How about we go to the salt farms in Fulan Port? ? Maybe our ancestral skills can be put to use there. ”
"What, are you really going to compromise and become a traitor?...Actually, I have this idea too."
"You can just dream. If you had a chance a few months ago, there is no longer a job there."
"How do you know?"
"Don't look at me with that look, okay. I admit that I asked quietly. But they said to wait a few months, the salt field The scale of production will be expanded, and a large number of people will be recruited. I heard that we will sell salt to the south by sea.”
"It's not that there is no other way. Although the salt works are not hiring for the time being, there are many other factories that are hiring, including those making porcelain, paper, and cans. There are more and more such factories."
< br>"Oh, I have never been exposed to these things. I will definitely start from the lowest level as an apprentice. I am really unwilling to abandon the craftsmanship of my ancestors."
The team returned to the village, Many people have been waiting eagerly for their return. When they learned that the merchant Adela was leaving Fulan Port and the salt he had shipped had to be sold at a loss, the whole village fell into sorrow.
After Kevin returned to his home, he scribbled a few mouthfuls of rice and then fell asleep. He set off to Fulan Port to sell salt early in the morning and did not come back until after dark. He was really Exhausted.
……
A burst of noise woke Kevin up. He opened his eyes and found that it was already early morning.
Kevin rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked his parents: "What are you doing outside this early in the morning?"
My father didn't say a word, just sitting at the table with a depressed expression. The pipe--it's actually not real tobacco. Since the family's income has dropped significantly, my father has replaced it with some plant leaves that he didn't know where to find.
The mother who was preparing breakfast sighed: "What else can you do? You can listen to yourself."
An extremely disgusting voice reached Kevin's ears.
"Folks, it's time to pay the head tax this month..."
Another damn tax!
No matter where he is, no matter when he is, he can't get rid of this kind of thing.
(End of this chapter)