Work at the Zheng family did not last long. On the eighth day of the fourth month, Shao Shuyi, having just completed a full month of labor, found himself "unemployed." With no other choice, he collected a stack of Zhongtong notes and returned home.
His home was in Zhangjing in the south of the city, not far from the Sea Transport Granary. Although it was not inside the city proper, the location was not bad—for Taicang, which did not even have a city wall; the distinction between "inside" and "outside" was a false one to begin with.
Three adobe rooms made up the main inheritance left to him by his deceased parents. The central room served as the main hall. The west room contained a grain bin, which was already empty, while the rest of the space was piled with tools and miscellaneous items—mostly equipment for repairing and building ships, now rusty and unfit for use. The east room was the bedroom, furnished with a bed of considerable age and a few pieces of tattered furniture. It was not quite "bare walls," but it was not far off.
Outside the three main rooms, the front yard, fenced by tree branches, held two small wooden huts and a shed. The huts were lined up on the west side. One was a kitchen containing an earthen stove, water vat, pots, bowls, ladles, and basins; the other stored farm tools, seeds, and sundry items. The shed, woven from reeds, was built against the east courtyard wall. It had originally been a sheep pen, but now that there were no sheep, it was used to store firewood and straw.
Inside the yard were a water well, a few fruit trees, and patches of vegetable garden that revealed a breath of life amidst the clutter. Behind the main house, a small backyard extended all the way to the river ditch, where more than twenty fir trees stood tall and upright—standard assets for a maritime ship household.
In short, this was a poor household, though not one completely unable to survive. However, its resilience was extremely low; at the slightest sign of trouble, it would likely fall into dire straits.
After returning home, Shao Shuyi first checked the grain bin; only the last bit of rice remained in the corner. After scraping it out, he went to the well to wash it, then picked a handful of greens from the vegetable patch and cooked a pot of vegetable gruel.
Not long after he finished eating, while counting his precious notes in the central hall, Shao Shuyi heard shouting from outside the courtyard. Hurriedly putting the money away, he walked out to see Du Head Chen Wang leading several people over, including Kong Tie.
Kong Tie glanced at Shao Shuyi, looking as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself.
Chen Wang looked around, his gaze finally resting on Shao Shuyi. Habitually straightening his back, he said, "Little Hu, I watched you grow up. After your father and mother passed away, I should have looked after you more; it's just..."His words were vague, but Shao Shuyi instinctively felt that this boded ill.
The dynasty's county-level grassroots administration implemented the Ward-and-Block system and the Township-Subdivision System — that is, the Ward-and-Block system for cities and the Township-Subdivision (Du) system for rural areas. The person in charge at the township level was the Township Head. Below the township, Du units were established, and the person in charge was called the Du Head.
This Chen Wang was the Du Head of the East Second Du of Zhangjing. His usual duties were to "assist the Township Head in collecting Du taxes and prohibiting illegal acts." To put it plainly, he helped the Township Head collect taxes and ostensibly maintained local order.
His visit today was likely not for anything good.
Sure enough, after the first half of his sentence, Chen Wang immediately continued, "Little Hu, although the Provincial Secretariat and the Transport Office have waived this year's miscellaneous corvée labor, the Household Levy cannot be reduced. Your family has been in arrears for a long time. Look..."
Shao Shuyi understood—it turned out to be tax debt!
He steadied his mind and asked, "What is the Household Levy?"
Chen Wang was stunned for a moment, then softened his voice and explained, "What the dynasty takes from Jiangnan is called the 'Summer Tax' and the 'Autumn Tax,' which imitates the Two Taxes of the Tang..."
Shao Shuyi listened patiently and gradually understood. The so-called Household Levy meant a levy dispatched and collected by households. Even as a maritime ship household, he had to pay.
So after listening, he asked straightforwardly, "How much must be paid?"
Chen Wang fell silent for a moment and said, "In the third year of the Zhiyuan era (1337), the Ship Household Superintendency —"
"How much?" Shao Shuyi asked again.
"For the Ship Household Levy, those with ships of one thousand liao or more pay six ingots per year, with lower amounts for those below that tonnage—"
"Exactly how much?"
"Two ingots."
Before Shao Shuyi could speak, Kong Tie, who had been silent until then, looked up and said, "The Shao family has only him left. He is a Lower Household; does he need to pay that much?"
Chen Wang hesitated and said, "Fifty strings are always required."
Shao Shuyi was a bit speechless. It turned out one could bargain over taxes—worthy of the Great Yuan Dynasty!
Suddenly, he noticed that Du Head Chen Wang was dressed in a greenish-gray hemp straight-gown, so worn and washed that it had faded almost to white. Patches in the same dull shade covered the elbows and cuffs. His eyes were clouded with fatigue, and gray had already crept into his temples. This was a middle-aged man down on his luck, utterly exhausted by life.
Shao Shuyi had faintly heard before that there were many vacancies for Township Heads and Du Heads in various townships, and many people were unwilling to serve. He hadn't understood at the time, but now he did.
If it were a few decades earlier, those undertaking the corvée duties of Township Head, Du Head, Ward Chief, or Block Chief were generally wealthy and powerful families. At the very least, they were Upper Households with influence in the local area. They could use their authority to dominate the locality and prey on the villagers.
But by this time, the taxes apportioned by the Imperial Court were growing heavier by the day, the common people poorer by the day, and officials still sought to profit from them. Township Heads and Du Heads not only gained no benefit, but if anything went wrong, they had to cover deficits out of their own pockets. As a result, wealthy and powerful families were no longer willing to serve in these corvée posts and tried every possible means to evade them. The Yuan Court was very crafty; knowing it could squeeze no more oil from the petty commoners, it issued harsh reprimands and forcibly ordered local wealthy families to take turns serving as Township Heads, Du Heads, and other functionaries to keep the tax-collection system running.
But in actual execution, the wealthy and powerful families would bribe officials to escape, and in the end, it was generally the Upper Households of the township who were propped up to preside over the tax collection work.
Chen Wang was actually a scholar. Originally, he had meager family assets, but after serving as a Du Head for more than half a year, he had actually been reduced to such a shabby state. He had obviously paid quite a sum of money and notes to make up for deficits.
Shao Shuyi suddenly felt a little pity for him. But then again, he pitied Chen Wang, but who would pity him?
"I only have five strings of notes. I don't have any more," he sighed and said.
Chen Wang also sighed. The facts were obvious. The Shao family had emptied their family savings handling funeral affairs and didn't even have a ship; they shouldn't have been levied much of a Household Levy to begin with. As for the remaining fifteen-year-old youth, staying alive was a problem, let alone paying taxes. If forced too hard, he might flee tonight, and then not a single coin would be collected.
Or perhaps, he would run directly to a powerful, wealthy family—like the Zheng family—sell himself into servitude, and become a bondservant. It would be bitter, but at least he could hang on to his life and not be driven to death by the Household Levy.
Thinking of this, he took a deep look at Shao Shuyi and said nothing more.
Shao Shuyi bowed to him, turned back to the room, took five strings of Zhongtong notes, handed them over, and said, "Sorry to trouble you, Du Head."
Chen Wang accepted them silently, his eyes even more exhausted. However, he still sighed and said, "The Imperial Court is urging tax collection very urgently; this time, they are serious. If the arrears cannot be paid in full before the end of the month, the Court will definitely arrest people. Furthermore, there was a disaster last year, and grain prices have skyrocketed to thirty strings. The Secretariat and Censorate have decided to open the Charitable Granary to sell grain at a fair price, starting at noon today and selling for three days in a row."
Shao Shuyi's heart sank. He expressed his thanks verbally, then looked at Kong Tie.
Kong Tie nodded to him and said, "Little Hu, I plan to go to sea for the Spring Transport."
"With whom?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"The Ye family."
"Doing what?"
"Warehouse officer"
"The Transport Office allows ship households to carry weapons now?"
"We'll bring them secretly," Kong Tie replied. "The road is not peaceful, and there are many pirates. It will be difficult without weapons."
"Take care," Shao Shuyi said.
Kong Tie looked at him and suddenly said, "Actually, there is still a vacancy for a deckhand. If you are willing to go—"
Shao Shuyi instinctively wanted to refuse, but the words reached his lips and were swallowed back. "I'll think about it again."
While the two were talking, Chen Wang had already left the yard, walking on the local dirt road like a lost soul. To be a tax collector to this extent was likely unique. Since ancient times, were tax collectors of the past dynasties not synonymous with wolves and tigers? Yet the Great Yuan Dynasty was different.
Wealthy families who were ruined were caught by the handful; no one would believe it if told. But those Mongol Yuan nobles in Dadu knew who had money and who didn't, and they just stared at the local wealthy families to shear the sheep, forcing them to serve.
Actually, everyone had it hard. As far as maritime ship households were concerned, while there was no Tax Grain, there was the Household Levy, the miscellaneous corvée labor, and other miscellaneous taxes. Going to sea to transport grain was also unprofitable, even a losing business. Yet you had no way out; you had to carry your head in your hands and go to sea to fight with the wind and waves—a narrow escape from death, incredibly difficult.
Who, after all, caused all of this?