Li Feng had returned home, and breakfast could finally be served.
He went to the kitchen to fetch water, washed his hands, and mixed the batter for pancakes.
After putting the mule in the back, he fed it while he was at it.
When he went inside to wash his hands, he said to Lu Liu, “We’re down two chickens.”
“I took them to the woodshed to eat insects,” Lu Liu replied.
Li Feng nodded. “You really know how to handle chickens.”
Lu Liu hummed, ignoring the compliment, and ordered him to take the porridge out.
By then, the pancakes were ready, and their mother and Shun-ge’er had freed their hands to sit at the table.
In May, many people traveled to the county.
Summer taxes were due before June, so they usually waited until after the Dragon Boat Festival to make the trip. People left early in the morning and returned late in the evening. On the official roads, this pattern was visible—except for the middle of the day, when hardly anyone was around.
Summer taxes included household and land taxes. Those who had grown winter wheat could pay with the new grain, typically from their stored supplies. If there wasn’t enough, they’d top it up with beans—mostly soybeans or mung beans. In their area, soybeans and mung beans were commonly grown, while other beans were rare.
Household tax was straightforward—a per-person levy.
Land tax included fields and property. Property had to be officially recorded, roughly valued according to livestock or buildings. Neighbors kept an eye on each other; if anyone hid wealth, it could be reported to the authorities.
Li Feng wanted to settle the summer taxes before going to the prefecture.
Their household was prosperous, attracting attention. To be safe, even their small side business was reported. He would take the ledgers with him.
For farmers, small side businesses earned some extra cash, but the government didn’t regulate them strictly. Straw or bamboo weaving, raising chickens for eggs, fishing or selling vegetables—all went largely untaxed. In previous years, when Li Feng hunted, they only paid household and grain taxes; property taxes were minimal.
Once in the county, he planned to ask Lu Yang for advice. Lu Yang had two brothers working as clerks and understood these matters.
After finishing breakfast in the stronghold, Li Feng headed to Wang Meng’s house and called Chen Jiu out. Wang Meng hadn’t descended the mountain yet, so Li Feng took the summer taxes to the county himself.
“Decide if we pay with wheat or soybeans. No need for money; I’ve got it. I’ll let you know when it’s done,” Li Feng said.
Chen Jiu didn’t hesitate. Opening the grain storage, he said, “Take the beans. We don’t eat much, and leaving them would make them damp.”
Li Feng carried a heavy bag away.
With Wang Meng having split from the family, only the couple remained. They owned little land, so taxes were low, but at the collection office, they had to bring extra. Officials would complain that the grain wasn’t dry enough, the beans were small or shriveled—these required extra payment. Even if the household measured many times, the officials’ word was final. No negotiation—just pay.
While Li Feng was out, Lu Liu tidied the kitchen.
After washing the dishes, he went outside to help.
After the first three months of pregnancy, light household work was fine; activity was considered beneficial. Heavy labor or tasks requiring frequent bending were avoided.
Seeing the dried mushrooms packed, Lu Liu swept the floor. Dust had collected under the baskets. Once the sweeping was done, he washed and wiped the small shop.
After lunch, he found a moment to sit with Shun-ge’er, quietly examining rouge and lip balm.
They were shy but playful, lightly touching his pregnancy mark before heading to steam buns.
In the afternoon, a new batch of wild mushrooms arrived. Lu Liu couldn’t prepare the filling, so Shun-ge’er steamed the buns while he weighed, tallied, and handled the coins.
Their older brother, generous as always, gave them fifty taels of silver to pay for the first batch of goods.
The shipment weighed 1,500 jin, costing around sixty taels. They still had several hundred jin in stock, so the silver was plenty.
The older brother told them to focus on collection. If possible, get a few hundred extra jin to test the market at the dock—a single trip could accomplish two tasks.
Once the dock trial went smoothly, they would have confidence in future deliveries.
After Li Feng returned from paying the summer taxes, Lu Liu asked and found their property taxes hadn’t increased—he was quietly pleased.
Li Feng remarked, “The officials saw we brought out more than we earned and even told us to stop.”
Lu Liu chuckled softly.
Taking advantage of clear weather, Li Feng transported more mushrooms to the county.
After two busy days, a mountain rain arrived.
After the rain, the rainy season officially began. Sometimes a fine drizzle lasted all day; sometimes heavy rain poured for half a day. Roads turned muddy, and Lu Liu stayed indoors. No one came to sell mushrooms, and they couldn’t dry any in the yard.
Li Feng dug up small stones to fill the front and back yard paths.
He wasn’t afraid of hard work. He laid stones and leveled the ground with a wooden mallet, even adding larger stones for a smooth, non-slip path. Lu Liu, moving about the yard, was deeply moved by the effort.
After finishing, he had most of the day behind him. Lu Liu boiled water for his bath and helped him change.
During the rain, Li Feng washed his hair too.
Lu Liu used a cotton cloth to pat his hair, removing moisture bit by bit, then combed it to help it dry faster.
Li Feng’s scalp was sensitive—he’d never let even his mother touch it. He twitched as Lu Liu played with it, which he found amusing, teasing him with little strokes, only to be scolded.
Li Feng kissed his lips, remembering the lip balm they bought, and asked, “Why haven’t you put it on?”
Lu Liu wanted to, but hadn’t found the right opportunity.
With so much activity and visitors, bright red lips would be noticed and teased. His courage hadn’t built up yet.
Daytime wasn’t suitable; applying at night might be too deliberate. If applied, Li Feng would devour it.
He hadn’t decided when to wear it, so the lip balm stayed aside.
Li Feng held his face, shifted him onto his lap, opened the small chest, and found the lip balm and bronze mirror.
He handed the balm to Lu Liu, holding up the mirror: “Try it.”
Lu Liu looked in the mirror, feeling now wasn’t the time.
“Apply it now, and I’ll eat it. Such a waste.”
Better to look nice first, then be eaten. Two ways to use one coin.
Li Feng hugged him in his arms, kissing his cheeks, and helped open the lip balm. His voice rough:
“You can eat the chicken, but not your lips?”
Lu Liu answered, first yes, then no.
Holding the precious balm, he said, “This costs money.”
Seventy wen for such a small amount.
Pork was thirteen wen per jin.
Thirteen wen a jin! He could even say “only thirteen.”
His little expressions amused Li Feng, who watched with a mix of exasperation and affection.
“Yes, it’s my chicken that’s worthless,” Li Feng teased.
Lu Liu calculated the value, equating a box of balm to food.
“One big rooster is about seventy to eighty wen,” he said.
Realizing which chicken Li Feng meant, he blushed.
Feeling awkward, he wiggled and twisted, only to get pecked on the rear by the chicken.
Lu Liu’s eyes widened. He wanted to insist it was valuable, but he hadn’t spent money and wouldn’t sell it. This chicken was free. He laughed, bright-eyed, glancing back at Li Feng with a mischievous look.
Small and playful, he exposed all his thoughts. Li Feng hugged him, letting stray strands of half-dried hair fall over him. Lu Liu grabbed at them, but with no leverage, he could only let Li Feng take what he wanted.
