The man in his thirties clamped the body of the snake with special pliers, and then carefully put the poisonous snake into their bamboo building. This was finally relieved.
Facing Yue Chen's question, the man named the first said: "This is a baby."
"baby?"
Yue Chen was surprised, "What baby is this?"
The man said: "Don't think he is very cruel, but for the big men, this snake meat is very delicious, but it is a specialty of ours."
"Delicious, eat?"
Yue Chen frowned, "Then how much price can you sell."
The man smiled and said: "Sell, we won't sell."
"Don't sell it, eat it yourself?"
Yue Chen was a little dissatisfied, and the other party had been selling Guanzi.
The man said: "This is for tax deduction.
This kind of snake only occurs in autumn every year. Once we catch one and hand it in, it will be deducted from the family’s annual tax.
Now that we have caught one, it is a good start. Once we have one, we won’t have to pay taxes this year. "
Pay taxes?
Yue Chen didn't understand and said: "It's just paying taxes. You pay them. Now Yue State's taxes are very light, and even some poor areas are directly exempt.
Like your Gaoyang County, because it is a poor county, the tax rate is already very low. "
The man took a deep look at Yue Chen and said: "You are a rich son, so you live in the story.
Does this taxation mean that it is reduced when it is reduced? "
Yue Chen shouted in a deep voice: "Is it a trifle to have all the imperial edicts and government decrees issued."
"Hahaha, son, you are still too naive."
The man laughed and said, "The imperial decree, that is what the emperor showed to the county magistrate, and the county magistrate does not execute it, that is the most important thing.
The county magistrate ignored the emperor's imperial decree, and the imperial decree was useless. "
Yue Chen said: "Then...what is your tax here?"
The man said: "The yield per mu is three hundred catties."
"what?"
Yue Chen was shocked.
For example, in the fertile fields of Gaoyang County, one mu yields up to five or six hundred catties of grain.
With a tax of three hundred catties, don't you collect most of the grain?
Yue Chen made a fist, his face was very ugly, and he sternly shouted: "What will the people eat and drink after taking so much food?
If you don’t save some food, if there is a famine, isn’t there no more food. "
The man said: "If you really encounter a famine, it's not about having surplus food, but you still have to hand in a hundred catties.
However, there is no food in the fields and no food for oneself, what should I do?
At that time, only selling children and selling daughters.
If there are no children to sell, they can only starve to death. "
"It's really unreasonable."
Yue Chen gritted his teeth and furious.
He didn't expect at all that his own Yue country would have such a place.
Looking at Yue Chen's appearance, the man was a little happy, and said with a smile: "The son can sympathize with us, it seems that the son is also a kind person.
But it's useless. This is made by the magistrate, and no one can change it. In Gaoyang County, the magistrate is the heaven. "
Yue Chen said: "So, you catch snakes?"
The man said: "Yes, this snake can offset our tax for one year. No matter the weather is good or bad, at least we don't have to worry about tax.
Last year, my neighbor died.
Because he couldn't catch snakes and couldn't pay taxes, he died.
The year before last, there was a famine in the county, and many people died, all of them starved to death. "
Yue Chen said, "You guys have died a lot, too."
The man smiled helplessly and said: "My grandfather was killed by snake venom, and my father was also killed by snake venom. Now it's my turn. I don't know when to die.
However, in times of famine, I have surplus food to save, and when they starve to death, I don’t have to pay taxes.
Even if I was poisoned to death today, I would live two years longer than those who starved to death the year before.
This is good. "
Xiao Qi walked to Yue Chen's side and whispered: "Chen Yue, they are so pitiful."
Yue Chen looked up at these snake catchers, their faces were already numb.
They don't know when they will die, but they seem to be waiting for death, as if one more day is to live.
Yue Chen suddenly remembered Bai Yingxue's words. Some human races' continents were ruled by demons. The human races there were numb and ignorant, like wild beasts, without future and hope.
Yue Chen couldn't see the future and hope in these people.
They just live to live.
What is the difference between such a human race and the demons reduced to food under the rule of the demons?
The only difference is that in the demons, the human race is reduced to food.
Here, the human race helps them find food.
But the end is very tragic.
The anger in Yue Chen's heart was burning, and there was such a magistrate in his empire who treated people like this.
It seems that Gaoyang County and his party have come to the right.
The man said to Yue Chen numbly: "My son, this is dangerous, you should go."
Yue Chen said: "You don't want to leave here and go to a better place?"
go away?
Everyone's expressions were a little dazed, and then shook their heads, going further and further.
They have become numb from the persecution, have no other ideas, only live day after day.
Perhaps one day, they will die in the hands of a poisonous snake, and this life will end.
And this seems to be their destiny.
And after they die, their son will inherit their craft, generation after generation, and so on.
Until, everyone died and no longer reproduced.
After everyone left, Yue Chen's heart was still resentful.
Xiao Qi said: "Chen Yue, what's the matter?
Why do the managers here treat their compatriots like this?
If it were in our fox clan, it would be killed by the patriarch himself. "
Yue Chen gritted his teeth and shouted: "Because there are too many human races, it is difficult to manage with too many people.
Sometimes it is necessary to kill a batch to deter a batch.
It seems that I will raise the butcher knife again. "
"Shall we kill them now?"
Xiao Qi asked.
Yue Chen shook his head indifferently, and said lightly: "No, let's take a look at the city, Gaoyang County...hehe, what a Gaoyang County, what a majestic magistrate."
In Yue Chen's heart, anger was blazing, and the killing intent in his heart seemed to gush out.
He hadn't had such a big killing intent for a long time, even if he met the demons, he was not so angry.
Back to the carriage, Yue Chen said to Wei Zhongxian: "You secretly follow us, and Xiao Qi and I will enter the city to take a look."
Yue Chen took out two human skin masks and put them on himself and Xiao Qi.
After putting on the human skin masks, Yue Chen and Xiao Qi changed their appearances, and Yue Chen became an honest and loyal young man.
Xiao Qi's peerless face was obscured, turning into the image of a lovely girl next door.
Later, Yue Chen and Xiao Qi drove in a carriage, and they sat on the front together, slowly driving towards the county seat of Gaoyang County.
Gaoyang County is within easy reach.