Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Seeking Justice (1/2)
Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Seeking Justice
Translator: 549690339
“Old man, what’s wrong? What did the Village Chief want to talk to you about that’s got you looking so worried?” In the morning, the Village Chief had sent someone to notify each household to send the head of the family to his house for a discussion. Old Man Han had hurried over there, but he came back with a worried look on his face.
“Ah, let’s talk about it inside. Call everyone in. It’s about our whole family’s business, so everyone should listen and think of some solutions. Life is just getting harder and harder.”
Once everyone had gathered in the main house, Old Man Han, seeing that everyone was present, finally spoke about the reason the Village Chief had called them. It turned out that officials had come with a notification that this year’s taxes were going to be increased by twenty percent. Peasant families like theirs already had difficulty farming. The Han Family was somewhat better off since they owned a few acres of land and didn’t have to rent from the landlord, meaning they could avoid paying rent and could lead a better life. But even so, apart from paying taxes, they could only just cover their food needs. Now, with an additional twenty percent tax, there definitely wouldn’t be enough food for all the family members. It was obvious that life would be even harder for them.
“Why? Why the sudden tax increase, when we peasant families who live off the land are already struggling? Are they even leaving us a way to live?” Mrs. Yang asked angrily. In the current state of the world, it was becoming increasingly chaotic; those above didn’t care about the commoners’ lives, bearing down on them without mercy.
“What other reasons could there be? It’s always the same few excuses. This time they say it’s to chase down rebels—they’re preparing for war and need to gather food. In any case, the government is imposing it on us, and we commoners have no choice but to follow along. What else can we do? We can’t just not listen, can we?” Old Man Han sighed as he puffed on his dry cigarette more loudly, as if to vent the frustration in his heart.
After hearing what Old Man Han said, Mrs. Yang didn’t speak further. Government matters were just like this—could they, insignificant commoners, really defy it? They could only hope for a kinder master above who would care a little more for the commoners. If the war really broke out, even harder days would lie ahead.
Hearing the conversation between Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang, the Han family brothers all wore grave expressions, and the daughters-in-law didn’t dare to say much, also worried. Of course, Su Wenyue was an exception. She understood what the future might hold and had started to think about what to do. But with the world beginning to unravel, seeing Han Yu looking so worried, she wondered if it might be time to share some information with him.
“Father and Mother, there’s nothing we can do about the way things are. We can’t refuse to pay the taxes the government is imposing. But it’s certain that we won’t have enough food this year. Later, I’ll go to the county to find some odd jobs. Even earning a little silver could help support the family. Don’t worry too much,” said Han Hu, who, true to being the Han Family’s big brother, was the first to speak up with his thoughts.
“Yes, Father and Mother. The few of us brothers are strong enough to work more and support the family. Don’t worry too much. Life has to go on, and everyone is in the same situation; we’re not the only family that has to pay taxes,” Han Family’s Second Son joined in the conversation. Normally quiet and focused solely on hard work, he was also an optimistic and endurant person.