CHAPTER 157: CHAPTER 156: I’M GOING TO EVADE TAXES

After Yu Xiaolian finalized the signboard and shelves, Yu Changhe finally completed the business licenses for the two shops.

Yu Changhe had been running around for days to get these licenses, applying layer by layer, and it was quite difficult to obtain them.

Yes, you read it correctly, even in ancient times, one had to go to the government to obtain something called a trade certificate to open a shop, and you had to pay money.

You think you’re done after paying?

Wrong!

Even after opening the shop, you have to pay taxes.

Merchants who trade on foot are taxed twenty per thousand qian, and those who trade from a fixed shop are taxed thirty per thousand qian. Their shop falls under the latter.

This means that for every thousand wen they earn, they have to pay thirty wen in taxes.

After reading the regulations that Yu Changhe brought back, Yu Xiaolian cursed in her heart.

This is really outrageous.

No way am I going to keep accurate accounting; I’m going to evade taxes.

If it were just the business tax, Yu Xiaolian might have honestly paid it, but having dealt with Zheng Yuanfeng for so long, she knew well that Great Liang valued agriculture over commerce. The government not only collected business taxes but also invented other tax names to squeeze merchants.

So, even if you dutifully pay your business taxes, you will still be exploited by the government; if they are unjust, I won’t be righteous either!

No problem!

Most shops in Great Liang had two sets of accounts, one to deal with the government’s taxes, and the other to keep track of how much money they actually earned.

She didn’t know about other shops, but she knew that Mingxiang Pavilion and Mountain Moon Residence did this.

Yu Xiaolian told Yu Changhe to keep the trade certificate safe. She promised Little Tiger to take him to the academy for his studies today.

The academy diagonally across from her home was called Jianyin Academy, which, like Qingquan Academy, only accepted students of the Scholar rank or above.

Little Tiger was seven years old and hadn’t started his education yet, so Yu Xiaolian found Shuren Academy in the East Suburb for him.

She paid the gift fee for a quarter along with the book fee, totaling eight taels of silver.

Mr. Meng from Shuren Academy recorded Little Tiger’s full name on paper.

Mr. Meng pointed to Sun Hu’s name and asked Little Tiger, "Do you recognize these two characters?"

Little Tiger quickly nodded, "I recognize them; this is my name, my sister taught me."

During the southward migration, whenever Yu Xiaolian had spare time, she would teach Little Tiger, Erya, and Sanya to read characters.

Though not many teaching days had passed, they already knew how to read and write their own names.

Mr. Meng looked at Yu Xiaolian, "Have you attended school?"

Yu Xiaolian shook her head, "I never attended, but my father at home is literate, and I learned from him for several years."

Mr. Meng nodded.

Then he looked at Little Tiger again, "From now on, you must arrive at the academy for morning reading at one quarter past the hour, and school ends at three quarters past the hour in the afternoon. Remember that?"

Little Tiger obediently nodded, "Got it, sir."

"Hmm, you may go back now, come again tomorrow!"

Mr. Meng also advised Yu Xiaolian to prepare a Thousand Character Classic and Analects of Confucius at home and bring them along tomorrow.

When Yu Xiaolian left with Little Tiger, she went directly to the bookstore next to her house.

The owner of the bookstore was a middle-aged man with a scholarly air, surnamed Li.

Every time Yu Xiaolian passed by the door, she would see him reading.

He read so seriously that Yu Xiaolian initially thought he was reading books of sages, but upon entering the shop today, she discovered he was actually reading a thick travelogue.

This was Yu Xiaolian’s first visit to an ancient bookstore, and even though she was prepared, she was still surprised by the price of books. Two thin handwritten books cost three taels and five qian in total.

This is really expensive!

Even so, the bookstore owner told her that knowing they were new neighbors, he had already given her the lowest price.

Yu Xiaolian also bought an inkstone and ink stick, choosing medium-priced ones, spending another eight and a half taels of silver.

As for paper, she had plenty from the market; she had already taken out a thick stack of white paper for Little Tiger, enough for him to use for a while.

Although there was also ink in her market, since Little Tiger was going to the academy, he would definitely need an ink stick and inkstone, so these two items couldn’t be skimped on.

As for brushes, Yu Xiaolian had already given Little Tiger three of each size: large, medium, and small, so there was no need to buy any more.

Holding Little Tiger’s hand, they returned to the food shop next door.

"Sister, books are so expensive!" This was the first expensive gift he had ever received, so Little Tiger held the books like treasures, afraid of creasing them.

"Knowing they’re expensive, study hard and listen carefully in class."

She thought Little Tiger was a bit clever; he just played too much. If Mr. Meng could guide him appropriately, she believed Little Tiger could pass the Scholar exam in the future without any problem.

"Oh, our Little Tiger bought new books!" Sun Shi was sitting at the table, drinking tea and chatting with Grandma Sun.

Seeing Little Tiger come in, she waved him over to show her the books.

Little Tiger handed the books over, but nervously reminded her, "Aunt, be careful when flipping through them, don’t crease my new books."

Seeing how Little Tiger treasured these books, Sun Shi felt comforted. If her nephew could obtain a title in the future, their Sun Family would have produced an outstanding scholar.

Zhao Erya had already wiped the food shop clean inside and out. For some stubborn grease stains, she just sprayed with the cleaner that Yu Xiaolian gave her, and they came off easily.

Now, the whole food shop looked brand new.

After sending Little Tiger to the backyard to practice calligraphy, Sun Shi asked her daughter, "Lian’er, this food shop used to be a bun shop. Should we open a bun shop too?"

Yu Xiaolian shook her head, sat down, and poured herself a cup of tea, "I plan to open a marinated meat shop. I’ve already ordered the sign."

Sun Shi’s eyes lit up, "I think a marinated meat shop is good. So we just sell marinated meat, and nothing else?"

"This shop will only sell marinated meat, and nothing else."

It’s not just a matter of not being able to handle too much at once; there’s also not enough manpower to go around.

"Mom, in a bit, I’ll take you and Grandma out for a stroll and buy some ready-made clothes. We’ll also get some fabric to make Little Tiger a schoolbag."

The weather is about to heat up soon, and Little Tiger will start school tomorrow. He doesn’t need to dress too fancily, but he should have a few decent outfits. Erya and Sanya should also get two sets of summer clothes.

After resting for a few days, Sun Shi had recovered and wanted to get to know the city where they would live in the future.

Yu Xiaolian wanted to take her grandma along as well, but Grandma Sun decided to stay at home and cook, so the food would be ready when they returned from their stroll.

During the southward migration journey, whenever they encountered a larger restaurant, Yu Xiaolian would buy chicken soup or pigeon soup for Grandma Sun to nourish her body. As a result, Grandma Sun not only didn’t lose weight but actually gained a bit.

Grandma Sun was only in her early fifties, not too old. It’s just that she had worked herself sick with a heavy workload when she was younger. Now that she felt better, she didn’t get out of breath while walking and went out of her way to do chores. Sometimes, when Zhao Erya wanted to cook, Grandma Sun would chase her out of the kitchen.

Their shop was located in the eastern part of Luocheng. According to the broker’s owner, the east and west of Luocheng were worlds apart.

The East was filled with small businesses and shops, while the West had large restaurants, tea houses, and silk fabric stores. Even the government’s salt shop was in the West.

And you couldn’t open a shop in the West without connections.

Yu Xiaolian was already curious about what the West was like, so today she and Sun Shi went to the big silk fabric store in the West.