「That afternoon.」
The Grand-Uncle met with a few people, then sent the old farmer named Old Jin, who was always by his side, to handle some affairs.
「The next day.」
When Chen Nuo went out, he found that everyone along the way was fixing their eyes on him, their gazes filled with excitement.
Chen Nuo gave a faint smile.
'This is all to be expected.'
'The second-generation oyster mushrooms have probably produced their first harvest.'
When he arrived at the ancestral hall, the Grand-Uncle was already waiting for him.
"From now on, you won't need me to speak on your behalf in the Clan anymore."
The Grand-Uncle said abruptly.
Chen Nuo understood his grand-uncle's meaning, but he shook his head. "With your prestige, Grand-Uncle, you'll always be able to help."
The old man smiled. "When are you planning to move?"
The Clan Leader was naturally supposed to live in the center of the manor, where the previous Clan Leader's house was.
But Chen Nuo shook his head. "That won't be necessary. My home isn't far from the center, and it's not as if we're out of room."
The Grand-Uncle nodded and didn't try to persuade him further.
'He's the Clan Leader now. He calls the shots.'
'Unless Chen Nuo makes a major mistake or comes to me for help, I won't interfere.'
'Respect is one thing, but in some areas, I should still lead by example. It's best not to throw my age around.'
Chen Nuo, of course, was unaware of this. He had come over thinking about the autumn harvest.
"Grand-Uncle, regarding the autumn harvest—is there any news from the Tax Collector this year? What's the rate?"
This was the real reason for his visit.
In this era, grain was the eternal lifeblood.
It was something Chen Nuo had to pay close attention to.
Upon hearing this, the Grand-Uncle frowned. "Ah, that... Old Jin just told me about it two days ago. Li Tax Collector, our acquaintance in the county, sent word. This year's grain tax is fifty percent."
???
!!!
"What?!"
Chen Nuo couldn't keep his composure.
It was an absolutely terrifying figure!
Normally, even a heavy grain tax would be ten percent. But in recent years, with overall yields declining, the Government Office had already raised the tax to thirty percent, making life incredibly difficult.
And that was with the Chen Manor being a unified Clan of mostly independent farmers, with a conscientious elder like the Grand-Uncle who wasn't an unscrupulous landlord.
Otherwise, under the system of land consolidation, tenant farmers would only keep thirty percent of the harvest while seventy percent went to the landlord, and the grain tax would still have to be paid out of the tenant's meager share.
Now, it had jumped from thirty to fifty percent. This meant even independent farmers would have to hand over half their harvest. The tenant farmers would have it even worse. They'd have to give up half of their already meager thirty percent share. How could anyone survive the winter on what little was left?
'They're simply not giving us a way to live!'
"Don't panic. There's more to it," the Grand-Uncle said. "According to Li Tax Collector, this grain tax doesn't just cover the land. It also includes the poll tax and corvée labor. And, it can be paid off with valuables."
'Even so, it was still a crippling tax. And for that, one should probably thank the high-and-mighty lords. Be grateful, grateful there weren't even more taxes with other fancy names.'
"The corvée labor... that can be paid off with money too?"
Chen Nuo asked with a frown.
The Grand-Uncle nodded silently.
'Dammit,' Chen Nuo cursed internally. 'These are the signs of a dynasty on the verge of collapse!'
"Alright, since it can be paid off with valuables, there's no need to worry. You don't think our Chen Family lacks even that much in reserves, do you?"
The old man scoffed.
Chen Nuo had a sudden realization. No wonder the old man had been so calm after hearing the news.
"Besides, being able to trade money for our lives isn't necessarily a bad thing," the old man sighed.
Chen Nuo understood the old man was talking about the corvée labor.
"The Yue Kingdom... I'm afraid it's about to fall into chaos. From past to present, nothing lasts forever." The old man gave Chen Nuo a meaningful, pointed look.
"Ah Nuo, we must start preparing. We can't let ourselves be swept away in the chaos."
"Understood. I'll step up our grain reserves next year."
The two of them settled the details of a few matters.
...
Thanks to the second-generation oyster mushrooms, the entire Chen Manor had a chance to recover, and everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The atmosphere in the manor became quite pleasant.
As for their precious oyster mushrooms, they were guarded so strictly that there was no immediate worry of the secret getting out.
'Of course, it wouldn't be a huge deal even if the secret did get out. After all, they only produce three harvests and then they're done for.'
'Oyster mushrooms are just a side dish, after all, not a staple. At best, they're a food supplement.'
「In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. It was now the fifth day of the eighth month.」
Ten days left.
The autumn harvest was imminent.
But now, the previously relaxed atmosphere in Chen Manor had vanished, replaced by a pervasive sense of bleak sorrow.
"Oh my god! Oh my heavens!"
"What's happening?!"
"The grain! How did the grain end up like this?!"
"Damn you, heavens! Damn you!"
"..."
Furious curses, desperate wails, and mournful cries filled the air.
The fields.
In all the fields, the grain yield had unexpectedly plummeted!
The heads of grain looked full, but when husked, the kernels were sparse!
With such a disaster unfolding, Chen Nuo, as the Clan Leader, was naturally on the scene.
His expression was grim as he turned to Old Jin beside him. "Roughly how much is the yield down compared to past years?"
"It's about the same for every stalk of wheat... it's down by twenty percent. The total yield should be down by about twenty percent as well." As an old farmer, Old Jin's hands and feet were trembling.
For the farmers of this era, their entire year's livelihood depended on these fields. Not everyone had other skills to feed their families!
Losing even a little grain was a life-threatening blow. To lose a full twenty percent was simply terrifying!
The yields had decreased in the past couple of years, but only slightly. Nothing like this.
Combined with this year's increased grain tax...
Chen Nuo took a deep breath.
"Alright, the sky hasn't fallen. Tell everyone in the manor to harvest what they can and keep their heads."
As their leader, he knew that at times like this, it was more important than ever not to lose his composure.
Just as he'd hoped, Chen Nuo's words had a stabilizing effect. Although everyone was still grief-stricken, at least they were no longer acting like their world had ended.
Chen Nuo squatted down, staring intently at the crops. With a wave of his hand, he summoned Chen Li, who was nearby.
"Clan Leader?"
"Go send people to check the other villages."
"Yes."
Staring at the crops, Chen Nuo's mind raced.
'What do we do about the grain?'
'The oyster mushrooms won't be enough.'
'Engage in business, then buy grain with the money?'
'No, right now grain is probably more precious than gold. Even with the family's savings, after paying the tax, my grand-uncle wouldn't be able to buy enough food for the entire Clan. If he could, we wouldn't be in such a desperate state.'
'Go hunting in the mountains?'
'Difficult. Coiling Snake Mountain is huge. Ignoring the so-called ecosystem, with Chen Li, Chen Yong, myself, and the other young men, we could significantly relieve the pressure on our food supply. But... there are Exotic Beasts and poisonous snakes...'
'Are there any other ways to get food?'
'Wait... Xiaochenxi!'
'Fish!'
In that instant, Chen Nuo thought of Xiaochenxi—the very stream where he had awakened his memories.
There were plenty of fish there, but for the last few months, no one had dared to go because of the "strange fish." Anyone who did was just tempting fate.
One wrong move, and they could end up dead in the water.
'A strange fish... I wonder if that strange fish is also an Exotic Beast.'