Chapter 455 - 453: Delivering the Public Grain
In a flash, the day to turn in the public grain tax arrived. Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang went to Lexing.
Along the way, they saw a steady stream of commune members pulling carts of grain toward the vehicle factory.
They didn’t grow wheat in Lexing, so the public grain tax had to be paid twice a year. This spring, the brigade had submitted rapeseed, so Lin Lan and the others only needed to turn in rice paddy. Next year, they would have to turn in rapeseed.
A portion of the harvest from the fields had to be handed over to the state for free. This grain was used to pay the agricultural tax. If the value of the submitted grain wasn’t enough, they had to pay the difference out of their own pockets.
The Lin Guoliang brothers were also at home, waiting to go pay the grain tax together. The two of them and Li Xiangyang loaded the carefully selected, golden, crisp rice paddy from the baskets into burlap sacks. They lifted the sacks onto a pushcart and pulled it onto the tractor path by the entrance. Just then, He Xianghua and Yang Meihua also appeared, pulling their own pushcart from the direction of Shiqiao.
Seeing them struggling, Li Xiangyang and Lin Guoliang hurried forward to help push their cart onto the tractor path.
Yang Meihua wiped away her sweat. "Lin Lan, did you bring the grain submission form? And did you prepare extra grain to make up for any weight difference?"
"I brought it, and I prepared the extra grain too."
Lin Lan took out the grain submission form and was suddenly reminded of her previous life, after she had gotten married and gone into business. ’Every year, I still had to pay the "Three Levies and Five Unified Collections" to the village. The village even gave every household a payment booklet.’
’The booklet even specified the purpose of each fee.’
’The three village levies were: the public accumulation fund, the public welfare fund, and the administration fee. The accumulation fund was for basic farmland and water conservancy construction, afforestation, purchasing productive fixed assets, and establishing collective enterprises.’
’The welfare fund was for supporting the "Five-Guaranteed Households," subsidizing extremely poor households, cooperative medical care, and other collective welfare projects. The administration fee was for the village cadres’ salaries and management expenses.’
’The Five Unified Collections were five township-level collections: the education surcharge, family planning fees, militia training fees, rural road construction fees, and civil affairs and special care fees.’
’Those of us who went out to work or do business had to pay an additional labor export fee!’
’Back then, many villagers couldn’t afford the Three Levies and Five Unified Collections. Grassroots cadres would often block the doors of households in arrears, demanding payment. To meet their quotas, some cadres would stop at nothing, resorting to tearing down houses, seizing cattle, and carrying off grain and pigs. Some farmers, pushed to the brink, committed extreme acts...’
’Things have just opened up now, so they haven’t started piling all those miscellaneous fees on the farmers yet. But it won’t be two years before all sorts of charges start popping up.’
’These miscellaneous fees that came later wouldn’t be abolished until after the year 2000, and only then would the burden on farmers lighten a little.’
He Xianghua parked his pushcart and smiled. "The people at the grain station said the grain can’t have any moisture, sand, shriveled kernels, or other impurities. It has to be brightly colored and every kernel plump to be considered qualified public grain."
Lin Guoliang said, "I’ve noticed. The requirements for individuals turning in grain are much stricter than for the brigade. I spread ours out to dry again yesterday afternoon, then winnowed and sifted it one more time."
He Xianghua nodded. "I had people go around and notify everyone, so they should all know."
The two families pulled their pushcarts toward the Lexing Commune grain station.
When they arrived at the grain station, the large courtyard was already filled with rows of baskets, burlap sacks, pushcarts, and wheelbarrows. More farmers were on the road, carrying grain on shoulder poles as they headed this way.
However, everyone turning in grain had a smile on their face. Some were quietly discussing how, after paying the grain tax this year, they could finally cook a meal of white rice for their children.
Lin Guodong looked around. "Didn’t they say they were collecting from Lexing Commune first? Why are there so many people?"
He Xianghua laughed. "Second Brother Lin, Lexing Commune is much larger than Dashiqiao Commune."
Lin Guodong thought about it and agreed. "We’ll come earlier next year."
Li Xiangyang had never paid the public grain tax before and didn’t expect to have to wait in line just to deliver it. He said to Lin Lan, "Little Lan, it’s hot. You and Sister Meihua should head back first. We can wait here."
Seeing that there were three men—Li Xiangyang and the Lin brothers—He Xianghua said to Yang Meihua, "You should go back. With Xiangyang and Big Brother helping me, there’s no need for all of us to wait here baking in the sun."
Lin Lan and Yang Meihua had no choice but to nod. "Alright, we’ll head back first then."
"Go on!" Li Xiangyang waved them off. After the two women left, he said to He Xianghua, "Brother He, let’s go inside and take a look."
He Xianghua smiled and nodded. "Alright, I’ll take you in to see how the public grain tax is paid!"
The two walked up to a large scale not far from the warehouse. He Xianghua said to him, "The first step is inspection. After the inspector says it’s qualified and gives it a grade, it goes to the winnowing machine, and then..."
Li Xiangyang watched the inspectors. With blank expressions, they held long steel probes with a groove down the middle, plunging them into each grain sack and pulling them out again.
As the probe brought out a sample of grain, the inspector would pinch a few kernels, pop them in his mouth, and bite down. "Second-grade grain," he’d declare, waving for the sack to be taken to the winnowing machine.
He watched several families in a row, but not a single one had their grain rated as first-grade.
Another family wasn’t allowed to proceed. The inspector said their grain wasn’t dry enough and had too many impurities, telling the man to take it back, dry it, and come again.
The family dejectedly pulled their pushcart away.
The farmers whose grain was approved happily pushed their wheelbarrows toward the tall winnowing machine, where a crowd was already waiting.
A man stood on the winnowing machine, pouring grain into it. Below, people used burlap sacks to collect the clean grain and the chaff that came out of the machine’s two separate spouts.
Then, it was carried to the large scale to be weighed. The grain station staff would record the weight, deduct for the husks, and calculate the final amount.
After getting the receipt, the farmer had to carry the sacks of grain one by one into the granary and empty them into the grain bins. Only then was the process complete.
He Xianghua laughed. "There aren’t many people paying their tax today. If you’d come last year, the grain in the granary was piled as high as a mountain. Everyone had to carry their grain and walk across wooden planks to get to the top."
"Once those grain station inspectors are done, they just sit outside, drinking tea and shooting the breeze. They won’t lift a finger to help you. It’s a bit better here since we’re close to the city. In the rural county grain stations, nobody dares to offend the inspectors for fear of being told to take their grain home and do it all over again."
Li Xiangyang nodded. "I understood that when I was undergoing labor reform with my dad. The farmers have it the hardest and do the most exhausting work!"
He Xianghua sighed. "Yeah. My little one isn’t cut out for studying. My only hope now is that he can muddle through junior high, then join the army. At least he’ll have a way out when he’s discharged. Otherwise, he’s just going to be toiling in the dirt for the rest of his life."
"Boys mature late. His grades will get better when he’s a bit older."
"Meihua told me your Little Douzi started first grade at the city’s No. 1 Primary School this year, huh?"
"Mhm! We pulled some strings. The teacher said they’d accept him as long as he could pass the entrance exam. I heard he got perfect scores on both tests."
"You can tell what a child will become from a young age. That kid has loved books since he was little. He can even retell the stories from all the children’s books I have at home after reading them once. My kid stares at them all day, but when you ask him to tell you the story, he can’t even get it straight."
"He’s always talking about wanting to test into the police academy and become a police officer like Ding Bang."
"All kids are like that. They all want to be soldiers in the Liberation Army or police officers." He Xianghua thought for a moment and smiled. "I remember when I was a teenager, the people I envied most were the ones in military uniforms!"
Li Xiangyang also smiled and nodded. ’If it weren’t for the trouble that befell my family, Ding Bang, Dongzi, and I would have joined the army together. But if those things hadn’t happened, I might never have met Little Lan...’