Whitaker Scarlett couldn’t understand her aunt’s expression Amanda was beaming; it was just queuing up; was it that important?
When it came time to deliver the grain tax, Whitaker Scarlett belatedly realized the benefits of queuing behind the Harris Family.
A long queue stretched outside the grain station. The Harris Family didn’t cut in line but waited, chatting casually along the road outside the grain station. Inside the grain station, it was bustling with people; township leaders accompanied the village heads from each village to inspect the grain one by one.
According to Whitaker Scarlett’s understanding, it was simply weighing the grain according to the list, accepting it, and leaving the grain behind, wouldn’t that complete one household’s delivery?
She was so naive!
Delivering the grain tax wasn’t that smooth at all.
When it was a household’s turn, the people at the grain station would use a hollow iron tube to poke into the sack, and pulling it out would bring out some grain for inspection. The wheat in Province matured in June, and they had delivered wheat to the grain station at the end of June. This time, it was rice.
The iron tube brought out some rice grains, and the people at the grain station looked at them in their palms:
“Not qualified.”
The person delivering the grain tried to appease them with flattering words, and somehow, it became third-grade grain.
Third-grade grain was considered qualified, but the grain grade was low, so the amount to be delivered was higher – the judgment standard was in the hands of the grain station inspectors, and only downward judgments were made; almost no first-grade grain appeared.
It was almost noon when it was finally the Harris Family’s turn.
When the people at the grain station saw Mrs. Harris, their expressions were still serious, but they rated their rice as “first-grade.”
Whitaker Scarlett couldn’t see the difference in the rice grains, and the people around certainly weren’t convinced, but no one argued with the people at the grain station; there was some whispering:
“The Harris Family from Wellwater village.”
“Shh, don’t talk.”
Uncle Daniel didn’t need to come over; the old man was accompanying the township leaders. When it was their turn, the grain station automatically rated it as “first-grade.” Whitaker Scarlett also saw the trick; the old man’s prestige was there, and the people at the grain station didn’t dare to falsify.
The Harris Family’s grain tax inspection was particularly quick, and soon it was Amanda’s turn. The rice grains Amanda and Whitaker Scarlett had weighed at home, 100 kg per bag, weighed less than 80 kg on the scale at the grain station – Amanda’s face was unpleasant, but she didn’t say anything.
Whitaker Scarlett had already understood the trick; could she jump out and expose it? Workplace struggles weren’t all positive and uplifting; Whitaker Scarlett knew that petty devils were hard to deal with.
“This is also from my family.”
Mrs. Harris casually added a sentence.
The people at the grain station looked at the grain delivery slip; the householder’s surname was Miller, and there was no connection with ‘Harris’, how could they be the same family?
How did the Millers and the Harris become one family?
Different surnames, but they can still form a marital alliance, can’t they? Harris’s eldest sister-in-law blatantly lied, and the people at the grain station turned a blind eye, completing the inspection of Amanda’s public grain without any shortage, though it was only rated “second-grade.”
Even so, Amanda was very happy.
“Sister-in-law, just by you speaking up, it saved us so much trouble!”
Of course, Harris’s eldest sister-in-law relied on her father-in-law, Uncle Daniel’s, influence. Everyone knew that handing over grain involved giving the grain station personnel some benefits. Even if Uncle Daniel was powerful, he couldn’t prevent everyone in Wellwater village from being harassed by the grain station. But because Uncle Daniel was firm and assertive, the people of Wellwater village were harassed the least; 100 kg of rice could still be weighed as 80 kg. If people from other villages came to hand over their grain, let alone the grade, 100 kg of rice weighed at home might only weigh 70 kg at the grain station.
What could Whitaker Scarlett say?
Even 30 years later, these devious practices in rural areas wouldn’t be eradicated. And it’s not just rural areas; where there’s water, there are fish. Every corner of the world has similar “unspoken rules.”
Whitaker Scarlett was also a beneficiary of these “unspoken rules.”
She had a moral compass; above 60 points, no problem. Demanding she adhere to saintly standards was clearly unrealistic.
