"There's plenty that can be done," Jin Feng remarked. "Why don't you come and help me out?"
"Your place is for spinning thread. How can I, a one-armed man, assist with that?" came the reply.
"Who said anything about spinning?" Jin Feng countered. "I need someone to deliver the spun hemp thread to the county office, fetch hemp skins, and buy grain, don't I? If you don't mind, Brother Liang, come and lend me a hand. I'll pay you five hundred coins a month, and once we start making more, I'll increase your wages."
"Five hundred coins is too much," Zhang Liang shook his head vigorously. "I've heard that even the county constables only earn three hundred coins a month. How could I possibly be worth more than them?"
Though hunting had been profitable for him—he had earned over eight hundred coins from his recent catches, half of which went to Jin Feng—he knew such luck wouldn't last. At best, he might earn a hundred coins a month, and that was risking his life against tigers. With grain costing two coins per pound, a hundred coins plus some foraged vegetables would suffice for his family's needs. Money was hard to come by, no matter the era. The women in the village were overjoyed to earn thirty coins a month. Five hundred coins felt like too much for him to accept.
"Brother Liang, transporting goods back and forth is far more laborious than a constable's duties. Besides, this job requires someone I can trust. If I hired an outsider, they might run off with my goods, and I'd have no recourse," Jin Feng explained. "You're the most trustworthy person I know, so you're the best fit for this."
"Xiao Feng, I have no problem helping you, but five hundred coins is just too much. With only a few spinning wheels, how much can you really earn each month? And you have to support all these women too..."
"Brother Liang, you're underestimating me," Jin Feng said with a smile. "Tell you what, we've got almost a cartload of hemp thread ready. Come with me to the county office tomorrow, and you'll see just how much we can earn."
"Alright," Zhang Liang nodded in agreement.
That night, Tang Dongdong organized the women to load the hemp thread onto a borrowed cart. Before dawn, Zhang Liang, along with the village chief's son Liu Tie and the hunter Chen Laoliu, arrived. Chen Laoliu carried a longbow and a quiver of arrows, while Jin Feng and Zhang Liang brought their crossbows. Even Tang Dongdong secretly tucked a pair of scissors into her clothes. Rumors of refugees fleeing wars in the west and north had spread, and the roads were unsafe. They couldn't risk being robbed.
As they prepared to set off with the cart, the village chief hurried over. "Xiao Feng, I've given Liu Tie the paperwork for Xie Guang's household deregistration. It's already been stamped by the town office, but since Tie can't read, could you take him to the county office when you get there?"
Xie Guang had died, and the town coroner had examined the body, but they still needed to deregister him at the county office. Otherwise, the village would be taxed for him next year. As for the bald man, since no one knew him, the chief had buried him that very night to avoid complications.
"Sure," Jin Feng agreed.
The hemp thread was light, and the cart was easy to pull. By mid-morning, they reached Jinchuan County. Tang Dongdong's slow pace had delayed them, but her expertise in the textile industry was indispensable. She knew how to sell the hemp thread at the best price and which hemp skins to buy. Jin Feng sent Zhang Liang and Chen Laoliu with her to deliver the thread while he and Liu Tie headed to the county office.
"Xie Guang, seventeen years old?" The clerk eyed Jin Feng and Liu Tie suspiciously. "How did someone so young die? Not trying to dodge taxes, are you?"
Tax evasion wasn't uncommon. Some villagers, unable to pay their taxes, fled their homes, becoming refugees. Most ended up as bandits or hid in the mountains, though some were caught. The Great Kang Empire issued small wooden identity plaques, known as "tooth plaques," inscribed with the bearer's name, place of origin, and birthdate. Each year, after paying taxes, the plaque was stamped with the date. Traveling without a plaque or with an outdated stamp labeled one a refugee, punishable by conscription for men or forced labor in government brothels for women. Despite the harsh penalties, many still fled.
For someone as young as Xie Guang to be reported dead raised suspicions.
"Sir, you mustn't say such things," Liu Tie quickly explained. "Xie Guang truly is dead. He was killed while trying to rob a villager. I personally buried his body. See, here's the coroner's stamp from the town."
As he spoke, he subtly placed a small piece of silver on the document.
"If the coroner has verified it, then there's no issue," the clerk said, pocketing the silver. He stamped the document, tore it in two, and handed the lower half to Liu Tie as a receipt. Next year, the village chief would need to present this to the tax collector.
Jin Feng had initially thought the chief sent him along because Liu Tie couldn't read and might make a mistake. But as they left the clerk's office, he realized his error. Liu Tie had handled the situation deftly, far more smoothly than Jin Feng himself. The chief's real motive, it seemed, was to avoid spending money on bribes.
With a smile, Jin Feng took out a piece of silver and pressed it into Liu Tie's hand.
"Fengzi, what's this for?" Liu Tie asked, puzzled.
"Xie Guang died because of me. The chief has already done so much to handle this mess. I can't let you spend your own money on top of that," Jin Feng said. "I've been too busy to think of this earlier. My apologies."
Killing someone was no small matter. Without the chief's swift action, an investigation could have caused serious trouble. And Jin Feng hated trouble. He was genuinely grateful to the chief and Liu Tie.
"This is too much," Liu Tie said, weighing the silver in his hand.
The bribe to the clerk had cost no more than two hundred coins, and the chief had spent only a hundred on the coroner. But the silver Jin Feng gave him was worth at least seven or eight hundred coins.
"Consider it a token of my gratitude to the chief for all his efforts. Buy him some wine," Jin Feng said with a smile. "If you refuse, I'll take offense."
Seeing Jin Feng's insistence, Liu Tie accepted the silver.
As they walked out of the county office, chatting amiably, they encountered a burly constable. It was common to see constables in the office, so they stepped aside to let him pass. The constable glanced at them briefly before hurrying on. But after a few steps, he turned back and scrutinized Jin Feng.
"Aren't you the tiger-slaying hero who shot that tiger a while back?" he asked.