I'm not a lord

Chapter 79 Rebuilding the Village
After receiving Lynn's order, Old Albert turned around and threw part of the papermaking workshop's design drawings to the carpenter Tolima.

"You will be responsible for making the waterwheel and gears. This is the order of the lord, and it is also the industry tax for your Carpenters' Guild this year."

"Ah I?"

Tolima was also confused when he saw the complicated design drawings.

No, I haven’t even finished making the waterwheel and gears that the blacksmith shop needs.

Come again?

But he had no power to refuse. This was the lord's request, and he, a small carpenter, could only obey orders.

What's more, this is the industry tax he should pay this year.

On a feudal estate, taxes were as inevitable as death.

Like serfs, artisans were also subject to taxation.

There are many types of taxes to be paid, including head tax, property tax, industry tax, etc.

The total tax amount usually reached more than 40 percent of the craftsman's annual income.

Not to mention the head tax, the property tax is based on the total amount of property owned. The richer the craftsman, the higher the tax.

Industry taxes vary by industry. Blacksmiths pay horseshoes, nails and other ironware, carpenters pay tables, chairs, doors and windows and other wooden products, and leatherworkers and brewers naturally pay the same amount.

Of course, this is the situation in rural areas.

In cities where currency trade is well developed, these taxes will be directly converted into cash for payment.

Thanks to several large orders received from the lord this year, the blacksmith Qihe and the carpenter Tolima both made a lot of money, and the property tax and industry tax they had to pay naturally increased.

If you earn more, you naturally have to pay more, right?
In previous years, Tolima only needed to hand in a few sets of tables, chairs and benches to pass, but this year it is not so simple.

The transmission required for the new blacksmith shop had been tormenting him for more than half a month.

He tried to make several sets of miniature hydraulic forging hammers, but he never got the hang of it.

Fortunately, he still had a water mill to use as a reference.

That thing was built for the lord by his father when he was still alive. Although it was not large in scale, it had everything including water wheels and transmission gears.

After several observations, Tolima and several skilled carpenters under him had a much deeper understanding of the waterwheel device.

He is confident that he can complete the task before August.

At the castle, Lin En was not idle after drawing the design of the papermaking workshop. He took two servants and left the castle to inspect the village.

The damage caused by the rainstorm was more serious than he had imagined.

When he arrived at the village south of the castle, he saw only broken walls and ruins everywhere.

The village roads that were once fairly neat have become muddy, and several depressions in the village are filled with dirty and turbid rainwater.

Most of the farmhouses were damaged to varying degrees.

More than a dozen old farmhouses had their thatched roofs and earthen walls completely collapsed, turning into a pile of ruins on the roadside.

Seeing the post-disaster scene, Lin En was glad for his decisiveness.

It is absolutely the right choice to concentrate labor and complete the gravel road before the rainy season arrives.

If the construction period is delayed until July, the production and construction of the entire territory will be completely messed up.

The road construction project will be forced to be interrupted due to heavy rain. The salt refined by the barbarians cannot be transported into the territory in time. The villages cannot repair the houses damaged by heavy rain in time. Even the following autumn harvest will inevitably be affected.

Now, the male serfs who have returned to the village have begun to repair their houses in an organized manner.

Every rainy season, there will always be a number of houses in the village that are not strong enough or have been occupied for many years and collapse.

Occasionally, a few unlucky serfs would be crushed to death by the broken walls because they failed to escape in time.

For the serfs, it was customary to repair their houses after a rainstorm.

The repetition and cycle of life was a major feature of the classical agricultural era. Serfs had no illusions about living in sturdy stone or brick houses.

Feudal farms had strict class restrictions, and housing was also a reflection of social status.

Lords and knights could live in stone or brick houses, but the lowest-ranking serfs were only fit to live in the simplest and most fragile mud houses.

"Master, why are you here?"

The village head, who was directing the serfs to repair their houses, received the news and ran to the village entrance to greet them.

Lin En had an impression of this village head. There was a skilled cook in the castle, who was the village head's wife.

"What's your name?"

Lin En dismounted and handed the reins to the village chief.

"My name is Lloyd, sir."

Lloyd was flattered; it was a great honor to be able to lead the horse for the master.

He thought that because his wife had won the master's favor, he could also share in the blessing.

However, he didn't expect that the master's next order would strike him like a bolt of lightning.

"Lloyd, tell the serfs who are repairing the house to stop."

"Yes, sir."

Lloyd was stunned for a moment, and could only obey orders. He had a lot to say, but he didn't dare to say it.

But the master's next order made him even more confused.

"For the next two weeks, I order you to lead the serfs whose houses were damaged to build new houses with stones. The required stones will be transported to the quarry in the north using wheelbarrows. If other serfs want to rebuild their farmhouses, they can also use the stones."

"Master, how can the serfs afford to buy stones? Besides, they don't deserve to live in stone houses."

Lloyd finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

Let serfs live in stone houses?

Not to mention whether these untouchables can afford it, after all, all the natural resources in the territory belong to the lord, and they have to pay taxes even for picking up a few pieces of firewood.

In terms of status alone, are these serfs worthy?
Even the village head himself doesn't dare to live in a stone house and still lives in a wooden house.

Lin En suddenly turned around and said, "Did I say I'd charge you money? Just take your men with you! But if I find out you dare to take a single penny from the serfs, I'll build your entire family into the house!"

Lloyd dared not speak any more.

The master has given the death order, how dare he argue?

And since the master doesn't care about the difference in status, there is nothing much for him, the head of the village, to say.

In the next half day, Lin En inspected all the villages in Manor No. 1 and gave the same instructions to the village heads.

There is still more than a month before the autumn harvest from the end of August to the beginning of September, and only two or three hundred workers are needed to build the dam.

The remaining labor was just enough to build stone farmhouses.

In fact, Lin En wanted to build a brick house in one go, but there was simply not enough time.

To make bricks, you must first make the bricks and dry them in the sun. The rainy season is not suitable for making bricks, so the earliest time to do so is autumn.

At present, building farmhouses with stone is the best option.

The only problem is that transportation is a bit troublesome and takes up a lot of the serfs' time.

But this work did not require Lin En to provide food or rewards. After all, the serfs were working for their own solid housing. They would only enjoy it and be grateful for the lord's generosity.

In the evening, just as Lynn returned to the castle with his servants, and before they had time to enjoy dinner, old Albert hurried over.

(End of this chapter)