"How can that be!" Wang Youbao immediately shook his head, "The grain rice mill was your creative idea, I can’t steal your accomplishment! Being titled a First-class Good Citizen is something that can bring honor to your ancestors!"
An Jing couldn’t help but chuckle, "I’m no longer surnamed Lin, I have no ancestors to honor, so why would I need to bring glory to them?"
Wang Youbao insisted, "But it can also give you more face, and the title sounds exceptionally prestigious. So many people covet the status of First-class Good Citizen, but how many can actually attain it?"
Again with the reputation...
What does she need such a prestigious reputation for...
An Jing felt it was impossible to reason with Wang Youbao, a man of ancient times, so she could only look to her husband, Xiao Changyi, for help.
Xiao Changyi didn’t say anything to Wang Youbao, but coolly said to An Jing, "A First-class Good Citizen doesn’t need to pay taxes."
An Jing was startled at first, then her eyes shone as she asked, "All taxes?"
The harvest from her land was very poor, and the produce was not enough to cover the tax on that land. After all their hard work, was this the result? Honestly, she really didn’t want to pay taxes.
Of course, as a former special forces soldier with a strong sense of integrity, she would never evade her taxes.
So, if she could avoid paying taxes, then she might consider accepting the status of First-class Good Citizen.
Xiao Changyi nodded and lightly responded, "Mm."
An Jing then turned to Wang Youbao with a smile, "Alright then, I agree."
Wang Youbao didn’t know what to say.
He truly didn’t understand his two friends. They clearly had six thousand taels at hand, yet they still lived here, humbly working the fields as if they didn’t have six thousand taels. But now, they were very concerned about such a small amount of tax? Six thousand taels could cover several generations of taxes!
He wished he hadn’t spent so much effort persuading them! Had he known, he wouldn’t have talked about the reputation, but just mentioned the tax exemption!
"I belong to the same household as you. You can just report your name," Xiao Changyi told An Jing.
Understanding Xiao Changyi’s real meaning, An Jing then said to Wang Youbao, "Youbao, when you give the drawings to the Lord County Magistrate, just say my husband has joined my family and I’m the head of the household. If there’s a title of First-class Good Citizen to be awarded, let it be to me."
Although Xiao Changyi had joined her family, having known him for so long, Wang Youbao really couldn’t see Xiao Changyi fitting the mold of a husband who had married into his wife’s family.
What was even more peculiar was that every time he saw Xiao Changyi and An Jing standing together, he always felt that the two of them were equals, with no difference in status between them.
However, Wang Youbao also thought that the County Magistrate was unlikely to title both An Jing and Xiao Changyi as First-class Good Citizens simultaneously; surely, it would only be one of them. If Xiao Changyi wasn’t made known as having joined her family, it was very possible that the title would be directly conferred upon the man, Xiao Changyi.
So, hearing An Jing’s request, Wang Youbao nodded, "Hmm."
Two days later, on the twenty-first of September, Wang Youbao came again, this time with Yu Daming.
Upon seeing Wang Youbao, An Jing teased, "You haven’t been sent by the Lord County Magistrate to confer upon me the title of First-class Good Citizen, have you?"
Wang Youbao chuckled heartily, "I’m just a humble merchant; how could the Lord County Magistrate ask me to perform such an honor? From what I gathered from the County Magistrate, he intends to submit the grain rice mill drawings to the Imperial Capital. It will probably take some time before the title of First-class Good Citizen can be conferred upon you."
"Then why have you come today?"
Wang Youbao suddenly seemed a bit unhappy, "Can’t I just come visit? You’re my friends after all!"
An Jing was caught between laughter and helplessness. It was just an offhand question.