0p0 Chapter 454: Affordable
Chapter 454: Affordable
Moreover, not only is salt expensive in remote areas, but other things are not cheap either.
Any of the four major items of food, clothing, housing and transportation is very difficult.
First of all, it comes to clothes. Respect the clothes first and then respect the person. Everyone should have clothes that are presentable.
The fabrics used for ordinary people's clothes are usually coarse cotton, and better ones are made of fine cotton.
The price of cotton cloth in Songjiang Prefecture was between one and two cents of silver per piece.
In small places, the price will double due to inconvenient transportation.
Among the three things, food, transportation and housing, except for the less money spent on buying land, the others are all more expensive than in prosperous capitals due to transportation issues.
He had roughly calculated before that for a family of five, two adults and three children, who were not wealthy, there were several essential large expenses to maintain a basic standard of food and clothing, leaving aside years of disaster and war.
One is to pay the land tax and miscellaneous labor silver to the court.
The second is food, clothes, and daily expenses such as firewood, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea.
The third is the human interaction such as visiting funerals, asking about illness, giving gifts during seasonal festivals, etc.
These three payments would require at least twenty taels of silver in Songjiang Prefecture.
If you move to a smaller place, to have the same quality of life as ordinary people in Songjiang Prefecture, you would need at least forty taels.
But in small places, apart from making a living from the land, other opportunities to make money cannot be compared with those in the prosperous Songjiang Prefecture.
The labor force in the family can earn ten taels a year, and fifteen taels is the maximum.
The last few items that can be saved are either food or salt.
People are hungry and don't have enough salt, but they can't reduce the amount of work they do, so they become weaker and weaker. If they fall seriously ill, their families may be broken up in the process of treating the illness.
A series of vicious cycles repeat themselves.
Eventually, the poor places become poorer, and the rich places become richer.
The people of a country do not worry about the shortage of wealth but the inequality of wealth.
Zhu Gaochi was very worried that if this imbalance continued, chaos would soon come.
But he hadn't thought of any good solution.
As soon as this salt lake was discovered, Zhu Gaochi felt that a turning point had come.
As long as the road is open, everything will no longer be a problem.
"It's good that we have the same idea. You can write to Dad and tell him. It would be great if the price of salt can be the same everywhere in the country."
Zhang Xin could also think of what Zhu Gaochi thought of, but she did not bring it up because the salt production was always limited.
She knew the importance of salt better than Zhu Gaochi.
Back then, Yongcheng was not close to anywhere, and even if a family was not poor, they could not buy anything with money.
Salt is not only needed for cooking, it is also perfect for pickling things.
All meats, fruits, etc. can be stored and used in season.
Zhu Gaochi lived in the prince's mansion and the palace and seldom ate pickled food, so he could not have thought of this.
"I thought there would be only one price for the whole country, but the travel expenses have to be taken into account."
Zhu Gaochi was not as radical as Zhang Xin.
His expectation is that after the road is repaired, the price will not differ too much because of convenient transportation.
"The salt tax is already quite high, and it is the salt merchants who transport the salt back and forth. It is feasible for our court to subsidize a little. As long as the road is repaired, I think the price of grain and salt should be the same everywhere. At most, it can fluctuate by 10%. If the price is the same for everyone, it will be a great policy of the Yongle Dynasty that has never been seen before."
Zhang Xin felt that this was not an obstacle.
After all, salt has always been a cost-free business for the imperial court, and the court can make money no matter how much it sells.
Food is the foundation of the people. As long as everyone can eat enough, the national strength will immediately rise to a higher level.
"Too."
Zhu Gaochi touched his beard and was a little moved.
"what--"
As soon as Zhu Gaochi said this, Zhang Xin suddenly felt a headache and a tightness in his chest.
Suddenly he couldn't breathe, screamed, and then fainted.