"That would be... 25 taels and 550 coins a year."
Before Xiao'er could even finish her sentence, Mrs. Tan was laughing so hard she could barely hold herself up. Many others also started to laugh along with her.
Aunt Wang was dizzy from the barrage of Xiao'er's daily, monthly, and annual figures. It took her a while to recover.
"Over 20 taels of silver in a year? Are you trying to rob us? This road was built for free by your family for the village people. It belongs to everyone in the village! Why are we to pay a toll!"
"The road was built by our family. It belongs to us. Those were your very words! Why is it now owned by everyone in the village?" Xiao'er asked, perplexed.
"Since your family built it for everyone, it's everyone's road. Everyone in the village contributed!"