Tax collection and such was never the responsibility of the yamen runners who would go to the villages to collect; it simply wasn't possible, especially since the mountain roads in their area were difficult to navigate.
However, although the yamen runners didn't go to the villages to collect taxes, there still needed to be public announcements made. This responsibility fell on the Chief.
It was the same old tune. The autumn taxes had to be paid by the end of October. Although there was nearly two months to do so before and after, the sooner it was paid, the more peace of mind they had.
The Zhou Family had prepared their grain tax early and packed it in sacks that they placed on a cart and in bamboo baskets.
This year they had a cart, which made things a bit easier than in previous years.