For readers jumping to the comments: Any surplus went into the social capital (dowry etc), distributing it inside the countryside as non-fungible untaxable weal

For readers jumping to the comments: Any surplus went into the social capital (dowry etc), distributing it inside the countryside as non-fungible untaxable wealth. Putting a year's saving or even surplus into easily transportable goods like money would be a really dumb thing to do, as it was incredibly risky (dumb) thing to do. The author links to a talk on how this still plays a role in poor communities today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AchISJUKfH4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AchISJUKfH4