Chapter 360: quarry
Chapter 360 On the quarry
The people who went to the town and the village also brought two good news. One is to recruit workers after the new year. Those who can build houses and carpentry work are given priority. One is to recruit talented people. The county government is short of people. Those who have studied, know martial arts, or have exceptional strength can all go for the exam.
On the quarry.
Once dinner was served, all the workers dropped their tools, for fear of being a step behind others.
Since the magistrate came here, their life has become much better. They no longer suffer from the whip of the steward, and no longer work from morning to night without a break. Now they work two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, and let them rest when the sun is hot.
No more moldy rice cakes or choking brown rice on top of food. The rice I eat now is clean, there are no pebbles or rice husks mixed in, and it tastes delicious when chewed.
They even ate stir-fried vegetables. Although they are all common vegetables, they put too much oil in them! They haven't touched oil or water for a long time, but they can still taste lard, with a meaty smell.
Meat wow! When was the last time you ate meat? That taste... tsk tsk, I really miss it.
Oh, they also ate fruit once, which was oranges. The steward said that when the conditions get better in the future, there will be fruits to eat every day.
In the past few days, they have been looking forward to the meal, and when the meal time comes, they rush to rush forward.
"Isn't today's food really good?" Someone raised his head and glanced into the vegetable bucket, "Meat, is that meat?" His eyes burst into infinite surprise.
"Of course it's meat." The steward who distributed the meal was very proud, "Isn't it Chinese New Year? The county magistrate was kind enough to send us half a piece of pork, so that we can improve our lives too. You guys must work hard one by one. Live, don't steal, **** and play tricks, and don't make trouble for me, or you will be in vain. The county magistrate treats you so well. Don't be lazy just because the county magistrate won't let you be whipped. Hmph, see the guards sent by the county magistrate? ? There are many ways to cure you."
"Yes, yes, yes, I will never let down the wishes of the magistrate."
"Yes, yes, we are all honest people, and we can't do current affairs like stealing and cheating."
Everyone looked at the tall and sharp-eyed guard not far away, and agreed in a hurry. The new county magistrate is indeed a good person, can it be a good person to give them meat? In the past, who took the prisoners they were assigned seriously?
After receiving the food, some went back to the shack to eat with the family, and some gathered together in groups of three or four, just squatting down and eating. Everyone was chewing so hard that they couldn't even talk.
The stomach was half full before someone spoke, "What kind of food is this? It's not like rice. It doesn't smell musty or hard. It's delicious."
"This is steamed buns, Zamian steamed buns. Our county grandfather's family is in the capital, and steamed buns are always steamed during the Chinese New Year. There is also that kind of big white steamed buns, which are as white as the clouds in the sky. One bite..." A prisoner assigned by the Northern Department recalled, looking at the Zamian steamed bun in his hand, his mood was complicated. He was not used to the local food, and his stomach was full of sour water.
This Zamian steamed bun aroused his nostalgia, and his mood sank visibly.
"Hey, is it better than this? How delicious is that!"
Most of the quarries are criminals exiled from various places. Some of them really committed crimes, but some were implicated or forced to commit crimes.
At this moment, these people lowered their heads and did not speak, eating mouthfuls, and the food lost its taste.
Zheng Erlei saw this, lowered his voice and said: "You don't need to be like this, my brother Yuan Bin came to see me yesterday and leaked some news to me."
Speaking of this, he deliberately stopped, causing everyone to look at him, "Xu Yuanbin has a conscience, it is worthwhile for you to help him so much."
"By the way, how is his father's illness?"
"Where does their family live now? His younger sister is sixteen or seventeen, and it's time to get married. It's also good luck, she went out, or else..." Although I didn't say anything later, everyone knew the meaning.
A young girl who is like a flower and a jade, mixed among the men, who knows that one day she will be eaten by a wolf?
"Erlei, what news did Xu Yuanbin give you? Don't be tricky, kid, tell me quickly." Someone urged.
Zheng Erlei smiled mysteriously, and said: "Yuan Bin came to tell me that his father's illness has recovered, and the county magistrate rented a small yard for his family to let them live first. Yuan Bin told me that the magistrate was short of manpower. On our quarry..."
Interjected impatiently, "Then you won't pick people from our quarry!"
Zheng Erlei's face turned serious, "Why not? Many people in our quarry have a lot of strength, are tall and strong, and in terms of strength alone, they are not inferior to Li Weiwei and the others."
"It's true, but most of us are criminals in exile." Which official master would use criminals?
Zheng Erlei retorted: "Why don't you say that the county magistrate has an extraordinary heart? The county magistrate said that he checked the documents and learned that although we are sinners who were exiled, some of us were implicated by others and did not commit crimes ourselves. Others were I went astray on impulse. The county magistrate is kind and willing to give us a chance to reform. Anyone who performs outstandingly, the county magistrate will do nothing..."
Someone who has read the book quickly said: "Eclectic."
"Yes, that's what Yuan Bin said." Zheng Erlei slapped his thigh, very happy, "Like Uncle Xu, he is a learned man. After the county magistrate plans to build a school, he wants to invite Uncle Xu to be his master and teach students." .Yuan Bin's knowledge is not bad, he is preparing to go to the county government to try to become a clerk, copying is better than smashing stones here? Although he is not famous, but earning rice is the same .”
Everyone was stunned, still, can it be like this? Is the magistrate really willing to give them a chance? Don't look at the hardest and most tiring work on this quarrying mountain, but many of them are literate, and it is not uncommon for some of them to have studied for several years. Can they also take the test?
What are you afraid of if you don't bear the fame? As Zheng Erlei said, it is a great thing to earn rice and get rid of hard labor!
"I've already figured it out. I'm not as good as Yuan Bin. He used to be a son of an official family with a scholarly family. I'm a rough man who can only wield knives and sticks. When the time comes, I'll take the exam in your guard, no matter how bad it is. It’s okay to be a yamen servant.” Anyway, he didn’t want to throw stones anymore.
Seeing that everyone was in a trance, Zheng Erlei felt complacent, and bragged: "It's just our luck. The quarry is the first place visited by the county magistrate after he took office. There is a bit of incense, so take care of it. Just watch it , other places may not have such good things as ours."
His eyes sparkled, and he lowered his voice very low, "Yuan Bin secretly told me that if we are not charged with serious crimes, we will be pardoned in the year of amnesty, and then we will be good citizens again. In fact, last year the court Prince Li, we will be able to pardon a group of criminals, but unfortunately the news in Shanyun County is too closed, and the original Lan county magistrate has no one in court, so the news did not reach us, which is a pity."
Changed into a relaxed tone again, "It's different now. Our Xin County Grandfather came from the capital. Yuan Bin said that he has a good family background and is well-informed."
very nice! Everyone is ecstatic! Who wants to endure hardship when they can do easy work? Who wants to be a criminal if they can live well? Eight generations of ancestors have no face. Compared with the improved treatment, the news brought by Zheng Erlei shocked them even more.
For a moment, everyone's heart was full of excitement, and they clenched their fists and pressed their determination: we must perform well, reform ourselves, and walk out of the quarry.
He He now feels like a scumbag. Only when he was in the third year of high school did he know how to study hard and move forward bit by bit, haha!
(end of this chapter)