Quxiong County is not a big city, with only three or five relatively prosperous streets. When they woke up this morning, a few miners who were unwilling to accept the occupation of their mines sneaked to Lieyan Mountain to check what was going on, but unexpectedly found those who had blocked the road up the mountain.

The soldiers from the Prince of Pingxi disappeared. Just yesterday, many people in the city were still rumoring that the soldiers from the Prince's Palace occupied the intersection of Lieyan Mountain and did not allow anyone to go up the mountain, just for the sake of the Red Flame Spirit Stone.

Now that the Pingxi Palace soldiers who sealed the mountain have quietly left, it seems that their jobs are guaranteed again. Several workers, filled with joy, ran back to the county town and couldn't wait to tell others the great news. People who have made a living by mining red flame stones for generations heard the news.

, they all jumped for joy, and picked up the tools again and went to the mountains to mine. Sometimes people's happiness is as simple as having a job that can support their families and seeing hope, and they will be happy.

In the afternoon, there was a young man named Li Dachui among the people who went up the mountain to mine. Li Dachui is fourteen years old this year. He has lost his mother since he was a child. His father, Li Shitou, encountered a mining accident when he went up the mountain to mine red flame stone three years ago.

He was buried in the collapsed mine. With the help of several miners' uncles, Li Dachui risked his life to dig out his father's body. With the help of the miners' uncles, he buried his father Li Shitou. The mine owner only paid compensation.

received a meager pension.

From then on, the young Li Dachui was alone in this world without any worries. Li Dachui did not know a single Chinese character, but he liked to listen to Mr. Tian’s stories from the Jianghu Bookstore in the county. Li Dachui heard Mr. Tian say that everything is in the book, and the book has its own story.

Yan Ruyu, the book has its own golden house, the book has its own thousand bell millet... But those are not important. Li Dachui felt that there were stories and heroes in the book, which was better than anything else. Li Dachui envied heroes.

Last year, 13-year-old Li Dachui found his father Li Shitou's former employer, a dark and muscular young mine owner named Wang. Li Dachui also wanted to go up the mountain to mine red flame ore.

The surname of the small mine owner in his forties is Wang Yulin, but everyone is accustomed to calling him Wang Ergou. Wang Yulin doesn't mind people calling him Wang Ergou. He is used to it. Wang Ergou looks thin.

Li Dachui shook his head and said seriously: "Sledgehammer, although your name has Sledgehammer in it, it doesn't mean that you can break open those ores like a hammer. Doing this job requires a lot of strength.

!”

Li Dachui didn't say anything. He picked up a sledgehammer and swung it down, smashing a big stone in front of Wang Ergou. Then he dropped the hammer, folded his arms in front of his chest, and looked at it with very determined eyes.

Wang Ergou raised his eyebrows. What he meant was, let’s see how strong I am. Can I break open those stones? The stunned Wang Ergou immediately agreed to Li Dachui. He could go to the mountain to mine, but he would only be paid half of the wages.

Because he is a child laborer.

Li Dachui didn't care about wages. He just wanted to see the road his father had traveled and the ores his father had smashed. His father Li Shitou was not a hero, but in Li Dachui's heart, as a miner, his father worked hard in the mountains.

Mining fed him and made him a hero in his mind. Li Dachui inherited his father's business and began a boring life of mining ores in the Flame Mountain day after day. Occasionally when he had time to return to the county, he would still go to the bookstore to listen to the fields.

Mr. storyteller.

Today, five new people joined Li Dachui and others, a small man named Xin, a tall and thin man named Yu, and three others named Zhang. They are said to be three brothers. Li Dachui does not discriminate against people, but he always feels that

The little man surnamed Xin seems unable to do this job and endure the hardship. Although Li Dachui is thin, he is naturally strong.

, how can a person named Xin, who is as thin as a big child, do it?

Li Dachui's team of miners consisted of more than twenty people, each of whom was carrying forty or fifty kilograms of living supplies. Only Li Dachui, who was extremely strong, carried hundreds of kilograms on his back and could still hum a tune while climbing the mountain.

This team of miners climbed for a whole afternoon along the sparse vegetation of Lieyan Mountain, and finally arrived at the large camp tent outside the mine of mine owner Wang Ergou's home. Everyone was exhausted. But the five newcomers

It was really commendable that they persisted. The miners who had been climbing the mountain for a whole afternoon were exhausted. After a hurried dinner, they fell asleep. They were speechless all night and slept peacefully until dawn.

Early the next morning, the miners invited by Wang Ergou's family entered the mine with axes, chisels, drills and other tools. The foreman took two small night stones and led them slowly towards the depths of the mine and to the fork in the road.

Divide into two teams, one to the left and one to the right, heading in two different directions to prepare to start work.

Li Dachui formed a team with the newly arrived Brother Xin, Brother Yu and the three brothers Zhang, and followed the foreman, Uncle Niu, to an old mine that had been mined and might produce Red Flame Stone.

Soon, Li Dachui started to work and realized that he was wrong. The little man named Xin was extremely strong, and the three brothers named Zhang were also quite strong. Li Dachui shook his head, grinned, and murmured in a low voice.

He said: "People should not be judged by their appearance." He continued to use the sledgehammer to do his work. The work of mining ores is both bitter and boring. People with poor concentration may become addicted to it if they stay in this dark mine for a long time.

Go crazy.

The little man surnamed Xin would occasionally joke and sing a ditty to liven up the atmosphere, making the work in the mine seem less boring, and it could be regarded as enjoying the hardship. Li Dachui's affection for Brother Xin increased significantly.

The mines that mine Red Flame Stone are usually better as far as the top of the mountain. Mines like Wang Ergou's that are dug halfway up the mountain can only mine Red Flame Stone. The Red Flame Spirit Stone produced in the past,

They are all dug from the mines higher up. The owners of those mines are either rich, powerful, or both. Ordinary people can own mines like Wang Ergou's.

Very good.

Under the faint light of a piece of small luminous stone, the mining work proceeds slowly. The miners chip away the stones bit by bit from the red rock formations that may produce red flame stones, and then the miners in charge of opening the eyes identify the possible red flame stones.

The outer layer of the rock is carefully removed to expose the parts of the red rock that may contain red flame stone.

The output of red flame stones is extremely low. In more than three years, Wang Ergou's mine has only produced seven pieces of red flame stones. The small one is only as big as a fingernail, and the big one is as big as two fists of a strong man.

The money from the sale of the seven red flame stones, excluding the wages of the workers, tools and all consumption, only left more than three hundred taels of silver. Wang Ergou dreamed of producing a red flame stone in his family's mine.

Spiritual stone, that will make you prosperous.

In the dark mine, the miners who were tired from working rested in the mine. When they were hungry, they ate the dry food they brought with them. When they were thirsty, they drank water from the kettle. If it was convenient, they could dig it themselves.

After a long time, dozens of stones were broken open, and not even a single hair of red flame stone could be seen. The newcomers seemed a little discouraged.

After an unknown amount of time, the dry food had been eaten and there was not much water left. The team had to exit the mine to rest and replenish dry food and water. The foreman, Uncle Niu, held the luminous stone in front and led the team slowly out of the mine.

Mine.

When everyone came out of the mine, it happened to be early morning. Li Dachui saw the sun again. He raised his head and breathed in the fresh air greedily. It was so good to live in the sunshine. The two exhausted teams returned to the camp one after another and buried the pot outside.

Make rice, prepare enough dry food and water again, rest until the afternoon, and enter the mine again before evening.

After breakfast, everyone fell asleep tiredly. They slept until the sun turned west in the afternoon. Uncle Niu, the foreman, woke everyone up. Everyone got up and packed their things. The two teams entered the mine again. After arriving at the mine, they went to the temporary building.

Rest on the floor and get up to work again when you wake up.

In the middle of the night, Li Dachui, who didn't know what he had eaten, felt that he was going to have a stomachache. He hurriedly pulled on his shoes and pants and ran for a short distance, and found a special relief spot that he had dug before to relieve his hands. Li Dachui squatted on the pit, roaring.

Kachacha solved the urgent problem, wiped his buttocks with a small wooden stick, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Dachui was holding up his pants and was about to stand up when he suddenly heard someone talking not far away. Although the voice was not loud, it was very clear because it was very quiet in the mine. Only one of them was heard saying: "Lao San, this guy

I've been digging for several days, and I haven't even seen a ghost! Is what the magician named Lan reliable? I am a dignified palace guard who mines with a group of smelly miners. Let's tell him.

It’s all embarrassing!”

Another person said: "Brother, Immortal Lan is thousands of miles away, and he is 100% accurate about what happened in Wang Ergou's mine, so his words must be correct! Let us three brothers

Be patient. Maybe the Red Flame Spiritual Stone will be dug out tomorrow. Once it is dug out, we will start and kill all the miners to prevent the news from leaking out!"

A third voice said: "That guy surnamed Xin is at least a fifth-level martial artist. Let's kill him first when we attack?" The other two people said disapprovingly: "It's a joke. A mere fifth-level martial artist wants to be in our third-level martial arts realm."

Do you want to jump in your hands?"

Li Dachui, who had not yet stood up, heard the conversation between these three people. He was so frightened that he squatted down again. He suddenly remembered that these were the three new brothers named Zhang. Li Dachui was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat. These three people turned out to be from some prince's palace.

Guards, I want to come and grab the Red Flame Spiritual Stone, but let alone the Red Flame Spiritual Stone, even the Red Flame Spiritual Stone has not even a single stroke!

Li Dachui was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He squatted in the pit without daring to move, for fear that these people would kill him when they found out about him. After waiting for a long time, he heard these three people talking and walking further and further away. Li Dachui's

My heart was beating wildly, and I thought to myself, I have to secretly tell the foreman, Uncle Niu, about this later, otherwise everyone will have to be killed by the three palace guards.

Li Dachui made up his mind, stood up again, pulled up his trousers, tied the hemp rope tightly, quietly slipped back to his temporary bed, pretended that nothing happened, and fell asleep with his head covered.

After waking up, the miners got up and continued working. Seeing that no one was paying attention, Li Dachui quietly came to the foreman, Uncle Niu, and told Uncle Niu everything he heard last night.

Unexpectedly, the tall and tall Uncle Niu rolled his eyes and glanced at Li Dachui, and said impatiently: "You kid, was the Sandman stunned last night? Are the three of them guards of the palace? Oh, then I am still a heavenly soldier and a heavenly general! Hurry up.

Go away and play with the birds, don’t delay your work! You naughty boy, what are you talking about in your dreams? Damn it!”
Chapter completed!