A coolie camp, as the name suggests, is a place where coolies work.
Quarrying is hard and dangerous, and large pieces of gravel fall down every now and then, killing and injuring people.
In addition, when using drills and hammers to break stones, small pieces of stone may break up and blind people's eyes.
The manager gave everyone a pair of straw sandals. Zheng Wuji wore these for the first time in his life. The new straw sandals were tight, and he felt that his feet were being strangled and uncomfortable, especially when the blisters from the previous grinding broke, and the contact with the straw sandals made him feel even more uncomfortable.
It's a burning pain.
However, these are nothing compared to the work that follows.
If two people lift a three-foot-square stone, it will weigh hundreds of kilograms on their shoulders.
I could hold it up once or twice, but it was difficult to lift it up the third time.
But the supervisor didn't care about this. He held the whip in his hand and whipped whoever was slowest in his movements. He also cursed and cursed.
Zheng Wuji originally wanted to find Guan Ying to explain, but Guan Ying had long since lost track of where to go to cool off.
These guards would not let anyone open their mouths at all, and would whip them whenever they spoke.
"Work honestly! Stop bargaining! Are you hungry enough to be killed?! Let me tell you, when you get here, you are no different from animals! Shut your mouth and grit your teeth so that you have the strength to do it."
live!"
There was an elderly man who couldn't hold himself up anymore and fell to the ground. The stone tilted and hit his shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground with a groan.
Someone wanted to go over and take a look, but was immediately stopped by the supervisor in front of him.
The supervisor whipped him twice and scolded: "Please mind your own business and do your job! Don't ask for a beating."
The supervisor in front of the old man walked over, opened his eyes and shouted: "Get up quickly! Otherwise I will beat you to death!"
The old man covered his shoulders and begged tremblingly: "Master, I really can't do it anymore. We have been hungry for many days."
The supervisor didn't listen to him. He raised his whip and hit the old man on the head and face, causing blood all over the old man's face and body.
When other people saw it, they were angry but dared not say anything.
"Stop fighting, Mr. Officer, please stop fighting!" The old man begged, protecting his face with his hands, struggling to get back to work.
The overseer was very proud, he laughed twice and said: "How about it, the old guy has strength now, right? People are bitter insects and can't survive without beating them! How good it is."
A manager over there came over and said, "I'm telling you, if you can't finish all this work today, don't even think about drinking a sip of water!"
It was the weather in June at this time, and even if they didn't do any work, they would still be sweating, not to mention they were carrying stones under the scorching sun.
Zheng Wuji's eyes turned dark several times. He was so delicate and rich, how could he do such hard work?
So I mustered up the courage and said to the supervisor: "I will give you money, I will give you as much as you want."
"Are you crazy? Why are you here if you have money? How much money do you have?" The supervisor said and raised his whip, "If you dare to amuse me, I will beat you to death!"
"Listen to me, I am really rich. If you don't believe it, you can take it from me." Zheng Wuji was willing to risk it. If he continued like this, he would probably vomit blood and die on the spot.
"Good boy! Then tell me where the money is? If not, I will skin you." The supervisor said viciously.
Just as Zheng Wuji was about to speak, a man flew past him and said, "Sir Song will be here in a moment. Please tell these people to work quickly!"
After hearing this, the overseers immediately waved their whips, circling and hissing like poisonous snakes around the coolies.
"Quick, quick, quick! Hurry up! I'll break your legs again!"
"Did you hear that? Put all your effort into feeding! I tell you, if Mr. Song is satisfied, he will let you eat after he leaves."
Zheng Wuji didn't know who Master Song was, but he knew from the looks of these people that he should be a very important figure to them.
No one among the supervisors listened to him at this time, and he did not want to be beaten, so he had to continue carrying stones honestly.
Sure enough, not long after, the mole spirit came over accompanied by a fat man with a straight waist and a fat belly.
This man is riding a horse and wearing official clothes.
Zheng Wuji saw that he was wearing the uniform of an eighth-rank official, and thought to himself that it was really a big official competing for his authority.
I can be appointed as a seventh-grade official just by messing around, and I don't feel any glory about it.
But these supervisors, who showed off their power in front of the coolies, were all submissive in front of this eighth-rank official, as if they were well-trained dogs.
"Master Song, you see half of the stones have been quarried now. If you ask them to work harder, they will all be finished in two months." The mole spirit nodded and bent down, wishing he could hold up the feet of Song.
Smell it and say a few words about how delicious it is.
"Du Guanying, two months is a bit too long." The man named Song was obviously dissatisfied.
"But this..." The mole spirit was very embarrassed, and his compact facial features were even more wrinkled, "It's really impossible, Mr. Song."
"Du Guanying, I know you are a capable person, why can't you do it?" The man surnamed Song chuckled twice, "You know, the superiors are pressing hard."
"Master Song, Master Song, we will discuss this matter in the long term. We will discuss it in the long term." The mole spirit smiled with a sweaty face, looking very wretched.
Zheng Wuji could guess from the situation of the two of them that the man named Song must be climbing up the ladder.
I want to use the things here as political achievements to please the superiors, so as to earn myself a chance to be promoted.
There must be a relationship of interest between the two of them. Among other things, there are thousands of coolies here, and the court pays them all.
But he never heard that there was any salary from the beginning to the end, and most of them were embezzled by these two people.
"It's really hot today. I'm thinking of moving to Zhuangzi outside the city for two months. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone to help me." The man surnamed Song suddenly started talking about something else.
The mole spirit quickly caught it: "Don't worry, Mr. Song, we don't have anyone else here, can we just find a few people? I just don't know if you want a boy or a girl?"
"Hey, how can this be good? This is inappropriate." The man named Song suddenly became serious again.
"You must not go out and let them serve you. It is their destiny. You should do good deeds and do good deeds." The mole spirit smiled flatteringly, and Zheng Wuji felt sick and wanted to vomit.
The man surnamed Song pretended to walk around here, muttered something unknown to the mole spirit in the shade of the tree, and then left.
The mole spirit called six or seven girls aged fifteen or sixteen to follow him.
Each of these girls is skinny, but they all look pretty and upright.
Many people envied them. They left here to serve the man named Song. Although they were inevitably tortured, they were able to have enough food and clothing.
The families of these girls just raised their sleeves and wiped their tears, and then continued to work with a blank face.
