Kip City, Light Industrial Zone, Nak Weaving Factory
Today was the first time that worker Randall completed the work required by the factory owner. He found that it was still early and he could still do a lot of personal things.
The other workers, who were tired every day and could finally rest early, all went back to the workers' dormitories and fell asleep. But he inexplicably smelled the non-existent aroma of wine, and he tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
Finally, Randall packed up the twelve gold grams of banknotes that he had counted countless times, and decided to go out to enjoy life for a rare occasion.
Busy at work and short of money, he could not remember the last time he came to a pub to drink. Now that he had money and plenty of time, he couldn't bear to come to the door of a familiar yet unfamiliar pub after a long time.
He swallowed hard and quickly jumped in with eagerness.
The pub is a bit stuffy, and it's hot and humid as soon as you enter.
The moment Randall heard the clinking of glasses around him and smelled the strong smell of alcohol and sweat, his steps were a little unsteady. He stumbled slightly to the bar and said to the waiter in a dry and slightly trembling voice: "
A big glass of beer.”
Soon, a large glass of beer was pushed in front of Randall.
"Gulu gulu..." Randall raised his head and drank from the wine glass as if he hadn't drank water for three days.
In less than ten seconds, a large glass of beer was drained.
"Bang." The wooden wine glass was hit hard on the bar.
"One more drink." Randall's eyes were full of enthusiasm.
"Sir, a glass of four copper grams." The bartender reminded Randall while accepting the drink as he saw that Randall was poorly dressed and looked like an alcoholic who had not drank for ten years.
"I know, hurry up." Randall urged.
The bartender glanced at the brawny thug standing at the door, and was not afraid of Randall causing trouble. He quickly picked up a glass of wine for him and pushed it over.
"Gulu gulu..." The first cup was consumed so quickly that Randall drank it without tasting anything. The second cup he deliberately slowed down, enjoying the huge sense of satisfaction.
"Bang."
“One more drink!”
"Okay sir."
"Brother, it looks like you have a good drinking capacity."
Just as Randall was gradually getting excited and impatiently waiting for the third glass of beer, a hand patted him on the shoulder. He looked to the side, and there sat a bald and bearded man with a full look in his eyes.
It’s appreciation: “What’s wrong?”
"We hold a drinking competition here every night at twelve o'clock, and whoever drinks the most can get a reward of two gold grams. I see that you drink so hard, you should have a good chance of winning if you participate in the competition." The bald bearded man
road.
Drinking competition? If you win, you still get money?
Randall immediately became interested: "Okay, then I'll come and have some fun."
"It's just that you have to pay two silver grams to participate." The bald bearded man observed the change in Randall's face when he heard that he needed to pay money first, and saw that he was thinking of quitting. He immediately added, "But those who dare to participate in the competition
No matter how much you drink, it won’t be any worse, and you can definitely get your money back after paying two silver grams, so it’s definitely a good deal.”
"...Okay." Randall thought for a moment. If he paid two silver grams, he could get his money back by drinking only six drinks. He could wait until the game to drink again. It will be twelve o'clock soon anyway, "
Man, wait for the third cup, it’s three silver grams, including the money to participate in the competition and your tip.”
"You are so generous." The bartender took the money and praised Randall.
The bald and bearded man saw Randall's generous move in his eyes: "My name is Fenon. I work in a nearby grain processing factory. I am a frequent visitor. I have also won several drinking competition championships."
"My name is Randall. I work in Nack Weaving Factory. This is my first time coming to this tavern." Randall also introduced himself.
"Nack Weaving Factory..." Fenon recalled, "aren't most of the people working there are disabled people? The factory owner keeps the salary pitifully low. No one wants to go there if they have the choice. How can you...
"
"I have no choice." Randall stretched out his left hand that had not been noticed just now. "When I was a child, I accidentally broke three of my fingers by a millstone. I can't do heavy work, and they think I can't do lighter work. I just
Can go to Nak Weaving Factory."
Fenon looked at Randall's mutilated left hand and became even more confused: "The salary at Nak Weaving Factory is very low, right? But what you did just now doesn't look like you are short of money. If you say two copper grams, you can take it as a tip."
Already."
"I would have cared about it before, but now the wages have increased, and the factory owner has paid off all the two months' salary arrears in one go. Two copper grams is nothing." Randall smiled slightly and didn't care.
.
After having money in his pocket, he became much more confident and calm.
Don't worry about the factory reform, food and housing will be greatly improved, and he has been alone, and his monthly salary is more than enough to enjoy.
"How much did you get paid in two months?" Fenon was curious about the salary at Nak Weaving Factory, and how far this factory, which no normal person would take a serious look at, squeezed the workers.
"Twelve gold grams."
"How many?"
"Twelve gold grams."
Fenon's eyes widened and he stayed motionless like a sculpture for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled: "This isn't very funny either."
"I'm not kidding you. Our factory has just changed to a new owner today. The new owner has promulgated many new systems, one of which is to increase wages. He also directly paid all the arrears of wages to us in one go.
Everyone in the factory was given twelve gold grams." Seeing that Fenon took his words as a joke, Randall explained seriously.
"Really?" Fenon felt that Randall didn't seem to be teasing him, so he began to be doubtful.
Valley
"Really, otherwise, how could I come here to drink and tip the guy when I have no money and no time like before?" Randall said.
Indeed, this doesn't make sense.
But after this matter was made clear, there was something even more unreasonable.
Fenong hissed and asked: "I have given you twelve gold grams for two months. Does this mean that your salary has reached six gold grams per month? Our normal salary is only about five gold grams. You are more or less."
Even though I have some injuries, how come my salary is still higher than ours?"
"I don't know either. To be honest, when the new factory owner mentioned this matter in his speech in the morning, none of us believed it. But when he did what he said and paid off the debt on the spot, we had no choice but to believe it.
"Randall spread his hands to show that he was also confused.
"This shouldn't be the case. What's the name of your new factory owner?" Feinong guessed that the new factory owner must be some dignitary.
"My name is Andre. He comes from Lezein."
"I've never heard of it, but since he's from Lezein, it's not surprising. There are a lot of rich people in the capital, and the workers' wages are a little higher than ours. I guess he just came here and doesn't know about Kip City.
The market price is the same for Lezein and Kip. When we find out, I will definitely lower your wages." Fenon thought he had discovered the reason.
When Randall heard about the wage cut, his heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure: "It shouldn't be. When we dealt with him this morning, he seemed to be well prepared. It's impossible that he didn't know that hiring workers in Kip requires a lot of money."
Cheaper than Lezein.”
"Who can say for sure what kind of rich person he is? Either he is a playboy who comes here just for fun and will go back to inherit the family property in a few days, or he is a shrewd businessman who will never suffer any loss in anything he does.
If I am willing to pay you six gold grams, I will definitely be able to squeeze out ten gold grams of profit from you." Fenon has seen these two types of factory owners over the years, and he firmly believes that the new owner of Nack Weaving Factory
It must be one of them.
Randall, like other workers at the Nack Weaving Factory, is both happy and worried about the current new system. He is happy because he has actually felt the benefits, and worried because he feels that it must be profitable for businessmen to do this, but they are a group of old, weak, sick and disabled people.
Where is it worth extracting greater profits?
Could it be fate?
When the financial farmer said this, Randall's worry spread even more: "What do you think it is because of?"
"How do I know?" Fenon waved his hand.
"Tell me what you think. I'm quite curious." Randall asked Fenon for his opinion.
"I...I think the new factory owner probably wants to do some shady business. Only this kind of business will have high profits and will give you high wages. As for why he doesn't find someone from another factory, maybe he thinks
Anyone who has a choice would not take this path," Fenon analyzed.
Randall felt that what Fenon said made sense. It was obviously the most appropriate way to win over desperate people like them to do some risky things: "When you say that, I really feel something is wrong."
"What's wrong, tell me."
"As soon as the new factory owner took office today, he promulgated dozens of new systems, and all of them are of great benefit to us. It seems like he has no intention of making money at all." Randall followed Fenon's conclusion.
As soon as he thought about it, this matter became clear immediately, "Now it seems that it should be a means to control and bribe us."
"What are the systems?"
"For example, raising wages, reducing working hours to eight hours, setting up night schools for workers to let us study for free, and also setting up nurseries where people under the age of 16 in the factory can enter and get free education.
There are also workers’ shops selling cheap goods, setting up entertainment centers for us to relax, and using a sum of money from the monthly profits as medical funds to protect us..." Randall proposed in one breath.
Seven or eight rules that impressed him most.
Fenon was dumbfounded: "You...you drank too much?"
How could this be something proposed by the factory owner? This is clearly the workers’ imagination!
"I knew you wouldn't believe it even if I told you." Randall was not surprised by Fenon's surprise and doubts. "But things are so exaggerated, like a dream. And Andre also said that we will try to turn a loss in one month.
In order to make a profit, it became the most profitable weaving factory in Kip within two months."
"How is it possible? What you are saying is true. Your new factory owner has produced so many things that are of no benefit to them. I'm afraid they will spend all their money in less than a month. Let alone become the most profitable
Weaving a weaving factory, it is absolutely impossible to even make a profit." Feinong laughed.
"I think so too. If Andre does what he does, this factory will probably collapse faster. But no matter what, these regulations are good for me. I will enjoy them first and take whatever benefits I can get." Rand
I think very clearly, the people above can make as much trouble as they like, as long as they have something to gain.
"Are you telling the truth?" Randall seriously agreed with his words. Fenon was in a daze, feeling that this might be true.
Randall nodded: "Of course. Do I need to lie to you? Now that we are not working, we have recently been busy building the nurseries, workers' night schools, workers' shops, and entertainment centers required by the new system...
By the way, we just completed the renovation of the canteen and dormitory at noon today. Now the food and accommodation are many times better than before. Not only is the food enough, but there is also meat and eggs..."
As he listened, Fenon felt that Randall was talking in his sleep again.
Is this person capable of drinking?
After two beers, are you so drunk that you can’t tell whether you are in reality or in a dream?
"How could such a good thing happen... If this is true, what is he trying to do..." Fenon had a headache and wanted to drink beer, but he usually waited until twelve o'clock to drink, which was the most cost-effective way.
"The workers in our factory have been thinking about it all day, but they just can't figure it out, so they simply don't think about it. Life has been like this, and there is no difference between living and dying. If they really have any agenda, it doesn't matter. They can eat what they have before
I can't afford to eat, I can sleep as long as I want, I can get a salary several times that of before, even if I have to kill people, I will be happy." Randall looked away, no matter what he did, it would fall on him.
That's the most important thing.
As long as he lives well, it's not impossible for Andre to ask him to kill someone.
After all, his life was already so bad that even if he killed someone, it wouldn't be much worse.
"You really didn't lie to me? What new system you just talked about, what things are being built, are they all true?" Fenon was a little moved. If the Nack Weaving Factory is really like Randall said, then he
You can also go there to work.
"If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself tomorrow morning. Everything I said is true," Randall said.
"Are you still recruiting people there?"
"I really don't know about this. Anyway, there are nearly a hundred people working there now. The new factory owner is still studying the purchase of a large number of machines to complete the mechanization of the production line."
Fanon didn't care to wait until twelve o'clock. He called the waiter and served himself and Randall a glass of beer each.
"It's not even twelve o'clock yet, why did you order another drink?" After a brief interaction, Randall was puzzled by Fenon's 'unsmart' approach.
"I invited you." Fenon raised his glass, "I believe what you said is true. I will go there tomorrow to have a look. If I can go to work in the Nak Weaving Factory and earn more money, you can help me."
I'm very busy."
"What's the point? You might as well come here as early as possible. If word spreads about this, several streets will be filled with applicants." Randall clinked glasses with Fenon, "I wish you good luck in applying in advance."