These miners will not be able to leave until after the New Year, and their wages will naturally not be available until after the New Year.
Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming soon, everyone wants to make more money, and it is absolutely impossible for the miners to leave at this time.
The miners who showed up in the village this morning are very problematic.
"Auntie, what else do you know?"
Su Liuye took Xiao Wu to the stall and sat down, ordered a bowl of hot soup, and bought fresh meat from the stall next door.
Seeing her buying something, the two stall owners were very happy and quickly brought her the things. Hearing her question, the owner of the meat stall said.
"Don't dare to say anything if you know it! Little lady, I see you came down from the mountain. You should also know that the mine is owned by the government, and ordinary people like us who have nothing to do with it are not allowed to enter. But if there is someone in the family who works in the mine, Yes, you can go in."
"Little lady, there must be someone in your family who works in the mine, right?"
"Yes, my husband is in the mine."
"That's right." The stall owner nodded. "The mine is usually guarded by officers and soldiers, and outsiders are not allowed to enter or exit during mining. Even your family members can only stay in the house on the mountain. I saw that this morning. A few people left in a hurry. If they want to go back, it will be difficult and they will have to register again."
"The selection of miners is very strict to prevent anyone from stealing the government's belongings." The stall owner said, "I see those people leaving in a hurry, and they don't seem to want to ask for wages!"
"Yes, they left early in the morning before it was even bright. I really can't understand!" The owner of the breakfast stall brought the hot soup noodles over and heard Su Liuye and the others still chatting about this. She couldn't help but interrupt, "If you want to return to the mine, you have to register again, and they have to be searched by officers and soldiers when they leave the mine!"
"My Huzi has been working in the mine for several years, and this rule has never changed. I have never seen anyone coming down from the mountain road early in the morning. People always use a large group of people to take the road over there. There is no one there. Coming down from the trail?”
"That's right! The officers and soldiers who are searching you are all on the other side of the avenue. After searching you, you can only go down the mountain after confirming that there are no problems!" The owner of the butcher stall seemed to have thought of something and immediately answered, "So, the people who came down the path this morning It’s so suspicious! I don’t know if they stole something from the mountain. They were afraid of being discovered, so they ran away before dawn! If this is the case, if they are caught, the whole family will be affected!”
"You can't tell!"
The owner of the breakfast stall simply sat down and gossiped, "Didn't someone in the town sneak away from the mine before? After being discovered by the officers and soldiers, I went to his house and found that his whole family had moved away long ago! Later I also heard that, It turns out that man had already promised others that he would steal the iron from the mine!"
"What are you stealing for? I've never heard of this!" The owner of the butcher stall asked as he moved a small stool.
The owner of the breakfast stall took out a handful of melon seeds from nowhere and gave some to Su Liuye.
Sipping melon seeds, they chatted more enthusiastically.
"Sell it to someone else!" said the breakfast stall owner. "As you know, the iron ore in the mines is used to make weapons. These weapons are used by the imperial court to fight wars."
"Collaborating with the enemy?" Upon hearing this, the expression of the meat stall owner changed.
They are the names of villages that live under the mine. They have been here for so many years. Even if they have never been to the mine, they have heard a lot of things and know a lot of inside information.
The iron in the iron mines is used to make weapons for the imperial court, so it has always been an important place for the imperial court. There may be secrets about weapons blueprints inside. If these things are leaked, it may be fatal to the army.
For so many years, entry and exit from the iron mines have required strict investigation and body searches. Once someone is found to have secretly taken something away from here, officers and soldiers will immediately arrest them.
But some people, faced with the huge temptation of money, still can't help but secretly take something away from the mine.
Thinking of what her aunt said just now, she saw someone sneaking away early in the morning, Su Liuye narrowed her eyes, a flash of realization flashed in her heart, and immediately asked, "Aunt, how many people did you see leaving the mine this morning?"
"There are several of them!" Realizing the seriousness of the matter, the aunt lowered her voice a lot when she spoke. "I looked over at the time and saw that there must be at least four people! But they left in two groups, and they were the first. It’s a man wearing a black robe, and that man doesn’t look like a miner!”
"I saw him too!" said the breakfast stall owner. "Is he all covered in black? He doesn't look like a good person! Then I saw a few miners coming over."
After living here for so long, they naturally know what a miner looks like.
"The man in black robe is not the same as them, is he?" said the meat stall owner. "That man doesn't look like a miner! How can any miner wear all black? I don't think his clothes look like a miner." Wear it alive.”
"That's right! He might be some kind of thief, he's sneaky!"
"He's really brave to steal things from the mines! But it's unlikely, right? Miners don't have anything valuable to steal. He doesn't look like a good person!"
Su Liuye took a sip of the hot soup and listened silently to the discussion between the two aunts.
When she was almost done eating, she paid the money. After the two aunts left, she asked Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, when you went to look for me that day, did you see anyone outside the woodshed?"
"No." Xiao Wu shook her head, and as she spoke, confusion appeared on her face, "Mrs. Chu, I didn't meet anyone when I went to look for you that day. The miners had been busy in the mountains all day, and it was so busy at night. Cold, they will all stay in the room. Mrs. Chu, do you think the man in black robes the aunts mentioned was the one who attacked you that day? "
"Probably." Su Liuye lowered her eyes. The marks on her wrists had already healed, and no traces could be seen.
But now she still remembers the feeling of being caught, and the blazing fire seemed to be right in front of her eyes.
The figure she saw last night should be the person sent by the fifth princess, but she asked Chu Yan to stay with her for one night, and that person couldn't find a chance to take action here. In addition, there were officers and soldiers guarding the mine, so he probably wouldn't dare If you stay too long, it’s best to leave before it’s completely bright.
If the man in black walking in front is from the Fifth Princess's side, then the one who is following behind must be the miner.
But why would miners leave the mines at this time? Is it really because...
