Qingyuan Pier.
In previous years, Qingyuan will hold a grand sea opening ceremony, which will be even grander than the Chinese New Year. Various sea ships will come from the north, and Qingyuan's goods will slowly leave the port. The entire Sunjiang River is lined up. Vast and vast.
On the other hand, Qingyuan today is like an ordinary small fishing village in the south. After nightfall, the stars are dim and the pier is sparsely populated. Only a few figures can be seen hurriedly heading home.
The hustle and bustle of the past was gone. There were only a few teams of soldiers patrolling the sea, pretending to be at the pier. After patrolling twice, they hid in the camp to have a drink and have a good time.
It was night, and the sky that had not seen rain and dew for a long time actually started to drizzle. It turned out that there were not many pedestrians on the pier, and people were rushing home. It was late autumn, and if you caught the wind and cold, you would have to add another touch. Regarding expenses, every household is tightening their belts this year. No one dares to spend extravagantly. Once you enter the pharmacy, you have to grab a few pills, and maybe you have to lie in bed for several months. Who dares to stay in the rain?
In an inconspicuous corner of the pier, three or five strong men built a bonfire and gathered around, cursing the thief God, greedily warming themselves up to the fire. The fire spread out waves of heat, which slightly dissipated the cold air on their bodies.
Several people have sunken cheeks, disheveled scalps, and empty and lifeless eyes. They are also wearing summer jackets. This kind of large cardigan is very suitable for wearing when doing hard work. It is breathable and stretchable. The disadvantage is that it is not warm. In the season when the north wind blows, it is easy to get cold.
He was a laborer at this pier. In the past, he would have to do heavy physical work when the ship was open. He would be sweating profusely after carrying bags and heavy objects on the pier. It would be difficult to work without wearing a short coat. The amount of exercise is also enough to keep them in a healthy state, and few people will get cold.
In the past, they didn't want to buy those thick cotton-padded clothes, but it's different now. They were so cash-strapped that they didn't expect that the market would take a turn for the worse and make their lives unsustainable so quickly. They even hesitated to buy a cotton-padded coat for the winter. Oh my god, I was thinking that spring would start in a few days, and it wouldn’t be so cold at that time, so every year would count.
Ever since the port office was opened, everyone thought that it was just a change of soup but not medicine. A few water thieves left and new ones came. They were still living a miserable life, but they never thought that Liang Chuan would bring them unprecedented Good day!
In the past, whoever had the bigger fist would get the job. The workers would fight to the death in private in order to take over the job. They also had to fight for the territory. Those workers who were more honest could only barely make ends meet, and often went hungry, because they Can't get a job.
After Liang Chuan came, the rules changed.
The wharf used to have only a few dozen ships to work with, but I don’t know how Liang Chuan managed it. There were at least a thousand ships at the wharf, which was endless work! In the past, it was a matter of grabbing jobs, but now it is a matter of receiving jobs. Everyone takes turns lining up, and everyone has a job to receive. And it turns out that the remuneration is only a few cents, and you have to pay enough protection fees, otherwise you won't be able to open the business tomorrow.
Nowadays, everyone's daily income is dozens of times higher than before. No one will make trouble at the dock. The Chengguan Brigade will deal with whoever makes trouble. No matter how arrogant the boss is, he is no match for the Chengguan Brigade. Those water tyrants and Qingyuan All the people who helped were killed by the adult management brigade.
The key is that the money you make is yours. Who doesn’t cut a few cuts of meat every day, sift a pot of wine and go home to enjoy it happily? Only such a life can be looked forward to!
They have been living like this for almost ten years. In these ten years, how many children of workers have had money to marry and start families, how many workers have money to build new houses, and how many workers have lived a good life. Everyone thought that this kind of life would continue. Get down!
The dream was shattered overnight.
These dog officials in the court!
When this matter was mentioned, all the tens of thousands of workers on the dock gnashed their teeth in hatred!
They actually want to ban the sea!
What on earth did these ship dealers commit? They stopped all business at sea!
With more business, people's lives will get better. Where did Qingyuan get so much land for so many workers to cultivate? Is it because people are desperate and come to the port to make a living?
There were no ships coming in from the sea, and naturally there were no goods. At first, the workers thought that the court temporarily closed the sea to prevent Japanese invaders, but little did they know that they wanted to keep the sea closed forever!
There are tens of thousands of people, but behind them are tens of thousands of households and dozens of mouths waiting to eat! Overnight, every household ran out of food and had no food to cook. Rice was waiting in the pot, the old and the weak in bed were waiting for medicine, and no one had money!
Fortunately, there was Master Yu from Daqingtian. Despite the pressure from the court, Master Yu secretly opened the sea in Qingyuan and asked ship merchants to secretly transport the goods in!
This is a good official who makes decisions for the people!
At that time, except for a few ports with which Yu Gang had secret connections, all the ports in the southeast were closed, and no business could be done.
Yu Gang disobeyed the court's orders, but saved hundreds of thousands of people in Qingyuan! At least it lasted them a few more months!
Until something happened again in Xinghua County next door.
It is said that the Japanese went directly to Xinghua and massacred the city. Mr. Yu can no longer withstand the pressure, he has to ban the sea, otherwise the court will hold him accountable!
This time, the dock, which had been glorious for centuries, completely lost its vitality.
The most terrible thing is that Liang Chuan, the great master he once regarded as his savior, turned out to be a key criminal designated by the imperial court overnight!
These dog officials!
There are many theories circulating among the people. Liang Chuan originally followed the wrong master. It is said that he, Ding Wei and then Xia Song lost power one after another. Liang Chuan offended too many people by following them, and now he has become the target of attack.
Liang Chuan's reputation in Xinghua is very good. Xinghua has improved precisely because of Liang Chuan's development in recent years. Many local people depend on Liang Chuan for their survival. The Liang family's good reputation has also discredited local officials. .
This makes it even more unbearable for Liang Chuan. Look, how miserable the outcome is. His home was burned down. Liang Chuan's family property is not comparable to that of ordinary people. His family was destroyed overnight. .
The court is so corrupt!
Could it be that only officials like Mr. Yu would protect their most miserable workers? .
I don’t know how long the hard days will last. The imperial court has issued a death order this time. Anyone who puts the ship into the sea will be dismissed directly. If anyone is found to have colluded with the Japanese, he will be immediately executed!
Master Yu is also in a dilemma! All the ports in the north have been closed. Even if they open their doors, no ships will come!
Everyone thought that the good old days would continue forever. Who wouldn’t yearn for the prosperity of the port? Wouldn’t the government want such a stable life?
It’s true that these officials only have their own interests in mind. The life and death of the people, huh, is not as good as a few ants. Who cares about the lives of ants!
Laborers are not as good as farmers. Farmers hide the grains in barns every year after harvesting because they don’t know whether next year will be a disaster year or a good year. They don’t know whether they will get sick next year, so they can only take precautions. I don’t dare to open my stomach to eat food, so I don’t feel panic when I have food at home.
But the people who work for people are different. They are all drunk one day and drunk the next. After being paid, they first make a few kilograms of wine, then cook two side dishes, and make appointments with a few workers who are carrying bags on the dock. They act like gods every day. Yes, let’s get comfortable first.
After a few years, the family could not save even three taels of money.
When encountering one, three, or six diseases, they are not as tough as farmers.
This time things happened so suddenly. No one expected that the business on the dock would stop so quickly.
A few people couldn't bear the cold anymore, so they moved closer to the fire to try their best to feel the temperature of the fire.
"I have to collect some dry firewood and store it tomorrow. Spring is about to start. I don't know when it will rain. If the firewood doesn't dry up, the smoke will be so heavy!" '
"Let's join in the fire. There's nowhere to collect firewood now. Look at how many people are wandering outside the city every day. Many of our group have already gone up the mountain to collect firewood. Earlier I saw people walking on the street. There is firewood for sale! '
'I'm afraid it won't be easy to sell! '
'It's so easy to sell, a load of firewood was taken away in half a day, and it was enough to exchange for a few liters of millet! '
The worker's eyes widened when he heard this: 'What, it took me half a day to exchange for that small amount of money, but it's not enough to feed me alone! '
"Look at what you can do. Why don't you go to heaven? If someone accepts you, just enjoy it secretly. Do you know how many of us brothers are still hungry? There are just a few of us. If anyone has eaten today, please raise your hand and let me Take a look. . '
Everyone buried their heads in their arms again, shrinking even more tightly. The flesh on their faces was all gone, their stomachs were howling, and stars were shining in their eyes.
'No fish have taken the bait today? '
'Forget it, I'm not lucky today. I've been watching for a long time and there's not a single fish! '
The workers pooled their money together and bought a few fishhooks and some twine from the Wanda Chamber of Commerce. They strung the hooks and tried their luck at the dock these days. The fish in the river were also like the workers. I saw the hooks a few days ago. I just bit them and gave them a few hearty meals. It was almost midnight today, and there was not a single fish. Several of the workers were so hungry that their eyes were open.
'Look, there's someone! '
A worker shouted loudly: "It's on the river, it seems to be coming from Haikou!" '
Several workers looked over and saw a small boat slowly approaching. There were three people on the boat. The captain was rocking the oar with difficulty. The other two were standing on the boat. One was a cripple with only one arm.
'It's not like there's a sea ban. Where did these people come from? Are they fishermen somewhere? '
'Where did the fishermen come from? Are you kidding me? Now the fishermen are worse off than us. Anyone who goes into the sea is caught. The prison in Weiyuan Tower is almost full! '
The boat slowly docked, and the people coming were none other than Liang Chuan and Li Chuyi. They jumped ashore, holding a package in their hands.
'Stop, what are you doing! '
Liang Chuan looked at the ill-intentioned workers, but said with a smile: "I thought everyone was gone, what are you still doing at the dock?" '
