Sheep Tripe Alley behind Yangzhou Chaoguan has winding and intricate paths, just like sheep intestines.
If you are not a local, you will never dare to come here.
It's easy to walk in, but hard to get out.
The first store at the intersection of Yangdu Lane, everyone knows about it.
On this day, it was raining heavily, the dirt roads in the alleys were muddy, and sewage flowed across them. No one would go out unless there was something urgent.
There was a knock on the broken wood door, which made the people inside the house a little dissatisfied.
"Who is it?"
The firewood door was opened from the inside, and a tall man steadied himself and looked at the visitor warily.
Outside the gate of the courtyard, a handsome young man held an umbrella. Although his trousers and shoe uppers had long been soaked in mud, he looked calm and composed, like a fairy in a painting.
Behind the young man, a dozen tough warriors had already spread out to prevent anyone from getting close.
"Dare I ask if it's Brother Shi who is the Tiger at the Pier?"
"Who are you……"
The strong man was a little nervous, and instinctively felt that these people seemed to have a lot of background.
The young man smiled slightly.
"Brother Shi, since you are eating pier food, how will you eat this bowl of rice in the future? I am here to ask."
Shi Dake's heart was beating like thunder, with a hint of panic at the same time.
"The dock gang has always had the final say. You have found the wrong person."
The young man was not surprised.
"What if the trough gang is gone?"
Shi Dake was stunned as if he had been struck by lightning, as if he had seen a god.
"Young people don't know the heights of the world. Do you know how powerful the Cao Gang is? Those people are ruthless and kill without batting an eye. Anyone who dares to offend them will be ruined. Don't try to harm me."
The young man put away his umbrella and walked into the yard from Shi Dake's side.
Shi Dake instinctively blocked it, but in vain.
He rubbed his eyes and couldn't figure out how this young man got in.
The young man turned his back on guests and took the initiative to sit down at the main table, just in time to see the food on the table.
There was less than half a bowl of brown rice left and a plate of stewed wild vegetables. There was no smell of oil or meat.
Shi Dake's mother-in-law was sitting on the other side of the table holding a half-year-old child, too scared to move.
Shi Dake jumped back into the house to protect his wife and children.
"who are you?"
The young man pointed to the stool next to him and motioned for him to sit down.
"It doesn't matter who I am, what's important is that such a hard life... hasn't Brother Shi had enough?"
Shi Dake couldn't help but feel short of breath when he saw the young man's playful eyes looking at the crude and simple meals.
"This is how people who make a living at the dock live."
"But this isn't right."
The young man spoke slowly, but with an unmistakable toughness.
"You people have been in the wind and rain all day long, working hard and sweating, but you don't even have enough to eat. Are you willing to do that?"
Shi Dake gritted his teeth.
"This has been the rule on the dock for hundreds of years, what can we do?"
The young man chuckled.
"Is it because of the Cao Gang? The Cao Gang is greedy and takes all the benefits, so you can only starve and your children can't even study."
What he said is the truth.
Shi Dake lowered his head, unable to refute, but he did not dare to express the bitterness in his heart.
"Brother Shi, I'm not afraid to tell you that I'm from Shandong. The Cao Gang united the merchants to disrupt the market and cut off transportation, and they deserved to die. You coolies have been oppressed by the Cao Gang. If you want to live a good life, please give me a happy word. If you want, After the trough gang is over, you can come out and work hard. From now on, the rules on the dock have changed."
Hearing that Shandong was going to deal with the Cao Gang, Shi Dake's heart pounded, and uncontrollable joy oozed from his bones.
"The Cao Gang has more people and more power, so it's not easy to deal with them."
The young man threw his head back and laughed.
"Can a mere gangster gang be able to outnumber an army?"
When he said this, Shi Dake finally understood.
That day the new army entered the city, and he secretly went to see it.
He had never seen such a mighty and majestic army in his life.
No matter how powerful the trough gang is, they are nothing more than a mob.
Is it really going to be the end of all hardships?
"What should we do?"
The young man did not expect much from him.
"Among the coolies at the dock, Brother Shi is highly respected and respected by everyone. To deal with the Cao Gang, you don't need to risk your help. As long as the Cao Gang is destroyed, Brother Shi can gather all the coolies to restore the smooth flow of the canal."
Hearing that this was the case, Shi Dake couldn't help but let go of his worries.
If the young man asked him to follow him to deal with the gang, he would not dare.
After all, they, the unarmed coolies, still dare not take action under the power of the Cao Gang all these years.
But after the gang was gone, they no longer had to worry about working hard.
"Your life is too hard. When the gang is over, new rules will be implemented on the dock. In short, we are all human beings and we have to live our lives."
Shi Dake's eyes filled with tears and he nodded heavily. When I didn't raise my eyes easily, I faintly noticed the sky to the east...
It’s sunny!
Taizhou is an important salt-producing place in the Huaihe River Basin.
People here work with salt.
Therefore, next to the salt farm, as far as the eye can see, there are all dilapidated and low wooden sheds.
All the salt workers live here.
When you get up early and go out, you can go to work. After a hard day's work, you get a meager income. You can barely make ends meet, and there is no more.
Looking at this dilapidated scene, Chen Jie felt the deepest.
At the beginning, he was just like these people, living a life that was worse than death, with no hope at all.
Later, Cheng Xiaoer took Mayor Fu to the door in person, and also brought new life to Qingdao's salt workers.
Today, he is the general manager of Shandong Salt Industry Company.
After receiving Zuo Mengeng's transfer order, Chen Jie rushed over at night to prepare for taking over the Lianghuai Salt Farm.
The last stop is Taizhou.
"The Ji family is so powerful that they can cover the sky with only one hand here. Anyone who dares to resist will be beaten to death, and the government will not pursue him."
The impoverished salt workers soon opened their hearts when faced with Chen Jie, who came from the same background.
Who in this world doesn’t want to live a good life?
Who wants to go hungry?
But they are afraid.
What are you afraid of?
Afraid of those aristocratic families who monopolize the production and sales of salt.
These families are as rich as the country, and their energy is as high as the sky. They are unparalleled in the local area, just like local emperors.
They wanted to resist, but they didn't have enough strength.
Now comes enough power.
Chen Jie said confidently: "The Ji family will not survive tomorrow. Without the Ji family, the salt farm will be reformed and a salt industry company will be established. And you will be the first batch of employees of the company. The company will build you new houses and give you You pay monthly. There is only one requirement, and that is to work hard and ensure the production of salt. Can you do it?"
"The Sword Comes"
The salt workers looked at me and I looked at you, and they quickly agreed.
"As long as the Ji family is finished, we will all listen to Manager Chen."
Seeing the sun emerging from the dark clouds, the bright sunshine filled the earth.
In the endless salt field, the white salt flowers are more dazzling than silver under the reflection of the sun.
Chen Jie smiled.
He knew that the victory or defeat was decided!
