Chapter 12 Be Good
After breakfast, they took a few cakes for lunch because they didn’t know whether the employer they would find would provide lunch.
When the three of them arrived under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village, there were already several people waiting there.
They were all men from the same village. After greeting each other, they gathered in groups of three or four to chat and brag.
After a while, an ox cart slowly drove out from the east of the village.
The person driving the car was an old man in the village named Ji Dong, and everyone called him Uncle Dong.
"Uncle Dong, why are you here just now? We have been waiting for you for a long time."
A man in the crowd spoke up.
Others echoed.
"We thought you weren't coming today."
"I almost went to your house to call you."
Uncle Dong was not bothered by these people's complaints. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't delay you."
Uncle Dong stopped the ox cart in front of the crowd, and a group of people quickly climbed up and found a seat.
Ji Zheng naturally sat next to Ji Feng and the others.
After everyone was seated, Uncle Dong called out, "Everyone, sit down! We are about to set off!"
Then he swung the whip in his hand and hit the cow's butt, and then the ox cart began to move forward swayingly.
The speed is not very fast, and it is even very shaky, but it does not require much energy.
The people in the car started to brag and gossip about all sorts of things. Ji Zheng also discovered that men are actually very gossipy.
Of course, since his taciturn character was deeply rooted in the hearts of the villagers, most people just greeted him when they met him and never spoke to them again.
Ji Zheng was also happy to have some peace and quiet.
After getting used to the swaying of the ox cart, he began to feel sleepy. With the help of Ji Feng, he planned to take a nap.
When he woke up again, the sky was gradually getting brighter. According to previous guesses, it was probably around six o'clock.
He took a look and found that no one was talking in the car, but everyone was sleeping.
"Uncle Dong, how long will it take?" Ji Zheng asked in a low voice.
"It will be almost there. It will be there in one stick of incense." Uncle Dong replied.
It was indeed soon. Ji Zheng felt a little bored. He stared at the scenery around him in a daze.
The scenery here is very beautiful, with picturesque mountains and clear waters. If it were placed in modern times, it would probably be a national 5A-level forest park.
As I was thinking, the car stopped, and then I heard Uncle Dong's voice, "Wake up, don't sleep anymore, we're here."
The sound was so loud that everyone in the car was woken up.
They stopped at the gate of the town and Ji Zheng jumped out of the car.
There were three big characters "Xihua Town" written on the gate of the town.
After entering the town, perhaps because it was too early, there were few people on the street and some vendors had just started setting up their stalls, so it looked quite deserted.
Ji Zheng followed the main force, turning left and right, going straight and making a big circle before reaching their destination.
a pier.
The scene here is exactly the opposite of what happened just now. It is very lively here. There are many boats parked at the pier, and there are stalls selling cakes and buns around.
There were many people like them gathered together, probably from other villages.
Ji Zheng was standing not far from a stall selling steamed buns. The aroma of freshly-baked buns wafted over. Ji Zheng thought about his empty wallet and swallowed silently.
Because the merchants haven't come out yet, they can only wait here.
But it didn't take long before someone came.
The man was holding a copper bell in his hand, and judging by his attire, he should be a servant of a wealthy family.
The boy knocked on the gong several times, then shouted at the top of his voice: "Twenty people, ten days of work, forty cents a day, including a lunch!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd began to surge, and then a group of people rushed forward to sign up.
Soon the boy had recruited enough people and left with them.
Ji Zheng was a little confused. He looked at Ji Feng who was standing still, "Brother, aren't we going?"
"Don't worry, there's more to come." Ji Feng replied.
Sure enough, just as Ji Feng finished speaking, several servants wearing different styles of clothes came with copper bells.
Just like last time, after striking the gong, they told us how many people were needed, how many days it would take, and how much money would be paid per day.
The number of people on the docks gradually decreased visibly.
Just as day was about to dawn, Ji Zheng and his colleagues finally found a job.
Forty-five cents a day for fifteen days, with only one lunch included.
Ji Zheng and his friends followed their host to the far left of the pier, where they saw two large ships docked.
"Take out your household registration documents, line up, and register one by one." The servant holding the gong knocked on the gong twice and then shouted at the top of his voice.
Ji Zheng saw a man wearing the same clothes as the boy holding the bronze bell in a thatched pavilion.
The man looked to be in his forties or fifties, had a goatee, and was sitting behind a desk.
Soon the bustling crowd formed a long line and took out their documents to register one by one.
After registration, a servant next to the man with a goatee will hand out a wooden plaque with the word "Zhou" engraved on it.
The purpose of this wooden sign is to use it to settle wages when the work is completed.
After receiving the wooden sign, someone will assign you a task.
Ji Zheng was assigned to unload the goods, while Ji Feng and Ji Cheng were assigned to load the goods together.
Unloading is the process of unloading cargo from a ship and placing it in a warehouse.
In short, it's about selling your strength.
Ji Zheng sighed, he really couldn't escape hard labor no matter what.
The sun gradually came out, the temperature began to rise, and some men began to take off their clothes and work shirtless.
Because this is a loading and unloading dock, basically, apart from the men who come here to work, other women and children will not come here.
When it is very hot, most men who work will take off their clothes and work shirtless.
Ji Feng and Ji Cheng also took off their clothes, but Ji Zheng was still hesitating. After thinking about it, he finally decided not to take off his clothes.
At noon, the host brought us rice, steamed buns and salty soup.
However, the soup is not that salty, as salt was not cheap at that time.
After a simple meal, I took a short rest and then started working again.
This time the work lasted until the sun went down.
After it was over, people lined up and the man with the goatee who registered them began to call the roll. When everyone was present, they could go home.
As he was about to go home, Ji Zheng thought of a proverb: Go out before dawn in the morning and come back to the moon at night.
Really leaving early and returning late.
When he got home, Ji Zheng didn't know what time it was, and everyone in the family had already gone back to their rooms.
The kitchen had left some food for the three of them. After eating, they washed up at the well in the yard, said hello to each other, and went back to their rooms.
When Ji Zheng returned to the room, Ji Hean had already fallen asleep.
The moment he saw Ji Hean, Ji Zheng's fatigue suddenly dissipated a lot.
He climbed onto the bed quietly, hesitated for a moment, and then gently held Ji Hean in his arms.
The moment he hugged Ji He'an, Ji Zheng felt how thin Ji He'an was. It would not be an exaggeration to describe him as skin and bones.
A feeling called heartache lingered in Ji Zheng's heart.
It seems that he has to work hard to earn money to take better care of his son Ji He, or at least make him plump and white.
...
The next morning, it was still dark and even the roosters hadn't crowed yet.
When Ji Hean woke up, he found that Ji Zheng was holding him tightly. Not only that, Ji Zheng's chin was resting on his head.
This was the first time the two had such an intimate contact. Ji Hean's body was a little stiff, and two faint blushes appeared on his face.
He moved carefully, trying to get out of Ji Zheng's arms, but after he moved twice, Ji Zheng tightened his hold on him again.
Ji Hean froze and dared not move.
Ji Zheng's breathing was very obvious in his ears, and Ji Hean was a little at a loss.
Time passed little by little, and Ji and An got up to make breakfast for them.
Although Ji Zheng said yesterday that he didn't need to do it, Ji's mother specifically reminded him before going to bed yesterday to get up early today and cook an egg for each of the three of them.
Thinking of this, Ji Hean slowly moved out of Ji Zheng's arms bit by bit.
Although he was very careful, Ji Zheng was still woken up by him.
The moment they saw Ji Zheng squinting, Ji He's heart was in their throat, fearing that Ji Zheng would get angry.
Unexpectedly, Ji Zheng just picked him up with his big hands and put him in his arms again, closed his eyes again, and patted him on the back with one hand, "He An, be good and sleep for a while."
The voice is a little hoarse, but very gentle.
This gentle voice and movement gave Ji Hean the illusion that he was Ji Zheng's baby.
He lay in Ji Zheng's arms, feeling the warmth radiating from Ji Zheng. It was very warm, a warmth he had never experienced before. This warmth penetrated from his skin all the way to his heart.
My nose felt sore and tears welled up in my eyes.
Thinking of the change in Ji Zheng's attitude towards him in recent days, Ji Hean felt a little bit of anticipation in his heart.
Maybe...he can try to trust Ji Zheng.
Ji Zheng remembered that he had to go to work today, so he slept for a short while and then woke up.
Ji He'an in his arms closed his eyes and looked very well-behaved. Seeing Ji He'an like this, Ji Zheng's restlessness from getting up early in his heart immediately dissipated.
His Ji and An are so cute. I love them so much.
He must work hard to earn money to keep Ji He'an healthy.
Thinking of this, Ji Zheng felt full of energy.
He quietly took back the hands that were holding Ji Hean, got out of bed and put on his clothes.
But he didn't expect that Ji Hean woke up just as he put on his clothes.
"It's still early, sleep a little longer." Ji Zheng said in a low voice.
"But breakfast..." Ji Hean wanted to get up, but was stopped by Ji Zheng, "It's okay, I'll get it, don't worry."
Ji Zheng covered Ji Hean with a blanket and gently rubbed his head. "Go to sleep. I'm here."
Under Ji Zheng's gentle attack, Ji Hean felt his eyelids begin to feel heavy. Before he fell asleep completely, he remembered what Ji's mother had told him yesterday.
"Mom said to cook you an egg each this morning."
After saying this, he fell asleep completely.
Ji Zheng smiled lovingly, touched Ji Hean's fleshless face, and then left.
When we arrived at the yard, Ji Feng and the other man were not there, and it seemed that they had not woken up yet.
After washing his face and rinsing his mouth, Ji Zheng went into the kitchen to make breakfast.
The pancakes were made yesterday, so he just needed to light a fire and steam them. The rest was as Ji Hean had said, which was to boil three eggs.
When it was almost done, Ji Feng and Ji Cheng got up.
When they saw that it was Ji Zheng who was cooking, they both couldn't hide their surprise.
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