Chapter 44 Brick Kiln Recruitment: No need to worry about going hungry this month. ...
When Zheng He reappeared at the Songyang County office, he looked extremely pleased with himself, his face beaming with joy.
Anyone could see that Zheng He was in a very good mood.
How could it not be good?
Knowing that his future would be recorded in history, and that Zhu Yuanzhang was now considering making the Prince of Yan the crown prince.
Who doesn't know what the Imperial Ancestral Temple is?
A council at the Imperial Ancestral Temple?
Zhu Yuanzhang was determined to make the Prince of Yan the crown prince!
Zheng He was thrilled. Early in the morning, he wanted to shake hands with everyone and say hello. His joy was overflowing, especially after seeing Yuchi Jingde.
"Thank you, Brother Jingde."
Without Yuchi Jingde's advice, Zheng He might not have dared to show the television to the emperor.
Yuchi Jingde accepted Zheng He's thanks in a daze, quite bewildered. Had the Ming Dynasty not fallen? And had it not produced a single unfilial descendant?
Why isn't this person angry at all?
Everyone has watched TV, but Zheng He is truly the only one who enjoys it purely for entertainment.
strangeness...
There's no time to think about all that in the morning; you're rushing to work. Besides, Zheng He also has a brick kiln to take care of.
The brick kiln was an official kiln in Songyang County, and the news of the kiln's recruitment was personally released by Jiang Ge.
The recruitment notice for Songyang County was posted outside the county government office just as dawn was breaking. In the gray morning mist, Jiang Ge personally pasted the yellow paper onto the wall.
As Zhou Dashi passed by carrying two bundles of firewood, a few people had already gathered around. He didn't want to join the commotion—matters of the county government were usually not good news for ordinary people like them. But the words "eight coins a day, one meal included" pulled him into the crowd like a hook.
"Brother Da Shi, come quick!" Wang Er Gou squeezed out of the crowd, his dark face glowing. "The county government is hiring people to make bricks, and they're paying pretty good wages!"
This is a great thing. They are poor people who have no way to make money. Now, Magistrate Jiang has provided the people with another way to make money.
Zhou Dashi put down his bundle of firewood and wiped his rough hands on his patched-up clothes. He was twenty-eight years old, but years of hard work had hunched his back. He squeezed into the crowd and squinted at the notice. He couldn't recognize all the characters, but he could understand the numbers.
"Really eight coins?" he asked in a low voice.
It's no wonder he's cautious. Working for the government is a waste of time and effort. You have to bring your own food and labor. This brick kiln has been opened before, but they only pay a small amount of money and just exploit people.
An elderly man in a long robe stroked his beard and said, "It's written in black and white that it's the official kiln of our county government, and they recruit a lot of people. How could it be fake?"
The crowd began to buzz with discussion. Zhou Dashi heard someone behind him spit out, "Bah! The year before last, the county government conscripted laborers to repair the river embankment. They promised ten coins a day, but in the end, I didn't see a single copper coin. They even whipped people every day!"
Repairing river embankments was a tough job. The government didn't treat farmers like human beings; they treated them like livestock. It was common for several people to die from exhaustion. If you encountered a grumpy official, it was no different from being tortured.
“This time it’s different!” Wang Ergou lowered his voice. “My cousin works in the county government. The new magistrate, Magistrate Jiang, is a really good guy. He’s the one who invented the curved plow. You see, your family made some money too, didn’t you? This time, the brick kiln is in charge of that new yamen runner. He’s a very nice guy, so he shouldn’t whip anyone.”
There are many new yamen runners.
The two fierce-looking constables at the city gate were also newcomers.
Zhou Dashi remained silent, staring at the bright red county government seal at the bottom of the notice, his throat tightening.
Eight coins are enough to buy several kilograms of brown rice.
At home, A-Cui's belly is already showing, and her mother's cough hasn't gotten better since winter. Last year's drought meant the harvest wasn't even enough to pay the rent, and the family has already gone without food twice since spring. They've only managed to earn a little money by making curved plows, but with an elderly mother who needs medication and a pregnant wife, that little bit of money is completely useless.
"Da Shi, are you going?" Wang Ergou nudged his arm.
They were acquaintances; at least Wang Ergou knew about his family situation. Why wasn't he taking the initiative to do something that could earn money?
Zhou Dashi licked his dry, cracked lips. He also remembered that when the county government conscripted laborers to repair the river embankment, Zhang Laosan from the same village had his leg broken by a falling rock and still walks with a limp. The county government hadn't even paid for his medicine.
"Let me think about it some more," he finally said, bending down to pick up the bundle of firewood.
On his way home, Zhou Dashi's steps were heavier than usual. He sold firewood for five coins, lingered in front of the grain shop for a long time, and finally only bought some coarse salt. Coarse grains were also expensive; the shopkeeper said that things were a bit chaotic outside, and grain prices had gone up.
When he arrived home, A-Cui was in the yard feeding the chickens with insects she had caught—actually, there were only two old hens, which were the most valuable things in the house. When she saw him come back, she straightened up and unconsciously covered her slightly protruding belly with her hands.
"Honey, did you sell the firewood?"
Firewood has been hard to find these days, and the firewood I'm selling today is the result of a long period of saving.
Zhou Dashi handed her the salt and nodded silently. A Cui's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again; she knew what this little bit of money meant.
Dinner was a thin porridge of wild vegetables, so watery you could see your reflection in it. His mother coughed in the inner room, one cough after another, as if she were coughing up her lungs. Zhou Dashi squatted on the doorstep, staring at the half-dead jujube tree in the yard.
It grows tall, but it doesn't bear fruit.
"The county government is recruiting workers to make bricks," he suddenly said.
Ah Cui's hand trembled, and a few drops of porridge spilled onto the table. She hurriedly tried to wipe it with her sleeve, but the more she wiped, the dirtier it became.
"How much?" she asked softly.
"Eight coins a day, meals included." One meal was enough; tightening their belts could save the family a lot of food.
Ah Cui's eyes lit up, then quickly darkened again. She lowered her head and continued stirring the porridge: "Last time we repaired the riverbank..."
Is what the government says credible?
In fact, A-Cui knew that their county government was already doing a good job; they only didn't pay their employees or paid them very little. The neighboring county, on the other hand, used their employees to the point of exhaustion and even made them bring their own food.
“This time it’s different.” Zhou Dashi repeated Wang Ergou’s words, but he didn’t know what was different. He only knew that if he didn’t find some income for the family, they probably wouldn’t even be able to afford wild vegetable porridge after the baby was born.
At night, Zhou Dashi lay on his creaking wooden bed, listening to A Cui's even breathing and his mother's intermittent coughs. Moonlight streamed in through the holes in the torn window paper, drawing a blurry circle on the floor. He remembered the people he had seen starving to death during the drought, their emaciated bodies topped with huge bellies—from eating dirt...
He got up before dawn, and A-Cui gave him a wild vegetable dumpling that she had saved from the night before; it was as hard as a rock. He broke it in half and put one half back into A-Cui's hand.
“I’ll sign up,” he said.
Whether or not he is whipped, he needs to earn money; he is a man and he needs to support his family.
A long queue had already formed outside the county government office. Zhou Dashi hadn't expected so many people—there were farmers like himself, small business owners from the city, and even a few ragged beggars. Everyone was staring expectantly at the two vermilion gates of the county government office.
"I heard there are quite a few people going to be here." Wang Ergou had somehow ended up in line behind him. "I arrived before dawn."
As the sun rose higher, the gates of the county government office finally opened. Jiang Ge, dressed in a blue robe, strode out, followed by two yamen runners, one named Hei Fu and the other Zheng He.
Django cleared his throat and bowed slightly to the people in line:
"Fellow villagers, today we are registering for brick kiln workers. As before, anyone aged sixteen to fifty without disabilities is welcome to apply. The daily wage is eight coins, and a full lunch will be provided."
It's not that Django has an age requirement; it's just that working in a brick kiln is not easy for him. Only young and strong people have the strength, and the dust pollution is severe and harmful to the body.
As soon as Magistrate Jiang finished speaking, the crowd stirred, like waves of wheat rippling in the wind.
However, as soon as the common people heard about a full meal, regardless of whether they were paid or not, the thought of a full meal was enough to tempt the poor. It was so difficult to get enough to eat.
"Silence!" Hei Fu banged the gong. "Recruitment registration begins now. One by one, no pushing!"
A slight commotion arose within the group. An elderly farmer with graying hair and beard asked tremblingly, "Sir, I am fifty-two years old, but still quite healthy, could you...?"
Jiang Ge walked down the steps and stood before the old man: "Uncle, the work at the kiln is too strenuous, especially for someone your age..."
The kiln is extremely hot, with dust flying everywhere, making it a very harsh environment for the elderly.
"My grandson is crying from hunger," the old man said, tears welling in his cloudy eyes. "This old man isn't afraid of hardship..."
Django pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Zheng He.
Zheng He understood and whispered, "The kiln also needs a few light jobs to watch over the tools."
“How about this,” Jiang Ge said gently to the old man, “you register first, and I’ll arrange a job for you to look after your belongings. The pay might be two coins less than others, you see…”
The old man was so excited that he was about to kneel down, but Jiang Ge stopped him, saying, "No, no, please register here."
The procession moved slowly forward. Zheng He took notes and patiently asked those who were illiterate. Hei Fu maintained order and would give way to women carrying children to wait in the shade.
The sun cast dappled shadows on the old locust tree in front of the government office.
"Next," Jiang Ge called out without looking up.
After a rustling sound, there was no answer. He looked up and saw a thin woman holding the hand of a five or six-year-old boy standing in front of the table. The child was clutching his mother's clothes tightly, and his little face was dirty.
“This lady…” Jiang Ge was about to speak.
"My lord, please have mercy!" the woman suddenly knelt down. "I am Lin, my husband went to repair the dike last year and hasn't come back... I heard that the kiln provides meals, could you..."
Zheng He frowned: "Magistrate Jiang, this... it might be inconvenient for a woman to go to the kiln..."
The brick kiln operates at high temperatures, and men often work shirtless. Widowed mothers raising children already face immense hardship; if they are further burdened by gossip and rumors...
"I can do any kind of work!" Lin said hurriedly. "Chopping wood, starting fires, washing clothes, cooking—I can do it all! The children...the children can be left aside; they won't interfere with my work at all!"
Jiang Ge looked at the child's thin, protruding wrist bones and felt a pang of sadness. He lowered his voice and said, "How about this? The kiln is indeed inconvenient. I'll put you on the roster and arrange for you to work in the kitchen so the child can have a hot meal too."
If we isolate the area and make proper arrangements, it will be a good place to go.
Tears streamed down Lin's face as she grabbed the child and tried to kowtow. Jiang Ge quickly stopped her, saying, "Get up, you've frightened the child." He then took a piece of candy from his pocket, knelt down, and placed it in the child's hand.
When it was Zhou Dashi's turn, Zheng He looked up at him gently and asked, "Name?"
"Zhou Dashi, from Zhoujia Village."
How old are you?
"Twenty-eight."
He looked tall and strong.
Zheng He made a few notes in his notebook and nodded to Hei Fu. Hei Fu tossed him a wooden sign: "Come to work tomorrow, be early."
Zhou Dashi was pushed aside by the people behind him and stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance. He looked down at the crookedly engraved numbers on the wooden sign.
On his way back to the village, Zhou Dashi met Li, an old man from the same village. The old man was walking towards the county town with a limp, leaning on a cane.
"Uncle Li, what's wrong?"
"Go to the county government to register!" Old Li grinned, revealing his toothless mouth. "I heard they pay eight coins a day for making bricks!"
Looking at the old man's hunched back and withered hands, Zhou Dashi recalled the words "No one over fifty years old" on the notice. He opened his mouth, then remembered the new magistrate's kindness, and ultimately said nothing.
As he neared home, a light drizzle began to fall. Zhou Dashi clutched the wooden plaque tightly to his chest and started running. Passing the village's earth god temple, he saw several children kneeling in the mud, digging for wild vegetable roots, their little hands covered in mud and tiny cuts.
Just one night later, he would stand in front of the brick kiln, along with many others like him, pounding yellow clay into molds and sending them into the kiln that could dry out human bones and blood.
But now, all he wants is to get home quickly and tell Acui that she doesn't have to worry about going hungry this month.
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Author's Note: Writing the main storyline feels like a farming novel. By the way, what do you all think of the current cover? I'm thinking of splurgeing a little and getting a custom cover [rainbow praise], but I don't know where to find one... Thank you everyone for your comments and nutrient solution [sprinkling flowers]
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