As dawn broke, a pleasant melody filled the factory area of Huangxian County, its cheerful tune waking many workers from their sleep.
This sound was completely unfamiliar to the disaster victims and the soldiers of the New First Army who had just arrived the night before.
But for the old workers in the barren county, this was as familiar as the crowing of a rooster, the start of a new day!
Zhang Laosan practically sprang up from his makeshift wooden bed and hurriedly dressed his daughter in the clean little clothes she had received the day before.
She quickly tidied herself up, wiping her face and hands clean. After all, the workers on this barren mountain were all clean and looked very appealing!
Immediately afterward, Zhang Laosan rushed out.
He couldn't be late. Steward Shu said that as long as he was willing to work hard, he would have food to eat and a way to survive!
Thinking back to the bowl of meat soup with oil floating on top last night, and the satisfied smacking of his lips as his daughter drank goat milk, he felt that he would never forget this taste for the rest of his life!
Outside the resettlement site, a junior manager dressed in an orange uniform was already waiting for them.
"Are you all up? Hurry up! Breakfast is ready in the cafeteria: steamed buns, pickled vegetables, sweet potato porridge, and corn porridge—all you can eat!"
"After lunch, report to your respective factories according to the groups assigned yesterday! Those going to the brick kiln and cement factory, follow me! Those going to the cotton mill and glass kiln, gather over there! Those going to other factories for training, wait a little longer, new supervisors will come to pick you up, so don't wander off!"
The crowd immediately sprang into action. Although there was still some confusion, they were more orderly than when they first arrived yesterday.
Zhang Laosan entrusted his daughter to a kind old woman sent by the temporary school.
Seeing his daughter's slightly frightened yet curious eyes, he nodded vigorously: "Sweetie, Daddy will work to earn money and bring you something delicious tonight!"
Then, he took a deep breath and followed the flow of people toward the brick kiln.
Accompanying him were Zhao Tiezhu, Wang Gousheng, and a group of men from the New First Army.
These seasoned soldiers were terrified by Lin Anniang and that woman in white a while ago, and they've been behaving themselves ever since.
"Goodness, are we really going to have to move bricks?" Gou Sheng muttered under his breath, "My hands are for holding knives, not for mixing mud."
Zhao Tiezhu glared at him: "Stop talking nonsense! Didn't you hear what the steward lady said? No work, no food! Besides, Military Advisor Ling also gave the order that we should learn well, because our New First Army's garrison will also have this built in the future!"
He was outwardly defiant, but inwardly he was also apprehensive. This factory looked complicated; could he really handle it?
The brick kiln was filled with sweltering heat.
The huge earthen kiln emitted high temperatures, and piles of golden-yellow soil and shaped brick blanks were stacked around it.
A stocky, dark-skinned foreman stood with his hands on his hips, waiting for them.
"New guy? Stand at attention! My name is Wang Dachui, and I'm the head of things here!"
Wang Dachui glanced around, his gaze lingering on the few obviously stronger men in the New First Army.
"Don't think you're something special just because you're a soldier! Here, you all have to learn from scratch!"
"See that mud over there? Add water and mix it well! See that mold over there? Fill it with mud, press it down, and demold it! Be quick and steady! Anyone who makes a substandard brick won't get meat for lunch today!"
Looking at everything before him, Zhang Laosan had experienced two disasters, losing his family and only having a daughter left. He was determined to make something of himself!
Without saying a word, he rolled up his sleeves and rushed over.
Mixing mud? He'd done that kind of work before when he farmed at home, so it wasn't unfamiliar to him!
The soil here seemed to have been mixed, making it thicker and heavier. He imitated the old workers and vigorously stirred it.
How could Zhao Tiezhu and Wang Gousheng dare to say a word here? The foreman in front of them was so big, he might be just like that Madam An, able to crush stones into powder!
The two stepped forward and followed the old men to learn, but Zhao Tiezhu had never done this kind of work before. He either added too much water or the mud was not mixed evenly.
Wang Gousheng was so flustered that he accidentally smeared a lump of mud directly onto Zhao Tiezhu's face.
"Wang Gousheng, are you blind?!" Zhao Tiezhu wiped his face and jumped up and down in anger.
The surrounding older workers burst into laughter.
Wang Dachui roared, "What are you laughing at! Hurry up and teach them! Teach them step by step! The workers in our Huangxian factory must support each other!"
The veteran workers then stopped smiling and stepped forward to offer guidance.
"Brother, look, you have to add the water little by little, and stir it like this..."
"Tiezhu, Gousheng, this mold has to be done this way, using skill, not brute force..."
Zhao Tiezhu blushed as he watched a worker, half a head shorter than him, easily produce a smooth and flat brick. Looking at the crooked brick in his own hand, he couldn't help but feel deflated.
"Damn it, this is even harder than training!" Gou Sheng muttered from the side.
"Why have you changed your catchphrase?" Zhao Tiezhu was dumbfounded.
"That's what I heard the instructor say! I think someone as capable as the instructor must have a reason for being so capable!" Wang Gousheng scratched his head.
…
Meanwhile, the scene inside cotton mills and weaving factories was quite different.
Widow Li and dozens of other newly arrived female workers stared wide-eyed at the rapidly spinning machine in front of them.
Rows of improved spinning machines hummed as snow-white cotton wadding went in and soon became even fine yarn.
The loom next to it was even more amazing; the speed at which it wove cloth was so fast that Widow Li couldn't keep up with it!
Most of the people operating these machines are women of similar or even younger age to them.
They were dressed in clean blue work clothes, moving quickly and attentively, their faces radiating a confidence that Widow Li had never seen before.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
