Chapter 39 Chapter Thirty-Nine

This morning, the sun was quite good. Cao Ershun came back from the night kiln in the old kiln of the Bai family. As usual, he sat on a stone in the courtyard, basking in the sun and letting his wife Dani scrub his body.Because of itching, she untied the braids on her head and washed her hair.The water in the two basins after washing was black, and there were many charcoal particles the size of soybeans on the bottom of the basins. This is Cao Ershun's only moment of enjoyment in a day. In the early years, Dani washed him very seriously, just like washing a pig or sheep that only needs to be eaten, and even the ashes in the ears and eyes were taken out with a thin stick wrapped in cotton wool.Later, it failed, there were more children, and there was a lot of noise, Dani's body was broken, and she became dizzy after standing for a long time, and the toilet was scribbled.Sometimes after washing, the circles under the eyes are still black, and small lumps of charcoal can still be found in the seams of the feet.

It's always here when I do that earlier.At that time, I didn't know why, the strength was so great, and I didn't feel tired after a whole day in the kiln. When Dani put her wet hands on him, he couldn't bear it anymore, and he didn't care whether he washed his body or not. Let Dani do it.When I was with Dani, I would suddenly think of the great ambition that I set on Dani back then, and I always thought that I had taken advantage of Dani's five-liter sorghum.One by one, the children were born in a race, and the life became more and more poor.If the well-meaning Pastor James took Qiu Wang away, it would be even more difficult these years.In the year Qiu Wang and Pastor James went to Shanghai, the sixth child was born again, and last year they added another child, Seventh, who were all sons.

Now, Cao Ershun really couldn't handle it, and he didn't dare to do it anymore.I only hope that the five sons and a girl who are raised at home can grow up quickly like crops in the field, and each go out to earn a living by themselves.The 12-year-old eldest son, Chunwang, made his first fortune last year, weaving willow baskets for the kiln to carry charcoal, and has been able to earn money to support the family.The third son Dongwang and the fourth son Xiawang will be able to weave willow baskets in a few years.It will be all right at that time, with four sons helping him support the family, he will be able to have sex with Dani again, even if there is another eighth or ninth child, he will not be afraid...

Cao Ershun didn't want to have fun with Dani this day.The third son, Dongwang, was ill. He hadn’t eaten for two days and slept on the kang with a torn quilt covered in the hot weather, which made him feel depressed.In addition, I carried coal all night, and I was so tired that when I sat on the stone in the yard, my hips became so heavy that I didn't want to move my arms and legs.The sun was very good at this time, shining warmly on Cao Ershun's drenched body, which gradually made Cao Ershun's depressed mood better.By the way, Cao Er wanted to finish his wash and have some food. He first went to the coal wharf to take a nap and take a nap, and then went to Qiaotou Town to get some medical treatment for Dongwang.

Just at this moment, Cao Fucheng, a friend of the church, came and brought the news that the kiln's salary would be reduced. Cao Ershun didn't believe it at all, so he asked Dani to take care of Dongwang and the children, wiped the water on her body, and lazily said to Cao Fucheng while wearing ragged clothes: "...Nonsense, it must be nonsense! It was decided by Mr. Bai Er in the seventh year of Tongzhi, and it has been twelve years." Cao Fucheng said: "The seventh year of Tongzhi is the seventh year of Tongzhi, this moment is this moment. At this moment, the three kilns in Qiaotou Town are all in the hands of Xiao Taiping. Mr. Bai Er's words don't count, only Xiao Taiping's words matter." It counts. Xiao Taiping wants to lower his salary, what can we do?"

Cao Ershun still didn't believe it, so he patted Cao Fucheng's shoulder with his wet hands and said, "Xiao Taiping won't lower his salary anymore. The kiln's business is so good, and boatloads of charcoal are constantly being sold to the south of the Yangtze River. Even if he doesn't want to give We will increase our salary, and we will definitely not lower our salary. You can rest assured." Cao Fucheng shook his head and smiled wryly: "My good second brother, it seems that you own the home in the kiln! Xiao Taiping's order to reduce wages has been sent to the three kilns, do you know? It has been made clear, that is, starting from today’s night kiln, the kiln rate of each kiln will be lowered from five liters to four liters.”

Only then did Cao Ershun freeze. Cao Fucheng said with a bitter face again: "When I heard this, I... I felt cold in my heart, second brother, think about it, I have five children, the oldest is only nine years old, and the youngest is just over one year old. It's tight enough, and if the salary is lowered, I... how can I live?" Cao Ershun murmured: "Yes, yes..." Cao Fucheng sighed and said: "I know, you are as difficult as I am, and I think you are always Uncle Xiao's brother-in-law, so... I just want you to come forward and talk to Uncle Xiao, please... beg him to take this command arrow. Take it! Let him see for Cao Tuan's sake, allow our poor brothers to take a breather."

As soon as Cao Ershun heard this, he became angry: "What? Begging him? Let me beg him? Begging him Xiao Taiping? I... I'm not asking him, but I'm going to fight him! Why should he lower his salary? Why? Since the establishment of this coal mine in the seventh year of Tongzhi, the salary has been five liters, and he wants to blackmail us for one liter? It can't be done!" Cao Fucheng asked: "Second brother, you... what do you want to do?" Cao Ershun didn't know what to do, so he just held his neck high and said, "Anyway... anyway, it's impossible to lower the salary!"

Cao Fucheng tentatively said, "He...he might not surrender you." Cao Ershun said: "The same kiln workers have to be treated the same. It doesn't matter if he surrenders anyone else! This is unfair! He Xiao Taiping will not even allow God to do this. God wants us to use honest labor in exchange for daily meals. He didn't make us work so hard to be imprisoned by him again!" Cao Fucheng said: "Yes, Xiao Taiping's heart is completely dark now, and God will approve of us fighting him." Cao Ershun thought for a while, and said to Cao Fucheng: "Let's go to the slope immediately to see what the big guys mean. If the big guys are not afraid of trouble, let's go to the shopkeeper of Xiao's room to talk to Xiao Taiping to discuss the reason. Whether you win or not, let's... let's make a fuss and stop the kiln! Do you think it's okay?"

Cao Fucheng asked: "Second brother, this time, you...do you dare to stand out?" Cao Ershun patted his chest: "Why don't you dare?! This time he, Xiao Taiping, blackmailed us, so we're right!" Cao Fucheng was happy: "Well, let's go to Qiaotou Town today—I know, when I heard about the pay cut, many brothers scolded, and they all gritted their teeth in anger. Now there is only one who dares to stand up and talk to Xiao Taiping A person who handles negotiations. Since you dare to stand up and make decisions for the brothers, all the brothers will leave with you. This negotiation can be done best, if it really can’t be done, your second brother said to stop the kiln, we... let’s stop Damn it!" After saying that, Cao Fucheng Manpo conspired with others.

Dani in the room heard all this conversation.Dani was a little scared.As soon as Cao Fucheng left, he immediately came over and gesticulated to persuade Cao Ershun, asking Cao Ershun to eat quickly and go to work at the coal terminal, and not to mess around with Cao Fucheng and his gang.Dani believes that Xiao Taiping is Cao Ershun's brother-in-law after all, no matter how much others' salaries are lowered, Cao Ershun's salary will not be lowered.So it's better not to make trouble, let alone make such a head. Cao Ershun was very upset, pushed Dani far away, and said in a muffled voice, "...Mother Wang, you know nothing! If it was only for myself, I would have worked as a foreman under Xiao Taiping to earn a lot of money. Don't worry. It is said that five liters of sorghum a day can earn even five buckets of sorghum! It is precisely because I have ambitions that I don’t want to be honored by Xiao Taiping, so I go to see the charcoal field during the day and go to the kiln at night, earning daily food by honest labor! " Dani made a bitter face, pointed at Dong Wang who was sick in the room, and gestured again: "The child is so sick, you have to go to Pastor James to ask for medicine, what's the trouble?"The trouble made Xiao Taiping turn his face, you can't even earn four high sorghum. Cao Ershun also remembered his sick son, and said, "I'm thinking about Dongwang. When I go to Qiaotou Town to negotiate, I'll stop by Pastor Zhan." Seeing that she couldn't persuade Cao Ershun, Dani burst into tears at first, and then burst into tears. Then Cao Ershun said kindly to Dani: "...Mother Wang, don't be afraid, I still say the old saying, people in this world are willing to work hard without starvation! God will not agree to Xiao Taiping's deception like this Mile. God upholds justice, we must speak of justice, and we must not only think about ourselves and disregard justice..." For the sake of justice, Cao Ershun took nearly seventy brothers from Changzipo to the shopkeeper of Xiaojiayao in Qiaotou Town to meet Xiao Taiping in the evening.Xiao Taiping is not here.Everyone found the shopkeeper of Baijiayao again, but Xiao Taiping was still not there.Someone suggested to go to the shopkeeper's room of Lijiayao to have a look.Cao Ershun said, he is not going anywhere, we will go to Xiao's mansion to block him, he has to go home.The group went to Xiao's big house again. Xiao Taiping was clearly prepared, and there were quite a few kilns standing in and out of the courtyard of the Xiao family's mansion.Under the leadership of Cao Ershun, the brothers stopped in front of the Xiao family's big house and first alarmed Cao Yue'e.Cao Yue'e didn't expect that her second brother would bring people to rush to her door.Seeing Cao Ershun's face, his expression was very ugly, and he asked the kiln guards guarding the door to prevent anyone from entering, and asked the crowd as if he hadn't seen Cao Ershun, "Hey, what do you want to do?" What? Want to grab it?!" Everyone was afraid of Xiao Taiping, for a while no one dared to answer. Cao Yue'e asked again: "What's the matter with you?" Everyone still didn't dare to speak, and their eyes fell on Cao Ershun. Only then did Cao Ershun say: "I...we want to see Xiao Taiping." Cao Yue'e seemed to have just seen Cao Ershun, and said with a smile: "Is it the second brother? You want to see him, but it's hard to do? Come, come, let's talk at home." Cao Ershun stood still: "Yes... it is that we all... want to see him..." Cao Yue'e immediately turned her face: "Everyone wants to see him, so go to the kiln to look for him, why come to my door!" snorted, then pointed to Cao Ershun's forehead and said, "Second brother, I really can't see, you It's been a good few years, and you can bring so many people to the door of your own sister to make a fuss, if I had known that you are so capable, I should not worry so much!" Cao Ershun heard the contempt and sarcasm from his sister's words, and immediately became angry: "Stop talking to me like that! We are going to meet Xiao Taiping today, not you!" Cao Yue'e snorted, and said: "If you want to treat Xiao Taiping as your brother-in-law, you can see him at any time; if you treat him as the kiln owner, you, a kiln worker carrying coal, can go and rest!" These words were too hurtful, Cao Ershun blushed angrily, and was about to get angry at Cao Yuee, but Xiao Taiping came out from the courtyard, stood on the steps in front of the courtyard, and asked, "What do you want to do with me?" Everyone still looked at Cao Ershun. Cao Ershun was getting angry, but he was not timid. He shook off Cao Yue'e, stared at Xiao Taiping and said stiffly, "You know what's going on!——Why did you lower our salary? Why?" Xiao Taiping said: "I have my own reasons for lowering the salary, and I also have my own reasons." Cao Ershun said: "It used to be five liters of sorghum. This is the old practice for twelve years!" Xiao Taiping said: "In the past, when the small kiln was just opened and the chaos was over, there were fewer people going to the kiln, so the wages would naturally be higher. Now that there are so many people going to the kiln, the wages have gone down to twenty. There is no way to do it with the old practice of the year!" Cao Ershun said: "Xiao Taiping, you...you are blackmailing us!" Xiao Taiping said: "I didn't blackmail you all, but someone did blackmail me." Cao Ershun said: "It's not fair. In the past... it was all five liters!" Xiao Taiping said: "Whoever thinks it is unfair, don't do it. Back then, Mr. Zhang said a big truth, I remember the truth: three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged people are available!" Cao Ershun was very angry, but he couldn't explain any more reason, he just pointed at Xiao Taiping and shouted: "You...you are cheating people. In the past, it was five liters. It was five liters when you beat Mr. Baier's vertical kiln. You... You hacked our Yisheng..." Xiao Taiping said: "Second brother, don't call me, you are my own brother-in-law, so I don't care about you. The kiln has to lower the salary, and no one is an exception. But how much you have been lowered by the kiln, go home Don't worry about how much I'll make you up, neither your sister nor I will watch your family go hungry. Since you are a poor relative, I have to admit it." Saying this in front of so many people really embarrassed Cao Ershun. Cao Ershun didn't even hit him in a daze, so he called out: "Old... no matter how poor I am... I don't want you, Xiao Taiping, to take pity on you! I have never made you feel sorry for me in the past, and I will never make you feel sorry for me in the future! Old... I will not let you be pitied today! I also want to make it clear to you in front of everyone, that I don’t want you to make up a bucket behind your back, and I don’t want this old practice of five liters, you can’t do it without me!” Cao Yue'e said angrily: "I'm afraid there is no one in the world who is as ungrateful as you Cao Laoer! Don't say that I am your biological sister, Xiao Taiping is your biological brother-in-law, even if you don't have this relative, there are many you You shouldn't make trouble anymore!" Cao Ershun pinched his waist with both hands, and said unequivocally: "What I want is justice! It's justice! It's the five liters of kiln salary that I and the poor brothers deserve!" Xiao Taiping said: "Then let me make it clear to you that from now on, there will be no such thing as five liters of kiln pay. This year it will be four liters, and next year it may be three liters, and I have to be happy to let you pay this price." The kiln in Qiaotou Town!" Cao Ershun was so angry that he trembled all over. After shaking for a long time, he suddenly turned around and shouted to the crowd: "You... are you all dumb? Why...why don't you talk? This...is this my business?" Brothers, you look at me and I look at you, but still remain silent. In the end, it was Cao Fucheng who said timidly: "Master Xiao, please consider the fact that we have shed blood together in the past, just... just let the old brothers on the slope go for a while! You...you see It’s not just about lowering the wages of foreign kiln workers.” Xiao Taiping shook his head with a gloomy face: "To be honest, the salaries of foreign kiln workers shouldn't have been lowered at all, but the salaries of you old brothers should be lowered. Let me tell you something first: it is because of I, Xiao Taiping, lost a lot of money in the old days you are talking about! I won’t say how much I lost, anyway, you guys won’t be able to make money in ten lifetimes!” Cao Yue'e stepped in and said, "For all of you, we have suffered a lot, and you have the nerve to make a fuss over a high sorghum!" Xiao Taiping calmed down and said, "I know that you old brothers are having a hard time, but I, Xiao, are also having a hard time! As long as you still understand people, stop making trouble, and go back to the kiln honestly. In the future, the kiln It’s good, I’m relieved, maybe the kiln salary can be raised back.” The brothers did not believe Xiao Taiping's words. A brother surnamed Xiao stood up from the crowd and said, "My lord, don't mess with our poor brothers. The business in the kiln is so good, why can't you take it easy? Why do you care about this high sorghum? You are Picking the gaps between the teeth...not just picking out a grain of sorghum! But we..." Xiao Taiping didn't want to say anything more to the brothers, so he waved his hand and interrupted the brother surnamed Xiao: "Okay, okay, don't talk too much! If you want to see me, I will see you. I have said everything I should say. , There is no way to lower the kiln salary, everyone go back quickly! I don’t blame you today, and don’t blame me, this is called suffering, and I, Xiao, can’t be allowed to take the blame for those bad things in the past.” Most of the people were discouraged and lost their opinions for a while. Seeing that the crowd was about to disperse, Cao Ershun became anxious, and openly called for a strike in front of Xiao Taiping and Cao Yuee: "Brothers, don't believe Xiao Taiping's nonsense! Whether he loses or makes money, he is no different from us." Related. We want our five liters of sorghum! Don’t be a coward! Xiao Taiping is not kind, and we are not righteous! Starting tonight, we will stop the kiln for him and let him carry coal to dig charcoal by himself!" Several brothers in the crowd immediately shouted: "Yes, let the surname Xiao earn these four high sorghum!" "Shut up the kiln! Shut up his mother!" "Just rest, don't be a coward!" ... Xiao Taiping got angry, stomped his feet, and shouted: "Don't make a mistake! Today is not the same as before. I don't worry about the shortage of kiln workers, but I worry that there are too many people! Anyone who wants to stop the kiln can go Rest! Once you rest in the kiln, don’t even think about going back to Laozi’s kiln to do it!” Cao Ershun was determined to fight to the end, pointed at Xiao Taiping, opened one eye wide and said: "Xiao Taiping, don't scare people! Why don't you work in your kiln again? I, Cao Ershun, don't believe that if we leave you, Xiao Taiping, everyone will live!" Don’t go down! I don’t believe that brothers like us who are willing to work hard can be starved to death in this world! There is no foster father here, but there is a place to raise him!” Xiao Taiping didn't seem to know Cao Ershun, and asked darkly: "You, Cao Ershun, really have the ability to lead everyone to break the kiln? You... Do you know how to make trouble?" Cao Ershun ignored Xiao Taiping, gave Xiao Taiping a "bah", turned around and said to everyone: "Brothers, let's not go to the kiln tomorrow, and don't sit on the slope to bask in the sun, we will all come Go to the kiln mouth, and make it clear to the poor brothers who came to the kiln from three provinces and four counties: The kiln salary in Qiaotou Town has always been five liters of sorghum, not four liters, let them all stop the kiln with us, let the four kilns all stop!" Cao Yue'e immediately yelled: "Cao Ershun, you... you really dare to mess around like this tomorrow, I... I won't have a brother like you!" Cao Ershun pointed to his blind left eye, and said to Cao Yue'e: "Since Xiao Taiping blinded me in this eye, you... I will not recognize any members of your Xiao family!" Cao Yue'e began to cry, and shouted as she cried, "Get out! Get out, all of you!" Cao Er waved his hand smoothly: "Brothers, let's go, go back to sleep quickly, and recharge your energy so that you can guard the entrance of the kiln tomorrow." Xiao Taiping said to everyone: "I'll say it again: whoever follows Cao Ershun to make trouble in the kiln will never eat this bowl of kiln food again!" Everyone didn't respond, and followed Cao Ershun back. Xiao Taiping shouted again: "Cao Ershun, come back, I have something to say to you!" Cao Ershun turned his head and said: "If you don't follow the old practice of five liters of sorghum, I won't listen to anything!" Xiao Taiping said angrily: "How can there be any unchanging routine in this world? You are really crazy!" ... In this way, the negotiation to seek fairness and justice failed.Cao Ershun and his own sister Cao Yue'e also completely tore their faces in front of many brothers.Kiln break is inevitable.The first kiln worker leader in the history of Qiaotou Town who truly represented the interests of the public and did not seek personal gain finally appeared in front of the Xiao family's big house. The conscience of Qiaotou Town remembered Cao Ershun. Naturally, I also remembered the tragic and lonely strike that happened later.