February 8th.

Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu, Ai Nengqi and other teenagers lined up to receive mining tools and officially started working in the mines.

Is it possible to choose not to work in the mines or work in order to resist the oppression and exploitation of them by the mines?

Of course it is possible to do this, and the mine managers will not resort to violence against absentees. It’s just that the stomach-nurturing porridge is no longer available, and the result of not working is immediate starvation!

Therefore, these new batch of rogue miners actually have no choice.

Young Li Dingguo also received his own equipment: a yellow miner's uniform, a bamboo helmet, a mining pick, a backpack, a bamboo water cup, and an LED flashlight only as big as an adult's thumb.

For a man who is only twelve years old and has a thin body, except for the magical little flashlight, everything else, whether it is a miner's uniform or a helmet, is a bit wide on his body. The mining pick is also quite heavy. The capacity of the backpack can even

He loaded it in, and once it was filled with coal and stone, he didn't know if he could carry it on his back and move around.

But the only thing that makes Li Dingguo look forward to mining is the price of coal.

1 cent/jin.

The mine manager said that no matter who dug out the coal, no matter how much was dug out, the price would always be one penny per catty, which is enough for a pound. He would not be deceived and would not make any deductions, and if there were any attempts to rob others of the fruits of their labor,

Those who violate the law will be punished immediately with a heavy fine of ten times, and the whistleblower will be rewarded with half of the fine. In addition, those who rob others of the fruits of their labor more than three times in a row will be fired by the free miners, and the captive miners will be resold to the bloody iron mines.

In short, a series of rules and regulations have been designed to protect the legitimate labor results of miners so that they can mine with peace of mind.

Because of this, young Li Dingguo couldn't help but think: If I could dig hundreds or thousands of kilograms of coal a day, wouldn't I be able to earn nearly one tael of silver a day?

And underground coal and stone are everywhere, almost inexhaustible, and can be mined most of the year.

Doesn't this mean that as long as you dig hard, you might be able to save 500 silver dollars of atonement silver in about two years, instead of more than ten years?

But after entering the mining area.

Facts soon proved that he thought too much.

The young man aimed at a piece of coal that was as big as a human head and weighed at least twenty kilograms. He swung his mining pick and smashed it down hard.

Bang, sparks flew everywhere.

The coal and stone did not move at all.

However, he was stunned and took half a step back.

"Why is it so hard?"

Keep smashing!

Bang bang bang bang!

Sparks continued to knock for more than ten minutes. The young man Li Dingguo used the strength of a knife to kill people, and he must knock off the coal stone.

But coal and stone are much harder than a human head and much harder to cut.

Li Dingguo struggled continuously for nearly half an hour. He was exhausted and could do nothing with this piece of coal.

In the end, he had no choice but to give up and instead picked a piece of coal that was only as big as his fist. He hit it with a mining pick a few times and successfully peeled it off. The young man picked up the coal with a happy face and put it into his backpack.

It's just that this piece of coal is less than the size of his fist, weighing only half a catty at most.

Li Dingguo suddenly came to his senses, "Mining is not that easy, it is definitely much harder than being a gangster and killing people, because with the same strength of killing people, a person can kill one person with one knife, but the ore may not peel off even if it is knocked ten times or a hundred times."

Based on his efficiency, he can dig fifty kilograms of coal and rock in one day, which is pretty good.

It's just that he has no choice. If he wants to survive and have enough to eat, he can only keep digging hard.

However, near noon, a free miner who was passing by carrying a basket full of coal on his back saw that Li Dingguo's mining method was laborious, rough and improper, so he stopped and gave him some pointers.

Demonstrate personally and teach him how to find faults, identify textures and veins, find the point of exertion, and how to exert force reasonably. As long as the method is appropriate, without much effort, a large amount of coal can be obtained, and even mining accidents and landslides can be prevented in advance.

.

"Thank you, master, thank you, master!"

Faced with such a master of mining, young Li Dingguo was very grateful and even knelt down and kowtowed to worship him as his master. The master of mining stroked his beard and smiled, but did not recognize him as his apprentice. Seeing Li Dingguo start mining again

, the efficiency has been significantly improved, I happily said, "You can teach me" and walked away.

It’s lunch time.

Li Dingguo, carrying about fifty kilograms of coal on his back, came out of the mine. The first thing he wanted to do was thank the mining expert. But let alone finding the mining expert, even his appearance was so blurry that he could not remember it. After all,

The underground mine tunnel is too dark, and the small flashlight can only illuminate a very small area.

…

In the afternoon, the busy day is over.

Weighing and settlement office.

"You dug out a total of 151 kilograms of coal today, which is equivalent to 151 Wen. I paid 20 Wen on credit for lunch and gave you 131 Wen." The steward responsible for the weighing and settlement took out ten large copper coins and thirty-one light aluminum coins from the money box.

, handed it into the hands of young Li Dingguo, and said: "Click a little, can you make a mistake?"

"No, thank you, manager." Li Dingguo took the money and put it into his pocket. He felt it was heavy, and this was the fruit of his labor today.

This scene made the rogue miners queuing behind start talking.

"Can such a thin child dig 151 kilograms of coal?"

"I'm almost exhausted today, so I only dug half a frame of coal, which is a hundred and twenty kilograms at most."

"Did you steal the coal dug by others?"

"Don't make random guesses. If there is evidence, just report it. You can also get rewards for reporting it."

"Hmph, if I see him, I will definitely report this kid."

Inside the miners' canteen.

The types of meals to choose from include: white rice, noodles, steamed buns, hot and sour cabbage, stewed radish, fried shredded potatoes, fried tofu, braised fish cubes, haggis soup, and kelp soup.

Li Dingguo ordered a pound of noodles (10 Wen), two corn buns (6 Wen), and a small portion of hot and sour cabbage (5 Wen). The total cost was 21 Wen, and he ate them all.

I also ordered a portion of white rice (10 Wen), fried shredded potatoes (5 Wen), fried tofu (8 Wen), and haggis soup (10 Wen). It cost 33 Wen and packed a meal to take back to my adoptive father Zhang Xianzhong.

eat.

…

In the evening, Dinggong Shed Area, No. 19 Datong Shop.

"Yes, the food in this mine is pretty good, with plenty of oil, water, and salt."

Zhang Xianzhong, who had been hungry all day, held a big bowl and ate voraciously, rarely saying a word of praise.

After eating and drinking enough, he let out a long burp. Zhang Xianzhong called his four adopted sons over, stretched out his big hand like a cattail leaf fan in front of them and said: "Hand over all your wages today, Ada will keep it for you."

"Ada, the steward said that personal property is kept by the individual and cannot be handed over to others, even parents." Sun Kewang looked confused.

"You can hand it over as long as you want. What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't you listen to Ah Da's words?" Zhang Xianzhong stared at him. If his leg hadn't healed yet, he would have kicked him.

"Ah Da, I only have 77 coins left." Li Dingguo handed over the money very obediently.

Sun Kewang had to hand over 31 Wen in his pocket, Liu Wenxiu handed over 18 Wen, and the youngest adopted son Ai Nengqi only handed over 9 Wen.

"You three are useless! Only Dingguo is promising. You all need to learn from him and pay more wages tomorrow." Zhang Xianzhong lost his temper again.

…

In the next half month.

Young Li Dingguo gradually adapted to the work of mining, and the output continued to increase, from 180 kilograms, 200 kilograms, 220 kilograms, to a relatively stable 250 kilograms. Although many miners expressed doubts, they could not find any evidence, so they could only

I believe this young man has great talent and is a natural miner.

And Li Dingguo did not hide anything. Even though he rarely mined coal in the same mine tunnel with his elder brother Sun Kewang, younger brother Liu Wenxiu, and Ai Nengqi, Li Dingguo also privately taught them the mining skills he had discovered, and the results were very good.

, Sun Kewang and the others' daily coal mining capacity has also rapidly increased by more than 200 kilograms, and their work efficiency is equivalent to that of most adults.

In private, the four teenagers also gathered together and counted on their fingers. They found that 500 silver dollars of atonement silver did not seem to be particularly difficult to save.

"If each of us digs 250 kilograms of coal per day, we will get 250 cash, and we will go down the mine for 330 days every year. We will live more frugally and control our daily expenses below 50 cash."

"It means that you can save 66 taels in a year. Even if other expenses are excluded, there will be no problem in actually saving 60 taels."

"If you save enough 500 silver dollars, it will take about seven years, no, a little more than eight years."

"That is to say, when we are about twenty years old, we can atone for our sins and become free miners, no, free people."

"Twenty years old. When we are twenty, we are the youngest. We can return to our hometown to farm, find other jobs, start a family, marry a wife and have children. There is still hope for the four of us brothers, there is great hope!"

The fourth child Ai Nengqi said excitedly.

The eldest son, Sun Kewang, nodded. Yes, their lives have taken a detour, but in their early twenties, they may not be unable to start a new beginning and embrace a new life.

Li Dingguo's eyes also lit up. Although he had no plans for the future, who didn't want freedom and who wanted to work in a dark mine tunnel all his life.

Liu Wenxiu, the third child, has made up his mind that starting from tomorrow, he will work harder to dig coal, and it will never be less than 250 kilograms. He will even dig a little more and save some extra money, so that he will not be penniless after regaining his freedom.

, I don’t even have the capital to start a small business.

In short, the four brothers all have their own thoughts and plans, but they have one goal that is completely the same: to work hard to save money and strive to regain their freedom around the age of twenty.

but……
To be continued...