Eighty-first: How Difficult is the People's Livelihood (Part 2)
Yang Qingyuan tried his best to maintain his facial expression.
Things already exist, and lamenting cannot solve the problem.
At the entrance of the water transport terminal, there were many people and it was not suitable for discussion, so Yang Qingyuan spoke.
"Dear fellow villagers, it's not like this. There are so many people here, which is not conducive to discussion. Let's take Wang Jiudi as the representative. Let's go to the pier to find a place to sit down and discuss a solution."
Although I don't know whether the official in front of me is perfunctory to delay them, or whether he really wants to help them solve the problem, these desperate workers are unwilling to give up this last visible hope.
The porters and boatmen quickly selected a few more people, and together with the group led by Wang Jiudi just now, a total of ten people followed Yang Qingyuan into the water transport terminal.
Yang Qingyuan brought ten people to the Caobang headquarters.
Order the policeman to bring chairs quickly and let everyone sit down.
"Don't be cautious, everyone, we are going to discuss a plan today!"
But no one answered, and Wang Jiudi, who was a little timid at first, was also a little uneasy at this time.
"If you have any concerns, feel free to ask." Yang Qingyuan softened his tone and communicated from a level-headed perspective.
In the end, it was Wang Jiudi. After hesitating for a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Master Yang, this is the chief helmsman of the Cao Gang!!"
The tone is full of fear and hatred! The Cao Gang is the shady secret behind the entire water transport workers!
"Yes! I just led people to seal down the Cao Gang's chief rudder today, and arrested everyone from the gang leader Pan Qianweng down. There are nearly a thousand people, and I can't even hold them in the prison of Dali Temple!"
Yang Qingyuan saw that Wang Jiudi and others were afraid of the Cao Gang, so he said this deliberately.
Sure enough, as soon as these words came out, the people who were sitting upright in their chairs and not daring to move began to whisper. Some were questioning, some were happy, and some were relieved.
With Yang Qingyuan's martial arts skills at such a close distance, he could hear the sound no matter how low it was, but Yang Qingyuan didn't say much.
It took a while for everyone to digest the news that was shocking to them.
"Sir! What you said is true?!"
Yang Qingyuan raised his chin slightly and motioned for everyone to look around.
"We can sit in the main hall of Caobang and talk. Doesn't it already explain the problem?!"
After receiving Yang Qingyuan's confirmation, the eldest old man suddenly became excited, walked in front of Yang Qingyuan with tears in his eyes, and suddenly knelt down.
Yang Qingyuan immediately sent out a burst of true energy, supporting the old man who was about to kneel down.
"What are you doing, old man?!"
"Master Yang! Please accept this gift from me, little old man!" Looking at the old man with red eyes, thin body but unusual determination, Yang Qingyuan silently withdrew his true energy.
The old man's skinny body plopped down on his knees in front of Yang Qingyuan, and kowtowed heavily.
"Li Wuliu, a grassroots man, thanks Mr. Qingtian!"
Two bitter tears slid down the wrinkles from Li Wuliu's eyes and dripped into the bloody main hall of Caobang.
Wang Jiudi and another young man on the side stepped forward to help Li Wuliu up after he finished kowtowing.
Wang Jiudi said to Yang Qingyuan with a complicated expression, "Mr. Yang, Uncle Wu and Liu's son died in the hands of the Caobang!..."
Caobang controls the water transportation platform. Whether merchants want to ship and unload cargo, or porters and boatmen want to work, they must go through Caobang as a middleman.
Originally, this was not a bad thing. By pooling resources and fully optimizing their distribution, this would be beneficial to the entire water transport industry.
But Caobang is not a charity man. What he wants is money and status, so Caobang has become a deformed behemoth. Whether it is merchant ship owners, cargo owners, porters, or boatmen, they all have to go through him to complete transactions. Caobang also
High fees were charged and countless workers were exploited.
There are always people in this world who are unwilling to be squeezed by the Cao Gang, and Li Wuliu's son is one of them.
He gathered a group of friends and began to work around the Caobang. Without the oppression of the Caobang, his income instantly doubled several times.
But the good times did not last long, and soon the Cao Gang discovered this group of "black workers" who had not registered with the Cao Gang, so they sent out the gang's elite to capture all the leaders.
Seven people, headed by Li Wuliu's son, were put into sacks by the Cao Gang and sank into the Wei River. The remaining "black workers" had their left hands broken as punishment.
After the incident, Li Wuliu went to Caoyun Yamen and Jingzhaofu Yamen many times to appeal, but they were all dismissed because of insufficient evidence.
Li Wuliu lost his son in old age and had no way to redress his grievances. He could only live in confusion until today.
The appearance of Yang Qingyuan was a beam of light that broke through the shady curtain of the Caogang and shone on Li Wuliu.
After Yang Qingyuan comforted Li Wuliu, he began formal discussions.
The previous surprise inspection of the six gates made it impossible for the water transport terminal to operate normally. Caogang also used this as an excuse to suspend the wages of the pickers for three days.
"Sir, we people really don't have much money. Some families have a slightly better life and can still have some surplus food. But like Uncle Li, we are hungry every meal and we really have no rice to cook with.
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Yang Qingyuan frowned slightly, "How much was your salary in the past?!"
"I'm not sure. The more you work, the more you'll get. Usually it's ten to fifteen cents a day. Sometimes it's twenty cents. If you have a boss who spends a lot of money, you can get thirty cents a day! If the market is good, you can get twenty cents.
At that time, I could earn 500 Wen a month."
When Wang Jiudi was talking about thirty articles, he was always serious, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he even smiled.
Originally, thirty yuan was already an income that met their expectations in their minds?
How can you make a living in the capital with five hundred wen, half a thousand coins, and half a tael of silver? And most workers can't get this kind of wages.
"The imperial court will not unblock the water transport terminal within three days! There is no discussion on this."
Yang Qingyuan's words dimmed the eyes of everyone who was originally full of expectations.
"However, I have a compromise here."
"Wang Jiudi, are all the porters and boatmen registered in the Caogang?!"
"Yes! Mr. Yang! All those who make a living at the dock must be registered with the Cao Gang, and must pay 120 yuan as membership fees every month! Otherwise, they are illegal workers! If the Cao Gang finds out, they will be disabled at worst, and at worst, they will be disabled.
Then Shen Jiang! Everyone who registers in Caobang will be issued a wooden sign!"
As he spoke, Wang Jiuwu took out a simple wooden sign from his arms and said, "Only by relying on the name on the wooden sign and the registration book can you work and receive money."
The registration system that Caobang originally used to ensure its absolute status in the dock has another effect at this moment.
Yang Qingyuan's next words made all the pickers look in disbelief.
"From now on until the water transport terminal reopens, all workers registered in Caobang can come to Caobang headquarters to receive fifteen cents of lost wages every day with their wooden tags."