NOVPUBChapter 184: Chapter 184 Strange Work
Chapter 184 -184 Strange Work
He Weng was sleeping groggily when he felt the car stop and hurriedly opened his eyes.
He then heard the car door open, followed by the sound of many dogs barking around the vehicle.
Startled, he wondered why there were so many dogs here?
It seemed that they were there to guard the construction site.
People were already shouting.
“Everybody out, everybody out, we’ve arrived, hurry up and get off!”
The people on the bus, who had been sleeping in a daze, rubbed their eyes and disembarked.
He Weng followed Li Xiaozhu off the bus and felt a chill from the cold wind, giving him a start.
It was only then that he could see clearly; they were at the foot of some mountain, surrounded by about a dozen men holding sticks, with another dozen large wolfhounds encircling them, jumping as high as a person. If not for the leashes holding them back, they would have pounced on them.
Even those who were still dazed by this point were now frightfully awake.
He Weng looked around; where was the construction site?
His heart grew increasingly uneasy. He had heard about human trafficking; people abducting women to sell to rural areas for brides, or kidnapping children to sell as sons, but he had never seen burly young men like them being trafficked. What use would they have?
Not only was He Weng puzzled, the twenty or so men surrounded were also clueless.
Wasn’t it said they were going to work at a construction site? Why were they dragged to the foot of a mountain?
A bald man with tattooed arms held a thick stick which he repeatedly tapped in his palm, causing the hearts of the people to fluctuate as erratically as his tapping.
Finally, someone brave enough asked.
“Weren’t we supposed to work? What exactly is this for?”
The dozen menacing men around burst into loud laughter, and the barking of the dogs intensified.
Baldy scratched his head and raised his hand, silencing everyone.
“Yes, this is indeed for you to work. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of work here for you. Food and accommodation included, two hundred dollars a month, hey, not a bad deal, right?”
Everyone looked at each other in dismay; what in the world was going on!
No one knew what these people really wanted. Were they actually going to work?
“Rest assured, we’re not bad people. This here is Gedaigou Coal Mine, not some construction site. Besides, the construction work you’d do involves heavy lifting too, carrying bricks and mortar, which isn’t lighter than mining. Working at a construction site, you’d earn five dollars a day with food and accommodation, and here it’s two hundred dollars a month. We even pay fifty dollars more than the construction sites,” said Han Ge, stepping forward to speak.
He Weng suddenly felt like he’d been duped.
“Alright, you’ve all been tired all day. Let’s take you to the dormitory, rest up everyone. After all, wherever you work it’s all the same, right?” Han Ge’s calm and amiable face was deceitfully convincing, and upon hearing him, everyone began to settle down.
Indeed, wherever they worked, it was all the same, as long as food, accommodation, and salary were provided, they weren’t too fussy.
So, each person grabbed their luggage and followed the burly men into a shed enclosed by a large iron gate. Calling it a shed was a stretch; it was actually a stone-walled building with only a wooden door and no windows. Inside was pitch black, and it was only upon entering that they saw the high roof, with straw on the floor and a dozen mats scattered against the walls, on which bearded men lay idly watching them.
The dozen men reluctantly found spots, laid out their luggage, and lay down on the spot.
The door clanged shut, and they could hear the sound of a chain outside, locking them in.
Lying on his own bedding, He Weng didn’t move at all. Even though he was inexperienced, he felt somewhere deep inside that something was not right.
Making them work was not a big deal—enduring hardship and exhaustion were expected when earning money wasn’t easy.
But once they were inside, the doors were locked; it felt like being in prison without any freedom.
Moreover, with the men holding clubs and those dozen or so big dogs around, was such an imposing setup necessary just for mining?
Yet He Weng couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
Li Xiaozhu, who was sleeping beside him, moved closer, “Xiaohe, what exactly is going on?”
“I don’t know, we’ll see when it gets light tomorrow, and find out what’s really happening and whether they want us to work.”
A sigh came from somewhere near the wall in the distance.
In a drowsy haze, a sudden sound was heard: someone was knocking on the door with a club.
“Everyone get up, it’s time to work.”
The door was opened, a gust of cold air blew in; although everyone shivered, the stale air in the room cleared up considerably.
He Weng followed everyone out only to see a line where each person was handed a safety helmet and a mining lamp that looked quite worn out. “Line up, line up, everyone head to the front to go down the mine.”
Receiving his gear, he felt somewhat relieved; it seemed like they weren’t up to anything bad, just mining as expected.
…
…
When it was his turn, the man glanced at him, and upon looking up, He Weng recognized it was Brother Han.
“Oh, Xiaohe, don’t worry about mining, Brother said you’re cooking. If Brother says you’re cooking, that’s what you’ll do. Brother Han has to keep his word, right?” He Weng turned to the man beside him and said a few words.
The man immediately told He Weng, “Well, if you caught Brother Han’s eye, come with me to the kitchen. Your task is not light; you have to cook for forty or fifty people, and old Lake-head is short of help.”
He Weng could only whisper a thanks to Brother Han.
It was just a superficial thanks; he didn’t understand why he even said it, but he followed the man anyway.
Someone beside them asked Brother Han, “Brother Han, why are you so good to this guy? Is he your relative?”
Brother Han spat, “Your relative! This young man is honest, and he makes me think of my son who’s about his age. I couldn’t bear it. Plus, look at his frail body—going down into the mine, he’d probably last only ten days or so. I lured him here; it’s like gathering virtue for my son.”
“Brother Han, you are too kind. This kid has struck gold by meeting someone with your kind heart.”
Brother Han gave a bitter smile. Nobody is born to be a bad person; it’s just that fate pushes people into these roles.
Coming across me might count as this kid’s luck.
But whether it’s good luck or bad luck is hard to say.
The fact that I lured him here means talking about a good heart now is pointless. If it were truly out of a good heart, I shouldn’t have taken him here on the train.
Ultimately, in this world, it’s hard to say who is good and who is evil.
For this kid, I’ve done all I could; his survival now depends on his luck.
Brother Han lit a cigarette, watching as the shadows of those men disappeared into the entrance of the mine shaft, like a pitch-black gaping mouth swallowing them whole.
