Chapter 356: Encounter with Xu Damao
Zhao Shuzhuo replied:
"Director Liu, we came here in a bullock cart, but this cart can't carry much."
"We originally thought to see the situation first. If there are a lot of bricks, we will go back to the village to arrange a few more ox carts and make more trips."
Director Liu frowned:
"The bullock cart is too slow and can easily damage the bricks. Let's put it this way, the factory has several trucks, although they also need to supply military transportation, but I can coordinate it."
"I'll have one of our carts carry some of the bricks for you, and you can use the oxcart to carry the rest. This will save a lot of time."
Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo were surprised and delighted when they heard this. Wang Jianguo said excitedly:
"Director Liu, you really helped us a lot, thank you so much!"
Director Liu smiled and patted Wang Jianguo on the shoulder:
"You're welcome. We're all here for construction. By the way, have you ever built a brick house before? Building a brick house is different from building an earthen house. There are some details that need to be paid attention to."
Zhao Shuzhuo and Wang Jianguo looked at each other and shook their heads.
Upon seeing this, Director Liu explained in detail to the two men the key points and precautions of building a brick house, and the three of them chatted in the office for a long time.
Liu Chuanjun looked up at the gradually darkening sky. The originally azure sky seemed to be slowly covered by a piece of black silk.
The few remaining rays of sunset glow were also fading rapidly. He turned around and said to Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo:
"It's really too late today. Look at the sky. It's so dark that you can hardly see the road."
"Besides, your village is quite a distance from here. If you leave now, you don't know what might happen on the way."
Liu Chuanjun paused, pointed to a row of houses not far away, and continued:
"We have dormitories here. Although the conditions are poor and they are occupied by the poor people who were sent to work, at least there is a place to shelter from the wind and rain and to lie down and rest."
"Don't refuse. Stay here tonight. I'll go make some arrangements for you right away. It won't be too late to leave tomorrow after you finish loading the bricks."
When Zhao Shuzhuo heard this, he immediately stood up enthusiastically, his face full of smiles and his eyes sparkling with gratitude.
He walked quickly to Liu Chuanjun, held Liu Chuanjun's hand tightly, and said:
"Brother Liu, thank you so much! You are such a kind-hearted person. If it weren't for you, we really don't know what to do tonight."
Afterwards, the two followed Liu Chuanjun and walked towards the row of houses. After a while, they arrived in front of a large house.
It is called a house, but in fact it is more like a warehouse. The mottled walls are full of traces of time, and the wall paint has peeled off badly, revealing the rough bricks and stones inside.
When I opened the door, a mixture of sweat, mildew and kerosene smell hit me in the face.
There was a kerosene lamp lit in the room, the dim light swaying in the breeze, and the weak light was like a candle in the wind.
It tried hard to illuminate this dim space, but it could only barely create a small halo of light in the darkness.
Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo looked around and saw that the room was filled with old-fashioned bunk beds.
These beds looked very old, and the paint on the bed frames had almost fallen off, revealing the rusty iron frames.
Wang Jianguo roughly counted them and found that there were thirty or forty bunk beds!
There were some worn-out bedding scattered around on each bed, some of which were patched.
All the people living here work in the brick factory. They all have tired faces and their eyes reveal the hardships of life.
The smell in the room was simply disgusting, as if a mixture of all the suffering and fatigue was permeating the air.
As soon as Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo stepped into the house, the pungent smell hit them like a surging tide.
The two of them frowned subconsciously, and the wrinkles between their brows were like ravines, deeply showing their disgust for the smell.
They raised their hands and covered their noses almost at the same time, trying to block out the unpleasant smell. The movements were swift and consistent, and their eyes were full of helplessness and discomfort.
Director Liu saw all of this, and a blush of embarrassment suddenly appeared on his dark face, like a child who had done something wrong.
He scratched his head and said somewhat embarrassedly:
"I'm really sorry, you two. We're all grown men here, and we work day and night in the brick factory."
"I was so tired and sweaty that I fell asleep right after returning home. I didn't bother to clean up, so the room smells a bit strong."
"Well, just bear with it and live here. It's near the door and at least it can get some fresh air. It's better than inside."
Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes. They understood that there was no better choice at the moment.
So he slowly sat down on a bed near the door. The bed made a creaking sound, as if telling of its tiredness and unbearableness.
Director Liu watched the two of them sit down, as if he suddenly remembered something, and said quickly:
"You must not have eaten yet? You must be starving after all this travel. You can rest here for a while. I'll ask someone to bring you some food."
After saying that, he turned around and shouted impatiently into the room:
"Xu Damao, Xu Damao, come out quickly and follow me to get food. Don't dawdle like an old woman."
When Wang Jianguo heard the three words "Xu Damao", he felt his head buzzing, as if countless bees were running around in it.
His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He couldn't help but think:
Xu Damao? Could it be the Xu Damao from the courtyard? Why is he here? Was he banished to this place?
If he saw me, would he recognize me? If he recognized me, would it cause me trouble again?
The more Wang Jianguo thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He subconsciously lowered his head a little, trying to use this action to hide his inner panic.
There was a barely perceptible hint of nervousness in his eyes, and his hands unconsciously clenched the corners of his clothes.
At this moment, in the dim, swaying light of the kerosene lamp in the house, there was a faint sound of dragging footsteps.
After a while, a man slowly walked out from the inner room.
He was like a dead tree ravaged by a storm, his body leaning forward slightly, and every step he took was extremely heavy, as if there were thousand-pound rocks tied to his legs.
His broad shoulders were drooping limply at this moment, and his whole body exuded a fatigue that penetrated deep into his bones.