CHAPTER 233: CHAPTER 232: THE SUMMER CARRIAGE SOUNDS OF XUANZHU COUNTY (PART 2)

Qi Bajiu held onto his niece and nephew, waiting for the Jing Family’s car and armed guards to pass through the street before leading them across the road and into a leafy path.

"Uncle, I want some skewers!"

"Uncle, I want to buy a pinwheel!"

"Uncle, I want dragon beard candy!"

"Uncle, I want some too!"

Qi Bajiu chuckled heartily and said, "Buy, buy, we’ll buy them all!"

He’s now a supervisor at the Ting Family’s Grace Lock Factory. Although the profit share from the first month hasn’t come in yet and might not be much, his previous salary arrears have been fully settled, and his wallet is bulging. His elder brother and sister-in-law have advised him to save some money, and maybe in a few months, they could even build a house.

Today is the union founding meeting, and Qi Bajiu doesn’t really know what it’s about, but every factory supervisor has to attend, and the workers can go too. There will be free sour plum soup available at the venue, and today all factories in the county are having a half-day off.

Hey! There’s free sour plum soup! Who wouldn’t go!

Not only the workers go, but they also bring their families. Qi Bajiu’s elder brother and sister-in-law run a street stall and are busy during the day, so they usually leave the children with their neighbors. Today, Qi Bajiu is free, and he dotes on these two little rascals, so he takes them to see the world.

The meeting place is an old factory in the outskirts. It’s spacious inside, and when Qi Bajiu arrives, he sees that it’s filled with people, gathered in little groups chatting, men and women, young and old. Many female workers have brought their children too, and the sound of children crying and playing fills the space, making it quite noisy.

Qi Bajiu finds his coworkers, and the children of the coworkers are playing rock-paper-scissors nearby. It’s a game invented by Mr. Tree-man, the author of "Future Echoes," and it became an instant hit with impoverished children. The two little rascals see them playing and join in.

"Brother Qi, what’s this meeting about anyway?"

"I have no idea!"

"When do we get to drink sour plum soup? I even brought my bowl."

"But aren’t you a supervisor, Brother Qi? You don’t know either?"

"Supervisor or not, do you think I sit with those big shots? Those born with a silver spoon wouldn’t bother with me, a lowly worker. Anyway, I’m just here to let these two little brats drink some sour plum soup. Hey, Brother Liu, are you reading the ’Youth Daily’? Pass me a copy."

"Brother Qi, you can read too?"

"Hey, I was quite serious during Mongolian studies!" Qi Bajiu said, taking the newspaper, "Besides, the newspaper speaks very plainly and reasonably, so I can understand it even though I didn’t attend school seriously."

Amidst the clamor in the old factory, a middle-aged man walked onto a makeshift platform, covered his mouth with his hand, and coughed loudly a couple of times!

Cough, cough!

The loud noise overshadowed all the chatter, resonating through the factory, and everyone immediately fell silent, blankly staring at the middle-aged man on the platform.

Among various combat techniques, the Aiki technique, which excels in using sound, is undoubtedly the most suitable for hosting. Without the need for any equipment, just one Aiki martial artist is enough to handle a large gathering of hundreds.

"Hello, everyone. Many of you might know me. I’m Hai Song, and those familiar with me like to call me Old Hai. I have the Jin Family to thank for trusting me, and since you all are willing to give me face, I’ll be hosting this first union meeting."

"Uncle Hai!"

"We trust Uncle Hai!"

"Uncle Hai, what’s this meeting really about?"

Qi Bajiu recognized Uncle Hai too and couldn’t help but feel relaxed.

Uncle Hai understated it; he was more than someone with face. Most people sitting here respected him greatly.

Uncle Hai used to be the owner of a small noodle shop, but the noodles he sold were very cheap. Although they didn’t taste great, they were filling. Workers patronized his shop when they were so poor they couldn’t afford anything else, knowing full well that selling at such prices caused him losses, so they wouldn’t take advantage unless they were really broke.

Moreover, Uncle Hai had a wide network. If someone offended a gang or got scammed by a loan shark, as long as it was extremely serious, Uncle Hai could help resolve it once.

Uncle Hai also knew the internal landscape combat technique. Minor injuries and pains among workers were common, and if someone got seriously hurt, they could also seek Uncle Hai’s help to at least alleviate the issue.

Operating a noodle shop for over a decade in Xuanzhu County, Uncle Hai had worked in many factories, and nearly all workers had received his kindness. If you said on the street that Uncle Hai’s noodles didn’t taste good, everyone would agree, but if you said Uncle Hai wasn’t a good person, then you wouldn’t make it out of the street.

With a gentle press of his hand, Uncle Hai quieted the venue.

"Fairness, fairness," he surveyed the room, "it’s still about fairness."

"The purpose of the union is for fairness."

Fairness?

People were a bit confused.

Uncle Hai asked, "Do you know how the Silver Blood Association was first formed?"

The venue buzzed instantly, with some saying it was to make money, others claiming it was to bribe the governor’s office, and a few stating the Silver Blood Association had always existed.

Uncle Hai pressed his hand down, and the venue fell silent again, "Originally, the Silver Blood Association was just a group of merchants forming to avoid being bullied. Many didn’t know that Dongyang merchants used to be in a terrible plight, bullied not only by officials but also when doing business outside."

"They realized it couldn’t go on like that. They wanted fairness, to stop being bullied, so they banded together, forming the Silver Blood Association."

"And the union, our Workers’ Union, aims to stop us from being bullied by officials or factory owners."

Uncle Hai gazed at everyone, "So, we must unite and band together to resist those more powerful forces."

"Why are we bullied? Because the enemy is strong, they hold power and influence, while we are usually weak and isolated. But if, if all workers unite, with countless workers standing behind us, would they dare bully us anymore? Would they dare withhold our wages, insult our dignity, or even beat us to death?"

"All year round, we toil from dawn till dusk, yet we remain poor, can’t get enough to eat, wear adequate clothing, or find a decent place to sleep. While it’s clearly our products and labor, most are taken by the factory owners. Even though they bestow us but a pittance, we’re supposed to be grateful."

"It shouldn’t be like this."

"We are merely employees, the factory owners provide the money, and we provide the labor, equal in human dignity. Yet, they flagrantly insult us, not even seeing us as human, and we can only swallow our pride to survive."

"It shouldn’t be like this."

"Xuanzhu County was built by us, yet we can only stay in the dirtiest, most remote corners; the goods were produced by us, yet we can’t even use what we make; the Heyang Army and governor’s office are supposed to protect us, yet they oppress us."

"It shouldn’t be like this."

"This world shouldn’t be like this," Uncle Hai said loudly to the silent venue, "so we must unite, defend our rights, our dignity, and our achievements!"

"We cannot let the next generation repeat our lives."

"We workers should also have a bright future."

Uncle Hai suddenly spread his arms: "Everyone, tell me, if you were to make demands of the factory, what would you ask for?"

The crowd looked at each other, and after a while, someone suddenly voiced everyone’s thoughts: "Pay us more!"

Uncle Hai clapped his hands and said: "That’s right, the factory owners should pay more. What else?"

"No more working at night."

"Pay full wages, don’t deduct money!"

"Don’t bully people!"

Everyone began to shout out their demands, and it quickly turned into a loud commotion, with even a few children shouting, ’I want to eat skewers.’

Uncle Hai clapped his hands forcefully: "Right, right, right, I agree with all your ideas. I’ve refined everyone’s thoughts into four basic demands—"

"First, wages can’t be arbitrarily deducted."

"Second, the work environment must not harm our bodies."

"Third, work is limited to eight hours a day, and extra pay is required for overtime."

"Fourth, workers, especially female workers, must not be bullied or assaulted."

Uncle Hai paused: "Do you all think these four demands I’ve prepared are reasonable, not too much?"

"Reasonable, not too much!" everyone shouted in unison.

Uncle Hai: "Tomorrow, I will go with other worker supervisors to meet with the president of the Silver Blood Association on behalf of all workers, to negotiate the implementation of these four demands. If they don’t agree, then we will protest and strike, forcing the Silver Blood Association to acknowledge our status!"

Qi Bajiu panicked immediately—it’s one thing to brag, but to actually negotiate with the Silver Blood Association, he was instantly intimidated.

Just as Qi Bajiu decided to play the coward, someone suddenly stood up on the other side: "Uncle Hai, I will go with you to fight for our deserved rights!"

"Uncle Hai, me too!"

"Uncle Hai, I also want to contribute to the union!"

Suddenly, someone sang loudly: "There has never been any savior, nor do we rely on gods or emperors!"

Qi Bajiu was stunned, recalling the song he had just seen in the newspaper, he couldn’t help but continue singing: "To create human happiness, we rely entirely on ourselves!"

He looked at his niece and nephew playing nearby, then down at his own rough, calloused hands, steeled his heart, gritted his teeth, and stood up: "I, Qi Bajiu, will go too!"

"I’ll go, too!"

"And me!"

Seeing one worker representative after another stand up, Uncle Hai sighed in relief.

If it weren’t for a few White Night Walkers among them, this might not have been so easy. The people of Xuanzhu had been brainwashed by materialism and selfishness for too long, motivating workers really needed a lot of groundwork.

However, this was only temporary, because tomorrow the union would have its first ’big victory’—the president of the Silver Blood Association would agree to these four demands, and all workers would benefit from the union, making them realize that power can be fought for.

By that time, the union would be on the right track. Workers’ guards, workers’ representatives... there was still a lot to do.

But Uncle Hai was full of anticipation.

If Jing Zhengwei has helped them so much, and they still can’t handle things later, they might as well just go home and farm.

Uncle Hai waved his hand, and several large pots of sour plum soup were brought into the venue. He loudly announced: "Everyone, have some sour plum soup to cool off. Oh, by the way, has anyone seen or heard of ’Future Echoes’?"

"Seen it." "Heard of it." "Haven’t seen it." Sparse responses came from the venue.

"The author, Mr. Tree-man, wrote a song for us workers in ’Future Echoes’, how about we learn to sing it?"

"Yes!" This time the response was much more unified. In an age where the poor had little entertainment, singing was clearly a pastime they quite enjoyed.

"Here’s how we’ll do it, I’ll sing a line first, then the kids will sing a line, and then everyone else will follow along," Uncle Hai waved at the children: "Come on up, Uncle Hai will give you candies."

Encouraged by their families, children of various heights lined up on the podium. Uncle Hai cleared his throat and sang loudly: "Unity is strength~"

"Unity is strength~"

"This strength is iron!"

"This strength is iron!"

"This strength is steel!"

"This strength is steel!"

Under the guidance of the children’s clear and melodious singing, everyone joined in chorus, singing the catchy "Unity is Strength", the venue was filled with joy and laughter.

In the evening, Uncle Hai clapped his hands heavily and loudly declared: "I announce that the first meeting of the Workers’ Union has concluded successfully! Please leave in an orderly fashion, one by one, no crowding!"

The children, already tired of waiting, ran out like a gust of wind, while the workers in the back discussed whether to have dinner together tonight, or linked arms, singing the song they had just learned.

Walking in the twilight, everyone was full of vitality and hope.

Bzzz—

It wasn’t until the piercing sound of brakes, the crash of iron against flesh, and the screams of children hit the street, that they were pulled back to reality.

A car suddenly came speeding from the other side of the street, sending two children who were playing and chasing each other flying.

This sudden scene left the departing workers dumbfounded.

"Tsk, the car is dirty again."

A wealthy young man in the driver’s seat spat disdainfully outside, glanced at the workers not far away, slammed down the accelerator, his lips curling into a smirk, full of contempt:

"A bunch of mud legs."