frightfiction Chapter 1112 River Dredging
Chapter 1112 River Dredging
Spring is indeed the season of rejuvenation, but it is also the most difficult season for ordinary people.
Even in good years, by mid-March of the lunar calendar, ordinary people's sorghum and cornmeal would be running low. Only wealthy families could have half a vat left; most would only have the bottom of a flour sack, causing the women in the family to sigh with worry.
Another month later, by mid-April, the proper food supplies were basically exhausted. Some people started eating bran, wild vegetables, and tree bark. Those who couldn't even afford those had to eat goose droppings and clay. They either pawned their children or gave them away, just so their children could survive.
South of Tianjin city lies Lingjia Village, where most villagers make a living by farming, while a few run businesses at the river and land docks.
This village has a large population but little land, and the land is barren, making it a well-known poor place.
Ling Laoda didn't have a formal name. He was the eldest of three brothers, so people just called him Ling Laoda.
The name sounds impressive, but Old Master Ling's family is actually not doing very well. He is too honest and doesn't know how to do business. He only knows how to put all his energy into the fields. In the past, he worked hard all year round and was able to avoid starving to death. But in the past two years, there has been a drought and the crops did not grow well. He gritted his teeth and sold some grain to pay for his younger brother's wedding. He never expected that this spring, his life would be on the verge of collapse!
My wife came back at noon today. She dug up half a basket of wild vegetables and cooked a pot of soup, which she gave to the children. The two children looked pale and thin, and they were still hungry after eating.
Ling Laoda sat at the door, burying his head in his legs, unable to shed tears.
The daughter-in-law picked up her small basket and a shovel, ready to go out and dig for wild vegetables. But as soon as she reached the door, she felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground. She barely managed to grab the wall and was panting heavily.
Ling Laoda rushed over, "Mom, Mom, what happened to you?"
The woman was a little bloated from hunger, but she still forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. I just walked too fast and felt a little dizzy. I'll be fine after a rest."
Boss Ling was so heartbroken he almost ground his teeth to powder!
But we have neither food nor money, what can we do!
Just then, the third son of the Ling family came running from a distance, shouting, "Big brother! Big brother! Hurry, the river dredging is starting! The river dredging is starting!"
"Brother! Don't just stand there! The river dredging work has started!"
Boss Ling's eyes widened.
Ever since I can remember, people have felt an involuntary surge of fear whenever they hear the words "river dredging project."
Tianjin is a river port, but the Haihe River is prone to siltation. Every time the water level drops, the river must be cleared to prevent delays in shipping.
River construction work was a quota system. Wealthy and powerful families were naturally exempt from this quota, or they could simply pay to settle the matter. But for ordinary people, it was a different story!
Once you're assigned to river work, you not only have to bring your own food, but you also have to go out into the icy river in the freezing cold and work for a month or two at a time!
My family is starving to death. Starting river construction at this time would be a death sentence!
Ling the eldest stammered, trembling, "Third brother, run, run! Let's run north..."
Ling Laosan asked curiously, "Brother, what are you saying? Why are you running? It's the auxiliary management bureau. The auxiliary management bureau in Tianjin is Lin Qingtian's people! This time, they're going to open up several waterways in Tianjin. They'll provide food, lodging, and even grain! Grain!"
Boss Ling was stunned. "Is it really Lin Bodhisattva's team?"
"How could it be fake? They're all at the village entrance. They didn't ask the village elders to kill chickens or sheep, nor did they ask the young women and wives to serve them. They're just like those storytellers... Qiu what Wufan! Brother, hurry up, or you'll miss it!"
Ling Laoda helped his wife into the house and hurriedly ran towards the village entrance with his younger brother.
The auxiliary management bureau did send people to the area around Tianjin to select river workers. Of course, they didn't just take anyone; they mainly recruited young and strong men. If a young and strong man had work to do, they would be fed and given food. That would basically save a family. If they could get through these two months, they would get through the year.
Of course, no matter how hard Lin Ze tries, he can't possibly manage every household, nor does he expect to be able to manage every household.
The eldest son of the Ling family and his two younger brothers all signed up. After confirming that the eldest son's family had run out of food, the staff in charge of the team even gave them a "settlement food" package.
There wasn't much grain—just two or three pounds of sorghum and two or three pounds of corn—but with that little bit of food, and by digging up some wild vegetables every day, we could keep ourselves alive for ten days to half a month.
These workers on the river could go home once every two weeks, and they would bring back food with them.
After settling their family in, the Ling brothers followed the team to Tianjin overnight.
They were housed in a makeshift shed set up by the North China Transportation Company.
The next morning, these river workers were to begin their work.
These days, there's no such thing as waterproof pants. To dredge a river, you have to actually go into the water and dig through the silt.
However, there are arrangements in place so that people can take turns going ashore after working for an hour, and the time spent in the water each day cannot exceed two hours.
This stunned some people who had previously worked on river projects!
Good heavens! In the past, when people went to work on the river, they would soak in the water early in the morning and not come up until dark. Knee pain and arthritis were the least of their worries. Some people's legs would simply rot away, and they would die on the riverbank. They wouldn't even be buried; they would just be thrown into the river and let it drift wherever it would.
More than a decade ago, corpses could be seen downstream of the river every year around this time, and everyone was used to it.
The Ling brothers were assigned to the river section near the Zizhulin Wharf. Coincidentally, Han Dagang was in charge of that section.
Since Han Dagang was commended, he has been given important responsibilities in the workers' joint defense team and is now the deputy captain of a squadron, serving as the deputy to Captain Qi of the squadron.
Because he had experience in disaster relief, and this river dredging project was actually a form of work-for-relief, the higher-ups simply made him the person in charge of this section.
This has really kept Han Dagang very busy. In the past, when he was receiving refugees, he only needed to help with cooking and chores. But now it's not that simple; he has to take charge!
How should the work be done? How many tools are needed? How should these river workers be settled? What should they eat and drink every day? How should their food be distributed? How should we prevent anyone from cheating?
Fortunately, Han Dagang is conscientious and willing to come up with solutions. Sometimes he would even go to discuss and brainstorm with Captain Qi late at night. He managed this construction site quite well.
Early in the morning, Han Dagang arrived at the river embankment. After watching the workers go into the water, he quickly instructed the people on the shore to brew ginger tea.
Brown sugar can't be stored away, it's a controlled military supply now, so let's add more ginger!
The pungent smell quickly spread. An hour later, each of the river workers who came ashore drank a bowl of ginger tea, then went to the shed to change their clothes. The clothes they changed out of were dried by the fire, so that they would have dry clothes to change into when they went into the water a second time.