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墨書 Inktalez
The living room fell into silence for a moment, and Xu Li's lack of words made the sheep feel increasingly uneasy. Finally, he asked, "Aren't you worried about your own safety? Instead, you're asking if you can have enough to eat? Aren't you afraid I might be a human trafficker and take you away?"
The young woman shook her lips slightly. "I was trafficked to Irkutsk when I was little. They forced me to steal things. One time, while I was stealing, I accidentally hurt a lady and ended up locked in prison. I'm not afraid of being hit, scolded, or bullied. I'm just afraid of going hungry; I don't want to experience the pain of starvation again."
Wasn't she imprisoned for something else? Xu Li felt a bit bewildered. Ivan rolled his eyes and said, "It's not like that. Do you really think we live in Mexico? There are vendors selling that kind of stuff everywhere?"
"Who here can cook?"
Immediately, seven or eight hands shot up. Xu Li led them to the kitchen and pointed at the stove and some ovens. "Do you know how to use these?"
Seeing them nod, he brought out ingredients for them to cook themselves. Then he asked each of them about their backgrounds. Most were orphans or had been raised by grandparents; when their relatives passed away, they struggled in school and lacked skills. After being tempted, they ended up in prison, but their situations weren't particularly severe.
Most of them had just been released in the last couple of years and were sent to work in factories by that woman. They worked day and night; if they didn't meet quotas, they went hungry. The guards were older inmates who had no one looking for them and couldn't find jobs, so that woman hired them as overseers, bringing the prison's methods into the factories.
I have to admit that woman was quite the money-maker!
By evening, Xiong Da and Xiong Er stumbled back into the house, immediately causing a commotion. The loud noise left the two large hamsters bewildered until Xu Li scolded them for a long time before they quieted down.
Following closely behind were Andreev and Peter, representing the village's strong labor force. They didn’t even glance at the young women and directly pulled Xu Li into the yard. Just as Andreev was about to speak, Ivan emerged from the latrine, adjusting his belt.
"Feel free to ask him anything," he said. "Old Comrade here wouldn’t let you down!"
He patted the shoulders of the two men before heading back inside to arrange for a dining table in the yard; it was almost time for dinner.
"Is it really like that?" Andreev looked at the young women with frustration but couldn’t express it fully. The oldest among them was only two or three years older than his daughter, while the youngest was barely twenty. If they drove them away, it could lead to serious trouble.
"Aren't you just worried about your year-end bonuses?" Xu Li said irritably. "You won’t lose out on your share; it’ll be exactly what it should be. So tell everyone how things will go: keep working as usual, and from now on, they will take care of looking after the cattle and sheep. Arrange for someone to guide them; tomorrow five of them will come with me to chop wood."
After saying this, he waved his hand dismissively. "Go back and eat. After dinner, have someone take them back to rest. Spread the word: anyone who dares to bully them will have to deal with me!"
Andreev and Peter exchanged awkward glances before turning to leave. Ivan gave his brother-in-law a thumbs-up: "You really know how to handle things! Andreev's stubbornness used to give even our old leader a headache."
"He’s not afraid of me; he’s afraid of losing money," Ivan continued. "Look around all of Da Mao—where else can you find such good working conditions? They don’t have to bear any losses; as long as they work hard, there will be dividends at year-end. Where else can you find something like this?"
He patted his brother-in-law on the back. "Let’s eat."
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