Go back to the past and be a schoolboy

Chapter 212 The Temptation of Pancakes and Scallions from Hometown

"The above said that they brought us a lot of hometown specialties!"

"duo~"

Before Cai Gui could reply, there was a sudden and sharp whistle outside, followed by a call:

"Turn off the lights, turn off the lights, those who are wandering outside hurry back to rest, let me catch no good fruit to eat..."

The people in the room did not wait for him to speak, they immediately turned off the lights, and then got into the bed in the dark, pretending to be asleep.

It is obviously not the first time that one pass operation is smooth and smooth.

Sure enough, not long after these people went to bed, the door curtain was roughly lifted by a foreigner with a high nose bridge and curly hair. He swung up and down the room with a flashlight, and was very satisfied to see that everyone was "sleeping".

"Good"

Then he put down the door curtain and turned to leave.

I don't know how long it took, the footsteps outside finally disappeared, the barking of dogs became much less dense, and even the lights that came in through the windows from outside from time to time disappeared.

The sound of snoring in the room suddenly disappeared.

Immediately, it was replaced by whispers with the voice suppressed to the lowest level.

"Hey hey, let's go?"

"It should be gone. I haven't heard any movement for a long time, and the tigers I feed have stopped barking."

"It must be gone, you don't need to pretend."

"How do you know? I saw you sleeping with your head covered all the time, so you just lifted the quilt at this moment. Then you know that if you are caught by these Frenchmen, you will lose your wages for a day."

"How do I know? To tell you the truth, among us, I'm the only one with a bad nose. That Frenchman has body odor all over his body. I can smell it from far away. If I can't smell it now, he just left?"

"Just blow it up, no matter how powerful it is, it's as powerful as my tiger's nose?"

"Hey, it's not intentional. How can this person compare with dogs?"

Seeing the big guy's voice getting louder, finally Cai Da stood up, put on his gown and said in a muffled voice: "It's still so noisy, call the French guy over, and the big guys will deduct wages together!?"

As soon as these words came out, the room immediately fell silent.

Only then did Cai Da walk to the door in satisfaction, opened the drawer with a bang, and took out a dark object from inside.

There is no light in the room, and it is impossible to tell what it is.

Based on the outline alone, it is only known to be a cylindrical thing.

"Cha~"

General Cai struck a match, and taking advantage of the light, everyone knew that what was brought out was a bottle of kerosene lamp.

Why use a bottle instead of a cup.

It is because this kerosene lamp was made by Cai Da himself. He found a small medicine bottle with a lid, punched a hole with a diameter of about 0.5-0.8cm in the lid of the medicine bottle, found a thin iron sheet, and made a small cylinder with the thin iron sheet. , stuff cotton thread inside, and fill the small medicine bottle with kerosene, and that's it.

The match moved to the cotton thread, and a bean of light began to sway with the wind.

The light is weak, like saving fuel, and it seems to be short of fuel.

The bright spot jumped up and down, it seemed that Cai Da breathed out the key point, and the bean lamp couldn't stand it and would go out.

"What are you looking at? Come down and read the newspaper."

Hearing this, Cai Gui, who was on the upper bunk, immediately bald.

"It's coming down."

He pulled up a stool and brought the newspaper to him.

It's a pity that after waiting for a long time, there was no sound. Cai Da was anxious again, and hurriedly asked:
"Hey, why don't you read?"

"Isn't the light too dark, I can't read the words clearly." Cai Gui was also unconvinced: "You do what you want!"

Cai Da languished now, and turned his head to the side: "I can't do it..."

It was rare to see Cai Da deflated, and Cai Gui almost laughed, but knowing that the other party had a good face, it would not be good to provoke him any more, so he didn't take up this topic.

But the light was too dim, so I had no choice but to move the newspaper closer.

If the bean light had shone more intensely, it would have set the newspaper on fire.

"It was said in the newspaper that they brought us a special product from our hometown. In fact, they brought a lot of pancakes." Frowning, Cai Gui looked at the newspaper and said.

"There are pancakes, oops, I haven't eaten pancakes for a long time, that taste is so delicious." The light in Cai Da's eyes flashed, and he said happily: "Do you have green onions with you? It doesn't taste like green onions. Less than half."

Cai Gui glanced up and down, hesitantly said: "I didn't say that."

Immediately thinking of something, he quickly added: "You don't need to bring this scallion. It's not that France doesn't have it. Just buy some at that time, and it will be fine. Besides, even if you bring scallions back from China, it will be dry. What else? mean?"

"That's true." Although he agreed, Cai Da still felt a little regretful in his heart: "I eat bread every day, and my mouth almost tastes like a bird. The last time I ate some green onions, it was far worse than the one at home. I don’t even have the energy to eat it in my mouth.”

The roommate at the side couldn't stand it any longer: "That's all right, all right, it would be great if they can bring it for you, if you want this or that."

Hearing this, Cai Da immediately fell silent.

After all, this handmade kerosene lamp industry is still too poor. If you are far away, you can't read the contents of the newspaper clearly. When you get close, there will be slender black smoke on the kerosene lamp, and at the same time, it will produce a slight pungent smell.

Feeling uncomfortable in his nose, Cai Gui touched his nostrils and pulled out some black residue.

But he didn't care, obviously he already knew the reason.

"It also said in the newspaper that Professor Cheng will also run a special newspaper for us Chinese laborers. Besides using vernacular, he will also provide us with services?"

"What service?" Cai Da asked impatiently.

"It seems to help us write and read letters for us, and at the same time run a school to teach us literacy, Chinese characters, which are also foreign characters..." After reading these words, Cai Gui was also a little uncertain: "Is Professor Cheng so good? It’s a lot of trouble, isn’t it, are you willing to help us mud legs?”

Cai Da found this opportunity with great difficulty, and said directly: "Are you asking me? Who am I asking? You have been holding the newspapers all the time."

Cai Gui didn’t have the same knowledge as him, so he simply didn’t want to think about it, so he continued to read the newspaper. The following are Cheng Nuo’s words of concern for these Chinese workers. He described Cheng Nuo’s plan to come to Europe, and said that he would change the experience of these Chinese workers and improve everyone. life and help everyone learn literacy and culture.

Regarding this point, these Chinese workers are noncommittal. After all, when they signed the contract to work in Europe, they clearly stated that they would not hire Chinese people in the danger zone. The workers are entitled to food, winter and summer clothes, housing, fuel and free medical care...

But is it true? Ha ha two words.

Let's put it this way, last week there was a Chinese laborer washing the tracks of a tank, who was accidentally hit and killed by a car, and nothing happened in the end.

Not to mention that on the battlefield of the British army, it was their Chinese laborers who dug the trenches, and these gentlemen and soldiers went to the battlefield to fight...

What about Professor Cheng? Let's see.

But later on, when Cheng Nuo introduced the situation in his hometown, the distance between them became infinitely closer.

Some fellow countrymen from other dormitories came over and called them to play cards, but no one answered after calling for a long time, three floors inside and three floors outside, and I didn't know what was going on inside, and finally climbed to the upper bunk to find out that there was a newspaper inside. .

I was a bit disappointed and wanted to walk, so I stepped out of the door with my front foot, but when I heard about the situation in my hometown, I couldn't help but take my foot back.

When they heard about the great flood in Zhili, everyone felt sorry, and those who were soft-hearted could not hold back their tears, as if the tragedy had happened in their hometown, and they wished to go back to their hometown on the spot to help.

When they heard about the Civil War in China, they thought of the European battlefield where they were, and the sky was full of gunpowder smoke, and everyone sighed.

But when they heard that little Japan invaded Shandong and occupied Qingdao, these men couldn't help cursing, wishing they could snatch the guns from Europe and drive the little devils away when they returned home.

After several paragraphs of Cheng Nuo's words, the moods of these Chinese laborers also fluctuated. Although the words are simple, they can bring them back to the hometown that they have been dreaming of.

No one has ever said these words to this group of people.

The 14 of them have been ignored by their compatriots in China for too long, especially in foreign countries, and they are too eager to communicate with China.

"Why don't you read it? Isn't there such a long list below?" Cai Da asked anxiously.

Just now it was Cai who was excited, but now he stopped suddenly, and he couldn't accept it.

"Of course I miss it, but it's gone later." Cai Gui felt helpless.

"No, you are absolutely wrong." Cai Da was very anxious, suddenly slapped his forehead suddenly and thought of something, and hurried out of the crowd.

After rummaging through the boxes and cabinets, I took out some cotton wicks and squeezed them in again.

Lift the wick up with a small awl to remove the flower, then soak the cotton wick in kerosene and dial the wick.

After one operation, the kerosene lamp can no longer be described with the word "bean", and the room is brightened instantly.

"Take a closer look."

Although Cai Gui was a little helpless, seeing that Cai Da had "bleeded heavily", he had no choice but to look through it again, but at the end he didn't find any missing content: "It's really gone, Professor Cheng said on it If there is anything you want to know, I will communicate with you face to face."

Cai Daxin said happily: "Is this true?"

Cai Gui said seriously: "Of course it is true."

Cai Da slammed his mouth, aftertaste for a while and said: "Based on what Professor Cheng said later, I believe that he is as honest as I am, and I believe him!"

The roommate couldn't bear it anymore, and sneered: "Hurry up and piss to reflect your virtue, how can you compare with Professor Cheng, it's really embarrassing!"

Cai Daman, who was in a happy mood, didn't care, just grinning.

But after Cai Da made such a fuss at the end, these Chinese workers also understood that Cheng Nuo was really thinking about them.

The establishment of new newspapers and periodicals to provide services for Chinese workers, setting up local factories to resettle Chinese workers, building schools to help Chinese workers learn culture, and helping them return to their hometowns after the war, etc., all seem to be true.

At the end, everyone couldn't help cheering.

The news was spread to ten, ten to hundreds, and finally everyone knew that a big man had come from China, who came to care for them, and made these wandering in foreign lands so excited that the whole base boiled up.

Some played the erhu, some used French army hats and helmets as cymbals, and some used empty cans as drums to play clappers:
"Kaifeng Nanya Bao Qingtian
If Mr. Bao Ming accepts this unjust case
I will be able to avenge Sima Da
......"

When the movement came, even the French manager came over and couldn't stop it.

Originally wanted to fire a warning shot, but finally thought that he would have to watch these Chinese workers do things later. After the conflict intensified, he couldn't bear the consequences, so he had to give up.

Of course, this is the only way Chinese workers in France can be treated like this.

If it were in the UK, it would be unthinkable.

After the Chinese laborers recruited by France arrived in Europe, most of them were arranged by the French government to work in military enterprises in the rear.

Although following in the footsteps of the United States and declaring war on the Allies, France also began to send Chinese workers to work near the battlefield.

However, compared with the UK, France is much more humane. Most of the Chinese workers recruited by the French side work in civilian enterprises, and the wages paid are higher than those in the UK, and the management is more relaxed.

Even though the French Ministry of War is behind these civilian enterprises, it is the management model of civilian enterprises after all.

The French side also allowed the Chinese workers to go to cafes and pubs for leisure and entertainment on their rest days.

There is another difference between French recruited Chinese workers and British recruited Chinese workers stationed in France. French recruited Chinese workers not only have rest days in the West, but also traditional Chinese festivals such as the Spring Festival, while the UK does not.

It is precisely because of the great disparity in the treatment of Chinese workers between France and the United Kingdom that Chinese workers recruited from Britain continue to escape to the Chinese labor camps in France.

In order to effectively stimulate the potential of Chinese workers, the French side also specially formulated a detailed outline to let managers understand Chinese customs and cultural life.

It is not uncommon for the French girl in the middle to marry our Chinese man. For this reason, the French Ministry of the Interior has issued a document to advise the French girl, but with little success.

After World War I, about [-] Chinese workers recruited from France ended up staying in France to start a family and start a business. This is something that Chinese workers in Britain dare not even think about.

The reason why Cheng Nuo attaches great importance to these Chinese laborers is not only because they "substitute labor for war" and help the country pay, but more importantly, these people are more patriotic than most of their compatriots in the country, and they are more willing to contribute to the country. .

Before the May/Fourth Movement, our national consciousness was quite weak, and many people had no national concept at all.

There are historical reasons for this, and there are also reasons for vision.

But these Chinese laborers are different. Although most of them are farmers from Shandong, before they went to France, they knew little about the outside world and did not care about it. The main purpose of joining the labor union was to relieve economic pressure or seek a better life way out.

The hard-working people who have lived at the bottom of society for a long time have a very shallow understanding of the country and the nation, let alone patriotism.

However, on a foreign land, for the first time, they felt the connection between the country's honor and disgrace and the individual, and gradually developed a sense of responsibility to strengthen the country, and practiced this sense of national identity and belonging to the end. in their actual activities.

In daily life, Chinese laborers increasingly associated their words and deeds with the honor and disgrace of the country. Many of them began to pay attention to the merits of French society, hoping to bring advanced technology and culture back to China.

This was also something that Cheng Nuo was quite fond of.

Moreover, these workers have acquired a lot of military industry knowledge after being tempered by the First World War, which is incomparable to domestic workers, and training alone cannot be trained.

Workers, skilled workers, patriotic skilled workers, patriotic skilled workers who are willing to change the country with him, and there are such a large number of workers.

He was so short and needed them so much.

Looking at these cheering compatriots, Cai Gui sighed sincerely: "When we have the opportunity to come to a foreign country, we should study and study it. When we return to China in the future, we can gradually improve it and make our industry develop day by day!"

(End of this chapter)