The old city is full of thorns and thorns

1.

Lin Hongwen sat on the train, looking at the snow outside the window that was rapidly receding, and the past in his mind flashed one after another. He remembered that he had come to the city with a group of people, and now that he had left, he was alone. He remembered many people, alive and dead. He remembered a lot of things, one by one, one by one. These things made him meet those people, and eventually made those people leave him. He thought back to the boy who was standing barefoot in the snow, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see his face clearly. The train was speeding away, and all the people and things were mixed with the howling wind and snow, and the city was blurred from sight along with the city, and finally turned into a trace of ice that could not be dissolved, and remained on the tip of my heart......

It all started ten years ago in the early spring of 1898, when Lin Hongwen pushed the man into the water, and it seemed that he was beginning to move towards that doomed end......

Pushing people into the water used up all his strength, and he sat down on the ground, subconsciously trying to shrink into a ball. His hands unconsciously grasped the ground, his nails were full of dirt, and the water in the creek gradually calmed down, and he suddenly came back to his senses and ran home like crazy.

Lin Xingshen listened to him stumble and finish the whole thing, and it only took less than half a bag of cigarettes to make a decision and run. Lin Hongwen looked at his father blankly, and the person who had always been honest slapped him lightly, "What's the matter, hurry up and pack your things." ”

"What about Big Brother?" Lin Hongwen asked, "Do you want to go to him?" ”

Lin Shiingshen looked at the sky, "Your eldest brother was supposed to finish work for a while, and if you go to him at this time, it will attract people's attention, go and clean it up." ”

Sure enough, after a while, Lin Hongming came back, and when he saw Lin Xingxing packing his luggage, he couldn't help asking, "Dad, where are we going?" ”

"Let's go to Yantai first", Lin Shiingshen said and stuffed him with a burden, "Let's see if there is anything else to bring?" ”

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Lin Hongming asked, "Won't you pay back the rent?" ”

"I can't afford to pay it back," said Lim, "hurry up and pick it up, and leave when it's dark." ”

Lin Hongming glanced at Lin Hongwen, and when he saw his eyes, he asked, "What's wrong with Hongwen?" ”

Lin Shiingshen looked at it and said, "Reluctantly." ”

Lin Hongming walked over and put his arm around Lin Hongwen's shoulders and said, "Don't be afraid, if you have money in the future, build a better big house." ”

Lin Hongwen shuddered for a moment, nodded again, and continued to stuff things into the baggage.

When night fell, the three of them quietly walked out of the village, Lin Hongwen wanted to look back, Lin Xingren clasped his neck and said, "Don't look back." ”

"Dad", Lin Hongwen looked at Lin Xingshen as if he was asking for help.

"Don't think about anything, keep going," Lin whispered.

Lin Hongwen turned his face to look ahead, but it was pitch black in front of him......

2.

――Two months later, Yantai——

At noon, Lin Xingshen's father and son found a shady place to eat in the miscellaneous market. This was their third day in Yantai, and when they couldn't find other work to do, they helped the vendors in the miscellaneous market move goods. Fortunately, my grandfather has the strength, although I can't earn a few dollars a day in this job, I can eat enough.

Before the last steamed bun could be swallowed, I suddenly saw a group of people rushing towards the end of the notice board. Lin Xingshen stood up, relying on his tall growth to look at the front, the notice board was full of people, and there were actually a few yellow-headed melons in the middle of a group of black-headed melons. Lin Shishen pondered for a moment, lowered his head and said to his two sons, "I'll go over and take a look, and you will wait for me here after you finish eating." ”

As he spoke, he squeezed into the crowd, and after a long time of trying to squeeze from the back to the front, Lin Xingshen finally saw the notice.

"Eh, brother, what's going on here?" A man standing next to him asked.

Lin Xingshen didn't know many words, so he could only slowly start from the beginning, although he didn't recognize some words, but he could see that this was a recruitment notice, so he turned his head and said to the man, "Recruitment." ”

"Recruiting? What kind of jobs are you hiring? ”

"Build a railway," replied Lin Xingshen.

"Where can I fix it?"

"Kanto."

"You person, you can't say more if you ask and answer?"

Lin Xing was speechless, and the first two yellow-haired foreigners and a Chinese did not know what they were talking about, and finally the Chinese turned around and cleared his throat, "Everyone, everyone, let's post this notice to recruit people to build the railway in Kanto." As long as you are in good health, you can give it a try. As for the salary, let's count it on a daily basis, thirty kopecks a day (1), which is a lot, and if you want to come, come to me and register. ”

Someone in the crowd snorted disdainfully, and Lin Xingshen secretly glanced at the man, black and thin, wearing a rag shirt, carrying a bag of bulging things, about thirty years old, with a mediocre appearance, but his eyes were shrewd. Lin Shijing leaned over to the man, "This brother, do you know how much he has for thirty kopecks?" ”

The man glanced at Lin Xingshen, lowered his voice and said, "Old Maozi is a fool, their money is called rubles, a hundred kopecks, it is one ruble, and he only gives us thirty kopecks a day." ”

"And how much is that ruble?" Lin still didn't understand.

"Let's put it that way," said the man, after a moment's thought, "for four or five days with them, about a silver dollar." ”②

Lin Xingshen was taken aback when he heard this, "This is not less." ”

The man smiled, "This is the price they hired us, and if they hire their own people, it will be more than twice as much." ”

"Then you say, is this recruitment worth it?" Lin asked.

The man thought for a moment and said, "I'll go anyway." ”

"How?"

"Not to mention the wages, at least I haven't heard of people dying of hunger in Kanto. However, there have been major disasters and small disasters in the Guannai over the years, and there are people who flee the famine every year, and they almost don't eat people", the man patted the ashes on his body, "Look at you and I are about the same, how long have you been here?" ”

"It's been three days."

"Another disaster in the family?"

"There is a big flood", Lin Xingshen sighed, "In the past few years, it has been either drought or flood, and the harvest has not been good." ”

"I don't think you have found any satisfactory work," the man said, "Lao Maozi's money is not much, but you think, this is much better than going to Kanto by ourselves." ”

"What the hell is going on over there?"

"Isn't it cold in winter," the man smiled, "but once you get there, you will definitely have more ways to live than here." ”

Lin Xingshen lowered his head and thought for a while, and then looked up, the man had already gone to the registration place. The foreigners seemed to think he was too thin, but he muttered two words that no one could understand, and those foreigners actually let him register.

Lin turned around and found his two sons, and the father and son squeezed back to the registration place with their burdens on their backs, pressed their handprints, and received a few banknotes they had never seen before.

"Dad, where are we going?" The eldest son, Lin Hongming, asked.

"Go to Kanto."

"What are you doing there? I've heard that it's so cold over there that people can freeze to death. ”

"Don't listen to other people's nonsense", Lin said, "It is better to freeze to death than to starve." ”

The youngest son, Lin Hongwen, didn't speak, just stared at the notice for a while. Lin Xingshen looked around, and finally found the black and thin figure, so he followed, "I don't know what you call it?" ”

"Zhao Shun, what about you?" The man said and looked at Lin Xingshen's two sons.

"My name is Lin Xingshen, this is my eldest son, my name is Lin Hongming, this is my youngest son, my name is Lin Hongwen."

"Fortunately, I will be lucky", Zhao Shun looked at the burden on the backs of the three of them, and said in his heart that this grandfather has a good name, but looking at this dress, it doesn't look like he is learned, and his appearance is dignified but he is in tatters, which is really strange.

The recruitment lasted for a few days, and during this time, Lin Xingshen's father and son were still carrying goods in the miscellaneous market. There are more and more people in the miscellaneous market, and they are all rushing to recruit workers. also really let Zhao Shun say, a lot of these people don't want anything else, they just can't get along in the customs and want to go to the east of the country.

Zhao Shun is also very popular in the miscellaneous market, he can speak a few words of Russian, and in the past two days, he has become familiar with the two Russians who recruited workers, helping out with the help, and everyone who comes to find work knows that there is such a person as him. This person is indeed a little capable, he can tell the dead alive with one mouth, no matter where he came from or what he did before, he can talk to people for a long time.

The day after the recruitment ended, Lin Xingxing and they set off on the road. When he left, Lin Xing followed behind Zhao Shun quietly, he thought that this person could level so many people with one mouth, and he also had some ability, and he had only seen him helping people in the miscellaneous market in the past few days, but he didn't see anyone he pitted, so he knew that this person's heart was not bad. The people in Kanto are not familiar with the place, and with such a person, you will not suffer too much.

A group of people set off in a majestic manner, and at first they were all in good spirits, and some of them even opened their throats and sang two sentences, which made Lin Hongming listen to it in a ridiculous manner. Someone in the team asked Zhao Shun, "Kanto is so big, where are we going?" ”

Zhao Shun lowered his voice and said, "Lao Maozi said, the place we are going to is Harbin." ”

"Harbin?" The man thought for a long time, "Where are you, haven't you heard of it?" ”

"On the edge of the Songhua River," Zhao Shun said, "I haven't been to it either, but I've only heard that it's a small place, and it's all villages." ”

"What does this old hairy man think", the man scratched his hair, "repair the railroad to find such a place where birds don't." ”

"What do you care what he thinks", Zhao Shun said, "They are not stupid, can they still make themselves lose?" ”

"That's right," the man looked at the Russians at the front of the line, "This old man is all fine." ”

Zhao Shun glanced at Lin Shiing's body behind him, slowed down, and walked side by side with their grandfather. Lin turned his head to look at him, "Something?" ”

Zhao Shun pondered for a moment and said, "I heard that your grandfather looks like a scholar, why do you ......?"

"Someone in my ancestors has been an official," Lin said, "but when you come to me, you will be able to recognize a few words, these two boys have studied in private school for a few years, which makes you laugh." ”

"What's so funny about this", Zhao Shun said, "these days, it's good to be able to eat enough and not starve to death." ”

"I heard you say something about Lao Maozi that day?" Lin said, "Could it be that there were officials in the family before?" ”

Zhao Shun smiled and waved his hand, "No, Lao Maozi is building a railway in Siberia, and there are not enough people to recruit workers, so my father took me to go." It was freezing over there, and within a few years, my father fell ill and died, and then I and a few people secretly ran back. ”

Lin Xingshen frowned, there was no way for their grandfather to go to the Northeast, and this Zhao Shunming knew that this trip was very dangerous, why did he still jump into the fire pit?

"You want to ask me why I'm looking for death?" Zhao Shun smiled, "This trip is not looking for death, but looking for life." ”

"Uncle Zhao, can you really freeze people to death over there in Kanto?" Lin Hongming leaned over and asked.

"Yes", Zhao Shun said with a smile, "From one to thirty-nine days, the streets are full of frozen arms and legs." ”

Lin Hongming was stunned with fright, and Lin Xingren patted him on the head, "Silly boy, tease you." ”

"I said it", Lin Hongming leaned over Lin Xing's body, "How can it be so cold?" ”

Zhao Shun squinted slightly and looked at Lin Xingshen's two sons, the eldest son was the same as Lin Xingshen, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, tall and strong, but compared to his father, his words were too much. It's the little son, I don't know who to follow, and his eyes are not small, but the tails of his eyes are thin and slightly curved, and his body bones are a little thin, and he is as taciturn as Lin Xingshen.

"It's cold or not, it depends on where it is compared, compared with Lao Maozi's Siberia, Kanto is not cold", Zhao Shun tightened the rag shirt on his body, although he had fled back from there for several years, but when he thought about it, even in summer, he couldn't help but shiver.

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

(1) For the wages of workers in the Middle East Railway, please refer to "The Evolution of Russia's China Policy and the Construction of the Middle East Railway", by Ma Weiyun, Russian Academic Journal, February 2013

(2) The silver dollar mentioned here is the "Guangxu ingot" minted in the Guangxu period, and each piece contains seven coins and two cents of silver. And the ruble that flowed into China at that time (one of which is called Qiangti), according to the "Harbin City Chronicle. According to the Financial Chapter, at that time, one ruble could be exchanged for five dollars and eight cents of silver coins. Therefore, it is roughly estimated that the wages of Chinese railway workers at that time were about one yuan and seven cents a day, and the wages for five days were about eight dollars and seven cents, that is, more than one silver dollar.