In the central square of Jikronsi, seabirds hover over the square, and the Sivar mine is openly recruiting.

There are still ten minutes left before the recruitment ends, and the police are maintaining order.

In the center of the square, a man sits behind a wooden table, and candidates stand in line at the wooden table, waiting to enter the makeshift shed for a medical examination.

Fresh immigrants who are quick to get medical check-ups, are usually strong and small, and don't have infectious diseases or bad habits are the ones who want to be recruited.

Newcomers are a derogatory term for outsiders who want to make money in Jikrancy, and often only if they get along poorly in their hometowns and abandon their families and identities to pursue careers in other cities.

This title does not include the children of high-ranking officials who come in due to job transfers, or the rich ladies who run away because they run away willfully, and the nouveau riche who are dissatisfied with the old system.

They are in control of the future of the country and are welcome wherever they go.

Sorting his collar and lining up at the end of the line, Bill saw the men he had seen in the hotel bathroom, some holding gold pounds, and was very excited, standing next to a man with glasses to dictate the letter, intending to tell the good news to his family.

More people were dead in their eyes, scolding and leaving.

"There are twelve other applicants in front of me, and six people go in at a time, and it looks like I'm going to have a separate medical check-up. 」

Clenching his fists, Bill carefully observed the recruiter's facial expressions, hoping to find the person who helped him infiltrate the mine, and it was always advantageous to have more than one of his own people.

Before Bill could enter the physical examination room, the fat man who had lost his soul faltered, lined up behind Bill, with a sad face, wearing white and blue overalls, muttering.

"Hey, friend, you wear good clothes, you don't look like you're short of money, why do you come here to find a job?"

"Don't blame me for being too talkative, people like you are doctors and teachers in our hometown, and they never have to worry about what to eat for dinner. ”

The fat man spoke to himself, but Bill did not speak, feeling bored in his heart.

He didn't want to be targeted by mine managers before he even entered the mine, and he didn't like people to make irresponsible comments about him.

"Damn, I've never seen a fat man in the world, I'm dressed very ordinary, is it wrong to be clean and tidy?"

"My name is John, what's your name, and this is the first time you've been recruiting workers in the mines?"

"I'll tell you the truth, I've lost twice in a row, and they say I'm overweight......"

"You can't blame me, Mina's cooking is so delicious, her cooking skills are comparable to that of a chef, I swear!"

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce you, Mina is my wife, I can invite you to my house if I have the chance, she won't mind, because she is very considerate and understanding. ”

"I live near Mosgen Manor and am usually employed by the owner of the manor, but there is no other way to make money, and life is always difficult. ”

"When I make money in the mines, I'll go home and let Mina live a good life, not have to go to work on the estate, and never be bullied by Mrs. Mosgen again!"

"And my mother, she hasn't worn new clothes in her life, and she has to work for someone else at the age of seventy......"

John's voice suddenly dropped, and Bill ignored him.

He wasn't interested in Mosgen Manor, and he didn't want to get involved with anyone else, which was good for everyone.

In the center of the square, there was a huge metallic mechanical clock hanging on the bell tower, and there were still five minutes before the recruitment ended, and the two applicants who had just entered the shed walked out with a smile.

The two recruiters also looked at the mechanical clock and whispered, not knowing what they were talking about.

Bill and John walked into the medical examination booth.

There was a tall doctor in the examination room, dressed in white, wearing a mask and round-rimmed black-rimmed glasses, and his expression was erratic.

There are also two mine recruiters who look at the candidates with their eyes.

"Take off your shirt and stand on it. ”

The doctor's voice was cold, without any emotion, just gesturing with his chin as Bill and John stood on the scales that weighed him in height, and he began to record the data.

Bill took off his shirt to reveal his arms, which were scarred, and the doctor was not interested in the scars, but only pinched the muscles and observed for any special tattoos and skin diseases on his body.

"Literate?"

Two mine recruiters came up to Bill and John, respectively, and pulled out two forms, lazy and lazy.

Apparently they are tired of asking the same questions to every candidate.

"Literacy. ”

"Literacy, I literacy!"

Bill replied, he was a little surprised that John would also give an affirmative answer.

After all, in Bill's impression, in the old days, children from poor families did not have the opportunity to go to school, let alone hire a tutor to help with their homework.

John smiled at Bill, very honestly, and began to talk again.

"I went to a free Sunday school that Mr. Lexar funded. ”

"Mr. Lexa, have you heard, he is a kind and enthusiastic missionary, and he has funded a lot of welfare homes, don't look at me dressed like this, I am still a mutual aid guide in the school!"

"Hehehehe, there are hypocritical philanthropists and fools everywhere, and I like them the most. ”

The doctor suddenly laughed dryly, squinted his eyes, wrote down the data on the medical record, and told John to leave the scale and go to the recruiter to collect the watch.

John was a little embarrassed, but he walked off the scale with joy, he used to be brushed off when he weighed it.

Bill understood why the doctor said that, and there had been similar educational institutions in his original world.

What John calls 'mutual mentoring' is a mutual teaching method in which the teacher guides the students and the mentors then transfer to other students.

This kind of mutual aid pedagogy is regarded as a cheap education system due to its low cost, high enrollment and flexible form, but it is only an emergency measure created to solve the problem of insufficient teachers and too many poor people.

Teaching becomes rigid mechanical training with very low quality.

At the same time, this kind of cheap teaching, which gathers children from the poor class, can not only reduce social disorder, but also use religious propaganda to anesthetize children's spirits.

The rulers were very supportive of this education system, even funding the establishment of Sunday schools by philanthropists.

"Probably only someone like John would think that a missionary was really kind. 」

Bill sneered in his heart.

"Doctor, won't fat people be overweight?"

The recruiter frowned, because the miners were required to take the cable car to enter the mine during coal mining, and the cable car had strict weight limit standards, so he asked cautiously.

"Boy, are you doubting me? I just reached the upper limit of my weight, I don't believe you came and saw it yourself!"

John's heart instantly rose to his throat, and the doctor squinted at the recruiter, seeing that the recruiter's heart was furious, and finally the recruiter cut it and handed the form to John.

He knew that the doctor was invited by the high-level, and he only came to help with the physical examination of the candidate today when he was in a good mood, and the bottom like him was not qualified to question the doctor at all.

Bill still didn't talk to John, he took the form and pen and walked to the table to fill in the personal information, this time John didn't dare to say more, and honestly followed Bill.

The form was filled with basic information, and Bill filled it out at will.

He also thought in his heart that if he did not meet the requirements of the recruiter and did not enter the mine, it would not be considered a deliberate breach of contract, but Johnny's preparation was not done well.

It's just that there is something in the table that catches Bill's attention.

It asks if the candidate is a local or a newcomer, and whether the candidate is coming alone or with friends, and whether the candidate has no relatives in the city.

"Generally, companies don't pay attention to the applicant's information to this extent, and it is a private matter of the applicant. 」

Feel free to fill it out and wait for the recruiter's final decision.

"You just meet the recruitment requirements, congratulations on officially becoming a rat in underground mining!"

"We're going to leave by car soon, and you can write to your family before you leave, but you write that you're withdrawn and orphaned, so there's no need for that. ”

The recruiter put the form into the file bag and smiled crookedly.

Fat John also passed, and he didn't hand over the form to the recruiter who questioned his weight problem.

The doctor had changed into a black trench coat and a mask, and walked to the door with a suitcase.

Lifting the tent curtain, the doctor suddenly turned to look at Bill and John, smiled and pushed the door open.

Bill could clearly see that the Doctor had a fox-like gaze hidden behind the floodlight lenses, which creeped him out.

Walking out of the makeshift tent, the sun was a little harsh.

Arriving at the crowd, the crowd was full of laughter, and Bill's face was cold, incompatible with joy.

John didn't follow Bill and strode in the direction of the postman.

He took the envelope out of his bosom and quickly stuffed the advance in it while no one was looking, John wanted to tell Mina the good news at once, that good days were coming!

Several steam wagons slowly drove into the square, and John and the others boarded the steam locomotives, surrounded by envy and jealousy.

The steam wagon drove in the direction of the Sivar mines, deliberately avoiding John, with whom Bill sat in two cars.

They headed all the way northwest.