Balipu in October is much colder than outside.
Ha's breath came out in vain.
Inside the toll booth, the floor heating has been turned on, and the room is very warm, so I don't worry about holding my breath.
Li Dashan was holding a brush, dipped in water, and writing on the wooden board.
His hometown is in the village on the other side of the mountain, and there are capable people in the village. When he was thirteen, he followed the capable people in the village to work in the county.
Worked a lot over the years.
He ran errands, worked as a coolie, worked as a waiter, and even worked as a porter. The farthest place he ran with a caravan was Fucheng, a hundred miles away.
A lot of work, but little money. Once, as a porter, I went to the next county and was arrested and put to hard labor for half a year. I almost lost my life in the next county.
Since then, Li Dashan stopped thinking about going out. Or find a coolie in your own county to do it.
I thought life would go on like this, but I didn't expect a turning point in June this year.
At that time, the cement road had not yet been repaired, and some people went to the county town to recruit workers, with food, housing and wages included. Just work as an errand in Balipu.
Many people in the county town are dubious, and there are very few people who apply for work. Because the recruiters are from other places, everyone is afraid of encountering scammers.
And there is a lot of poor people in Balipu, so what kind of work can there be? Building roads? The road is almost finished, and I can't even drink broth at this time.
At that time, Li Dashan was aggrieved in the grocery store, and his boss guarded him like a thief all day long.
When he heard that someone was recruiting, he agreed without hesitation.
Then, he took his wages and went to the training class in Fucheng. In fact, it is a literacy class.
Li Dashan never dreamed that there are such good things in the world. You can get paid without doing a day's work, and you can still read and write.
He is old, twenty-seven or eighty-eight, and slow to learn. After two months in the training class, he still failed the exam, which made him scratch his ears and cheeks anxiously.
The boss said that if he failed the exam three times, he would be fired. He has taken the exam twice and only has one chance left.
A man in his twenties, because he failed the exam, was so anxious that he hid in bed in the middle of the night and secretly shed tears.
At this time, an old boy named Wang came to the training class, a native of Balipu.
Wang Laotong was born literate, and he could work as long as he passed the training.
The two came from the same county, and they became acquainted with each other once they came and went. Seeing his difficulties in learning, Wang Laotong offered to help him with tutoring.
With the help of Wang Lao Tongsheng, he finally passed the literacy test for the third time. After that, you only need to pass the induction training exam to be officially hired.
Because of Wang Lao Tongsheng's friendship, Li Dashan, who has gone through all kinds of difficulties and dangers and finally passed the induction training exam, chooses to work as a buddy at the Balipu toll station, no, he has to be a toll collector.
The webmaster said, you have to introduce yourself like this to the outside world, so that it looks normal.
The station master also said that whoever dares to call himself a buddy will be smoked.
Really pumping, not to scare people.
"Are you practicing calligraphy again?"
Old Wang Tongsheng came out of the rest stop, came to the toll booth next door, and looked at Li Dashan through the window.
In just over a month, Wang Laotong changed his shotguns.
The back that was crushed by life was straightened up. With flesh on his cheeks, his face looked kinder. There is brilliance in the eyes too.
Wearing a well-washed long gown, she has a gentle temperament.
He and Li Dashan formed a friendship from the Fucheng training class, and because Li Dashan chose to work as an errand in Balipu, the relationship between the two is naturally unusual.
"Mr. Wang, do you think I can still see people with my word?"
Old Tongsheng Wang nodded, "There is progress. Practice more every day if you have time, and practice for two hours. By this time next year, your handwriting will almost be able to be seen by people."
Li Dashan grinned, "Really? Then next year's post exam, can I pass it?"
"Read more books, it should be fine."
This toll booth is very strange. Not only does it require on-the-job training, but it also requires every toll collector to be able to read and write, and to be able to do basic arithmetic. There is also an on-the-job exam every year.
If you pass the exam, you can continue to work here.
If you fail the exam, you will be fired.
The shadow of dismissal made everyone at the toll booth, when they had nothing to do, carry a bald brush, dipped in water to write, read, and do arithmetic.
Pens, inks, papers and inkstones are too expensive, and everyone is still reluctant.
The reason for such a fight is all because of the high treatment at the toll booth.
Wang Laotong was always envious of Li Dashan.
"Idiot Wang, here we come!"
When Wang Laotong heard this voice, the mustache on the corner of his mouth trembled.
Boss Niu, the station chief of the toll station, walked into the toll station with a chill in his body, carrying two prey.
Li Dashan stood up abruptly, "Hello, station master."
"What a fart. How's it going today?"
Li Dashan quickly took out today's journal and handed it to the station manager, Boss Niu.
Niu Lao is naturally literate. He would not tell others that he was in the training class and took the course for nearly a whole year before he got the position of station master.
He flipped through the journal, "Not bad. There are seven or eight caravans going to the capital today. I didn't expect that it was winter, and there were so many caravans going to the capital. There are also many caravans going south to Luozhou. Let me count them. There are also five or six, and some visit relatives and friends. Not bad, good job.”
Niu Boss slapped Li Dashan's back with his big palm, almost breaking Li Dashan apart.
Old Wang Tongsheng quietly left the toll booth and returned to the rest station.
He just can't get used to Boss Niu, he is rude and always calls him an idiot, which is really unreasonable.
"Mr. Wang has been bullied by Boss Niu again. Haha..."
The colleagues at the rest stop kindly teased him.
Wang Laotong snorted twice, "What bullying, nonsense."
As soon as he opened his mouth, there was another burst of good-natured laughter.
In the middle of the afternoon, the sky had already darkened.
There was the sound of wheels rolling in the distance.
Boss Niu slapped Li Dashan on the back again, "A caravan is coming."
Enduring the pain, Li Dashan went to the lounge next door to call a toll collector, and walked out of the toll booth together.
The caravan came from the direction of Luozhou, and it seemed that they were going to the capital.
The caravan consciously stopped in front of the wooden fence.
Li Dashan stepped forward to count.
"Eighteen animals and ten cars. The total fee is eight or eighty-four Wen."
The toll collector who followed him quickly took notes with a charcoal pencil.
The head of the caravan got out of the car and looked at his clothes, he might be the owner.
The other party asked: "Do we have to pay for this car?"
Li Dashan said with a stern face, "Of course I will accept it. Look at your car, which is loaded with so much cargo, it weighs at least two to three hundred catties. If you want to replace it with the dirt road in the past, the road surface has long been crushed by you guys." up.
Our boss built this cement road with his own money. Look at how smooth and stable the road is. Such a good road, is it possible that you don't even give three pennies? "
The other party smiled embarrassedly and motioned for the steward to pay.
"No, I'm not in charge of collecting the money. Take this receipt and go to the window to pay the fee. You know the rules along the way."
Isn't this trying to test one or two
The person in charge smiled, took the receipt and copper coins, and ran to the window to pay the fee.
The caravan started from the south of Luozhou, and entered Luozhou on the concrete road.
There is a toll station for fifty miles, and all the way, each toll station and each toll collector perform their duties.
Those who do the registration will register specifically, and those who collect money will be responsible for collecting money.
After passing through so many toll stations, no registrants have been found to collect money privately at any toll station.
The owner of the caravan looked at the surrounding environment, but thought in his heart, if the toll station can maintain this style and continue to operate, it will be amazing.
In the future, there may be more caravans who are willing to take a long detour, and are willing to take this cement road that is not required by the food and card.
Safe, worry-free, fast, and money-saving.
The steward paid the toll, got a few printed receipts, and handed them over to the owner.
The boss held the paper of the receipt, the paper was really good, and the printing was so clear.
On the first receipt, the words "500 toll stations at Balipu Cement Road, Cement Road, Luozhou, Beijing" were written in huge fonts, and there were steel seals, the seal of Sihai Road and Bridge Firm, and a series of unintelligible codes on the bottom. It is said to be for anti-counterfeiting.
How to prevent counterfeiting, the owner of the caravan has never figured it out.
At the bottom, there is a red seal, which is clearly newly stamped. Below the red seal, the date is written. October 23rd of the first year of Wende
There are a few receipts left, one is written "Two Shi", the other is written "Yi Shi", and the last four small receipts are all written "Yi Wen".
These bills add up to eighty-four Wen.
And each bill has a fresh red signature on it, as well as the date of the day.
After collecting the fee, Li Dashan asked, "Do you want to go directly, or go to the rest stop for a sip of hot tea?"
The owner of the caravan took a look at the sky, "It's going to rain soon."
Li Dashan hummed, "There is a lot of rain in the mountains, but not too much."
The owner of the caravan asked: "We are on our way now, do you think we can reach the toll booth ahead before dark?"
Li Dashan glanced at the sky, it was dark, and it gets dark early in winter.
He shook his head, "I'm afraid I won't make it."
"Then rest at the rest station tonight."
"Okay! Wang Mazi, we have guests, hurry up and pick them up."
Wang Mazi was the young man who fooled Old Wang Tongsheng back then.
He used to be a clerk in the Four Seas Trading Company, and his hometown is nearby.
When the rest station was built, he volunteered to run it.
According to the rules of the Four Seas Commercial Bank, when old employees come to new industries, their positions will be promoted by one level.
Wang Mazi was promoted from a clerk to the deputy head of the rest station, in charge of the entrance and greeting guests.
Wang Mazi came out with two assistants to say hello, "Is the guest going to eat, or to eat and stay at the hotel?"
"Meals and accommodation."
"Okay! Come, come, please, guest officer. Don't worry about the carriages and goods, they will be arranged for you in the back stables, and there will be special guards. Our side is safe. Since the establishment of the station, there has not been a single case of theft. "
The owner of the caravan followed Wang Mazi into the rest station, his nose moved slightly, "What kind of fragrance is this, why have I never smelled it before?"