There are more than 130 workers working in the quarry.
A few of them would die from time to time, but because they could be replenished, their numbers remained stable.
Some of these laborers, like Chang Duan, were sent by the Linhu County magistrate or the Lou family; some, like Li Qingzhi, were bought by the steward from human traffickers; and some were farmers and fishermen captured by the guards nearby.
These days, some people who don't have land or houses will always live on fishing boats, using the boat as their home. Not long ago, a fishing boat with a young couple and two children on board accidentally broke into this place and was caught by the guards.
The wife was raped, the two children were killed, and the man became a laborer.
Of course, the young couple are dead now.
How could the man work properly when he saw two children being killed? He took a pickaxe to fight with the guards and was hacked to death by them.
The remaining woman... her body was thrown out soon after.
Chang Duan had seen too many tragedies in the world, so even though he knew there was little hope, he still wanted to escape.
He is afraid of this place!
The laborers here actually hate the stewards and guards to their core.
After Chang Duan talked to them today and said he would take them away, the workers were very excited.
They want to escape too!
Regardless of success or failure, they all want to leave this damn place.
These people had already been numbly waiting for death, but after hearing Chang Duan's words, a sense of hope inevitably arose in their hearts.
If they could just get away...
Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed soon after. After they finished their work, several guards and a laborer found them and asked them with a sneer, "I heard that you want to escape?" The laborers were horrified and then beaten up by the guards.
The guards interrogated them, asking them what Chang Duan had said and whether he wanted to take them away.
Most of them denied it, saying that Chang Duan had never said it, but after being beaten severely, two of them told the truth. These workers hated these two people, and of course, they hated the informer the most.
The informer's surname was Gao, and everyone called him Lao Gao. Seeing him standing next to the guards, smiling as they watched them being beaten, the leader of the laborers couldn't help but ask, "Lao Gao, how have we wronged you that you want to hurt us like this!"
The managers and guards at the quarry did not allow the workers to fight with each other, for fear that they would get injured and affect the stone mining.
Plus, they were exhausted after work every day... There was no fighting among the laborers.
Of course, they didn't have any friendship, they just lived their lives in a muddle day after day.
Sometimes they doubt whether they are still alive, or even think they are dead or have turned into animals.
Because of this, none of them bullied Lao Gao.
Lao Gao grinned: "We can't escape, Chang Duan is lying to us! He lives a good life, why would he care about us?"
"He wants to escape, and he brought us along just to make you a target for him!" "We can't escape! We can't escape!"
…
The workers wanted to tear this old man to pieces.