Daily life of slaying demons in the government

Chapter 57 Inquire
No matter how profitable the private sugar business is, it is not Yang Qian's main focus.

To put it bluntly, the failure of his sugar business was no loss to him. It was just a failed attempt.

The ones who were really unlucky were the ones who did this. The first one to bear the brunt was Li Mazi, who would have to shed a layer of skin if he didn't die. The second was Mashengxiang, who would also be bald by the garrison.

It is precisely because of this that everyone from Wang Hai to Cui Mingsheng regards the private sugar business as a cover to divert attention. If it succeeds, it's the best. If it doesn't, it doesn't matter.

It's not that no one understands this principle, on the contrary, everyone understands it. It's just that everyone is in a different position. Some can just watch calmly and not care about winning or losing. Some can only hang their heads on the belt and gamble their lives.

Yang Qian knew clearly that if he wanted to remain on the shore and not care about the outcome of the game, he had to keep his position from falling and continue to climb up.

So although Yang Qian values ​​the frosting business, he knows that his main focus should not be on it, but should be used on the cases in the police station.

I asked Li Mazi, and he said he also had an "acquaintance" in the mine who could be used, but the old rule still applies: you have to pay.

Moreover, the conditions in mines and villages are very different, so there are some special considerations.

There is no clan concept in the mines, as in villages and towns, but there is a bond of master-disciple transmission. A miner cannot just go up and start working, he needs the guidance of a master, and there are many rules about where he can go, where there are mines, and where he can't be too aggressive.

Oftentimes, the output of the mines even requires the approval of these "masters", otherwise the miners below will not work hard and no one can do anything about it.

Therefore, the relationship between mine owners and miners is not actually a simple exploitative relationship, but is very complicated and full of twists and turns.

But there are not only miners in the mines, but also coolies.

Miners do technical work that requires skills. They are called labor.

Coolies have no skills or craftsmanship, and rely on their strength to earn a living. Those who do this are usually outsiders who have no roots in the local area, or criminal slaves bought by the mine owner from the government.

Miners still have room for bargaining with mine owners, although it is not much. But coolies have no room for autonomy at all. They do whatever they are told to do, and they deserve to be exhausted. If they don't work, they will be fired.

As for the criminal slaves, they were just like animals. They would die of exhaustion in one or two years, or at most three or four years. If you live long enough, the government will ask you if you know how to use slaves, and how you are still alive after so long?

A criminal slave is someone who is sentenced to live in misery. Is it a punishment to live a comfortable life with good food and drink?

So once I had sorted out the circles in the mine, I could understand the rest.

Li Mazi had two "acquaintances". One was Wang Sanshui, who worked as a cutter at the Wushun White Jade Mine, and the other was Liu Heng, who worked as a miner at the Wuxiang Copper Mine.

The terms "cutter" and "ore selector" have literal meanings: workers who cut large pieces of white jade and workers who select the grade of copper ore.

At the same time, neither of these two jobs requires strenuous physical labor, which shows that Wang Sanshui and Liu Heng both have "master chefs" who can provide support in the mines.

According to Li Mazi, Wang Sanshui is a womanizer and Liu Heng is a gambler. Neither of them is a good person. They only got a good job in the mine by relying on their family connections. Their own abilities are very limited.

But these two were very aggressive and ruthless people in the mines. The coolies would hide when they saw them, but the miners would greet them when they saw them. They also had some younger brothers under them. If they wanted to get information, these two would definitely be able to help.

Of course, Yang Qian, who was already the head of the police, did not need to go in person to contact these two people. He could just hand it over to Chen Dong, who was in charge of the mining case. And according to the preferences of these two people, it was not difficult to find a suitable time that would not attract attention.

Either a brothel or a gambling den.

After getting Yang Qian's guidance, Chen Dong went there. He didn't meet Liu Heng on the first day, but found him in a gambling den on the second day.

Just as described in the news, Liu Heng was a sturdy man with a shaved head, in his early thirties, with dark skin and a large black mole at the corner of his left eye.

"Liu Heng?"

"Who are you? Get out of here and don't disturb your grandpa from making money!" Liu Heng, who was in high spirits, didn't even turn his head back and cursed at Chen Dong behind him.

"Li Mazi's friend, I want to discuss a deal with you." "Deng's friend?" Liu Heng turned around after hearing this and saw Chen Dong, who was wearing a rough cloth and shorts. He looked him up and down and made up his mind. At least he knew that the man in front of him was not easy to mess with, and he looked like a martial artist with great boxing skills.

"Okay, Brother Deng's friends are my Liu Heng's friends. Let's go and talk over there."

Liu Heng smiled and his temper disappeared. There is a profitable business coming, why bother with money? It is more important to listen to the business.

When they reached a secluded place, Chen Dong didn't waste any words and said directly, "I heard from Li Mazi that you are very powerful in the Wuxiang Copper Mine?"

"Hey, Brother Deng knows me. Everyone in the mine has to give me some respect. Big things and small things can go smoothly. Brother, do you want to move some stones? Or do you want to move ingots?"

Liu Heng often stole things from the mines, taking some ore to sell or privately refining some crude copper ingots. So he thought Chen Dong was coming to buy something from him.

Chen Dong shook his head and said, "I want to find out something."

"Inquire?" Liu Heng frowned, feeling that there was no point, and his tone became unpleasant.

Chen Dong had seen many people like this before. He stretched out his hand, took out a piece of silver from his pocket, and said, "I won't let you talk in vain. I'll give you money. It depends on whether you can make money or not."

Seeing the money, Liu Heng smiled again and said, "Ask first. There are few things about the mine that I don't know."

"Do you know how many people are there in the mine?"

"Ah? At least three or five hundred, right?" Liu Heng was a little confused. What was this? Was he just bored? Why was he asking this?
"How much exactly?"

"We have to go back and ask. Hey, brother, are you trying to make fun of me?"

"Just kidding you? You care about this when you can make money?" Chen Dong said as he handed the five-liang silver note in his hand to Liu Heng.

Then Chen Dong continued, "I want the mine's roster for the past five years. Not the kind of roster that's reported to the officials. That's just a lie. I want the mine's roster of people who have been working there for the past five years."

Liu Heng's eyes dimmed subconsciously when he heard this. He then looked at the money in his hand and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"My brother, what you want is a bit tricky! Hehe, I won't ask you what you want it for. The one introduced by Brother Deng must be reliable. But I also tell you the truth, what you want is not easy to get. I definitely can't get it by myself. I have to ask someone to find a way.

So, you have to pay more.”

"How many?"

"At least another fifty taels!"

Chen Dong shook his head and pretended to leave.

Liu Heng was a little anxious, and quickly grabbed Chen Dong and said, "Don't be in a hurry to leave, brother. Fifty taels is really not a lot. No, no, no, look at this, you name a number! If it's okay, I'll take the job, if not, forget it."

"I'll give you another twenty taels at most."

"No, you have to add at least thirty-five taels, otherwise you really can't get it."

Chen Dong frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Okay, I'll give you another thirty-five taels. We'll exchange the money and the goods when we get them. But I'll also have to give you a monthly account of the mine's ration expenditures over the past five years. Don't say you can't get it. The thing is in the kitchen, and it's not a secret."

Liu Heng was also in a dilemma, but after thinking about it, he nodded and agreed to the matter.

"How can I find you?"

"Once you get the things, go sit at the tea stall at the entrance of Masheng Lane. I'll come find you."

(End of this chapter)