Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Lying on his bed in the dormitory, Zhou Maoxue stared blankly at the ceiling.

He was a clean person, but at this moment, he didn't even take off his clothes and lay directly on the bed.

The book he had taken from the lounge was still stuffed in his chest, too lazy to take it out.

He was too lazy to move now, sleepy and tired, but unable to fall asleep.

The other three candidates had already fallen asleep without a care in the world, even snoring.

In the dormitory, the other four workers seemed unusually energetic today...

The four of them set up a small table in the room, with some peanuts, melon seeds, and two pots of wine on it.

It was obvious they wanted to have a drink.

One of the workers, seeing Zhou Maoxue lying on the bed with his eyes open like a corpse, took the initiative to ask, "Hey buddy, want to have a drink together?"

Hearing the invitation, Zhou Maoxue reluctantly propped himself up and got out of bed.

He still needed to build a good relationship with these people and ask for more information so that he could leave this hellhole sooner.

He responded with a sound and went to the table. The worker immediately handed him a bowl of wine, saying boldly, "Is this your first time in the factory? The first day is always like this, as tired as a dead dog, but you'll get used to it in a couple of days! Come on, have a drink."

Zhou Maoxue took a small sip, and his face gradually twisted in agony.

What kind of awful wine was this? So strong and so hard to drink!

The workers burst into laughter, "Hey, after all that, you don't know how to drink!"

Feeling like he had lost face, Zhou Maoxue blushed and gritted his teeth, downing the bowl of wine in one gulp.

A spicy sensation flowed down, instantly washing away the feeling of fatigue.

"Good! That's the spirit!" The workers cheered loudly.

Zhou Maoxue smiled, put the wine bowl on the table, and someone immediately filled it up again for him.

"You're a real man, have another one!"

Zhou Maoxue drank it all in one go again, and soon felt a little lightheaded.

The workers exchanged glances, each with a mysterious smile on their faces.

The leading worker said, "You're a straightforward guy! Since we all live under the same roof, drinking together makes us friends. If you have any questions about the factory, just ask us brothers."

Zhou Maoxue's face was slightly red as he asked, "You're too kind, everyone. I'm new here and just wanted to ask, is the treatment in all the factories in Houchang Village like this one?"

"Well, it's probably about the same! But our factory is considered pretty good."

"Before I came to the factory, I heard about black factories..."

"It's not easy to get into a factory, where are these black factories, they don't exist, brother, you're just overthinking it," the worker interrupted him.

Zhou Maoxue immediately shut his mouth.

Having only had a couple of drinks, they weren't exactly close yet. Perhaps he had asked too early, at an inappropriate time.

While he was pondering, he felt some discomfort in his chest.

Zhou Maoxue reached into his chest and took out two books, placing them on the table.

"Wow! Brother, you can read!" Seeing him take out the books, the workers were collectively surprised.

Zhou Maoxue smiled smugly, "I know a few words, nothing worth mentioning."

Read? More than just read! How could you mud-legs compare to Zhou, a respected candidate in the imperial examinations?

"That's great, brother! Can you tell us what's written in the books? I heard that the Dongjiao University entrance exam only requires you to know enough, and you can get in even if you can't read. If you're willing to teach us, I'll cover all your drinks from now on!" The four workers crowded around him, their eyes shining with excitement.

Zhou Maoxue was immediately stunned.

He never expected these mud-legs to show such a thirst for knowledge.

He wanted to refuse, but facing those four pairs of eyes full of desire for knowledge, he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"This... this is just a small matter, of course, no problem!" Zhou Maoxue stammered.

Agreeing was fine, anyway, it was just to get closer to them.

"Great, I like your attitude! Come on, brother, eat some food first, we'll eat and talk..."

......

In a flash, nine days passed.

Zhou Maoxue and the others had quickly adapted to life here.

At first, it was indeed unbearably tiring, but after working for a few days, they realized that the amount of work they were doing didn't seem like much.

Once they got used to it, it felt like they hadn't been working for long before it was time for lunch.

After lunch, time flew by, and it was time to get off work....

As for dirt on the factory, they hadn't found any yet, but in some aspects, there had been abnormal changes.

Because the workers were begging him to study the Dongjiao University courses.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and study and prepare lessons in the lounge at noon.... In the evening, he would bring the books and lecture the workers.

The workers weren't easy to deal with either. The next day, they even dragged people from other dormitories to come and listen to the lectures.

The original eight-person dormitory was crowded with more than twenty people, sitting in a circle, listening attentively to his lectures.

From time to time, someone would bring him snacks and pour tea and water for him.

Because of the massive workload, the other three had no choice but to get involved, lecturing the workers together and boasting a little on the side.

Although it was a bit tiring, it had to be said that facing the admiring gazes of the crowd.

Zhou Maoxue and the other candidates' vanity was greatly satisfied!

Even the faces of these 'mud-legs' who listened to the lectures became endearing.

Unknowingly, they had vaguely begun to integrate into the collective...

......

On this day, Zhou Maoxue was working as usual.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and a voice came from his ear: "Brother Zhou, the boss is here, be serious."

Hearing that it was a roommate, he looked up.

The boss had indeed entered the factory, accompanied by several young people.

The fat boss was saying something with a flattering expression, while the young people looked serious, and some were even taking notes.

Zhou Maoxue asked, "Who are those people next to the boss?"

The worker said mysteriously, "You don't even know that? You've been in the factory for so many days for nothing. Those people are from Dongjiao University."

Dongjiao University!

Zhou Maoxue immediately became alert.

After waiting for so long, was there finally going to be some change? If it continued like this, he would soon become a teacher in the factory.

No, he already was....

"What are the people from Dongjiao University doing here?"

"Hey, many of the technologies and tools in our factory are provided by Dongjiao University, so they naturally want to come and take a look." The worker explained in detail, "Didn't you ask me about black factories before? There used to be many black factories in Houchang Village."

"Oh?" Zhou Maoxue was overjoyed.

The other three candidates cast excited glances.

"Black factories use people to death, worse than livestock. Later, some factory owners became smarter and went to Dongjiao University to ask for help in designing and building factories, providing some tools for work. Once the new factories were built, the efficiency with the same number of people was much higher than before."

"But there's no end to exploiting people, is there? Factory owners can't wait for efficiency to be as high as possible. With Dongjiao University's help, they exploit people even more!"

"Hiss...." Zhou Maoxue's heart began to race.

It's here! This is what he had been waiting for!

"Keep talking, tell me more!" Zhou Maoxue said, suppressing his excitement.

"Later, Dongjiao University found out about this and sent a special inspection team to investigate the situation of black factories. All factories must work according to reasonable hours. Once a black factory is found exploiting our workers, Dongjiao University will immediately withdraw all technical and tool support."

"We can also complain and report to Dongjiao University." The worker said vividly, "Think about it, how can those factory owners compete with others without handy tools? Besides, most of the factories in Houchang Village are built based on the railway, and the railway is in the hands of Dongjiao University. If they cancel the order, the factory will be finished!"

"Later, no one dared to do this anymore, and black factories disappeared."

Zhou Maoxue: "......"