How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

The next morning, Qingru was notified that she would go to work with the girls on the early shift.

The rooster crows in the morning and the ghosts howl at night. At this moment, when the rooster crows once, more than forty girls start to get busy.

To keep warm, many of them preferred to sleep huddled together. Of course, this was also because there weren't many spare pipes available, but Qingru's situation was an exception.

“Someone just died there, right there on their bed, and it was a gruesome death, so nobody dares to go there.”

Qingru wasn't too surprised by the news. Now, her biggest worry was how to get past the layers of guards at the factory to find Chief Zhang's sister.

The advantages of living alone became apparent at this moment. Qingru hadn't even taken off her clothes. After getting up in the morning and tidying herself up a bit, she "got out of bed" and went to the fire made of reeds to scoop up water to rinse her mouth.

The girls who slept huddled together weren't so comfortable. They had no way to wash up and worked in the high temperatures all day, which made them smell sour.

They huddled together to sleep at night, the various smells fermenting together, to the point that one breath was enough to make you faint. Yet, when they got up, they dressed as if it were a battle, and even had to find a comb to tie their braids so they wouldn't get caught in the machine.

"Where's my comb? Who took it?"

"Where are my clothes? Did someone put them on by mistake?"

"Ah! Get out of the way, you're stepping on my foot!"

……

After a brief period of chaos, only ten minutes had passed before the girls gradually tidied themselves up.

After the thin porridge was cooked, Mrs. Zhang came over to distribute the rice as usual, giving each person a small spoonful. Qingru dared not go hungry today, so she took the rice bowl that Luchaibang had found for her, which belonged to Sun Qiao'er, to get her rice.

If I eat a little bit, I'll have more energy to run away.

Qingru pinched her nose and blew on the porridge to cool it down, then gulped it down in one go, swallowing it down quickly to reduce the chance of chewing and savoring it in her mouth.

This morning, the brown rice contained rice husks, which stung her throat, but she didn't spit it out and forced it down with cold water.

Luchaibang'er didn't eat at this moment; she always ate the last bit at the bottom of the pot, so she always waited on the side while everyone else ate.

Sometimes, when Mrs. Zhang was in a bad mood, he would rather throw away the last bit of food at the bottom of the pot than let her eat it. But today, he made an exception and gave her a big spoonful of the leftovers.

After dinner, Qiaofeng and the other girls from the night shift returned. Mrs. Zhang added several ladles of water to the little bit of leftover porridge in the big pot, cooked it up, and it was another meal. Since they were just coming back to sleep anyway, Mrs. Zhang thought they didn't need to waste food.

Hungry? If you are hungry, just endure it and go to sleep. Once you fall asleep, you won't be hungry anymore.

This was Mrs. Zhang's perfunctory and twisted reasoning, yet no one dared to object.

Qingru did the math and realized that the number of girls far exceeded that of the brothel managers and the bosses. If they really started to resist, the bosses probably wouldn't be able to handle it.

People are just too blindly loyal these days, and they refuse to rebel immediately. Or perhaps the outside world doesn't know the true nature of the textile factory.

Having drunk a bellyful of water, and swaying unsteadily, Qingru followed Zhang Dali to the factory once again.

Qingru observed that there were significantly more people during the day. This was a production site, and all the workers were contract laborers. She wondered where the regular workers were working.

Qingru looked around, but this slut called Sister Qing interrupted her. "Where are you looking? Look here and learn properly, or I won't be responsible if I cut off your fingers or your head."

Sister Qing was very arrogant, while Qingru remained silent with her head bowed. After reprimanding her, Sister Qing went to watch the skilled workers operate the equipment, occasionally interjecting with a few words.

The work in the yarn factory is divided into spinning, weaving, packing, loading, etc., and the process is very complicated. Everyone has their own responsibilities.

Spinning and weaving require skilled workers, and newcomers like Qingru were only assigned tasks such as packing or loading.

This was tough on Qingru. She had never done any heavy work before. Even when she was Guo Zixing's maid, she only served tea and water. Now that she was actually doing this kind of work, it was really difficult for her.

Today, Zhang Dali distributed clothes to them. Qingru took the gray work clothes that had been worn by countless people and put them on with a stiff upper lip. This was one of their trademarks. In the whole factory, you could tell at a glance who were the regular workers and who were the contract workers.

After watching for half an hour, Qingru was allowed to do it herself. The young supervisors patrolled back and forth, and any slight mistake would result in a beating and scolding. After the beating, she would stand up and continue working.

The more anxious Qingru was, the more steady her hands became. Today was the second day, and she had to find a way to contact Chief Zhang's sister.

"Sister Qing, I need to use the restroom." Qingru noticed a girl tell Sister Qing this, took a tag, and went out.

"So that's how it is." Qingru silently noted it down in her mind. They really racked their brains to find ways to squeeze out time. Even going to the toilet required careful consideration.

"Sister Qing, my stomach hurts. Can I go out for a bit to use the restroom?"

A flash of hostility crossed Qingjie's eyes as she impatiently complained, "Have you eaten shit? Get back to work."

"This is my first time eating here, and I'm not used to it. I just couldn't resist bothering you. If I can't hold back for a bit... will the yarn I spun still be usable?"

Sister Qing waved her hand dismissively, "Go away, get back here right now."

"Oh, thank you, Sister Qing, thank you so much, Sister Qing." Qingru took the wooden sign Sister Qing had given her and examined it carefully. She found it was just an ordinary piece of wood with a patina, and the words "Toilet" were carved on it. Qingru held it in her hand, and sure enough, the Indian policeman saw the sign and didn't stop her, so Qingru went.

The fact that the working conditions of the bonded laborers were so poor, yet there was no news about it from the outside world, shows how different they were from the regular workers.

Qingru carefully put away the wooden plaque, took off and packed the work clothes Zhang Dali had given her, and went wherever the architecture looked good.

"Stop." The guard at the door called out to Qingru, looking her over suspiciously. "What do you do? I've never seen you before."

Qingru smiled broadly, "I'm a relative of Sister Qing's, and she asked me to come and learn from her."

"Sister Qing, which Sister Qing?"

Qingru's heart skipped a beat. How would she know this? "Sister Qing who manages the workers, you don't know her?"

"There are so many sluts here, do I have to know them all? Tell me who you are, or I'll call the police."

Qingru broke out in a cold sweat and was about to speak when a clear voice interrupted her.

"You're here to learn, right? Come in." A woman in a gray-white overall uniform came out. Her clothes were clean and tidy, and her two braids were neatly combed. She had a round face and looked very friendly. Her face was fair and energetic, a world apart from the blank-eyed bondmen.

Qingru looked at the name tag on her chest, which read "Zhang Yan".

The guard asked suspiciously, "You know him?"

"I don't know her, but the manager said there's a new employee today, so it must be her. We've been waiting too long, let her in."

Qingru followed Zhang Yan inside. The environment here was completely different from the other one. Although it was also a factory, the environment was very clean and tidy. The workstations were far apart, and the doors and windows were open, so it wasn't as stuffy. Most importantly, the female workers here were busy, but they were orderly and unhurried in their work.

I felt a little uneasy. We're all human, yet the difference is just too great.

Seeing her looking at the workers, Zhang Yan quickly pulled her into an office.

"Stop looking, they only work eight hours a day, and they'll have to take a lunch break soon."

Qingru snapped out of her daze and looked at Zhang Yan in front of her. Her round face was beaming with smiles, which made her very likable. "Are you Chief Zhang's sister?"

"Yes, you must be Officer Lü." She smiled playfully, winked at her, and then pulled out a photo. "Look, I carry your photo with me, just in case I mistake you for someone else."

It's quite a novel experience to be addressed like that for the first time.

The two exchanged a smile, and the atmosphere eased a bit.

Qingru seized the opportunity and said, "I've been out long enough. Tell your brother that I'm safe here for now, but I haven't found anyone yet, so I'll need some more time. Also..." Qingru also took out a piece of oil paper with simple routes drawn on it with charcoal sticks. It was a map of every road Qingru had taken from entering the factory to the present day. The number of patrol personnel and the level of danger were also marked on it, showing that she had put a lot of effort into it.

Zhang Yan was stunned. "You were able to draw so clearly in such a short time. You're a genius!"

Qingru couldn't help but smile, and then added, "You should also be careful. I've only been here for less than two days, and I've already seen two dead people."

Zhang Yan's smile froze. This was something she hadn't known before, and Qingru had no reason to scare her. She immediately said solemnly, "Don't worry, everyone here knows my brother is the police chief, and they treat me very politely."

"Also, if you see a girl named Guiying, tell her I'm here too, and the foreman's name is Zhang Dali."

"Okay, I got it. But those girls are very wary; they generally don't talk to outsiders."

"It's alright, you don't need to ask around. It would be great if we met, but it's okay if we didn't. I'll go find it myself."

The two girls said their goodbyes in a hurry, and Qingru secretly slipped back to her post through the back door.

She wasn't there, and there was already a huge pile of things to pack in front of me, about as tall as a person.

Qingru sighed softly. Under immense pressure, these people wished they could work faster and more than machines.

She quickly adapted to her new job. However, Sister Qing returned to the same place sometime earlier. When she saw Qingru working, she got angry for no apparent reason, grabbed a stick, and started beating her.

With a "whoosh," the impact hit her, and Qingru almost jumped up, letting out a muffled groan as her arm immediately became unable to lift. "Damn it, I was kind enough to let you out, and you've already disappeared? Next time, you'll poop in my pants, serves you right for running around like that, serves you right for running around like that."

Qingru endured the pain, suppressing the urge to resist, and suffered the torment.

Fortunately, she still had some reservations, since they weren't under her command, but merely being looked after. So she stopped after hitting them three or four times, gave them a few harsh scoldings, and then left.

Qingru lowered her head, glanced sideways at Sister Qing, and made a mental note of this debt, vowing to make her pay for it in blood.

Moving her throbbing arm inevitably aggravated her nerves, and Qingru couldn't help but hiss. She guessed that there must be bruises on her back.

Looking around at the other female workers, they seemed to take it all in stride; whether they were being beaten or someone else was being beaten, they had become so accustomed to it that they didn't even glance at it.

This won't do. If you become too numb, you'll ignore your own needs and rights, and gradually be domesticated into an obedient animal.

We must awaken their inner feelings; we can no longer remain numb and indifferent.

As Qingru worked, she pondered that persuasion alone would not be enough. She needed to make them see the difference between themselves and the regular workers, and to make them realize that they also had the right and the right to be respected.

Qingru recalled the workers' movement that her teacher had mentioned in class, as well as the Marxist ideology and fighting spirit that the working class was gradually accepting. It should have been a movement to fight for the rights of workers, but the female workers who were actually suffering were completely unaware of it.

Qingru thought of Guiying again, wondering how they were doing. It was a pity she hadn't remembered the shopkeeper's name, though she knew he was a large, fat man.

The room was unbearably stuffy and hot, making me feel parched. I noticed that the experienced female workers all carried water bottles and would take a few sips every now and then to quench their thirst and stave off hunger.

Qiu Shuang knew how to spin yarn, and on her very first day, the boss dared to let her spin on the machine. After only learning for an hour or two, Qiu Shuang's work was clumsy and awkward.

As usual, Sister Qing whipped her hard, but instead of hitting her hands, she aimed for her legs.

Seeing Qiushuang limping, her brows furrowed, and beads of sweat rolling down her face, Qingru didn't dare to cry. She just kept learning and diligently spinning thread.

Her eyes held resentment, even a hint of bitterness.

Qingru's eyes lit up. She had an idea. These experienced female workers were already numb, but the newcomers were not used to it. She would first incite them. As long as she succeeded in getting a few out, would she have to worry about not being able to lead the others?

Qiu Shuang felt a burning gaze fall on her, but she didn't dare to turn around to see who it was, for fear of getting another beating.

Her mindset today is completely different from yesterday. Yesterday, she shamelessly said that it was common for masters to beat their apprentices, but today it's different.

Although Sister Qing killed someone in front of them, it could be argued that she was already ill. But when the blame fell on her own body, there was no way to make amends.

Unforgivable!

He stood there for twelve hours straight, during which he did not eat or drink anything except to go to the toilet.

Qingru was starting to feel the strain. Even without being beaten, standing for twelve hours was exhausting enough, let alone being beaten and still having to work.

No matter how hard I try to hold on, I can't stop feeling exhausted.

Qiu Shuang collapsed several times, only to be doused with cold water and pulled up to continue working. The alternating hot and cold treatments caused her to develop a fever.

Qingru kept Qiushuang in mind and was determined to get her out of there first.

The sun had set and the last rays of light had faded when Sister Qing finally arrived. She inspected everyone's work, gave Qingru and Qiushuang a good pinch, and then released them with a merciful gesture.