How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Master Song had been waiting for the answer he wanted from Yan Ru for a long time, but then he received news that made him even more angry.

"What?!" Enraged, Master Song smashed his most beloved glass cup.

"Are you sure? When was this news received?"

Song Ren was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe and hurriedly replied, "That guy surnamed Xia, I don't know what got into him, insisted on writing such an article, and now... the news has spread like wildfire."

As he spoke, Song Ren handed over the latest newspaper.

Master Song took it and quickly read through the contents, skimming through ten lines at a time.

"presumptuous!"

Song Ren didn't dare to look up. He only heard the sound of paper tearing above his head, and he knew that the usually calm and composed Master Song was furious.

He swept everything he could grab onto the floor, and only then did he feel a great deal of relief.

"Find someone to take care of this guy surnamed Xia. Do it quickly and cleanly, otherwise I won't be able to quell my hatred."

"Yes," Song Ren carefully withdrew, only letting out a long sigh of relief after leaving the courtyard.

What a joke! Even though Uncle Song is a big shot outside, he doesn't dare to utter a sound in front of Master Song.

If you say that Master Song is the richest man in Sifang City, how many factories does he not know about? He has shares in this cotton mill, and he also owns other factories under his name. Every one of them needs a few indentured laborers. As soon as Mr. Xia's article in the newspaper came out, the union members started clamoring for their rights, which also impacted Master Song's interests, naturally causing him a lot of trouble.

"Brother Ren, where are you going?" Song Yuanliang greeted him with a smile.

Song Ren hurriedly greeted him, "Young Master, Master sent me on an errand, so I'm..."

"Then you should go quickly, don't delay your business." Song Yuan said in a good-natured manner, and quickly stepped aside to make way for Song Ren.

"Yes," Song Ren agreed verbally, but he didn't dare to let Song Yuanliang give way to him. He retreated to the corridor and ran away in a flash.

Watching his departing figure, Song Yuanliang gradually composed himself, turned around and looked at Master Song's study. After a moment's thought, he stepped into the courtyard.

"Father." Song Yuanliang knocked lightly on the door from the outside.

Upon hearing his son's voice, Master Song invited the man in.

Song Yuanliang was dressed in an elegant long gown and wore gold-rimmed glasses, exuding a rare scholarly air for a young nobleman.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing serious. I just read a newspaper this morning and wanted to talk to my father about it."

Master Song's expression was somewhat unnatural. The pieces of paper he had just torn were still scattered on the ground, and it was unclear whether Song Yuanliang had seen them clearly.

"Oh? What did you see?"

"My son has never been involved in the business, let alone entered the textile factory, so he came to ask his father if what was said in the newspaper is true?"

Instead of answering directly, Mr. Song asked, "Without a diploma or any special skills, how will you support your family?"

"That naturally means selling one's labor. If one doesn't have a skill, one can earn money with one's physical strength. Isn't that what it's like to be a porter at the dock or a porter on the street?"

"That's true, and so are women. Since the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China, women's status has improved by countless times. These factories have also begun to recruit skillful female workers. But they don't even need diplomas; literacy is rare. Why do you think they can find work?"

Song Yuanliang pondered, "Yarn factories and cotton mills are mostly engaged in textile production, which women are probably not good at, so they recruit female workers."

“Not bad,” Master Song looked at him approvingly. “The harvest is bad, and many people are starving and cold. If we need to hire workers, there are enough women in the towns. The reason we still need to select women from the countryside is simply to give them a chance. Little do they know how many women in the countryside are rejected and how many are drowned at birth. If they could have a job to make a living, wouldn’t that be better than anything else?”

Song Yuanliang frowned, feeling that what Master Song said was not quite what he thought, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

"But... isn't this too cruel to these female workers? How are they any different from slaves in the old society?"

"Of course there is. Slaves in the old society never had a chance to rise up, but female factory workers did. After working hard for a few years and earning some money, they could return to their hometowns and have an easier life. As for your word 'cruel,' I think it's an overstatement. Managing a factory is not that simple. If you want your subordinates to obey, you have to have some methods. If you are always kind-hearted, you should go to a charity and wait for relief, instead of taking a job that others would kill for."

Song Yuanliang always felt that Master Song was distorting the truth, but upon closer examination, there was some truth to his words, so he struggled with his thoughts.

Master Song patted him on the shoulder, “Yuanliang, you are too soft-hearted and kind. You must know that ‘a kind heart cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot manage finances.’ If you are too merciful to your subordinates, it will only backfire. Just take what you read in the newspaper with a grain of salt. If factories no longer employ indentured laborers, what will they do? Will they go back to their villages and continue to toil in the fields for a living? Mr. Xia certainly didn’t think of that. Can he provide a place for all the illiterate female workers to live? Can he provide them with a job to support their families? Mr. Zhou has made a name for himself by writing books and newspapers, and these writers will follow suit. It’s inevitable that some charlatans will infiltrate the ranks. You’ll see if you read more.”

Song Yuanliang lowered his eyes and did not answer.

Master Song invited him out, and Song Yuanliang kept thinking about what Master Song had said all the way. It seemed he still had to go to the factory. "What you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand."