latelenovela Chapter 374: The Happy Life of Refugee Jin Shitou (Part 2)
Chapter 374: The Happy Life of Refugee Jin Shitou (Part 2)
"...I farmed, drove a donkey cart, built kilns... and... I also weave baskets."
Shitou was holding onto his father, looking bewildered. He hadn't considered escaping. He was too hungry to run, nor could he carry his father. Besides, his sister-in-law and children were still with the women.
The man nodded, scribbled a few words on the paper, and asked someone to take him to the "cleaning area".
"Let's go take a shower!"
Shi Tou was stunned and thought, take a...bath?
They had been exposed to the wind and sun all this time, their bodies were already covered in ringworm, their hair was a mess, and they were covered in lice. But who still cared about bathing? Where would they get water?
He ended up in a large tent and was told to strip naked. In the center of the tent stood several tall iron pipes with something rolled up on top. Next to them was a bucket of white powder, and a "big brother" in a blue uniform was holding a bamboo stick, teaching them how to apply the powder to get rid of lice.
"This is sulfur powder. Rub it all over your body, especially your underarms, crotch, and scalp!"
"This is called a 'group shower'. It's not to harm you, it's to save your lives. Listen carefully!"
Shitou stood under the showerhead, afraid to move at first, fearing it might be some kind of trap. But as the hot water streamed down, scalding his entire body and numbing the dirt, washing away layer by layer, his eyes suddenly became red.
Although this "collective shower room" was already notorious in Europe at that time due to the Nazis' rampant abuse, it could even cause PTSD in some groups.
But for refugees like Shitou, having endless hot water pouring down from above their heads and being able to take a bath to their heart's content was an enjoyment no less than that of heaven.
"...Mom, I took a shower...I really took a shower..."
This hot water is even more delicious than the wedding soup his elder brother drank when he got married that year.
After a while of washing and scrubbing, the group of men were driven out naked and taken to a tent to line up to receive clothes. The clothes were light gray long coats and trousers, and a pair of brand new rubber-soled shoes.
Seeing this, the refugees were furious.
"Give me clothes! Really give me clothes?"
"Quickly line up! Quickly! I need to change quickly!"
Some people couldn't contain their emotions and started to squeeze forward. An old man was afraid that he would not be able to get the food, so he just threw a tantrum. Someone else took the lead and yelled: "I am old and weak! I should get it first--"
The scene suddenly became chaotic.
Shitou also hurriedly pulled his father forward, fearing that if he was too late, the light would have gone out and he would not be able to get it.
But there was a "bang" sound, and a black rubber stick hit the table hard.
"Line up! Anyone who disrupts the order will be beaten!"
Before he finished speaking, someone blew a whistle, and several burly men rushed up, holding rubber sticks and beating the buttocks and thighs of the people who were leading the trouble, which were the thickest parts of the body.
The sound was like a firecracker exploding, instantly subduing the team. Several people cried out in pain, knelt down and begged for mercy, shouting "I won't dare to do it again!"
"Everyone stand up, don't kneel!"
The same man with glasses and the appearance of a cadre came out, stood on the box, and said loudly to the group of naked old men and young men in front of him:
"You're not animals, you're human beings! But if you want to be human, you have to behave like one! Listen to commands, observe order, and follow the rules. This isn't some chaotic refugee camp, it's a reception camp for the People's Security Army! We'll feed you and house you, but only if you learn to behave like one, learn to line up, and raise your hands to report anything. Do you understand?"
"I heard!"
This group of hundreds of people deserves to be remembered by the whole mountain.
Shi Tou and Dad rested in the camp for seven days.
Meals were served at regular times each day, three times a day, morning, noon, and night. A doctor attended to Dad's health, and my sister-in-law was assigned to help with the cooking. Shitou was also taken to attend lectures, learning the basic rules of the camp and a few common words.
Only then did he slowly understand that they were not being captured to die, but someone was really trying to save them.
Seven days later, Shitou boarded a large truck. On board were not only Shitou's family, but also a group of Sichuanese who had fled famine, and a few skinny men who spoke Hunan dialect.
The car drove steadily, heading south on the dirt road built by the army.
The car kept driving along the way. Every day when it arrived at a place, it would rest, set up camp, eat and sleep, and continue driving at dawn the next day. Stone didn't know how long it had been driving.
"Beggu is just ahead." Suddenly one of the people who spoke Hunan dialect spoke in Mandarin.
"Pegu? Isn't that a foreign country?" someone whispered.
"That was in the past. Now this land was conquered by the Anmin Army. It's our Chinese territory now. The Anmin Army gave us clothes and provided us with food and drink."
Shitou hugged his nephew beside him, listening to the roar of the engine, and his heart gradually calmed down.
Maybe...the nightmare is finally over, and a new life begins.
-----
Jin Shitou sat on a small bench at the door of the wooden house, peeling sweet potatoes that had just been picked from the ground, while looking at the back of his sister-in-law swinging a hoe in the field in the distance, feeling at ease.
"Uncle, I got another red flower today! The teacher said my handwriting is the best!" The eldest brother's daughter Jin Xiaocui came home from school and ran over happily, with the canvas schoolbag rattling.
Jin Shitou put down the sweet potato and patted the little girl on the head: "You are really promising! After dinner tonight, uncle will add the sweetest dried sweet potato."
Jin Shitou and his family are now resettled on a newly reclaimed plain north of Mandalay and west of the Irrawaddy River.
Quinine, penicillin and streptomycin produced by Nanhua Pharmaceutical ensured that these immigrants had the ability to go deep into the rainforest to reclaim land. A large amount of rainforest was cut down, and the large number of immigrants from the Republic of China provided Zhang Chi with sufficient manpower to carry out land reclamation.
A large number of newly built cement plants enabled Zhang Chi to build reservoirs and hydropower stations on the Irrawaddy River.
In the climate of places like Bago, Siam, and Malay, the common severe droughts in the country are not the biggest threat to agriculture; instead, floods are more destructive.
Therefore, it is extremely important to build water conservancy projects, generate electricity during off-peak hours, and store water during the rainy season.
The village where Shitou's family lives is not far from a small reservoir and a supporting hydropower station. Therefore, in the evening, every household in this new Chinese village has lights on.
Of course, there is a charge for the wires and poles, but the money will not be collected now. It will be collected three years later when the immigrants have settled down. Now it is just recorded in the account.
As for the electricity bill itself, it is not expensive, and Jin Shitou performs well in night school.
Although he is the only able-bodied laborer in the family, he is actually only 19 years old, which is the time when he is smart and studious. In the past few months, he has not only learned a lot of words in night school, but also passed the Mandarin qualification test with a Class C qualification. The night school directly rated him as an outstanding student and gave him a bonus of 20 dollars.
This $20 is real money, not the immigration loan they received when they first settled down. Although that loan is interest-free, it still needs to be repaid. This unexpected bonus immediately made Shitou a lot more financially comfortable.