Chapter 535 Toll Station

Balipu in October is much colder than outside.

Ha breath out is all Bai Shengsheng.

In the toll station, the floor heating has been burned, and the room is very warm, so I don't worry about holding my breath.

Li Dashan is holding a writing brush, dipped in water, and writing on the wooden board.

His hometown is in the village on the other side of the mountain. There are capable people in the village. When he was thirteen years old, he followed the capable people in the village to work in the county town.

I've done a lot of work over the years.

Running errands, doing errands, working as a junior in the hall, and also working as a porter. The farthest place I ran with the caravan was Fucheng, a hundred miles away.

A lot of work was done, but nothing was earned. Once when I was a porter in the next county, I was arrested and worked hard labor for half a year. I almost lost my life in the next county.

After that, Li Dashan stopped thinking about going out. Or find a coolie in your own county.

I thought life would go on like this, but I didn't expect a turnaround in June this year.

At that time, the cement road had not been completed, and some people went to the county to recruit workers, including food, housing, and wages. Just a pawnbroker in Balipu.

Many people in the county seat are dubious, and few people are working. Because the recruiters are from other places, everyone is afraid of encountering liars.

Moreover, there are so many poor people in Balipu, what kind of work can they do. Repair the road? The road is almost finished, and I can't even drink broth at this time.

At that time, Li Dashan was struggling in the grocery store, and the owner guarded him like a thief all day.

Hearing that someone was recruiting, he responded regardless.

Then, he took the salary and went to the training class in Fucheng. It's actually a literacy class.

Li Dashan never dreamed that there are such good things in the world. Without doing a day's work, you can get paid and can read.

He is old, twenty-seven or eighty-eight. He is slow to learn things. He has been in the training class for two months, but he still fails the exam.

The owner said that if he failed the exam three times, he would be dismissed. He has already taken the exam twice, and there is only one exam left.

The man in his twenties, because he failed the exam, was so anxious that he hid in the bed in the middle of the night and secretly shed tears.

At this time, an old boy came to the training class. His surname was Wang, and he was a native of Balipu.

Wang Laotongsheng is literate and can be employed as long as he passes training.

The two came from the same county and became acquainted with each other. Wang Laotongsheng saw his difficulties in studying and offered to help him with tuition.

With the help of Wang Laotongsheng, he finally passed the literacy test for the third time. Next, you only need to pass the induction training exam, you can be officially hired.

Due to Wang Laotongsheng's friendship, Li Dashan, who finally passed the induction training test after going through all kinds of difficulties, chose to be a clerk at the Balipu toll station. No, he had to be called a toll collector.

The webmaster said that everyone has to introduce themselves like this to the outside world, so that they appear formal.

The stationmaster also said that whoever dares to call himself a buddy will be drawn.

Really smoke, not to scare people.

"Are you practicing calligraphy again?"

Wang Laotongsheng walked out of the rest station, came to the toll booth next door, and glanced at Li Dashan through the window.

In just over a month, Wang Laotong's shotgun changed from gun to cannon.

The back, which had been crushed by life, was straight and straight. There is flesh on the cheeks, and the face looks kinder. There is also light in the eyes.

Wearing a well-washed long gown on her body is a bit of a gentleman's temperament.

The friendship he forged with Li Dashan from the Fucheng training class, and because Li Dashan chose to work as a post in Balipu, the relationship between the two is naturally unusual.

"Mr. Wang, can you still see people with my words?"

Wang Laotongsheng nodded, "I have made progress. Every day I have time to practice more, and I will practice for two hours. By this time next year, you will almost be able to meet people."

Li Dashan grinned, "Really? Can I pass the job exam next year?"

"Read more books, it should be fine."

This toll station is very strange. Not only does it require induction training, but every toll collector is required to be literate and basic arithmetic. There is also an on-the-job examination every year.

If you pass the exam, you can continue to work here.

If you fail the exam, you will be fired.

The shadow of dismissal made everyone at the toll booth carry a bald brush, dip in water to write and read, and do arithmetic when they have nothing to do.

Pen, ink, paper and inkstone are too expensive, and everyone is still reluctant to bear it.

The reason for such a fight is all because of the high treatment at the toll station.

Wang Laotong was very envious of Li Dashan.

"Fool Wang, here we come!"

When Wang Laotongsheng heard this voice, the mustache at the corner of his mouth trembled.

The head of the toll booth, Mr. Niu, walked into the toll booth with two prey in his hands.

Li Dashan stood up with a snap, "Hello, stationmaster."

"Good shit. How's it going today?"

Li Dashan quickly took out today's running account and handed it over to the stationmaster Niu Boss.

Niu Lao nature is literate. He wouldn't tell others that he was in the training class and took the course for nearly a whole year before he got the position of webmaster.

He flipped through the running account, "Not bad. There are seven or eight caravans going to the capital today. I didn't expect that it was winter, and there were so many caravans going to the capital. There are also quite a few going south to Luozhou. I counted them. There are also five or six, and those who visit relatives and friends. Not bad, good work."

The big hand of the boss, the big fan, clapped Li Dashan's back, almost breaking Li Dashan to pieces.

Wang Laotongsheng quietly left the toll station and returned to the rest station.

He couldn't stand Niu Boss. He was rude and always called him an idiot. It was really outrageous.

"Mr. Wang was bullied by Boss Niu again. Haha..."

Colleagues at the rest stop teased him kindly.

Wang Laotongsheng snorted twice, "What bullying, nonsense."

As soon as he opened his mouth, there was another good-natured laughter.

By mid-afternoon, the sky had already darkened.

There was the sound of rolling wheels in the distance.

Boss Niu slapped Li Dashan on the back again, "There is a caravan coming."

Li Dashan endured the pain, called a toll collector in the lounge next door, and walked out of the toll booth together.

The caravan came from the direction of Luozhou, and it seemed that it was going to the capital.

The caravan consciously stopped in front of the wooden fence.

Li Dashan stepped forward to count.

"Eighteen animals and ten cars. The total fee is eight or eighty-four cents."

The toll collector behind him took a quick record with a charcoal pen.

The person in charge of the caravan got out of the car and looked at his clothes. It might be the owner.

The other party asked, "Do we also have to pay for this car?"

Li Dashan said with a stern face, "Of course I have to accept it. Look at your car, it carries so much cargo, at least two or three hundred kilograms. This should be replaced by the mud road of the past, and the road has long been crushed by you guys. .

Our owner built this cement road with our own money. Look how smooth and stable the road is. Such a good road, is it possible that you don't even give three cents? "

The other party smiled embarrassedly and motioned for the steward to pay.

"No, I'm not responsible for collecting money. Take this receipt and pay at the window. You all know the rules along the way."

Isn't this trying to test one or two?

The steward smiled, took the receipt and copper coins, and ran to the window to pay the bill.

This caravan started from further south in Luozhou, and after entering Luozhou, it took the cement road.

There is a toll station every 50 miles, and each toll station has its own duties.

The person who does the registration is specially registered, and the person who receives the money is specially responsible for receiving the money.

After passing through so many toll booths, I did not find a single toll booth where the registrant collected money privately.

The owner of the caravan looked at the surrounding environment, but thought to himself, if the toll booth can maintain this style and continue to operate, it would be incredible.

In the future, there may be more caravans who are willing to take a long detour, and are also willing to take this cement road that does not require a card.

Peace of mind, peace of mind, fast speed and money saving.

The steward paid the toll, got a few printed bills, and handed them over to the boss.

The owner is holding the paper of the receipt. The paper is really good and the printing is really clear.

On the first bill, the words "Wu Shi Wu Shi of Balipu Toll Station on Cement Road, Luozhou, Beijing" were written in huge fonts, and there was a steel seal below, as well as the seal of Sihai Road and Bridge Firm, and a series of incomprehensible codes. It is said to be for anti-counterfeiting.

How to prevent counterfeiting, the caravan owner has never figured out.

At the bottom, there is a red seal, which is clearly new. Under the red seal, the date is written. October 23, the first year of Wende

There are a few bills left, one with "Two Shi", one with "Yi Shi", and the last four small bills, all written with "One Wen".

When these bills are put together, they are eighty-four pennies.

And each ticket has a fresh red stamp on it, as well as today's date.

After receiving the fee, Li Dashan asked, "Do you want to go directly, or go to the rest station to drink hot tea?"

The owner of the caravan looked at the sky, "It's going to rain soon."

Li Dashan snorted, "There is a lot of rain in the mountains, but it's not too big."

The owner of the caravan asked: "We are on our way now. Do you think we can reach the toll booth in front of you before dark?"

Li Dashan glanced at the sky, the weather was dark, and it was dark early in winter.

He shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

"Then take a rest at the rest stop tonight."

"Okay! Wang Mazi, there are guests, hurry up and pick them up."

Wang Mazi was the young man who fooled Wang Laotong back then.

He was originally a buddy of the Four Seas Trading Company, and his hometown was nearby.

When the rest station was built, he took the initiative to invite Ying to come and run it.

According to the rules of the cosmopolitan firm, the old employees go to the new industry and their positions are promoted by one level.

Wang Mazi was promoted from the clerk to the deputy stationmaster of the rest station, in charge of the hall entrance and greeting the guests.

Wang Mazi brought two guys out to say hello, "Does the guest officer have a meal, or do you want to eat and stay at the restaurant?"

"Eat and stay at the restaurant."

"Okay! Come here, please come from the guest officer. Don't worry, the carriages, horses and goods will be arranged for you in the stables in the back row, and there will be special personnel to guard them. Our side is safe, and since the establishment of the station, there has not been a single case of theft. "

The owner of the caravan followed Wang Mazi into the rest station, his nose twitched slightly, "What kind of fragrance is this, how come I've never smelled it before."