Song Weidong had wanted to agree, but he saw the looks of desire from the provocateurs. His heart skipped a beat, and he understood the cause and effect. He immediately understood what was going on. The other party was unhappy that he could get 1.5 pounds of rice just by talking big, so they purposely asked him to go to Venus to test the waters. Regardless of whether he succeeded or not, he would be treated as a scapegoat by the others. If he really angered Venus, they would push him out to be the leader. At that time, he would not be able to explain himself.
The other group of people stood behind Song Weidong. They were not very determined to begin with. At this moment, they were even more unwilling to follow those people blindly. If they lost their jobs, it would be worse than killing them.
"How is that possible?
It shouldn't be. They don't lack food … "
"Quiet, all of you, quiet down. Are you going to listen to us, or are you going to listen to us? All of you, shut up …"
"The one with the surname Song, what's their explanation?
How much did they give us? "
"Humph, how arrogant. Asking us to get lost? Are our thousands of brothers made of mud?"
I'm not greedy for any credit. They're still waiting for my reply. I didn't mention this matter just now because I wanted to see who was the one who wanted to cause trouble. We have to find a few people to appease Minister Jin's anger, right? "
It was still the guy with the protruding mouth and ape-like chin who jumped out first. The tall and big man did not stop him. He crossed his arms and looked at this university student who was only in his twenties with a hint of mockery.
Song Weidong's eyes turned sideways, and he looked up at this short guy. This caused the man's expression to change. Under Song Weidong's intense gaze, he took a step back guiltily. He wanted to retaliate, but he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
At this moment, Song Weidong did not say anything. He was extremely disgusted with those people who still insisted on being stubborn at the last moment. Just for a little bit of personal gain, they dragged everyone into the abyss. Once Venus decided to give up on them, would they be able to return to the days when they had to fight to the death just to dig wild vegetables?
"Supervisor Song, are you saying?
This matter is not that simple? "
"I'll tell you the truth. I went to look for Minister Jin just now. Do you know how he reacted when he found out that you guys were causing trouble and wanted to increase the pay?"
"Don't, don't call me Supervisor Song. Who knows, we might have the same identity later …"
One of the captains who stood on Song Weidong's side asked in confusion. Song Weidong glanced at the group of troublemakers and replied with contempt, "Some people don't know what they're worth after eating for two days. They really think they're somebody. Minister Jin has already given the order. Either everyone scram, or none of the troublemakers will be spared. The food left behind will be halved. If you're unwilling, you can leave. If you're still unwilling, they have plenty of guns …"
"Wait, there's no need to panic about the mission. After I went to see Minister Jin, he lost his temper and immediately gave the order to mobilize more than 500 people. There were dozens of machine guns, mortars, and recoilless cannons mounted on military vehicles. They were all ready. They were about to charge over and chase all of you away. It was me who persuaded them in every possible way to calm them down.
After thinking things through, Song Weidong, who had been presenting himself as a good guy in front of the mediators, was enraged. This was framing him to his death. If Jin Xing had not seen through their true intentions from the start, or if he did not care about these few thousand small fries at all, he might have been the most pitiful one.
At this moment, a slightly older captain who looked more mature walked over. The man's words caused everyone to stop arguing. If the man's words were agreed to, both sides of the argument would have a way out. The people who had taken a hard stance were not fools. They were just testing the waters. If it was successful, they would be happy. If it was not successful, they would give up. Asking Song Weidong to look for Jin Xing was also a form of testing the waters.
"Sure, I'll accept it. You've taken turns on me, so just wait for a few thousand people to take turns on you. Do you think you're a big shot?
You're nothing in their eyes. Minister Jin remembers that my name is Song Weidong. What does he remember about you? "
A group of people started fighting amongst themselves. The few thousand men sitting at the side did not know what to do. They all had brains, but they followed the herd mentality and suppressed the uneasiness in their hearts. They held the mentality of not punishing the masses and waited for the higher-ups to make arrangements. Now that they saw the little leader who had bewitched them panicking, they also panicked. At this moment, someone finally remembered that compared to the hundreds of thousands of survivors in the Yin Mountain who were looking for wild vegetables, they were also a small minority. They belonged to the small minority that the men envied and hated.
The captain of more than a hundred people exploded. Song Weidong's words were too ruthless. There was no room for negotiation at all. They could not accept it at all. They could accept not raising the price, but they could not accept leaving. They had two full meals a day and two catties of rice. Among the survivors, they lived a middle-class life. No matter how beautiful the women were, as long as they wanted them, they would have to open their legs obediently. Once they lost this job, they might as well die.
"Boom …"
What Song Weidong said next caused everyone's expressions to change. Regardless of whether they agreed or disagreed, they all felt guilty. They were only able to become captains because they were good at bluffing. Those who truly relied on their own abilities to earn a living were all honest workers.
"Surnamed Song, what exactly do you mean?
Just because you think you're somebody?
Do you believe that I'll find a few gays to take turns on you? "
Song Weidong had just walked in when a short man with a protruding mouth and monkey cheeks shouted loudly. Following that man's shout, the workers who were sitting quietly around them started to stir. They whispered to each other, creating a buzzing sound. In the end, it actually formed a sound wave, causing Song Weidong to feel dizzy.
"Surnamed Song, you can't be lying to us, right? You're in the same boat as them, so you'll definitely side with them when you speak. Let's go and ask them ourselves …"
"Supervisor Song, give me an idea. What should I do? Should I pretend that nothing happened and continue working?
I might even be able to catch up to today's mission … "
"And you guys, don't make a scene here. Right now, it's not a problem of whether you'll raise the price or not. It's a problem of whether you can keep your jobs. Don't think that people will look up to you just because you've been in this line of work in the past. I've already said that even a farmer will not be any worse than you …"
Another tall, skinny man stood up and shouted loudly. His naturally loud voice was even louder than a loudspeaker. With just a few words, he suppressed the commotion of thousands of people.
"I told you not to make a scene. Look at this. It's not easy for you to have a job, but now it's ruined. You guys only know how to make a scene after eating your fill. Do you think people are stupid?
Today, you've made a scene, and I'll raise the price by half a catty of food. Tomorrow, make a scene again, and I'll raise it by another half a catty. No matter how much food there is, it won't be enough for you to make a scene … "
"I think that what Supervisor Song said is true. Why should people be threatened by us?
It's not easy to find a three-legged toad, but there are hundreds of thousands of two-legged men … "
"Supervisor Song, don't lower yourself to the same level as Scab. He doesn't have anything good to say. Everything he says comes from eating sh * t … Tell us, how did Minister Jin explain himself?"
This was the first time Song Weidong had spoken in such a high-profile manner. He spoke in a strange tone, and his skinny body was ramrod straight. His pair of small eyes had also become sharper behind the lenses of his spectacles, and he had quite an imposing manner.
After he finished speaking, the man slapped the man with the protruding mouth and ape-like cheeks to the side. He nodded and bowed to Song Weidong and said good things about him. Although his words were beautiful, his gaze was not kind. It was as if he would question Song Weidong if he did not get a satisfactory answer.
Song Weidong's refusal made the man's face light up. A thought flashed in his mind. A child who can make a scene will get milk. He had just started making a scene, and he was already promoted?
The same rank as Song Weidong?
What rank was that?
Then, Song Weidong's words splashed cold water on his excitement.
Speaking up to this point, Song Weidong's eyes swept across the crowd. Everyone had their mouths open, waiting for him to speak. When they saw him ask a question, they shook their heads at the same time. Song Weidong smiled coldly and said, "No reaction. He didn't react at all. He only said one sentence: 'Do you want to do it or not? If you don't want to do it, then forget it. He asked me to scram with you guys …"