HCB Chapter 273 Complaint
Chapter 273 Complaint
When the scorching summer heat enveloped Donghai Island without warning, the entire island seemed to be placed in a huge steamer.
The beach in the salt-producing area was scorching under the scorching sun, and the temperature was so high that it could burn the soles of shoes. In this scorching heat, the convicts were like driven ants, forced to do the heavy work of boiling coarse salt on the uncovered beach. Sweat kept oozing from their foreheads, dripping onto the hot sand and disappearing in an instant.
Murong Ling'er was completely different from the other exiles. She looked at the scorching beach and the scorching sun above her head. When everyone started to work in an orderly manner, she resolutely turned around and walked towards the mountains.
The forest was lush with trees. She searched carefully and finally found a tall, straight tree with a thick trunk and lush branches and leaves, which was an excellent material for building a sunshade.
Murong Ling'er dragged the big tree back to the beach with great effort and began to build a sunshade around it. She used vines to fix the branches one by one, and then covered them with leaves and thatch. A simple yet large sunshade gradually took shape.
The other convicts were stunned by her actions and their faces turned pale instantly. They knew very well that on this East China Sea Island, any violation of the rules would bring cruel punishment.
Once, a convict tried to slack off for a moment while working, and was whipped by the supervisors until his skin was torn and flesh was exposed, leaving him on the verge of death. However, building an awning, an act of blatantly challenging the rules of the island, was unprecedentedly bold.
However, Murong Ling'er's bold move was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing a thousand waves. The newly arrived convicts did not know the cruel past here, and when they saw the awning built by Murong Ling'er, the desire in their hearts was instantly ignited.
Lin Dong ran to Murong Ling'er excitedly, his eyes sparkling: "Godmother, my parents said they also want to build a sunshade."
As soon as he entered the shed, he immediately felt a cool breeze blowing on his face, as if the hot world outside was isolated from here. The scorching sun outside the shed looked like a harmless paper tiger at this moment.
As soon as Murong Ling'er's awning was built, it attracted many people.
Everyone asked her to help build another one, and Lin Dong actively persuaded them, but Murong Ling'er was not the kind of person who would be ordered around by others.
She took a lot of effort to build this awning, and only let Huo Jianjie and Chu Lingfeng move in.
She looked at everyone and said calmly, "If you want to build it, just build it yourself! Just go to the mountain and cut down some trees."
Although everyone was a little disappointed, they also knew Murong Ling'er's temper and did not dare to force her. They carefully recalled the process of Murong Ling'er building the awning and prepared to follow suit.
Suddenly, the beach became bustling with activity. Everyone went to the mountain to cut trees, and then returned to the beach to build their own awnings.
Manager Chen was in the house at this time, enjoying the coolness brought by the ice basin and feeling drowsy.
Suddenly, a rapid knock on the door broke the silence in the house.
"Come in." Manager Chen slowly opened his eyes and responded impatiently.
An old woman with a pointed face and a mean expression walked in timidly. She was Mrs. Xu.
"Manager Chen, something big has happened!"
Mrs. Xu's voice was filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. "Someone took the lead in building a shed on the beach and even ran to the mountain to cut down trees without permission. They completely disregarded the rules of the island!"
Mrs. Xu's face was full of resentment. She had long been dissatisfied with Murong Ling'er. When they were snatching firewood before, Murong Ling'er was very quick and could grab a lot every time, leaving people like Mrs. Xu who were physically weak to watch helplessly.
Manager Chen's face instantly turned gloomy. He stood up suddenly and shouted angrily: "How outrageous! Are these convicts rebelling?" He strode out of the room and walked towards the beach.
At this time, on the beach, the convicts were still busy building awnings, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
When Manager Chen saw this, he was furious. He shouted at the supervisors, "Tear down all these sheds! Arrest the ringleader!"
The supervisors, whips in hand, rushed towards the prisoners like wolves and tigers...
When Manager Chen hurried to the beach under the scorching sun, his clothes had already been soaked with sweat. The clothes on his back were tightly stuck to his skin. He could feel the scorching sun and the hot sand with every step he took.
When he finally arrived, the scene in front of him made his eyes widen instantly. He saw a busy scene on the beach, with convicts coming and going, and thick trees being carried down the mountain with difficulty. In the center, the shed built by Murong Ling'er was particularly conspicuous, like a solid fortress, standing firmly on the hot sand.
"Manager Chen is here!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and the originally noisy beach suddenly became quiet, and then a more urgent and busy sound broke out.
"Hurry up, hurry up, work harder, Manager Chen is here."
"Hey! Why is Mrs. Xu following behind Manager Chen?"
"Humph, this old hag must be going to complain again. These newcomers are probably in for some bad luck."
"Shh, stop talking and get to work." Everyone was talking in low voices while speeding up their movements, their eyes full of tension and anxiety.
"Manager Chen, look, this girl is the one who took the lead in setting up the shed. She doesn't even pay attention to you. She's so presumptuous!"
Mrs. Xu followed behind Manager Chen and shouted in a shrill voice, with a smug look on her face as if to say that she had already seen Murong Linger being severely punished.
At this time, Murong Ling'er was comfortably staying in the cool shed, concentrating on boiling two pots of sea water to prepare coarse salt.
Murong Chen was standing aside, unable to help much, so he simply sat there, reading a book carefully, fanning himself from time to time, enjoying the rare coolness in the shed.
Hearing Mrs. Xu's shouting, the mother and son turned around at the same time. Murong Ling'er saw Manager Chen and nodded politely. Then she continued to add firewood to the stove as if nothing had happened, without even glancing at Mrs. Xu.
Huo Jianjie and Chu Lingfeng were also sitting aside, with no intention of getting up, still calmly doing their own things.
Their nonchalant attitude made Mrs. Xu, who always loved to complain, very happy. She couldn't wait to see these people being whipped in a miserable state.
However, the development of the matter was far beyond everyone's expectations.
Manager Chen was not angry. Instead, he looked at the awning with admiration.
"That's a good idea. It will definitely be much cooler this way."
As he spoke, he paced in the shed, feeling the breeze blowing from all directions, and actually felt that it was even cooler here than in his own room where he had placed the ice basin.
As they walked, Manager Chen inadvertently walked in front of Chu Lingfeng. Their eyes met briefly, and a hint of imperceptible tacit understanding flashed in their eyes.