Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I had seen that notebook several times at home. My father would write things in it, completely immersed.

My mother would call him for dinner, but he wouldn’t hear her even after several attempts.

They even had a fight once because of it.

He truly carried that notebook with him everywhere.

If that notebook really was my father’s, why was it in my mother’s hands?

It was impossible for my father not to have it with him when he went down into the mine, so it should have been burned to ashes.

Even if it hadn’t been completely destroyed, there should have been some remnants of the notebook on his body.

But on the corpse, there was nothing except for the charred work uniform, his work ID, and his identification card.

Assuming the notebook wasn’t destroyed in the accident and had survived for some special reason…

It still shouldn’t have ended up with my mother, because women weren’t allowed into the mines.

Now it had appeared in my mother’s hands, fully intact, and had become the current Death List.

He must have given it to her secretly.

Officer Dong moved quickly.

A day later, the results came back. A large amount of coal ash residue had been detected within the paper fibers of the notebook.

It was the one!

So, the pages torn from the front of the notebook were my father’s work logs.

I covered my face, letting tears stream through my fingers.

My father really wasn’t dead.

The charred person in the mine wasn’t him.

When I told Officer Dong this conclusion, he didn’t continue the discussion. Instead, he asked me a question.

“Are you investigating the truth of what happened back then all by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Your physical condition… it must be quite a struggle…”

Learning that my father was still alive only strengthened my resolve to investigate.

“I will find out exactly what happened back then. I will.”

“You’re quite stubborn.”

“My name is Lin Geng. My father gave me that name. ‘Geng’ as in ‘upright and honest.'”

Officer Dong took Xiao Li to Mingshan Village to visit several old-timers who had worked at the mine back then.

He wanted to confirm if they had seen the notebook and if it belonged to my father.

I originally wanted to listen in, but he refused.

He said that since I was also a witness, I couldn’t be present to ensure the independence of the testimonies.

It didn’t matter if he wouldn’t let me listen; there was no mistake about that notebook.

Although I was certain my father was alive, he seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, leaving no clues behind.

And the matter regarding my mother was far more complicated than finding my father.

What was the deal with that Liu Jianguo who died in the hospital?

Why was half of my mother’s fingerprint left there?

And Sun Congjun-who exactly was this person?

I didn’t dare rest for a moment, fearing I might miss something, and headed straight for the county hospital.

The hospital felt somewhat unfamiliar, a far cry from my childhood memories.

The entire facility had been renovated, and several new buildings had been added in some areas.

It had been over thirty years. I didn’t know how many doctors from back then were still around or if I’d have a chance to meet one.

How was I supposed to find them?

I couldn’t just grab any elderly-looking doctor and start questioning them.

This was something Officer Dong could handle more easily.

But he wouldn’t tell me what he found.

To be honest, I had my own selfish motives. If my parents really had been wronged back then and were forced to do something out of line…

I would definitely cover for them.

If there was evidence that would incriminate them, I wouldn’t tell Officer Dong.

The young nurse at the guidance desk saw me sitting alone in my wheelchair, looking around in a daze, and approached me.

“Hello, do you need any help?”

I remained silent.

“Which department are you looking for?”

“Obstetrics and Gynecology.”

Under the nurse’s guidance, I made my way to the OB-GYN department.

This was my second time coming here.

The first time was when I was born. That was the day Liu Jianguo died.

Watching the busy medical staff and the patients’ families coming and going…

I suddenly felt so lonely.

Truly lonely. From now on, I had no family left in this world.

Unlike them, who were welcoming one new life after another.

It must be nice.

“Hello, Doctor. I’d like to ask, do you know Shen Yufen?”

The doctor frowned at me. “Who?”

“Shen Yufen. A patient from thirty-seven years ago.”

“I don’t know her.”

……

“Doctor, sorry to bother you, but do you know Shen Yufen? She gave birth here thirty-seven years ago.”

“I haven’t even been working here for thirty years.”

……

“Hello, Doctor. I’m looking for someone named Shen Yufen. She came here to give birth thirty-seven years ago.”

“How many years?”

“Thirty-seven years.”

“There are so many people every day, who could remember? Go ask at the records room.”

Hearing this, I went to the records room.

After explaining my purpose, I was flatly rejected. The records room was not open to the public.

As expected.

Thirty-seven years…

Most of the doctors from back then must have retired by now.

Leaving the main entrance of the hospital, there was a small step. I was so preoccupied with thoughts of Liu Jianguo that I didn’t notice it.

The wheelchair rolled over the step, and I nearly tipped forward.

Fortunately, someone behind me was quick and caught me.

“Thank you, thank you.”

I turned back to express my gratitude. The person holding my wheelchair was an Old Master. He looked sturdy and much healthier than I was.

“Young man, be careful.”

“I will. Thank you very much.”

The Old Master had a resonant voice and looked very familiar. He must have been from Mingshan Village as well.

“Sir, you’re from Mingshan Village, aren’t you?”

“You’re Lin Geng, right?”

“Yes…”

“I recognized you the moment you turned around.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize who he was. He realized this and gave me a hint.

“I even carried you on my back once.”

Ah, it was him. The uncle who had carried me to the mine on that night of the torrential rain.