Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“Didn’t you go to the provincial capital? Why are you back here?”

Not knowing how to explain it for a moment, I simply said, “Just came back for a visit.”

I quickly changed the subject. “Are you here for… a check-up?”

“Not exactly a check-up. My daughter works at the county hospital, and she insisted I come in for a physical.”

My eyes lit up. “Uncle, could I ask you for a favor?”

This man took me to see his daughter.

His daughter recognized me as well, though unfortunately, I didn’t really have any memory of her.

Upon hearing my request, she readily agreed to help.

However, there weren’t many old-timers left at the hospital from back then. She said she would do her best to ask around and see if anyone still remembered Shen Yufen and Lin Youfang.

If she found anyone, she could help me set up a time to talk.

After thanking her profusely, all I could do was wait.

With the investigation on this side stalled, I had no choice but to stay at home.

As for that last person, Sun Congjun, I didn’t have a single clue about him. I had no idea where to even begin looking.

So, I started searching online for any information regarding Mingshan Mining.

I remembered that when Officer Dong came to ask questions last time, he mentioned that Mingshan Mining had once been involved in an accident due to environmental issues.

There were indeed reports about this online.

Someone had anonymously reported Mingshan Mining for substandard sewage discharge, claiming that industrial wastewater was being dumped directly into the river.

That river was the source of drinking water for Mingshan Village.

It resulted in high levels of heavy metal residue in the water.

So that was it.

No wonder the rate of birth defects in our village was so high; no wonder so many elderly people passed away from cancer. If pregnant women drank water contaminated with heavy metals, it would definitely affect fetal development. If adults drank such water, their risk of cancer would skyrocket.

Fu Mingshan really is a beast.

This matter caused quite a stir at the time, but the final punishment made no sense to me.

The coal mine was ordered to suspend operations for rectification, fined 2 million yuan, and required to pay full compensation to the victims.

How much “full compensation” actually amounted to was never specified.

Back then, the people in the village relied on the coal mine for their livelihoods. Even if compensation was actually offered, would they have dared to take it?

The person in charge of sewage discharge and treatment at Mingshan Mining was sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

The reason given was the embezzlement of public funds intended for purchasing sewage treatment equipment, allowing wastewater to flow into the river, which led to environmental pollution and caused major consequences.

A few other relevant personnel were sentenced to terms ranging from three to five years.

As for the actual person in charge of Mingshan Mining, Fu Mingshan…

He wasn’t sentenced at all.

This was because there was sufficient evidence to prove he was completely unaware that the coal mine’s sewage treatment capabilities were substandard.

Therefore, he only had to take responsibility for the suspension and rectification.

The so-called “suspension for rectification” lasted only half a month.

Half a month later, Mingshan Mining passed inspection by the relevant departments and reopened for business.

The matter was swept under the rug just like that, and it wasn’t even mentioned much afterward.

My mother was right back then.

A simple crime of environmental pollution wasn’t enough to bring down Fu Mingshan. He could just find a scapegoat to fool everyone.

My father must have known this too.

So, what was the evidence he gathered back then?

What crime is greater than environmental pollution?

What kind of evidence was it that made Fu Mingshan willing to resort to murder?

In other words, that crime had to be at least more serious than murder itself.