Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Because of my deformity.

They called me a monster and refused to play with me.

They would even go out of their way to shove me while I was walking and then bolt away.

By the time I scrambled back to my feet, they were long gone.

It wasn’t just me; the other children with physical disabilities were bullied too.

As time passed, I became withdrawn and introverted. And the more introverted I became, the fewer friends I had.

My father was busy with work, spending most of his day at the coal mine. More often than not, I was already asleep by the time he got home.

My mother wasn’t a woman of many words.

She liked to keep the courtyard spotless before heading out to search for patches of land where she could still plant a few potatoes.

This was despite the fact that the courtyard she cleaned would be covered in soot and black coal dust again within three days.

In those early years, the various government departments didn’t pay much attention to the environment.

Everything was centered on economic development.

Fu Mingshan was like a local tyrant in our area; anyone who saw him had to greet him with the utmost politeness.

As for the villagers…

What did it matter if the environment was polluted?

How much money could one make from farming in a year anyway?

Now, by going down into the shafts to work the coal mine, their income was several times-even ten times-what it used to be.

As long as the mine didn’t collapse, everyone could live a good life.

The only person in the village who dared to wear her hatred for the coal mine on her face was my mother.

But what right did she have to hate it? Her own husband worked at the mine and earned the most money.

Others were jealous of how much my father made.

But he had an education and wasn’t afraid of hard work; wasn’t it only right that he earned well?

He was a junior leader who went down into the coal mine almost every day, descending into its deepest reaches.

He guided the workers on how to excavate and how to stay safe.

He kept incredibly detailed work logs and shared them with every worker who went down into the pits.

His only wish was that all the neighbors who went down into the mine would come back out safely.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lin, let me interrupt for a moment. If it’s convenient, could you tell us more about your mother?”

Officer Li, who was in charge of the records, rubbed his wrist with a look of helplessness.

Officer Dong gave him a sharp smack on the back of his head.

“What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt someone?”

Officer Li grinned, trying to ease the awkwardness.

“It’s fine, Mr. Lin. Please continue. You can talk about anything; I’m happy to listen.”

He then handed his phone to Officer Li. “Order three takeout meals. We’ll eat in a bit.”

Officer Li looked at me apologetically. “Does Mr. Lin have any dietary restrictions?”

“None.”

“Then I’ll just order whatever.”