Chapter 9

Chapter 9

That explosion killed over twenty people and injured more than fifty.

The cause of the accident was attributed to a heavy rainstorm at night, during which a truck crushed an exposed main water supply pipe on the surface.

Rainwater, combined with water from the static pressure pool, flooded into the shaft, submerging a significant amount of electrical equipment. The equipment short-circuited, creating sparks.

This ignited the gas in the mine.

At the time, my father was underground surveying the deepest mining point.

Then the accident happened.

My dad was just… gone.

He didn’t leave a single word behind.

No, that’s not right. He did leave one sentence. He said a new photo studio had opened in the county seat.

He said that tomorrow, he would take Mom and me to get a family portrait taken.

“Who told you the surface water pipe was crushed by a truck?”

I froze. “My mother.”

“The pipe didn’t break by accident. It was sabotaged.”

Officer Xiao Li quickly coughed a few times.

I was surprised as well. Case details like this didn’t seem like something I should be hearing.

“What? You have an objection?” Officer Dong glared at Xiao Li.

Xiao Li coughed awkwardly again. “No, the takeout I just had was too salty.”

“I think you’re just bored. Drink more water.”

Officer Dong then looked at me with a smile. “Continue.”

My father died suddenly.

Mom didn’t seem particularly sad, almost as if she had known this would be the outcome all along.

But after Dad died, she became a different person.

How should I describe it? It was like a flower about to wither in the desert that was suddenly watered by a passing traveler.

Her entire being began to radiate.

She abandoned her bitterness toward others and replaced it with smiles.

She carefully tucked away all her sharp edges, as if afraid of pricking someone else.

She even stopped cursing the man she hated most, Fu Mingshan.

On the day of my father’s funeral, Fu Mingshan brought all the key personnel from Mingshan Mining to pay their respects.

Before leaving, he took my mother’s hand and said, “Youfang was a talent. One could even say that without him, Mingshan Mining wouldn’t be where it is today.”

“In the future, if you two ever run into trouble, come straight to the mine. Whether life gets hard or someone bullies you, we can solve it.”

“With such a major incident at the mine, I’m also busy beyond belief. I really can’t stay to see Youfang off for the rest of his final journey. I have to go.”

My mother smoothed a stray lock of hair by her temple. “I understand, President Fu. Please, go tend to your business.”

He leaned his face close to my mother’s ear and whispered. Because I was standing close, I could hear him clearly, though the other guests likely couldn’t.

“For the other families, I paid out 180,000 at most. Here is 500,000. Take it.”

With that, he pulled a bulging kraft paper bag from his briefcase.

“How can I… President Fu, this isn’t right.”

“If I tell you to take it, take it. This is a small token from the mine, and a personal gesture from me. When Lin Geng grows up, there will be plenty of things he’ll need money for.”

Hearing this, my mother had no reason to refuse further. She carefully tucked the paper bag away.

“Alright then, I’m heading out.” He patted my head again. “You need to study hard from now on. Repay your mother when you grow up.”

I still wanted to swat his hand away like I used to.

Before I could move, my mother hugged me from behind, pinning my arms down firmly.

“Hurry up and thank Uncle Fu.”

I was unwilling and could only stubbornly turn my head away.

“This child… he’s young and doesn’t know any better.”

My father used to be the one to say those words; now it was my mother’s turn.

“Haha, the kid still has that same temper.”

Fu Mingshan had walked quite a distance before he remembered to turn back and shout, “Sister-in-law, don’t you worry. As long as I’m alive, I’ll look after Lin Geng.”

Mom simply nodded, then composed her emotions and went to attend to the other relatives who had come to pay their respects.

What caused such a massive change in my mother?

To put it bluntly, did she hook up with Fu Mingshan after my father died?

My mother wasn’t bad-looking-she was one of the best in the village-but she wasn’t young anymore back then. How could Fu Mingshan have been interested in her?

Then what exactly caused her, someone who had always hated Fu Mingshan to the bone, to change so much?

The only possibility was that Fu Mingshan had something on her.

Mingshan Mining had strict regulations; women were strictly forbidden from entering.

Even Fu Mingshan’s own wife wasn’t allowed in.

On what grounds was my mother able to enter the mine to identify my father’s body ahead of time?

And what did Officer Dong’s words mean?

The pipeline was sabotaged… could it have been my mother?

Did she really sabotage the line and kill my father?

And what could have happened between her and my father to drive them to the point of murder?

I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe Mom would kill Dad.

Seeing that I had fallen silent, Officer Dong spoke slowly.

“The case files from back then contain a statement from the security guard. Your mother was indeed at the mine before the explosion.”