How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 106 The Wushan Incident (3)

After the farce came to an end, Zhang Qi, also known as Seventh Master, slowly woke up.

He didn't know what kind of poison his third sister had used. Even though he had taken the antidote, there was still a bruise on his shoulder, and he couldn't move with any strength.

"I'll take you to Sifang City first, to get you a checkup at the hospital. I think there's only one clinic in Wushan Town, and it probably won't be effective," Guo Zixing suggested.

"No need, it will be fine in a few days."

"Seventh Master, please don't be stubborn. You are highly skilled in martial arts. What will you do if you lose your arm? The antidote that Third Sister gave you may not be enough to completely remove the poison. You should go to the hospital for a thorough check-up before you feel at ease," Qingru advised. An arm is so important to a martial artist.

Zhang Qiweng said in a low voice, "Don't try to persuade me anymore. I still have my brothers from the Seventh Mine here. I will never abandon them."

Qingru wanted to persuade him further, but Chief Zhang tugged at her sleeve, and she stopped.

"If you don't want to go to Sifang City now, you can rest well at the Fan family's place. Since Boss Fan has made this suggestion, it shouldn't be too long. Once the Wushan matter is resolved, you can come back with us."

Seeing that everyone in the room was staring at him, Zhang Qi had no choice but to agree.

Inside the main room, Boss Fan was also discussing this matter.

"Husband, what are you going to do?" Wang asked worriedly, she hadn't even eaten breakfast yet.

Boss Fan was still lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), flipping through the account books, thinking, "What else can we do but wait for them to give their approval?"

Wang pinched him, saying with exasperation, "Don't be so greedy. We've earned enough money over the years. If you ask me, even the richest man in Sifang City might not be as wealthy as our family. Even if we give up a year's worth of profits, it would be worth it and save us so much trouble."

Boss Fan didn't even look up. "You're just being a woman. You only care about saving yourself trouble. Don't you think about how many years have passed? Is this the first time we've wanted to leave? Others may not know, but don't you? Our mine is already failing. Those thousands of workers affect so many families. If we just leave like that, who knows what kind of chaos it will cause?"

"So what? Just because we're not doing this business, does that mean those guys will starve to death? Before the coal mines existed, we didn't see them digging in the dirt to eat." Wang almost let Boss Fan lead her astray, but realizing what she had said, she added, "So what are you really thinking? We've been here for over twenty years, we've already saved enough money. If it's time to leave, then leave. Why worry about so much?"

“Our thousands of workers depend on this for their livelihood. How can they work if they don’t have enough to eat? What hope do these people have?” said Boss Fan.

"If there's no hope, then there's no hope. What does that have to do with us?"

“Over the years, apart from this mansion, I haven’t acquired any furniture. Our family’s money will probably need to be transported by cart and boat. If we don’t properly secure the workers’ future, they might become enraged, and you can imagine how far we can run.”

Wang was also very annoyed when she heard this. "Then what do you suggest? This won't work, that won't work. Let me tell you, I'm forty this year. If this goes on any longer, I'm afraid I really won't be able to have children anymore."

It turned out that the Wang couple had always had a worry in their hearts: they had been married for twenty years but had no children. They had consulted countless famous doctors and tried countless medicines, but nothing worked. Boss Fan had not taken a concubine and spent his days running between home and the coal mine.

It wasn't until a Taoist priest told them that it was because Boss Fan had spent too much time in the coal mine over the years and inhaled too much toxic gas that his fertility was affected.

Back then, he was young and busy making money, so he didn't really take those words to heart. It wasn't until after so many years of sowing seeds without seeing any results that he started to panic.

But the two were getting old, and their bodies weren't as strong as they used to be. Earning so much money without any descendants to inherit it was incredibly frustrating. Moreover, Wushan Town was very poor, and Wang Shi had nowhere to squander the money, which made her extremely depressed.

To put it bluntly, the two of them had a huge sum of money but nowhere to spend it, like wearing fine clothes in the dark, feeling no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. Therefore, they had long planned to leave Wushan. However, in the early years, the coal mine was comparable to a gold mine, bringing in huge sums of money, and the two of them couldn't bear to leave. Now that the coal mine is failing, and it looks like even the mountain is about to be hollowed out, so they have to run away.

Thinking about how she had been ridiculed for not having children all these years and was called a barren hen, Wang felt extremely aggrieved. "If you ask me, what are you doing holding onto that little bit of money? You don't even have any descendants. You might as well just take the money with you and die."

Boss Fan quickly said, "Why are you bringing this up again? What does it have to do with money?"

"Yes, yes," Wang's temper flared, and she scratched and bit Boss Fan. "How much I've been talked about all these years! Your mother scolds me every time she sees me, and she even wants to take a concubine for you! I'm so angry I can't help but laugh. She's using my money to buy a maid, and she's still causing me trouble. Tell me, is this how a mother-in-law should act?"

Mr. Fan was at his wit's end. "What does this have to do with my mother?"

“How can we not shut them down? We raised your mother and your brother, didn’t we? Your brother is good-for-nothing, he used our family’s money to buy land, get married, and have a bunch of kids. Do you think I don’t know that? During the New Year back home, your mother kept saying that your nephew should inherit the family property. Ask yourself honestly, would you be willing to give away all the wealth you’ve accumulated over the years to someone else? You’ve worked so hard, risking your life to earn money, and in the end, it all goes to someone else. I’m not going to stand for it.”

Mr. Fan said guiltily, "That's not what my mother meant. She just saw that we have no children and was doing it for our own good."

"Fine, fine, fine, you're all good people. I can't say anything if you're willing to be someone's slave. I'm the one who's been a coward. Anyway, let me make this clear: if you're still in Wushan after the first month of the lunar year, I'm leaving you." Wang Shi became more and more resentful as she spoke, pinching Boss Fan hard before storming out and slamming the door.

He insults everyone he meets, which is completely baffling.

Boss Fan sighed deeply. How could he not know his mother's favoritism?

He works hard to earn money, but his mother only cares about his younger brother. She hints that he is not filial enough and cannot serve her in person. No matter how much money he brings back, his mother is not satisfied.

He said he would give the mine to his nephew so he could take care of him in his old age. But seeing his nephew's disrespectful attitude, Boss Fan knew it wouldn't work. That kid was so unruly, daring to call him childless to his face, which must have been something his mother, brother, and sister-in-law often said in private.

It's not that he doesn't understand these things, it's just that he can never bring himself to make a tough decision with his own flesh and blood. Over the years, Wang Shi has suffered a lot of grievances along with him.

I do love money, but every penny of it was earned by shovelful of coal from the mine. How could I not feel heartbroken if I just gave it up?

That's enough, I'll just give it up. I'll consider it a good deed and a way to accumulate good karma for myself. I hope that God will grant me a child in recognition of my generosity.

Thinking of this, Boss Fan walked heavily into the side room.

"Boss Fan."

Guo Zixing took the initiative to greet him, so it seems that Boss Fan has come to his senses.

Seeing Guo Zixing's calm and composed demeanor, Boss Fan sighed inwardly, "Young Master Guo, I'll only say this once today."

The group immediately understood that Boss Fan was about to make a concession, and they were all quite pleased.

“I can offer a year’s interest, as long as you can properly settle the workers in Wushan.”

"Boss Fan, you know how many workers there are in Wushan. The interest from just one year is far from enough. I can only promise to resettle the workers in your large mine. As for the rest, I can't help you."

Boss Fan was furious. "Young Master Guo, are you taking advantage of my misfortune?"

"I wouldn't dare, I'm just telling the truth."

One glared angrily, the other remained calm and collected. Qingru broke out in a cold sweat. If they were to fight, even with Boss Fan's imposing two-meter frame, Guo Zixing would appear quite small.

The atmosphere was tense, and no one dared to speak rashly, for fear of affecting Guo Zixing's plans.

"Sir, something's happened!" Old Zhang limped in to report, his face anxious.

"What's wrong?" Boss Fan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be...?

"The mine collapsed."

Just as he feared, Boss Fan glared at Guo Zixing and stormed out.

Which mine?

"The person who came said it was the one on the west side. Originally, once they found water, they stopped digging. But a few daring workers insisted that they saw more minerals inside. So they dug in and hit groundwater. Those workers were all swept away by the water, and water flooded the mine."

"Why did it take so long to report such a big thing to me? Are those team leaders just sitting around doing nothing? They started digging without even conducting any prior surveys."

Old Zhang looked troubled; he knew nothing about the mine's affairs.

Guo Zixing and his group followed closely behind to see what was going on.

Several workers covered in mud stood at the entrance of the Fan family's house, their faces filled with sorrow and distress, as if they had suffered a great shock.

"what happened?"

The worker said in a panic, "The team leader was swept away by the water."

"What?" It was the team leader.

Boss Fan, his face grave, jumped onto the mine cart, and Guo Zixing and the others quickly followed. Boss Fan glanced at Guo Zixing and the others who had followed, but said nothing.

"Let's go." He wanted to see who had caused such a mess for him.

Wushan Town is right next to the mine, and it's not long from there.

As soon as I got off the car, I was surrounded by several people.

"Boss," the group chattered amongst themselves, clearly lacking a leader.

"Who's in charge of the western mine today?" Boss Fan's mine is divided into dozens of coal mines, each with a person in charge, called a team leader. The team leader is responsible for exploration, organizing personnel, and other tasks, so if there are any problems, just ask the team leader.

"Yes...it's Team Leader Li Dachuan."

Boss Fan fell silent.

Li Dachuan is an old friend of his, having followed him since the first year of mining in Wushan. How could he make such a basic mistake?

"What about others?"

"It was washed away by the water."

Mr. Fan, looking worried, followed the workers to the coal mine where the accident had occurred.

Just standing at the kiln entrance, he could already hear the gurgling water, and Boss Fan's heart sank to its lowest point.

Needless to say, the adjacent mines will all be affected.

"Should we shut down the coal mines next door?"

The team leaders then said, "We've already stopped it; the workers have all come out."