At the break of dawn, the elderly gatekeeper of Baishi Town Coal Mine carried a thermos of hot water to his guard post. Pouring himself a cup, he turned and sneezed, clicking his tongue in annoyance. His heart had been pounding fiercely since he woke up. He raised a hand to rub his chest.
“Just scaring myself!”
“Bang bang, bang bang bang…”
“What are you doing? What do all of you want? This is a coal mine – you can’t cause trouble here!”
Hearing the banging on the gate, the old man opened the small window of his guard post to look outside and was immediately terrified, dropping his enamel mug to the ground.
Outside was a massive, intimidating crowd.
“Hello there, elder brother. These are Commune Members from Hongxing Brigade – they’re not here to cause trouble. They just want to seek justice from your coal mine director. Could you please be so kind as to open the gate?”
Liu Wanli rubbed his hands together as he spoke politely to the mine guard, his attitude extremely respectful. After all, it was his worthless daughter who had angered her mother-in-law by proposing to split up the family instead of living peacefully together. She’d truly been spoiled by him and his wife during her time at her parents’ home.
A rural woman, with her widowed mother-in-law still alive – how could she propose dividing the family? Wasn’t this just inviting members of Xianfeng Production Team to point fingers at their Liu family?
Hearing they were here to see the director, the old man became even more reluctant to open the gate.
“The director isn’t here! It’s not even working hours yet! You should all go back immediately! What do you think this place is? Your worksite? Get going now! If you don’t leave, I’ll call the mine’s security department!”
Wang Weidong kicked Wang Baoguo, who snapped to attention and tremblingly pulled Qian Maizi and the children Dabao, Erbao, Sanbao, and Tiezhu to their knees.
He and Wang Jianjun unfurled the big-character poster their father-in-law had prepared earlier.
“We’ve been wronged, comrade! The son of your coal mine director, Wu Dakui, seduced my younger brother’s fiancée! When discovered, he beat my sixty-year-old mother and two younger brothers so badly they’re hospitalized and still in critical condition! The Wu family hasn’t sent a single person to the hospital! Wuwu… We’re just farmers – we have no money! We beg Director Wu to step forward and give us justice!”
“Mother! My poor mother! You suffered your whole life, my mother! How could you leave us! Wuwu… Without you, we have no head of household anymore! Mother… my poor mother!”
“Grandma, uncle, don’t die! Wuwu… Dabao doesn’t want you to die! Wuwu… Uncle, uncle hasn’t even gotten married yet!”
“Mother! My mother who became a widow early and never enjoyed a single day of happiness! How will we live without you! Why was that damned bastard so cruel! He hit my poor mother’s head with such a sharp stone! Righteous official! Please come out and give us justice! My poor mother, why was your fate so bitter!”
Qian Maizi, Zhang Xiulan, and Zhou Chunxia knelt at the front, wailing loudly. Wang Baoguo hung his head low, not daring to speak a word, his heart racing with both fear and anger.
Last night, before I could even exchange a word with Mother, I was shooed out. When I finally got to go in, Mother only gave one instruction: everyone in the family was to follow the third son’s arrangements. This left him feeling somewhat dejected. As the eldest son in the family, not only was he not allowed to take charge, but he also had to listen to the third son. And then, that little brat roused the entire family in the middle of the night and dragged them straight to the town’s coal mine.
These were all high-ranking officials, while they were just country bumpkins. How could they possibly confront them head-on? If the officials decided to cause trouble for them later, how would they ever get by?
At the mine entrance, people were sobbing and wailing, crying out about their grievances one after another.
The gatekeeper was flustered. He turned and hurried into the factory. The situation was too serious for him to handle; he had to report it to the director immediately.
Wang Weidong leaned over and whispered to Liu Wanli, “Dad, we’ll wait here. You’re the accountant for the Xianfeng Production Team. It’s not appropriate for you to stay here at a time like this. You should head back first!”
But there was no way Liu Wanli was going to leave now. The old lady of the Wang family had sent her cunning son-in-law to find him, and he knew exactly what that meant. He had even made inquiries overnight about the mine’s leadership. Now was definitely not the time to leave.
“I can’t go. Your family is full of the old, weak, and vulnerable. Without someone to make decisions, things will fall apart. I may only be an accountant, but I’ve seen my share of the world.”
“Alright then, if things get heated later, make sure you stay out of the way.”
Liu Wanli nodded, his mind already calculating his next move.
In the director’s office, the gatekeeper reported the situation outside. Director Wu was so angry he slammed his hand on the table.
“Those bastards! Instead of sticking to their own business, they go meddling in other people’s affairs. Hmph! Go get the security team and have them removed.”
“But Director, they’re not from our factory. Besides, they’re just kneeling at the gate—not cursing or causing any trouble. How can we forcibly remove them?”
“Then go scare them off. Alright, I’ll make a call to the Public Security Bureau. Hurry up!”
Wang Weidong had chosen the timing perfectly when he brought his family to the mine. It was right after daybreak, during shift change. When the gatekeeper went to the security office, only one person was on duty. The day shift wouldn’t arrive until eight o’clock, meaning they’d have to wait at least an hour.
Director Wu’s call went straight to the county’s Public Security Bureau. As luck would have it, the officer on duty was Wang Haiyang’s comrade-in-arms. After taking the call, he gathered his team and set out immediately, even bringing Wang Haiyang along.
It didn’t take long for the six of them to get from the county to Baishi Town. But as soon as they arrived at the entrance, they saw a group of people charging straight toward the Wang family. Armed with batons, shovels, and ropes, the crowd was intimidatingly large.
Wang Haiyang let out a sharp “Hey!” and the two groups clashed.
The Public Security Bureau officers rushed over to intervene. These were unarmed civilians—the victims seeking justice. If they were beaten right then and there, there would be no justifying it, no matter where they went!
Wang Haiyang saw a man grab Zhou Chunxia by the hair. Enraged, he kicked the man away. The children were wailing in terror, and Liu Wanli quickly pulled them behind him. Just then, Liu Wanli saw someone swinging a baton toward him. He blinked, deliberately leaned his head forward, let out a dramatic “Aah!” and collapsed to the ground.
“Ah~! Murder! Grandpa, grandpa, what’s wrong with you, grandpa? Wuwuwu… Murder! You’re killing people again, you heartless monsters!”
Fengzhi plopped down beside Liu Wanli, crying her heart out. Liu Aijun, who had been eagerly grappling with others, turned his head and saw his father bleeding from the head. With a howl, he threw himself forward.
When Factory Director Wu came out with his hands behind his back and saw the two groups already fighting in chaos, he was so frightened he collapsed directly to the ground, cold sweat pouring down.
It’s over, completely screwed!!!