Chapter 19: Serious Matters

Li Qi was both infuriated and amused—this traitor, a refined egoist utterly devoid of familial affection. In his previous life, he had taken over Li Zhe’s job, pocketed all the demolition compensation, and in the end, wouldn’t even spare him a glance. Such cold-heartedness had reached an extreme.

So with a heavy fist, Li Qi struck Li Zhe squarely on the head.

“You look like a bicycle to me. I’ll buy you a hearse and bury you behind the mountain tomorrow, how about that? You betray me several times a day and still expect a bicycle? From tomorrow on, you do all the household chores—you and your own room. Clean it out; no one can stand going in there. The stench hits you worse than a toilet. How do you even live in there? Don’t look at me like that. If you don’t work, don’t eat. Three days without food, nine meals skipped—let’s see how long you can keep bouncing around.”

Li Zhe looked pleadingly at his father and elder sister, but no one paid him any mind.

Old Man Li sensed the youngest son had changed, but for the better.

Li Li signaled with her eyes that she was helpless; she feared the youngest might lash out at her too.

So Li Zhe could only sulk back to his room.

Li Qi handed one hundred yuan to Old Man Li.

“Dad, I have big plans for Mom’s money. Keep it with me for now. At most, in three years, I’ll double the principal and interest and give it back to you. You can use this for pocket money first.”

Old Man Li refused to take the money.

“Take it all. You’re grown now. I won’t interfere with your affairs. But whatever you decide to do, understand the consequences.”

Li Qi said no more and casually passed one hundred yuan to his elder sister.

“Use this to buy more meat; improve the meals these days. Just stay put and don’t worry. I’ll have a chance to deal with Old Gao in a couple of days. He’s on the night shift tonight, right? He’ll rest after tomorrow’s shift?”

“Yes, he doesn’t work tomorrow,” Li Li replied, taking the money and suddenly feeling that her brother had become a stranger to her. There was no trace left of the boy who had just turned eighteen.

As for Li Qi’s talk of dealing with Old Gao, she didn’t take it seriously. How easy would that be? She had been bullied for over a decade and had grown numb. The worst part was that this time, the man had gone too far—bringing someone home to fool around, and she had caught them red-handed. That was something she couldn’t swallow.

The night passed quietly. The next morning, Li Qi rose early, mounted the old bicycle his father had discarded, and noisily carried his sister off.

Their main mission: to confront Old Gao.

Old Gao lived in the mining district’s residential area, over an hour’s ride from Li Qi’s home. He was nicknamed “Tall Bird” in the previous life. Everyone who had bathed with him said he had an exceptional talent in certain respects.

Li Qi didn’t go to his house directly but turned to a nearby ravine close to the mining residential area. The houses there were noticeably irregular; some roofs were missing tiles, covered with plastic sheets.

By nine in the morning, few houses had their doors open. Most residents here were idle women. Many miners, after finishing their shifts in the coal pits, would ride their bicycles with lunchboxes strapped behind and stop here to spend a little money before going home.

This had given rise to some vulgar rumors that the women here had perpetually darkened bellies.

Mo Chunfeng lived here—she was the woman Old Gao had brought home, the same woman who had given birth to that African child for him in the previous life.

Li Qi parked his bicycle by the roadside and with his sister, silently crept to Mo Chunfeng’s door and peered inside.

Through the grimy, frost-covered window, two figures could be vaguely seen drinking on the kang (a heated bed platform). Miners worked hard, and after a night shift, they would drink a couple of shots of liquor to ease their fatigue before eating and sleeping.

Tears welled up in Li Li’s eyes.

Her man openly went to another woman’s house after work. What did he take her for? What about their child? What about their home?

Having confirmed Old Gao was there, Li Qi sighed and pulled his sister a little away from the door.

“I’ll go to the mine and call some people over. You stay here and keep watch. Don’t go inside no matter what. Wait for me to come back—understand?”

Li Li nodded quickly.

After warning her several times not to alert anyone, Li Qi mounted his bicycle and headed straight for the mine.

At Gate Nine of the mine, Old Cheng from the security department, who knew him well, gave him a sharp look.

“What are you here for again?”

“I’m looking for Wang Cheng. His mother just had another baby brother, and I’m calling him home to feed the kid.”

“Get lost, get lost! Not a single serious word all day. Wang Cheng’s mother is over fifty. Watch your tongue.”

Li Qi paid no mind. Old Cheng was distantly related to his family and liked to play chess with Li Mantang. He had been scolding Li Qi since childhood, but whenever he got drunk, Li Qi was the one who took him home. The two were close like father and son.

Li Qi made his way to the mining office building and found the safety officer, Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng was 23 this year, had grown up next door to Li Qi, and the two were inseparable childhood friends. He later attended the mining bureau’s technical school and, due to good grades and perfect timing with the mine’s recruitment of young reserve cadres, inadvertently became the enviable office-bound safety officer.

When Wang Cheng saw Li Qi, he poured him a glass of water and casually tossed half a bag of children’s biscuits onto the table.

“These are for when I’m on duty to stave off hunger. Take some.”

Li Qi cleared his throat.

“I’m about to earn you a big merit. You want it?”

“How about you give me a woman instead? That’s more realistic.”

“Get lost! Why are you so hopeless? Listen, if you grab this merit, you’ll be the head of the safety department.”

“Uh-huh, then I’ll be the mine director, going out to entertain a whole bunch of women, one by one.”

“Can’t you aim higher than just chasing women? If nothing else, marry a wife. I think your head’s about to explode.”

Wang Cheng sighed.

“You know my situation—five people cramped into one room. Who’d want their daughter to come here? Besides, my brother’s not married yet. It’s not my turn.”

Li Qi came over and patted him hard on the shoulder.

“Once this is done, the mine will surely give you a house. But you have to promise not to ask how I found out.”

Wang Cheng frowned slightly, sensing Li Qi wasn’t joking.

“What’s this about? Why are you being so mysterious?”

“The number five shaft, fourth beam, and number nine Yuánbǎo beam have problems. If not fixed, something big will happen within three days.”

“Bullshit! Your mouth’s like a cesspool, spouting nonsense. I’m the safety officer for shaft five; those two beams are under my watch. I went down a week ago to inspect. If there’s a problem, I’ll chop off my head and use it as a chamber pot.”

Li Qi dropped the joking tone and spoke seriously.

“Helongzi’s illegal coal pit somehow got hold of a set of old machines from Inner Mongolia. They started using it about five days ago. They have no proper technical oversight—just digging blindly. According to the machine’s strength, they’re close to digging up to shaft five’s edge. All this chaotic digging is destabilizing the underground structure. Many beams won’t hold.”

“Just imagine I’m possessed by a sage and can see these things. It’ll only cost you an hour or so to check. If nothing’s wrong, just pretend I’m babbling. But if there is, you’ll have a great achievement. I don’t want repayment; just tell the deputy mine director about this. I need his help for something.”

Wang Cheng was skeptical but, having been friends with Li Qi for over ten years, was sure he wouldn’t deliberately harm him.

Reluctantly, he put on his safety helmet and pointed at Li Qi.

“You wait here. I’m going down. If you mess with me, I’ll deal with you when I get back.”

Wang Cheng left, and Li Qi relaxed.

Three days later, a mining disaster shocked the entire country. The subsequent investigation results first circulated among the upper echelons, and then many workers learned of them. This sparked a sweeping crackdown on illegal mining activities.

Li Qi didn’t care how much his actions changed history; first and foremost, he had saved many lives.

While idly rummaging through Wang Cheng’s desk, he suddenly found a small booklet hidden beneath several notebooks.

“Secrets of the chamber, how to enlarge it? First apply a hot towel compress, then grip tightly until exhausted, then stretch…”

Damn, Wang Cheng actually had some serious stuff here.