She was so startled that she sat up abruptly in bed, but before she could even scream, her mouth was covered.

In the darkness of night, several scoundrels took turns bullying Widow Zhang.

Zhao San waited outside for a while, and when it was almost time, he went in pretending to be a hero rescuing a damsel in distress.

For a long time afterward, the heavy snow continued to fall without stopping. Beneath the seemingly pure white snow lay countless filthy secrets.

He Tiantian went to work as usual, but she felt something was wrong that day.

There seemed to be an indescribable smell in the air. He Tiantian sniffed hard, but couldn't quite place it. As the coal cart passed by, she seemed to remember something, and her heart sank.

Erhua's mother was about to start a fire to cook when she noticed that He Tiantian seemed distracted all day. So she asked, "Wanzi's mother, what's wrong with you today? Why do you look so worried?"

He Tiantian looked at Erhua Niang and immediately stopped her, saying, "Stop!"

She could smell the gas even here, which meant the gas concentration in the mine was already very high. If there were an open flame at this point, the entire mine would explode.

"Don't light the fire yet, run! The mine might explode!" He Tiantian quickly dragged Erhua's mother outside.

Wasn't the original owner's husband killed in a mining accident? It's said that many people in the village died in that mine explosion, all of them young and strong men.

Since it concerned her own life and death, Erhua's mother didn't even have time to find out what was going on before she rushed out. As she ran, she also told everyone on the road to hurry down the mountain.

He Tiantian knew where Director Song lived, so she ran there, shouting, "Director Song! Director Song!"

Mo Zhu quickly came up and asked, "What's wrong, Sister He? The master went to inspect the mine."

He Tiantian thought to herself, "This is bad. We need to get everyone down the mountain quickly. We have to leave right away."

"Ah! Then I'll go find Director Song right away!" Mo Zhu's face changed upon hearing this, and she ran away as fast as she could.

He Tiantian was heavy and naturally couldn't outrun the young man. She followed behind, panting, and eventually could only walk because she couldn't run anymore.

Mo Zhu found Director Song at the mine and quickly explained the whole story.

"Sir, this is what Sister He said, you should hurry down the mountain." Mo Zhu was panting heavily, barely able to speak.

Song Yun looked at the calm mine, where the workers were working in an orderly manner. Truckloads of black gold were dug out from the mine shaft and transported to the foot of the mountain.

Seeing her master's hesitant expression, Mo Zhu urged anxiously, "Sir, please say something quickly! Sister He wouldn't lie to us!"

With the lives of dozens of people in the mine at stake, Song Yun had no other choice.

Moreover, he had heard about the dangers of this job when he arrived. The previous Director Sheng, who was stationed here, was dismissed by the court and his entire family was exiled because his mismanagement led to a coal mine explosion.

"Go and notify everyone underground to come up and get down the mountain immediately," Song Yun said sternly to the foremen, instructing them to hurry and call for help.

He was pulled down the mountain by Mo Zhu, and they ran halfway before they met He Tiantian, who was panting heavily.

"Oh dear, Sister-in-law He, why did you follow us up here? Run!" Mo Zhu felt a headache coming on as soon as she saw He Tiantian.

"I..." He Tiantian was speechless for a moment. She was afraid that Director Song wouldn't believe her if she just said it. So she thought she would come up and explain as well.

However, seeing dozens of people running towards her, she didn't ask any more questions.

"Now is not the time to talk, let's get down the mountain!"

The group ran as fast as they could to the foot of the mountain, making sure they were at the safest distance. They found an open space and looked up at the mountain with puzzled expressions.

He Tiantian also kept an eye on the mountain, watching for any movement.

But despite so many people waiting for a long time, the mountain remained as calm as ever. Some people in the crowd began to get restless and uneasy.

"There was no explosion! You've wasted so much of my time, how are you going to pay me?!"

"Yes, we hope the mine won't deduct our wages because of this." Everyone's wages are already pitifully low; if they're reduced further, how will our families survive!

Zhao San and Zhang Wulai, who were usually lazy, initially thought this was a good thing. They figured they could take a break after wasting so much time.

But when they heard that they would be paid less, they refused!

After all, they prefer to slack off at work. They get paid without having to do any work.

Zhang Wulai stood up, cursing loudly, "I won't accept having my wages deducted because of this! The money must be paid!"

Zhao San also stood up to protest, "Who said the mine is going to explode? Stand up and face me! I'll show you..."

"Quiet down!" Song Yun was getting a headache from the noise and immediately shouted to stop them.

He also had many doubts in his mind. This Sister He was just an ordinary village woman. How did she know that the mine was going to explode?

Song Yun looked at He Tiantian, who was standing to the side deep in thought, and asked somewhat uncertainly, "Sister-in-law He, is it really possible that this mine will explode?"

He Tiantian nodded firmly. She had already smelled that strange odor when she was on the mountain. That was enough to show that the concentration of gas on the mountain was already very high, and the concentration of the odor in the mine would only be higher.

An explosion is inevitable; it's just a matter of time.

Song Yun wanted to ask something more, but seeing He Tiantian's determined look, he stopped talking.

After being reprimanded, the men who were going to work dared not utter another sound.

Everyone waited quietly at the foot of the mountain. It was snowing heavily, and the snow seemed to be getting heavier.

Everyone was freezing, and there was nowhere to shelter from the wind in the empty surroundings. If this continued, they would either be blown up or freeze to death.

Zhang Wulai stamped his foot and, without a second thought, headed up the mountain.

"To hell with the explosion, I'm not afraid of dying..."

"Bang!"

Before Zhang Wulai could finish speaking, a loud explosion rocked the mountain.

"Everyone, lie down quickly!" He Tiantian shouted anxiously, and she quickly lay down on the snow, covering her head with her hands.

With a loud "bang," another deafening sound echoed from the mountain, shaking the very village of Changfeng at the foot of the neighboring mountain.

Many families in the village have members working in the mines, so they are all too familiar with this kind of explosion. It was the same sound last year, and many people died in the mines.

The young wives with husbands in their homes ran out of their houses crying and shouting.

"Oh dear, what should I do? My husband is still at the mine."

"This damned imperial court is digging for black gold stone; it's practically killing people!"

The group of women couldn't care less about anything at that moment and quickly ran towards the mine next door.