I answered decisively, "Absolutely not!"
He nodded, but his brows were still furrowed. "Hongjun, if we investigate your relationship with Zhang Weitang, we must involve Lin Xun. Otherwise, the problem will become more complicated and it will be difficult to explain clearly."
Of course I understand that if I involve the mushrooms, I will inevitably involve him.
A question came to my mind: "County Director Zhang, Director Wang of the Safety Supervision Bureau has been dragging the acceptance of the Tongshun Coal Mine. Is it your idea?"
His face was pale, and the corners of his mouth trembled slightly. "That's not the case. I just asked him to be more strict. It was because he was sick in the hospital that he delayed the inspection and acceptance work."
I want to get to the bottom of this matter. Whether Zhang Xiaodong said it openly or hinted at it, it doesn't matter anymore because everything is irreversible.
I just feel more confident about Zhang Weitang. Zhang Xiaodong said with certainty: "He is trustworthy and will not speak nonsense."
As soon as Zhang Xiaodong left, the city and county-level safety supervision and coal departments organized an accident cause investigation team to station at Taixiang Coal Mine and quickly launched an investigation.
The aftermath work went relatively smoothly, and the compensation amount of 300,000 yuan was distributed to the families of the miners who died according to the highest standard. After the families signed the compensation agreement, the bodies were sent to the funeral home for cremation.
Just when I breathed a sigh of relief, something unexpected happened to the Tang family I was in charge of. Tang Xiaomei's mother and a miner took the compensation and left home, leaving only Tang Xiaomei and an urn covered with red cloth in the guesthouse.
According to the miners and the people around her, Tang Xiaomei's mother had already had an affair with the miner. After receiving the huge sum of money, they eloped, leaving Tang Xiaomei alone.
Although everyone was angry about this, Kuang Tieying still arranged for me to contact Tang Xiaomei in her hometown in Shanxi. The feedback was that her father was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage and had no relatives.
Looking at the girl with red and swollen eyes and a terrified and helpless expression, I was filled with anger towards the couple, but at the same time I felt deep sympathy and pity for Tang Xiaomei.
Kuang Tieying instructed the town civil affairs office to find a vacant lot for the burial of Tang Xiaomei's father, and temporarily placed Tang Xiaomei in the town welfare home.
When Tang Xiaomei was taken away, she turned around and looked at me. That look is deeply engraved in my mind.
Things in the world are often beyond one's expectations. Tian Zhenyu and Zhang Weiguo, who were originally arguing, suddenly became harmonious, often gathered together to discuss things in secret, and adopted a hot-and-cold attitude towards me.
I was too lazy to deal with them, so I went home and rested for a few days as they suggested.
I dragged my tired body back home and saw Qingwan's gradually bulging belly. I instantly threw all my happiness and worries away.
I told Qingwan in detail about the things that happened around me, especially Tang Xiaomei who was abandoned by her mother. Qingwan felt deeply sympathetic: "Hongjun, this child is so pitiful. Her father is an orphan, and now she is an orphan too. The environment of the welfare home is really too suitable for girls to grow up."
I sighed helplessly: "But we don't have any better way."
Qing Wan suddenly suggested: "Why don't we adopt her and arrange for her to study in our school? This way we can take better care of her and it will be beneficial for her growth."
This is Qingwan. She is always compassionate and can feel sorry for others suffering.
I both supported and opposed the proposal to adopt Tang Xiaomei, because we did not have the conditions to adopt her at the moment. I had already given birth to Guan Ningyu, and Qingwan was pregnant. According to the adoption law at the time, we could not adopt Tang Xiaomei.
But Qingwan was determined not to give up. She asked me to bring Tang Xiaomei home often so that she could provide her with good food and clothing.
I persuaded her and had to agree.
A week later, I discussed this matter with the director of the town welfare home, and he readily agreed. So I took Tang Xiaomei home.
This child and Qingwan got along very well. They hit it off right away and got along very well.
Watching them happily chatting and playing, I felt very relieved.
This news soon reached Lin Xun's ears. She called to express her intention to adopt Tang Xiaomei and mentioned that she met the legal adoption requirements.
I asked her in confusion, "You haven't even seen a child, how come you have such an idea? Besides, how can you get married with a child?"
She replied with a hint of resentment: "Guan Hongjun, you just pretend to be confused when you are young. Who else could I do this for? Your wife is pregnant now, and you are so busy taking care of the house. How can you take care of that girl? Anyway, I plan to get married in this life, so why should I be a ready-made mother?"
I was speechless and could only say, "It's up to you."
Later, the investigation team gave the conclusion of the accident: the water seepage accident in Taixiang Coal Mine was caused by the complex geological structure and the existence of unexplored hidden water bodies, which could not be predicted in advance with the current technical conditions. The accident was caused by sudden water seepage due to fault activity and was deemed to be a non-responsible accident. However, the coal mine has problems with outdated drainage equipment and insufficient emergency response capabilities.
According to the characterization of the accident, the county discipline inspection committee imposed penalties on the relevant responsible persons: Tongxiang Town Mayor Zhang Weiguo was given an admonition talk for failing to assume leadership responsibility for coordinating safety and production work; County Work Safety Supervision Bureau Director Wang Fu was given an internal party warning for failing to assume supervisory responsibility for the lack of supervision of the accident coal mine; Tongxiang Town Deputy Mayor Guan Hongjun was also given an internal party warning for failing to assume direct responsibility for implementing safety and production responsibilities.
My heart was as clear as a mirror. I knew clearly that the two forces colluded with each other and staged a farce of calling a horse a zebra, covering up a responsible accident as an irresponsible accident, and stepping on the souls of the miners who died in the accident in exchange for a superficial peace.
Regarding this, I did not feel happy at all about escaping severe punishment. Instead, I felt extremely angry!