Song Yun and his group lay on the ground for a long time before they dared to slowly get up.
Zhang Wulai was so frightened that his face turned deathly pale. He fell to the ground and tried to get up several times but couldn't. In the end, his companions had to go over and pull him up.
"Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law... You are truly a prophet!" Mo Zhu stammered, still reeling from the explosion. Thankfully, Sister-in-law He had warned them this time; otherwise, they would all have been torn to pieces.
Song Yun walked up to He Tiantian, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Sister-in-law He, we owe you so much for saving everyone's lives. I, Song Yun, am indebted to you."
Song Yun felt a wave of fear wash over him, and he was very glad that he had listened to Sister He's advice beforehand.
Otherwise... otherwise he might end up like the previous Director Sheng.
He Tiantian was also a little scared; she knew the dangers of the mine. Even with modern, advanced coal mining technology, explosions can still occur, let alone in ancient times.
Without modern advanced technology, the probability of danger would only be higher.
"Director Song, please don't talk about owing or not owing. Since I work in the mine, I am a part of the mine. When it comes to life and death, no one can stand aside."
Song Yun was quite surprised, although he had felt that He Tiantian was different from ordinary village women from the first time he met her.
But these words made Song Yun feel that Sister He was no different from the officials in the imperial court.
In other words, if this Sister He were a man, she would definitely have achieved something great.
“Sister-in-law He…I will definitely write a formal report on this matter and submit it to the imperial court,” Song Yun said solemnly, looking at He Tiantian.
He Tiantian didn't understand anything about reporting or not reporting, so she didn't take it to heart.
She suggested, "Director Song, this just happened at the mine. I suggest we let the villagers go back and rest for a couple of days, and observe the situation before making any further decisions."
Song Yun nodded in agreement, "Not only that, the mine shaft has probably collapsed. It needs to be repaired, and the Ministry of Works should be called in to conduct a thorough inspection."
"Alas, this is indeed a dangerous job. But the imperial court can't just stop supplying black gold. We escaped by chance this time, but who knows what will happen next time."
Thinking of this, Song Yun sighed.
When he was first transferred here, his grandmother was absolutely against it. But he had lived in the capital since childhood and was quite tired of it, so he accepted the job.
Before he came, he knew the danger of the matter, but he didn't think much of it. Now, having narrowly escaped with his life, he realized the seriousness of the situation.
After listening to Song Yun's words, He Tiantian realized that there was very likely only one reason why mining explosions occurred at this time in ancient times.
That means the ventilation is poor.
"Actually, as long as the ventilation in the mine is done well and the air is allowed to circulate, the probability of an explosion will be reduced," He Tiantian said, expressing her opinion.
"Director Song, how is ventilation handled in the mine?" He Tiantian had never been down there, so she naturally didn't know the situation.
“There’s a ventilation shaft where you go down into the mine,” Song Yun said.
No wonder… He Tiantian thought to herself, that explains it. The mine shafts are almost all dug dozens of meters underground. On weekdays, people are only seen lifting water from the mine, but no one pays attention to the ventilation issue.
“One isn’t enough; we need to dig more, and the more ventilation openings the better,” He Tiantian suggested.
After hearing this, Song Yun frowned in thought. The accident at the mine had already delayed the progress. If they needed to dig ventilation shafts again, they would definitely have to hire another batch of people to do it simultaneously.
Although it is labor-intensive and costly, it can reduce the occurrence of mining accidents, so it is a feasible approach.
“Alright, I can go to the town and explain this to the magistrate. I’ll ask him to send someone over to assist me.” Song Yun said, and then looked for his horse.
But they left in such a hurry that they forgot to lead their horses.
Mo Zhu stood to the side, shrugging her neck. "My lord, I'm afraid Zhui Feng is in grave danger..."
Song Yun felt a pang of heartache; that horse had been with him for four or five years. He'd spent a thousand taels of silver to buy it back then…
Putting money aside, the main thing is that he developed feelings for the horse.
Song Yun felt a little dizzy and involuntarily took two steps back.
"My lord!" Mo Zhu quickly caught the horse. Good heavens, the incident happened so suddenly, he didn't even have time to care about the horse's life or death.
He Tiantian saw all of this, but she didn't know that the horse was so valuable; otherwise, she would have gone back to get it no matter what.
"Director Song, we can also achieve ventilation by fanning the air underground." Simply opening more ventilation openings is not enough. If safety measures are in place both above and below, the safety of the coal mine will be greatly improved.
Song Yun's eyes lit up, and he felt a little excited. "Sister He, we must sit down and discuss this matter carefully." If he could find a good way to implement it in Changfeng Mine, he could write a letter to the imperial court.
If all the mines in the north were to implement this method, wouldn't that be a great thing that benefits the people?
The women from the village all rushed over, and after seeing that their husbands were all alright, their worries finally subsided.
"Thank God! May the Bodhisattva protect us! May the Bodhisattva protect us!"
"I'm so glad you're alright, my dear husband. I thought... I thought..." Madam Tian couldn't help but cry. She was always timid, and this incident had frightened her greatly.
When she cried, the other young wives couldn't help but cry as well.
Even those tough, resolute men had tears welling up in their eyes. They had almost died; so many people had died together, and they probably wouldn't even be able to find a single complete skeleton.
"Alright, everyone go back first. The mine will be closed for three days for observation," Song Yun instructed.
After that, the villagers dared not utter a single complaint. No one mentioned whether or not their wages would be deducted.
Zhang Wulai was so frightened that he lost his mind and had to be carried home by Zhao San and a few others.
He Tiantian returned home, where her sister-in-law, Yulan, had been anxiously waiting at the door. Seeing He Tiantian and her husband, Liu Yonghe, return safely, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Old Mrs. Zhao's two remaining sons were also working at the mine. Upon hearing this, she was extremely anxious and immediately sent Zhao Niu out to investigate the situation.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing her two sons, Zhao Xiangnan and Zhao Xiangbei, return safely.
Her second son died in a mining accident, and her remaining two sons absolutely cannot follow the same path, absolutely not!
"South and North, from now on you two are not allowed to work in the mines anymore," Old Mrs. Zhao said sternly with a grim face.
"What?"
"What?"
Zhao Xiangnan and Zhao Xiangbei didn't react for a moment.
"But... I think I overheard my second sister-in-law talking to Director Song about ventilation today. If it had been done properly, this explosion wouldn't have happened."
[Author's Note]: I've been taking my driver's license test these days, but I'll try my best to keep updating! Thank you all for your support, my little angels! *bows*
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