Chapter 10: No Deer in the Deep Forest Lu Shuang 04
After meeting with the informant, I briefly learned about the situation at the scene. This is a large-scale illegal coal mine. The entrance to the coal mine is very hidden, in an abandoned factory. There are almost no residents nearby. In addition to the geographical advantage, the coal boss hired a few gangsters to block the mine gate, and the miners' families could not enter.
At this time, the scene was full of noise, mixed with the cries of women and children. I thought for a moment, took out my phone, turned on the camera function, put it in my pocket, leaving only the camera part exposed, and then covered it with the corner of my coat.
I pretended to be a passerby and wanted to ask the families about the details of the coal mine explosion, but the people I asked didn't know anything. They choked up for a long time and couldn't explain what happened. There were also many family members negotiating with the thugs hired by the coal mine, but they were very tough and refused to answer a single word.
When I was about to think of another solution, several middle-aged men who looked like bosses came out of the old factory, all with frowns and unfriendly expressions. They walked up to the family members, and the official said a few polite words: "We don't want to see this happen. We will definitely try our best to compensate everyone and let everyone have a satisfactory result." Then he sank his face and gave an order, "Now the family members of the absentees can come in with me to discuss compensation matters. No outsiders are allowed to enter."
As soon as these words came out, the crowd cried even more miserably, because his words showed that those workers who went down to the mines would never come back.
However, the family members still registered according to the instructions of the coal mine managers, and a long queue formed at the entrance of the coal mine in an instant.
Looking at the scene in front of me, there was only one thought in my mind: if I couldn't get in this time, it would be even more difficult to find out the situation next time. Of course, the police's involvement in the investigation might be more effective than us reporters taking risks, but these illegal coal mines must have thought of countermeasures long ago, and they might have bribed family members to conceal the real death toll, and then no one would know the truth.
Thinking of this , I immediately found an informant and asked him to help me find some clothes. I also informed a miner's family member, blended in with the family members, and sneaked in during the chaos.
The mine managers didn't check very carefully, so I managed to get away with it.
However, when the number of people who registered was almost enough, the boss gave an order, the door was closed, and the rest of the people were blocked outside the iron gate.
The factory covers a large area, and all the family members were taken to the dormitory building where the miners originally lived. The dormitory building was in the most remote corner of the entire factory, far from the main gate, and looked inconspicuous, as if no one lived there.
The old house was cramped, with exposed bricks and covered with moss and weeds. The interior environment was also horrible. There were two rows of double-layer iron beds in the dark and narrow room, with only a gap for people to pass sideways. It was incredible that such a small room could sleep 12 people.
There were no windows in the room, only an incandescent lamp covered with a layer of dust. The air was filled with the damp smell of bedding and straw mats. The miners were dressed very simply, with a set of old clothes placed at the head of the bed and a pair of shoes on the floor, which were also the kind that they were reluctant to throw away because they were worn out.
Seeing this scene, many family members couldn't help but shed tears and cried out loudly on the spot: "Ah Cheng, your life is so miserable. You didn't enjoy any happiness at all, and you left just like that..."
"If you leave, what will happen to us mother and daughter? I might as well go with you..."
"Why don't you save them! Maybe there are still people alive, why don't you go and save them!"
…
For a moment, the cries and shouts intertwined together, making people feel as if they were in hell.
I have been a reporter for nearly a year, but this is the first time I have come across such a news event and the first time I have truly felt the despair and horror brought by death.
A dozen lives are the pillars of survival for these dozen families. I can empathize with their despair because I have also had such moments.
When I was kicked out of the house with Su Xin and Lu Lan, I felt probably this kind of despair in my heart - the world collapsed in an instant and I could not see the future.
Before the crying stopped, a voice shouted impatiently: "People are being rescued, why are you crying! If someone is confirmed dead, we will compensate them 100,000 yuan. If someone dies without a name, we will compensate them 200,000 yuan. If you accept the money, your children will not have to worry about tuition fees. If you don't accept the money and insist on fighting us to the end, you won't get a penny. By then, you may starve to death, not to mention education."
After the middle-aged man announced the coal mine's compensation plan, the whole room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
On one hand, there is the noble cause of seeking justice for loved ones, and on the other hand, there are the practical conditions of keeping oneself and children alive.
The choice in this silence is particularly tormenting.
Soon someone spoke up: "You can ask us not to remember his name, but you have to give us at least 300,000 yuan. We can't accept 200,000 yuan for killing a good person!"
"Yes! You must give 300,000!"
"No, 300,000 is still too little, it must be 400,000 at least!"
For a moment, the family members were shouting until their faces turned red.
As I watched the names of their loved ones turn into numbers from their mouths, a chill welled up in my heart, but it was not difficult to understand.
Nothing is more important than survival, but someone has to give voice to the dead. I know this is my mission.
Although the scene was chaotic, it provided me with a perfect opportunity to interview. It was said that the coal mine had already dug up two bodies, but had not reported them. The family members would stay overnight in the mine to wait for news. The entire mine had been sealed off from the outside. Although the police and reporters could come in, the information they received was that the mine had already been cleaned up.
In order to get first-hand information, I did not meet up with my colleagues, but instead lived in this small dormitory with these family members.
I don't know why, such a dirty and messy environment should be what I hate the most, but at this moment, I don't hate it at all, but a warm feeling rises in my heart. I think there may be a word to summarize it, that is, passion.
I always thought that the blood in my body had cooled and solidified, but I never expected that one day it would boil so hard again.
Getting closer to the truth and seeking justice for more than a dozen lives, this is the true meaning of the profession of journalist.
Reveal the truth, sweep away the snow that covers the surface of this world, so that everyone can see its inner self.
