A jinx, me? But I bring good fortune to my whole family!

News of the mine's miracle spread quickly, not only in the village but also throughout the town.

There are all sorts of opinions.

Some say that the youngest daughter of the Gu family is the reincarnation of the Mountain Goddess.

Some say she can command all beasts and is a living bodhisattva descended to earth.

The rumors grew increasingly bizarre, but Gu Jianguo's family kept their doors tightly shut, refusing to open them for anyone.

In the afternoon, a military green jeep drove into the village and stopped in front of the Gu family's courtyard.

Gao Yuan jumped out of the car, his face serious, and knocked on the door.

Gu Jianguo opened the door, saw it was him, and his heart sank.

"Captain Gao."

"Brother Jianguo, I'm not here for anything else, just to tell you something," Gao Yuan said in a low voice as he entered the courtyard. "The province has sent an investigation team down to specifically investigate this landslide. The team leader is a geological expert surnamed Liu, a very meticulous person."

Su Xiulan brought out a bowl of water, her hands trembling.

Investigation team? Experts?

These kinds of words are too far removed from the lives of farmers like them, frighteningly so.

"Captain Gao, this matter... has nothing to do with our family, right? We are just..."

"I know," Gao Yuan interrupted her, his face expressionless. "Engineer Liu wants to know about the rescue situation at the time, and he might ask you questions. Just tell the truth. Don't be nervous."

That's what they say, but who wouldn't be nervous?

Gao Yuan didn't linger; he gave a few instructions and then drove away.

The family was extremely anxious.

Dinner was tasteless and unappetizing.

As night fell, a light drizzle began to fall outside.

Just as the family was getting ready to go to bed, there was another knock on the gate.

This time, the knocking was steady, firm, and unhurried.

Gu Jianguo put on his clothes, walked to the door, and his heart was in his throat.

"Who?"

"Comrade Gu Jianguo, this is me, Gao Yuan. Also, Engineer Liu from the province wants to ask you about something."

Gu Jianguo's heart sank.

It's time to come, it's coming.

He unlatched the door, and two people were standing in the doorway.

Gao Yuan, dressed in military uniform, stood ramrod straight.

Beside him was a man in his fifties, wearing glasses and dressed in a cadre's uniform.

The man had some gray hair, a thin face, a serious expression, and an air of scholarly refinement about him.

He is Engineer Liu.

"Come in." Gu Jianguo stepped aside.

Inside the main room, Su Xiulan quickly turned up the kerosene lamp.

As soon as Engineer Liu entered the room, his gaze swept around the room and finally landed on Gu Da'an, who was hiding behind Su Xiulan and only peeking out half of his head.

He didn't mention any wild boar, nor did he ask about any living bodhisattva.

He carefully took out a piece of paper with its edges damp from his canvas bag.

On the paper were a few crooked lines drawn with charcoal.

It was the simple mine tunnel map that Gu Da'an had drawn for Nuannuan yesterday.

"Who drew this picture?" Engineer Liu pushed up his glasses, his voice calm.

Gu Jianguo and Su Xiulan were both deeply worried.

They really came for this!

Su Xiulan subconsciously pulled Da'an further behind her.

Gu Da'an stepped out from behind his mother.

He looked at the drawing in Liu's hand, then looked at Liu, his mouth moved but no sound came out.

There was no doubt or disdain on Engineer Liu's face. He placed the drawing on the table and softened his tone.

"Young comrade, don't be afraid. I just want to ask, why did you draw this part the way you did?"

He pointed to an intersection on the map.

No one spoke; the room was so quiet you could hear the raindrops hitting the eaves.

Gu Da'an stretched out his finger and pointed at the intersection.

Then he went to the corner, picked up a piece of charcoal, and came back.

He didn't draw on his own map, but looked at Engineer Liu.

Engineer Liu understood.

He paused for a moment, then took out a larger roll of blueprints from his canvas bag and spread them out on the table.

It was a professional mine structure diagram, covered with dense lines and data.

"Wow! This is a blueprint! This old man is something else!" Little Green exclaimed in Nuannuan's mind.

Everyone in the room held their breath.

A renowned expert from the provincial capital, and a villager whom everyone calls a fool.

Two people, a professional blueprint, and a piece of charcoal.

And so began a conversation that no one could understand.

Engineer Liu pointed to a spot on the drawing and marked it with a pencil.

Gu Da'an took the charcoal and drew a supporting structure in the blank space next to him, then drew an X on it.

Engineer Liu frowned.

He then pointed to another spot.

Gu Da'an shook his head again and drew a triangular structure next to it.

The two of them just pointed and drew.

Gu Da'an speaks haltingly, but his drawings are simple, direct, and easy to understand.

His hand was steady, and the charcoal pencil made a rustling sound as it glided across the paper.

Outside, the wind and rain raged; inside, the lights were dim.

Gu Jianguo and Su Xiulan didn't dare to breathe.

Gao Yuan stood aside, watching this silent exchange, his expression slowly shifting from serious to shocked.

He didn't understand geology, but he could read Liu's expression.

Liu's expression changed from calm at first, to solemn, and now to horror!

A layer of sweat even seeped out of his forehead.

Finally, Gu Da'an put down his pen.

Engineer Liu's finger remained on the drawing for a long time without moving.

He suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Gu Da'an in front of him, his eyes filled with horror.

"The structural support points you pointed out..." Engineer Liu's voice trembled slightly, "are exactly the same as the key points I suspected after my initial investigation!"

Gu Jianguo and Su Xiulan's minds went blank.

What does that mean?

Is Da'an's drawing correct?

Engineer Liu took off his glasses, wiped them vigorously with the corner of his clothes, put them back on, and stared intently at the areas on the drawing that had been marked with an X in charcoal.

"Impossible... The structural data for these points were precisely calculated, and there's absolutely no problem with them according to the blueprints!"

He raised his head, looked directly at Gu Jianguo, and spoke with unprecedented seriousness.

"Comrade Gu Jianguo, I can tell you with certainty that the torrential rain was merely a trigger for this landslide!"

"The root cause is the inherent structural safety of the mine itself, which harbors significant hidden dangers!"

Man-made disaster!

These two words sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Su Xiulan's voice trembled: "What...what does this mean?"

Engineer Liu's face turned ashen: "It means that someone cut corners during the construction of the mine!"

Cutting corners!

These four words are more terrifying than man-made disaster!

If this were true, it would be a capital offense!

The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze.

Engineer Liu looked at Gu Jianguo with a solemn expression and a pleading tone.

"Comrade Gu Jianguo, the situation is very complicated. Many key tunnels are blocked, so our people can't get in and can't obtain evidence."

He paused for a moment, as if thinking about how to say it.

"I know that this next request may be a little difficult for you."

"I hope... you can find a way to let those... um, little animals go deeper into the mine again."

Engineer Liu's face turned slightly red. To say that animals should be used as investigators was really outrageous coming from the mouth of such a great expert.

"Especially look at the points that Comrade Da'an pointed out. Check if there are any signs of deliberate damage or substandard reinforced concrete in those areas."

This isn't just putting them in a difficult position; it's sending their whole family to their deaths!

Investigating shoddy workmanship would offend so many people.

The mine's leaders and contractors all have connections and backgrounds!

For an ordinary farming family like them to get involved in this kind of thing is practically suicide.

Gu Jianguo's fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

It was already past midnight when we saw Engineer Liu and Gao Yuan off.

Su Xiulan slammed the door shut, leaned against it, and slumped down.

"Honey, this is getting worse, shouldn't we stay out of it?" Her voice trembled with tears. "I'm scared, I'm really scared! Those people are capable of anything!"

Gu Jianguo squatted on the ground, silently smoking one cigarette after another.

His face was obscured by the swirling smoke.

Just then, the curtain to the inner room was lifted.

Nuannuan rubbed her eyes and ran out barefoot.

She was holding a small, hard-covered notebook, about the size of her palm.

The notebook is a bit old; it's been soaked in mud and water, and the edges are curled up.

"dad."

Nuannuan held up her little notebook and spoke in a childish voice.

"This notebook was dragged out by Little Grey and his friends from under a bad uncle's cabinet."

"There are lots of numbers and red circles on it."