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Capítulo 26

Part 3: Ghost Miner 6 - Lin Zhenzhen's Adventure

Has Lin Zhenzhen really disappeared from this world? At least that's how it seems to Feng Junzi, but Lin Zhenzhen herself has a completely different feeling.

As Lin Zhenzhen disappeared, Feng Junzi only heard a gasp, then a flash of red, and Lin Zhenzhen was gone. Lin Zhenzhen's experience was quite different. She had just reached out and grabbed the branches of the flower bushes when she felt the ground beneath her feet soften, and the opening in front of her suddenly grew several times larger. Then everything went black, and she fell into another unknown environment. She had no time to do anything but let out a gasp.

When Lin Zhenzhen calmed down a bit, her first reaction was the same as Feng Junzi's assessment from outside: she thought she had accidentally slipped and fallen into the mine pit, because she seemed to be able to smell a faint gas odor in the air. She steadied herself, carefully checked herself, and found she was unharmed. She stood up and groped in the darkness, quickly finding her way to the mine wall. She became even more convinced that she had indeed fallen into the mine pit.

In this situation, she instinctively looked around, hoping to see a light at the edge of the pit. However, to her disappointment, it was pitch black all around; she couldn't see anything. She wasn't afraid, because she wasn't injured. It seemed she had fallen into a vertical shaft, and Feng Junzi was outside. She was certain Feng Junzi would immediately try to come down and rescue her, but based on her experience, the pit seemed to have a very deep shaft at the edge, and she could easily fall in. So she shouted, "Feng Junzi, are you up there? Be careful! There's a trap here! Don't come any closer! Go get help!"

She shouted a few times, seemingly creating a loud echo in the mine, but she couldn't hear Feng Junzi answer. At this point, she felt something was strange. If it were any other girl in this situation, she might have been terrified, but Lin Zhenzhen was different. She had always been a very brave person, not only bold but also mischievous. Even her classmates called her a tomboy in school; she was indeed more of a headache for the teachers than most of the boys in her class. Even someone like Lin Zhenzhen, trapped in such an environment, couldn't help but feel afraid.

Although Lin Zhenzhen was frightened, her curiosity was inexplicably strong. She also wanted to know where she had ended up, so she started to stand up, holding onto the cave wall, and groped around. Lin Zhenzhen's experience was almost identical to Feng Junzi's first encounter in the mine; she had lost her way in a pitch-black mine tunnel and walked for a long time without seeing any light. Lin Zhenzhen herself had never had any strange experiences, and her senses for odd things weren't as sharp as Feng Junzi's, but she also had a vague feeling that something was wrong with this place.

It was incredibly dark here, pitch black, and she felt enveloped by something unseen in the darkness. Even with her strong constitution, Lin Zhenzhen felt uneasy. She suddenly remembered she had her phone, so she took it out and dialed Feng Junzi's number. Unfortunately, there was no signal. The faint light from the phone screen allowed her to make out her surroundings; she was in a tunnel with no end in sight.

She decided to try her luck somewhere else, but then she thought, what if she went the wrong way and Feng Junzi came down and couldn't see her? Would he be worried? So she took off the ornament hanging from her phone and placed it on the ground in the tunnel. The ornament she took off was a small teddy bear tied to a colorful rubber band. Lin Zhenzhen was right; Feng Junzi later came down and indeed found the teddy bear. But where did Lin Zhenzhen go?

In fact, Lin Zhenzhen's experience was strikingly similar to Feng Junzi's. Using the dim light from her phone screen, she groped her way forward along the cave wall, but after walking around, she still couldn't find a way out. When she accidentally found herself back where she had taken off the teddy bear and saw the teddy bear lying on the ground, she realized that she had been going in circles all along.

Her thoughts differed from Feng Junzi's. Feng Junzi believed he was trapped in a maze, while Lin Zhenzhen thought she had wandered into a circular tunnel, because she believed she had fallen from above, unlike Feng Junzi's impression of the tunnel when he entered from the outside. Lin Zhenzhen didn't pick up the teddy bear but continued to explore for a while, still finding nothing. She gave up, but wasn't completely hopeless, because she knew Feng Junzi would soon find a way to rescue her.

Just as she was thinking this, hope appeared. She saw a beam of light coming from the depths of the tunnel, and then she saw a person carrying a portable miner's lamp walking towards her.

Lin Zhenzhen had taken off the teddy bear, and Feng Junzi and his men found it, indicating they had both been to the same place. After Lin Zhenzhen disappeared, Feng Junzi almost immediately entered the mine to look for her, suggesting that both Feng Junzi and Lin Zhenzhen were groping their way through the mine at the same time. However, neither of them encountered the other, which is difficult to explain. But however strange it may be, that's exactly what happened.

When Feng Junzi got lost in the tunnel, someone—a girl named Zhang Ting—led him out with a headlamp. However, Zhang Ting later told Feng Junzi that she had stayed at the entrance and hadn't gone down, indicating that the person in the tunnel wasn't the same Zhang Ting from outside. Lin Zhenzhen's experience was almost identical to Feng Junzi's. When she got lost in the tunnel, she saw someone carrying a headlamp approaching, but her experience was slightly different; the person she saw wasn't a young girl, but a middle-aged man.

Having been alone in the dark for so long, the sudden sight of light and other people gave Lin Zhenzhen the same feeling as Feng Junzi—it was as if they had suddenly encountered saviors. She stood up and quickly went to greet them, saying, "You've finally come! I've been wandering around here for ages without finding a way out. How is Feng Junzi? Did he fall?"

Lin Zhenzhen felt foolish after asking the question. If Feng Junzi had also fallen, who would have notified them to rescue her? She had unconsciously assumed the other person was the one who would come down the well to rescue her. However, the other person's answer surprised her. They asked, seemingly astonished, "Who is Feng Junzi? I don't know. Miss, have you been trapped here for a long time? How did you get here?"

The Ghost Miner Part 3: Part 7 - Meeting but Not Meeting Again

7. Meeting but not seeing each other

Lin Zhenzhen was also taken aback upon hearing this. This person didn't seem to have come specifically to rescue her; at least, he wasn't someone Feng Junzi had found from outside. It seemed he had always been in the mine. The man had already approached, and Lin Zhenzhen carefully examined him by the light. He appeared to be in his thirties, not very tall, almost the same height as Lin Zhenzhen. His skin was slightly dark, but it's usually difficult to discern the original skin tone of someone underground. His features were quite handsome, and he had a refined and cultured demeanor, unlike a coal miner. He seemed more like a school teacher, possessing a very approachable air.

Lin Zhenzhen was observing the other person, who was also looking at her. When she didn't answer, the other person continued to ask, "Did you fall into that abandoned mine pit? That place is very dangerous. How did you end up there? You don't look like someone from the mine."

Lin Zhenzhen was no longer afraid. Feeling more relaxed, she spoke more freely and asked in return, "How do you know I'm not from the mine?"

The other person smiled and said, "In coal mines, women are not allowed to go down the mine."

Lin Zhenzhen now understood that the other person thought she had fallen accidentally, so she asked, "Where is this? Who are you? Isn't this an abandoned mine? How did you get here?"

"I am a gas inspector underground. I usually have to inspect each tunnel regularly. This place is very far from the other tunnels, but I still have to come here every now and then."

Lin Zhenzhen didn't press the man's story for flaws. She knew little about coal mines and assumed this abandoned mine was still connected to others via underground tunnels, so the presence of this gas inspector wasn't surprising. Thinking this, she said, "May I ask your surname? It's fortunate you found this place; otherwise, I don't know how long I would have had to wait to get out. Can you lead me out now?"

“My surname is Zhang, Li Zao Zhang. You can call me Lao Zhang. I think we should wait here for the people from above to come down and find you.”

Lin Zhenzhen immediately exclaimed, "Why?"

Old Zhang seemed to be thinking as he said to Lin Zhenzhen, "There was a small accident here. When I came, the mine behind it had collapsed. I didn't expect to run into you here. Did anyone know when you came down?"

Lin Zhenzhen was surprised and disappointed by these words. In this situation, she did not consider whether what the other person said was true or false, but answered truthfully: "When I fell, my friend was up there. He would definitely try to rescue us. So you were also trapped here."

Old Zhang seemed very happy and excitedly said to Lin Zhenzhen, "That's great! We're both saved. If we hadn't met you, no one would have known I was down there, and no one would have come here to look for us."

Seeing that the other person didn't intend to go out on their own but rather wanted to wait for rescue, Lin Zhenzhen reminded him, "Don't you know the route through this mine? Can't we get out ourselves?"

Old Zhang shook his head. "This mine is abandoned. There's a vertical shaft going up from here, it's very high, but the equipment has been removed. It's very dangerous for us to climb up, it's almost impossible to get out. It's the wisest thing to stay here and wait for rescue."

Lin Zhenzhen: "How long have you been stuck here?"

Old Zhang suddenly asked a very strange question: "What's the date today?"

Lin Zhenzhen: "Today is February 14th, Valentine's Day, didn't you know?"

Old Zhang: "I didn't wear a watch. It's dark down here, so I don't know the time. It looks like it's today. I was only trapped here at noon today."

...

After checking the information in the library's archives, Feng Junzi became even more certain that yesterday's events were extraordinary, and his worries about Lin Zhenzhen lessened slightly. If Lin Zhenzhen had truly encountered a landslide, the chances of survival were slim, but if it was a strange event, there was still room for human intervention.

Feng Junzi made a decision after leaving the library. He didn't go to the accident site but decided to continue to the meeting room. It seemed the mine was keeping Lin Zhenzhen's situation a secret; those attending the meeting were unaware of it, and the meeting proceeded as scheduled. Before Feng Junzi even reached the meeting room door, he ran into Secretary Yuan, the same secretary who had been at the accident site the day before.

Seeing Feng Junzi stride towards the meeting hall with a hint of panic in his expression, Xiao Yuan quickly stepped forward to greet him and said politely in a low voice, "Is Teacher Feng here for a meeting? When you go in later, please don't tell anyone what happened yesterday. Our mine will handle it."

Feng Junzi was mentally prepared for this. He nodded without replying and continued walking towards the venue. Just then, he saw another person approaching him. He recognized this person; it was Wang Minggao, another vice president of the company, whom Liu Wanshan, the vice president of Qingjiang Shares, had mentioned to him yesterday. Feng Junzi hadn't had much interaction with Wang Minggao, but they had met a few times. Wang Minggao seemed to be deliberately waiting for something or someone at the venue entrance, and upon seeing Feng Junzi, he quickly came to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Wang, are you also having a meeting here?" Feng Junzi greeted him in this way even though he knew that the other party did not seem to be having a meeting in the venue.

Although Wang Minggao wasn't very familiar with Feng Junzi, he came over like an old friend, shook his hand, and said, "Teacher Feng has come to the mine, and we haven't properly entertained him yet. We'll definitely make up for it when we have time in the next few days."

Feng Junzi: "Mr. Wang, you're too kind. Everyone knows that leaders are busy with their work."

Wang Minggao: "Just busy with nothing. By the way, I heard from Xiao Yuan that reporter Lin from Beijing had a bit of an accident yesterday. Our mine is handling it and will definitely handle it to everyone's satisfaction. Before there is a result, I hope Teacher Feng will not tell others for the time being to avoid causing unnecessary impact."

Feng Junzi smiled and said, "I know that. I would never say something I shouldn't say, Mr. Wang. Don't worry, I have to go in for a meeting."

...

It was almost noon, and the morning meeting was drawing to a close. Everyone was waiting for lunch. After the last speaker finished on the topic of Qingjiang Shares' share issuance project, it was time for everyone to raise their hands for discussion and questions, as usual. However, no one seemed to have anything to add, and just as the host was about to announce the adjournment, Feng Junzi suddenly stood up and waved, saying, "Host, I'd like to add a few points."

The meeting moderator was clearly getting impatient, but still handed the microphone to Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi took the microphone, and with his other hand pulled a small teddy bear attached to a colorful rubber band from his pocket. He said loudly, "Distinguished leaders and friends from the media, Ms. Lin Zhenzhen, a reporter from Beijing, accidentally fell into an abandoned mine yesterday. It's been almost a day and a night now, and she still hasn't been rescued. What exactly does it mean that your mine is blocking the news and preventing any announcement?"

As soon as Feng Junzi spoke, it was like swarming flies. The once quiet meeting room erupted in discussion. Lin Zhenzhen was beautiful and had a lively personality; most of the attendees remembered her. Several who knew Lin Zhenzhen well recognized the object Feng Junzi was holding as the one Lin Zhenzhen usually wore on her phone. Many people began pointing and asking questions, but Feng Junzi didn't give them a chance to interrupt. Holding the microphone, he raised his voice, silencing the crowd: "If Miss Lin doesn't have any news soon, I'm going to call the police. The mine leaders need to give us a statement on when they can rescue her. Should I call their newspaper editor right now?"

Chaos erupted in the hall. Out of the corner of his eye, Feng Junzi noticed that Xiao Yuan and President Wang's faces had turned a grimace. He sneered inwardly, "Trying to play dirty tricks on me? I'm not buying it. Lin Zhenzhen's life is hanging in the balance; saving her is the priority. I don't want to play any games with you." Feng Junzi was an interesting man. He believed that a person should be like a clear mirror, reflecting virtue in the presence of a virtuous person and vice versa. If a virtuous person were led by the nose by a villain, they would be incredibly foolish. This was something Xiao Yuan and the others hadn't anticipated. Feng Junzi had clearly agreed at the door, but his sudden move in the hall caught them completely off guard.

Wang Minggao, the leader, reacted quickly, rushing onto the stage and grabbing the microphone from the host. He addressed the chaotic crowd: "Reporter Lin did indeed encounter an accident. Yesterday, she unfortunately went missing in an abandoned mine pit. Our coal mine is doing everything in its power to search for her, and we believe the search will yield results soon. This matter was rather sudden, and we haven't had time to inform everyone yet. We hope everyone will remain calm. We will handle this matter very well." He paused, then added: "Some areas of the mining area are quite dangerous. We hope everyone will refrain from entering them unnecessarily to avoid suffering the same misfortune as Ms. Lin."

Wang Minggao's words clearly indicated that he didn't want everyone to go to the scene of Lin Zhenzhen's accident, but he forgot that Feng Junzi was holding another microphone. As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Junzi said loudly again: "The place where Lin Zhenzhen had her accident is not far from here. The mine workers are still rescuing her, but the progress is very slow. It has been a day and a night. I just came from that place. Do you want to come with me to take a look and see if we can help?"

After finishing his speech, Feng Junzi put down the microphone and walked out. He had calculated that Wang Minggao and the others wouldn't turn against him in this setting. His goal was to escalate the situation. Once things got out of hand, it would only benefit Lin Zhenzhen and the investigation into the truth of what happened a year ago. As for what Wang Minggao and the others thought, Feng Junzi couldn't care less about that for the time being. As Feng Junzi walked out, several reporters familiar with Lin Zhenzhen immediately followed him. The other investment institution representatives were relatively composed, but few of the media representatives disliked a spectacle, and they all followed him out. Even if Xiao Yuan, standing at the door, tried to stop them, he probably wouldn't be able to.

Feng Junzi led a group of people to the scene of Lin Zhenzhen's accident. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about lunch, and the group practically surrounded the mine's exit. The mine workers' attempts to dissuade them seemed to have little effect; only by calling in more excavators to work in the tunnel could they succeed. Feng Junzi noticed that Liu Wanshan had also arrived to direct the work. The speed of excavation in the mine had noticeably increased.

Part 3: Ghost Miner 8, My Name is Zhang Wenzheng

While Feng Junzi was carrying out his activities, Lin Zhenzhen and Lao Zhang waited in the tunnel for rescue. Originally, it would have been difficult for one person to endure in the dark mine for long before their nerves broke down, but now that they had another companion and a miner's lamp to provide light, Lin Zhenzhen felt much calmer.

Waiting in the dark tunnel was unbearable, so Lin Zhenzhen and Lao Zhang passed the time by chatting. Lin Zhenzhen asked Lao Zhang, "Lao Zhang, it's Valentine's Day today, is everyone going down the mine?"

Old Zhang smiled, his teeth appearing even whiter and more even against his ashen complexion. He said, "You city folks celebrate these Western holidays. We don't have these customs here. Forget Valentine's Day, even on the Spring Festival a few days ago, the workers went down the mine as usual."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Are the workers willing?"

Old Zhang: "The mine has its own way of doing things. Last month, the mine deducted 300 yuan from everyone's wages. If you don't miss work this month, the 300 yuan will be paid back. In addition, there is a 100 yuan holiday bonus. However, if you don't go down the mine during the Spring Festival, you will lose the 300 yuan deducted from your wages and the 100 yuan holiday bonus. So, the total is 400 yuan."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Four hundred yuan? If it were me, I wouldn't work during the Spring Festival even if I were fined four thousand yuan."

Old Zhang smiled again and said, "Of course you wouldn't, but four hundred yuan is no small amount for the miners. Everyone is waiting for this money to celebrate the New Year."

Lin Zhenzhen also realized that what she had said earlier was a bit inappropriate, and asked somewhat apologetically, "How many years have you worked in the coal mine? What's your salary like now?"

Old Zhang: "It's been almost ten years. I used to work up there and earn 500 yuan a month. Later, I asked to go down the mine myself and I could earn more than 900 yuan a month."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Did you voluntarily request to work down in the mine?"

Old Zhang: "Yes, working underground pays more. I don't mind living a hard life myself, but I have four elderly people at home, and I can't let them suffer."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Four old people?"

Old Zhang: "Yes, the child's maternal grandparents and paternal grandparents all live in the same village."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Do you have children?"

Old Zhang: "I have a daughter named Zhang Ting. She should be in high school this year."

Lin Zhenzhen: "What do you mean by 'should be in high school'? You're such a funny dad. If you're in high school, you're in high school; if you're not, you're not. Don't you even understand that?"

Old Zhang was a little embarrassed by what Lin Zhenzhen said, and smiled as he lowered his head, saying, "Of course she's in high school. I don't take good care of her usually; it's mostly her mother who takes care of her. Her mother has to take care of the child and four elderly people as well; it's really not easy for her."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Your partner must be very capable and virtuous, right?"

Old Zhang sighed, "She's really rare; she's worked so hard following me."

As Lin Zhenzhen spoke, she revealed her bourgeois sentimentality again and asked a rather abrupt question: "What gift are you planning to give her for Valentine's Day?"

Unexpectedly, Lao Zhang replied in a serious tone, "I'll give her a poem."

Lin Zhenzhen was a little surprised. She hadn't expected this miner underground to have such a refined hobby, actually thinking of writing a poem for his wife on Valentine's Day. For some inexplicable reason, she thought of Feng Junzi and said to Lao Zhang, "So you also like writing poetry. I have a friend who also enjoys literary pursuits, but it's a pity he's not here. Otherwise, you two could have a good exchange." After saying this, Lin Zhenzhen felt something was off. Feng Junzi's absence was more of a stroke of luck than a pity. She quickly changed her words, saying, "He's outside. You'll see him when we go out in a bit. His name is Feng Junzi, and he loves to indulge in refined pursuits." After saying this, Lin Zhenzhen felt she had made a mistake again. Although the phrase "indulging in refined pursuits" referred to Feng Junzi, it sounded like she was mocking Lao Zhang.

However, Old Zhang didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he said with great interest, "You are all learned people. I haven't even asked you your name or where you're from yet."

Lin Zhenzhen: "My name is Lin Zhenzhen, and I am a reporter for a newspaper in Beijing."

Old Zhang: "A reporter from Beijing? That's wonderful." There was a clear element of surprise in his tone.

Lin Zhenzhen, however, did not notice Lao Zhang's reaction, and instead continued to ask him, "Have you finished writing the poem for your lover? Can I admire it first?"

Old Zhang sighed again and said somewhat embarrassedly, "When I was in school, I also loved literature, especially poetry. Later, my sister was admitted to a nursing school, and I didn't go to school. I didn't even graduate from middle school. The things I wrote made you cultured people laugh at me."

Lin Zhenzhen: "Old Zhang, why are you being modest? I know nothing about poetry, so I won't laugh at you. Just don't laugh at me, let me see."

Seeing that Lin Zhenzhen insisted on seeing it, Lao Zhang shone his headlamp on the opposite pit wall and said, "It's written on the wall, you can see it yourself."

The tunnel wasn't just filled with dark earth and rocks; there were also many wooden or steel supports. Lin Zhenzhen noticed a square wooden stake against the wall opposite her. Several lines of writing were inscribed on the smooth side of the stake. The stake was grayish-yellow, and the poem seemed to be carved on it with something black. Lin Zhenzhen took her headlamp and walked over, reading aloud as she did so: "Parting in Guangdong, we are separated by vast distances; meeting in dreams, even more unforgettable. A thousand mountains and rivers, deep affection treasured. Unbreakable, tangled, is the sorrow of parting, wandering alone. On the Double Seventh Festival, the Cowherd and Weaver Girl reunite; on the Magpie Bridge, their love endures. The night is almost over, the autumn chill lingers. In my dreams, I vaguely see you, haggard; do you remember? Return home soon." (Note by Xu Gongzi: This poem is not my invention, but indeed the last work of a miner who perished in the accident. I quoted it in this novel not to allude to anything, but because I felt it suited the scene. The entire poem, "Jiang Cheng Zi," was quoted without the original author's permission, and I hope the spirit in heaven will forgive me!)

Lin Zhenzhen, being a top student in the Chinese Department of Peking University, even though she didn't study poetry, immediately recognized it as a poem in the Jiangchengzi style. Moreover, she could clearly see that it borrowed the structure of Su Dongpo's poem "Ten years have passed, life and death are separated by a vast distance." Frankly, it wasn't a particularly skillful piece. She secretly thought it was fortunate that Feng Junzi wasn't there; otherwise, that picky fellow might have made sarcastic remarks about Lao Zhang again.

Lin Zhenzhen said to Lao Zhang, "It's really a good poem. It's already very well written. However, as a Valentine's Day gift, isn't the tone a bit too melancholic?"

Old Zhang nodded with a hint of emotion and replied, "That's right. When I wrote this poem, I really felt that I owed her too much."

When Lin Zhenzhen sat down again, she was still recalling the poem. She felt that it wasn't quite appropriate as a Valentine's Day gift. It actually borrowed the structure of Su Shi's "Ten years have passed, life and death are separated by a vast distance," a line from Su Shi's "Jiang Cheng Zi," which expresses the poignant emotion of a couple separated by death. How could Lao Zhang write it like that? Besides, "parting in Yue" doesn't fit either; this isn't Guangdong. Using Qixi Festival as a metaphor for Valentine's Day is fine... but this poem just feels a bit—a bit—too ominous.

"Yes, it's just too unlucky." Although Lin Zhenzhen thought this to herself, she didn't say anything to Lao Zhang. She didn't want to discourage Lao Zhang's enthusiasm for writing poetry, thinking that it might be because Lao Zhang wasn't familiar with the writing style.

...

Old Zhang and Lin Zhenzhen waited in the tunnel for an unknown amount of time. This process was extremely difficult. During this time, Lin Zhenzhen wanted to ask Old Zhang several times to take her to the upward shaft to see if she could climb up, but Old Zhang stopped her each time. Old Zhang told her that he had worked in the coal mine for ten years and knew what to do in each situation, so Lin Zhenzhen had no choice but to listen to him.

Perhaps it was because a long night had passed, Lin Zhenzhen looked at the clock on her phone and it was already noon the next day. It seemed she would have to wait a while longer. Just then, Lin Zhenzhen's stomach suddenly growled a few times. Perhaps in this kind of environment, one's reactions might be a little numb, but the stomach can still feel hungry. Lin Zhenzhen was hungry, and when she realized this, she suddenly felt extremely hungry.

Even the faintest sounds in the darkness were clear. Old Zhang had obviously heard Lin Zhenzhen's stomach growling, and asked in a concerned tone, "Reporter Lin, are you hungry?"

Lin Zhenzhen: "I'm sorry, I can hold on to my body, but my belly isn't cooperating."

Old Zhang: "I have some food here, why don't you have some to eat first?"

Lin Zhenzhen: "You have food? Why don't you eat it yourself?"

Old Zhang: "I'm not hungry, you eat. I have three steamed buns here, left over from yesterday's lunch."

Lin Zhenzhen: "You guys had steamed buns for lunch? Why did you save three?"