Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

Wang Li wanted to argue with his father a bit more, but when he thought of the miners he encountered on the way back from Anguo who had been drugged and made stupid, he immediately calmed down.

Even with Wang An's ruthlessness and cunning, his face was filled with fear and helplessness when he talked to Wang Li and Mu Xueli about the illegal coal mines.

This is enough to prove that one’s personal bravery alone is absolutely no match for that coal mine owner.

Thinking of this, Wang Li gritted his teeth, making a grinding sound, before saying with a face full of resentment:

"Alright, Dad, Eldest Sister, you two go to the hospital to deliver the money first, and then I'll go talk to my fourth brother to see what to do."

Since he had made some progress in martial arts, Wang Li had always been quick to anger when dealing with the villagers, never tolerating anyone. It wasn't until Wang An gave him a good beating that he learned what it meant to be "arrogant and ignorant".

But now, Wang Li was forced to suppress his anger, which made him feel extremely frustrated.

After Wang Daliang rode away on his motorcycle with Wang Xiaofeng, Wang Li said goodbye to Yao Ping, then turned around and went to Wang An's house with his Type 56 assault rifle on his back.

When Wang Li entered the courtyard, Wang Dazhu, Wang An, and Huang Zhong had already collected the lees and piled them up near the stove.

Normally, the lees of wine need to be dried before they can be fed to livestock, but Wang An and Wang Dazhu figured that it wasn't really practical to dry the lees now, so they piled them up near the stove.

Because of the lees from Wang An's family, the father and son planned to use them only to feed the pigs.

When it's time to feed the pigs, simply put the fermented grains into a pot, add water and bran, and cook it. A pot of fresh pig feed is ready.

It saves food, saves worry, and saves trouble.

The key is that the pigs are also eager to gain weight, which is a win-win situation.

Seeing Wang Li enter the courtyard with a gloomy face, Wang Dazhu and Huang Zhong greeted him. Wang An glanced at him and chuckled, teasingly saying:
"What's going on here? Who are you trying to impress with this ridiculous act? And you're carrying a gun, damn, a Type 56 assault rifle! What are you doing here?"

Ignoring Wang An's teasing, Wang Li walked up to Wang An and told him directly about how his brother-in-law Shi Qinghe was injured, and how the coal mine refused to compensate him for medical expenses on the grounds of illegal operation.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhu, Wang An, and Huang Zhong's expressions immediately turned grim. Wang Dazhu, in particular, said angrily:
"How can they do that? If something happens in the mine, the mine should be responsible. Why shouldn't the mine pay for medical expenses? Damn it, those bastards."

Although Huang Zhong was also very angry, he didn't say anything.

Only Wang An frowned, and did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he pondered for a while before speaking:
"How many workers were injured in total? What are the attitudes of the injured workers' families? Is the coal mine adamant about not compensating for violations, or are they saying these things are negotiable? Has Second Sister told you all this?"

Wang Li shook his head and said:

"No, my older sister just cried, and then I didn't even think to ask her about it."

Wang An was so angry he laughed, and said with a speechless expression:
"So all you brought was your mouth, huh? You don't know anything, you just want me to help you get money, is that what you mean?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Li quickly replied, "No, my dad told me to come and ask you what this means. If my brother-in-law is at fault, then we'll just let it go, and we'll cover the cost of his medical treatment."

After waiting a while, seeing that Wang Li didn't say anything more, Wang An took out a cigarette, lit it, and then glared at Wang Li before saying:
"What if the fault doesn't lie with my brother-in-law? Then the coal mine would have to pay for the medical expenses. What should we do then?"

"By the way, what's the deal with my second brother-in-law and the Shi family? They're the biggest family in Shima Village, and some of them even seem to work for the county government. So why aren't they involved in this matter?"

Wang An was really having a headache at this moment. The main problem was that this kind of thing was quite troublesome to solve, and the key was that Wang An himself couldn't solve it unless he asked Wu Dong and Zhang Shuya for help.

Because Wang An admitted that he didn't have the strength to go up against a coal mine owner.

Not to mention now, even at the peak of Wang An's previous life, he still didn't have the strength to confront the coal boss head-on.

It must be admitted that those coal bosses are truly ruthless, extremely ruthless, and possess almost every trait of arrogance, barbarity, power, and ferocity.

What's most infuriating is that they have manpower, guns, and connections—they're practically a perfect, all-encompassing entity.

Ruthless individuals like those with murder convictions on their hands, capable of taking another life at any moment, are almost always kept by every illegal coal mine owner, and there are quite a few of them.

In the eyes of ordinary coal mine owners, the "gray market" is nothing but a fart, and they wouldn't even give them a second glance.

Of course, many coal bosses are actually the biggest "gray and white gangs" in a region, the kind that have a say in both the gray and white worlds.

As a reborn individual, Wang An genuinely lacks the foolish enthusiasm to think he would risk his life fighting a coal mine owner for medical expenses for an uncle or brother-in-law with whom he has little affection or even contact. That's absolutely impossible.

Besides, in Shima Village where Shi Qinghe lives, the Shi family is a prominent family. More than half of the villagers are surnamed Shi, and only a small portion are surnamed Ma. How could Wang An, an uncle and brother-in-law, possibly stand up for them?
Even if it's just to let Wang An vent his anger for his younger brother Wang Li, it's not acceptable!
Call Wang An a coward, call him a coward, say he lacks family affection—whatever you want to say, Wang An will absolutely not step forward to be the one in charge.

However, if Wang An were to offer some advice or provide assistance, there would be no problem at all.

Wang An's words, which only involved asking questions without offering any help, immediately calmed down the furious Wang Dazhu, and his previous indignation vanished instantly.

How could Wang Dazhu not know what his own son was like?

Wang An didn't want to take the initiative; instead, he wanted the Shi family and the families of the injured workers to step forward—that was the right thing to do.

What kind of logic is it that you Shi family members are making us Wang family members deal with your problems? You haven't spent a single penny of your earnings on me.

So after figuring things out, Wang Dazhu told Huang Zhong to continue working and didn't express any further dissatisfaction or opinions.

As for Huang Zhong, he quickly figured out the key point as well.

Wang An's relentless questioning left Wang Li visibly taken aback. (End of Chapter)