Chapter 23 4. Quarry site

After taking a nap at noon, my father pushed the door open and said that there was a videographer from Beijing downstairs who was willing to pay 300 yuan to ask Lan Jiashan to be a guide and take him aboard to take some videos of sailors quarrying stones. Lan Jiashan told his father that according to the rules on the ship, only local stone dealers can board the ship to buy stones.He emphasized: "Even Liuzhou stone merchants are not qualified to board the ship, let alone outsiders, let alone take pictures." But the father was a little reluctant to pay the 300 yuan, and urged his son to find a way.Lan Jiashan had no choice but to go downstairs with him.

A man is turning his back to them, looking at a landscape picture from an almanac.He turned around when he heard footsteps, and stretched out his hand to Lan Jiashan with a smile.He is less than 30 years old, tall and straight, with a small crew cut and sharp eyes. He held Lan Jiashan's hand tightly and looked sincerely. He introduced his surname as Wu and that he was a videographer for a certain channel of CCTV, and showed his work permit. Reporter Wu said: "I just came back from filming in Bama. I heard that someone was mining strange rocks in the river section here, so I stopped along the way and wanted to shoot some materials."

Mother Lan not only warmly invited him to stay in her own hotel, but also revealed that her son was "turning on the machine" on board. Lan Jiashan told him frankly the rules on the local ship. "Think of a way, Jiashan. Didn't Xu Weiwei follow you on the boat last time?" Father Lan was unwilling to lose the 300 yuan he got, and even dared to mention Xu Weiwei's example. He urged, "It's from the Central Committee Great reporter, it’s rare to come to our countryside and give us publicity, which is a good thing.” Lan Jiashan didn't know what to do, so he agreed to give it a try.

Parents graciously invited Reporter Wu to come home for dinner, and they even decided on the recipe with him on the spot. Forced by life, they were enthusiastic about making money. Lan Jiashan led Reporter Wu up the stone bridge. Reporter Wu stopped and took a video camera to film the quarrying scene on the river. Suddenly, there was a commotion on the pier... Several small wooden boats quickly approached the pier from the center of the river.The boats on the river sounded their whistles one after another.More and more people ran towards the pier. Lan Jiashan was startled, and hurriedly hailed a tricycle to get off the pier, and reporter Wu jumped into the car ahead of him.Lan Jiashan originally wanted to take the opportunity to dump him.Now that's all right, I've got him ready-made materials.

Before the car reached the pier, Lanjiashan heard a miserable cry.The female tricycle driver shook her head and sighed: Another life was lost. After getting out of the car with heavy steps, Lan Jiashan saw a woman throwing herself on the dead body on the ground and crying loudly.The faces of the people around were full of pity, and there was a trace of fear, because there was a pool of blood that was getting bigger and bigger under the body of the man whose body was already stiff. Reporter Wu asked the people around him what happened in a low voice while filming. From other people's mouth, Lan Jiashan learned that the sailor was from Quanzhou, Guangxi, and that the one crying on top of him was his sister.The two brothers and sisters used to work in a stone factory in Yantan. A few months ago, the elder brother insisted on becoming a sailor because he saw that the sailors came with fast money.

Someone whispered: "His old sister doesn't know, his leg was smashed." His lower body was covered with two old jackets, which were already stained with blood. The younger sister was already crying a little silly, two women wanted to help her away, but she grabbed her brother's hand and refused to let go. Two small wooden boats quickly approached the pier.The two captains and several sailors jumped onto the pier with pale faces. A boat boss took off the jacket of the deceased, and everyone around gasped. His lower body was bloody and bloody. When the deceased's sister suddenly saw this scene, she couldn't bear the stimulation and passed out. She was helped to the side.

Sure enough, he was stoned to death. The two ship bosses quarreled on the spot.One said how you drove the winch, one said why you didn't tie the stone with steel wires; one said that the wire was broken because of a wrong operation of the winch, and the other said why you didn't evacuate the people below in advance. Lan Jiashan was a little angry, they They are actually shirking responsibility in front of the family members of the deceased. Then came the third captain and sailor.A woman ran over from the pier, panting and handed a wad of money to the boat boss, who signaled that she would hand over the money to the deceased's sister. The woman hesitantly stuffed the money into her sister's arms. Excited to scream: "I don't want money. I want people."

The people around became angry, and the sailors were the first to react, and they yelled at the third captain: "You have to stand up for the dead and compensate these two guys." The third ship boss refused to accept: "This should be for family members to come forward." The scene suddenly became chaotic. Reporter Wu suddenly said: "Take your time, tell them one by one, I want to record the evidence." He suddenly became very authoritative. Sailors, ship bosses and bystanders expressed their opinions and opinions in front of the camera. The context of the matter began to be clear, and because it involved three parties, it became complicated again.The deceased was hired by the owner of the ship, Mr. Huang, to salvage the strange stone; the sailors on the next ship, Mr. Lu, found a two-ton strange rock underwater and needed to ask the boat to lift it; and Mr. Li had a gondola, and Mr. Qin was hired to open the hoist on the boat. , operating a business of lifting strange stones from underwater for others.

Because there are many ships and sailors going down the river to salvage strange rocks, and the distance between the ships is relatively close.For the sake of safety, everyone agrees that when lifting stones, the surrounding ships and sailors must be notified in advance to stop the operation, and the stones can only be lifted when safety is ensured. The deceased and his companions were carrying out stone salvage operations underwater nearby, and Huang was specifically responsible for contacting the deceased and other sailors underwater on the boat (by pulling the oxygen tube as a contact signal).Lu notified Qin to start the machine to lift the stone without prior notice to the surrounding ships to stop underwater operations.When the stone came out of the water, the wire rope binding the stone suddenly loosened, and the stone fell to the bottom of the river, killing the victim alive. When his companions pulled him out of the water, he had already stopped breathing.

This is the first time that Lan Jiashan has witnessed the death of a sailor.He followed reporter Wu's camera and returned to the scene of the accident.Insiders and witnesses expressed their anger, regret and fear in front of the camera, and... fortunately, fortunately, they did not touch the lottery of death. Reporter Wu seized this opportunity and smelled the bloody smell of the deepest wound in this industry.Fantastically, the camera played a sort of referee-like role in the accidental death.He is a reporter from Beijing Central Television. Facing the deterrent force of death, no one dares to stop him from further understanding the truth.

The owner of the stone looked ashen, and he repeatedly expressed the hope that the stone could be sold quickly so that the deceased could be compensated.The driver operating the winch hid his face, while the boss of the gondola said vaguely: "I just bought a boat, I just bought a machine." The sailors talked about their underwater operations, the boss emphasized their rules, and Lan Jiashan was thinking about his own fate. Reporter Wu recorded more and more scope. After filming the sailors, his lens began to touch the people living on the entire Kistler Street. Lan Jiashan no longer wanted to earn his 300 yuan.But reporter Wu refused to let him go. After he finished shooting everything he wanted to shoot, he asked Lan Jiashan to take him to a place. As soon as reporter Wu said the words "Xinduqiao", Lan Jiashan began to suspect that he did not find him by chance. Xindu River is a tributary of Hongshui River, only two kilometers away from the town. It was on this bridge that Lanjiashui crashed Xu Gang and his car into the river. The damaged bridge fence has just been repaired, and the warning signs have not been removed. It is the first time that Lanjiashan has come here since the car accident. Reporter Wu lit three sticks of incense at the accident site, knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. "Xu Gang is my best friend." He said sadly.Lan Jiashan guessed right, he really came close to Lan Jiashan with a purpose. Reporter Wu's eyes were red: "Xu Gang grew up with me, this guy, why did he overturn his car here?" He walked to the railing and sighed: "He is my best friend. I brought my girlfriend to him, and they never saw each other again, my best friend and my future lover." He squatted down and covered his face. After a while, he calmed down, and then said: "Xu Weiwei told me everything about your family, and I went to see your brother. I decided to come here no matter what. trip." He persuaded Lan Jiashan sadly: "Have you thought about it? You go into the water, if something happens to you, what will your parents do?" Did he come to persuade himself to give up his idea of ​​being a sailor?Could it be Xu Weiwei's instruction?This surprised Lan Jiashan. Reporter Wu stood up: "Xu Weiwei asked me to tell you that the IOU doesn't count. You don't have to become a sailor for it. She doesn't want to take another life. She will find a way to get her mother to cancel this IOU." It's rare that Xu Weiwei is still thinking about their family.Thinking of this girl's forbearance, grievance and kindness, Lan Jiashan's heart warmed. Reporter Wu handed an envelope to Lan Jiashan, and said, "Don't change the course of your life because of this matter." He stared at the river, "Those who survive should live well." Lan Jiashan opened the envelope, which contained at least 1,000 yuan. He was moved and impulsively, Lan Jiashan couldn't help revealing the secret: "Maybe Xu Gang left behind a child." Reporter Wu turned his head in surprise and stared at him.Lan Jiashan immediately regretted it. After all, this matter has not been confirmed. He can only bite the bullet and say that there is a woman in the town who may be pregnant with Xu Gang's child, but he is not sure yet. Reporter Wu was very excited when he heard the news, while Lan Jiashan was annoyed at his rashness, because Lin Xiaozhen's current state was really helpless. Under reporter Wu's questioning, Lan Jiashan vaguely said that they were still investigating further. Reporter Wu asked excitedly, "Are Aunt Xie and Xu Weiwei aware of the news?" Lan Jiashan quickly shook his head, he can't disturb them now, he has already inquired, after the child is born, blood type test and chromosome polymorphism can be used to identify their parent-child relationship.And there is a new technology that is said to be able to use DNA testing. Reporter Wu insisted on meeting this woman, and Lan Jiashan regretted it too much. Now things are getting tricky.He wanted to lie and say that Lin Xiaozhen had gone back to his hometown, but on second thought, maybe reporter Wu could find out the truth from Lin Xiaozhen's words, after all, he was more familiar with Xu Gang. Lan Jiashan told Reporter Wu Lin Xiaozhen's name and identity, implying that he should be mentally prepared. When Reporter Wu heard Lin Xiaozhen's name, his expression was very surprised, and he asked about her height and appearance.After verification, Reporter Wu was a little discouraged, nodded and said: "I should have seen her, she worked as a nanny at my parents' house for two months." Last year, Reporter Wu's father broke his leg and his mother was too busy. Xu Gang enthusiastically introduced a nanny to help. The labor fee was very low. Reporter Wu himself has met Lin Xiaozhen once. She is nimble and has a cheerful personality. She is obviously not a nanny. It is estimated that this job is a transition. Lan Jiashan didn't expect Lin Xiaozhen to have such a story. He counted the time, and it happened to be the off-season of quarrying, so it made sense for her to earn some extra money. Reporter Wu looked at Lan Jiashan suspiciously and said, "How could Xu Gang have a child with her? The conditions of these two people are very different." Lan Jiashan guessed: "Maybe it's Lin Xiaozhen's scheming, trying to trap Xu Gang with the child in her belly." Reporter Wu said disappointedly: "It's impossible. I know Xu Gang too well. He has a very violent temper. If a woman really wants to make such an idea, he will definitely not give in." He thought for a while and said: "Lin Xiaozhen should not She would be so stupid, if she wants to use this to blackmail him, she should know Xu Gang's character to some extent." However, reporter Wu thought about it again, and said that Xu Gang's private life was not very discreet. He heard that he took a girl to have an abortion before, and the two had a fight in front of the hospital. Reporter Wu said hesitantly: "Maybe this was really an accident. Lin Xiaozhen is pregnant, and it may not be possible to get some money from this. But anyway, if this is really Xu Gang's child, it is really a big deal for his family. It is a great consolation. The Xu family's blood is not broken. But then again, if Lin Xiaozhen just wants to extort some money from them, the child will be killed sooner or later." The two looked at the rushing river, silent.The dead are like this, and the disappearance of life is so urgent, so fast, and so ruthless. Reporter Wu thought of a verification method and said, "I'll call my family later to verify the relationship between Xu Gang and Lin Xiaozhen." Seeing Lan Jiashan's confused expression, he explained, "My mother is a psychiatrist. If Xu Gang There are some clues about Lin Xiaozhen, I guess I can't hide it from her old man's eyes." Reporter Wu was going to a nearby village to take some shots, and Lan Jiashan stayed alone on the stone bridge. Part of the secret in his heart was unloaded, and he thought he would be more relaxed, but unexpectedly, he was even more at a loss.Maybe it was the sailor's accidental death, maybe Xu Weiwei's compassion for his family, maybe it was Lin Xiaozhen's increasingly blurred face, which made him have mixed feelings. Suddenly driven by an inexplicable force, Lan Jiashan knelt down and kowtowed to the burning incense candle.