Chapter 167


    Chapter 167 The Mine Disaster


    I really did not want to dig into the Youngs‘ secret dramas, so I left it at that. Honestly, their issues were


    none of my business. I just happened to walk into the middle of it all today.


    As I turned to leave, Mr. Zachary called out, “Mrs. Young…” I paused and looked back at him.


    He let out a weary sigh, nced around, and suggested, “Let’s go downstairs to talk about this.”


    Together, we took the elevator down.


    Down in the hospital’s chill–out zone, Mr. Zachary snagged a quiet corner and let out a weary sigh.


    Back in the ‘80s, things weren’t as tight policy–wise, and our economy was just gaining momentum.


    Old Man Young started out with nothing but his carpentry skills and turned that into some serious seed


    money. He got to know folks from all walks of life, set up a lumber mill, and when that started raking in


    the dough, heunched a bunch of decorating businesses. Before you knew it, he was popping up


    branches in cities all over the southeast. The bigger thepany got, the fatter his wallet grew. With


    cash to burn, he got the idea to snap upnd and mountains all over the ce. Back then, if you had


    the money, you could get your hands on idle mountains for miles, especially around Lake City.”


    Mr. Zachary had a lot to say, and I was not quite sure where he was going with it, so I just stayed quiet


    and listened.


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    He paused for a breath and kept going, “These days, everyone knows Lake City’s got mountains galore


    that are chock–full of mines. Buying them up back then was like hitting a gold mine–literally. Old Man


    Young bought up just about every hill and dale around Lake City and mined them to the hilt. Those


    mines ballooned the Youngs‘ fortune like you would not believe. But you know how it is- people always


    want more. Ten years back, those mountains were pretty much tapped out, and the government was


    mping down on private mining. Still, the old man was dead set on onest payday. But greed’s a


    tricky beast. It always wants more than it can handle, and sure enough, trouble came knocking.”


    Mr. Zachary took a casual sip from his travel mug and added, “After years of mining, those mountains


    were hollowed out. Right when Old Man Young was about to cash in onest time and call it quits, one


    of the mountains gave way from too much digging. Thousands of acres just copsed overnight. It was


    a huge mess, made headlines and all. You might’ve caught wind of it at some point.‘


    I knitted my brows and asked, “Are you talking about the Snakehead Mountain copse?” I remember


    when I was still in school, that story was everywhere. Even before the inte took over our lives, it


    seemed like everyone knew about it.


    He gave a nod, a hint of resignation in his voice. “That disaster was huge. It was not just Lake City


    talking, but people from all over heard about it.”


    I was confused. “Sure, it was a big deal at the time, but it was just andslide, right? Most folks


    thought it was natural and just the earth shifting, and with all those doomsday predictions about the


    Mayan calendar, a lot of people just chalked it up to that. It did not seem to havesting effects. Or is


    there something more that we did not know?”


    Mr. Zachary nodded, his face growing serious. “A whole mountain came down, and it was riddled with


    mines. Do you really think it was just andslide?”


    I paused, the realization hitting me. Forget the viges in the mountains, what about the maze of mines


    that were still running, the miners…


    I caught my breath and looked at Mr. Zachary, “How many died in the mines when it happened?”


    With furrowed brows and eyes that started to redden, Mr. Zachary said softly, “Three hundred.”


    A heavy feeling settled in my chest as I exhaled slowly. “There was no news about it. Almost no one


    knew.”


    He nodded. “The Youngs paid Noah off with boxes of gold to keep it quiet. They even managed to ship


    off the nosy reporters out of the country to bury the story.”


    I bit my l*p, unsure of what to say next. The Youngs had silenced the aftermath of three hundred lost


    lives with their endless wealth, leaving behind a trail of broken families.


    Mr. Zachary noticed my silence and inhaled deeply before speaking. “Not long after that disaster, Mr.


    Young’s dad found out. It sparked never–ending fights between them. Eventually, Mr. Young’s dad just


    vanished from the Youngs‘ life. The old man got sick and died a couple of yearster, and suddenly, it


    was just Madam Young keeping the family legacy afloat.”