The Mine on the Outskirts

On Sunday morning, Cheng Tian didn't sleep in as he had on Saturday. Instead, he woke up at 7:30 a.m.

After shaking awake the Froakie sprawled on top of him, Cheng Tian went to the sink to wash up. With his face washed and his teeth brushed, he felt a little more awake. Looking at the cross necklace he was still wearing around his neck, he smiled happily, then tucked it inside his clothes.

"Son, you're awake? Come and eat." Cheng Tian's mother beckoned him over to sit down. "Eat up. Your dad's already gone to work. I'll probably be very busy today too, so I won't be able to come home. I've already cooked some rice and dishes for you. Just heat them up yourself at lunchtime."

"Dad's been going to work really early these past few days." Cheng Tian picked up a piece of bread and ate it. "Ah, the mine's been busy lately. Your dad's part of the management, so he's had to go in early," his mother said, feeling sorry for him. Then she changed the subject. "You need to study hard and find a good job in the future. Don't end up like your dad, working yourself ragged every day without earning much."

"Okay, okay..." As he agreed, Cheng Tian poured out breakfast for Froakie and Yamper, then reached over to pat the two little ones on the head. "Eat plenty."

"Don't spend all your time playing on your phone while you're home alone. Remember to do your homework too," his mother reminded him before leaving. Once Cheng Tian agreed, she headed out without worry.

After breakfast, Cheng Tian stretched contentedly. "All right, time to do my homework." He decided to hand his phone to Froakie to watch Naruto, so he wouldn't be distracted by it.

With his mind made up, Cheng Tian began working earnestly on the assignments from school. After entering Pokémon Studies, he had much less written homework, and the difficulty had plummeted too. Most of it now concerned Pokémon knowledge.

Cheng Tian was very happy with this. As far as he was concerned, memorizing Pokémon knowledge was much better than working through all those messy mathematical formulas.

After studying hard all morning, Cheng Tian finally finished all his homework on his own. Looking at the completed assignments set off to one side, he felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

When he came into the living room, Froakie and Yamper were watching Naruto together with rapt attention. Cheng Tian smiled. "Stop watching for now, you two. Give your eyes a rest. It's time for lunch."

At that, Froakie returned the phone to Cheng Tian. Seeing how little battery remained, he plugged it in to charge, then turned on the stove to heat up the food.

After briefly reheating the dishes, he plated them and carried them to the table, then served himself a bowl of rice. Next, he prepared food for Froakie and Yamper. Only then did he begin eating.

He had barely taken two mouthfuls when his charging phone suddenly rang. "Hmm?" Cheng Tian put down his bowl and chopsticks to answer it. A closer look showed that it was his dad calling.

Once Cheng Tian answered, his father's voice came through. "Hello? Son, have you had lunch yet?"

"I'm eating right now. What's wrong? Do you need something?" Cheng Tian asked. "Check my bedroom for a contract in a blue folder. My ID card should be inside too."

"Okay, hold on. I'll go look." Cheng Tian searched the bedroom and, sure enough, found the contract and the ID card inside it in the bedside cabinet. "Yes, I found them. They're here."

"Ah, this is a problem. Looks like I really did forget to bring them. Son, could you bring them over for me? We urgently need them here at the mine," his father said helplessly.

"Huh? All right, I'll head over in a bit," Cheng Tian replied. "You remember where it is, right? At the mine behind the Mining Bureau on the outskirts of the city." "I remember. I'll be there soon."

After hanging up, Cheng Tian sighed helplessly. There went what little remained of his day off.

"Froakie, we need to go out in a bit. Hurry up and eat." After urging Froakie a couple of times, Cheng Tian sat back down and hastily shoveled a few more mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

Once Froakie finished eating, Cheng Tian recalled Froakie, got dressed, picked up the folder and ID card, and said goodbye to Yamper. Then he went downstairs and hailed a taxi.

Although taking the bus was cheaper, his dad urgently needed the documents, so it would be better to take a taxi and deliver them quickly. It would cost a little more, but getting the contract there as soon as possible was what mattered now.

"Driver, take me to the Mining Bureau. Please hurry, it's urgent," Cheng Tian said anxiously. "You got it."

Aside from its remote location, another reason Bingzhou's economy was struggling was its heavy reliance on old-fashioned energy industries such as mining, which were gradually falling behind the green development now in vogue.

Although mining had indeed brought income to the people of Bingzhou at first, it had been followed by environmental destruction, severe smog caused by the proliferation of factories, and depleted mineral deposits brought on by excessive mining.

The mines were now being shut down one after another, but without a stable new source of income to replace them, economic development had stagnated.

The mine behind the Mining Bureau on the city's outskirts was one of the few remaining mines in Bingzhou, and it was where Cheng Tian's father worked. The taxi soon brought Cheng Tian to the Mining Bureau.

After getting out, Cheng Tian hurried to the guard booth and knocked on the window to get the attention of the older man on duty inside.

Seeing Cheng Tian, the man slid open the window. "Who are you looking for?"

"My dad works here. He asked me to bring him something," Cheng Tian replied. "Give me his employee number."

"Uh..." Cheng Tian felt a little embarrassed. He really didn't know his father's employee number. Just then, however, his father came rushing out from inside.

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot to bring something. This is my son. He's here to deliver some documents." Cheng Tian's father looked apologetically at the older man. The man quickly waved his hands. "No problem, no problem. Since he's here, go on in."

"Right, thanks."

As Cheng Tian walked inside, he handed the documents to his father. "Dad, is this what you needed?"

His father took a look, confirmed that it was the contract he needed, and nodded firmly. "Hahaha, that's the one. Son, you've really helped your old man out."

"As long as it's the right contract," Cheng Tian said with a smile. Father and son chatted as they headed toward the factory.

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