"Oh, you must be from out of town," the elderly woman said, ncing at Wilbur as she continued knitting.


    "The Ezekiel Mine has been closed for a decade. It used to be a thriving site, with up to ten thousand workersing here annually. But that''s all history now."


    "What? Ten thousand workers at the Ezekiel Mine? But it''s such a small mine," Wilbur eximed in surprise.


    "That''s right. It is a small mine. Initially, there were only a few hundred workers, andter, it grew to a few thousand. But life is not all about working and surviving. People need to rest, and they have a life outside of work. So, many people set up shops to supply goods and services to the workers. As more people settled here, the town naturally boomed further."


    She paused for a moment, then added, "However, not everyone came here to work in the mine. Many came for trade, providing basic necessities to those living here."


    Wilbur understood what the woman meant and asked, "So, at its peak, how many workers were employed in the Ezekiel Mine?"


    The woman nced at Wilbur, pondering it thoughtfully before replying, "I''ve lived here my whole life. At its peak, the Ezekiel Mine had around twenty thousand workers mining for copper."


    The 20,000 workers were the economic backbone of Anderson Town, supporting a poption of 80,000.


    It seemed unbelievable, but it was the reality back then.


    The elderly woman seemed to read Wilbur''s thoughts and said, "In those days, making a living wasn''t easy, and people didn''t have high expectations for material things. As long as they had food and could survive, they were content. Even though the Ezekiel Mine was small, it had plenty of copper ore. Bing a miner was something to be envied. The miners were generous with their earnings, and they were the ones who built Anderson Town."


    Wilbur thanked the woman and continued searching the town for information about the Ezekiel Mine.


    However, since the mine had been closed for a decade, most people had left, making it difficult to find any records from that time.


    In the evening, Wilbur found a hotel.


    As he was checking in, thedy at the front desk smiled at him and asked, "Young man, are you a descendant of the miners of Ezekiel Mine?"


    "Huh?" Wilbur was taken aback. "No, I''m not."


    "Is that so?" Thedy''s smile grew warmer. "Then perhaps your ancestors lived here at some point? Are you here to rediscover their past?"