My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 11 Black Dragon Eighteen Moves

When buying the layered naan, Zhou Jingming estimated the time required for the trip, as there was nothing left to eat on the bus in the morning.

After finding a place to stay, he left the woodshed with his bag on his back.

He dared not leave his personal belongings in this simple woodshed, otherwise, they might be gone when he went out and came back.

While there's still time, Zhou Jingming plans to have a few good meals in the county town.

There is a proverb in northern Xinjiang: "Horses are the wings of men, and food is the nutrition of humankind."

Not only should we eat our fill, but we should also eat well and enjoy ourselves.

Otherwise, once they go into the mountains to pan for gold, they won't be able to eat it even if they want to.

To be honest, Zhou Jingming actually quite likes the food in northern Xinjiang, such as pilaf, naan, roasted lamb skewers, baked buns, hand-pulled lamb, and so on, to name just a few.

These foods are mostly seasoned with cumin, whose strong, direct, refreshing, and intense flavor allows one to touch the soul of northern Xinjiang.

If you live long enough in northern Xinjiang, you'll develop a cumin-like smell.

Although food with cumin is eaten and swallowed, the cumin flavor seeps into the bloodstream and slowly spreads, becoming a foreign taste in the body.

In Zhou Jingming's memory, it must have been the year before last when he returned to his hometown, his younger sister Zhou Xingyao kept saying that he had a certain smell on him.

He told Zhou Xingyao that it was cumin.

But in Sichuan, back then, few people had any experience with cumin, unlike a few years ago when street food stalls and barbecue restaurants were bustling and cumin became a familiar thing.

However, what is most often seen is that bluish-brown powder, and many people still cannot describe exactly what it looks like.

Zhou Jingming realized that even if he told her, Zhou Xingyao would have no idea, so he could only tell her that it was a spice that could be used in medicine, also known as benzoin.

Upon hearing the word "fennel," Zhou Xingyao finally had a sudden realization.

"Lamb skewers, lamb skewers..."

Walking along the old streets of Altan, Zhou Jingming was quickly attracted by the babbling sounds of vendors on the street and walked towards the stalls.

As the grill master sizzles and drips oil on the charcoal fire in front of him, gradually turning from bright red to golden yellow, he grabs a pinch of cumin from the seasoning bowl and sprinkles it evenly on the surface of the grilled meat. A special aroma immediately wafts through the heat and white smoke.

Lamb skewers must be made from the hind leg of lamb, using the lean meat and a 2:1 ratio of lamb tail fat. The fat during grilling brings out the unique smoky aroma of charcoal grilling, creating the most authentic flavor.

Cumin, chili, and salt are the only three seasonings. If you don't like chili, just add cumin and salt, and nothing else.

Seeing that the barbecue chef's work was authentic, Zhou Jingming asked the price and found it was two cents a skewer, so he ordered ten skewers.

Take a bite of tender lamb, and a few cumin seeds will slip into your mouth.

Take a bite and savor it. It starts with a slight bitterness, followed by a strong fennel aroma. Then, a spicy and stimulating flavor lingers, with a warm sensation that surrounds your mouth. It's truly a rare treat.

He couldn't help but recall the roasted mutton that the robbers had been holding on the train a few days ago. He figured that the young passenger from Yuzhou must have been attracted by the special aroma, and the robbers noticed his extra glances and the way he couldn't help but swallow, making him their first target.

While eating lamb skewers, Zhou Jingming continued strolling along the street and unexpectedly saw the young man who had been showing off his skills on the bus again, asking a local a question.

He got closer and then he understood what was going on.

Standard Mandarin is predominantly spoken with a northern accent. The dialect spoken in northern Xinjiang is actually quite "ordinary," with no significant pronunciation differences. However, due to regional variations, some words or sentences have developed that only locals can understand.

Although it is also Chinese, outsiders may not be able to understand it.

The young man, new to the area, wasn't used to the local accent: "Could you please repeat that? I didn't quite understand what you just said. Where is there an air rifle stand here?"

The local man patiently repeated, "Your airsoft gun stall! Just look for it on the road, and you'll find it."

Seeing that the young man still looked confused, the local shook his head and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Zhou Jingming went up to him and helped explain: "What he meant was, you mean that air gun stall? See that road? Just keep going straight, and you'll get there! He was using a drawn-out sound, and the longer the drawn-out sound, the longer the distance."

When the robbers encountered Zhou Jingming on the bus, although they hadn't yet approached him, the young man knew that if he hadn't intervened, he would likely have been caught off guard. In a large sense, the young man had helped him, at least saving him the trouble of jumping out of the bus to escape or being chased by the robbers.

The young man paused for a moment, then smiled at Zhou Jingming: "So that's what you mean. You understand the local dialect?"

Zhou Jingming scratched his forehead: "I can't say I can understand everything, but I've spent quite a bit of time here, so I can understand most of it."

Actually, as soon as the young man asked about the air rifle stalls in the county town, Zhou Jingming roughly knew what the young man wanted to do.

In the center of Altan County, there's a small stall where people play with air rifles. It's like an underground transportation station from an old movie, a place where gold prospectors meet, communicate, and exchange information.

If he wasn't there to play with air rifles, then there's only one possibility: this young man is a novice gold digger.

Clearly, the young man couldn't have traveled that far just to play with air guns; he was there to pan for gold.

Since he was a gold prospector, and considering his exceptional skills, Zhou Jingming considered making contact with him first. If he could be part of a gold prospecting team, it would be much safer to have him around.

"Dude, thanks for subduing the robber in the car. You probably haven't eaten yet, right? Since we've run into each other again, it's fate. Let's treat each other to a meal to express my gratitude!"

Zhou Jingming extended an invitation to him.

"it is good!"

The young man readily agreed.

Zhou Jingming gave him four of the eight skewers of mutton he was still holding, and casually asked, "Hey buddy, what's your surname?"

The young man took the mutton skewers without ceremony, and generously plucked a piece of meat from the skewer in one bite. As he chewed, he said, "My name is Wu Yang, and I'm from western Hunan. What about you?"

Guests from Hunan!

Indeed, in Zhou Jingming's memory, most of the gold prospectors came from Guanzhong, Longyuan, Xiangdi, Shudi, Yuzhou, and Luoyue, as well as many from other places.

Since Wu Yang had already introduced himself, Zhou Jingming didn't hide anything: "I'm from Shu, and my name is Zhou Jingming."

"Then we're practically from the same hometown. My hometown is Longshan, and Xiushan is right next door to yours..."

Wu Yang seemed a little excited and spoke directly in his dialect.

"Shh... Speak Mandarin, and try not to let people know where you're from, or you'll get bullied!"

Zhou Jingming offered a suggestion.

"Oh oh oh..."

Wu Yang nodded repeatedly, his answer somewhat perfunctory.

Zhou Jingming smiled, knowing why he was being so perfunctory.

With such good skills, there really aren't many people who can bully him!

Zhou Jingming then asked, "You were able to take down three robbers in just a few seconds. You're so skilled. What did you do before?"

"Don't even mention it. I went back to my hometown to visit relatives and got into a fight with some people. I seriously injured a few people and made a serious mistake. I was dismissed from my unit. I used to work in the armed police in Heilongjiang."

Wu Yang sighed, "It's all because of the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands I practiced. When I get angry, I don't know my own strength!"

Zhou Jingming was somewhat surprised: "The Eighteen Hands of Capturing Armed Police in Heilongjiang?"

Wu Yang was also slightly taken aback: "How did you know?"

Wu Yang's counter-question confirmed the answer.

Zhou Jingming had been a wanderer in the martial arts world for many years. Although he had never entered the mysterious world of martial arts, the many people he had met did not prevent him from knowing the power of the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands.

That is a unique and mysterious star in martial arts. Although its brilliance has gradually faded in later generations, its legend continues to circulate among the people and martial arts enthusiasts.

(End of this chapter)