My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 127 Secret Place
It's already the middle to late part of this year's gold rush season, and unlike in April and May, the hostels in Tymaek are not overcrowded. It's easy to find a hostel now.

However, it was already late at night when we arrived in Timak. The guests had already gone to sleep, and the hostel doors were closed.

In such a situation, wandering the streets or sleeping outdoors is not a wise move, especially when you are carrying gold.

He originally wanted to talk to the tractor driver to see if he could stay at his house tonight.

Compared to hotels with their complex flow of people, residential homes are much cleaner, and most people wouldn't dare to easily break into a private residence late at night.

But after a moment's thought, Zhou Jingming dismissed the idea.

The tractor driver was also from the Gold Rush Valley, so he knew where the two men came from. Moreover, since he drove a tractor back and forth between those places, he couldn't simply be regarded as an ordinary resident.

If you actually move into his house, you might fall into a deep pit from which you can't climb out.

After getting off the tractor, Zhou Jingming immediately called Wu Yang and Bai Zhishun to look for a hotel along the street. They called three hotels in a row, but no one paid any attention, which made him a little annoyed.

Bai Zhishun then offered a suggestion: "Where shall we go?"

Wu Yang was somewhat puzzled: "Where?"

Bai Zhishun's voice was a little hesitant: "It's...it's right there!"

Now Zhou Jingming guessed: "You mean the place where Peng Yuanchao led you to find women?"

Bai Zhishun nodded: "Yes...that's it!"

Zhou Jingming shook his head decisively: "No, the situation there is more complicated. Most of the people who go to and from that kind of place are gold prospectors from the mountains... Shunzai, you should think less about that kind of place, and it's best not to go."

He actually knew the place; it was in a cluster of flat-roofed mud-brick houses on the edge of the town of Tiemaike.

These days, places where prostitution takes place are anything but simple.

He continued searching along the street until the fifth hotel, where the door was finally opened.

After paying, the three were led into a mud-brick room by the innkeeper. There was nothing much inside, just a kang (a heated brick bed) with a blanket, a table, four stools, a kettle on the table, and a basin in the corner. That was all, but it was fairly clean.

It was unrealistic to expect to get something to eat at a time like this, so the three of them could only eat the baked buns they had brought with them while drinking hot water to soothe their rumbling stomachs.

Zhou Jingming urged, "Shunzai, hurry up and get some sleep. Wuyang, you should sleep too. I'll wake you up after you've slept for two hours. We'll have to take turns keeping watch tonight to prevent any accidents from happening."

Wu Yang thought for a moment and said, "Brother Zhou, how about I take the night watch? I'm good at keeping watch, and there are still many things that need your attention tomorrow."

Zhou Jingming thought for a moment, then nodded: "That works too!"

After he finished speaking, he climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and lay down, placing the hunting rifle aside and holding his backpack in his arms.

The weather was still a bit muggy at this time, and I could sleep in the room even without a blanket.

In fact, when the weather is hot, many locals sleep on their rooftops with a blanket, finding it cool and comfortable.

After traveling a long distance and enduring a long, bumpy ride on a tractor, Zhou Jingming felt like his body was about to fall apart. He lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and fell asleep in no time.

When I woke up, it was already dawn.

He heard scratching and groaning sounds coming from outside the door, and he knew that Jin Wang was eager to come in.

Last night, the hotel owner wouldn't allow the dog to be brought into the room, worried that it would make the room smell bad, so Jinwang had to stay outside.

Wu Yang, holding a gun in his arms, sat by the door with his eyes closed.

Zhou Jingming thought he was asleep, and just as he tiptoed off the kang (a heated brick bed), he saw him suddenly open his eyes: "Brother Zhou is awake!"

"Ok!"

Zhou Jingming nodded slightly: "You should go lie down on the kang for a while. It's still early. If you want to get things done, you'll have to wait until eight or nine o'clock."

When Wu Yang first arrived in Altan, he had already seen the situation and knew that going too early would be useless, as there was nothing on the street. So he did as he was told, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) fully clothed, and quickly fell asleep.

Bai Zhishun, who was sitting next to him, was also sleeping soundly and didn't make a sound.

Dawn was breaking soon, and Zhou Jingming figured there shouldn't be any major problems. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, picked up his hunting rifle, and quietly opened the door and went out.

Jin Wang, who had been kept out of the room all night, felt as if he hadn't seen Zhou Jingming for many days.

As soon as Zhou Jingming stepped out the door, before he could even close it, it leaped up and crashed into his arms.

He quickly raised his left arm, letting Jinwang rest its front paws on it. As Jinwang sniffed and licked him, he reached out and scratched Jinwang's neck, then rubbed its head before putting it down.

He then closed the door, led Jin Wang out of the inn, and jogged towards the mountains behind the town.

After walking for about half an hour, covering approximately four miles, Zhou Jingming arrived at a small gully.

He washed his face with cold water by the stream, then slowed his pace and continued deeper into the valley, searching for a suitable place to hide gold.

It's inconvenient to carry so much gold around, and it's also inconvenient to take it to a new mining site. Since the idea is to save it for a higher price later, the only option is to hide it.

He walked along the gully, looking around as he went, and after walking quite a distance, he finally saw a pretty nice place.

Those were a few scattered rocks on a small grassy slope on the north side of the valley. They were very ordinary and inconspicuous, but they were enough as a marker of memory.

The more ordinary a place is, the less attention it will attract. Places that are easily overlooked are the best hidden spots.

He immediately jumped over the stream and walked toward the rocks.

When he reached the rocks, Zhou Jingming looked around to make sure no one was there. He then pulled out his Yingjisha knife and selected a rock that was completely covered by weeds and looked like a slab of stone. He lifted it to make sure it was firmly rooted and could not be moved, and then began to dig into the soil beneath it.

He dug about a foot deep, then dug out a pit large enough to hold the jar. He put the jar containing the gold inside an oil paper bag, tied it tightly, stuffed it in, and then backfilled it with soil to erase any traces and cover it up.

After finishing, Zhou Jingming stepped aside to make sure everything was handled properly. He then returned to the opposite bank of the river and left in a hurry.

The valley was flat on both sides, with no obstructions, and one could see far into the distance at a glance. Moreover, he had arrived early on the way here and had paid close attention to the surroundings. He was certain that no one could see where he had hidden the gold, so he did not linger and hurried back.

When they returned to the hostel, they saw that Bai Zhishun had already gotten up and was squatting at the door of the room, looking outside.

Upon seeing Zhou Jingming return, he quickly stood up: "Brother Zhou, where have you been?"

Since he didn't know the location of his hidden gold, Zhou Jingming simply said, "I'm going to hide something!"

He pushed open the door and saw that Wu Yang was still fast asleep, so he didn't go in to disturb him. He lit a cigarette and sat on the stone step by the door to smoke.

It wasn't until around nine in the morning that Zhou Jingming woke Wu Yang up.

Wu Yang sat up from the kang (a heated brick bed), rubbing his bloodshot eyes vigorously: "Brother Zhou, what's next?"

"Let's go get something to eat first..."

Zhou Jingming thought for a moment: "I've already hidden my things. What are you going to do with yours?"

Wu Yang knew, of course, that Zhou Jingming was referring to the gold he was carrying: "Didn't you say the price would rise further? I'm not in a hurry to sell it, and I'm planning to hide it away."

"Alright, after you've eaten, go hide the things. When you come back, come with me somewhere!"

"Where to go?"

"I reckon that even if Shunzai takes his things back, he won't know where to exchange them for money. Besides, it's more convenient to exchange gold for money here."

So, before he goes back, I need to help him sell his things and deposit the money in the bank. Just carrying a deposit slip should be much more convenient; he can withdraw it as soon as he gets back.

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhishun said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother Zhou. I really didn't know what to do!"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you!"

Zhou Jingming smiled at him: "Who told me I'm your benefactor!"

Afterwards, the three of them left the hotel together, found a restaurant on the street, ordered some good dishes, and enjoyed a comfortable meal.

They then agreed on a meeting place, and Wu Yang, carrying his bag, set off to find the location where the gold was hidden.

Zhou Jingming wasn't idle either. He led Bai Zhishun to find Wang Youping, intending to buy some grain, vegetables, and meat to take into the mountains.

There was a lot of stuff moved out of the small peninsula campsite; the diesel fuel alone was quite heavy, so they'll probably need to find another tractor.

Fortunately, it wasn't a busy time. When Zhou Jingming arrived at Wang Youping's house, he had just returned from watering his vegetable garden. Zhou Jingming briefly explained the situation, and when the price was right, Wang Youping readily agreed. After arranging a time and place to meet, he busied himself finding another tractor driver.

They were all tractor drivers, and they had their own acquaintances. Finding another tractor would be easy for Wang Youping. The key was that he would be driving at night, and he wanted a companion.

After finishing his business, Zhou Jingming returned to the agreed location and found that Wu Yang had already returned and was waiting for him.

Zhou Jingming didn't delay and asked him to go to the outskirts of town together.

The more Bai Zhishun walked along this road, the more familiar he felt with it. When he saw the cluster of low mud-brick houses, he couldn't help but ask, "How did we get to this place?"

Zhou Jingming explained with a smile, "There are women selling their bodies here, so it's naturally a den of iniquity. If you want to sell your money, the easiest way is to come here and find an informant to help you make contact!"

"Brother Zhou, you know it inside and out!"

Wu Yang asked with a grin, "Did you come here often before?"

"Judging from what you're saying, you seem quite interested in this place. Are you also looking for a woman?"

"No, that's not it. If I'm going to find someone, I'll find a respectable girl from a respectable family. I find the kind of girl who's been ridden by thousands and then slept with by thousands disgusting!"

"You think it's dirty, but don't you think I do?"

Zhou Jingming sighed: "You can't say that. Among the women here, besides some who are willing to do this sex work to make money, there are quite a few who are not doing it willingly, and they can't leave even if they want to..."

Wu Yang frowned slightly: "You mean, some of them were forced into it?"

Zhou Jingming nodded slightly and did not continue the topic.

He looked at the mud houses in the distance and saw three or four people around, some squatting against the wall, others wandering aimlessly. As soon as the three of them approached, someone immediately slipped into the mud houses.

Even without Zhou Jingming saying it, Wu Yang could tell that those people were just lookouts.

Soon, the three arrived at the mud house, whereupon a thin young man approached and asked, "Are you looking for a woman or...?"

Zhou Jingming knew that this skinny young man was probably the informant responsible for contacting buyers, so he didn't hide anything: "We have something to sell!"

The gaunt young man whispered, "Come with me!"

After he finished speaking, he followed the path between the earthen houses and went inside.

Zhou Jingming and the other two quickly followed.

The road was quiet, the doors of the small earthen houses on both sides were tightly closed, and no women appeared; they were probably all asleep.

Before long, the three were led to a slightly larger mud house.

"You understand the rules, right?"

The skinny young man asked a question.

Zhou Jingming nodded: "Understood!"

"Good, you guys wait here, I'll go get some people!"

After finishing his sentence, the gaunt young man quickly left.

(End of this chapter)