My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 144 Being targeted
The next day, Zhou Jingming gave up on preparing his own provisions.

When taking unconventional routes, you can't carry too much stuff, otherwise it will be very inconvenient. Moreover, if you're going to mine for gold, it's not easy to get it with just your pickaxe, chisel, and other tools. You need to prepare some other things.

Furthermore, the temperature difference between day and night in the mountains is too great, and a snowstorm could strike at any time. The cotton blankets and the like that you bring into the mountains may not be enough to withstand it.

That evening, after much deliberation, he decided it wasn't a good idea and planned to make a trip to Timbuk to buy some necessities first.

In addition, I only have a few dozen yuan on hand right now, so I guess I'll have to exchange gold for some money.

That evening, he gathered the 1,454 grams of gold he had collected in Haxionggou, kept the remaining 54 grams, and put the rest of 1,400 grams into an oil paper bag, then into a jar. He went out and buried the jar in a deep pit a dozen meters to the left of the standing rock behind his dugout, next to a millstone-sized stone hidden among the withered grass.

The best way to choose a location for hiding gold is to make it far away, so that few people will find it.

If you want to hide it closer to the source, you need to be careful. You need to have landmarks to indicate the location of the gold, but you can't be foolish enough to hide it in such an obvious place. You have to choose a more secluded location that is not noticed by others, and bury it deep enough.

Zhou Jingming wanted to go to a place to wash caves by unconventional means, in Xigou, and his first choice was the main channel of the Haiertes River.

The upstream mining area is a restricted zone, and there are also many mine shafts left by older gold prospectors in the mountains.

The first snow has already fallen, and the state-owned mining site has stopped work due to the weather, leaving only a small number of people to guard it. It is estimated that the clearing team will not go into the mountains to chase away the birds at this time, so we will take advantage of the time before the river freezes over to do something.

In the morning, the three of them heated up the leftovers from yesterday to fill their stomachs, baked some flatbreads in the ashes, took the gold bucket and some tools, slung their hunting rifles over their shoulders, and headed towards the Fourth Mine Bridge along the route they had taken to transport supplies.

The roads leading to Haxionggou and Haiertes River branch off in two different directions. Haxionggou is a remote area with few people passing by. If you want to encounter a car, you have to wait at the intersection of the Fourth Mine Bridge.

However, checkpoints were set up there at the end of the gold rush season, as Bai Zhishun mentioned when he came to Haxionggou.

During this time, none of the three of them went out, and it's unknown whether they have evacuated yet.

But it's okay, we can just find a way around it.

The three of them got ready, and with Jin Wang by their side, they set off early.

This journey took a whole day, covering eighty or ninety miles. They set up a simple sloping shed in the mountains, built a long fire in front of the shed to keep warm, and the three of them huddled together wrapped in blankets for the night. The next morning, they drove for another two hours and finally saw the Fourth Mine Bridge.

After observing from a distance for a while, they saw that the flat-roofed earthen houses next to the Fourth Mine Bridge were still quiet and there was no smoke coming out of the chimneys. After confirming that no one was guarding them, the three of them went onto the main road, crossed the bridge smoothly, and headed towards Tiemaike along the highway.

Along the roadside, Zhou Jingming saw several stray dogs, left behind by the herders after they moved their herds.

On the way, they also encountered a group of people carrying hunting rifles and two wild dogs on their way back. When they caught up with them, these people stared at Jin Wang without any restraint, saying that Jin Wang was very strong and could cook a good pot of meat.

Of course, they were just venting their frustrations; with their owner right there, they didn't dare do anything reckless.

After passing the staff accommodation area, there are still more than 30 kilometers of road left, mostly grasslands and Gobi deserts. On such roads, a gust of wind can always stir up clouds of dust.

Moreover, this is a route that herders in Xigou often take when moving between different areas, and the road is covered with cow and sheep dung, giving off a foul odor.

They were hoping to encounter a vehicle on the road, but the mines in the mountains had stopped operating, and most of the gold prospectors had left, so there were hardly any vehicles around, leaving the three of them to measure the distance on foot.

When they were halfway there, Jinwang, who had been following them, barked once.

Along the way, Zhou Jingming and his two companions paid close attention to their surroundings. He knew very well that robbing gold prospectors was a way for some people to get rich.

If there are many gold prospectors leaving together, it is not easy for them to find an opportunity to strike. However, those who are few in number or alone are easy to deal with and thus become their primary targets.

Many of those who engage in highway robbery are actually gold prospectors.

They, like those who stay in the mountains and take unconventional routes, are also taking advantage of time differences.

However, those who pan for gold through unorthodox methods are eyeing the mines in the mountains, while these unorthodox gold panners are targeting them, often managing to obtain a considerable amount of gold from them.

Even as the dog barked, Zhou Jingming and his companions didn't stop. They simply paid special attention to the direction Jin Wang was barking and saw a grove of poplar trees and some camel thorn bushes on the wasteland. That was the only place they could hide in the surrounding area.

However, when his eyes met Wu Yang's, they shook their heads slightly, both indicating that they had not seen anything in the woods.

"We might be being watched!"

Zhou Jingming took the hunting rifle off his back.

Wu Yang did the same thing: "If you're tired of living, then come out and give it a try!"

But as they walked along, the people hiding in the woods were well concealed and never showed themselves.

As autumn deepens, the days are getting shorter.

As darkness began to fall, the three finally arrived at Timak.

They quickly found a hotel, put their luggage away, and then, carrying the gold they needed to sell, went to the mud-brick houses on the edge of town. Just like when they sold gold after taking Bai Zhishun back, as soon as they approached the area, people came out to ask if they were looking for a woman or selling gold.

After being told that it was something they were selling, the three were led to the door of the same mud-brick house they had visited before.

However, the person who led the three of them here last time was a skinny young man, but this time it was a different person.

The transaction went smoothly. Wu Yang hadn't sold any gold all year, but now he planned to send some back to his family, so he brought 100 grams.

Bai Zhishun had nothing to do and didn't want to send money to his younger sister who was fighting him for the family fortune, so he didn't bring any gold with him.

Wu Yang and Zhou Jingming brought a total of 154 grams of gold, which they negotiated down to 32 yuan per gram, and sold for 4,928 yuan.

The transaction was completed smoothly. The buyer took the gold and quickly left with the two men who came with him. Seeing that Zhou Jingming and the others hadn't left, the middleman approached and asked, "Gentlemen, are you looking for women? We just got a few recently. They're pretty and have great figures, especially when they wear stockings. They're all so alluring. Want to give them a try?"

Zhou Jingming shook his head: "I have no interest in these women."

The middleman paused for a moment: "What else can you do here besides sell things and find women?"

Zhou Jingming said frankly: "I know that some of the supply sales points in the mountains are also run by you... I came here to ask you to buy some things, we are going to wash the cave."

"Oh...I understand!"

The middleman looked around and said, "How much do you want? These are the best stuff I got through connections from the surrounding mines."

"how's the price?"

"It's not cheap. It's ten yuan a piece, tied with a fuse. It's a very honest price. Since you know what we do, you should also know that this thing is very risky."

"I understand... then I won't haggle, just give me twenty!"

The middleman readily agreed: "Wait!"

He quickly turned into the alleyway of the earthen house, waited for about ten minutes, and then came back with a bag and handed it to Zhou Jingming: "You guys are going to make a big splash, aren't you? When you make your fortune, remember to patronize our place. Don't worry, we're very vigilant. We'll know immediately if there's any trouble, and we won't let anything happen to you."

Zhou Jingming didn't say much, but he thought to himself: It's only because the regulations aren't strict now. Once they are, you won't say such things anymore.

But deep down he really admired the power behind these people.

By the 1990s, despite strict investigations, these transactions continued to operate around towns and even extended into the mountains, with casinos and other establishments further exploiting gold prospectors.

However, this can be considered a win-win situation, with both parties willing to give and receive.

He can't handle those messy, dirty affairs, nor is it his responsibility.

So Zhou Jingming just smiled and replied, "No problem!"

He took the bag handed to him by the middleman, checked the explosives inside with a flashlight, and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with them and the quantity was correct. He counted out twenty large bills and handed them to the middleman, put the items into his backpack, called Wu Yang and Bai Zhishun, and together they left the den of gold and flesh trading.

Only after they were far away from that area did Zhou Jingming hand Wu Yang the 3,200 yuan, and asked with a smile, "How much are you planning to send back?"

Wu Yang stuffed the money into his pocket: "Send three thousand back!"

"Aren't you afraid of scaring your parents with so many?"

"It's not particularly scary..."

It's the off-season for farming now, so we should send the money back so they can rebuild a proper brick house.

Anyway, I'm going to find people to work on this project when I go back this year. In my rural hometown, is there anything more prestigious than building a brick house?
When I get back, I'm sure a lot of people will ask me if I've made a lot of money and where I made it.

"With this arrangement, finding people will be much easier for me!"

Wu Yang's idea was simple and direct: "I'll go buy paper and pens tonight, Brother Zhou, and I'll also need you to write a letter for me and send it back with me."

Zhou Jingming nodded: "Okay!"

Bai Zhishun stood to the side, lost in thought: "I'd like to do that too, but unfortunately, my sister is unreliable. I can't leave it to her; I'll have to go back and do it myself!"

After listening to what the two were saying, Zhou Jingming thought about it and felt that it was indeed a very straightforward matter.

Moreover, some things can't be kept secret forever. When I go back this time, I need to find more people, so I have to be honest with them.

Also, it's time to tear down and rebuild that old house that I've lived in since I was a child, which is cold and damp on the riverbank.

(End of this chapter)