My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 202 Tit for tat
Newcomers to the Gold Rush Valley for the first time have become accustomed to working at the mines after so long.

Li Guohua and Zhao Li were specially brought by Zhou Jingming and received special care in the team. Peng Yuanchao, Wu Yang, Li Guozhu and Bai Zhishun would specially teach them various gold panning techniques.

Two months is enough time for them to go from complete novices to skilled gold prospectors, fully capable of helping to manage the mining site.

Li Guohua was closest to Zhou Jingming; they were true childhood friends, and Zhou's family had taken good care of him. Like Bai Zhishun, he was a man of few words, but whenever Zhou Jingming needed him, he would be there without complaint.

Zhao Li has also changed quite a bit.

During his time in the Haxionggou Gold Rush Valley, he had seen five corpses floating down the river into the pincer-shaped ravines in broad daylight. Two of them were carried out by Zhou Jingming and his men, who then threw them into the main river channel to float away.

In the valley, fierce battles for mining sites and gold have occurred more than once or twice. The danger involved is enough to send chills down the spine of anyone who has never been involved in the gold panning business.

He finally understood why Zhou Jingming had acted so ruthlessly in Haxiong Valley. Without a bit of ruthlessness, one would only end up being bullied at the very bottom.

They couldn't even stand on their own two feet, let alone pan for gold and make money.

In the valley, the first mineral deposit you find may not be yours, and the gold you pan for and put in your pocket may not be yours.

Especially after seeing the faces of Liang Mazi and others, if the managers are like this, the gold miners are even worse.

Zhou Jingming said, "Gold is a demon, most capable of corrupting people's hearts," which is the most apt statement.

Since he had come to the Gold Rush Valley, his purpose was naturally to make money. To make money, Zhao Li could no longer use his existing knowledge to measure everything in the gold rush. He began to take initiative when doing things.

Since we recognize reality, acknowledge that fighting and killing are unavoidable, and can accept it, then we can use it.

The Type 56 semi-automatic rifle that Zhou Jingming got from Zhang Debao, and the two rifles that Zhou Jingming bought from Sun Huaian, Zhou Jingming took one with him, and gave the other two to Zhao Li and Wu Yang.

One was a demobilized soldier, and the other was a discharged member of the People's Armed Police. Both were used to using the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, which they found even more comfortable than using a double-barreled shotgun. Their marksmanship was, of course, superb.

Zhou Jingming gave his Eagle Rabbit brand double-barreled shotgun to Su Xiulan, who kept it in the dugout so that she would have a chance to fight back if anything happened.

Things at the mining site have started to run normally again.

With the addition of two water pumps, the speed of washing the ore increased significantly. Zhou Jingming's daily gold yield from burning felt remained at around 800 grams per workday until all the ore mined in March was washed away, at which point it decreased to around 600 grams.

Because it requires removing the surface soil, there is considerable delay, and the surface ore has a much lower gold content.

It's May, the perfect time for the asafoetida mushrooms to sprout in the mountains.

Tired of potatoes and cabbage, the group, during their rest, learned that the asafoetida mushrooms in the mountains were delicious, and they liked to wander in groups to the grassy hills behind the pincer-shaped valley.

Many people went out, and when they came back, they brought back quite a few mushrooms, so they could at least have some fresh food to eat.

Unfortunately, precious things are often short-lived.

Once the temperature rises in the mountains, the asafoetida mushrooms quickly disappear.

There are also fish in the river in Haxionggou. This time, Zhou Jingming did not make fish traps, but instead bought several ground traps from the town and set them in the river every day. He would take them out whenever he wanted to eat fish to change things up.

At first, there were quite a few fish, but probably because people were fishing both upstream and downstream, the fish in the river soon became scarce.

Su Xiulan is very hardworking. As a country girl, she has experienced many hardships. She knows some common wild vegetables in the countryside. With Zhou Jingming's guidance, she also knows some local wild vegetables. She spends most of her time wandering around looking for various wild vegetables to make sure everyone has a more varied diet.

However, it didn't take long before all the wild vegetables were gone.

Our daily meals have returned to potatoes and cabbage.

The grasslands and forests in the mountains are visibly growing rapidly, transforming what was once a desolate area into a vibrant place.

After a brief spring, summer arrived with its increasingly scorching sun.

June 1st arrived in the blink of an eye, and Zhou Jingming, just like the previous two times, promptly distributed wages and gold.

Because the gold production at the mine had decreased, and because he had previously hidden more than nine kilograms of gold in May, Zhou Jingming only had a little over seven kilograms of gold left by the end of the month.

After the gold was distributed, he only had a little over two kilograms left.

Zhou Jingming was thinking that he would send the gold to Death Valley to hide it after he got the gold next month. He didn't expect that someone would have his eye on the gold before he even had a chance to enjoy it.

The next day at noon, not long after they had finished eating and started work, Liang Mazi led three people on horseback and rode the road to the mine site with ease.

Upon the arrival of the three, the daily work at the mine came to a sudden halt, leaving everyone somewhat puzzled.

Zhou Jingming, who was guarding the chute, went up to him and said, "Brother Liang, what's going on...?"

Liang Tongshu dismounted, put his arm around Zhou Jingming's shoulder, and pulled him aside in a very intimate manner: "I heard you got paid at your mine. You had a good harvest last month, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingming felt a chill run down his spine and immediately asked about the harvest, clearly indicating that he was after the gold.

Of course, I can't answer this question truthfully.

He shook his head and sighed, "It's a long story. We went into the mountains in March, but it was too cold to pan for gold. We only mined raw materials and didn't get anything. Last month was better. Because we had some raw materials saved up, we worked hard every day to pan for gold and managed to get a little bit."

But this month is different. The mine needs to remove the surface weeds and soil, which has caused a lot of delays. So far, after paying wages and distributing the gold, I only have a little over two kilograms left. After deducting the monthly expenses of over 100,000 yuan, I'm barely breaking even.

Hearing Zhou Jingming say this, Liang Mazi's eyes widened immediately: "You're not being honest, kid. With the scale of your mine, you must be making at least a pound of gold every day. Don't try to play the victim with me. As far as I know, you've collected at least 30 kilograms of transfer fees. At the current market price, that's a lot of money."

I'm just asking you, do you still want to do this?

"Heh...that's a bit too aggressive." Zhou Jingming looked troubled: "Brother Liang, I...when you came last month, I only gave you three kilograms!"

Liang Mazi refused to let it go: "That was last month!"

Zhou Jingming sighed. He knew there must be a mole in this valley; otherwise, how could Liang Mazi know everything about the mining site so clearly?

Regardless, if this scourge is not eliminated, given Liang Mazi's greed, he will end up working for nothing in Haxionggou for a year.

Zhou Jingming has learned from past mistakes.

In his past life, he knew about a gold mine in Genhe, which was invested and mined by a Mr. Jin with a loan. The gold mine had a good output, and Mr. Jin's goal was to accumulate tens of millions of yuan in assets within a year.

Unfortunately, his dream was too beautiful.

The Qingshan team, jointly organized by the Gold Administration and the county, was led by a man surnamed Song, whose greed was in no way inferior to that of Liang Mazi.

Even with a mining license, that guy surnamed Song would always find various excuses to inspect the mine, and he went there quite frequently.

When they arrive, the mine has to stop work for inspection. Even if there's nothing wrong, they can find a lot of problems and easily shut down the mine for rectification or revoke its mining license.

At first, Mr. Jin thought he could get rid of the man by giving him some gold.

As a result, the man surnamed Song seemed to become addicted, making the trip every few days, and each time he asked for more than the last.

After a year of hard work, Mr. Jin not only failed to make any money, but actually lost a lot of money and couldn't even repay his bank loans, so he eventually chose to run away.

And now, Liang Mazi also seems to be developing in this direction.

Greed is a bottomless pit.

After thinking it over, Zhou Jingming realized that things couldn't go on like this. He hardened his heart and said, "Brother Liang, we came out here to make money, and you came here for gold too. So, name your price. How much do you want all at once? Can you guarantee that nothing will happen to my mine? You know, it's already June. We can only work for about four more months before we have to go back to our hometown."

"It's not impossible to negotiate like this! You give me fifteen kilograms of stuff."

"Fifteen kilograms...okay, but I have one more request. I want to know who exactly sold me."

"That request is a bit excessive."

"I don't think it's excessive. From what I know, in today's gold rush, I doubt anyone can give you this much at once. I just want to ask, compared to the person you still want to protect, who is more valuable in your eyes, me or him?"

You can think about this.

Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall; you know what a person might do when pushed to the limit. You can't act like that, leaving no room for compromise. Everyone who comes out to seek their fortune is risking their life. If I can't make a living, then nobody else should get away with it either.

"Are you forcing me?"

"I just hope you can think things through more carefully. After all, if I can make money here, I'll make money, and you'll make money too. It's a two-way street."

Brother Liang, to be honest, I've already lowered my stance a lot. Unlike others who would run away as soon as they heard the Qingshan team was coming, leaving you with nothing, I actively sought you out and tried my best to meet your requests.

I believe there aren't many people like me in the Xigou Gold Rush Valley, but there are many places to pan for gold. If it doesn't work in northern Xinjiang, I can go to Xihai, to the snowy areas, or to the Northeast. It's not just here that there's gold; there are many places to pan for gold all over the country.

"Also, over the past few years, Captain Liang must have made quite a bit of money."

Liang Mazi's brows furrowed more and more, until he stared intently at Zhou Jingming, who was also staring back at him, their gazes sharp and pointed.

Their eyes clashed, their sharp edges almost sparking.

He seemed surprised that Zhou Jingming would show such a strong side.

As the captain of the Qingshan team, he was well aware that the gold prospectors in the mountains were a mixed bag, including many thugs and vagrants.

Zhou Jingming's ability to achieve his current status in the river valley is no simple feat.

Hearing Zhou Jingming say that, Liang Mazi was genuinely a little scared.

For no other reason than that, all they can do is arrest people, chase them away, and impose fines. There is one strict rule: they cannot shoot and injure people at will.

But when gold prospectors are pushed to the limit, they're really willing to risk their lives.

Moreover, there are over a hundred people at Zhou Jingming's two mining sites. Even if he wanted to arrest them, he wouldn't be confident he could.

Moreover, as Zhou Jingming said, he himself has indeed made a lot of money in the past few years. Although it is enjoyable to make money for a while, if you really want to hold a grudge, he will definitely not get a good result.

In any case, he was just the captain of a mountain clearing team in a small county town, not a remarkable person.

If the matter is serious, he can be someone who is easily thrown out to take the blame and bear the punishment.

What Zhou Jingming said was not an exaggeration.

After a brief standoff with Zhou Jingming, Liang Mazi's gaze softened first. He lit a cigarette and smoked it, choosing to compromise. He smiled, turned back to Zhou Jingming, and offered him a cigarette: "Brother, I was just saying, why are you getting so worked up? We'll do things the way you said..."

Then, he leaned close to Zhou Jingming's ear and whispered a name.

Zhou Jingming nodded slightly, his smile returning: "Thanks, Brother Liang, but I really don't have that much gold on hand right now. Come back on the first of next month, and I'll prepare some for you."

(End of this chapter)