My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 232 Realistic Point

These past few days, Wu Yang hasn't been keeping watch over the area from the grassy slope behind the mine as usual. Instead, he prefers to climb up the large rock behind it and look out over the mountains and forests. He's also become much quieter than before, no longer chatting and laughing with the group.

At first, Zhou Jingming couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

Until last night, it seemed that he had drunk a little too much and asked Zhou Jingming about Nara again. Only then did Zhou Jingming suddenly realize that Wu Yang was thinking about that Kazakh girl.

The next morning, Zhou Jingming, as usual, practiced the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands routine three times at the hillside where he often practiced boxing, then did high push-ups and practiced the Scorpion Crawling Kung Fu.

All in all, he has been practicing the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands for over a year. At first, he couldn't even do a handstand, but now he can easily walk upside down for dozens of meters. However, he still can't do what Wu Yang did, supporting his body with the strength of just a few fingers.

During this sparring session, Wu Yang was caught off guard by Zhou Jingming's "Riding the Dragon into the Water" (groin thrust and chest push) move, and was then caught by Zhou Jingming's "Monster Python" flip, landing hard on the grass with a back throw.

Wu Yang did not turn over and get up, but just lay there quietly.

Seeing that he was too lazy to move, Zhou Jingming sat down next to him, took out a Red Lotus cigarette, lit two, handed one to him, and casually asked, "You wouldn't happen to have taken a liking to Nara, would you?"

Wu Yang didn't answer directly, but just sighed softly: "Brother Zhou, how could such a good girl just disappear like that?"

"It's really hard to say what happens in the mountains. In Altay, more than half of the people are Kazakh. Apart from a small number who have settled down, most of them are herders who migrate through the mountains with their flocks of sheep all year round. They live in the wilderness and rarely come into contact with the outside world. They only get together with their fellow tribesmen about two or three times a year. They are indeed very simple and pure."

Tens of thousands of gold prospectors came to the mountains; criminals, migrants, and lonely men—none of them were peaceful.

This is a lawless place. Even the weakest person will reveal the darkness hidden deep within their bones when they arrive in such a place.

Do you know why herders hate gold prospectors so much?
It wasn't just because gold panning damaged the turf and ranches, making the river water murky, nor was it just because gold panners stole cattle, sheep, and horses from herders for meat. The main reason was the harassment caused to the herders by the gold panners.

This is also why many herders abandon pastures frequented by gold prospectors and choose other places instead.

There are countless cases like Nora's. They just want to stay away from the gold miners.

Zhou Jingming smoked a cigarette, gazing at the slowly rising sun in the east: "In a place like this, there are too few people who can control themselves and uphold their bottom line. Many people are really no different from wild beasts like jackals."

He was actually quite puzzled as to why Wu Yang had taken a liking to Nara.

Although he had saved Nara once and had a brief interaction with Batu's family, Zhou Jingming only went to see Batu when he needed mutton, and they rarely visited each other on other days.

He didn't intend to disturb the peace of Batu's family, and Batu was also reluctant to interact with the gold prospectors; their relationship was rather uneventful.

It's just that with this added connection, Batu is more enthusiastic when he sees Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang.

As for Nara, when the camp was in Haxionggou last year, she would secretly come to the vicinity of the mining site to take a look. It was probably more out of loneliness in the mountains and curiosity about the gold prospectors. Zhou Jingming did not see any affection she had for anyone.

Since that incident last year, I haven't gone to peek near the mine site again.

This year, I only briefly greeted them when we passed through the pincer-shaped mountain pass during our migration, and then I never saw them again.

Zhou Jingming thought this to himself and then casually said it out loud.

Wu Yang sat up: "Some girls, once you see them, can take root in your heart."

Love at first sight?

Zhou Jingming smiled and shook his head: "Brother, I have to admit, Nara is very beautiful, but you don't really need to do this. It's an unrealistic thing, and it usually won't end up with anything."

Wu Yang turned his head and glanced at Zhou Jingming: "Why?"

"Kazakh girls generally don't marry Han Chinese; some things are ingrained in their bones."

People from the same tribe are forbidden from marrying within seven generations. They usually only marry people from neighboring Uyghur, Uzbek, Hui, and Mongolian communities. Once married, they cannot easily dissolve the marriage, and divorce is not allowed, especially for women. They have no right to break the contract or divorce. How many people dare to do that these days?

Are you planning to join them in nomadic life in the mountains?
They are small in number, which makes it easier for them to stick together. Their sense of ethnicity is exceptionally strong, and they have a deep sense of ethnic identity. If they marry outside their own ethnic group, they may not be easily accepted by that group. Their values ​​and ways of thinking are also different, and cross-ethnic marriages can easily lead to family conflicts and misunderstandings.

In their understanding, marriage is a union between two families and a way to pass on family traditions.

Putting aside other things, they have their own language, which makes communication inherently difficult. Not to mention the older generation, even with Batu and Nara, when we talk to them, we often have to repeat things many times before we can barely understand what they mean. Very few of the older generation can understand Mandarin, so you can hardly understand what they say.

In terms of diet and religion, they practice Islam, which is completely different from that of us Han Chinese. Their lifestyle is different from what you might imagine…

After going on and on, Zhou Jingming didn't really know what to say anymore: "In short, all I can tell you is that liking someone is indeed a wonderful thing, but true beauty is based on reality, not fantasy."

He was telling the truth. Not to mention in these relatively conservative times, even decades from now, when society is much more open, very few Kazakh girls will marry Han Chinese.

Finally, he only said one sentence: "Since the hope is slim, it's better not to provoke it. Think about it carefully. Maybe even if you marry a Kazakh girl, when you go back, will your parents be able to accept it? Will they be able to withstand so many strange looks?"

Didn't you used to think about coming abroad with me to make your way in the world?
If you really want to find someone, the most realistic option is to find a local girl. That way, when you go out with me, she'll be able to take care of the family."

In fact, in Zhou Jingming's view, Nara's passing may not necessarily be a bad thing for Wu Yang.

After he finished speaking, he got up and walked along the path trodden on the grassy slope toward the tent.

Su Xiulan and Wang Dong had already prepared breakfast and were inviting everyone to eat.

Wu Yang guessed that he only had a little bit of a thought in his heart, and it was not at all "deeply in love". He sat on the grassy slope for a while, and then came down to eat.

After everyone had finished breakfast and picked up their tools to get to work, he said to Zhou Jingming, "It's really not realistic. Let's not think about it too much!"

Zhou Jingming patted him on the shoulder, smiled at him, and then went down to the chute to begin his day's work.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Su Xiulan and Wang Dong were preparing breakfast when Jinwang, who always wandered around the tent hoping to find some food, suddenly started barking wildly.

Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang were exercising on the grassy slope when they saw Jin Wang rushing uphill, running all the way to the top of the mountain.

Seeing Jin Wang's intense reaction, Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang realized that something was amiss. They quickly stopped training, jogged down the hill, crawled into the dugout, put on their respective Wu Liu Ban (a type of military training equipment), and woke up the others who were still sleeping.

The two men crawled out of their dugout and waited for a short while before they saw a dozen or so people riding horses rushing up the hilltop and then coming down the slope, looking quite menacing.

Zhou Jingming took a closer look and found that they were all young and strong Kazakh men carrying hunting rifles.

"It's Batu!"

Wu Yang recognized one of them and whispered to Zhou Jingming.

Zhou Jingming also noticed this. He nodded slightly and instructed Peng Yuanchao and the others who had emerged from their dugouts, "Tell everyone to behave themselves and not cause any trouble. I'll go check..."

He had a rough idea of ​​what these people were there for, and after thinking for a moment, he went to greet the Kazakhs who were coming down.

"Batu, what are you planning to do at our mine?"

Although he had some suspicions, Zhou Jingming still checked first.

"I have come to avenge Nora and drive out the people from the valley."

Batu stared at Zhou Jingming with bloodshot eyes, his anger written all over his face.

"Are you going to kick us out too?"

Zhou Jingming further confirmed this.

"Nonsense! Drive all the people from the valley out of here, leave no one alive!"

Before Batu could answer, an even more aggressive voice emerged from the crowd: "Look what you've done to our pastures! Stealing cattle and sheep, and you even dare to kill people! Get out of here..."

Zhou Jingming glanced at the man but didn't pay him much attention. Instead, he turned to Batu and said, "Brother, I regret what happened to Nara. After I came back that day, I asked around carefully. The people at both of my mines were working. It wasn't my people who did it. If you don't believe me, I'll call them all over and let you see for yourself."

After speaking, Zhou Jingming called out to Peng Yuanchao, "Brother Peng, get everyone out here..."

Peng Yuanchao also knew that this kind of thing could not be taken lightly. If he was not careful, it could lead to a major conflict, which would not be a simple fight between gold prospectors, but an event of a different nature.

He busied himself driving everyone out of their dugouts, and hundreds of people gathered together to wait.

Batu spoke a few words to the others in Kazakh, dismounted, walked towards the tent, scanned everyone's faces, then turned back and spoke some more words to the group in Kazakh.

He roughly overheard that Batu was telling those people that Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang had once saved Nara, and that they wouldn't make things difficult for Zhou Jingming's mine.

In addition, he said some things that were incomprehensible, and the group followed Batu downstream.

(End of this chapter)