My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 236 Hidden Mining Sites

"A place to pan for gold?"

Zhou Jingming was quite curious about what kind of place Batu would tell him about.

For Kazakh herders, cattle, sheep, and horses are almost all their possessions. Therefore, herders move from place to place, following the water and grass. The reason for their migration has never changed from ancient times to the present.

For this reason, Kazakh herders can be said to be the people who walk the most roads in the world, and also the people who move the most frequently.

The history of the Kazakh people was written in nomadic life, and their prosperity developed through continuous migrations.

It seems that throughout their lives, they have been measuring the world with their own two legs, following the greenery of life.

Having grown up traversing these deserts, Gobi, grasslands, and forests, they are familiar with and understand this land.

Zhou Jingming has only worked in geological exploration for a few years. To be honest, he has only been to less than one-thousandth of the Altay region.

There are still many places in this wild and untamed region that he has never been to, and even the places he has been to are limited to very small areas.

Compared to the herdsmen, he knew far too little.

It's not surprising that Kazakh herders know where to find gold.

In fact, exploring the Altay region, interviewing herders, and searching for information on gold veins have always been the focus of the exploration team's work.

"I know a gold mining spot that was discovered four years ago, quite by chance."

When there are many sheep, they are easy to split into groups, and a few leaders will emerge, each leading a group of sheep to wander around. That year, a group of my sheep got separated and was not found on the same day. Then it rained for several days in a row, which delayed the search for the sheep. It took me several days to find them.

The place the sheep went to had good water and grass. It was in a secluded valley with a lake in it. The mountains on both sides were very large. The place was so far away that almost no one had ever been there. There was a mine there, an old mine. People had been mining there for a long time. There were also some old machines and houses. I saw the writing on the houses. I didn't recognize the words, but I knew they were written by Russians.

Right next to the lake, there were piles of ore, and gold was clearly visible in those ore deposits.

As Batu thought about it, he said, "I can't say exactly where it is. I can only take you there. After you see it, you'll know whether it's safe to mine it."

Zhou Jingming nodded slightly: "If you can see gold directly in the ore, then it's pure gold, and the grade shouldn't be bad. Adasi, why are you telling me this?"

Things never happen without a reason. Since Batu brought it up, he must have something to gain.

“I want to take you there to see it. If there’s anything that can be mined there, I’d like to go with you.”

It turns out he also wanted to pan for gold and make money.

But upon closer reflection, Zhou Jingming realized it wasn't surprising at all.

When he was in the geological exploration team, he also saw Kazakh herders building small chutes in places with gold and water flow during their spare time from herding. They would check on them every now and then to collect some gold, and some would even use gold buckets directly.

They actually also really like gold and silver objects.

Just as everyone says that Tibetans consider gold to be the most precious thing buried in the earth and that they don't pan for gold, the truth is that the amount of gold and silver items in a Tibetan household has always been an indicator of a family's wealth.

Many Tibetans even spend most of their savings, beyond their living expenses, on things like buying gold.

He wore solid gold bracelets on his wrists and various gold ornaments on his body. The utensils he used were inlaid with gold and silver. Pure gold objects were placed on the wall cabinet for viewing. The room was decorated in a magnificent and dazzling manner.

It's a lie to say you don't love gold.

Similarly, the Kazakh and Uyghur people also have various gold and silver jewelry, and the gold jewelry made in the Altay region is already very famous.

Zhou Jingming asked another question: "If you come with us to pan for gold, what will happen to your cattle and sheep?"

“My cattle and sheep are easy to manage; I can ask other relatives to help with grazing. Gold panning is much more profitable than herding cattle and sheep, and I want to save some money. As you can see, there are only four people in my family, which is too few. I'm already of marriageable age, and Nara is also of marriageable age, but she's out herding all day long, and I hardly ever see her. Besides, my family is very poor… I've participated in several courtship ceremonies, but I haven't been able to find a suitable partner.”

The current government is very good. Considering that herders' horses, cattle, and sheep have easy access to grazing, but their children face great difficulties in terms of schooling and medical care, they are systematically creating settlements or semi-settlements to solve these problems. They have even built large brick and wood houses. I plan to have my family settle there.

And Nora…”

As Batu said this, he looked at Wu Yang: "Nara went to participate in the 'Girls Chase' competition, and when she came back, she said that none of the young men she met were interested in her. I know she has someone she likes."

Batu didn't say it directly, but when Zhou Jingming heard this, he couldn't help but look at Wu Yang, feeling both amused and worried.

Wu Yang probably understands what this means. He doesn't intend to get involved in this matter; it's entirely up to Wu Yang to decide.

Anyway, there is no hard and fast rule among the Kazakhs that Kazakh girls cannot marry Han Chinese, and Zhou Jingming has already analyzed the drawbacks of this for him.

But then again, having money makes many things easier.

Wu Yang currently possesses less gold than Zhou Jingming among the group of people who followed the gold rush. If he were to exchange all that gold for money, he would have several hundred thousand yuan, making him an absolute tycoon in those days.

The key point is that he already knows Wu Yang also has feelings for Nara, so he'll just let them be. Zhou Jingming also has a concern: "You want to come with us to pan for gold, do your parents agree?"

Batu nodded: "I've already discussed it with them, and they agreed. Putting everything else aside, if we delay any longer, I'll soon be unable to find a wife. Moreover, I have too few family members, and it's not safe for me to be in the mountains. They are getting older, and the grasslands are deteriorating year by year. I even suspect that in just a few years, my days on horseback will be over."

Furthermore, life on horseback is actually not easy.

Zhou Jingming thought for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Since you know about such a hidden mine, you could have done the digging yourself, so why did you choose to tell me?"

“I know that, but it’s not easy to do it alone. Besides, if someone finds that place, I’m not safe either. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of gold prospectors while moving around in the mountains. Although I haven’t had much contact with them, I don’t trust many of them at all. You’re different from them.”

Batu spoke sincerely.

"Alright, since you trust me, when can I find some time to go with you to take a look?"

Zhou Jingming nodded in agreement.

Not for the gold mine, but for Batu himself, Zhou Jingming had always wanted to befriend him. It wasn't just about the mutton; he knew very well what kind of convenience a Kazakh herdsman could provide to gold prospectors.

Especially in a year or two, when the crackdown on gold smuggling begins, having a Kazakh herdsman by your side would be incredibly useful.

"Now is the best time to graze the cattle and sheep in the summer pasture. My father, mother and sister can take care of them. I can leave anytime... How about tomorrow?"

Batu was even more excited than Zhou Jingming: "I think the weather is pretty good these days. As long as we prepare some dry food, and since I have a horse at home, we can ride it and we should be back in three days if nothing unexpected happens."

Zhou Jingming nodded in agreement: "Then I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. I'll go back and make some arrangements, and I'll come to see you early tomorrow morning."

After Zhou Jingming finished speaking, he stood up to leave, but Batu stopped him: "Don't rush off. Since you're here, you're a guest. Have a meal here before you go back."

As he said this, he winked at Zhou Jingming, referring to Wu Yang.

Zhou Jingming immediately understood his intention and said with a smile, "Then we won't stand on ceremony."

Batu winked: "Once we've finished milking the goats, we can cook!"

This young Kazakh herdsman completely changed Zhou Jingming's conservative and stereotypical impression of them, probably because he was driven to desperation by life.

After Batu finished speaking, he busied himself leading the sheep into the sheepfold.

Zhou Jingming nudged Wu Yang on the shoulder: "Let's go help."

At this moment, Wu Yang wasn't really paying attention to what Zhou Jingming and Batu were saying. He was mostly watching Nara, who was milking sheep with an iron shovel.

When Zhou Jingming touched him, he immediately snapped out of his daze, said "Oh," and followed Zhou Jingming toward the sheepfold.

They naturally didn't know which sheep were to be led out for milking; they simply stood by the sheepfold, watching Batu grab one, and then helped pull it out to line up, with Batu's father tying it with a wool rope.

This elder, who should have been middle-aged, looked much older than his age, probably due to spending many years away from home. His face was etched with deep wrinkles, making him look like a man in his sixties, and he could barely speak Mandarin. He talked for a long time, but Wu Yang was completely bewildered, only managing to respond with "oh"s and "ahs."

Finally, probably having nothing more to say, he turned back to Zhou Jingming and asked, "Brother Zhou, sheep only produce milk after giving birth. If all the sheep's milk is squeezed out, what will the lambs eat?"

Zhou Jingming grinned: "I think you should ask Nora about this kind of question; she squeezes herself all the time!"

Wu Yang rolled his eyes, which made Zhou Jingming laugh.

Nora, who was milking a lamb nearby, overheard this and blushed as she explained, "Generally, in the first few days after a lamb is born, we try to feed it as much as possible and don't milk it to ensure it grows strong. After a few days, the lamb only needs to eat two or three times a day, and then we can start milking it. After another month or so, when the lamb starts eating solid food, it can be weaned, and then weaning can be done without affecting its growth!"

"Oh, I see!"

Zhou Jingming pretended to suddenly realize something and patted Wu Yang on the shoulder: "If you want to marry a Kazakh girl, you'd better study hard, otherwise you won't be qualified."

Wu Yang smiled at Nara first, but when he turned around, he glared at Zhou Jingming and saw his face turn red, which was rare to see.

For herders, summer almost always begins with milking.

After this was done, more than an hour had passed. Nara was very diligent and busy going back to the yurt to cook, and Batu also went to help.

The Kazakhs live by herding, so their diet is mainly meat. Batu specially selected a fat sheep that had grown for a year, and skillfully slaughtered, skinned, and gutted it before roasting it over a fire outside the yurt.

Nara first brought the two of them milk curds to drink, and then cooked some rice to make pilaf.

This trip allowed the two to experience authentic Kazakh cuisine, but they were actually quite unaccustomed to it.

When the two had finished eating and drinking and were about to leave, Batu specially packed a pot of fresh milk that had just been squeezed that morning for them to take back and boil to drink.

Their relationship seemed to have suddenly become much closer.

(End of this chapter)