My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 238 Difficult Journey
The weather was hot, and fresh goat milk couldn't be kept for long. As soon as Zhou Jingming returned to the mine, he asked Su Xiulan to boil the goat milk so that everyone who wanted to drink it could have some.

But the reality is that many people will pick up the bowl of goat milk, smell it, or take a small sip, and then give up.

Everyone knows it's a good product, but they just can't get used to that strong milky smell.

Zhou Jingming drank a large bowl of soup, and at his urging, Su Xiulan also drank a bowl. However, she received special treatment and went back to the shack to add some brown sugar.

"Bro, you really aren't going to drink?"

He teased Wu Yang, saying, "You can't even drink goat's milk, yet you want to marry a Kazakh girl..."

Provoked by him, Wu Yang hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward and drank a bowl while holding his breath. His strange appearance made everyone burst into laughter.

Seeing that Zhou Jingming and the others had drunk some, Old Man Liu, Peng Yuanchao, Bai Zhishun, Li Guohua and others came over and tried some as well.

A pot of goat milk, which wasn't much to begin with, was quickly devoured. Those who didn't drink it before, and those who wanted to now, no longer had the chance.

Zhou Jingming also took the opportunity to briefly explain that he would be going out with Wu Yang to inspect the mining site the next day, but he did not mention that Batu would be leading the way.

This was partly to prevent the mining site from becoming known too early, thus avoiding the spread of the news; and partly to protect Batu.

If people found out that Batu knew about the mining site, he probably wouldn't have a peaceful life.

The rest of the time, Zhou Jingming called Wu Yang together and burned the dried felt.

Separating gold is a task that cannot be delayed. If too much is accumulated at once, it takes several days to complete, which is also a tiring task. Especially grinding fine sand to fully integrate mercury and gold, you have to do almost the same thing all day long, and your arms will eventually give out.

Also, rocking the golden bucket and soaking in the water for a long time, even if the river water isn't cold now, is definitely not a comfortable thing.

That evening, Zhou Jingming gave Li Guozhu, Peng Yuanchao, Bai Zhishun, Old Man Liu and others some instructions about the mine site. He asked Su Xiulan to prepare some steamed buns as dry food and some wine. The next morning, the two of them, carrying five or six bags, along with the dry food and wine, and Jin Wang, set off for Batu's house just as dawn was breaking.

When they arrived at Batu's house, Batu had already made preparations. Three horses with saddles were being fed wheat, as they needed to eat well for the long journey ahead.

After the horses had finished eating, Batu loaded the prepared supplies, which had already been packed into bags, onto the horses' backs, slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, and led the way.

The three of them spent the entire day traversing mountains and rivers, except for two brief rests along the way.

As the terrain rises, the composition of the forest gradually changes, with more and more graceful and upright trees such as larch and spruce appearing, gradually turning into a vast, boundless forest where birds and animals can be seen moving about from time to time, full of vitality.

This is a primeval forest that almost no one has ever reached.

Wu Yang was exhausted after a long day.

Batu said that he almost rolled off his horse while he was sleeping on the grassy slope by the river.

Batu, a herdsman, has spent almost his entire life on horseback since childhood, which is a familiar and easy way of life for him.

Zhou Jingming was alright. In his previous life, when he was in the geological team, he learned to ride horses and camels. Because when you enter the mountains, there are mostly places without roads. When the exploration team goes into the mountains, the supplies will inevitably need to be transported by horses or camels, and people will also need to use these animals to get around. Otherwise, just trekking through mountains and rivers can exhaust people.

Having been reborn into this life, riding a horse again was easy to regain the feeling of riding, and it was relatively easy to adapt. However, the inner thighs were burning from being rubbed raw.

But Wuyang is different.

He had no experience riding a horse. He mounted the horse and relied entirely on the strength of his hands and legs to keep himself on the horse's back so that he wouldn't fall off when climbing hills and slopes.

Although Zhou Jingming and Batu had shared their riding experience with him along the way, it's not easy to master something like this without developing calluses on your thighs and buttocks. The continuous exertion of his hands and feet over a long period of time left him almost completely exhausted.

Wu Yang initially told Zhou Jingming that most of the beautiful scenery in the mainland was either picturesque mountains and clear waters or strange rocks and cypresses, which looked like landscape paintings. But the Altai Mountains were different. The colors of the forests here were intense and the layers were distinct. Coupled with the blue sky and green water, it had the feel of an oil painting. It was hard to tell whether the scenery was like a painting or the painting was like scenery.

Later, his good mood was quickly worn away by the jagged rocks on the riverbank that forced the horse to lurch forward, and the branches in the woods that could easily whip his face and eyes if he wasn't careful.

In many places, it was impossible to even ride a horse; one had to dismount and lead the horse, helping it choose the right path, making travel difficult.

When he reached the ridge of a mountain peak and was able to survey the surrounding mountains, he realized that the gold mining sites of the previous year and this year, the Haiertes River and the Haxiong Valley, were just a tiny, insignificant part of the Altai Mountains.

The three of them lit a campfire on the grassy area in the forest. Zhou Jingming shared the steamed buns he had brought with Batu, but Batu waved his hand and took out some cooked and sliced ​​mutton and "Keke" for the two of them to share. He also boiled water to make rice tea.

Upon tasting these foods, Wu Yang's eyes lit up for the first time, and he exclaimed repeatedly, "Delicious! So satisfying!"

Then he asked Batu what these things were.

Batuhan's language was not fluent, and his explanations were often accompanied by Kazakh phrases or strange accents, leaving Wuyang completely confused. It was Zhou Jingming who provided the explanation.

To adapt to the grassland life of frequent changes in pastures and migration of residences, Kazakh herders often specially make some convenient foods that are easy to carry.

Nami Star Tea is a food made by roasting millet and brewing it with water. Although it is called tea, it is actually a thin soup, and it is especially comforting to drink after eating meat.

Keke is a food made by frying millet or wheat grains. It is very crispy and fragrant, and when eaten with meat, it is very filling.

That night, the three of them spent the night on a sheepskin blanket that Batu had brought and spread on the grass. The next day, they continued their journey, but the more they traveled, the more desolate the place became.

Batu, who was leading the way, specially prepared a wooden stick and tapped it against the trees and bushes along the way.

Wu Yang asked from behind, "What are you doing?"

Batu responded, "I was greeting the bear. We used to have tigers here, but they became extinct. The bear was the biggest and fiercest wild animal in the mountains, reigning supreme. It was the most dangerous animal for people who ventured deep into the mountains."

As he said this, he pointed to a fallen tree in the woods and said, "Sometimes, bears will just eat the ants nested under the tree roots. They can dig and break the roots by gnawing and digging. Sometimes they will even go so far as to push down smaller trees. They are very powerful and should not be provoked. That tree was damaged by a bear. Bears are seen around here."

Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang were both looking at the big tree, which was a rotten piece of wood that had been broken into scattered pieces by brute force, with white wood chips everywhere.

But Batu continued, "Fortunately, bears are naturally averse to trouble and rarely provoke people. Most of the time, they will run away when they hear a noise. But if they suddenly encounter each other, the situation is very dangerous. If they pounce, not only people, but even horses cannot withstand being slapped by them."

Therefore, when walking in the forest, it's best to make some noise intentionally. Bears will generally give way on their own. If one suddenly appears, unless you're carrying a machine gun, you're more likely to be the one in trouble. In fact, many people, even those with guns, are so frightened by a bear that they don't know how to fire.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yang laughed: "Isn't that an exaggeration! We have guns and Jin Wang is with us, so there's nothing to be afraid of."

Zhou Jingming cautioned, "Brother, don't be careless. Adasi has lived in the mountains for many years. He is familiar with the conditions there and is an experienced hunter. Whether he's exaggerating or not, you'd better believe what he says."

I have seen brown bears in Northeast China. Even black bears can become their food, and those are huge creatures that can grow to over a thousand kilograms.

We're both decent marksmen, but not seasoned hunters. Even with a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, we can't guarantee we'd kill it in one or two shots, especially in an emergency. It'd probably take us several shots to take it down, while it could take us a single slap to kill it.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yang nodded slightly.

He is a man who listens to advice and doesn't think that having a gun means he can act recklessly.

As he moved through the area, he became alert to his surroundings, took off the gun he had been carrying, and disengaged the safety.

However, apart from occasionally seeing one or two wild rabbits dart by, prompting Jinwang to give chase, there were only some squirrels and birds flying among the branches along the way, but no bears were seen.

The loudest noise was the rustling sound of bushes being knocked through the woods, which made Jinwang bark incessantly.

The commotion appeared abruptly and disappeared quickly. Batu said it must have been a group of wild boars, probably more than ten in number.

And so, the three of them rode their horses through the mountain valleys for most of the day. After crossing a high mountain pass, their view suddenly opened up, and a large, relatively low-lying mountain pasture appeared before them.

The surrounding mountains and forests embrace the grassland, creating a seemingly distinct boundary yet appearing as a unified whole.

A small river meanders through the grassland, following the undulating terrain, connecting a series of small ponds.

The ponds shimmered in the sunlight, and against the backdrop of the surrounding dark green mountains, they looked like pearls scattered across the pasture.

"This is really a good place for grazing. Why doesn't anyone come here to graze their livestock?"

Zhou Jingming asked casually.

Batu shook his head: "The place looks nice, but it's just a small area with only two or three hundred cattle and sheep. It won't last long. As you've seen along the way, the roads are very difficult to travel. We're already traveling light. We have to cross a large forest, and transporting supplies is difficult. Plus, there are many wild animals in there. It's not worth the trip."

My sheep that ran away ended up here, and by the time I found them, I had already suffered considerable losses. The main problem is that there's a lot of swamp in here…it's not a good place for grazing. Let's go; the mine I mentioned isn't far from here, at the source of this little river.”

After saying that, he spurred his horse and galloped across the grassland.

"Isn't there a swamp? Aren't you afraid of getting stuck?" Wu Yang asked.

Zhou Jingming smiled and said, "Since Batu has been to that mine, he should know the route. Just follow him without worry."

The two then gritted their teeth and spurred their horses to follow.

(End of this chapter)