My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 246 Treating Him as Dead

Zhang Xueqin's bite was something Peng Yuanchao would likely never forget for the rest of his life.

Watching Peng Yuanchao frantically rush back to his dugout to find medicine and bandages, asking for help to stop the bleeding and bandage his wounds, looking so frustrated but unable to vent his anger in front of everyone, and finally choosing to sit down on a wooden stump next to the tent, Zhou Jingming felt a surge of amusement.

“Brother Peng, you should suffer the consequences of the trouble you caused by going home for the New Year. Big sister... you should call me sister-in-law now. I risked my life to come out with you this time.”

You have no idea how much she's been through these past few months, how long she's been alone in that desolate place. I really admire her.

"With what you've done, they can't go back to their villages or their homes. You'd better figure out what to do!"

After Zhou Jingming finished speaking, he got up and went back to his dugout to sleep.

At the edge of the tent, Peng Yuanchao glanced at Zhang Xueqin, stood up and tried to get away, but Zhang Xueqin followed him wherever he went.

Peng Yuanchao was so annoyed that he simply went back to the dugout and lay down on his bed.

Zhang Xueqin put her bundle down next to her pillow, then climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged. After a long while, she finally spoke: "Are you ignoring me? Believe me or not, I'll bite you."

Peng Yuanchao was still shaken by the bite he had just received, and immediately sat up: "What exactly do you want?"

"I've already come all this way, so tell me what I want. You have to take responsibility for me; who told you to provoke me?"

As Zhang Xueqin spoke, she raised her fist and started punching Peng Yuanchao, tears streaming down her face: "Do you know what I've been through these past few days...?"

She began to recount all the experiences she had gone through along the way, crying as she spoke, and eventually she broke down in sobs.

Now, it was Peng Yuanchao who panicked. Outside the dugout, a large group of people were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

The key point is that after hearing Zhang Xueqin's story, he himself didn't know what to say.

Finally, he said helplessly, "If you're going to come along, then come along properly. Why are you sneaking around like this? Now you're blaming me. Fine, I admit it, I admit it, okay? Stop wailing."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xueqin immediately stopped crying, wiped her tears with her sleeve, and asked, "How did you recognize me?"

"me……"

After hesitating for a while, Peng Yuanchao finally gritted his teeth and said, "I'll marry you when I go back for the New Year this year, okay?"

Zhang Xueqin was still full of doubt: "Then... what about over there? And what about my home here..."

Peng Yuanchao knew, of course, that Zhang Xueqin was referring to her ex-husband's family. After thinking for a moment, he said arrogantly, "Use money to bury them until they submit."

It seems like this is the only way.

In impoverished mountain villages, money is the ultimate truth and the best way to persuade people.

He now has that confidence.

Zhou Jingming was woken up by Su Xiulan during dinner. When he crawled out of the dugout, he saw Peng Yuanchao sitting at the table in the tent, smoking.

Li Guozhu and Zhao Li have brought the people from the upstream mining site back and are talking to Peng Yuanchao.

When Zhou Jingming arrived, he heard them mention Zhang Xueqin, presumably asking about Peng Yuanchao and Zhang Xueqin.

"Now Brother Peng will have meat to eat, and he won't have to run to Tiemaike every few days anymore."

Zhou Jingming leaned over and said jokingly.

Peng Yuanchao rolled his eyes.

"What, are you blaming me for bringing her back? If I didn't know she was looking for you, that would be one thing, but now that I know she's looking for you, do you think I would just abandon her in the mountains and leave her there?"

Zhou Jingming also sat down at the table: "What are your plans?"

Peng Yuanchao sighed: "What else can we do? Let her stay at the mine and take her back with us when we go home for the New Year... If I had known, I shouldn't have messed with her when I went back to my hometown. Now she's stuck with me and I can't get rid of her."

Zhou Jingming shook his head: "Still thinking about getting rid of him?"

Wu Yang bluntly remarked from the side, "Rotten person!"

For a moment, Peng Yuanchao was speechless.

After a long while, he said again, "After the gold rush ends this year, I'll take her back and we'll get married."

Zhou Jingming smiled and said, "That's your own business... It's almost time to eat, where are the people? Why don't you call them out?"

"She's asleep in the dugout, just leave her some food!"

Peng Yuanchao's words were unusually gentle.

Zhou Jingming was too lazy to say anything more about this matter. He simply told the group to start eating. He saw Peng Yuanchao bring out a large bowl, fill it with rice, and pile mutton on top. He also brought out another bowl, filled it with mutton soup, and sent it to the dugout.

Seeing his action, Zhou Jingming nodded slightly.

As the saying goes, "Listen to what they say, then observe what they do."

Listening means hearing what people say, while doing means observing what people do.

To determine whether someone is worth getting to know, don't listen to what they say, but observe what they do. Consistency between words and actions is the most important criterion for judging a person's sincerity.

Peng Yuanchao's actions during his trip back home for the New Year, in Wu Yang's words, made him a terrible person, but his current behavior shows some responsibility, at least he acknowledges it.

The meal was quite enjoyable, with everyone making fun of Peng Yuanchao quite a bit.

At night, the people living in Peng Yuanchao's dugout consciously made room for him and went to other dugouts to squeeze in with other workers, leaving space for the two of them.

That night, someone went to eavesdrop, but the next day he said disappointedly, "Brother Peng, you're no good. You couldn't make a sound all night. What a waste. Maybe you should go to Timac or something. You'll come back with your legs weak."

Peng Yuanchao glanced at Zhang Xueqin beside him and could only frantically wink at the others, terrified that news of his trip to Tiemaike to find a woman would reach Zhang Xueqin's ears.

After all, it was a dugout for multiple people, and it was too big for Peng Yuanchao and Zhang Xueqin to live in alone.

Since we're going to mine for minerals anyway, building another dugout is just a convenient thing to do.

On that very day, Zhou Jingming had everyone dig one up for him.

Zhou Jingming arranged for Zhang Xueqin to cook with Su Xiulan, freeing up Wang Dong to go and manage the mine's labor.

He then called Wu Yang to burn the felt that had been accumulated over the past few days, and to wash and use mercury to melt it.

It wasn't until the evening of the next day that the gold was extracted.

Su Xiulan seemed very happy because she had a companion.

The two women spent most of the day talking together, even going to the bathroom together.

Zhou Jingming also felt that this was not a bad thing; it was better than her spending all day at the mine without anyone to talk to.

Wu Yang also seemed a little impatient. After resting at the mine for two days, he came to find Zhou Jingming: "Brother Zhou, give me 20,000 yuan and come with me to Nara's house!"

Zhou Jingming had promised before, and now he didn't hesitate. He immediately took out 20,000 yuan, had Wu Yang put it in a bag and carry it with him. He then led Jin Wang to Batu's house.

The two hurried along the way, and when they arrived, Batu's family was still milking the goats.

Zhou Jingming asked Wu Yang to help him and also told Batu about his purpose in coming today.

It's easier to communicate with younger people like Batu.

After milking the goats, Batu relayed Wuyang's purpose to his parents.

More often than not, Batu spoke to his parents in Kazakh, a language that even Zhou Jingming could only understand a few words of.

He could only guess roughly what was going on. It was nothing more than that there were too few people in the family. After Nara got married, Batu could no longer continue the herding life on his own. He didn't even have time to go out and pursue girls. His family was poor, and there were too few girls who would be interested in him. In addition to settling down, he was also thinking of going to pan for gold with Zhou Jingming and the others to make money.

Nora was already of marriageable age, and she herself had feelings for Wu Yang.

More importantly, Wu Yang and Zhou Jingming had once saved Nara, which was a great favor.

Batu's parents seemed hesitant, worried that their clansmen would not accept Nara's marriage to a Han Chinese. Just as Zhou Jingming had told Wu Yang before, their lifestyles, beliefs, and customs were all different, and there was even a considerable gap in their diet.

Batu added that in their clan, Nara was already someone who had undergone a funeral.

The herders roamed the land, rarely seeing each other. Even when members of the same clan migrated together, news traveled very slowly. In their clan, few knew that Nara was still alive.

The Kazakhs who brought him back were not from the same clan as him.

Batu and his family didn't want this kind of thing to get out; it would be such a huge misunderstanding.

Batu's parents inquired about Wu Yang's situation in detail, and also asked Nara. After Nara nodded in agreement, they also agreed to the matter.

The main thing is that Batu is the matchmaker; whatever happens, it's fine as long as it works out.

That noon, the two were treated to a meal by Batu's family.

Before leaving, Wu Yang left behind the 20,000 yuan he had brought with him. This was a generous gift, more than enough to buy another herd of cattle and sheep from Batu's family.

Batu saw Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang off. As they walked, he said, "Now that things have been settled and it's almost September, I'd like to move the sheep to the autumn pastures to see if anyone is willing to buy them. If no one buys them, I'll ask someone to raise them for me."

Also, I'd like to bring my parents to Ashle village before that; it's a settlement the government built for us. Once they're settled there, I'll come back to find you. It should take about a month.

Zhou Jingming nodded slightly, then asked, "What about Nara?"

“Nara…of course she’ll go with Wu Yang. We won’t have a wedding. If we do, I’m worried things won’t go through. There are several people in our clan who are particularly opposed to this kind of thing. The key thing is that they are also quite prestigious people in the clan.”

As he said this, he looked at Wu Yang: "You must treat Nara well. In our tribe, women are not allowed to divorce... If I find out that you are not treating her well, I will make trouble for you."

Wu Yang just smiled and said, "I will treat her well."

That's how the matter was settled.

After Batu returned, Zhou Jingming looked at Wu Yang with a smile: "They really treated Nara like she was dead... If you regret it now, it's not too late."

Wu Yang was resolute: "I will never regret it!"

(End of this chapter)