My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 254 The Truth

Having gathered enough information and entrusted the task to him, Zhou Jingming didn't linger too long at Sun Huai'an's hideout. He drove his tractor to town, bought some felt, and then went to the black market to buy rice, flour, cooking oil, tea bricks, and smoked meat.

Although the stay at Haxionggou was not long, there were many people at the mining site and a lot of supplies were consumed every day, so the truck was still full.

This purchase took him quite a bit of time.

By the time we drove the tractor to the Fourth Mine Bridge checkpoint, it was already dusk.

The guards at the checkpoint had changed, and Zhou Jingming had to bribe the new guards to get through smoothly.

The car continued its journey without stopping, bumping and jolting its way back to the Haxionggou mining site, arriving after midnight.

He didn't ask the people at the mine to come and move the things. Instead, he, along with Wu Yang and Old Man Liu, who had come out to investigate after hearing the commotion, moved the smoked meat they had bought into the tent and hung it up to prevent it from being ruined by wild animals. As for the grain and oil, they left them in the car and would move them early the next morning.

After the smoked meat was set up, the three of them sat down at the table in the tent and smoked.

“In the next few days, the Qingshan team may come into the mountains again, so be careful and hide your equipment and supplies in the forest in advance to avoid them.”

Zhou Jingming couldn't find out from Sun Huai'an who the newly appointed captain of the Qingshan team was.

But presumably, after what happened with Liang Mazi, these people will definitely restrain themselves and adopt a more official stance. It's very likely that even spending money won't get them through, and they might even cause trouble in the process.

As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and one must first make a show of one's stance before slowly becoming corrupt.

After finishing his work here this year, Zhou Jingming doesn't plan to come back to Xigou next year. He'll move on to another place, so there's no need for him to go through all that trouble.

"Uncle Liu and I will be more careful."

After Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang returned from the Haiertes River, Wu Yang took over from Zhao Li and was responsible for keeping an eye on the road in the distance from the hilltop opposite the mine.

"Grandpa, the gold rush is over this year. What are your plans? I didn't go back last year."

Zhou Jingming began to plan for the coming year, the most important thing being manpower. Old Liu, a light sleeper and an old man who was always the first to notice any movement at the mine, was someone Zhou Jingming wanted to keep by his side.

Old Liu thought for a moment and said, "I should go back. I should go back and see what's going on. Otherwise, the villagers will probably think I'm dead."

"So... will you come again next year?"

"Come on, someone will take care of me, I can eat and drink for free and even get paid. Where else can I find such a good deal? Of course I have to come."

Hearing this, Zhou Jingming laughed.

There are no mines to guard this year. The only problem is Jinwang, but he already has manpower. Batu also wants to pan for gold. When the real winter comes, Jinwang can be handed over to Batu. Anyway, Jinwang is familiar with his two dogs, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

The three chatted briefly for a few more minutes, then finished their cigarettes and went back to their dugouts to sleep.

The next morning, Zhou Jingming organized a group of people to dismantle the diesel water pumps from the two mining sites and have them moved to the ravine opposite Wuyang where the deer had been captured and temporarily hidden there.

The remaining time was mainly spent mining for minerals.

On the very day he was moving things, Batu arrived at the mine with his hunting rifle, delivered some food he had brought to Nara, and then went to find Zhou Jingming.

"How's the matter going?"

“My family has settled down in the settlement. Half of our cattle and sheep have been sold, and the rest have been entrusted to our clansmen for care. Everything has been taken care of.”

"That's good!"

"what should I do?"

"You don't need to do anything. Just follow Wu Yang and patrol with him. Ensuring the safety of the mine is the most important thing. Let them handle the rest!"

For Zhou Jingming, Batu is a good helper in dealing with the Kazakh herders in the Altay region. There will be many places where he will be needed in the future, including purchasing supplies, resolving some issues with the Kazakhs and resolving some conflicts with them. He can be of great use in all these situations, so he cannot be treated as an ordinary gold prospector. He will also be a core figure in the team.

He made some simple arrangements, pointed out Wu Yang's location to Batu, and Batu went to find Wu Yang.

Three days later, Wu Yang and Batu hurriedly came down from the mountain to inform the Qingshan team that they had arrived.

Zhou Jingming immediately ordered everyone to stop what they were doing, sent Peng Yuanchao to inform Li Guozhu, and then told everyone to take the tools and supplies from the mine and retreat into the mountains.

Twenty minutes later, twenty or thirty members of the Qingshan team rode their horses to the mine site. Seeing that they had missed it again, they did not linger and split into two groups: one group went upstream to chase after the mine, and the other group went downstream to pursue it.

Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang watched from the trees on the hill opposite the mine.

The Qingshan team spent the whole morning making a fuss, and before they left, they burned down Zhou Jingming's dugouts.

This was the first time Zhou Jingming's dugout had been burned down in two years of gold panning.

However, such a loss would seem insignificant.

Zhou Jingming was prepared; it would simply take him half a day to tidy up the dugout, cut some timber, and rebuild the roof.

With hundreds of people involved, and no need for a pit, the process was very fast.

That very evening, the dugout was set up, and the machines, chutes, and other equipment that had been hidden in the mountains were moved back to the riverbank and reassembled. Zhou Jingming spent the entire afternoon sitting on the grassy slope behind the mine, watching everyone work.

At this moment, he couldn't help but think that he must mine the gold vein and get a mining license so that he wouldn't have to hide anymore.

As October approached, the mine in the pincer-shaped ravine of Haxionggou was completely mined out, just as Zhou Jingming had expected. What remained were only some low-grade areas. Although the weather was not too bad, Zhou Jingming was too lazy to bother and planned to end this year's gold panning early.

He was thinking about the old mine that Batu had taken him to see, where the gold mining would be a considerable haul. He also knew Peng Yuanchao, Li Guozhu, and others who followed him around all year round, and he was also looking forward to the final cleaning of the mine.

However, mining gold from ore, under current conditions, requires a large amount of mercury to be prepared. The simplest method is to separate the gold from the ore through a process called "gold biting".

Therefore, after finishing the gold panning, Zhou Jingming had everyone dig for mercury ore for two more days, while he assigned people to manually crush and calcine the ore.

After five days of effort, a considerable amount of mercury was collected and stored in several plastic containers previously used for storing alcohol.

Then, he had everyone disassemble several water pumps, load them into the tractor, and cover them with tarpaulins.

The next morning, he had Peng Yuanchao and Li Guozhu gather everyone at the mine site: "This year's gold panning is over. The weather has turned cold, and as you all know, there has been thick frost every morning. It won't be long before it snows here, and then we won't be able to continue panning for gold."

Every year around this time, the checkpoints conduct exceptionally strict inspections, and the clearing teams intensify their efforts. Temporary checkpoints are set up on some less-noticed roads, and patrols are conducted. Even if gold is found, it's not easy to smuggle it out.

You who are new to gold panning this year may not know this, but the old-timers who have panned for gold in previous years know that in addition to the government setting up checkpoints and increasing the number of patrol personnel to clear out the gold panners from the mountains, there will also be many more robbers in the mountains who are eyeing other people's gold.

Therefore, leaving early at this time is the most appropriate option. The roads are not so crowded, and it will be easier to get back. Otherwise, you might be stuck in places like Timbuk and Altan for more than half a month waiting for a bus and still not be able to leave.

Looking back on the past year, I believe I have treated everyone well. I have never skimped on food and drink. As for wages, I have paid you 600 yuan and 20 grams of gold every month on time. At the current gold price, that means each of you would earn at least 1,400 yuan a month.

Although September only lasts until the latter half, I will still calculate it as a whole month for you.

From April until now, a total of six months, each of you should have around eight thousand yuan in your pocket.

Gold panning is not easy, and making money is even harder, but you might as well ask around about this income. In the Gold Rush Valley, compared to other gold panners, it may not be the highest, but it is definitely above average. It's equivalent to working outside for several years, and the key is that it's stable.

Don't squander your money after you get home. This is hard-earned money. Bring it home, use it to get married if you're old enough, build a house if you're old enough, and make sure your family is doing well. That's the most important thing.

These words were very honest, especially Zhou Jingming's statement that even those who hadn't completed their September wages would be paid as if they had completed a full month's wages. This was a pleasant surprise for many gold prospectors, and it caused a stir among the crowd for a while.

The sincerity of this year is evident to all.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Are you still panning for gold next year?"

"Of course I'll be panning for gold again next year. You can never make enough money."

Zhou Jingming's words drew laughter from everyone, and they were indeed true.

Someone else said, "Do you still need people next year? If you do, I'll come back to you..."

Zhou Jingming was waiting for these words: "Gold panning is something I definitely can't do alone; of course, I need manpower. If you still want to work with me, come to HBH County in mid-April next year; I'll be waiting for you there."

By the way, just a reminder: when you come here, it's best to get a labor export certificate.

The territory is too large, and many places need to be developed. There is a severe shortage of manpower. As far as I know, several provinces have signed labor export agreements with the territory. Those who want to work here can get a labor export certificate. With this certificate, they will not be mistaken for migrant workers when traveling in the territory, which will make things much easier and save them from having to hide.

One more thing, next year I plan to mine for gold, which will involve different types of work, and wages will vary depending on the job, but they won't be lower than this year, so everyone can rest assured.

He threw out another bait, which sparked another round of discussion among the crowd.

After Zhou Jingming briefly explained some of the questions they raised, he immediately asked Li Guozhu, Peng Yuanchao, and others to set up a table, carry out the money from the sacks, take out the gold, and begin to settle wages according to the names on the registration form.

Meanwhile, Su Xiulan, Zhang Xueqin, and Nora had already begun preparing breakfast and the dry rations needed for the day ahead.

After receiving their money, the gold prospectors returned to their dugouts to pack their belongings, while the mining site was bustling with activity.

After a busy morning, the wages were distributed, everyone was given a good meal and water, and then Zhou Jingming asked Batu, who was most familiar with the roads, to lead the way. He led the group along the new route he had used for herding livestock over the past two years, winding through the mountains towards Tiemaike.

He had a lot of guns on hand, so he had Wu Yang and the others take them and follow Batu, while he himself rode a motorcycle to follow.

After the gold was distributed, he still had 33 kilograms of gold left over from August and most of September. He didn't dare to go directly through the checkpoint, so he took it with him and left with the group on his motorcycle.

The narrow roads that allow you to travel between locations are perfectly fine for riding a motorcycle.

After spending two nights in the mountains, the group arrived in Tiemaike on the afternoon of the third day.

Zhou Jingming immediately arranged for everyone to go find Sun Huai'an to sell the gold. He also handed over some of the hunting rifles to Sun Huai'an, leaving only a few Type 56 rifles and instructing him to have someone transport the tractors and the machinery and tools loaded on them from the mountains.

The reason Sun Huai'an was asked to handle this matter was because he had organized places in the mountains where locals sold goods to gold miners. He had already established connections with the checkpoints there, so it would be very convenient for his people to go.

After settling Su Xiulan and the others at the hotel, he rode his motorcycle to Death Valley again to hide the gold.

The gold he hid amounted to 138 kilograms.

(End of this chapter)