My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 27 Scorpion
Zhou Jingming was uncertain about what would happen during the next six months of gold mining.

It's uncertain whether Peng Yuanchao will continue to cooperate with him next year.

It's even uncertain how many of these people will survive.

But in any case, making some things clear can reduce mutual distrust and future misunderstandings, which is always better for a team as a whole.

The two sat on the pebbles smoking. When they were halfway through their cigarettes, Peng Yuanchao got up and went into the birch forest behind them.

Judging from his appearance, Zhou Jingming knew he needed to relieve himself, and said, "It doesn't matter where you go, just go in this pit!"

Peng Yuanchao was stunned for a moment: "Ah!"

Zhou Jingming also stood up, looked around, and stretched: "It will take us several days to make a round trip to Timbuk. During this time, some gold mining teams may enter this valley. I'm worried that if you're the only one guarding it, it will attract attention."

Just by looking at those sand pits, you can tell that many people have come here to test the sand. Gold prospectors who have tested the sand here before might not take it seriously, but those who have never been here before might come in to scout the area and then take a liking to it.

Because, judging from its topography and the fact that it shelters from the wind and gathers water, this is indeed a good place.

Since the sand is being tested, the deepest pit that has been dug should be chosen for sand sifting and testing. If, while digging, a bunch of unlucky things are unearthed, and there are already gold panning teams camped above, they might leave in a huff.

To make the performance more convincing, let's go upstream and examine the sand along the way, so that those people up there will also conclude that we haven't found any gold nuggets here.

We'll take a detour and then head back; we won't be guarding this place anymore. Later, we'll lead the team directly here to set up camp.

Zhou Jingming smiled and said his thoughts: "It's such a long way, and you're the only one with a gun. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to take the gun with me. If I don't have a gun, are you sure I'll be able to walk that far? What if we run into jackals or bears? I'd be doomed!"

Peng Yuanchao smiled and said, "What do I have to worry about?"

Zhou Jingming frowned: "From what you're saying, you're actually hoping I die, aren't you? You're not a decent person."

Seeing that Zhou Jingming was somewhat unhappy, Peng Yuanchao quickly laughed it off: "I was just joking, don't take it seriously. I can't bear to see a master like you get into trouble!"

Zhou Jingming snorted: "That's more like it!"

"What if we come back and the place is still occupied?"

Peng Yuanchao still seemed a little worried. Such rich mines are rare in the mountains. If someone else takes them first, we will suffer a huge loss.

Zhou Jingming wasn't worried at all: "Don't worry, at worst I'll just lead you to another rich mine."

Peng Yuanchao wanted to say something more, but when he thought of Zhou Jingming's seemingly magical ability to find gold seeds with just a glance, he felt there was nothing more to say.

So, following Zhou Jingming's instructions, he first filled the pit with some surface mud, sand, and pebbles, then unbuckled his belt, pulled down his pants, and squatted down by the pit to exert his strength.

Zhou Jingming kept his distance, afraid of being suffocated by the stench. He saw the group of people stationed on the small peninsula upstream sitting around the campfire, glancing in this direction quite often.

After waiting for four or five minutes, Peng Yuanchao finally finished. He looked around and called out to Zhou Jingming, "Brother, help me pick a few leaves... I need to wipe my butt!"

Zhou Jingming snorted irritably, "Get lost!"

"If you're not going to help, then forget it..."

Peng Yuanchao wasn't annoyed. He looked down and picked up a smooth, round pebble from the riverbank...

Zhou Jingming slung the bedding he had brought over his back, picked up the short-handled pickaxe, and continued walking upstream along the river.

After walking for a while, he didn't hear Peng Yuanchao's footsteps following him. He turned around and saw Peng Yuanchao squatting by the river, using his finger to lick the two gold nuggets at the bottom of the gold pot and sticking them into the bottle.

Being more than a hundred meters away, there was no need to worry about the gold panning team seeing them.

After finishing, he shoveled some mud and sand into the pit to cover the excrement, rinsed the gold bucket, carried his bedding on his back, and followed quickly with his double-barreled hunting rifle.

Zhou Jingming joked with a laugh: "I didn't even see you wash your hands after wiping your butt before you put it in your mouth!"

Peng Yuanchao grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Delicious!"

These words amused Zhou Jingming: "Disgusting!" The two walked upstream along the riverbank, making a lot of noise and checking the sand along the way. After passing the small peninsula where the gold panning team was located, the two deliberately avoided it. Only when they reached the upstream did they return to the riverbank and pretend to dig a hole here and turn over a stone there, constantly going deeper into the upstream valley.

After watching the two leave, the group sat around the campfire, smoking and warming themselves, waiting for the food to cook before starting to chat again.

"Seeing them making such a fuss, I thought I'd found some golden seedlings somewhere!"

"What nonsense! I've been to this valley for two consecutive years and tested the sand there both times. I haven't seen a single grain of gold, not even a speck of dust. In the past two years, quite a few people have scouted the area and searched for gold, but none of them have found anything they like."

"Those two were probably scouting the area in the mountains. But judging from how they were knocking and tapping all the way and randomly choosing a spot to test the sand, I reckon their ability to find gold is only so-so. They don't even know how to look at the terrain. They're just relying on luck. With that kind of skill, they're unlikely to make a living by panning for gold."

"They were probably taking a dump next to the pit they dug... How nasty! If the people who come to scout the place later find that pit and start digging, they'll definitely be cursing."

……

Zhou Jingming and Peng Yuanchao naturally had no idea what these people were saying.

After they entered the bend in the river and made sure the gold-panning team was out of sight, they disappeared into the poplar grove along the hillside and began their return journey.

However, after all this trouble, it was already quite late, and the two had to stop near the main river channel to prepare for the night.

First, they cut down a few fir trees on the gentle slope of the sheltered mountain valley, and used the wooden poles and branches to build a small sloping shed that could keep the campfire warm. They also collected some thick, durable firewood, lit a long bonfire, ate some naan bread with wine and water, added some wood chunks to the fire, and then wrapped themselves in blankets and lay down under the sloping shed covered with pine needles.

The night passed peacefully.

The two set off early the next morning.

There were no delays along the way, so the travel speed increased.

Along the way, we encountered several groups of gold prospectors. Some were just arriving in the mountains to scout locations, while others had already scouted the area and hired tractors to transport supplies and manpower into the mountains.

After looking around, Zhou Jingming finally saw someone he knew from his previous life in one of the groups. The person was from Hedong and his name was Zhang Debao.

In his previous life, Zhou Jingming met him in the Haba River Gold Panning Valley.

At that time, Zhou Jingming had just started working independently and formed his own gold panning team. He and Zhang Debao, who had also formed a team, were panning for gold in the same river.

You wouldn't guess it on a normal day. Zhang Debao strolls around the valley with a very easygoing and warm demeanor, as if he can talk to anyone.

They also frequently visited Zhou Jingming's camp.

Until October of that year, when the mountains were about to snow and people could no longer stay, the gold panning teams retreated to the county town. Zhou Jingming was a little slower to leave the mountains and encountered Zhang Debao's bared fangs.

After leaving the mountains ahead of schedule, he returned and started robbing people. One of the foremen who was closest to him in the mountains was caught off guard and killed by him. He robbed the foremen of the gold dust and money they had obtained from panning for gold for several months.

Judging from his skillful technique, there must be more than one or two Jin bosses who have suffered.

After that, Zhou Jingming had no further contact with him.

He probably made a lot of money through this, and later I heard from people that Zhang Debao had become a wealthy boss and made a name for himself. Because of his ruthless methods, he was nicknamed "Scorpion".

He ultimately died at the hands of a young man who had been lured into the mountains to pan for gold.

Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, the young man flew into a rage, knocking him to the ground with an iron rod, and then stabbing him through the chest from behind.

Zhou Jingming never expected to encounter Zhang Debao in the Haiertes River Valley.

Although at this time, Zhang Debao didn't even seem to be the leader of his team.

Zhang Debao naturally did not recognize Zhou Jingming at this moment.

But that didn't stop Zhou Jingming from giving himself a heads-up: This person needs to be guarded against!
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(End of this chapter)