Alaska Gold Rush Diary

Neither of them expected to hear such a reply, and they fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.

After a long while, Zhang Jianing said apologetically, "I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, it's all in the past." Edward smiled, but it sounded forced.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. We need to think about our next plan." Zhou Xin interrupted the topic to lighten the somewhat somber atmosphere.

"How long are you planning to stay here?" Zhang Jianing asked.

"It will only last until early January at the latest. After that, it will be too hot to stay here."

Although the weather is already very hot, it's not actually the hottest season yet.

January and February are the hottest months here, with daytime outdoor temperatures reaching over 50 degrees Celsius, and even at night, the temperature is very high.

By then, the time available to spend outdoors each day would not exceed five hours, unless it was nighttime work.

Most people who come to Western Australia to pan for gold only work until the end of December, which is when the gold rush season ends.

"That means you'll be staying here for almost two more months," Zhang Jianing said.

"That's good, so I want to set an overall goal, one that can be achieved before the end of the gold rush season."

He had previously vowed to fill the wooden box, which meant he would harvest 500 ounces of gold, but he later realized that it was a pipe dream.

As temperatures rise, the time available for outdoor work will decrease, and consequently, the harvest will naturally decline.

Even with an increased workforce, they only harvested 136.2 ounces of gold in that month.

Of course, this harvest is already quite considerable. You should know that even a gold mining factory as large as Chen Xiande's can only harvest about two hundred ounces of gold a month.

If you set a goal that's too outrageous, then it's not a goal anymore, but just wishful thinking.

"Edward, do you have any suggestions?" Zhou Xin hoped to help Edward get out of his sadness.

This really worked. Edward recovered somewhat and thought for a moment before saying:

"At our current pace, we can only harvest about 110 ounces a month at most, so let's set the target at 350 ounces!"

Zhou Xin nodded: "This is indeed a very reasonable plan."

At their current speed, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to accomplish it.

But he immediately added, "However, I want us to go a little further."

"Further away, where to?" Edward asked, puzzled.

Zhou Xin smiled and said, "I mean, let's push our goal further and unleash our potential."

Then, he clapped his hands and announced, "400 ounces! Our goal is to find 400 ounces of gold before the gold rush ends!"

"400 ounces?" Zhang Jianing and Edward exclaimed in unison.

"Xin, I think we should be more down-to-earth..."

Edward is no longer a novice; he understands just how difficult it is to achieve this goal.

"No, I wasn't being delusional; I was just taking our luck into account," Zhou Xin explained with a smile.

"Luck?" Edward asked, puzzled.

"That's right, don't forget, Hathaway struck gold nearly 15 ounces on her first try. I'm going to take a gamble, betting we can find another big gold nugget!"

Edward's eyes lit up when he heard the word "dog's head gold".

He was the only one who had never discovered a large nugget of gold, which was one of his biggest regrets.

"Yes! We will definitely find another gold nugget, and this time I will definitely get it!" He was immediately filled with fighting spirit.

Seeing that he had returned to normal, Zhang Jianing breathed a sigh of relief and cast an admiring glance at Zhou Xin.

"Then it's settled, 400 ounces, that's our annual target!"

Edward clapped his hands: "It's settled then, and we'd better achieve this goal before Christmas!"

Zhang Jianing sighed helplessly: "I really want to continue panning for gold with you guys. If I were there, we could probably set our goals even higher."

Zhou Xin smiled and said, "You've already brought us good luck, and I feel that this good luck should last until the end of the gold rush season."

After chatting for a while, Edward started snoring beside us; he had fallen asleep in his chair.

"I never imagined that Edward, who is so optimistic and cheerful, would have sad things he doesn't want to talk about," Zhang Jianing sighed.

"As he just said, it's a luxury to be happy all the time in this world."

"Yes, staying happy is such a luxury, so I want to thank you for giving me an incredibly happy holiday."

She turned to look at Zhou Xin, the starry sky reflected in her deep blue eyes, making it seem as if the entire galaxy was hidden within them.

Zhou Xin smiled and said, "Your arrival has made this time even more wonderful."

Zhang Jianing smiled sweetly and turned to look at the starry sky.

The two fell silent, and all around was quiet except for Edward's soft snoring.

……

The next day, just as dawn broke, Zhou Xin drove Zhang Jianing towards Kurgadi Town.

Today was supposed to be the expiration date for the leased container, and the leasing company was supposed to come and collect it as agreed.

But after considering it, Zhou Xin decided to renew the lease.

As the weather gets hotter, the tents are becoming unusable and will greatly affect our rest.

If you don't get enough rest, your gold mining efficiency will definitely be greatly affected.

The container has air conditioning, which greatly improves the comfort of living there. If they just add another bed, he and Edward won't have to live in a tent anymore.

Upon hearing his plan, Zhang Jianing raised her eyebrows slightly and said decisively:

"My bed is for you only, Edward isn't allowed to sleep in it!"

She only took her clothes and a few other things; the rest, like bedding, were purchased here and couldn't be taken with her, so they were left in the container.

Zhou Xin smiled and agreed to her request.

He originally wanted to take Zhang Jianing directly to Perth, but Zhang Jianing said that the car she borrowed from a friend was still parked there and she could drive back herself, so Zhou Xin didn't insist anymore.

"Don't forget, once the gold mining team is formed, you must contact me immediately. You must reserve the position of the third official member of the gold mining team for me."

After Zhang Jianing got into the car, she rolled down the window and said to Zhou Xin.

"No problem!" Zhou Xin promised.

After spending half a month together, the two became much closer.

As they were about to part ways, they all felt a little reluctant to leave.

"I'm leaving now. I wish you all great wealth and success. Goodbye!"

"goodbye!"

After watching Zhang Jianing leave, Zhou Xin went to the container rental company again to pay for and renew the lease.

After returning the rented detector, buying a bed and bedding, and other items, they drove back to the camp.