Black Gold 1983

"I...I..." Ma Maocai stammered for a long time, unable to get a word out, so he simply plopped down on the ground: "I fucking don't understand! It's all because I'm broke! If my family could have made ends meet when I was a kid, and I could have gone to school for a few more years, would you be here lecturing me?"

Ren Ye remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he had already begun to label the individuals.

Ma Maocai is a more troublesome person than Ma Tiejun.

Ma Tiejun is the kind of person you can see right through. He values ​​loyalty, follows rules, and once he sets his mind on something, he'll stick to it no matter what. This kind of person is the easiest to work with and the easiest to control. As long as he feels that you have done him a favor and are loyal to his brothers, he'll bet his life on you.

Ma Maocai is different.

You can tell his personality just by the fact that his first reaction to information is not to think about how to cooperate and achieve a win-win situation, but to plan how to kick you out of the game.

Those words, ostensibly complaints, were actually a way for him to save face. The implication was: I'm not stupid, I just lack the necessary skills. Give me a chance, and I might be just as good as you.

Such people are unwilling to be subordinate to others.

He was able to work for Ma Tiejun not because he respected Ma Tiejun, but because Ma Tiejun was currently the only one who could provide him with a livelihood.

He will not hesitate to turn against you once he has a better option or greater benefits.

Ambitious, unwilling to be mediocre, intelligent, but unstable.

Having this kind of person around can be a sharp knife if used well, but if used poorly, they'll be the first to stab you.

Renye calmly withdrew his gaze, already having made up his mind.

"Brother Maocai, if you want to expand your business, it doesn't depend on who you listen to, nor on who you follow or who you belong to. It depends on everyone doing their job, just like rowing a boat. You put in the effort, and I keep the direction. You can't do without either of you."

Ma Maocai snorted, his expression softening somewhat, and then pressed on, "You just said you'd release 5,000 shares, so how much money are you planning to put up? And how many shares will you be willing to take?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Tiejun, Ma Xiaojun, and Ma Dehou all turned to look at Renye, as this was the question they were most concerned about.

After all, even someone as honest and simple as Ma Xiaojun should understand that there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and no one would help others get rich for no reason.

Renye spoke eloquently, coming up with one plan after another, and even knew exactly who to get approval from. What was he after?

Renye didn't rush to answer, because this was the most difficult part of the whole plan, since he intended not to spend a single penny...

"It doesn't matter how many shares I own now."

"It doesn't count? It's 10 yuan per share, clearly stated. How can it not count as a statement?" Ma Maocai asked, puzzled.

Ma Tiejun stared at Ren Ye and said in a deep voice, "Brother Ren, speak frankly. We're rough men, we don't like beating around the bush. The issue of shares must be clarified, otherwise this matter can't be done."

"I'm not beating around the bush, this matter isn't up to me to decide alone," Renye explained. "This mine is run in the name of the village collective, and the money raised belongs to the villagers. How my share is divided has to be discussed with the people in the village who have the final say."

Ma Tiejun frowned slightly, his heart filled with confusion.

He shared the same idea as Ma Maocai: investing was simply exchanging money for shares; how much money to invest and how many shares to hold was clear enough, so why bother with repeated discussions? But since Renye said so, he didn't press the matter further.

Ma Xiaojun, who was standing nearby, immediately chimed in, "That's easy, Tie Jun's dad is the village chief."

Renye looked at Ma Tiejun with great surprise: "Your father is Ma Dewang?"

Ma Tiejun nodded.

Renye breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "That makes things much easier."

He looked at everyone and said, "Here's what we'll do. From now on, don't touch that hole. Don't haul out even a single pound of coal. Then go and do three things for me."

"What is it?"

"First, let your dad know about our discussion today about raising funds to start a mine. Then, please arrange a meeting with him for me; I need to talk to him in person, the sooner the better."

Ma Tiejun nodded and said, "That's easy, I'll go and talk to them."

"Secondly, take all the coal you've dug out of this hole, no matter how much is left, and haul it all to Shigou Village. Distribute it to families in the village who have able-bodied members but no work. Give each family about 100 or 200 jin (50-100 kg) and don't charge them."

Ma Maocai's eyes widened: "Give it away for free? We've been digging for two months, and you're just going to give it away for free?"

Renye remained expressionless and explained, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. With just a few of us, we could dig until we died and still not find that layer of coking coal. We need the whole village to work with us."

"Once the word spreads in the village that the West Second Mining Area can really produce coal and make money, those who have labor power and those who don't have work will naturally be eager to participate. When it comes to raising funds and investing later, it will be much easier to get a lot of support."

Ma Maocai wanted to say something more, but Ma Tiejun stopped him: "No problem, we'll take care of it tomorrow."

Renye nodded slightly: "Be discreet when delivering it, and tell them not to make a fuss. But also let them know one thing: there is coal here, lots of coal."

The group nodded subconsciously.

"Finally, you need to find out the situation in Shigou Village in the next few days. Who has worked in the mine? Who can afford to invest? Who can take the lion's share? And who has connections in the mine, the commune, or the county? Even relatives and friends are fine. Write all this down in a booklet and give it to me later."

Ma Xiaojun scratched his head: "These things aren't difficult, but what good will it do us even if we figure them out?"

"Only after figuring it out did I know how to operate the mine, how to raise the money, and how to navigate the relationships." Renye looked at him. "Even in war, you have to assess the terrain first. Doing business is even more complicated than war. Who would dare to throw money into it without thoroughly understanding the situation?"

Ma Xiaojun chuckled twice and didn't ask any more questions.

Ma Tiejun stood up, paced back and forth a couple of times, then turned to Ren Ye and said, "We can handle these three things you mentioned. But you need to give us an answer: how confident are you?"

"If I told you there's only a 10% chance of success, would you still go for it?" He looked into Ma Tiejun's eyes. "The worst thing you can do in business is ask how confident you are. If you don't do it when there's only a 10% chance, if you still hesitate when there's a 50% chance, and you're thinking of making a move when there's a 90% chance, what about the opportunity? It won't wait for you."

That's a strong statement.

The people in the dugout were all stunned for a moment.

Ma Tiejun nodded solemnly, then turned to Ren Ye and extended his hand: "Okay! It's settled then."

Renye grasped his hand, and Ma Xiaojun, Ma Maocai, and Ma Dehou also stood up one after another.

The five of them settled the matter temporarily in this dimly lit dugout.

No contracts, no fingerprints, not even a witness—this was the entrepreneurial model in the early 80s: all you had was your mouth and your guts; whether you believed it or not was up to you, whether you did it or not was up to fate.