Black Gold 1983

Renye knew that his father and Han Changhe had been friends for nearly twenty years, and that they were sworn brothers.

The relationships among miners in the 1980s were complex in some ways, but simple in others. In short, it can be summed up in one sentence: underground, your life is my life.

In those places, hundreds of meters underground, with rocks overhead that could collapse at any moment, and surrounded by gas, water seepage, and indescribable dangers, those who could get through those years together were not blood brothers, but closer than blood brothers.

But ever since the roof collapse accident in the West No. 2 mining area three years ago, the two have almost lost contact. What exactly is going on here? Renye asked, but no one was willing to say.

Han Changhe had just blurted out something from the past, and immediately shut up.

Realizing he had let something slip, he tried to make amends, but in the end he just waved his hand, stood up, and dusted off his pants.

"Alright, let's not dwell on those old grievances. I'm asking you, why did you go to so much trouble to help Team Three? Just because Tian Mancang is your future father-in-law?"

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Renye did not press him further, and with a wry smile, he stood up from the steps.

"You've heard about the downsizing of Team Three; it's definitely related to what happened between me and Sui'er. I ruined Xu Hongbing's son's engagement. He might not say anything to his face, but he's definitely going to vent his anger behind my back. The people in Team Three aren't stupid; what are they thinking?"

Actually, the answer was already clear that day at the mine hospital.

"They'll think, 'If it weren't for that brat Renye causing all this trouble, Section Chief Xu wouldn't have targeted our Third Team. How will Uncle Mancang face the team then? How will Sui'er stay at the mine?'"

Han Changhe nodded, unusually serious for once: "You've got some sense of responsibility, just like your dad. But then again, with seventy or eighty people in Team Three, can you really help them all? Besides, it's not entirely your fault. Team Three's production can't keep up, so being laid off is inevitable."

"Help as much as you can, it's better than doing nothing."

Renye casually replied, then suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, Uncle Changhe, I have something to ask you."

"What is it?"

How much obsolete equipment do you have here?

Han Changhe paused for a moment, then looked him up and down: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Renye smiled and said, "I'm just curious, what happens to all the old equipment that's replaced when the mine upgrades its facilities every year?"

Han Changhe waved his hand dismissively, his face full of disgust: "What are we going to do with them? Just pile them up. Look at that yard behind the warehouse, winches, water pumps, fans, mine cars, all broken or rusted, taking up space and not even worth much as scrap metal. The mining bureau won't allocate any funds to deal with them, and we don't have the energy to bother with them ourselves."

"You didn't see it. When we were taking stock of the inventory last year, we found two small winches manufactured in 1975. They were so rusted they were almost falling apart. They were still worth several thousand yuan as fixed assets on the books. We couldn't throw them away, and we couldn't use them either. It was so frustrating."

Renye's eyes lit up.

"Uncle Han, if you could get rid of these things, wouldn't the mine be quite happy to help?"

"Of course I'd love to!" Han Changhe said without hesitation. "Not only does it take up space, but it's also a hassle to do every year during inventory."

At this point, Han Changhe suddenly gave him a wary look: "You wouldn't be thinking of dealing in scrap metal for that little bit of dowry money, would you?"

"Let me tell you, this is speculation and profiteering. Those are all state-owned assets, and they can't be sold off just like that. You have to go through procedures, submit reports, and get approval from the mining bureau. It's a lot of trouble. If you want to make this money, I advise you to give up on that idea as soon as possible."

Renye waved his hands repeatedly: "Uncle Han, what are you thinking? I just know a few friends who do some small business. Maybe I can help you find a sales channel."

Han Changhe looked at him with suspicion: "Friends? What kind of friends could you possibly have? Your cronies are either street thugs or lazy bums who cheat and slack off at the mines. None of them look like they'd be doing business."

Renye pursed his lips, but ultimately didn't say anything in rebuttal.

"However, if you really have connections, go ahead and give it a try. Anyway, they're just sitting there getting rusty. But let me make this clear upfront: the paperwork has to be proper, so I don't have to take responsibility."

Don't worry about it.

Renye patted his chest and assured him, already starting to make plans in his mind.

Once the mine in the West Second Mining Area is set up, the most basic equipment will be winches, water pumps, and fans.

These three elements are indispensable; without any one of them, the safety of underground operations cannot be guaranteed.

The winch is used for lifting and transporting coal from underground; it's all thanks to it.

The water pumps are responsible for drainage. The West Second Mining Area is low-lying and has abundant groundwater. Without sufficient drainage capacity, the tunnels can be flooded in just a few days.

Needless to say, the ventilation fan is essential for underground ventilation. Without wind, gas accumulates, and even a spark can be a disaster.

If you buy these three pieces of equipment new, the winch will cost at least two or three thousand, the water pump over a thousand, and the fan around two thousand. Just these three items alone will cost five or six thousand, not to mention the mine car, track, cables, and other miscellaneous items.

But if you trade in secondhand equipment from the mine, the price can be cut in half, or even lower. Those old machines piled up behind the warehouse, exposed to the elements, are scrap metal to others, but treasures to him. As long as they can still run and be repaired, they're usable.

As for the problem of outdated equipment and low efficiency, it is not a problem at all for small mines.

For a small mine with an annual output of 10,000 tons, it's far from needing to worry about the sophistication of its equipment. As long as it's usable, sufficient, and safe, that's enough.

"Uncle Han, I'll come to the warehouse another day. If I find something I like, we'll follow the rules, go through the proper procedures, and submit the necessary reports. I won't make things difficult for you."

"Okay, you can arrange it." Han Changhe waved his hand, then added after thinking for a moment, "But you'd better hurry up, the mine is going to have a major overhaul next month, the warehouse will be very busy then, I won't have time to take care of you."

"Alright!"

When Renye came out of the storeroom, it was already lunchtime.

The loudspeakers in the mining area were playing "On the Hopeful Fields," and the melodious song filled the entire mine.

As for the equipment, as long as Uncle Han gives his approval, we can acquire those obsolete old items in the warehouse at the lowest possible cost.

As for the matter of setting up a mine in the West Second Mining Area, it still needs to be discussed and voted on by the villagers of Shigou Village, after all, it is not a trivial matter.

Now there's just one thing left to do—wait.

We're waiting for the policies to be implemented in April, for news from Shigou Village, and for all conditions to be met.

Renye knew in his heart that mining was something that couldn't be rushed.

These days, doing business isn't about who runs the fastest, but who stands the longest.

No matter how fast you run, without policy support, public support, and safety guarantees, you'll inevitably stumble sooner or later.