Black Gold 1983

Tian Sui'er swallowed the steamed bun in her mouth and rolled her eyes at her: "You believe those gossips too?"

"No, no!" Zhou Shuyao quickly waved her hands. "I'm just... curious. You said you absolutely refused to date Xu Dongsheng, so how come you ended up...doing it" with him?"

"What good qualities does Jinno have besides being handsome? He doesn't have a proper job and just idles around all day. What do you want from him?"

The mine didn't have a very good opinion of the young man from the Ren family, but to be fair, he did inherit his father Ren Shouyi's good looks. He was born with good looks, and many young women and wives in the mine secretly had their eyes on him.

If it weren't for our poor family circumstances, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that there would be a long line of matchmakers.

Tian Sui'er did not answer immediately because she simply could not respond to the question.

Although Renye did indeed ruin her marriage with Xu Dongsheng, the subsequent events between her and Renye were completely fabricated. However, she could not explain this, nor could she explain it clearly.

Rumors were already rampant throughout the mine, and her public apology on the radio has made her the focus of everyone's discussion.

If I were to tell Zhou Shuyao the truth now, once the news got out, it would only be embellished and become a different version of events, making things worse and attracting even more unpleasant speculations and gossip.

Thinking of this, Tian Sui'er couldn't help but look out the window.

Her mind was in turmoil because, at this moment, she was actually thinking about that damned man.

Thinking back to that day at the mine hospital, he actually called out to his wife in public.

Upon thinking of this, Tian Sui'er's cheeks instantly flushed, her ears turned red, and her heart was in turmoil. So, was he serious back then?

She was still wondering what he was doing right now.

Did you hear what you just said on the radio?

If he heard this, what would his reaction be? Would he rush over here?

Although she was unwilling to admit it, she felt inexplicably panicked inside, secretly hoping that he would appear, even if it was just a glimpse from afar, which would calm her heart, which was on the verge of collapse.

"Sui'er? Sui'er? What are you thinking about?" Zhou Shuyao interrupted the girl's flustered heart.

Tian Sui'er shook her head awkwardly: "N-nothing."

Zhou Shuyao pressed further, "So what exactly is your relationship now?"

Tian Sui'er was taken aback by the question, her eyes looking somewhat dazed, and she couldn't help but wonder: Yes, what exactly is the relationship between herself and Ren Ye now?

It was supposed to be okay, but he just barged into my world without any warning.

Although they were related, they had never seriously spoken a word from the heart, nor had they ever sat down for a proper chat.

Even if they were childhood friends who grew up together in the same residential compound? Or perhaps childhood sweethearts? These shouldn't be the relationships between the two of them.

Tian Sui'er gently bit her lower lip and said weakly, "It's probably the kind of relationship where you say 'Why are you here again?' but in your heart you're thinking 'Why did you take so long to come?'"

Zhou Shuyao was stunned: "What kind of answer is this?"

Tian Sui'er lowered her head, picked at the rice noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks, and didn't say anything.

Zhou Shuyao remained silent for a while, then sighed, "Sigh, I won't pry into your messy affairs anymore. By the way, now that you've resigned, what are you planning to do next? You can't just stay at home doing nothing, can you?"

Tian Suier raised her head, the confusion from before gone, replaced by determination: "I'm preparing for the college entrance exam this year."

"Taking the college entrance exam?" Zhou Shuyao looked surprised. "You're thinking of taking the college entrance exam? Didn't Renye say he'd marry you in three months? What will happen to Renye if you pass the exam and go to university in the provincial capital?"

Tian Sui'er paused for a moment as she picked up some food. She hadn't really thought about this question before, and after Shu Yao's reminder, the girl's mood instantly plummeted.

The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao). These two words had been weighing on her mind for many years.

She attended high school at the mine; the teaching quality of the Red Star Mine Children's School couldn't compare to that of regular middle schools.

Most of the teachers are family members of mine workers, and some of them didn't even finish high school. They learn and teach at the same time, so what kind of good foundation can they have?

In the past two years, she has secretly bought a lot of books. The "Self-Study Series on Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry" is a set of seventeen books that she asked someone to bring back from a bookstore in the provincial capital, which cost her more than half a month's salary.

Zhou Shuyao said she was silly, thinking that it was enough for a girl to have a respectable and stable job as a broadcaster in the mine, so why bother to work so hard to squeeze through the single-plank bridge of the college entrance examination?

Of all the female workers in the mine, very few actually get into university; they are extremely rare.

Moreover, when she got engaged to Xu Dongsheng, he didn't approve of her taking the college entrance exam at all. He wanted her to stay in the mine and live a good life, instead of having unrealistic thoughts.

Perhaps in these people's deeply ingrained beliefs, it's useless for girls to study a lot and there's no need for them to go to university in other places.

A woman's most secure destiny is to be content with her lot, find a stable job, marry early, be a wife and mother, and spend her life working in the mine.

But she was just not willing to give up.

She didn't want to spend her whole life in this small world covered in coal dust, she didn't want to be like her mother, spending her whole life revolving around the stove and men, she didn't want to be gossiped about wherever she went, and she didn't want her fate to be in other people's hands.

"But speaking of which, although Jinno is a bit of a scoundrel, his sister is incredibly capable!"

Mentioning Renye's older sister, Tian Sui'er's eyes lit up: "You know Sister Yingying too?"

"Who doesn't know!" Zhou Shuyao's voice rose slightly, then she quickly covered her mouth and looked around. "The top scorer in the county's college entrance exam! He was in the newspapers back then! He went to university in the provincial capital, what was his major again?"

"Law major," Tian Sui'er replied. "Sister Yingying has been smart since she was a child, and no one has ever had to worry about her studies."

"I heard she married someone in the city? And her husband is a train police officer?" Zhou Shuyao asked curiously.

Tian Sui'er nodded: "Yes, the groom's family is quite well-off. His father is the head of the freight section at Jincheng Railway Station, and he himself is a railway police officer who works on the special line from Jincheng to the capital. I missed the wedding, but my mother told me it was a very grand and respectable affair."

"How did Renye end up like this? His older sister is so capable, why didn't she give him a hand?" Zhou Shuyao pouted.

Tian Sui'er didn't respond to that, and instead took a bite of her steamed bun.

Of course, it's not that Sister Yingying doesn't want to help him, it's just that she heard that Sister Yingying's life at her in-laws' house is not going well.

Tian Sui'er didn't tell Zhou Shuyao about these things.

Some things, when said to outsiders, become a joke.

"Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore." Tian Sui'er was about to change the subject when she suddenly felt something hit her back. It was hot and dripped down her cotton-padded coat.

She turned her head and saw a clump of sticky rice noodles hanging on her clothes, still dripping soup.

The cafeteria was quiet for a moment, then burst into laughter.