Black Gold 1983

When Renye left Han Tianfang's house, the alley was pitch black. The streetlights had gone out sometime ago, leaving only the light at the distant mine gate, a dim yellow dot like a sleepy eye. He put his hands in his pockets, head down, and walked back, his mind a jumbled mess.

The way Han Changhe squatted on the threshold, the muffled sound of Han Tianfang closing the door, and the words "You're not my dad"—these words kept replaying in his mind, like water seeping from a well, dripping endlessly.

When he reached the entrance of the residential compound, he stopped and glanced up at his own window. The light was still on. Li Yue'e's silhouette was reflected on the curtains, pacing back and forth. He stood downstairs for a while, took the unlit cigarette from behind his ear, squeezed it in his hand, put it back in his pocket, and went upstairs.

When he opened the door, Li Yue'e was sitting on a stool in the main room, picking chives. She glanced up at him when she saw him come in, but didn't say anything, then lowered her head again to continue picking. Ren Shouyi wasn't in the main room; the bedroom door was closed, and the light wasn't on.

Where's my dad?

"She's asleep." Li Yue'e's voice wasn't loud, but her hands didn't stop moving. "Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten," Renye lied, actually only having eaten two steamed buns since morning. He sat down opposite Li Yue'e, watching her pick chives. The chives were old, the leaves were a bit yellow, and Li Yue'e picked them one by one, pinching off the yellow ones and cutting off the muddy roots, her movements quick and careful.

"mom."

"Um."

"I might have to go out for a couple of days."

Li Yue'e paused, then looked up at him: "Where are we going?"

"Qinshui".

"What are you going there for?"

Renye hesitated for a moment, then didn't tell the truth: "Something's come up."

Li Yue'e stared at him for several seconds, her eyes filled with scrutiny, worry, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. She didn't press him, lowering her head to continue picking chives, only saying, "Be careful on the road."

Renye responded, stood up, walked to the bedroom door, hesitated for a moment, and then pushed the door open and went in. Ren Shouyi wasn't asleep; he was leaning against the headboard, clutching the tin box in his hand, unopened, just holding it there. Hearing the door open, he looked up and glanced at Renye in the light coming in from the main room.

"You're back?"

"Um."

Renye sat down on the edge of the bed and recounted his trip to Han Tianfang's house. He spoke clearly and precisely, without embellishment or omission, recounting everything from Han Tianfang's conversation with Han Changhe to Han Changhe's words—that she wasn't his biological daughter, that he didn't know who his father was, and that he married Gu Guihua because of Han Changgen.

Ren Shouyi listened without much change in expression, but his fingers tightened around the tin box.

"Han Changhe said he didn't know who Tianfang's father was?" he asked.

"Yes. He said Gu Guihua never told him that."

Ren Shouyi remained silent for a moment, then placed the tin box on the bedside table, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a drag, and slowly exhaled. The smoke dispersed in the dimly lit bedroom, like a thin curtain.

"Do you believe it?" he asked.

Renye thought for a moment and shook his head: "I don't really believe it. He even kept Gu Guihua's background a secret for so many years, so it's not surprising that he would lie about this."

Ren Shouyi nodded without comment.

"Dad, I want to go to Qinshui."

Ren Shouyi glanced at him, and there was something familiar to Ren Ye in his eyes—not surprise, not opposition, but a calmness that he had known this day would come.

"Should we investigate Gu Guihua's background?"

"Hmm. I want to find out who she is, where she came from, and whether she has any relatives in Qinshui. Han Tianfang should know these things, but now is not the time to ask him."

Ren Shouyi finished the cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray on the bedside table.

"I went to Qinshui once when I was young," he said. "The mountain roads are difficult to travel. You'll have to transfer buses when you get to the county seat, and then walk when you get to the town. Be careful going alone."

"I know."

"When you get there, don't tell anyone you're there to investigate anything. People in Qinshui are wary of outsiders. If you ask too many questions, they won't talk to you and will think you're a bad guy."

Renye nodded.

Ren Shouyi took out another cigarette from the cigarette box, but didn't light it; he just held it in his hand.

When are you planning to leave?

"First thing tomorrow morning."

Ren Shouyi didn't say anything more. He put the cigarette in his hand on the bedside table, lay down, and pulled the blanket over himself. Ren Ye stood up, walked to the door, and heard Ren Shouyi say behind him, "When you get there, give us a call home."

Renye responded and closed the door.

The next day, Renye got up before dawn. Li Yue'e had gotten up even earlier and was already busy in the kitchen. Hearing him come out, she carried out a steaming bowl of noodles and placed it on the table: "Eat before you go."

The noodles were handmade, topped with a poached egg and a few green leafy vegetables. The broth was made with soy sauce and topped with chopped scallions. Renye picked up the bowl and slurped it down quickly, eating so fast that he winced as it burned, but he didn't stop.

Li Yue'e sat opposite him watching him eat, without saying a word. After he put down his bowl, she stood up, took the bowl away, took out a few crumpled banknotes from her pocket, and stuffed them into Renye's hand.

"Take it."

Renye looked down and saw several ten-yuan bills, neatly folded, with frayed edges. He counted them; forty yuan.

"Mom, I have money—"

"What money do you have?" Li Yue'e interrupted him, her tone impatient, but her eyes were red. "Your pockets are emptier than your face. Do you think I don't know? Take it. When you're out and about, you can't skimp on yourself."

Renye clutched the money in his hand, no longer refusing. He knew that this forty yuan was money Li Yue'e had painstakingly saved up. She worked in the cafeteria, earning only thirty-odd yuan a month; he wondered how long she had accumulated this forty yuan.

"Mom, I'm leaving."

Li Yue'e turned around, walked into the kitchen, and waved her hand with her back to him: "Go, go, don't get in my way."

Renye watched her retreating figure, his throat feeling like it was blocked by something. He didn't say anything more, turned around, and left.

To get from Hongxing Mine to Qinshui, you first need to go to the county seat, then take a long-distance bus to Qinshui County, and then transfer to another bus to the surrounding towns. Once in the towns, you still have to walk. Renye calculated that, if all goes well, he should arrive in the afternoon.

There weren't many people at the long-distance bus station. Renye bought a ticket and boarded the bus. It was one of those old-fashioned buses, the carriage filled with the smell of gasoline and cigarettes. He sat in the last row by the window, took the forty yuan that Li Yue'e had given him out of his pocket, looked at it, folded it up, and put it back in his pocket.

The car swayed and bumped its way onto the road. The scenery outside the window changed from plains to hills, and from hills to mountains. The road became narrower and narrower, with more and more bends, and the ride became increasingly bumpy. The mountains on both sides grew higher and higher, and the trees became denser. Occasionally, a few gray-tiled houses could be seen nestled in the valleys, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys and drifting in the morning light.

Renye looked out the window, his mind filled with thoughts of Gu Guihua. Qinshui was her hometown. She was only twenty years old when she left, young and full of hope, believing that the outside world would be better than the mountains. But she wandered for more than twenty years, from one mining area to another, from one man to another, and finally died in the darkness dozens of meters underground.

He didn't know if she had ever regretted leaving Qinshui, regretted leaving that village with its stone bridge, locust trees, and river. He also didn't know if anyone in that village still remembered her, or if anyone was waiting for her to return.

The car bumped along the mountain road for nearly two hours before finally arriving in Qinshui County. The county town was small, with one main street lined with low shops selling cloth, groceries, and farm tools. Renye got off the car and inquired outside the station about the bus that went in the direction of Gu Guihua's hometown.

An old man selling roasted sweet potatoes told him that there were only two buses a day going in that direction; the morning bus had already left, and the afternoon bus would arrive at 3 p.m.

Renye glanced at the sky; it was just past noon. Not wanting to wait, he asked for directions and decided to walk.

The old man pointed to a mountain ridge in the distance and said, "Cross over that ridge and walk another seven or eight li, and you'll arrive. The road is difficult, so watch your step."

Renye thanked the old man and walked along the road leading out of town into the mountains. Once outside the county town, the road turned into a dirt track, full of potholes, with harvested fields on both sides, piles of yellow straw lying in the ground. Further on, the road narrowed, gradually leading into the mountains.

The mountain wasn't high, but it was very steep. The path was a narrow trail, only wide enough for one person at a time, with a mountain wall on one side and a ravine on the other. The ravine wasn't deep, but it was overgrown with thorns and weeds. Renye walked neither fast nor slow. He wore the thousand-layered cloth shoes that Li Yue'e had made for him, and his feet ached from stepping on the gravel, but he didn't stop.

As he crossed the ridge, he stopped and stood by the roadside, looking into the distance. At the foot of the mountain lay a small village, its gray-tiled roofs scattered across a gentle slope. At the village entrance stood a large locust tree, its trunk so thick that one person couldn't wrap their arms around it, its canopy like a giant umbrella, shading half the village entrance.

Beside the locust tree, there is a stone bridge.

The bridge wasn't large; it was an old-fashioned arched bridge made of bluestone, with moss growing on its surface. Below the bridge flowed a narrow river. The water was shallow and clear, and you could see the stones and small fish swimming at the bottom.

Renye stood on the ridge and watched for a long time.

The village Gu Guihua mentioned was right here. It had a stone bridge, locust trees, and a river—exactly as she had described. She remembered it for her entire life, telling Han Tianfang about it countless times, but she never brought him back even once.

Renye turned his gaze away from the village and continued walking down the mountain path. Under the large locust tree at the village entrance sat an old man, wearing a patched black cotton-padded jacket, holding a cane in his arms, and dozing with his eyes half-closed. Beside him squatted a yellow dog, very old, its fur white, lying on the ground with its chin resting on its front paws, its eyes half-open and half-closed.

Renye walked over and squatted down in front of the old man.

"Sir, I have something to ask you."

The old man opened his eyes, glanced at him, and then closed them again.

Renye took out a cigarette from his pocket, pulled one out, and offered it to the old man. The old man didn't take it, but the yellow dog raised its head, sniffed the air, and then lay down again.

"Who are you asking about?" The old man didn't open his eyes, and his voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of his throat, dry and hoarse.

"Gu Guihua. She came from this village years ago."

The old man's eyes snapped open. He looked at Renye with an indescribable look in his eyes, like well water—deep, cold, and bottomless.

The old man stared at Renye for a long while, neither taking the cigarette nor speaking. He took his cane from his chest, supported himself as he stood up, his movements slow, his knuckles cracking a few times. The yellow dog also stood up, wagging its tail, and followed behind the old man.

"Come with me." After saying that, the old man turned and walked into the village.

Renye followed him, walking along the dirt road at the village entrance. On both sides of the road were stone walls, not high, allowing a view of the courtyards inside—some piled with firewood, some with clothes drying, and some empty, overgrown with weeds. The village was small; from one end to the other, there were only a dozen or so households, most of them with their doors closed, quiet and still, as if no one lived there.

The old man stopped in front of a courtyard. A section of the wall had collapsed, stones were scattered all over the ground, and it was covered in moss. The gate was made of wooden planks, the door panels were cracked and held together with wire. The crossbeam above the door frame was crooked, and the whole courtyard looked shaky, as if it might collapse at any moment.

The old man pushed open the courtyard gate and went inside. The yard was overgrown with weeds, knee-high, rustling underfoot and startling grasshoppers that hopped about. The door to the main house was closed, with a rusty padlock hanging on it. The lock was loose and could have been easily pulled off, but the old man didn't move.

"This is Guihua's old house." The old man stood in the yard, looked around, and said in a calm tone, as if he were just saying that the weather was nice today. "Her parents died many years ago. She was an only child and had no brothers or sisters. After she passed away, no one lived in this house."

Renye stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking at the overgrown weeds and the half-collapsed wall, feeling a lump in his throat. Gu Guihua had walked out of this courtyard, from here to Phoenix Mountain, to Wangtaipu, to Hongxing Mine, and to that underground chamber dozens of meters deep.

When she left, she probably never thought she would never come back.

"Grandpa, do you still have any relatives in the village who care about the family?" Renye asked.

The old man shook his head: "That's it. Her father's generation migrated from elsewhere and had no relatives in the village. With her parents dead, the Gu family line ended in this village."

Renye took the letters out of his pocket, opened them, and pointed to Gu Guihua's photo on one of them for the old man to see. The old man took it, leaned closer to look at it, and after a while, nodded: "It's her. I remember what she looked like when she was young."

He returned the letter to Renye and sat down on a stone stool in the yard. The yellow dog lay at his feet, resting its chin on its paws, its eyes half-open and half-closed.

"Guihua, that girl, had a hard life." The old man took out a pipe from his pocket, filled it with tobacco, lit it, and took a puff. "Her father was an honest man who worked in the mine. He broke his leg and died a few years later. Her mother couldn't bear the blow and left with him. Guihua was only a teenager then, all alone and helpless."

The old man exhaled a puff of smoke, squinting as he looked at the clouds above the distant mountain ridge.

"Later, the villagers said she went to work in the mines. Then they lost contact with her. Some said she got married, some said she didn't, there were all sorts of rumors. Anyway, she never came back, not even a single letter."