Black Gold 1983

"We ran into the security patrol on the way," Han Tianfang said in a low voice. "We took a detour, which caused the delay."

Renye nodded without asking any further questions.

"I'll go down first," Ma Tiejun said. "I'm familiar with the area down there. Once we get there, I'll check the layout of the alleyway again and find the right spot to put the medicine."

Without waiting for a reply, he gripped the rope with both hands, braced his feet against the well wall, and slid down section by section. The rope swayed precariously, and the mud and gravel on the well wall were kicked down by his feet, splashing into the water at the bottom. After a while, the rope swung three times, and he reached the bottom.

Renye glanced at Han Tianfang: "I'll go down. You hand over the tool bag."

He gripped the rope and slid down, his palms burning from the thick hemp rope, but he didn't let go. Some of the footholds on the well wall had collapsed, making them loose to step on, so he could only rely on the strength of his arms to support himself, inching his way down. The deeper he went, the colder it got; the chill seeping from the ground enveloped him, like a hand reaching out from the shadows, slowly tightening its grip on his bones.

When his feet touched the bottom of the well, the water reached above his calves. The icy water seeped into his rubber boots, and he shivered. Ma Tiejun had already turned on his miner's lamp, the beam sweeping around the entrance to the tunnel. The tunnel was even wetter than the last time he'd been there; water was dripping everywhere from the ceiling, like rain. The dripping sound was amplified several times in the enclosed space, like countless fingers tapping on something.

Han Tianfang tied his tool bag to the rope and lowered it down, then followed Ren Ye down into the well. He was much more agile than Ren Ye, and slid to the bottom in a few strokes, splashing water as he landed.

The three men turned on their headlamps, bent down, and crawled into the tunnel.

The alleyway was lower than before. In some places, the roof had collapsed, and rubble was piled on the ground, requiring people to crawl over using both hands and feet. The wooden stakes were softened by the water, and some were already crooked, leaning against the rock walls and creaking as if they might break at any moment. Ma Tiejun walked in front, stopping every few steps to check the roof and walls with his flashlight to make sure it was safe before continuing.

Renye noticed that every time he stopped, he would tap the wooden stake with his finger to judge whether the wood was still holding together. This was a skill only experienced miners possessed; it couldn't be learned from books.

The alleyway turned a corner, and the cavern was just ahead. Ma Tiejun stopped, stepped aside, and let Renye walk ahead.

The cave was the same as before, but the atmosphere was different. Last time I came, Gu Guihua's remains were still sealed here, like a tomb forgotten by time. Now the remains are gone, and the cave is empty, with only the rusty kerosene lamp, the enamel mug, and the few candle stubs, sitting quietly in their places, like a shell with its internal organs removed.

Han Tianfang stood at the cave entrance, not going in. He raised his miner's lamp, casting its beam into the cavern and illuminating it from beginning to end. He saw the kerosene lamp, the enamel mug, and the candle stubs. He looked very slowly, as if he were recognizing a path he hadn't walked in a long time.

"Let's begin," he said.

Ma Tiejun took a tube of explosives from his tool bag, weighed it in his hand, looked at the cave wall and then at the ceiling, and chose a spot. He pulled out pliers from his waist and chiseled a small hole in the rock wall, just big enough to fit the tube of explosives. Han Tianfang squatted down, inserted the detonator into the explosives, connected the fuse, and wrapped it tightly with duct tape. His movements were skilled, his fingers steady, like a surgeon performing operations in a hospital.

"Put one pipe here, and it will blast the inside of the cave to collapse." Han Tianfang pointed to the rock wall at the deepest part of the cave. "Put another pipe there, and it will destroy the load-bearing structure of the cave. The roof will then collapse and bury the entire cave."

Following his directions, Ma Tiejun inserted the second tube of explosives into the crevice in the rock wall. Han Tianfang connected the detonator and fuse, joining the two fuses together, leaving sufficient length.

The three men exited the cave. Han Tianfang squatted in the alleyway, trimmed the end of the fuse, and lit it with a match. The fuse hissed and sparked, emitting a faint crackling sound; the sparks danced in the darkness like tiny snakes wriggling. The sparks were small, but in the enclosed space, the light was enough to illuminate the faces of the three men.

"withdraw."

Ma Tiejun was the first to turn around, bend over, and run towards the tunnel. Ren Ye followed behind him, and Han Tianfang brought up the rear. The three of them ran fast through the narrow tunnel, their footsteps crunching over the gravel. The beams of their miners' lamps flickered wildly in the tunnel, making the water droplets on the rock walls shimmer like countless eyes.

When they reached the middle of the alley, a muffled thud came from behind them. It wasn't very loud, like someone letting out a silent fart underground, but the ground beneath their feet shook, the wooden stakes above their heads trembled, and gravel rained down from the ceiling, hitting their heads and shoulders.

Renye didn't stop, bending over and running forward as fast as he could. The alleyway became lower and narrower, and in some places he had to squeeze through sideways. Ma Tiejun shouted "Watch out!" from ahead, but before he finished speaking, a stone fell from above and hit the ground behind Renye, splashing gravel all over his trouser leg.

By the time the second muffled thud was heard, they had already run out of the tunnel and reached the bottom of the shaft. Renye turned around and saw a thick plume of smoke and dust billowing from the tunnel entrance, choking him so much he couldn't open his eyes. The dust sprayed out of the tunnel entrance and spread throughout the bottom of the shaft, making the beams of his miner's lamps appear murky in the dust, like light in water, unable to illuminate far.

Ma Tiejun had already grabbed the rope and glanced back at Ren Ye: "You go first."

Renye didn't stand on ceremony and gripped the rope to climb up. His arms were already sore, and his palms were marked with blood from the rope, but he dared not loosen his grip, or he would fall. He gritted his teeth and climbed up the well wall step by step, with loose stones and dirt constantly falling down, hitting his face and head. He closed his eyes, not looking at anything, just climbing.

When they reached the wellhead, Ma Tiejun reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him up. Renye lay on the edge of the well, panting heavily, his lungs feeling like they were on fire, his throat filled with the taste of dust.

Han Tianfang followed. He was much faster than Ren Ye, pulling himself up with alternating hands, his feet bracing against the well wall as if walking on flat ground, and he reached the wellhead in the blink of an eye. He climbed up and sat on the edge of the well, his face covered in sweat and coal dust, streaked with black and white, like a painted face on a theatrical stage.

Ma Tiejun was the last to come up. He reeled in the rope, covered the well with tarpaulin, and weighed it down with stones. He squatted beside the well, panting for a while, before finally speaking.

"Is it fried thoroughly enough?"

Han Tianfang did not answer. He took out a cigarette from his tool bag, lit it, and took a puff.

"That's thorough enough," he said. "That cavern is gone. The tunnel is also blocked by the rubble from the collapse, connecting with the area from that roof fall years ago. Even if someone digs tunnels in the West Second Mining Area again, they won't be able to reach that location."

The three men sat by the wellhead for a long time, none of them speaking. In the distance, the mine was brightly lit, the lights on the derrick burning all night, illuminating the hollowed-out land. A night breeze swept down from the mountain ridges, carrying the chill of early spring and the scent of hay wafting from the distant livestock sheds.

Han Tianfang stood up, dusted off his pants, and slung the tool bag over his shoulder.

"Let's go."

He was the first to turn around and walk towards Shigou Village. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped without looking back.

"Jinye, thank you," he said, his voice not loud, but the night wind carried those four words back clearly.

Renye didn't answer, watching his figure disappear into the darkness. Ma Tiejun also stood up, took the miner's lamp off his forehead, held it in his hand, and looked at Renye.

"This man is a real man," he said, referring to Han Tianfang.

Renye nodded.

The two walked back along the same path they had come from. When they reached the entrance of Shigou Village, Ma Tiejun stopped, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. He looked at Ren Ye, his lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but then he swallowed it back.

"Brother Tiejun, just say what you have to say."

Ma Tiejun smoked most of the cigarette before speaking: "Brother Ren, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"you say."

"That female corpse—the one we brought up from the well—what's her relationship with Tianfang?"

Renye looked at him, and Ma Tiejun's eyes showed no curiosity or gossip, only a clear and honest conscience.

"Damn it," Renye said.

Ma Tiejun's fingers trembled slightly, and ash fell to the ground. He didn't ask any questions, finished the rest of his cigarette, stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe, then turned and walked towards the village. After a few steps, he stopped, without looking back.

"Don't worry, I'll keep this to myself."

Renye stood under the old locust tree at the village entrance, watching Ma Tiejun's figure disappear into the depths of the alley. The night wind rustled the branches, like countless hands patting something. He put his hand in his pocket, found the empty pack of cigarettes, squeezed it, and threw it into the ditch by the roadside.

Then he turned around and walked towards the Red Star Mine.

When Renye got home, it was past midnight. The residential compound was pitch black, with only the streetlamp at the entrance of the building still lit, casting a dim yellow light that didn't illuminate very far. He tiptoed upstairs, careful not to wake the neighbors. When he reached his own door, he took out his key and opened it; the door wasn't locked.

The light in the main room was on. Ren Shouyi sat in the old rattan chair, a thin blanket draped over him, his head tilted to one side, asleep. On the coffee table in front of him sat the tin box, its lid open, the papers inside neatly stacked, as if just tidied. The old grandfather clock ticked on the wall, round and round.

Renye stood at the door, looking at Ren Shouyi slumped in his chair, and felt a pang in his heart. This man, who had spent half his life working underground, saving lives, and now had a limp, had grown old. His hair was white, the wrinkles on his face were deep, and even when he slept, his brows were furrowed, as if he were thinking about something he couldn't let go of.

Renye went over and gently pulled the thin blanket over Renshouyi up a little. Renshouyi stirred, but didn't wake up, mumbled something indistinctly, and then fell asleep again. Renye closed the tin box on the coffee table, placed it next to the chair, then turned off the light and went back to his room.

Lying in bed, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The two muffled thuds from the well still echoed in his ears, muffled, like heartbeats, one after another. He didn't know if the cave had really collapsed completely, whether the tunnel was really blocked by rubble, or if someone would ever dig it open again and discover what had once been down there.

But none of that matters anymore. What matters is that Gu Guihua is gone. Her remains are on the back hill, on the slope in the direction of Qinshui, which she longed to return to but could never reach while she was alive, in the grave her son built with his own hands. She no longer has to stay in that dark and cold cave under the well.

The next morning, Renye was awakened by Li Yue'e's knocking on the door.

"Get up and eat, the sun's already high in the sky!"

Renye responded, got out of bed, dressed, and went out of the room. Li Yue'e had already set breakfast on the table: millet porridge, pickled vegetables, cornbread, and a small dish of scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs were uncommon in this family; they were usually only served during the New Year or when guests came.

Renye glanced at the plate of scrambled eggs, then at Li Yue'e. Li Yue'e was busy in the kitchen, her back to him, not looking at him.

"Mom, what day is it today? Why did you even fry eggs?"

"Eat your food, stop talking so much nonsense." Li Yue'e's voice came from the kitchen, her tone impatient, but Renye sensed something.

He sat down, picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth. The eggs were a little overcooked, with the edges burnt, but they smelled delicious.

Ren Shouyi came out of the bedroom, wearing a faded Zhongshan suit, the buttons neatly fastened, and his hair combed. He looked much more energetic than usual. He sat down opposite Ren Ye, picked up the bowl of porridge, took a sip, and didn't look at Ren Ye.

"Dad, are you going out today?" Renye asked.

Ren Shouyi put down his bowl of porridge, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and took a puff.

"Go to the mine."

"What would you do at the mine?"

Ren Shouyi didn't answer. He put a cigarette in his mouth and squinted out the window. The sun was shining brightly outside; the early spring sun warmed the wall of the building opposite. A few sparrows hopped around on the windowsill, chirping away.

Renye didn't ask any more questions. He knew that Ren Shouyi wasn't the type to talk about his plans all the time; he would speak up when the time was right.

After breakfast, Ren Shouyi went out. Ren Ye cleaned up the dishes and also went out. He first went to Shigou Village to check the accounts of the fundraising with Ma Dewang.

Several people were already seated in the main room of Ma Dewang's house. Ma Decheng, Ma Delin, and Ma Dehou were all there, along with two young men whom Ren Ye had never seen before. Ma Dewang spread the account book on the table, which was filled with detailed records of the amount of shares subscribed and the payment status of each household.

"We collected another 1,200 shares yesterday." Ma Dewang pointed to a few lines in the ledger. "Ma Dexin's family bought 20 shares, Ma Defu's family bought 15 shares, and Ma Decai's family bought 10 shares." He looked up at Renye. "Now the total is 29,200, and we're still a little over 20,000 short."