Black Gold 1983

Renye and Renshouyi exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.

"He asked me if I could forgive him." Han Tianfang's voice began to tremble. "I said no. He said he knew, and that it wasn't my fault I didn't forgive him. He said he couldn't forgive himself either."

Han Tianfang buried his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling.

"When he left, he said, 'Tianfang, Dad is sorry for you and for your mother.' Then he left. I didn't see him off or call him. I thought he would come home."

The room was so quiet you could hear the ticking of the old grandfather clock, one tick at a time, like someone counting something in the shadows. Renye stood up, walked to the window, and opened it to let in some fresh air. The morning breeze carried the smell of coal ash and the aroma of cooking smoke drifting from the distant canteen; it was cool and brushed against his face.

"Could he have gone to the back mountain?" Renye turned around.

Han Tianfang raised his head, his eyes were bloodshot, and there was a thin layer of water in his eyes.

"The back mountain?"

"Your mother's grave is there. Just because he's never been there doesn't mean he won't."

Han Tianfang froze for a moment, then abruptly stood up, knocking over his chair which crashed to the ground with a thud. He didn't help himself up, but turned and walked out. Ren Ye grabbed the flashlight behind the door and followed. Ren Shouyi walked to the door, watching their figures disappear into the alleyway. He stood there for a moment, then turned and went back inside, picking up the phone from the table.

The back mountain is north of Shigou Village, about a 20-minute walk from the mining area. Renye and Han Tianfang walked very fast, almost jogging the whole way. The morning mist hadn't dissipated yet, blanketing the hillside in a white haze, obscuring visibility. The dirt path underfoot was wet with dew, slippery and soft to the touch.

Han Tianfang walked ahead with long strides, while Ren Ye followed behind, almost having to jog to keep up. Neither of them spoke; only the sound of their hurried footsteps and panting echoed in the mist.

After crossing the ridge, I could see Gu Guihua's grave in the distance. It wasn't big or high; the stone mound looked like a tiny ink dot, dark and gloomy in the mist.

A person was squatting in front of the grave.

He wore a military green cotton-padded jacket, his hair was gray, and he was hunched over. He squatted there like a weathered stone. He didn't move, just squatted there. In front of the grave in front of him were a few burnt cigarettes, the cigarette butts scattered all over the ground, and a small pile of paper ash, which was blown around by the wind.

Han Tianfang stopped, standing a dozen steps away from the grave, not moving any further. He stood there, watching the figure crouching before the grave, hands clenched into fists at his sides. Ren Ye stood behind him, neither urging him nor speaking.

The fog slowly flowed between the two people, blurring everything.

The person squatting in front of the grave seemed to sense something, slowly raising his head and turning around. It was Han Changhe. His face was covered in tear stains, his eyes were swollen shut, and his lips were cracked, as if he hadn't drunk water in a long time. He looked at Han Tianfang, opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Han Tianfang strode over. He walked slowly, but each step was steady. He stopped in front of Han Changhe, the only thing separating them being the pile of burnt paper ashes.

"You came to see her." Han Tianfang's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

Han Changhe nodded, stood up from the ground, his legs were numb from squatting, his body swayed and he almost fell. Han Tianfang reached out to help him up and then quickly let go.

"I owe her." Han Changhe's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "I've owed her for so many years, and I haven't even dared to come and see her once."

Han Tianfang didn't say anything. He squatted down, picked up the few burnt cigarettes, and placed them on the stone on the grave. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, lit it, placed it in front of the grave, lit another one, and put it in his mouth.

"What did you give her while she was alive?" Han Tianfang squatted there, not looking at Han Changhe, but at the small grave. "Did you give her a home? Did you give her a single day of peace? You brought her out of Qinshui, but where did you take her?"

Han Changhe stood there, unable to utter a single word, tears streaming down his face.

"She said she wanted to go back to Qinshui, she's been saying it for so many years, have you ever taken her back?" Han Tianfang's voice finally cracked. "She's dead, and you didn't even dare to come and see her. What kind of person are you?"

Han Changhe's legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground—not to Han Tianfang, but to that grave. His forehead pressed against the ground, his shoulders trembled violently, and sobs squeezed from his throat as if surging up from the deepest depths.

The fog dissipated. Sunlight peeked out from behind the clouds, shining on the hillside, on the small grave, and on Han Changhe kneeling and Han Tianfang crouching. The wind swept down from the mountain ridge, scattering the ashes of the paper offerings everywhere like a flock of butterflies unable to fly high.

Renye stood at a distance, watching this scene. He didn't go over; this was where he should stay.

After a long while, Han Changhe stood up from the ground. His knees were covered in mud, his face was streaked with tears, and he looked completely drained, just a skeleton holding up his military green cotton-padded coat. He looked at Han Tianfang, his lips trembling for a long time before he could finally speak.

"Tianfang, Dad needs to ask you for a favor."

Han Tianfang looked at him.

"Let me move her away. Move her to Qinshui, to her hometown. She wanted to go back when she was alive, but now that she's dead, we can't let her stay outside anymore."

Han Tianfang didn't speak, but lowered his head and looked at the grave. The wind ruffled his hair, but he ignored it.

"I'll handle her affairs." Han Tianfang looked up at Han Changhe. "You don't need to."

Han Changhe opened his mouth, but no words came out. He looked at Han Tianfang for a long time, then turned around and walked slowly down the mountain. He walked very slowly, his back hunched, like an old tree bent by the wind, as if he might fall at any moment.

Han Tianfang didn't look at him. He squatted down in front of the grave, replaced the burnt-out cigarette with a new one, lit it, and placed it on the grave mound. He squatted there, head down, and whispered something. The wind was too strong, and Renye didn't hear him clearly.

Han Changhe's figure disappeared down the hillside. Ren Ye walked over and squatted down next to Han Tianfang.

"You shouldn't have let him go alone," Renye said.

Han Tianfang didn't look up; his voice was muffled.

"He won't go far. He won't go far."

Renye didn't say anything more. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and placed it in front of the grave. The two cigarettes burned side by side, their smoke swirling together in the wind, making it impossible to tell which one belonged to whom.

The sound of a loudspeaker from the mining area drifted from afar, muffled and indistinct across the mountain ridge, as if coming from another world. Renye stood up, brushed the dirt off his trousers, and extended his hand to Han Tianfang.

Han Tianfang grasped his hand and stood up.

The two stood before the grave, neither speaking. The wind swept down from the mountain ridge, scattering the ashes from the grave mound, which landed on their hair and shoulders like a silent snowfall. Han Tianfang finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on his shoe, and knelt down to straighten the stones on the grave mound, one by one, that had been blown askew by the wind. His movements were slow, as if he were performing a very solemn task.

Renye stood by and watched without helping. This was a matter between Han Tianfang and his mother, and no one else could interfere.

With the stones arranged, Han Tianfang stood up, took a step back, looked at them, then stepped forward and moved the top stone to the left, stepped back again, and nodded.

"Let's go," he said.

The two walked down the hillside. The fog had dissipated, and the sunlight shone on the dry, withered grass, giving it a faint golden hue. In the distance, white smoke billowed from the mine chimneys, and the red flags on the mine shafts fluttered in the wind. Everything seemed normal, as if nothing had happened.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Han Tianfang suddenly stopped.

"Rinno, are you still going to continue with the mining?"

Renye glanced at him and said without hesitation, "Continue."

"Xu Dongsheng is under investigation, and Xu Hongbing has been suspended. I wrote the whistleblower letter, and sooner or later it will come back to haunt me." Han Tianfang's voice was calm. "At that point, I probably won't be able to help you."

Renye stopped and turned to look at him.

"Tianfang, listen to me. No one knows you wrote the whistleblower letter yet. There are so many people in the transport team, you're not the only one with a motive to report Xu Dongsheng. As long as you don't say anything, no one will suspect you."

Han Tianfang remained silent.

"As for the mining, I'll do it whether you help me or not. But if you help me, I'll get it done even faster." Renye looked at him. "So don't overthink it, just do what you're supposed to do."

Han Tianfang looked at him, his lips twitched, it was unclear whether he wanted to laugh or say something, but in the end he said nothing and nodded.

The two parted ways at the fork in the road. Han Tianfang walked towards the mining area, while Renye walked towards Shigou Village. After a few steps, Renye looked back. Han Tianfang's shadow stretched long in the sunlight as he walked alone on the empty dirt road, his back ramrod straight, but he looked very lonely.

Renye withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

Shigou Village was quiet today. No one was under the old locust tree at the village entrance; none of the old men and women who usually sunbathed and chatted were there, not even the old yellow dog. Renye walked along the village lanes; most of the courtyard gates were closed, and only one or two were open, but no one was inside.

He walked to Ma Dewang's house. The gate was closed. He knocked twice, but no one answered. He knocked twice more, and then footsteps came from inside. The door opened, and Ma Dewang stood in the doorway, looking rather grim.

"Uncle Dewang, what's wrong?"

Ma Dewang glanced behind him, pulled him into the courtyard, and closed the door.

"Someone came to the village last night."

Renye's heart sank: "Who is it?"

"I didn't see clearly. It was the middle of the night, and it was pitch black. I heard some noise outside the courtyard wall, and when I got up to check, the person was already gone. But I found this at the base of the wall." Ma Dewang took something out of his pocket and handed it to Renye.

It was a cigarette butt. But it wasn't an ordinary cigarette butt; there were a few words on the filter. Renye leaned closer to look—"Da Qianmen".

Renye's fingers tightened. Daqianmen cigarettes weren't cheap; ordinary miners couldn't afford them, only cadres smoked them. He turned the cigarette butt over; there was a ring of teeth marks on the filter, bitten very deeply, as if a smoker habitually bites the filter hard.

"Uncle Dewang, have any strangers come to the village recently?"

Ma Dewang thought for a moment and shook his head: "No. These past few days, everyone coming and going in the village has been a familiar face; I haven't seen any strangers."

Renye stuffed the cigarette butt into his pocket, his mind racing. Coming to the village in the middle of the night, loitering outside the courtyard wall, leaving behind a Daqianmen cigarette butt—what was this person doing here? Scouting the place? Gathering information? Or looking for something?

"Uncle Dewang, please keep an eye out for strangers in the village these next few days. If anything seems amiss, tell me immediately."

Ma Dewang nodded and escorted him to the gate of the courtyard.

After leaving Ma Dewang's house, Renye didn't rush off. He took a stroll around the village. He walked along the village lanes, looking at the gates of every house. There were footprints outside the walls of several houses; they weren't fresh and had been left a few days ago, making it impossible to tell whose they were.

When we arrived at Ma Maocai's house, the gate was closed, and people were talking inside. The voices were soft, and we couldn't make out what they were saying, but we could tell it was Ma Maocai's voice, and there was another person's voice, but it wasn't from the village, and the accent was wrong.

Renye didn't knock, but stood outside the courtyard wall listening for a while. The unfamiliar voice said, "...keep a close eye on things," and then fell silent. Then came Ma Maocai's voice, saying, "Understood."

Renye's heart was pounding. He didn't listen anymore, tiptoed away from Ma Maocai's house, walked to the old locust tree at the village entrance, leaned against the tree, took the cigarette butt out of his pocket, and looked at it again.

Ma Maocai.

He recalled the questions Ma Maocai had asked him that day in the well—"You've told us all. Aren't you afraid we'll kick you out and let the village go it alone?" And that day in Ma Dewang's main room, when they were raising funds, Ma Maocai said, "They won't contribute a single penny, yet they'll take 30%?" Every word wasn't excessive, but every word revealed a sense of resentment.

If Ma Mao was the mole, what was he after? Money? Or something else?

Renye put the cigarette butt back into his pocket, stood up from under the big locust tree, and was about to leave when he heard someone call him from behind.

"Nino."

He turned around, and there was Tian Sui'er.

She was wearing a faded floral cotton-padded jacket, her hair was tied in a braid, and she was carrying a cloth bag. She walked from the entrance to the village, walking a little fast and panting.

"What brings you here?" Jinye greeted him.

Tian Sui'er stopped in front of him, took a few breaths, and switched the cloth bag to her other hand.

"I went to your house to look for you. Aunt Yue'e said you came to Shigou Village. I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

Tian Sui'er took an envelope out of her cloth bag and handed it to him. The envelope was a common kraft paper envelope, unsealed, and contained something. Renye took it, opened it, and inside was a stack of money. Ten-yuan notes, five-yuan notes, and two-yuan notes, neatly stacked.

Renno paused for a moment, then asked, "What is this?"

"My savings," Tian Sui'er said softly but earnestly, "Aren't you short of money from your mining business? Here, take this."

Renye looked at the thick wad of money in his hand. He roughly counted it and estimated it to be about two or three hundred yuan. He looked up at Tian Suier, who was standing in front of him, her hands gripping the opening of the cloth bag, her knuckles white, her face slightly flushed, whether from walking and getting warm or for some other reason, he couldn't tell.

"Where did you get so much money?"

"I saved it up," Tian Sui'er said. "Although the broadcaster's salary isn't high, I don't spend much. I don't usually need to buy anything. I've set aside money for books and materials, and the rest is here."

Renye put the money back in the envelope and handed it back to her.

"I can't accept this money."

Tian Sui'er frowned slightly: "Why?"

"This is the money you need for your college entrance exam."

"You don't need that much to get into university."

"Tuition fees, living expenses, and the cost of books—all of these cost money. Once you arrive in the provincial capital, you'll have to pay for food and lodging. Without income, this amount of money won't last long."

Tian Sui'er bit her lip and did not take the envelope.

"Then where will you get the money to start mining? The funding gap is so huge, where are you going to find the money?"

Renye looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"You're worried about me?"

Tian Sui'er's face flushed red, and she turned her face away, looking at the big locust tree at the entrance of the village.

"Who's worried about you? I'm afraid you won't be able to raise the money, and the people in Shigou Village will cause you trouble."

Renye didn't expose her and stuffed the envelope back into her hand.

"I'll figure out the money. Save your money for your college entrance exam. Once you get in, I need to visit you in the provincial capital; how will I get there without money for a ticket?"

Tian Sui'er clutched the envelope, head bowed, and remained silent. After a long while, she whispered, "Then you absolutely have to come."

Renye looked at her reddened ear tips and felt a warmth spread through his heart.

"I'll definitely come," he said.