Black Gold 1983

Tian Sui'er left. Carrying the cloth bag, she walked back the way she came. After a few steps, she turned back to look at Ren Ye, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed it back and turned to continue walking. Her figure grew smaller and smaller at the end of the dirt road, finally disappearing around the corner.

Renye stood under the old locust tree at the village entrance, gazing in that direction for a long time. The wind rustled the locust tree's bare branches, and a few dry leaves fell, swirling in front of him.

He reached into his pocket, felt for the cigarette butt from the Daqianmen brand, took it out, and examined it again. The teeth marks on the filter were deep, the filter flattened from being bitten so hard. Smokers habitually bite down hard on the cigarette holder; it's either something on their mind or they're short-tempered. Ma Maocai smoked, but he smoked economy cigarettes, not Daqianmen. Most people in the village smoked dry tobacco and couldn't afford these filter-tipped cigarettes.

It's not Ma Maocai.

Who could it be?

Renye put the cigarette butt back into his pocket, walked out from under the big locust tree, and headed down the village lane. When he reached Ma Tiejun's house, the gate was open, and Ma Tiejun was squatting in the yard sharpening a pickaxe. Water had been poured onto the whetstone, and the resulting slag was reddish-brown, dripping down the blade of the pickaxe and onto the ground like a pool of dried blood.

"Brother Tie Jun".

Ma Tiejun raised his head, put down the pickaxe, wiped his hands on his trouser leg, and stood up.

"Have you discovered anything about what I asked you to keep an eye on?"

Ma Tiejun shook his head: "No strangers have come to the village these past few days, and everyone is doing normally. But there's one thing, I'm not sure if it counts."

"What is it?"

"Mao Cai has been going out a lot these past few days. When asked what he's going to do, he says he's going to the county town to buy things. But every time he comes back, he's empty-handed. He goes there empty-handed and comes back empty-handed."

Renye frowned slightly. Ma Maocai's family wasn't well-off; his wife was in poor health and took medication regularly, and they had three children to support, so they weren't exactly rolling in money. It wasn't strange that he went to the county town to buy things, but it was strange that he went there and came back without buying anything.

"When did he leave?"

"He went out again yesterday afternoon and early this morning. He hasn't come back yet."

Renye nodded without saying anything, and patted Ma Tiejun on the shoulder.

"Keep an eye on things. Don't alert them."

After leaving Ma Tiejun's house, Renye didn't stay in the village long. He walked along the road leading out of the village towards the mining area. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped, stood by the roadside, and looked at the gray sky in the distance.

If Ma Maocai really was the mole, what was his motive? Money? Who gave him money? Xu Dongsheng is suspended and under investigation, and Xu Hongbing is also in trouble; it shouldn't be the Xu family. Other people at the mine? Who would be interested in this land in Xier?

Renye couldn't figure it out. He put these questions aside for the time being and continued walking forward.

When I got home, Ren Shouyi was sitting in the main room looking at the alleyway map. There were a few more red circles on the map, and the blank spaces next to it were filled with numbers and annotations. He was wearing reading glasses, head down, writing slowly, stroke by stroke, as if he were playing a very important game of chess.

"Dad, has Tian been returned?"

Ren Shouyi looked up and took off his glasses: "He's back. He called me when he got home and said Han Changhe had also gone back."

Renye sat down in the chair, took the cigarette butt out of his pocket, and placed it on the table.

"Uncle Dewang found it at the foot of the courtyard wall last night. It's a Daqianmen brand."

Ren Shouyi picked up the cigarette butt, looked at it, put it down, and said nothing.

"Dad, do you think it could be someone from the mine?"

Ren Shouyi put on his reading glasses and then took them off, placing them on the table. He picked up his cigarette case, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.

"There are plenty of people smoking Daqianmen cigarettes at the mine, but not many would dare to go all the way to Shigou Village in the middle of the night." He flicked his cigarette ash. "Don't you already have someone in mind?"

Ren Ye remained silent for a while, then told Ren Shouyi what Ma Tiejun had said. Ma Maocai had been going out to the county town empty-handed these past few days. Ren Shouyi listened without much change in expression, and only spoke after Ren Ye finished speaking.

"Mao Cai is quick-witted and bold. It wouldn't be surprising if he were bribed. But he's not the kind of person who can keep things to himself. If you keep an eye on him, he'll slip up sooner or later."

Renye nodded.

"There's one more thing." Ren Shouyi stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, took a piece of paper from under the coffee table, and handed it to Ren Ye. "This was issued by the mine today. Take a look."

Renye took it; it was an official document with an official red header. The title was "Report on Eight Measures to Accelerate the Development of Small Coal Mines." His eyes lit up, his fingers trembled slightly, and he read the document from beginning to end.

The document states: In order to rapidly develop energy production and alleviate the energy shortage problem, the Ministry of Coal Industry proposed to open up mining to the public, allowing communes, collectives, and individuals to raise funds for mining. It advocated the policy of "large mines should be developed on a large scale, small mines on a small scale, and resources should be utilized quickly."

The document was stamped with the official seal of the Ministry of Coal Industry, a bright red seal that resembled a ball of fire.

Renye put down the file and looked up at Renshouyi. Renshouyi's face was expressionless, but there was a light in his eyes, a light that Renye hadn't seen in many years. It was the light that only an old miner who had spent his whole life toiling underground would have when he saw hope.

"The policy has been released," Ren Shouyi said, "a few days earlier than you said."

Renye stood up, took a few steps in the main room, sat down again, picked up the document, and looked at it once more.

"Dad, with this document, we can legally mine the coal in the West Second area."

"I know." Ren Shouyi looked at him. "When do you plan to make your move?"

Renye placed the document on the table, his fingers resting on it, his fingertips trembling slightly—not out of fear, but out of excitement.

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll go see Ma Dewang and show him the policy documents. Then I'll go to the mine and ask the mine manager to approve the mining rights. Then I'll go see Han Changhe and take the equipment away." He listed things one by one, as if he were deploying troops. "The money raised in Shigou Village, plus the depreciation of the equipment, will be enough for start-up capital. We also don't lack manpower; Shigou Village has plenty of labor."

Ren Shouyi listened without interrupting him, and waited until he finished speaking before saying, "There's one more thing you forgot."

"What?"

"Explosives. The four tubes of explosives Tianfang took were for sealing off the tunnels. You need to have proper channels to use explosives in mining."

Renye paused, realizing he had completely forgotten about it. Mining requires drilling and blasting, and explosives are indispensable. The explosives Han Tianfang got from the transport team couldn't be used; they were stolen, of unknown origin, and would be a serious matter if discovered. He needed explosives from legitimate channels, the kind with permits, records, and that could withstand scrutiny.

"I'll handle this." Ren Shouyi stood up, bracing himself against the edge of the table. His lame leg was weak, and he swayed before regaining his balance. "I know people at the mine's explosives warehouse."

Renye felt a lump in his throat as he watched his father stand up. Ren Shouyi had been lame for so many years, and his walking had always been difficult, but his back had always been straight and had never been bent.

"Dad, don't run away, I'll go."

Ren Shouyi waved his hand: "If you go, they won't pay any attention to you. If I go, at least I'll have some face."

Ren Ye didn't say anything more. He knew Ren Shouyi's temper; once he said he would go, he would definitely go, and there was no way to stop him.

The next morning, Renye went out early. He first went to Shigou Village and showed the official document to Ma Dewang. Ma Dewang put on his reading glasses and read it word by word for a full ten minutes before putting the document down. His hands were trembling, not from fear, but from excitement.

"The policy has been released." Ma Dewang's voice trembled slightly. "Now it's all right and legitimate."

He handed the document to Ma Decheng, who then passed it to Ma Delin. The old men passed it around and read it through, and long-lost smiles appeared on everyone's faces. Ma Tiejun stood at the door, his lips curled up, wanting to laugh but too embarrassed to. Ma Xiaojun, holding Hu Xianfeng, jumped around in the yard, almost dropping the mouse.

Ma Maocai was also there. He stood at the back of the crowd, a smile on his face, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Renye glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"Uncle Dewang, the policy has been released, and we need to get the mining rights sorted out as soon as possible. I'm going to the mine today to see the mine manager. You can prepare the village's materials here so we can submit them together later."

Ma Dewang nodded: "Don't worry, I've already prepared the materials, I've been waiting for this day."

After leaving Shigou Village, Renye went straight to the mine headquarters building. The mine manager's office was on the third floor. The corridor was quiet, and his leather shoes made a crisp sound on the terrazzo floor. He stopped at the door of the mine manager's office and knocked twice.

"Come in."

Renye pushed open the door and went in. The mine manager's surname was Wang, and his name was Wang Jianguo. He was in his fifties, with a square face and thick eyebrows. He was sitting behind his desk, with a pile of documents spread out in front of him and a pen in his hand, signing documents with his head down. When he saw Renye come in, he looked up and sized him up.

"Who are you?"

"Jinye. The son of Jin Shouyi."

Wang Jianguo put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Renye.

"Your dad came to see me a few days ago. He said you're going to start a mine in Xi'er?"

"Yes." Renye took the official document out of his bag and placed it on his desk. "Director Wang, the policy has been issued. The communes and production teams can raise funds to start mines. West Second is a peripheral coalfield of Hongxing Mine. According to the policy, it can be allocated to us for mining."

Wang Jianguo picked up the document, glanced at it, and put it down, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to Renye, and looked out at the mining area.

"There was controversy surrounding the West Second mine when it was sealed off. Some people said there was still coal underneath, and it was a waste to seal it off. But the mine's calculations showed that the input and output were not worthwhile, so it was sealed off." He turned around and looked at Renye. "If you want to mine now, I won't stop you. But there are three conditions."

Renye's heart jumped.

"First, safety. There was a roof collapse at Xier Mine years ago, which killed people. When you're mining, safety must be your top priority. If something goes wrong, you can't afford the responsibility, and neither can the mine."

"Secondly, environmental protection. After mining, the surface must be restored, and subsidence areas must be treated. We can't just dig and leave, leaving behind a mess."

"Third, labor. Prioritize hiring employees and their families from Hongxing Mine. People from the mine are experienced and more reliable than those you recruit from outside."

Renye mentally reviewed the three points: safety, environmental protection, and labor. Each one was reasonable and not one was deliberately difficult.

"Manager Wang, I agree to all three of these conditions."

Wang Jianguo looked at him, nodded, walked back behind his desk, sat down, picked up a pen, wrote a few lines on a blank sheet of paper, stamped it with the mine manager's official seal, and handed it to Renye.

"This is an indicative approval for the mining rights. The formal mining license will have to wait for approval from the mining bureau. Take this with you to complete the formalities first, so as not to delay the process."

Renye took it, and looking at the few lines of text on the paper, he felt a weight lifted from his heart. He folded the approval document, put it in his inner pocket, and kept it close to his body.

"Thank you, Mine Manager Wang."

Emerging from the mine headquarters building, Renye stood on the steps, surveying the entire mining area. Red flags fluttered in the wind atop the mine shafts, and coal trains passed by on the east side of the area, their whistles carrying a distant, deep, and drawn-out sound. The sunlight was bright, illuminating the dusty buildings, the black coal piles, and warming him.

He took a deep breath, put his hand in his pocket, found the pack of cigarettes, took one out, lit it, and took a puff.

The smoke dispersed in the sunlight, like a small cloud.

Next, it's time to get to work.

After leaving the mining department building, Renye went straight to the electromechanical department's warehouse without even having lunch. He wasn't sure if Han Changhe was there, but the equipment issue couldn't be delayed any longer. They had already obtained the preliminary approval for the mining rights in Xier, and had collected most of the funds raised from Shigou Village. Without the equipment, everything was just empty talk.

The warehouse door was open, and there was a clanging and banging sound inside; people were working. Renye went in and saw Han Changhe squatting next to the old fan, holding a wrench and tightening a rusted screw. His expression was very focused, as if he was putting all his strength into tightening that screw.

"Uncle Han".

Han Changhe looked up, glanced at him, put down the wrench, stood up, and dusted off his knees. His eyes were still swollen, with heavy bags under them, as if he hadn't slept for days. But he looked more energetic than a couple of days ago; his back was straighter, and his gaze was more steady.

"Did you get the approval?" Han Changhe asked.

Renye was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"The mine manager spoke to me." Han Changhe took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Renye, and lit one for himself. "He said you're a courageous young man, and he trusts you to mine that area in West Second."

Renye took the cigarette, didn't light it, and tucked it behind his ear.

"Uncle Han, I want to take the equipment with me today."

Han Changhe nodded, lit a cigarette, took a puff, turned around, and walked towards the back of the warehouse. Ren Ye followed behind him, crossing the yard filled with old equipment, and arrived at the open space behind it. The winch was still there, the water pump was still there, the mine car was still there, and the rails were still piled up in the corner, covered with a thick layer of dust.

"Have you found a car?"

"Found it. Come over this afternoon."

Han Changhe squatted down and patted the winch's casing, sending rust flakes falling. He looked at the winch as if it were an old acquaintance.

"This winch was manufactured in 1975, and I installed it myself. I was only in my early thirties then, full of energy. I carried the motor, which weighed over 100 pounds, from the warehouse to the wellhead all by myself, without taking a break." He stood up, patted the rust off his hands, and said, "I'm too old now, I can't do it anymore."