Black Gold 1983

Renye walked over and stopped behind him. "Brother Maocai."

Ma Maocai stopped, the pickaxe hovering in mid-air, and slowly turned around. The light from the miner's lamp swept across his face, and Renye saw his expression—not fear, not surprise, but a sense of relief.

"You've come." Ma Maocai put down his pickaxe and leaned it against the coal face, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. The smoke swirled in the beam of his miner's lamp, like a soul that couldn't find its way out. "I knew you would come."

Renye looked at him. Ma Maocai's face was covered in coal dust, and sweat left streaks of white marks, making him look no different from any other worker in the mine. But his eyes were different. There was something in his eyes that Renye had never seen before. It wasn't guilt, it wasn't fear, but a deep weariness.

"When did you find out?"

Instead of answering the question, Renye asked, "What's in the envelope?"

Ma Maocai smoked most of his cigarette and flicked off the ash. The ash fell onto the coal slag at his feet, quickly blending in with the black coal dust and becoming indistinguishable. "Money. Five hundred yuan."

"Did Zhou Zhilin give it to you?"

Ma Maocai nodded.

"What does he want you to do?"

Ma Maocai finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on the coal face, and the embers flickered on the stone before going out. "He wanted me to steal your geological data for him. I told him the data was with Renye and I couldn't get it. He said if I couldn't get it, I should keep an eye on Renye, tell him when he went to the mining bureau, who he met, and what he said."

Renye gripped the steel pin tightly. "You did as I said?"

Ma Maocai didn't answer. He lowered his head, looking at the chunks of coal that had been smashed down by the pickaxe at his feet. The coal chunks were black and shiny, shimmering with tiny lights under the beam of the miner's lamp, like a pile of broken mirrors, each reflecting his face.

"Rinno, I'm not after that five hundred dollars."

Renye looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Decheng is my father. He's in poor health and can't do heavy work anymore. I'm the only able-bodied person in the family. My wife is sick, and we have three kids to support. I'm hoping that the Xier mine will open up so I can earn a living. But Zhou Zhilin said that even if the mine opens up, I won't get much of the profits. The lion's share will go to you and your father, then to the village, and the rest will go to us smallholders."

He looked up at Renye, his eyes bloodshot. "He said he could help me get Xu Hongbing to transfer me to the mine as a permanent employee, with a secure job. I wouldn't have to work so hard underground, wouldn't have to be at the mercy of others, and would have a steady monthly salary."

Renye looked at him, and a strange feeling welled up inside him. It wasn't anger, nor pity, but a deep sorrow. Ma Maocai was intelligent, capable, and unwilling to be subordinate to others, but he used his intelligence in the wrong place, his capability in the wrong direction, and his unwillingness to be subordinate to others turned into being used by others.

"Have you been transferred to the mine? Xu Hongbing is in dire straits himself, what can he do to help you? How long will the five hundred yuan Zhou Zhilin gave you last? You're helping him keep an eye on me, helping him steal geological data, what will you get in the end?"

Ma Maocai didn't speak, but lowered his head and looked at his toes. His rubber shoe had a hole in it, his big toe sticking out, and his toenail was full of soot.

"Brother Maocai, you're from Shigou Village, a descendant of the Ma family. Uncle Dewang watched you grow up, Uncle Decheng is your father, Tiejun is your cousin, and Xiaojun is also your cousin. How can you help outsiders against your own family?"

Ma Maocai's shoulders trembled, and he suddenly raised his head. Tears welled up in his eyes, leaving two white streaks on his coal-dust-covered face.

"You think I want to? I can't! I can't, you know that!" His voice echoed in the closed alley, hitting the rock wall and bouncing back, like countless people shouting the same thing at the same time.

Renye waited until he finished shouting, until the echo disappeared, and until the sound of dripping water returned to the tunnel before speaking. "Brother Maocai, Zhou Zhilin is going to fall. Xu Dongsheng has already agreed to testify, and the mine knows about it. If you help him any further, you'll just get yourself involved too."

Ma Maocai froze, his face streaked with tears and coal dust. "What did you say?"

"The mine is investigating Zhou Zhilin's case. If you confess now, it will be considered a voluntary confession and you might receive leniency. If we wait until the investigation is complete, you'll be considered an accomplice."

Ma Maocai's legs went weak, and he squatted down on the ground. He held his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking violently, and he cried silently.

Renye squatted down to meet his gaze. "Brother Maocai, come back with me and explain this to Uncle Dewang. Tell him what needs to be explained, and return the money that needs to be returned. You're still a shareholder in the Xier mine, and you won't miss out on your share of the dividends."

Ma Maocai squatted there for a very long time, so long that Renye thought he wouldn't stand up. Then he slowly stood up, wiped the tears and coal dust from his face, and looked at Renye.

"Zhou Zhilin also gave me a letter and asked me to give it to someone."

Renno's heart skipped a beat. "For whom?"

"Xu Hongbing." Ma Maocai took an unsealed envelope from his inner pocket and handed it to Renye. "I haven't given it to him yet. I thought about it all night and felt something was off, so I didn't."

Renye took the envelope, pulled it out, and inside was a piece of paper with only one sentence written on it—"Proceed with the matter of West Second as planned. Tell Lao Xu to take what needs to be taken and withdraw what needs to be withdrawn, and not to leave any loose ends."

There was no salutation, no signature. But Renye knew who had written it. He put the letter back in the envelope and tucked it into his inner pocket.

"Brother Maocai, let's go upstairs."

The two walked along the alleyway in silence. When they reached the alleyway's entrance, Ma Maocai suddenly stopped without turning around. "Renye, I'm sorry." His voice was very soft, so soft that it would have been inaudible if the alleyway hadn't been so quiet.

Renye stood behind him for a moment, then reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's talk about it upstairs."

When the two emerged from the tunnel, the water at the bottom of the shaft had risen further, reaching above their calves. The icy water seeped into their rubber boots, and Renye shivered. Ma Maocai walked ahead, head down, silent. At the bottom of the shaft, Renye looked up at the opening; it was round and bright, like an inverted moon. The rope hung down, swaying gently in the beam of the miner's lamp.

"You go first," Renye said.

Ma Maocai didn't refuse. He gripped the rope, braced his feet against the well wall, and climbed up section by section. He climbed very slowly, unlike his usual nimble movements, as if he were floating in water, each step requiring immense effort. Ren Ye waited below, and only after Ma Maocai reached the wellhead and was pulled up by Ma Tiejun did he grab the rope and follow suit.

When he came out of the well, the sunlight was so bright he could hardly open his eyes. Ma Tiejun stood beside the well, one hand gripping the rope, the other reaching out to grab his arm and pull 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.

Ma Maocai squatted beside the well, head bowed, silent. His hands were trembling, not from the cold, but from fear.

Ma Tiejun glanced at Ma Maocai, then at Ren Ye, as if he wanted to say something, but opened his mouth and then closed it again. He took off his helmet, held it in his hand, and stood to the side.

Renye stood up from the ground, dusted off his pants, took the letter out of his inner pocket, and handed it to Ma Tiejun. "Brother Tiejun, take a look at this."

Ma Tiejun took it. He couldn't read, but he recognized the words on the envelope: "To be opened by Xu Hongbing." His expression changed. He turned the letter over and glanced at it. The seal was open, and a section of the letter was sticking out.

"Is this Maocai's?"

Renye nodded. "Zhou Zhilin asked him to give it to Xu Hongbing."

Ma Tiejun clenched the letter tightly, his knuckles white and veins bulging. He turned to look at Ma Maocai, his eyes filled with something Ren Ye had never seen on his face before—not anger, not disappointment, but the pain of being stabbed in the back by someone close to him.

"Mao Cai, have you gone mad?"

Ma Maocai squatted there, not looking up, his voice muffled. "I didn't deliver it. The letter has been in my hands for several days, but I didn't deliver it."

Ma Tiejun squatted down to meet his gaze and handed the letter back to him. "Give this letter to Uncle Dewang personally. Let Uncle Dewang decide how to handle it."

Ma Maocai clutched the letter, his hands trembling, his lips quivering, as if his soul had been ripped away, leaving only an empty shell squatting there.

Renye stood beside the wellhead and lit the cigarette he'd been holding for so long. The smoke drifted in the sunlight like a small cloud. He glanced at Ma Maocai, then at the direction of the mining area, finished the cigarette, and stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe.

"Let's go to Uncle Dewang's house."

The three men walked along the dirt road toward Shigou Village. Ma Tiejun walked in front, taking long strides, as if he were sulking over something. Ma Maocai walked in the middle, head down, his steps heavy, each one like pulling himself out of a mud pit. Ren Ye walked at the very back, unhurried, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

When they arrived at Ma Dewang's house, the gate was closed. Ma Tiejun didn't knock; he simply pushed it open and went inside. Ma Dewang was sitting in the main room drinking tea. In front of him was a pot of tea and a cup; the tea had been brewed several times and was very pale. Seeing the three men enter, especially noticing Ma Maocai's dejected appearance, his face darkened.

"What's wrong?"

Ma Tiejun closed the door and stood there without going inside. Ren Ye walked to the octagonal table and sat down opposite Ma Dewang.

"Uncle Dewang, Maocai has something to say to you."

Ma Dewang glanced at Ma Maocai, his gaze heavy, as if weighed down by a mountain. Ma Maocai stood there, head bowed, hands clenched at his sides, knuckles white, lips trembling for a long time before finally managing to utter a few words.

"Uncle Dewang, I...I'm so sorry."

Ma Dewang didn't speak, put down his teacup, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Ma Maocai took the letter out of his pocket and placed it on the table. He then took out several banknotes—ten-yuan, five-yuan, and two-yuan notes—and neatly stacked them on the table as well. His hands were trembling, and the banknotes rustled in his fingers.

"Zhou Zhilin gave it to me. Five hundred yuan. He asked me to keep an eye on Renye for him, to steal geological data, and also to give this letter to Xu Hongbing."

Ma Dewang stared at the envelope and banknotes on the table for a long time. He didn't take the letter or the money; he just looked at them as if they were something he never wanted to see again in his life.

"You took it?"

"Take it." Ma Maocai's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

"You delivered it?"

"I didn't deliver it." Ma Maocai's voice was a little louder, as if to prove something. "The letter has been in my hands for several days. I thought about it over and over, and felt that something was wrong, so I didn't deliver it."

Ma Dewang turned his gaze from the table to Ma Maocai. In his cloudy old eyes, there was disappointment, heartache, but even more so, the scrutiny of an elder after a junior's mistake. He didn't scold Ma Maocai, didn't slam the table, didn't kick him out. He simply sat there, watching him, for a long time.

"Mao Cai, does your father know?"

Ma Maocai shook his head.

Ma Dewang stood up, walked to the door, and looked out at the courtyard. The locust tree in the courtyard was beginning to sprout new leaves, a tender green that shimmered in the sunlight. Several sparrows hopped and chirped on the branches.

"Your father isn't in good health, don't tell him about this yet." He turned to look at Renye, "Rinye, what do you think we should do?"

Renye stood up, walked to the octagonal table, picked up the letter, and put it in his pocket. "I'll give this letter to Mine Manager Wang. The mine is already investigating Zhou Zhilin's matter. As for Maocai's matter, since he confessed voluntarily, he can be treated leniently. But the money must be returned, and he will be dismissed from his position. Before the mine officially takes action, Maocai cannot participate in the mine's management for the time being."

Ma Maocai's face was as white as paper, but he did not refute it. He stood there with his head down, like a tree bent by the wind.

Ma Dewang nodded and looked at Ma Maocai.

"Maocai, did you hear that?"

"I heard you," Ma Maocai's voice seemed to be squeezed out from deep in his throat.

"Go back and tell your father that you haven't been feeling well lately, so stay home and rest. Don't go out."

Ma Maocai nodded, turned around, and walked out of the courtyard step by step. His back was hunched, and his steps were heavy, as if he were carrying an invisible mountain. Ma Tiejun followed him out, but stopped at the door and turned back to look at Renye.

"Brother Ren, Maocai, he..."

"I know," Renye interrupted him. "He's not a bad person, he just did something wrong. Give him a chance."

Ma Tiejun nodded, turned around and left.

Only Renye and Ma Dewang remained in the courtyard. Ma Dewang stood under the locust tree, sunlight filtering through the leaves and dappling his face, making it look like he was wearing a mask. He took the pipe from his mouth, tapped it on the sole of his shoe, filled it with fresh tobacco, lit it, and took a puff.

"Mao Cai lost his mother when he was young, and his father is honest, so no one cared for him. He's smart, and everyone in the village praises him, but smart people are prone to going astray." He exhaled a puff of smoke, which dissipated among the leaves like an unyielding sorrow. "Ren Ye, you said you'd give him a chance, and I thank you on his behalf."

Renye shook his head. "Uncle Dewang, don't thank me. In the end, it's my fault for not keeping an eye on Maocai. If I had found out earlier and talked to him sooner, he might not have ended up like this."

Ma Dewang waved his hand and said nothing more. He walked slowly through the yard, pipe in hand, until he reached the base of the wall, where he squatted down and looked at the ant nest on the ground. The ants were lined up, one by one carrying food into their nest, busily working without stopping.