Black Gold 1983

"Uncle Dehou, is the roof stable?"

Ma Dehou patted the wooden stake beside him; the sound was dull but solid. "Stable. This wood can hold its own; it can be pushed forward another few dozen meters without a problem."

Renye nodded, picked up the pickaxe leaning against the coal face, and swung it down. The coal face cracked in front of him, and chunks of coal rolled down, piling up at his feet, black and shiny, shimmering in the beam of his miner's lamp. He continued to hammer, sweat and coal dust mingling, streaming down his forehead, stinging his eyes, but he didn't wipe it away.

Ma Dehou squatted down beside him, smoking a pipe and watching him. "Renye, something's on your mind." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Renye paused, put down the pickaxe, wiped his hands on his trouser leg, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. "Uncle Dehou, tell me, if someone does something wrong, can they do it again?"

Ma Dehou took the pipe from his mouth, tapped it on the sole of his shoe, filled it with fresh tobacco, and lit it. The smoke rose slowly in front of him, like a thin curtain. "Yes and no. Some mistakes can be corrected, some cannot. Those that cannot be corrected, you must accept. Accept them, correct them, and move forward."

Renye finished his cigarette, stubbed it out against the coal face, and picked up the pickaxe to continue hammering. The coal face cracked little by little in front of him, and chunks of coal rolled down, piling up at his feet. He hammered away, one blow at a time, with great force, as if he wanted to smash all his worries into the coal, to be transported out with it, burned, and turned to ash.

It was past noon when Renye came up from the well. The sunlight was blinding, and he squinted for a while. Ma Tiejun, who was squatting in the shed eating a steamed bun, saw him come out and tossed him a bun. Renye caught it, took a bite; the bun was cold and a little hard, but very filling.

Ma Tiejun handed him the water bottle, and Renye took it and took a big gulp. The water was warm and had a rusty taste. He returned the water bottle to Ma Tiejun, squatted down, and lit the cigarette he was holding.

"Brother Tiejun, how's Maocai doing lately?"

Ma Tiejun swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and thought for a moment. "I went to see him yesterday. He looked better and was able to get out of bed and walk around. He talked to his father for a bit. He also asked about things at the mine, how much production was being made, and how well the sales were going."

Renye nodded. "Next time you go, tell him that the mine is short-handed. If he's feeling better, he can come back if he wants."

Ma Tiejun was taken aback. "Brother Ren, are you serious?"

"Really. They need him down there. He's strong, experienced, and better than the new recruits."

Ma Tiejun grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, stuffed the last bite of steamed bun into his mouth, and mumbled, "Okay, I'll talk to him tomorrow."

In the afternoon, Renye didn't go down the mine. Instead, he went through the accounts of the past few days in the shed. He calculated the output, sales, income, and expenses one by one. Ma Xiaojun squatted beside him, holding Hu Xianfeng, watching him calculate on the abacus, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"Brother Ye, how much of our bonus will we get this month?"

Renye clicked the abacus beads loudly without looking up. "You'll get your share."

Ma Xiaojun chuckled and kissed Hu Xianfeng on the forehead. "Hu Xianfeng, we're going to be rich!" Hu Xianfeng was bewildered by the kiss, squeaked twice, broke free from his embrace, ran to the coal pile to sniff around, and then ran back.

Renye closed the ledger, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and leaned back in his chair, looking out of the shed. The sunlight was bright, shining on the open space around the mine shaft and on the ever-rising coal pile. The coal pile was black and shiny, gleaming in the sunlight like a black mountain of gold.

He finished his cigarette, stood up, strapped his headlamp to his forehead, and walked to the mine entrance. Ma Tiejun was there directing the workers loading the truck. Seeing him approach, he asked, "Going down again?" Renye nodded, grabbed the rope, and slid down.

On June 15th, the West Second Mining Area released its first official monthly report. Production, sales, revenue, expenses, profit, and dividends—everything was presented with figures, everything was clearly stated. Renye posted the report on the wall of Ma Dewang's main room; the black ink on white paper was stamped with the official seal of the Shigou Village Committee. The villagers gathered around the wall, reading it again and again. Some could read, some couldn't; those who could read read it aloud to those who couldn't, and after it was finished, everyone laughed.

Ma Dewang stood at the back of the crowd, a pipe dangling from his lips, squinting at the monthly report. He didn't smile, but his eyes shone brightly—a brightness not befitting a man in his sixties, but the light of a young man.

"Uncle Dewang, we received so much this month?" Ma Xiaojun squeezed to the front, pointing at the numbers on the monthly report, his fingers trembling.

Ma Dewang took the pipe out of his mouth and tapped it on the sole of his shoe. "A lot? This is nothing. When production increases, it will be even more."

Another cheer erupted from the crowd. Ma Tiejun stood outside the crowd, leaning against the wall, grinning from ear to ear until his eyes were slits. Ma Dehou squatted on the threshold, a pipe dangling from his lips, watching the people with a faint, genuine smile on his lips.

Renye stood beside the eight-immortal table, watching the people laughing, joking, and patting each other on the shoulder. He didn't laugh, but his eyes shone brightly—not with joy, but with a sense of peace. Ma Maocai didn't come. He was still recuperating at home. Ma Decheng came, collected his dividend, stuffed the money into his pocket, stood in the crowd listening for a while, then turned and left. He walked away with a hunched back and heavy steps.

Ma Dewang watched his retreating figure, sighed, put the pipe back in his mouth, and said nothing.

Renye left Ma Dewang's house and didn't go to the well; instead, he went home. Li Yue'e was sitting in the main room picking chives. When she saw him come in, she put down the chives and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Your dad went to the mine again today, and he didn't look well when he came back."

Renye's heart sank. "He went to see Han Changhe again?"

Li Yue'e shook her head. "I don't know. He went inside as soon as he got back and didn't come out."

Renye walked to the bedroom door and knocked. "Dad, it's me." There was no answer from inside, so he knocked again, and the door opened.

Ren Shouyi stood at the door, wearing a faded thermal undershirt, his hair disheveled. There was nothing on the table; the alleyway map was put away, the tin box was gone, and only a table lamp remained, casting a dim yellow light.

"Dad, did you go to the mine?"

Ren Shouyi nodded, walked back to the bedside and sat down. He didn't lie down, but just sat there, looking out the window. Outside the window was the alley of the family compound, where several children were chasing each other, their laughter coming through the window, as clear and crisp as wind chimes.

"I went to see Han Changhe," Ren Shouyi said in a low voice. "He was being held in the mining bureau's guesthouse, waiting to be transferred. I asked someone to pull some strings and I managed to see him."

Renno sat down next to him. "What did he say to you?"

Ren Shouyi remained silent for a long time, so long that Ren Ye thought he wouldn't answer. "He said he was sorry. He said he approved that batch of timber, he changed the quality inspection report, and he didn't know such a big problem would occur. He said he thought that batch of timber could hold up and the roof wouldn't collapse."

Renye gripped his knees tightly.

"He didn't know?" Ren Shouyi's voice suddenly rose. "What did he think? Someone who's worked in electromechanical engineering for over twenty years, couldn't tell that the timber was substandard? Couldn't he calculate how much the ceiling spacing was too large? Couldn't he know whether the roof support could hold up?"

Ren Shouyi's chest heaved violently, like a broken ventilation fan in a well, panting and gasping for breath.

Renye placed his hand on Renshouyi's back and patted him gently. "Dad, it's all in the past. Han Changhe is in jail, and the law will hold him accountable for what he should bear."

Ren Shouyi gradually calmed down, took the cigarette out of his mouth, stubbed it out in the ashtray, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the children running around outside.

"Rinno, do you think those six men's wives and children will forgive him?"

Renye thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. But whether they forgive or not is their business. It's neither Han Changhe's nor mine."

Ren Shouyi remained silent, standing by the window watching the children. The children laughed, played, and chased each other, oblivious to sorrow.

On June 20th, the mining bureau announced its disciplinary actions against Zhou Zhilin, Xu Hongbing, Han Changhe, and others. Zhou Zhilin was expelled from the Party and dismissed from his public office, and transferred to judicial authorities. Xu Hongbing was also expelled from the Party and dismissed from his public office, and transferred to judicial authorities. Han Changhe was also expelled from the Party and dismissed from his public office, and transferred to judicial authorities.

When the news reached the mine, some applauded, some sighed, and some remained silent. Wang Xiuqin stood at the entrance of the family compound, cracking sunflower seeds, and chatted with a few aunties: "I told you long ago that Han Changhe was a scoundrel, but you wouldn't believe me." Someone next to her chimed in, "Didn't you used to praise him for being capable?" Wang Xiuqin spat the sunflower seed shells on the ground and rolled her eyes: "I misjudged him."

Renye didn't participate in these discussions. Every day, he went to the West Second Wellhead as usual, went down into the well, worked, came up, ate with the workers, smoked with them, and laughed with them. But Ma Tiejun noticed that he had been talking even less lately. When he squatted by the wellhead smoking alone, he could sit there for half a day without moving, like a stone statue.

On July 1st, the West No. 2 Mining Area released its second monthly report. Production had doubled compared to the previous month, and sales channels had opened up. The number of trucks coming to haul coal had increased from five to eight, lining up on the dirt road outside the village. When the villagers received their dividends, their smiles were even wider than the previous month. Ma Decheng also smiled, though a somewhat forced one, but a smile nonetheless.

Ma Maocai returned. On July 3rd, Ma Tiejun brought him to the mine entrance to report for duty. He had lost a lot of weight, but his spirits were good. He was wearing clean work clothes, his safety helmet was polished to a shine, and his miner's lamp had newly replaced batteries. He stood beside the mine entrance, looking at the ever-rising coal pile for a long time.

Renye came out of the shed and stood in front of him. "Brother Maocai, you're back?"

Ma Maocai looked at him, his eyes red, but no tears fell. "You're back."

Renye handed him a safety helmet and a miner's lamp. "Let's go down the mine."

Ma Maocai took the safety helmet and miner's lamp, put them on, fastened the straps, walked to the edge of the mine, grabbed the rope, and slid down. Ma Tiejun followed behind and slid down as well.

Renye stood beside the wellhead, looking at the dark well shaft, listening to the sound of the ropes rubbing against the well wall, listening to Ma Tiejun and Ma Maocai talking at the bottom of the well, and listening to the hum of the winch starting up. He lit the cigarette he was holding, took a puff, and the smoke dispersed in the sunlight like a small cloud.

The sound of a loudspeaker from the mine came from afar; it was Tian Sui'er's voice, announcing the day's production tasks. Her voice was still so pleasant, clear, and bright, like a babbling brook in the mountains. Ren Ye listened to that voice, a slight smile playing on his lips. He finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe, put on his safety helmet, strapped his headlamp to his forehead, gripped the rope, and slid down.

The water level at the bottom of the well had dropped considerably; the water only reached his ankles. The entrance to the tunnel was right in front of him, pitch black. The beam of his miner's lamp shone through, revealing the wooden stakes on the walls and the loose rocks beneath his feet. He bent down and crawled inside. After a few minutes, he heard the sound of a pickaxe striking the coal face—thump, thump, thump, one powerful blow after another.

He walked to the working face, where Ma Tiejun and Ma Maocai were working. Ma Maocai swung his pickaxe, hammering the coal face again and again, sweat streaming down his face, leaving white streaks on the coal dust. He hammered with great force, as if he were using all the strength he had accumulated over the past month.

Renye picked up the pickaxe leaning against the coal face, stood next to Ma Maocai, and began to hammer. The three of them stood side by side, hammering away, the coal face cracking little by little in front of them, chunks of coal rolling down and piling up at their feet, black and shiny, shimmering with tiny sparkles under the beam of their miner's lamps.

The mine in July was as hot as a steamer. There was no wind in the tunnels, the air was humid and stuffy, mixed with the smell of coal dust and sweat, stuck in my throat, making it difficult to breathe. The beams of the miners' lamps cut arcs through the coal face, and the sound of the picks hitting the ground echoed back and forth in the enclosed space, thump, thump, thump, like a heartbeat.

Ma Maocai worked incredibly hard. He hadn't stopped since he went down the mine, hammering away, one chisel stroke after another, sweat streaming down his face, leaving white streaks on the coal dust. He didn't speak, didn't look at anyone else, just kept hammering. Ma Tiejun glanced at him, then at Renye, who shook his head, telling him not to try to persuade him.

Some things, no one can help you with; you have to endure them yourself. Working is the best way to endure them.

Around noon, Ma Tiejun put down his pickaxe, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it in the beam of his miner's lamp, and took a puff. "Let's take a break, it won't make a difference." Ma Maocai paused, leaned the pickaxe against the coal face, took a step back, squatted down, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. His hands were trembling, not from fatigue, but for some other reason.

The three people squatted beside the working face, none of them speaking, only the sound of dripping water, patter, patter, one drop after another, as if someone in the dark was counting something.

"Mao Cai," Ren Ye spoke. Ma Mao Cai looked up at him, the light from his miner's lamp sweeping across his face, his eyes red. "What happened at the mine is over. Don't dwell on it, move on."