Black Gold 1983

Chapter 20 Declaring Sovereignty

Xu Dongsheng took a deep breath and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Fine, since no one needs my help, I won't presume to help."

After speaking, he turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." Jinye's voice came from behind, unhurried.

Xu Dongsheng thought Ren Ye was going to say something sarcastic to him again, and he had already prepared how to respond.

Ke Renye didn't even glance at Xu Dongsheng. Instead, he strode forward and pulled Tian Suier into his arms, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist, so tightly that she couldn't break free.

Tian Sui'er was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning. It took her a full two seconds to react. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she pushed against Ren Ye's chest with both hands, twisting her body to try and break free: "Ren Ye! You...you're crazy! Let me go!"

No matter how hard she tried, Renye remained unmoved, instead holding her even tighter. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his voice a playful intimacy: "Don't move. Be good."

Whether it was his serious tone or his unyielding force, Tian Sui'er subconsciously stopped struggling, even she herself was stunned.

This scene was so sudden that everyone present froze.

Li Yue'e's eyes widened, and although she didn't say anything, her eyes were full of laughter. She thought to herself, "This brat has finally done something decent!"

"I forgot to tell you earlier." Renye looked up, his tone frank and open, without any concealment: "Sui'er and I are indeed completely innocent, but the marriage is already arranged, and the banquet will be held in three months. I will definitely invite you then."

Upon seeing this, Xu Dongsheng's gentle smile instantly froze, the feigned composure in his eyes vanished completely, and his tone turned cold: "What did you say?"

Renye looked up to meet his gaze, showing no fear whatsoever, but rather a chilling ruthlessness, and repeated, "I said. Sui'er is my wife, and I don't like anyone making advances on her, otherwise..."

He paused, looked directly at Xu Dongsheng, and said calmly with an undisguised assertion of dominance, "I will definitely bury him."

Tian Sui'er is his bottom line. No matter what tricks Xu Dongsheng plays, he will never back down an inch.

But these words were cold and harsh, carrying an unyielding ferocity. Tian Sui'er shuddered, and her previous embarrassment and anger were instantly replaced by panic.

Fearing that Renye might act impulsively and cause trouble, and also worried that things would get out of control, she quickly grabbed Renye's arm with considerable force: "Renye! What nonsense are you talking about! Shut up!"

She knew Renye's personality too well. He seemed carefree and irresponsible, but he always kept his word when he said something harsh. She was really afraid that he might act impulsively and actually hurt Xu Dongsheng.

Renye's anger seemed to dissipate immediately after her persuasion, but he still refused to let go, holding her tightly with his eyes still fixed on Xu Dongsheng, with a hint of provocation.

Xu Dongsheng stood there, the air pressure around him growing lower and lower, the coldness in his eyes almost overflowing. He stared intently at Ren Ye's hand holding Tian Sui'er, then his whole face went blank, leaving only an expressionless outline.

He simply looked at Renye quietly, and after a moment, slowly nodded.

"OK."

"Brother, I'll be waiting for you."

After leaving behind a meaningful remark, Xu Dongsheng turned and left without giving it another glance.

This time he didn't turn around, his steps were unhurried, and his dark gray wool coat swayed in the wind until he disappeared at the end of the corridor.

As soon as Xu Dongsheng left, Tian Suier broke free from Ren Ye's embrace and pinched his arm hard, making Ren Ye cry out in pain.

Tian Sui'er was both angry and annoyed, her face devoid of any smile. She raised her hand and shoved him on the shoulder, the force filled with the anger she had been holding back all night: "Renye! What nonsense are you talking about! Who's your wife!"

Tian Sui'er inherited her father's strength, and Ren Ye was caught off guard. He was pushed so hard that he stumbled and fell straight to the ground, his back slamming hard against a chair in the corridor. He grimaced in pain, which drew laughter from the surrounding workers.

Tian Sui'er's heart tightened suddenly, but she didn't move her feet. She was still embarrassed and annoyed by his forceful hug in public and his wanton declaration of affection. She couldn't save face, so she forced herself to suppress the urge to go forward and help him.

Li Yue'e naturally sided with Sui'er, immediately reaching out to take her arm and frowning as she scolded, "That's right! The two aren't even married yet, how can they be so unruly and act recklessly in public?"

Renye lay on the ground, and it took him a while to sit up, propping himself up on his arms. He looked rather disheveled: "I wasn't lying, it was bound to happen sooner or later..."

"You still dare to talk!" Tian Sui'er's eyebrows shot up, and she made as if to raise her hand again, but Li Yue'e quickly pressed her hand down and advised with a smile, "That's enough, that's enough. There are so many people watching, let's save him some face."

Renye got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and scratched his head in pain, but still kept muttering, "My wife's hands are really strong!"

"you!"

-

The night was deep, and the evening breeze was chilly. The vast mining hospital was filled with both cold and warm atmospheres.

Meanwhile, in a secluded dugout, a completely different and tranquil scene unfolded.

The dugout was small, and the walls were damp and cool. A dim kerosene lamp was casually placed to the side, casting the shadows of the four people on the wall, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

"Do you think that kid can be trusted? The more I think about it, the less plausible it seems. What are we? We're mining rats! Now we can openly mine with them?"

As soon as Ma Maocai finished speaking, Ma Xiaojun immediately chimed in, his tone firm and even tinged with admiration: "I think Brother Ye is quite reliable! After all, he's Uncle Shouyi's son. Back when Uncle Shouyi was the team leader at the mine, many people from our village worked for him. He's honest and his character is impeccable."

Ma Tiejun sat to the side, having remained silent until now. He nodded slightly and said in a steady tone, "His father saved my brother's life, and I remember that kindness. Besides, this man may seem carefree, but he's not reckless in his actions. Moreover, he understands the ins and outs of our well-digging business perfectly; he's clearly quite capable."

The three of them chatted amongst themselves, and after they finished speaking, they all turned to look at Ma Dehou, who was sitting on the far side, smoking a pipe.

"You're always making a mess of things, you can't even keep your mouth shut, aren't you afraid I'll beat you to death!" Ma Maocai couldn't help but curse.

Ma Xiaojun leaned forward, his tone somewhat respectful, and asked, "Uncle Dehou, what do you think about this? Should we follow Brother Ye or not?"

Ma Dehou took a deep drag on his pipe, his expression unfocused, and it took him a long time to recover before he looked at the three of them:

"Running a mine is no small matter; it's risky and requires a lot of worry. The initial investment alone is 50,000 yuan. Would you dare to even consider it?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Let alone 50,000 yuan, even 500 yuan would be a lot of trouble for them. 50,000 yuan? They didn't even dare to think about it.

Seeing that the others remained silent, Ma Dehou continued, "You don't dare to think about it, but he does, and he even dares to do it, which shows that he's someone important."

He paused, as if he had uttered a profound wisdom about life: "As the old saying goes, opportunities are plentiful, but benefactors are rare. We've had enough of toiling in the fields all our lives. Now that we have a chance to work hard with others, it's better than just guarding a few acres of barren land."

"No matter how much money you have, it's not as good as finding a reliable path. No matter how wide the path is, it's not as good as following a reliable person. If you follow the right person, even if you start from a low point, you will eventually succeed. If you follow the wrong person, no matter how hard you try, it will be a waste of effort."

After saying that, he stuck his pipe on the ground and looked at the three men: "I don't understand that investment stuff. I've never stolen or robbed anyone in my life, I've never disgraced myself, and I still have five hundred yuan left. You can't take it with you when you die, so I'm going to do it with him."

The dugout fell silent instantly, with only the occasional sound of Tiger Vanguard munching on peanuts.

Ma Xiaojun slapped his thigh and declared, "Since Uncle Dehou has said so, I'll definitely follow suit!"

Ma Maocai frowned, looking unsure of what to do. He glanced at Ma Dehou and muttered, "I didn't expect you old codger to have so much hidden money. But I really don't have much... Didn't he say that the more you invest, the more you get? We can't just put in the effort for nothing and not even get a lot of shares, can we?"

He paused, a new plan forming in his mind: "No, I need to go back and discuss this with Renye again. We're doing him a favor now, so we should try to get as much benefit as possible, otherwise we'll be at a huge loss."