Black Gold 1983

Chapter 68

Renye remained silent and continued shoveling soil with his head down.

The sun slowly rose from the eastern mountain ridge, shining on the dusty figures around the mine shaft, and on their shovels and picks, reflecting dappled light. The fog dissipated, revealing the entire mining area in the distance: the mine shaft, the factory buildings, the chimneys, and further away, the dusty family dormitories.

By noon, the reinforcement work at the wellhead was mostly complete. Ma Tiejun stuck his shovel into the ground, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a puff, and handed it to Renye. Renye took it, took a puff, and handed it back. The two of them shared the same cigarette, taking turns puffing, neither of them showing any displeasure.

"Brother Ren, what are we doing this afternoon?" Ma Tiejun asked.

"In the afternoon, we'll set up the winch, lower the water pump to the bottom of the well, and pump out the water. The tunnel is full of water; we can't get in until it's drained."

Ma Tiejun nodded, finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe, stood up, and dusted off his trousers. "I'll handle the winch. I've seen them install it at the mine; I know how it works."

Renye glanced at him. Ma Tiejun's eyes were serious; he wasn't just boasting. He had worked as a temporary worker in the mine and had seen the world, making him far more worldly than the young men in the village who had never been down a mine.

"Okay, you take care of the winch. Uncle Dehou will handle the water pump; he's spent his whole life repairing water pumps in the mine, he knows more than either of us."

Lunch was eaten by the well. Li Yue'e had steamed a pot of buns early in the morning and had Renye bring them over. Ma Tiejun brought a pot of water from home, and Ma Xiaojun brought a dish of pickled vegetables from the village. A dozen or so people squatted around the well, munching on buns, drinking cold water, and eating pickled vegetables, thoroughly enjoying their meal. The buns were made of white flour; Li Yue'e hadn't bothered to add any alkali, so the buns were steamed until they were white and large, and each bite was filled with the aroma of wheat.

Renye munched on a steamed bun, watching these people squatting on the mound of earth eating, and a strange feeling welled up inside him. Some of these people he knew, some he didn't; some he had met in his past life, some he hadn't. But they all had one thing in common—they were all people who made a living through physical labor, their hands calloused, their faces weathered, and their eyes full of hope.

In the afternoon, the winch was set up. Ma Tiejun and a few others built a wooden frame above the wellhead, hoisted the winch up, and secured it with bolts. He worked very carefully, tightening every screw and checking every rope before letting go to make sure it was secure.

The water pump was in the well that Ma Dehou had lowered. He was secured by a rope around his waist, pulled down section by section by Ma Tiejun and Ren Ye from above. Holding the pump in his arms and bracing his feet against the well wall, he slowly made his way down. Once at the bottom, he placed the pump in the water, connected the hose, and shouted upwards, "Pull the rope!"

Renye and Ma Tiejun pulled the rope up, and Ma Dehou climbed up along it. He was soaking wet, his lips were purple, and he was shivering from the cold after being at the bottom of the well for so long. Ma Xiaojun took off his cotton-padded coat and put it on him. He didn't wear it, but returned the coat to Ma Xiaojun, took out his pipe from his pocket, filled it with tobacco, lit it, and took a puff.

"Call me when the water has been drained, and I'll go down and check again," he said.

The water pump started. The motor on the winch hummed, driving the pump to draw water from the bottom of the well and discharge it through the pipes. The water was black, mixed with coal slag and silt, flowing into the nearby ditch and then cascading outwards. The flow was strong, gurgling like a small river. People around the well watched the water flow, watching the black water turn into gray water, and then into clear water.

By evening, the water in the well had been almost completely pumped out. Ma Dehou went down into the well again and stayed at the bottom for nearly half an hour. When he came up, he had a satisfied expression on his face.

"The tunnel entrance is now visible. The support structure is in good condition, the wooden stakes are holding up, we can go in."

Renye stood at the edge of the mine shaft, looking into the dark shaft and watching the beam of his miner's lamp sweep across the walls, illuminating the wet rocks and wooden stakes. He took a deep breath, put his hand in his pocket, reached for his pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, lit it, and took a drag.

"Tomorrow, we'll go down the mine," he said.

The next day, before dawn, Renye arrived at the West Second Mine entrance. Ma Tiejun had arrived even earlier and was already squatting beside the entrance, inspecting the ropes. He ran the rope through from beginning to end, pulling hard on each section to make sure there were no worn areas. Several miners' lamps were nearby; he tested them one by one, selecting the one with the strongest charge and setting it aside. Ma Dehou squatted beside the winch, wrench in hand, tightening every screw on the winch. The winch was newly installed, and he didn't trust it, fearing an accident if it became loose.

People gradually arrived. Ma Xiaojun was the last to arrive, panting heavily, carrying Hu Xianfeng in his arms. He put the mouse on the ground, and Hu Xianfeng shook its fur, sniffing here and there, then squatted on a rock and didn't move, as if waiting to watch the show.

Renye stood at the edge of the mine shaft, looking at the people, the equipment, and the tools. He strapped his headlamp to his forehead, adjusted the elastic band, and tightened the rope around his waist.

"I'll go down first. Brother Tiejun will come with me, and Uncle Dehou will stay up here and watch the winch. The rest of you, stay put and don't come down until you're told to."

No one objected. Ma Dehou sat down next to the winch, placed his hand on the brake lever, and nodded to him. Renye gripped the rope, braced his feet against the well wall, and slid down section by section. The rope swayed, and the soil and gravel on the well wall were kicked down by his feet, falling into the remaining water at the bottom of the well with a splashing sound.

The deeper he went, the colder it got. The chill seeping from the ground enveloped him, like a hand reaching out from the shadows and slowly clenching his bones. The beam of the miner's lamp swept across the shaft wall, illuminating the newly reinforced wooden stakes and stones, as well as the old marks blackened by water.

When he stepped into the well, the water was up to his ankles, and the icy water filled his rubber boots, making him shiver. The bottom of the well was much cleaner than the last time he came; the gravel and coal slag had been cleared away, and the wooden stakes at the entrance of the tunnel were new, glistening wetly in the beam of his miner's lamp.

He looked up and shouted, "Brother Tiejun, come down!"

Ma Tiejun responded and went down. His movements were much more agile than Ren Ye's. He pulled down with both hands alternately, his feet bracing against the well wall as if walking on flat ground, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the bottom of the well. He steadied himself, looked around, pulled out a pair of pliers from his waist, and tapped them on the wooden stake at the entrance of the alley, judging by the sound to see if they could hold.

"No problem," he said, tucking the pliers back into his waistband.

The two men turned on their headlamps, bent down, and crawled into the tunnel. The tunnel was much cleaner than when they last came; the rubble had been cleared, the wooden stakes had been reinforced, and new supports had been erected in some places. Renye knew that Ma Tiejun and Ma Dehou had been doing this work over the past few days. They hadn't said anything, but he had seen it. Every single newly erected wooden stake had been carried down by them, one by one, bending over in the sweltering air underground, carrying logs weighing over a hundred pounds, erecting them one by one, and reinforcing them one by one.

The tunnel rounded a bend, and ahead lay the location of the cavern. Renye stopped, raised his headlamp, and the beam of light shone on the pile of rubble ahead. The cavern was gone; the entire rock wall had collapsed, and rubble and dirt had piled up into a small hill, completely blocking the tunnel. The roof had also collapsed, revealing a dark, hollow space above, like an open mouth, silently shouting something.

Han Tianfang's explosives were detonated thoroughly.

Renye stood there for a long time. He thought of Gu Guihua, of her leaning against the rock wall of that cave, of her hands, so badly rotten. He thought of Han Tianfang squatting in front of the grave on the back hill, lighting cigarettes one by one and placing them on the grave mound. He thought of Han Changhe kneeling in front of the grave, his forehead pressed to the ground, his shoulders trembling violently.

He moved his miner's lamp away from the direction of the cavern and shone it deeper into the tunnel.

"Let's go," he said.

The two continued walking. The alleyway grew deeper and deeper, the ceiling lower and lower, and in some places they had to squeeze through sideways. The further they went, the more humid and stuffy the air became, making it difficult to breathe. Ma Tiejun walked in front, stopping every few steps to tap the ceiling with pliers, listening to the sound to determine its stability.

After walking for about twenty minutes, the tunnel came to an end. Ahead was a complete rock wall, grayish-black, with water droplets seeping out and glistening in the beam of the miners' lamps. This was the site of the collapse years ago; the entire tunnel was blocked by the rubble from the landslide, and no one had been here for three years.

Renye reached out and touched the rock wall; the stone was cold, wet, and rough. He took a step back and looked at Ma Tiejun.

"Brother Tiejun, the coalfields are just ahead from here."

Ma Tiejun placed his palm against the rock face, feeling the warmth emanating from beneath the stone. His hand was trembling slightly, whether from excitement or some other reason, he couldn't tell.

"How thick?" he asked.

"Over 2.5 meters in diameter. With a caking index of 80, it is high-quality coking coal."

Ma Tiejun didn't speak. He withdrew his hand from the rock face and wiped it on his trouser leg. He turned around and looked at Ren Ye, his eyes holding a light that only appeared when hope was in sight.

"Brother Ren, we've struck it rich!"

Renye didn't laugh. He moved the headlamp away from the rock wall and used it to illuminate the way he came.

"It's still early. The coal isn't going anywhere, but it will take a lot of effort to dig it out. Let's go back and tell everyone what's going on."

The two walked back along the alley. When they reached the spot where the cave had been, Renye stopped and looked around again. The rubble was still the same rubble, the ceiling was still the same ceiling—everything was exactly as he had seen it before. But this time, he heard a sound, not from outside, but from the depths of his heart. The sound was very faint, almost inaudible, but it was definitely there, beating rhythmically like a heartbeat.

When he emerged from the mine, the sun was already high in the sky. Sunlight shone on the dusty figures around the mine entrance, on the sweat and coal dust on their faces, and on the flickering fire in their eyes. Renye took his miner's lamp off his forehead, held it in his hand, and looked at these men.

"The tunnel is open. The coal is there, two and a half meters thick, high-quality coking coal."

The area around the wellhead erupted in a frenzy. Ma Xiaojun was the first to jump up, startling Hu Xianfeng, who darted out of his arms and darted erratically through the crowd. Ma Tiejun grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits. Ma Dehou took the pipe from his mouth, tapped it on the sole of his shoe, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, like a crumpled piece of paper being slowly smoothed out.

Renye stood in the middle of the crowd, watching them laugh, jump, and pat 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 was also in the crowd. He smiled, clapped, and celebrated with those around him. But his eyes didn't smile; they were peering through the gaps in the crowd, looking towards the mining area, at the dirt road leading to it.

Renye noticed. He didn't say anything, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, put it in his mouth, lit it, and took a puff. The smoke dispersed in front of him, obscuring his expression.

He needed to get to the bottom of Ma Maocai's matter. Not because of suspicion, but because the mining business was too big to afford any mishap. The livelihoods of over a hundred people, the investment of hundreds of thousands of yuan, and the villagers who had staked their entire fortunes on the mine—he couldn't let anyone ruin it all.

He stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe, walked over to Ma Dewang, and lowered his voice.

"Uncle Dewang, I'll come to see you tonight; I have something to discuss with you."

Ma Dewang glanced at him, nodded, and didn't ask any further questions.

As the sun set, the people around the well gradually dispersed. Ma Tiejun was the last to leave. He packed his tools into the shed, covered the winch with a tarpaulin, weighed it down with stones, and walked around the well one last time to make sure nothing was missed. Then he dusted off his hands, nodded to Renye, and turned to walk back into the village. Renye squatted alone beside the well, lighting the cigarette he had been holding for so long. The last vestiges of orange-red on the horizon were fading, and the outlines of the mountain ridges were becoming blurred, like a painting being soaked by water.

After finishing his cigarette, he stood up, dusted off his trousers, and walked towards Shigou Village.

The lights were on in the main room of Ma Dewang's house. When Ren Ye pushed the door open, Ma Dewang was sitting at the octagonal table with a pot of tea and two cups in front of him. The tea was already brewed, dark in color, and steaming.

"You've arrived?" Ma Dewang looked up, poured tea, and pushed a cup in front of him. "Sit down."

Renye sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. The tea was strong and a little bitter, but with a strong aftertaste. It was mountain tea picked by the villagers themselves; it wasn't expensive, but it quenched their thirst.

"Uncle Dewang, there's something I'd like to tell you."

"explain."

Renye described Ma Maocai's recent unusual behavior. He would go out empty-handed and come back empty-handed, he was absent-minded during meetings, and he would always look towards the mining area while working. There was also that cigarette butt from Daqianmen, which he found at the foot of the courtyard wall.

Ma Dewang listened without much change in expression. After Ren Ye finished speaking, he didn't speak immediately. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"I watched Maocai grow up." Ma Dewang's voice was soft and slow, as if he was weighing each word in his mind. "His father, Ma Decheng, was an honest man who never argued with anyone in his life. His mother was also a dutiful woman who stayed home to farm and raise the children, never causing trouble. Maocai was smart from a young age, quick-witted, and had a sweet tongue. Everyone in the village said that this child would be successful when he grew up. But he was too smart."