Black Gold 1983

Chapter 69

Ma Dewang paused for a moment, picked up the teapot, and poured himself another cup.

"Those who are too smart are prone to taking shortcuts. Those who take shortcuts are prone to stumbling."

Renye remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"You have your reasons for suspecting him. But you can't wrongly accuse him without evidence." Ma Dewang looked up at Ren Ye. "I'll handle this matter. You shouldn't interfere in village affairs; I'll investigate."

Renye knew Ma Dewang was right. As an outsider, his investigation into the mole in Shigou Village was illegitimate; if he found something, it would be fine, but if he didn't, it would be seen as sowing discord. Ma Dewang was different; he was the village secretary and an elder of the Ma family, so his investigation was perfectly legitimate.

"Uncle Dewang, how do you plan to investigate?"

Ma Dewang thought for a moment and put down his teacup.

"Doesn't he always go to the county town? Next time he goes, I'll have someone follow him."

After leaving Ma Dewang's house, Renye didn't go home but went to the West Second Wellhead. He wanted to take one last look at that alleyway and that rock face. The moonlight was faint, mostly obscured by clouds, and the cracks and potholes on the ground were not clearly visible, so he could only follow his memory. The wellhead was covered with tarpaulin, and all the stones pressing on it were still there. The winch sat there quietly, like a giant dozing in the darkness.

Renye squatted by the wellhead, reaching out to touch the cold stone. He had to go down the mine again tomorrow, the day after, and every day thereafter. The coal was there, two and a half meters thick, high-quality coking coal, waiting for him, waiting for Ma Tiejun, waiting for Ma Dehou, waiting for the villagers of Shigou Village who had staked their entire fortunes on this mine.

He stood up, dusted off his trousers, and turned to walk back. When he reached the entrance of the residential compound, the streetlights were still on, casting a dim, yellowish glow that didn't illuminate very far. A figure stood under one of the streetlights, wearing a dark blue cotton-padded jacket, with his hair tied in a braid, and carrying a cloth bag.

It's Tian Sui'er.

Renye paused for a moment, then quickly walked over: "What are you doing here? It's so late."

Tian Sui'er handed him the cloth bag in her hand. It wasn't big, but it was heavy, and she didn't know what was inside. Renye took it, opened it, and saw that it was a lunchbox. It was made of aluminum and had a red "double happiness" character printed on it. He opened the lid and found that it was full of dumplings. They were filled with cabbage and pork, and the dumpling wrappers were pinched tightly, none of them were broken, and they were still steaming.

"My mom made these, and asked me to bring some to you." Tian Sui'er's voice was soft as she looked down at her toes. "She said you've been tired these past few days, so you should eat something good to nourish yourself."

Renye looked at the box of dumplings, and felt a warmth spread through his heart. He looked up at Tian Suier; the streetlight shone on her face, softening her features like a meticulous painting, every stroke perfectly placed.

"Please thank Auntie for me."

"Thank him yourself." Tian Sui'er looked up at him, then quickly looked away, her gaze falling on the coal dust and dirt stains on his clothes. Her brows furrowed slightly. "You went down the mine?"

"I'm logging off."

"Is it dangerous?"

Renye thought for a moment and didn't lie to her: "A little."

Tian Sui'er didn't speak, but took a handkerchief out of her pocket and handed it to him. The handkerchief was white, folded neatly, and embroidered with a small orchid. Renye took it and wiped his face haphazardly a couple of times. The handkerchief was immediately covered in coal dust and sweat, turning the white handkerchief into a gray one.

"It's dirty," he said.

"It'll be clean after a wash." Tian Sui'er took the handkerchief back from his hand, folded it, and put it back in her pocket.

The two stood under the streetlamp, neither speaking. A gust of wind blew in from the alleyway, ruffling the stray hairs on Tian Sui'er's forehead, then letting them fall, ruffling them again, and falling again. In the distance came the static of the mine's loudspeaker, followed by a weather forecast; the female announcer's voice drifted in the night wind, barely audible.

"Sui'er".

"Um."

"Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll go to the provincial capital with you."

Tian Sui'er looked up at him, something flashed in her eyes for a moment, then quickly disappeared.

"What are you going to the provincial capital for?"

"Aren't you going to take the college entrance exam? I'll go with you to see the school and help you get familiar with the way."

Tian Sui'er didn't speak, but lowered her head and looked at her toes. After a long while, she softly hummed in agreement. The sound was so soft that Ren Ye wouldn't have heard it at all if he hadn't been waiting.

She turned around and walked into the family compound. After a few steps, she stopped and did not look back.

"Eat dumplings while they're hot, they won't taste good when they're cold." Then she left, her footsteps growing lighter and lighter in the hallway, fading into the distance until they disappeared.

Renye stood under the streetlamp, holding the box of dumplings, for a long time. He closed the lunchbox, hugged it, and walked home step by step. When he opened the door, Li Yue'e was sitting on a stool in the main room sewing shoe soles. When she saw him come in, she glanced at the lunchbox in his hand, didn't ask anything, and lowered her head to continue sewing.

"Did Sui'er send this?" she asked.

"Um."

Li Yue'e's lips curled up slightly, then she quickly pursed them back.

Renye placed the lunchbox on the table, opened the lid, and the aroma of dumplings immediately filled the room. He picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a dumpling, and put it in his mouth. It was filled with cabbage and pork; the cabbage was finely chopped, the pork was minced, and the seasoning was just right, neither too salty nor too bland.

He ate them one after another very quickly, the scalding heat making him wince, but he didn't stop. Li Yue'e brought out a dish of vinegar from the kitchen and placed it in front of him.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Renye dipped his finger in vinegar and stuffed another one into his mouth. Li Yue'e sat down opposite him, watching him eat, and stopped sewing the shoe soles in her hands, placing them on her knees.

"Sui'er is a good girl," she said, her voice low, as if she were talking to herself.

With his mouth full of dumplings, Renye mumbled an "Mmm".

"If you dare to wrong her, I'll be the first to make you pay."

Renye swallowed the dumpling in his mouth and looked up at Li Yue'e. Li Yue'e's face was expressionless, but her eyes were red.

"Mom, don't worry," he said.

The next morning, when Renye arrived at the West Second Mine entrance, Ma Tiejun and his men were already working. The tarpaulin covering the entrance was lifted, and two men were standing beside the winch, hanging mine carts on the rope. The mine carts had been brought back from Han Changhe the day before; they were a bit old, but the wheels still turned, and the carts weren't leaking, so they were usable. Ma Dehou squatted by the entrance, holding a steel shovel in his hand, probing downwards to measure the depth of the mine. He was very careful, marking each section he probed with the shovel and noting it in his notebook.

Renye walked over and squatted down next to him. "Uncle Dehou, how's the water level?"

Ma Dehou lifted the steel shovel and looked at the watermark on it. "It's dropped quite a bit. We pumped all day yesterday, and it went down more than two meters. But it's still seeping down there, so we have to keep pumping and digging. We can't stop." Renye nodded, stood up, walked to the winch, and patted the mine car's bucket. The sound was muffled, indicating that the sheet metal was not thin.

Ma Tiejun poked his head out from behind the winch: "Brother Ren, I've arranged the people going down the mine today. It's me, Uncle Dehou, Maocai, and the two brothers from the village, Ma Jianmin and Ma Jianshe. Jianmin has worked in the mine for two years and has experience; Jianshe is young and strong, so it'll be good for him to get some experience."

Renye glanced at the group of people. Ma Maocai stood at the back of the crowd, clutching a pickaxe, head down, lost in thought. Ma Jianmin and Ma Jianshe, brothers, stood at the edge of the mine shaft, quickly and efficiently attaching headlamps to their heads, clearly experienced miners.

"Alright, it'll be just you few. Brother Tiejun, you'll be leading the shift underground. Safety first. If things get too difficult, just leave. We're not in a rush."

Ma Tiejun nodded, strapped on his miner's lamp, and was the first to go down the mine. Next was Ma Dehou, then Ma Jianmin, Ma Jianshe, and Ma Maocai was the last. Ren Ye didn't go down; he was up there today overseeing the winch and drainage, taking stock of the equipment, and making a list of missing items to purchase in the county town.

The winch started turning, the wire rope creaking and groaning as the mine car slowly descended the track and disappeared into the shaft. After a while, the wire rope tightened, and the winch motor emitted a deep hum—the mine car had reached the bottom and was being loaded with coal. Renye stood beside the winch, watching the wire rope tremble, his heart pounding with each movement.

The first carload of coal arrived. When the mine car rose from the shaft, its bucket was full; the coal chunks were a glossy black, shimmering in the sunlight. Renye grabbed a piece, weighed it in his hand—it wasn't light, it felt solid, and the surface had a thin layer of oil; it was slippery to the touch. Coking coal. High-quality coking coal with a caking index of over 80.

He put down the coal, wiped the coal dust off his hands on his trouser leg, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. The smoke dispersed in the sunlight like a small cloud. Ma Tiejun climbed out of the mine, his face covered in coal dust, sweat leaving streaks of white. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth that stood out starkly against his dark face.

"Brother Ren, the coal seam is thicker than we estimated. The tunnel has been pushed in more than three meters, it's all coal, and the roof is very stable." Renye handed him a cigarette, which he took, took a puff, and then handed back. "Push slowly, no rush. The support must keep up. Uncle Dehou is watching down there, and it can only be done if he says it's okay."

Ma Tiejun nodded, wiped the sweat from his face, and went back down the well.

Around noon, the second cart of coal arrived, even fuller than the first, piled high. Ma Xiaojun ran over from the village to bring them food: steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and a pot of cooled boiled water. He placed the food on a stone beside the wellhead, squatted there, and stared at the two carts of coal, his eyes gleaming.

"Brother Ye, how much can this coal sell for?"

Renye picked up a steamed bun, broke it in half, added some pickled vegetables, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed a few times, and mumbled, "Twice as expensive as coking coal."

"Double!" Ma Xiaojun's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he counted on his fingers, "A ton of poor coal sells for thirty, while coking coal sells for sixty? A truckload of coal is two and a half tons, that's one hundred and fifty. If you make ten truckloads a day, that's one thousand five hundred. Goodness, one thousand five hundred a day, forty-five thousand a month, and more than five hundred thousand a year."

Renye swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and glanced at him. "That's not how you do it. That's an ideal scenario. After deducting costs, taxes, labor, equipment depreciation, and safety investments, you'd be lucky to save half."

"Even half of that is over two hundred thousand." Ma Xiaojun picked up Tiger Vanguard and kissed it on the forehead. "Tiger Vanguard, we're going to be rich!"

Tiger Vanguard was bewildered by the kiss, squeaked twice, broke free from his embrace, ran to the coal pile, sniffed around, and then ran back.

In the afternoon, Renye went to the county town. He needed to purchase a batch of supplies for the mine: timber for support, track spikes, lubricating oil for mine cars, batteries for miners' lamps, and gloves, safety helmets, and rubber boots for the workers. The items weren't many, but they were varied; he couldn't buy everything from one store and had to visit several.

He first went to a hardware store to buy road studs and lubricant. The store owner, a plump man in his forties, was sitting behind the counter using an abacus. Hearing the door open, he looked up and sized him up. "What do you want to buy?"

Renye handed over the form. The boss glanced at it, then looked up at him again. "Which mine are you from?" "The small coal mine in Shigou Village next to Hongxing Mine."

The boss frowned slightly, placed the order form on the counter, and tapped it with his finger. "We have track spikes and lubricating oil. But if you need them regularly, you have to pay first and then take the goods." Renye knew what the boss was worried about; small coal mines were unreliable, they might open today and close tomorrow, and you couldn't collect on credit.

"Cash." Renye took out the wad of cash Li Yue'e had given him, along with a portion of the advance payment from the Shigou Village fundraising, and placed it on the counter. The shopkeeper looked at the wad of cash, his expression softening, and picked up the abacus, quickly calculating something.

"Five hundred road spikes, 15 cents each, that's 75. Ten barrels of lubricating oil, 8 dollars a barrel, that's 80. Total, 155." Renye counted the money, paid, packed the goods into a snakeskin bag, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and went out the door.

He visited three stores and bought everything on his list. He didn't buy the timber in the county town because it was too expensive; he sourced it directly from the forest farms around Shigou Village, where it was 30% cheaper than in the county town.

By the time he returned from the county town, it was almost dark. He delivered the goods to the West Second Wellhead. Ma Tiejun and the others had already finished their shift. The winch was covered with tarpaulin, and the wellhead was also blocked with tarpaulin to prevent water from entering during the night. He placed the burlap sack in the shed, weighed it down with stones, dusted off his hands, and turned to go home.

As he reached the entrance of the residential compound, he saw Tian Sui'er again. She wasn't carrying a cloth bag today; instead, she was holding a book, standing under a streetlamp, head down, engrossed in her reading, oblivious to his approach. Ren Ye stood before her, but she didn't look up.

"What are you looking at?" Tian Sui'er was startled and looked up, almost dropping the book in her hand. Ren Ye reached out and caught it, glancing at the cover—"College Entrance Examination Chinese Review Materials".

"You're reading here?" Tian Sui'er took the book from his hands, closed it, and hugged it to her chest. "It's too noisy at home. My mom is talking to someone, so I can't concentrate. It's quiet here."

Renye looked around. People were coming and going at the entrance of the family compound. Where was it quiet? But he didn't say anything. He knew that Tian Sui'er didn't think it was quiet here. She thought it was a place where she could wait for him.

"Are the dumplings good?" Tian Sui'er asked softly, her eyes looking elsewhere. Ren Ye nodded: "They're delicious. Thank Auntie for me." "I said thank her yourself."

The two stood under the streetlamp, neither speaking. A gust of wind blew in from the alleyway, rustling the pages of the book in Tian Sui'er's hands. She pressed her hand down on the wind, looked up at Ren Ye. "Did you go down the mine today?"

"I'm logging off."

Are you tired?

"good."

Tian Sui'er looked at the coal dust still clinging to his face, the red marks on his hands from the rope, and the weariness in his eyes. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words back.

"Go back and get some rest," she said, turning around, taking two steps, then stopping.

"Nino."

"Um."

"Be careful." Then she left, this time without looking back.

Renye stood there, watching her figure disappear through the gate of the residential compound. He reached into his pocket, found the pack of cigarettes, took one out, and put it in his mouth without lighting it. After standing there for a while, he turned and went home.