Black Gold 1983

Chapter 8, 73 yuan

Since that farce, Renye hasn't seen Tian Suier again.

I wanted to wander around her house, but I was afraid of running into Tian Mancang and getting a scolding, so I could only stay at home, feeling restless and anxious.

He picked a day off, and just as dawn broke, he couldn't contain himself any longer. He also wanted to prepare his money-making plan, so he took a few steps and went to the downstairs of Tian Sui'er's house.

Several elderly women were sitting in the courtyard gate, sunbathing and eating sunflower seeds. When they saw Renye walking over, their eyes were all a little strange, and they started whispering to each other. You didn't even need to listen to hear what they were talking about.

Renye walked past them confidently, even greeting them with a smile: "Aunt Zhang, Aunt Li, Happy New Year! Have you eaten yet?"

Aunt Zhang was caught off guard by his shout and subconsciously replied, "I've eaten, I've eaten." Only after Renye had walked away did she realize what was happening and said to the person next to her, "Look at that kid, he really dares to come here. The whole yard knows about what happened the day before yesterday."

Aunt Li, munching on sunflower seeds, casually remarked, "Trying to walk into the Tian family's door empty-handed? Sui'er is such a good girl, what hope could she possibly have with him? I don't think this will ever work out."

Renye pretended not to hear and went upstairs on his own.

The Tian family lived on the second floor. Several baskets of coal briquettes and a row of unpacked winter-stored Chinese cabbages were piled up in the hallway.

When he got to the door, he stood there for a few seconds before reluctantly raising his hand to knock.

No one answered.

I knocked twice more, but there was still no response.

He paused for a moment, wondering if the couple was at home and unwilling to open the door, when suddenly he heard footsteps inside. Then the door opened a crack, revealing half of Tian Sui'er's pretty face.

This girl was a beauty from a young age. Back then, she always followed him around, playing and joking, just like a tomboy. Now that she's grown up, she's become so beautiful.

Renye had always liked her, but due to his ordinary family background and inferiority complex, he dared not think about it and could only suppress his feelings, treating her as just a "good buddy" he had grown up with.

Today, Tian Sui'er didn't wear braids; her jet-black hair was loosely draped over her shoulders. She wore a soft, freshly washed floral cotton-padded jacket with the collar buttoned up tightly, which made her face appear even whiter.

Upon seeing that it was Renye, he paused for a moment, then frowned and was about to close the door.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Renye quickly grabbed the doorframe and shouted, "Sui'er, Sui'er, no, no, no! It's so early in the morning, closing the door is bad luck!"

"What are you doing here?" Tian Sui'er's voice was soft, and she stopped using force on her hands.

"Can I borrow your old-fashioned bicycle?"

"No."

"Just one afternoon of riding."

"I won't lend it even for an entire afternoon."

Renye leaned close to the crack in the door, grinning mischievously, "Comrade Sui'er, look, I'm already here, can't you just let me in for a few words? If you keep me out, people will think we're up to something."

Tian Sui'er glared at him, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the door.

She was alone in the room.

The stove was spotless, the bowls and chopsticks were upside down on the cutting board, and the kettle on the stove was bubbling away, steaming hot.

"Where are your parents?" Renye asked, looking around as he walked in. He was genuinely afraid that Tian Mancang might jump out from some corner and give him a good whack on the head.

Miners are known for their incredibly strong hands, and Tian Mancang's hands are notoriously ruthless.

He's always gripping the handle of a jackhammer; his knuckles are as thick as old tree roots. A slap from him feels like a shovel hitting your face.

"He went to the mine." Tian Sui'er closed the door, her tone indifferent. She walked to the stove, took down the kettle, poured a glass of water, and put it on the table without offering him any.

Renye didn't stand on ceremony. He plopped down on the bench, picked up his water cup, and took a sip, grimacing from the heat.

Tian Sui'er chuckled at his antics, then forced herself to suppress it, put her hands in her cotton-padded jacket pockets, leaned against the stove, and looked down at him.

Jinye held his water glass, chuckling foolishly, his eyes sneaking upwards, meeting Ueda Sui's gaze.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then simultaneously turned their faces away.

Something seemed to be quietly fermenting in the air, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, making me unsure of what to do with my hands and feet.

When have the two of them ever been so reserved in their usual way of getting along?

In the past, Renye would enter Tian Sui'er's house more casually than his own. He would never knock, just shout "Sui'er" and push the door open, then collapse onto her bed. Tian Sui'er never held back, scolding and beating him as she pleased. It was common for her to grab a broom and kick him out, but less than ten minutes later, he would reappear at the door with a grin.

"Um..." Renye cleared his throat, "Where's your old-fashioned bicycle?"

"Downstairs." Tian Sui'er tilted her chin towards the window. "The tire is flat."

"Where's the air pump?"

"I don't know where my dad put it."

Renye said "Oh," and then, trying to make conversation, said, "I have some at home, I'll go get some later."

Tian Sui'er finally couldn't hold back any longer and glanced at him: "What do you need a car for?"

"It's nothing, I'm just going for a walk." Renye put down his water glass, leaned back in his chair, and looked quite relaxed, but he was actually very anxious inside.

Tian Sui'er didn't reply, looking down at her toes, lost in thought.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, asking casually, "Where do you plan to earn that money?"

Renye's heart skipped a beat.

That's exactly what he was waiting for.

But instead of answering immediately, he deliberately shook his head, sighed, and pretended to be at a loss: "I haven't thought about it yet."

Tian Sui'er's brows immediately furrowed.

She bit her lip, looking disappointed in him.

Looking at her like this, Renye suddenly felt a little soft-hearted.

She was the one who suffered the most in that farce a few days ago. A perfectly innocent girl was dragged into rumors and gossip for no reason, pointed at and talked about by everyone in the residential compound, and had to endure so much grumbling and grievances behind her back.

Even though it was his fault, she didn't blame him at all. Instead of distancing herself or complaining, she even worried about raising the bride price for him for three months. Thinking of this, Renye felt both guilty and warm.

"You wait."

Tian Sui'er left a sentence behind and turned to go into the inner room.

Renye heard the sound of a drawer being pulled open, followed by the rustling sound of something being rummaged through. After a while, she came out, carrying an iron box in her arms.

This box is the one Tian Sui'er uses to store her "treasures." It turns out it was a cookie box that Ren Ye gave her years ago. The tin box has a peony pattern printed on it, and the paint on the corners is chipped off. When I used to visit her house, she never let me touch it.

Renye stared at the metal box and couldn't help but tease, "You used to cherish this box more than your own life. What treasures are inside? You never let me touch it before, so why did you take it out today?"

Tian Sui'er didn't answer him. She put the iron box on the table and opened the lid.

Inside, there was a neatly stacked pile of money, including several ten-yuan notes, five-yuan notes, two-yuan notes, and even a few small bills and coins. It was stacked so neatly that it was clear that it had been counted several times.

She reached inside, gathered all the money together, quickly counted it twice with her fingertips, and without saying a word, gently pushed the neatly stacked wad of money in front of Renye.

"That's exactly seventy-three yuan." Tian Sui'er looked at him. "This is all my New Year's money and what I've saved from working lately. Take it first. Don't spend it recklessly, understand?"

Renye stared at the stack of money on the table, and his nose suddenly felt sore.

Seventy-three yuan.

He knew better than anyone that Tian Sui'er was still a full-time employee in the propaganda department, and her monthly salary was only a little over twenty yuan, at most less than twenty-five.

She needed to eat in the cafeteria, buy clothes, and pay her tour fee. As a young woman at the age where she should be looking good, she couldn't even bear to buy a box of face cream and was using the cheapest kind of clam oil. She had saved up for who knows how long and gave all seventy-three yuan to herself without a second thought.

Renye raised his head, looked into her eyes, and said, word by word, "Take this money back."

"what--"

"Let me finish," Renye interrupted her, unusually serious. "I told you before, three months, three turns and one sound, ten tables of banquet, that wasn't bragging, I meant it."

"But what about me taking your money? Does Renye expect his wife to pay for her own dowry when he gets married? That's ridiculous."

Tian Sui'er felt a warmth in her heart at his words, but she remained outwardly composed, urging him firmly, "Just take it if I give it to you, why are you asking so many questions?"

Seeing her stubborn yet soft-hearted demeanor, Renye felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He looked up at her with a grin and said, "You really want to marry me that much?"

Tian Sui'er's face flushed red instantly. She grabbed the money on the table and shoved it into his arms: "Are you trying to kill me?! Who wants to marry you! I'm just afraid you'll get arrested!"

"So you're worried about me?"

"I'm worried about you my foot!" Tian Sui'er stomped her foot angrily. "Renye, let me tell you, if you go to jail because of this, what will your parents do? Think about them, stop being a good-for-nothing and living a lazy, irresponsible life!"

Renye stopped laughing.

He looked down at the crumpled banknotes in his arms, which still retained a trace of warmth from Tian Sui'er's palm.

Seventy-three yuan.

In his past life, he owed her far more than seventy-three yuan. It was a life, a debt he could never repay in this lifetime.

"Sui'er".

Tian Sui'er turned her face away and ignored him.

"That day...didn't you care about your reputation?"

Tian Sui'er was stunned for a moment.

She had thought about this problem before.

That day, in front of the entire hospital, he admitted that he was indecent and that he had seduced Jinye, which was tantamount to gambling his entire reputation.

In this day and age, if a young woman speaks like this, she'll be drowned in spittle.

It's not that she wasn't afraid.

More than her own reputation, she was terrified that Jinye would go to jail. If he got a few years in prison, his life would be ruined. His father had mobility issues, and his mother worked herself to the bone in the cafeteria; the family would collapse.

As for reputation, that's something I only realized was scary later.

"I'm asking you a question," Jinye's voice rang out again.

Tian Sui'er gritted her teeth, turned to look at him, hands on her hips, with an arrogant air: "What about my reputation? I, Tian Sui'er, have done nothing wrong, why would I be afraid of gossip?"

Looking at her stubborn appearance, Renye felt as if something had hit him hard in the heart.

What he really wanted to ask wasn't fame.

"So, do you want to marry me?"

Tian Sui'er's face turned red again, even redder than before, and her neck even turned pink.

She opened her mouth, then punched Renye hard in the face: "Are you trying to die?! I'm your boss!"

Tian Sui'er suddenly reached out and pushed him, her voice urgent and panicked, "You, you should leave right now!"

Renye stumbled a couple of steps after being pushed by her, still clutching the wad of money in his arms, and said, both amused and exasperated, "Sui'er, Sui'er! I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"I'm not listening! Get out of here!"

"Are you willing to marry me or not?"

"Marry you, you big idiot! Get lost!"

With a "bang," the door slammed shut behind us.

Renye stood in the stairwell, still clutching the seventy-three yuan in his hand. He looked down at it for a while, then suddenly smiled.

As she laughed, tears welled up in her eyes.

Looking back on my past and present lives, I realize that in this world, even with countless people coming and going, there will always be one person who will give their all for you, without asking whether it's worth it.

When he got downstairs, he looked up at the second-floor window.

Tian Sui'er was standing by the window, looking at him through the glass.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then she quickly pulled the curtains shut.

With a hint of slyness, Renye shouted towards the window, "Comrade Sui'er! You look really handsome today!"

After shouting, under the meaningful gazes of a group of aunties and grandmas, he climbed onto the old-fashioned bicycle, whistling off-key, and wobbled out of the residential compound.