Black Gold 1983

Chapter 84

"Dad, you don't do any work, what are you doing here every day?" Renye handed him a bowl of water.

Ren Shouyi took the bowl, drank a sip, and handed it back to him. "It makes me feel at ease."

On April 5th, Tian Sui'er arrived. She was wearing a floral shirt, her hair tied in a ponytail, and carrying a cloth bag. She stood in front of the coal washing plant construction site, looking at the brand-new equipment. Ren Ye came out of the shed and walked to her side.

"Why are you here?"

Tian Sui'er handed him the cloth bag. "These are spring pancakes my mom made. It's spring now, so you can try them."

Renye took the pancake and opened it. Inside was a thick stack of spring pancakes, golden brown and steaming hot. Next to it was a small dish of stir-fried mixed vegetables: mung bean sprouts, glass noodles, chives, and shredded egg mixed together, a colorful and appetizing sight. He picked up a spring pancake, added some mixed vegetables with his chopsticks, rolled it up, and popped it into his mouth. The pancake was soft and chewy, the mixed vegetables were crisp and fragrant, and the combination of flavors was so delicious that he squinted his eyes.

Tian Sui'er watched him eat, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Is it good?"

Renye nodded, swallowed the pancake in his mouth, and picked up another one. "Your mother's cooking is unparalleled."

Tian Sui'er snatched a pancake from his hand, rolled one up herself, took a small bite, chewed it, and nodded. The two of them squatted beside the coal pile and finished the stack of spring pancakes and mixed vegetables. Hu Xianfeng squatted beside them, watching longingly, while Ma Xiaojun peeked out from behind the coal pile and carried it away.

"Renye, I've registered." Tian Suier's voice was soft.

"A university in the provincial capital?"

"Yes. Chinese Literature major."

Renye nodded, took a cigarette out of his pocket, glanced at Tian Suier, and then put it back. Tian Suier saw this and her lips curled up slightly. "Smoke if you want, I'm not stopping you."

Renye took out the cigarette again, lit it, and took a drag. The smoke dissipated in the wind. The two of them squatted beside the coal pile, looking at the coal washing plant construction site in the distance, and at the equipment that gleamed in the setting sun.

"Jinye, do you think I can pass the exam?"

Renye took the cigarette from his lips and squeezed it in his hand. "Yes."

Tian Sui'er turned to look at him, something flashing in her eyes. "Are you so sure?"

Renye nodded. "You've always been a good student, one of the top students in the family compound. Getting into university won't be a problem."

Tian Sui'er didn't speak, turning her gaze away and looking into the distance again. The setting sun cast a rosy glow on her profile, like a layer of rouge.

On April 10th, the coal washing plant began trial operation. Engineer Li led the construction team in final adjustments, while Renye stood beside the equipment, a notebook clutched in his hand, meticulously recording every data point. They ran through each process: feeding, washing, dewatering, and discharging. When the first truckload of clean coal came out, Renye squatted down and grabbed a handful. The coal was black, but not a jet black; it was a glossy black, like black jade, with uniform particles, dry and crisp.

"Good coal." Engineer Li, standing next to him, also squatted down, grabbed a handful, and rubbed it in his hands. "The ash content is less than 10%, the sulfur content is less than 0.5%, and the caking index is over 90. This is the level of grade II coking coal."

Renye put the coal back on the conveyor belt, clapped his hands, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. The smoke spread through the factory, mixed with the smell of coal dust.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Li."

Engineer Li waved his hand. "It's not hard work. Your mine is the most well-managed small coal mine I've ever seen. Safety, quality, and management are all better than many state-owned mines."

On April 15th, the first truckload of refined coal left the factory. The trucks were from the provincial steel plant, having come all the way. The driver, a seasoned veteran in his forties, had been waiting at the gate for most of the day, unhurried and calm, squatting by the roadside drinking tea from his thermos. Renye stood beside the coal pile, watching the loader load the refined coal onto the truck, bucket by bucket. Ma Tiejun kept track of the counts in his notebook, writing neatly stroke by stroke. Ma Xiaojun stood beside him, holding Hu Xianfeng, his eyes fixed on the loader.

The truck was full, and the driver climbed into the cab to start the engine. Renye walked over, took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed it to the driver. "Thank you for your hard work, sir."

The driver took the cigarette, tucked it behind his ear, and grinned. "Boss Ren, this coal is good. I'll be a regular customer."

The truck drove away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Renye stood by the well, watching the truck disappear at the end of the dirt road. Renshouyi came out of the shed and stood beside him, also looking in the direction the truck had disappeared.

"Dad, the refined coal has been sold."

Ren Shouyi nodded, took the cigarette from his mouth, and stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe. "Okay."

On April 20th, the shareholders' meeting was held in the West Second Mining Area. The main room of Ma Dewang's house was packed with people, even more than last time, including several new shareholders from the neighboring village. Ren Ye stood by the octagonal table and told everyone the news that the coal washing plant had started production.

"The price of refined coal is twice that of raw coal. Starting this month, our income will double. The year-end bonus will also double."

The main room fell silent for a moment, then someone started clapping. The clapping went from sporadic to a loud crackling, and finally became a continuous burst, like the sound of firecrackers during the Lunar New Year.

Ma Xiaojun, carrying Hu Xianfeng, weaved through the crowd, shouting "We're rich! We're rich!" Hu Xianfeng squealed from being shaken. Ma Tiejun grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits, revealing all his yellow teeth. Ma Dehou squatted on the threshold, a pipe dangling from his lips, a faint but genuine smile on his face, his squinting eyes gleaming.

Ma Maocai sat in the front row, clapping and smiling. His smile was hearty, but his eyes were a little red.

Ma Dewang stood at the back of the crowd, a pipe dangling from his lips, squinting at them. He took the pipe out of his mouth and tapped it on the sole of his shoe. The noise in the main room gradually subsided, and everyone's eyes fell on Ren Ye.

"Renye, say a few words." Ma Dewang's voice wasn't loud, but the room fell silent immediately.

Renye stood beside the octagonal table, looking at the people. His trousers were covered in mud, his rubber boots were covered in coal dust, and his fingernails were stuck with coal black that couldn't be washed off. He looked no different from the old miners who had worked underground all their lives. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and squeezed it in his hand.

"I said I would lead everyone to prosperity. And now, that promise still stands."

The main room fell silent for a moment. Then Ma Tiejun was the first to shout, "Follow Brother Ren!" followed by Ma Xiaojun, then the Ma Jianmin and Ma Jianshe brothers, and then many more people. The voices echoed from the main room, reverberating through the village lanes, startling a few sparrows from the locust tree outside the courtyard.

After the meeting, Renye left Ma Dewang's house; it was already dark. He stood under the big locust tree and lit the cigarette he was smoking. The moon was bright, shining on the village lanes and making the road surface appear gleaming white. In the distance, the winch at the West Second Well was still turning, the steel cable creaking and groaning, the sound carrying far on the night wind.

He stood there, gazing at the lights. The lights of the winch, the lights at the mine shaft, the lights of the coal washing plant, and the lights of the distant mining area, twinkling like a silver river inverted on the ground.

He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't turn around. The footsteps stopped behind him.

"Brother Ren." It was Ma Maocai's voice. Ren Ye turned around, and Ma Maocai stood behind him. The moonlight shone on his face, illuminating his expression clearly. He had lost a lot of weight, his cheekbones were prominent, and his eyes were sunken, but his gaze had changed; it was more composed and reassuring than before.

"Brother Maocai, what's wrong?"

Ma Maocai took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a drag. He looked down at his toes. "Brother Ren, I want to talk to you about something."

"you say."

"I'll never forget what I did last year. Thank you for letting me work in the mine."

Renye looked at him, took the cigarette from his lips, and patted him on the shoulder. "Brother Maocai, let's not talk about the past. Do a good job from now on."

Ma Maocai nodded, finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe, turned around and walked away. After a few steps, he stopped again without looking back.

"Brother Ren, my life is yours. If anything happens in the future, just say the word." He continued walking forward, his figure disappearing into the darkness of the village lane.

Renye stood under the big locust tree, finished his cigarette, and stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe. He turned and walked steadily toward the West Second Wellhead, taking long strides.

In late April, the coal washing plant officially went into operation. Truckloads of refined coal were being hauled away, and trucks from the provincial steel plant came and went. The drivers parked their trucks beside the coal piles, squatted in the shade, drinking tea and chatting, waiting to be loaded. Ma Xiaojun ran around with his notebook, noting down truck numbers, tonnage, and issuing tags, keeping himself extremely busy. Hu Xianfeng followed behind him, also panting heavily, his tongue lolling out.

Ma Dewang found a few more people from the village to help with the weighing, ticketing, and vehicle control, all in an orderly manner. Ma Decheng also came, helping to keep track of the numbers in the weighing room, his abacus clicking away quickly and accurately. He had worked in agriculture his whole life, never expecting that he could earn a wage at the mine in his old age, and the smile on his face never left his face.

When Renye came up from the mine, it was almost dark. He took his miner's lamp off his forehead and hung it on a pillar of the shed. Ren Shouyi sat by the stove, holding an enamel mug in his hands. The water in the mug had gone cold, but he didn't drink it; he just held it and looked outside the shed. Ma Dehou squatted beside him, smoking a pipe, his eyes squinting. Neither of them spoke; they just sat there like two stone statues.

"Dad, how many tons of refined coal did we produce today?"

Ren Shouyi put down the vat, picked up a notebook from the side, and looked at it. "One hundred and twenty tons."

Renye nodded, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. The smoke spread through the shed, mingling with the smell of coal fire from the stove.

Ma Dehou took the pipe out of his mouth and tapped it on the sole of his shoe. "Renye, we're almost through that hard rock in the mine. After we go through, the coal seam will be even thicker."

Renye squatted down beside him. "Uncle Dehou, how much longer?"

"Ten days to half a month. That rock isn't too hard, just thick. Drill holes, blast, and slowly gnaw it through. Once you get through it, it'll be fine."

Renye nodded and put the cigarette in his mouth.

On April 28th, someone came from the provincial steel plant. It was a purchasing manager surnamed Zhao, in his forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, wearing a gray-blue work uniform, a loud voice, and a laugh that sounded like thunder. He squatted down next to the coal pile, grabbed a handful of fine coal, rubbed it in his palm, and then brought it to his nose to smell it.

"Good coal." He put the coal down, clapped his hands, stood up and looked at Ren Ye. "Boss Ren, our factory wants to sign a long-term contract with you. We need two thousand tons a month."

Renye looked at him but didn't answer immediately. Two thousand tons; Xier's current monthly output is only a little over five thousand tons, and his family would account for nearly forty percent. It's not that they can't sign, but the terms need to be clearly negotiated.

"Section Chief Zhao, the contract can be signed. But there are three conditions."

Section Chief Zhao looked at him. "Go on."

"First, monthly settlement, no credit. Second, quality meets national standards, no downgrading or price reduction. Third, annual contracts, both parties have the right to choose."

After listening, Section Chief Zhao didn't hesitate and extended his hand. "Okay. We'll do it your way."

Renye grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly.

In early May, the West No. 2 Mining Area released its fifth monthly report. Production exceeded 6,000 tons, and revenue exceeded 400,000 yuan. Renye posted the report on the wall of Ma Dewang's main room, and the villagers gathered around to look at it, laughing, joking, and patting each other on the shoulder.

Ma Dewang stood at the back of the crowd, a pipe dangling from his lips, squinting at the monthly report. He took the pipe out of his mouth and tapped it on the sole of his shoe.

"Renye, when is the entrance exam for that university in the provincial capital?"

Renye knew he was asking about Tian Sui'er. "July 7th."

Ma Dewang nodded and put the pipe back in his mouth. "That girl is nice, don't waste her time."

Renye didn't speak, but felt a warmth spread through his heart.

On May 10th, they finally broke through the hard rock in the mine. Ma Tiejun climbed out, his face covered in coal dust, grinning, and said that the coal seam below was thicker than the one above, and the coal quality was better. Ren Ye followed him down the mine, squatted on the working face, and reached out to touch the newly exposed coal face. The coal was cool, hard, and rough, but the roughness was different from the coking coal above; it was finer, more oily, like touching a polished stone.

Ma Dehou squatted down beside him, a pipe dangling from his lips, squinting. "Good coal. Even better than the ones above."

Renye withdrew his hand and wiped it on his trouser leg. "Uncle Dehou, how long will this coal pile last us?"

Ma Dehou thought for a moment. "At the current pace, it should be fine in three to five years."

Renye nodded, stood up from the working face, and bent down to walk out along the alley. The alley was long, and it took him quite a while to reach the bottom of the well. The water at the bottom of the well had risen a bit more, reaching above his ankles. He gripped the rope and climbed up section by section, pushing off the well wall with his feet. The rope swayed, and the rubble and dirt on the well wall were kicked down by him, splashing into the water at the bottom of the well.

The higher you go, the brighter it gets, from the darkness at the bottom of the well to the brightness at the top, like climbing back to the human world from underground.