My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 16 Why?
Zhou Jingming wasn't particularly familiar with Altan County; he had only passed through it twice and stayed for several days when he was working on exploration projects in the Altai Mountains.

Moreover, for him, those were memories from decades ago.

He simply understands the customs and culture of northern Xinjiang better than many people from inland China.

They asked Uncle Weimin by the roadside for directions to two hotels and found that they were not too far from the town center. He led Wu Yang along the path Uncle Weimin pointed out, looking around as they went, until they found the hotels.

The first place we went to was the Ayina Hotel.

Many hotels and restaurants in northern Xinjiang are named in Uyghur or Kazakh languages.

Ayina is originally a Kazakh word. Through the intermingling of languages, it was also absorbed by Uyghur. The literal translation is glass or crystal. When used as a given name, it signifies beauty.

The other hotel's name, "Serim," means peace.

In reality, Ayina Hotel is just a larger traditional house with earthen walls and rough wood; everything looks old and worn.

Zhou Jingming was the first to enter the open courtyard. The first thing he saw was a rough wooden grape trellis with grapevines that had not yet sprouted. It was nothing special, but in the summer, it would be a lush green courtyard full of delightful grapes.

Right there in the "Six Sticks" carriage under the grape trellis, a bearded man sat with a Red Lotus cigarette dangling from his lips, talking to someone: "What's your name? Where are you from? Have you ever worked in the mountains before?"

Alright, no need to go into the hotel to look for people anymore.

This is obviously the team that came out of the bottom group to make money.

Recruiting gold prospectors to form a team inevitably involves gathering information and investigating their background; those who invest capital are always cautious about this.

The person being questioned was a young man in his twenties. He had entered the Ayina Hotel before Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang. The two of them saw him looking around in front of the hotel when they were on the street outside. He only entered the hotel courtyard when he saw Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang approaching.

He seemed a little nervous, but more anxious: "My name is Xu Youliang. I'm from Longnan. I used to farm in the countryside. My hometown was too poor, so I had to come out to make a living. Many people from my hometown come to northern Xinjiang to seek their fortune, so I came along. This is my first time here."

There were eight of us who came together. When we were changing trains in Wucheng, I went to buy food and got separated from them.

I came here to make a living, and I had to sell my belongings and borrow from relatives to barely scrape together enough for the travel expenses... Having come this far, I definitely can't turn back.

All I remember is that they said they were coming to Altan and asked for directions before taking the bus here. But it's been three days, and I've searched the whole town but still can't find them.

"Uncle, I don't know anything, and I'm broke. I've been sleeping in a cramped corner for the past two nights... I'm young and strong, I can work, and I'm obedient. As long as I can get some food and earn some money, I'll do anything. Uncle, please let me stay!"

Such experiences are common for rural people who are traveling far from home for the first time and know nothing about it.

The middle-aged man scrutinized him for a moment: "Why are you calling me 'uncle'? Call me 'brother'! I'm only thirty-two!"

He said he was only thirty-two years old, which surprised even Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang. With his unshaven beard and gray hair, he looked more like forty-six.

However, his dark and dry face clearly showed that he had been exposed to the wind and sun for a long time and must have spent a lot of time in the mountains and fields.

The only thing that might prove he's still young is his robust physique.

When Zhou Jingming returned to Sichuan, his skin wasn't much better than Zhou's. However, the air in Sichuan was humid and the climate was pleasant. After staying at home for a long time, his skin became much whiter and smoother.

Xu Youliang hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Yes, yes, yes... Big Brother!"

"The team also needs able-bodied young men to contribute. Since you said you're obedient and willing to work hard, and we're from the same hometown, let's keep you here and see how you perform in the future!"

"I'll definitely do my best!"

Xu Youliang was overjoyed to be allowed to stay.

The burly man then looked at Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang, who were standing to the side listening: "Are you here to find a team too?"

Zhou Jingming nodded and then asked, "What is your surname?"

The burly man was straightforward: "My name is Peng Yuanchao, from Longzhong. I got into some trouble before, got into a fight, and crippled a few people. I don't know if any of them died. I ran away and spent a few years panning for gold in the Xihai area. I made some money, and this year I came to Altan to form a team and want to do things on my own!"

When Peng Yuanchao recruits people to form a team, he needs to have a basic understanding of those who want to join and select the best. Similarly, those who want to join the team to make money also need to know some details about the leader in order to determine whether they can follow him and whether he is reliable.

The burly, dark-skinned man said he had experience in gold panning, implying he was skilled. He claimed to have fought with people and even crippled several, seemingly oblivious to their fate, all to prove he was fearless and unafraid of trouble… In reality, most gold panners in groups gave similar stories, all wanting to demonstrate their abilities.

In this world, what matters is "ability".

Regardless of whether his claims about "ability" are true or not, they at least demonstrate an attitude.

As the leader, one must be able to handle things and resolve disputes.

This is actually a deterrent to team members, establishing a tough image so that subordinates dare not provoke them easily, and making their words more binding.

As the person who provided the initial investment, he needed this kind of authority.

Otherwise, it's common to find that if you try to recruit a group of people and bring them into the mountains, the team will eventually fall apart and you'll end up losing everything.

These things about the burly, dark-skinned man are impossible to verify, and there's neither the time nor the energy to verify them. Ultimately, they're just something he said offhand, so just take it with a grain of salt.

Zhou Jingming smiled slightly: "My name is Zhou Jingming. I'm from Sichuan. The brother with me is someone I met on the road. His name is Wu Yang. He's from a rural area in western Hunan."

"What did you do before?"

Peng Yuanchao scrutinized the two men.

Zhou Jingming took out his old work ID from the geological team and handed it over: "I used to do geological exploration, but now I'm on unpaid leave to make a living."

Peng Yuanchao took the work permit, opened it, and looked at it with suspicion: "Is it real?"

Zhou Jingming reached out and took the work permit back: "Believe it or not, it's up to you."

Wu Yang, however, looked somewhat surprised after seeing Zhou Jingming's work ID: "Brother Zhou, you're in geological exploration!"

"I just resigned before the Lunar New Year. I was with the Wucheng Geological Team and had been here for a few years."

"No wonder you're so familiar with this place!"

"Okay!"

Zhou Jingming stuffed his work ID back into his pocket, looked up at Peng Yuanchao who still seemed a little hesitant, and asked, "After you find some gold here, how are you going to divide it?"

“I plan to form a team of ten people, collect twelve grams of gold sand and then divide it up. I will get three grams, and the other nine people will each get one gram.”

Peng Yuanchao turned his head to the side and spat out the tobacco residue that was almost burning his lips: "I paid for it myself, so it's only right that I get a bigger share."

Zhou Jingming put forward his conditions: "If you want me, then we'll save up fifteen grams of gold and divide it once. I'll get three grams, just like you, my brother will get two grams, and the rest will each get one gram!"

Upon hearing this, Peng Yuanchao's eyes widened immediately: "You really dare to ask for that? The two of you want to split five grams at once, on what grounds?"

Zhou Jingming smiled faintly: "I know how to find gold seedlings, and I'm quite good at it!"

Having worked in exploration for so many years, he was very confident in his ability to find gold deposits.

"Do you think that since I'm the leader, I wouldn't even look for Jin Miao?"

Peng Yuanchao chuckled first, then hesitated for a moment: "Considering you worked in the geological team, I'll give you two grams at most. As for your brother, he's no different from anyone else, so he'll only get one gram."

"Wu Yang, let's go!"

Zhou Jingming greeted Wu Yang and turned to leave: "What the Northern Frontier has in abundance is gold-digging teams. We don't need them here, but there are always others who need them and are willing to pay the price. We earn our living through our own abilities, so we're not afraid of not having a place to go."

Without any hesitation, Wu Yang quickly followed Zhou Jingming.

Just as Zhou Jingming stepped out of the courtyard gate, Peng Yuanchao called out, "Wait..."

Zhou Jingming stopped in his tracks, a smile spreading across his face.

(End of this chapter)