My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 19 Purchasing Materials
Peng Yuanchao's words were true; when panning for gold in the mountains, the one thing that's never lacking is people.

Tens of thousands of people flocked to the Altay region, but few of them truly knew how to find gold mines and were willing to invest their own money to build a team and become leaders. The vast majority were novices or farmers who knew nothing, and most of them came here as migrant workers.

Finding someone to join the team is an easy thing.

The reason why the man from Jincheng who just left questioned the contents of the agreement, as Peng Yuanchao said, was either that he himself had the idea of ​​breaking the rules and would do something like hoarding gold dust or stealing, or that he was soft-hearted and sympathized with the people who were being punished...

From any perspective, he gives the impression of being unreliable and indecisive.

Zhou Jingming didn't see anything wrong with him being driven away by Peng Yuanchao.

If he were to form his own team and become the leader, he wouldn't hire someone like that either.

In fact, before dinner, Peng Yuanchao went out for a short time and brought back another novice, a man from Yuanxiang named Sun Chenggui, who was practically a fellow townsman of Wu Yang.

After the agreement was reiterated, the person felt there were no problems, pressed their fingerprint on the agreement, and that was considered to have completed the team formation.

Peng Yuanchao was generous and had Ayina Hotel prepare a whole roasted lamb for the group that evening.

Altay is a pastoral area where herders often have hundreds or even thousands of sheep. Mutton is not expensive; you can buy a one-year-old Altay sheep for about 20 yuan. It weighs about 40 jin (20 kg). Even after removing the intestines and other parts, it still weighs more than 20 jin (10 kg), enough for ten people to have a hearty meal.

It's much more affordable than eating elaborate grilled lamb skewers.

Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang have been eating mutton in different ways these past two days, and they've gotten a little tired of it. After they've eaten their fill, they sit down and drink tea.

The few novices, mostly from impoverished backgrounds, rarely had the chance to eat such a delicious dish—crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, and with a fragrant aroma. They ate with greasy mouths and beaming faces, stuffing themselves to the brim.

When he felt his stomach was about to burst, he stood up, loosened his pockets, rubbed his belly, sat down, and continued eating until all the mutton was gone, leaving only some bone fragments.

Seeing that they had almost finished eating, Zhou Jingming asked, "Brother Peng, since you've already invested your own money to build this team, you must have already decided where to go to make your fortune?"

The route planning also needs to be discussed; we can't just blindly wander into the mountains.

"As I told you before, I was panning for gold in the West Sea a couple of years ago, so I'm not familiar with this area. After coming here, I asked around and decided to go upstream along the U River to the Burgen River!"

Peng Yuanchao looked up at Zhou Jingming: "You've worked in the geological team, so you should know the terrain of Altay better than I do. It still depends on you. If you have a better place to go, I'll listen to you. Anyway, you're in charge of finding Jinmiao."

Zhou Jingming stated frankly, "I do have a destination in mind: Xigou!"

"Xigou?"

Peng Yuanchao still didn't know the location Zhou Jingming mentioned: "Be more specific!"

Zhou Jingming nodded: "The Ertis River has two tributaries, the Haiertes River and the Kuertes River, which are the locations of the East Gully and the West Gully."

Locals usually refer to Xigou as the Fourth Mine, as it was originally part of the Altan Forest Farm.

To get to Xigou, you have to pass through Keketuhai, Tiemaike, and Laomaozizhuang, and then cross the Fourth Mine Bridge before entering the forest area.

"I know Koktokay, but what are Tiemake and Maozizhuang?"

Not only Peng Yuanchao, but also Wu Yang and others were looking at Zhou Jingming.

For them, these place names, which seem a bit difficult to pronounce, always feel mysterious and novel.

"Temek, which means tobacco in Kazakh, is where yellow tobacco, which was introduced from Russia, is grown. It is the same tobacco we smoke, and it is located west of Koktokay."

As for Lao Maozi Village... before liberation, the Russians were mining Mine No. 3. Drilling and supporting the ore body required a large amount of timber, and the Russians frequently hauled timber there, living and working there, hence the name Lao Maozi Village.

Zhou Jingming chose Xigou because after crossing the Fourth Mine Bridge, there were two roads to choose from. One road led straight to the Fourth Mine of Mine, and after passing through Tomarde, it led to Haxionggou, which he had been thinking about. The road conditions there were poor, and very few people went there.

Of course, Zhou Jingming did not plan to lead them directly to Haxionggou. Instead, he planned to go into the mountains along the Haiertes River, which was also a popular destination for gold prospectors going to Xigou.

We'll spend some time exploring the mountains there, getting to know the people in the team better, before deciding whether to go to Haxionggou.

Otherwise, it would be too undignified and not worth it to just rashly lead them to Haxionggou.

No matter how much you say, it's useless; you'll only know once you go there.

Peng Yuanchao didn't ask any more questions and immediately decided: "Let's do as you say and go to Xigou. I don't know much about Burgen River either. Going to a place you know is more reliable."

Professional matters should be done by professionals.

As the old saying goes, "If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you don't trust them, don't employ them." Since I've agreed to let you join the team, I have no choice but to trust you. Hearing Peng Yuanchao's words, Zhou Jingming couldn't help but think more highly of him.

As expected of a seasoned veteran who has panned for gold in the West Sea and dared to build his own team, although he may seem a bit tough on the outside but weak on the inside, his decisiveness is admirable.

Zhou Jingming nodded: "I won't let you down."

Once the matter was settled, Peng Yuanchao arranged for a group of people to stay at a hotel.

Early the next morning, he asked Zhou Jingming to go to Altan Station with him to find a bus. Fortunately, they found that the long-distance bus from Altan to Timak, which only runs about once a week, had a bus that morning around nine o'clock.

Peng Yuanchao quickly bought tickets for ten people and returned to the Ayina Hotel with Zhou Jingming, telling everyone to pack their things and get on the bus.

We passed through county towns along the way, and since we didn't have time to eat breakfast at a restaurant, we bought some naan bread from a stall and ate it slowly on the bus.

The journey was bumpy and swaying until it got dark before we finally arrived in Timak.

This place is also crowded with gold prospectors.

After searching around, the group couldn't find any guesthouses with available rooms, so they went to a nearby farmer's house and paid a small fee to find an empty stable.

The shed smelled awful, but it was still much better than sleeping on the streets, given the constant chill in the air.

Over the next three days, Zhou Jingming and Peng Yuanchao led a group of people to make purchases.

The items purchased were gold panning tools and food needed for living in the mountains for about half a year.

The sluices needed to rinse the river sand, the felt for settling gold dust, and the gold dusters used to shake and separate the fine sand and gold dust in the river are all essential.

To pan for gold, you inevitably have to work in the water. Rubber waders can keep you warm from the cold river water and make you a little more comfortable, so you need to buy a few sets.

We also need to prepare more steel chisels, shovels, and pickaxes needed for dredging river sand.

There are also carts needed to transport mud and sand.

In addition, the most important things are rice, flour, cooking oil, salt, brick tea, and tobacco, all of which are essential in the mountains.

Over the course of three days, we had prepared quite a few tools.

In gold panning areas, all the necessary gold panning tools are readily available, and many shops selling gold panning tools are run by experienced gold panners.

I bought over 300 kilograms of rice and flour. Things in northern Xinjiang are different from those in the interior; grains and similar items are sold by the kilogram.

A cart was filled with all sorts of odds and ends.

This was quite an expense, and Peng Yuanchao bought it even though it was a tough purchase.

Zhou Jingming noticed his embarrassment and joked, "Brother Peng, why don't we buy more felt? When we're panning for gold, we can just burn it to get the gold. It's convenient. Let me tell you, I'm an expert at burning felt."

Peng Yuanchao pulled out a pair of empty pockets that contained only some small scraps: "Brother, be careful, I've almost emptied my savings... How about you lend me some money?"

"Using this as a cover...that's a good idea!"

Zhou Jingming readily agreed.

Seeing Zhou Jingming agree so readily, Peng Yuanchao seemed somewhat incredulous, looking at Zhou Jingming with astonishment: "Really?"

"Of course it really is..."

Zhou Jingming laughed and said, "As long as you agree, when we divide the gold, you can give me an extra gram!"

Peng Yuanchao immediately rolled his eyes: "Get lost!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "We've almost finished buying everything. Tomorrow you'll come with me to the mountains to scout out the location."

Zhou Jingming nodded: "How about we buy a gun?"

This time, Peng Yuanchao didn't hesitate for long and replied, "Okay!"

He still had money hidden on him.

(End of this chapter)