Black Gold 1983

"It's all over, this marriage is probably going to fall through. Where will Section Chief Xu's family put their face now?"

"It's all that brat's fault! He swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of cat pee and doesn't even know who he is anymore!"

"What did I tell you? That kid from Lao Ren's family is a real handful! I've never let Jianguo play with him since he was little, look at him, look at him!"

"If word gets out, how will Sui'er ever face anyone again!"

The chattering voices seeped into the room through the thin door, each one more unpleasant and each one more hurtful than the last.

Then someone shouted, "The security guards are here!"

The crowd automatically made way for several security officers in gray-blue uniforms to stride in.

The one in the lead was surnamed Ma, named Ma Guoliang. He was the deputy head of the security section, around forty years old, with a square face and a very businesslike demeanor.

Without saying a word, the two officers behind him stepped forward and slammed the naked Renye onto the cement ground!

Renye's arm was twisted painfully, but he still kept yelling, "I haven't broken the law, why are you pressing me like that!"

Ma Guoliang ignored him and asked coldly, "The mine received reports from the public that someone is causing trouble in the staff and family compound and disrupting family harmony. I came to take a look."

In the 1980s, the security department of a large state-owned mine was not just for show; it wielded considerable power. It was staffed with strong, retired soldiers, armed with guns, batons, and handcuffs, patrolling 24 hours a day.

In the mining area, they can handle anything, from employee absenteeism and neighborhood fights to the illegal sale of mine materials. They can arrest people and deal with them directly. They are more authoritative than the local police station, and no one in the mine dares to challenge them.

Ma Guoliang glanced at Ren Ye, who was being restrained, with a serious expression, then looked at the slender Tian Sui'er and said in a deep voice, "Sui'er, tell me, what exactly happened?"

Wang Xiuqin, a gossip in the family compound, stood to one side, her bulky body leaning against the doorframe, and said in a sarcastic tone:

"Oh, Section Chief Ma, is that even a question? In broad daylight, a grown man barging naked into a young woman's bed—what is that if not indecent behavior?"

"Today is Dongsheng's real wedding day. If this gets out, where will Dongsheng put his face? And where will Section Chief Xu put his face?"

"Sui'er is such a good girl, and this little rascal has ruined her!"

"Sister-in-law Xiuqin, please shut up!" Sui'er's mother cried anxiously, wiping away tears. "Your shouting is making it impossible for Sui'er to face anyone!"

"I'll yell?" Wang Xiuqin's voice suddenly rose: "Sui'er's mother, don't be ungrateful! If I hadn't kindly introduced Sui'er to such a good match as Dongsheng, would your Sui'er have been able to marry Section Chief Xu? Now look what's happened at the engagement banquet, how am I supposed to explain this to Section Chief Xu?"

She curled her lip and added sarcastically, "Besides, who knows if this is the first time or..."

"Wang Xiuqin, shut up!" Sui'er's mother trembled with anger, pointing her finger at her nose and yelling, "My daughter is innocent! If you dare to throw dirty water on her, I'll fight you to the death!"

"I splashed dirty water?" Wang Xiuqin sneered, pointing at Tian Sui'er, who was sitting on the edge of the bed sobbing, and said loudly to everyone, "Everyone in this room saw it, why would I splash it?"

Ma Guoliang waved his hand, cutting off the two women's argument.

"Alright! Now that the facts are clear, I'll just take them away."

He glanced at Renye, who was pinned to the ground, shook his head, and said, "According to the rules for thug Z, he should be sentenced to at least three years."

No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a woman's desperate cry: "Don't arrest him! Don't arrest him, Section Chief Ma!"

Hearing the sound, everyone turned around and saw a middle-aged woman wearing a cafeteria apron, staggering as she squeezed through the crowd of onlookers. It was Renye's mother: Li Yue'e.

Behind him followed a man with a limp, who was none other than Ren Ye's father: Ren Shouyi.

Li Yue'e spotted Ren Ye, who was shirtless and pinned to the ground, and immediately knelt down with a thud.

"Section Chief Ma! Section Chief Ma, please have mercy!" Li Yue'e knelt on the ground and crawled forward two steps, grabbing Ma Guoliang's leg and bursting into tears.

"My son is so immature, he drank too much, he didn't do it on purpose, Section Chief Ma! He's only nineteen, he's still a child! You can't let him go to jail, if he goes to jail his life will be ruined, Section Chief Ma!"

Ma Guoliang was also taken aback for a moment, then quickly helped Li Yue'e up: "Sister-in-law Yue'e! What are you doing! Get up!"

Ren Shouyi, who was standing to the side, took out a crumpled cigarette box and offered a cigarette to Ma Guoliang: "Old Ma, the kid is being unreasonable, please be lenient with him..."

Ma Guoliang didn't take the cigarette, but his tone softened a bit: "Old Ren, it's not that I'm making things difficult for you, but you're a hero of our Hongxing Mine. You should know that right now the entire mine is striving to become an advanced collective, and we can't afford to relax our standards! Besides, today is Section Chief Xu's son's engagement banquet. Look at the mess this has made!"

Ma Guoliang was also from the mine, so he naturally knew how Ren Shouyi had become lame back then.

But public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. Today, everyone in the courtyard is watching. If he doesn't take the person away, how can the security department carry out its work in the future?

Seeing Li Yue'e rushing over in a disheveled state, pleading frantically, memories of her past life, long buried, surged up like a tidal wave. It was the same scene back then, when her mother had humbled herself and suffered all sorts of humiliation for her sake.

"Mom!" Renye's heart clenched suddenly, a surge of bitterness, guilt, and remorse overwhelmed him, making it hard for him to breathe.

"You brat! Your father and I scrimped and saved, worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk to raise you, and all you do is do this shameful thing! Who does Sui'er think she is? She's about to get married, but you just won't give up! You're dragging her into this mess! I'll beat you to death!"

She grew angrier with each curse and raised her hand to slap Renye across the face. Just then, Renye, who was being held firmly to the ground, suddenly exerted his strength and broke free from the restraints of the two security officers, grabbing Li Yue'e tightly in his arms.

Li Yue'e didn't react for a moment, her shouting stopped abruptly, and her hand, which was raised in mid-air, also froze.

Renye gently pressed his face against her shoulder and murmured, "Mom."

Having never seen her son like this before, Li Yue'e immediately realized something was wrong and gently pushed him away: "What's wrong, son? Have you been wronged?"

Renye smiled and shook his head: "No."

Decades have passed in the blink of an eye. The days of my previous life were too rushed. I was busy making money and making a living.

In the end, he was so busy that he couldn't even remember the exact day his parents left.

When I was young, I only thought about praying to gods and Buddhas, hoping that my parents would be free from illness and disaster and live a long and peaceful life.

When you finally achieve success, you realize that even the most efficacious incense cannot keep someone who wants to leave.

Now, seeing his parents standing safely in front of him again, Renye couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart. Perhaps it was the joy of finding what he had lost, or perhaps it was the peace of knowing that his heart had found its home.

"No?" Li Yue'e was a little confused. "Then you brat have let that girl down!"