Black Gold 1983

Ren Ye's heart sank. His mind was completely occupied with the distraught and helpless Tian Sui'er in the broadcasting room; he had no time for anything else and immediately wanted to push him away.

"Xiaojun, wait a moment. I have something more important to do right now. Wait here for me, and we'll talk later."

As he spoke, he turned the handlebars to walk around him and move forward.

But Ma Xiaojun wouldn't let go, gripping the handlebars with all his might, and said urgently:

"Brother Ye! We can't wait any longer! This is more serious than you think, a matter of life and death! You have to come with me to see this!"

Upon seeing this, Renye's expression suddenly hardened, his brows furrowing tightly as he asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened?"

Ma Xiaojun swallowed hard, glanced around, leaned close to his ear, and whispered in a frighteningly serious tone:

"Just a few days ago, some of the elders in my family heard that there was coking coal beneath the West No. 2 mine, so they thought they'd secretly go down into the mine to investigate the coal seams. But who knew..."

Ma Xiaojun stammered, clearly quite surprised.

Renye frowned and pressed, "What exactly happened?"

"They...they dug up a woman's corpse down there!"

Renye's heart sank, and his face instantly darkened.

A female corpse? How could there possibly be a female corpse there?

Three years ago, during the roof collapse accident in the West No. 2 mining area, all the victims were male miners. Moreover, after the accident, the rescuers had already cleaned up all the bodies of the victims. How could there be a female corpse?

He subconsciously glanced at the mine building. It was lunchtime, and employees were coming out of the building in twos and threes. The place was noisy and bustling with people.

Renye quickly calculated in his mind that the coking coal in the West Second Mining Area was a path he had long been eyeing. It was the only excellent way for him to accumulate his first pot of gold and build up his confidence, and it was also the fundamental reliance for him to truly gain a foothold and protect Tian Suier.

This matter cannot afford to go wrong in the slightest, otherwise all his plans will be ruined!

He gritted his teeth and made a decision in an instant: he could only suppress the thought of going to find Tian Sui'er for the time being.

With a determined look, he turned to Ma Xiaojun and said in a deep voice, "Let's go to Shigou Village!"

-

The mining area canteen is a typical old Soviet-style building with a faded red five-pointed star above the door and the eight characters "Develop the economy and ensure supply" painted on the walls on both sides.

The entire Hongxing Mine factory area and its residential buildings are mostly in this Soviet style.

This is mainly because in the 1950s, the Soviet Union assisted in the construction of many domestic industrial and mining projects, which also brought Soviet architectural style.

These buildings are also known as "tube buildings" by the locals. They were built in large numbers and became widespread in the past to solve the problem of housing shortage for employees.

The layout consisted of a long corridor in the middle, with single rooms arranged on both sides. Each family lived in their own small room, while the kitchen, water room, and toilet were all shared. The entire building was crammed together, with people living a communal life with no privacy whatsoever.

Industry insiders say that this style originated from the Soviet Union's "Khrushchev House".

State-owned coal mines are key industrial units. They were planned and built in a unified manner in the past, and have used this architectural layout ever since, without changing their appearance for decades.

To the left of the entrance to the mining area canteen is a row of food serving windows, with today's prices posted on the glass: steamed buns for 3 cents, rice for 5 cents, cabbage stew with vermicelli for 10 cents, and braised pork for 35 cents.

It was lunchtime, and the cafeteria was bustling with noise.

The miners, in twos and threes, carrying enamel mugs, found places to sit down.

Hongxing Mine had a large, unified canteen where miners, clerks, and cadres all ate in one place, emphasizing the principle of "unity between officers and soldiers, with no distinction between high and low ranks."

Tian Sui'er also carried an enamel mug and came in from the cafeteria entrance with Zhou Shuyao.

Zhou Shuyao is a typist in the publicity department. She and Tian Suier entered the mine in the same year and their workstations are next to each other. The two are best friends who can talk about anything.

The girl had a round face, wore two shoulder-length braids, and had large, round eyes. She exuded an air of wealth and nobility.

As soon as the two stepped into the cafeteria, the previously noisy atmosphere in the hall suddenly quieted down for a moment.

The feeling was subtle, followed by a murmur of whispers that surged up from all directions like a tide.

"Look, that's Tian Sui'er! The announcer from the propaganda department who just apologized on the radio!"

"Tsk tsk, she usually seems like a very proper girl, I never expected this..."

"Keep your voice down, don't let her hear! But seriously, how can such a nice young lady be so foolish? Why not live a peaceful life instead of getting involved in all this mess?"

"Who knows? Maybe he was fooled by that kid Renye. After all, Renye is really handsome, and there are so many girls in the mine eyeing him."

"What's the use of being handsome? He doesn't have a proper job, he's just a petty thug. What kind of good life can you expect with him?"

"That's right. Quitting this job means losing your job and your reputation. How can you ever hold your head up in the mine again?"

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Tian Sui'er to hear.

Zhou Shuyao's face turned pale, her eyes darting to the side, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

She stole a glance at Tian Sui'er, only to find that the person in question remained expressionless and unfazed.

"Sui'er, how about... we pack it up and take it home to eat?" Zhou Shuyao suggested softly.

"No need." Tian Sui'er handed the enamel mug to the food serving window with a warm smile: "Master Zhang, two servings of cabbage stew with vermicelli and four steamed buns."

The man serving food, Mr. Zhang, was an old man in his fifties. He was in the same work group as Li Yue'e and had worked in the canteen for most of his life. He had seen all kinds of things.

He deftly scooped up two spoonfuls of vegetables, then picked up four large white steamed buns and handed them out, saying casually, "Don't take it to heart, people can say whatever they want."

Tian Sui'er smiled and said, "Thank you, Master Zhang."

The two of them, carrying their enamel mugs, found a corner against the wall and sat down.

Zhou Shuyao poked at the rice noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks, glancing at Tian Sui'er every now and then, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Say what you want to say, isn't it uncomfortable to keep it to yourself?" Tian Sui'er took a bite of her steamed bun, her cheeks puffed out, making her look even cuter than usual.

Looking at Tian Sui'er's calm and nonchalant demeanor, Zhou Shuyao felt even more suffocated.

For several days in a row, troubles continued to arise one after another.

Just now, she was forced to admit her mistake on the radio and even resigned from her broadcasting job, which she had finally managed to establish herself.

Others just thought she was thick-skinned and didn't care about gossip, but only Zhou Shuyao knew that Tian Sui'er was proud and strong-willed at heart.

The more calm and easygoing she pretended to be, the more nonchalant her smile, the more aggrieved she felt inside. She was just putting on a brave face and refusing to show any weakness in front of others.

Zhou Shuyao hesitated for a moment, then placed her chopsticks on the rim of her bowl and leaned closer: "Sui'er, tell me the truth, what exactly happened between you and Renye? Did you really...do that?"