Black Gold 1983

Renye knew in his heart that he was involved in Tian Suier's death.

After he went to prison, Tian Sui'er never had a good time at the mine.

Wherever she goes, people point fingers and whisper behind her back, saying she has a bad reputation, that she and Renye have an ambiguous relationship, and all sorts of other nasty things.

A young woman whose reputation is ruined will never be able to hold her head high, no matter where she goes.

But Xu Dongsheng still married her.

Outsiders all say that Xu Dongsheng is kind and righteous; anyone else would have broken off the engagement long ago.

But only Tian Sui'er herself knew what a fiery pit that marriage was.

Because Xu Dongsheng never believed that she and Renye were innocent.

In those years, gossip about the mine never stopped.

Some people say Tian Sui'er is a slut, others say she and Ren Ye have been sleeping together for a long time; the rumors are quite detailed.

Xu Dongsheng overheard this outside, and when he got home, he smashed things and broke bowls, forcing Sui'er to confess.

When Sui'er denied it, he attacked her.

One slap, two slaps, one punch, two punches.

After hitting her, he knelt down and cried, saying that he cared about her too much and that it was the gossip of outsiders that drove him crazy.

Tian Sui'er wanted a divorce, but in those days, divorce was not an easy thing to do.

Her family felt ashamed, her husband's family wouldn't let her go, and the people at the mine would only say she didn't know what was good for her.

Xu Dongsheng doesn't look down on you, that's already good enough, what more do you want?

She just endured it, year after year.

She finally couldn't take it anymore after Jinye was released from prison.

Xu Dongsheng had been drinking that day and had hit someone harder than ever before.

Tian Sui'er was beaten until her face was covered in blood. She ran out of her house and knocked on her neighbor's door, but the neighbor dared not take her in. Who would want to meddle in other people's business?

The last time she saw Jinye was during the moment she fell from the rooftop.

In his past life, Renye never dared to think about these things in detail.

It hurts so much, it hurts right to the bone, and just thinking about it makes it hard to breathe.

All he knew was that if he hadn't climbed into Tian Sui'er's bed back then, hadn't stabbed her in the room, and hadn't been sentenced to seven years for that stabbing, Sui'er wouldn't have been forced to marry Xu Dongsheng, wouldn't have been gossiped about, and wouldn't have died.

But he did them all anyway.

So he swore that no one would ever touch her again!

Renye suddenly snapped out of his reverie, immediately broke free from the two security officers, rushed forward and pulled Tian Sui'er into his arms, his neck stiff as he said, "That's right, Sui'er shouldn't have married him at all! This marriage is invalid! Since it's invalid, what law have we broken?"

This statement is illogical, yet it leaves one speechless.

Where is the unreasonableness? Today is the engagement day, the engagement day of Xu Dongsheng and Tian Suier.

Renye was caught red-handed in Tian Suier's bed. You slept with someone's fiancée on the day of their engagement party. Do you think that's illegal?

But where could he catch her? He held Tian Sui'er close, and Tian Sui'er didn't break free.

What does it mean when a girl is hugged in public and doesn't struggle? Doesn't it mean "he's right"?

The security guards want to arrest a hooligan, but the hooligan and the girl are mutually attracted. What do you think? Should they arrest the hooligan or not?

Ma Guoliang stood there stunned. He had worked in the security department for so many years, and he had arrested people who climbed over walls, committed incest, and fooled around in the wild, but this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

The victim didn't complain; instead, he spoke up for the perpetrator. The perpetrator refused to admit guilt; instead, he embraced the victim and acted self-righteously.

Tian Mancang saw this and was about to jump up and curse, but Ma Guoliang stopped him.

Renye then looked at Wang Xiuqin, a chilling sneer slowly spreading across his lips: "You rotten woman."

Wang Xiuqin's expression changed: "Who are you calling a brat?!"

"I'm telling you, you're a rotten woman!" Renye said, enunciating each word clearly. "Didn't you take bribes from the Xu family? You acted as matchmaker for Xu Dongsheng and Sui'er, and the Xu family promised to get your son a job as a personnel officer in the personnel department. Did you think I didn't know?"

These were things he only learned after he was released from prison. Back then, Xu Dongsheng's father, Xu Hongbing, held great power in personnel assessment.

Tian Mancang worked in the mine for many years, which resulted in a severe back injury. According to the mine's rules, front-line team leaders had to pass a physical fitness test every year. If they failed to meet the physical requirements, they would be immediately dismissed and have their salaries reduced, losing their secure jobs.

The Xu family had pinpointed the Tian family's Achilles' heel, using the "exemption from exams for work-related injuries" as leverage to force marriage. Tian Mancang and his wife had no choice but to agree to the marriage, but they didn't tell Tian Sui'er the truth, which resulted in Tian Sui'er vehemently refusing to agree to the marriage.

Unable to obtain what he desired, Xu Dongsheng secretly approached the sycophantic Wang Xiuqin, offering her benefits and promising to arrange for her son to work as a labor and personnel officer in the labor and personnel department. He then had her secretly expose all the difficulties faced by the Tian couple to Tian Sui'er.

It was this scheming and coercion that made the simple-minded Tian Sui'er realize the difficulties her family was facing. Forced into a corner, she had no choice but to tearfully compromise and agree to this engagement, which she had never been able to decide from beginning to end.

"You, you're talking nonsense! When did I—"

"When?" Renye sneered, "Xu Dongsheng's father is the head of the labor and personnel department, in charge of the entire mine's recruitment quota. Your son has been unemployed at the mine for three years without any job placement. Everyone knows what kind of person your son, Sun Eryong, is. If even he can become a labor and personnel officer, then the dogs in our compound can fly!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"So that's how Sun Eryong suddenly became the labor relations officer!"

"You bet! I was wondering last month, how could someone like Sun Eryong have an office job?"

Despite saying this, Renye did not reveal the truth, since it also involved the issue of Tian Mancang's exemption from the work injury exam.

Wang Xiuqin became agitated, stamped her foot, pointed at Renye, and cursed, "You, you're spouting nonsense! If it weren't for Sui'er liking Dongsheng, would this marriage have gone through with just my words? What a joke!"

"That's not wrong. If Sui'er didn't like Dongsheng, why would she agree to this marriage?"

"That's right, if Sui'er doesn't want to, who can force her to agree?"

The crowd began whispering again. If a young woman really didn't like someone, who would agree to an engagement?

That's enough.

Tian Mancang pushed through the crowd and stepped out.

"Dad..." Tian Sui'er called out with red eyes.

Tian Mancang patted her on the shoulder, indicating that it couldn't be hidden any longer, so he walked in front of everyone and said in a deep voice, "Sui'er doesn't like Dongsheng."

"This marriage was something her mother and I forced her to agree to."

A buzz of excitement erupted from the crowd.

"My back is bad. If I don't pass the physical exam at the mine this year, I'll lose my position as the captain of the third coal mining team."

"Xu Hongbing approached me privately and said that as long as our two families became related by marriage, he could use the excuse of a work injury to help me avoid the annual physical examination."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I'm over fifty this year. If I work as team leader for another three years, I can receive the retirement benefits of a senior technician. If I'm dismissed now, I'll lose almost thirty yuan a month. I still have elderly parents to support, and Sui'er's mother isn't in good health..."

His voice gradually lowered, as if he had aged a lot all of a sudden: "I am a father, but I am incompetent. I made my daughter take the blame for me."

Sui'er's mother stood to the side, tears streaming down her face. She covered her mouth with one hand and trembled all over as she cried.

Ren Shouyi and Li Yue'e also looked ashamed.

"Brother Mancang..."

Someone in the crowd called out; it was Aunt Zhao from the next building, and her eyes also reddened.

"Don't say that, everyone knows your family has it tough."

"That's right, Mancang, isn't that back injury from years of working in the mine? The mine should exempt you from the exam!"

"Everyone has a heart, how could anyone not understand you?"

A cacophony of voices rose up, devoid of the previous accusations and mockery, replaced entirely by heartache and sighs.

In those days, the state-owned mine family compound was a small world where human relationships intertwined.

Every household was struggling to make ends meet. They lived side by side, their doors close together, and their daily lives were filled with gossip and idle chatter.

Even the smallest things can be blown out of proportion, gossip can be hurtful, and people value face above all else. It's inevitable that neighbors will compare themselves to each other, argue, and spread rumors.

But the hearts of the workers at the bottom are soft after all. Everyone makes a living in the mine and understands the difficulties of having elderly parents and young children to support. When they encounter unavoidable hardships and grievances, all the harsh words and gossip they used to say will disappear, leaving only the most basic understanding and empathy among the workers at the bottom.

Tian Mancang didn't respond to anyone. He turned to look at Wang Xiuqin, his eyes filled not with anger, but with a heartbreaking helplessness.

"Sister-in-law Xiuqin, we've been keeping this from Sui'er because we were afraid she'd be upset if she found out. If you hadn't secretly told her, she wouldn't have agreed to this marriage."

Wang Xiuqin fell silent; she knew that what had happened today was beyond her tolerance.

Sui'er's mother, who was standing to the side, was already sobbing uncontrollably. She held Tian Sui'er's hand and cried out in a choked voice, "My Sui'er."

"It's all my fault... I shouldn't have pressured you, I shouldn't have said those things to you... You said you disagreed, and I said you were unfilial. I was so foolish..."