Black Gold 1983

"I don't know who she is," Ren Shouyi said, "but I do know that something happened to Han Changhe when he was at the Phoenix Mountain Mine."

Renye turned around.

"What is it?"

"I heard it from someone else. There was a female employee at the Phoenix Mountain Mine who was close to Han Changhe. Later, that woman got pregnant, but Han Changhe denied it. After that, that woman was transferred away, and I don't know where she went."

Renye's heart suddenly raced.

"When did this happen?"

"Back in the 1960s, before I was transferred to the Red Star Mine."

Renye quickly calculated in his mind. Han Tianfang was born in 1962. If that woman got pregnant sometime in the 1960s—

"Dad, what's the name of that female employee you mentioned?"

Ren Shouyi shook his head: "I don't know. I only heard about this from someone and didn't investigate further. But if you want to find out who that woman is, this lead might be helpful."

Renye closed the window and sat back down in his chair. He took out the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. The cigarette burned quickly, leaving ash all over the table, but he didn't flick it off.

Phoenix Mountain Mine. Female employee. Pregnant. Transferred.

These fragments spun, collided, and reassembled in his mind, piecing together a blurry outline. This outline contained the shadows of Han Changhe, Han Tianfang, and a woman—the woman who had been lying in the well for more than three years and whom Han Tianfang called "Mom."

He suddenly remembered something Han Tianfang had said: "Her surname is Gu, and her name is Gu Guihua."

Osmanthus. Osmanthus.

Renye silently repeated those words to himself, then stood up.

"Dad, I'm going out for a bit."

"Where to?"

"Let's go to Phoenix Mountain," Renye said. "First thing tomorrow morning."

The next morning, before dawn, Renye got up. Li Yue'e was already busy in the kitchen. Hearing him push open the door, she peeked out from beside the stove: "So early? Dinner isn't ready yet."

"I'm not eating anymore, let's get going." Renye grabbed a cold steamed bun from the table, stuffed it into his pocket, filled a thermos with water, and headed out.

Li Yue'e chased after him to the door: "Where are you going?"

Phoenix Mountain.

"What are you going there for?"

Renye didn't answer; he had already left the courtyard. Li Yue'e stood at the door, watching his back disappear into the alley, the spatula in her hand raised in mid-air, not lowering it for a long time.

It takes more than two hours to get from Hongxing Mine to Fenghuang Mountain. There are no direct buses; you have to go to the county town first, and then take a passing bus heading towards Fenghuang Mountain. When Renye arrived at the county town's long-distance bus station, he just caught the 8 o'clock bus.

The bus was an old-fashioned large passenger bus, painted blue and white, with a red cloth strip tied to the rearview mirror. The bus was packed with people—egg vendors, people carrying burlap sacks, people holding children—and the air was thick with the smells of gasoline and cigarettes. Renye squeezed to the last row and sat down by the window, took out a steamed bun, and ate a few bites with the cold water from his kettle.

The car swayed and bumped its way onto the road. The scenery outside the window changed from the county town to fields, from fields to hills, and from hills to low mountains. The closer we got to Phoenix Mountain, the more mountains there were, the narrower the road became, and the bumpier the ride became. On both sides of the hillside, every now and then we could see a pile of dark gray coal gangue, like scars on the earth.

Around 10 o'clock, the car stopped at a fork in the road. The driver called out, "We've arrived at Phoenix Mountain."

Renye got off the car and stood by the roadside, looking at the road he had come from and the road he had gone to. About three or four miles into the fork in the road, there was a cement road leading straight to the mine gate. Poplar trees were planted on both sides of the road, their trunks painted white and neatly arranged.

Phoenix Mountain Mine was much larger than Red Star Mine. The mine headquarters building was four stories high, with terrazzo exterior walls. The roads in the mining area were also wide, with many vehicles parked on both sides, including jeeps, trucks, and a small bread truck. Renye walked around the mining area, asked a few old workers, and found the mine's archives.

The archives were on the first floor of the mining department building. The door was open, and an old man with gray hair was sitting inside reading a newspaper. His reading glasses were perched on the tip of his nose, making it difficult for him to see.

Renye knocked twice on the door.

The old man looked up and glanced at him through his reading glasses: "Who are you looking for?"

"Master, I have something to ask you."

"What is it?"

Renye took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to the old man. The old man took it, looked at the brand, and his expression improved. Renye then took out a lighter and lit it for him.

"Master, how many years have you worked at the Phoenix Mountain Mine?"

"Me?" The old man exhaled a puff of smoke, thought for a moment, and said, "I entered the mine in 1962, so it's been twenty-one years now."

Twenty-one years. That's enough.

"Do you remember, back in the 1960s, there was a female worker at the mine, surnamed Gu, named Gu Guihua? She was quite pretty, with long hair, and not very tall." He gestured.

The old man squinted and thought for a long time, then shook his head: "There are too many female employees; how could I possibly remember them all?"

Renye didn't give up and asked from another angle: "Do you remember what happened at the mine in the 1960s? A female employee got close to a male employee, got pregnant, but the man denied it, and later the woman was transferred."

The old man's eyes suddenly lit up, not with the kind of "I remember now" kind of light, but with the kind of "Why are you asking this?" kind of wariness.

Why are you asking about this?

Seeing the old man's reaction, Renye knew what was going on.

"I am that woman's nephew. My family elders asked me to come and find out what exactly happened to my aunt back then."

The old man stared at him for a while, then stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, walked to the door, looked outside, and closed the door again.

"Are you really Gu Guihua's nephew?"

"Really."

The old man glanced at him again, his cloudy old eyes showing a hint of hesitation, a touch of reluctance, and something else that was hard to describe.

"You wait."

He walked to the filing cabinet, rummaged through the bottom drawer for a while, and pulled out a yellowed kraft paper envelope with frayed edges. He took the envelope out, placed it on the table, hesitated for a moment, and then pushed it towards Renye.

"These are some materials from back then. Before Gu Guihua was transferred, the mine made a file for her." He paused, his voice lowering, "Your aunt's matter was a taboo subject at the mine back then. No one mentioned it, and no one dared to mention it."

Renye opened the envelope. Inside were several yellowed sheets of paper, written in fountain pen with blue-black ink. Some parts had bled, but they were still legible.

The first one is an employee registration form with a black and white photo attached.

The woman in the photo is young, with long hair tied in two braids, and a bald forehead. Her eyes are not large, but they are very bright, and the corners of her mouth are slightly upturned, as if she is smiling, or as if she is holding back a laugh.

It's Gu Guihua.

The woman in that photo with Han Tianfang is the same person.

Renye shifted his gaze from the photograph and looked down. The registration form read: Gu Guihua, female, born in 1941, native of Qinshui County, southeastern Shanxi Province, started working in 1961, Fenghuangshan Mine Electromechanical Department, occupation: warehouse keeper.

He pulled out the second sheet of paper. It was a transfer order. In March 1967, Gu Guihua was transferred from Fenghuangshan Mine to another coal mine under the Jincheng Mining Bureau—not Hongxing Mine, but Wangtaipu Mine, which was not far from Fenghuangshan.

The third sheet of paper was a handwritten note, written in messy handwriting, from the archives at the time. It stated that after Gu Guihua was transferred, there were several exchanges of correspondence between Fenghuangshan Mine and Wangtaipu Mine, involving the transfer of Gu Guihua's personnel records. The last exchange was in 1968, and there are no further records after that.

Renye looked at the three pieces of paper several times before looking up.

"Master, may I take these materials with me?"

The old man's expression changed: "That won't do. These are the mine's files; if they're taken, I'll be held responsible."

"Then I'll make a copy."

The old man hesitated for a moment, then rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a ballpoint pen and some stationery, pushing them towards him.

Renye lay on the table, copying down every single piece of information from the registration form. He copied down the date, number, and destination unit of the transfer order as well. Finally, he copied the handwritten explanation word for word, even trying to imitate the messy handwriting.

After copying the last word, he put down the pen, folded the letter, and put it in his inner pocket.

"Thank you, sir."

The old man waved his hand, took the files back, locked them in the cabinet again, sat back down in his seat, picked up the newspaper, put on his reading glasses, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Renye walked to the door, then suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Master, I have one more question for you."

The old man peeked out from behind the newspaper.

When Gu Guihua was transferred, did she leave alone, or did she take her child with her?

The old man's hand trembled slightly, and the newspaper rustled. He lowered his head, as if he hadn't heard it, but Renye noticed that the old man's eyes behind his reading glasses glanced to the side, as if he were hiding something.

"Master craftsman?"

"I don't know," the old man said in a muffled voice. "It's not written in the file."

Renye knew he was lying. But he also knew that this was the limit of his questioning; pressing further would not only yield no results but also sever the connection.

"Thank you," he said.

After leaving the archives, Renye didn't rush off. He stood in the corridor of the mining department building, mentally reviewing the information he had just copied.

Gu Guihua was born in 1941 in Qinshui County. She started working in 1961 as a warehouse keeper in the electromechanical department of Fenghuangshan Mine. In 1967, she was transferred to Wangtaipu Mine. There are no records of her after 1968.

Han Tianfang was born in 1962. That is to say, Gu Guihua became pregnant and gave birth to Han Tianfang while working at the Fenghuangshan Mine. However, on Han Tianfang's birth certificate, the father's name is listed as "Han Changgen," a person who has already died.

Why register the child under the name of the deceased Han Changgen?

There are two possibilities. First, the child's biological father is indeed Han Changgen, but Han Changgen died before Han Tianfang was born, which doesn't match the timeline. Han Changgen died in a mine collapse in 1965, while Han Tianfang was born in 1962. It doesn't make sense for someone who has been dead for three years to be able to have a child.

The second possibility is that the child's biological father is someone else, and Gu Guihua, in order to protect this person, registered the child's father under the name of the deceased Han Changgen. A dead person will neither deny it nor come forward to claim responsibility. This is the safest option.

Who is that person?

Renye recalled what Ren Shouyi had said—there was a female employee at the Phoenix Mountain Mine who became close to Han Changhe and later got pregnant, but Han Changhe refused to acknowledge her.

He closed his eyes and aligned the timeline in his mind.

In 1961, Gu Guihua started working at the Fenghuangshan Mine. That same year, Han Changhe also started working there. Both were in the electromechanical department; one was a warehouse keeper, and the other was involved in electromechanical maintenance. It wasn't impossible for them to develop feelings for each other over time.

Han Tianfang was born in 1962. Gu Guihua wrote that the child's father was the deceased Han Changgen, thus deceiving everyone.

In 1965, Han Changgen died in a mine collapse. A dead man is even less likely to speak out.

In 1967, Gu Guihua was transferred from Fenghuangshan Mine to Wangtaipu Mine.

There are no records after 1968.

Then, as Han Tianfang had mentioned, Gu Guihua remarried Han Changhe, taking him with her. A widowed woman with a child marrying her husband's cousin wasn't unusual in the countryside. The villagers didn't think much of it or ask any questions.

But what if Han Changhe is Han Tianfang's biological father?

If he hadn't acknowledged Gu Guihua and her unborn child back then, forcing Gu Guihua to register the child under a dead person's name, and later married her for some reason—then the story would have a completely different interpretation.

He felt guilty towards Gu Guihua. He felt guilty towards Han Tianfang. This guilt made him take Gu Guihua in, yet he dared not openly settle her; it made him raise Han Tianfang, yet he dared not acknowledge him as his son.

This guilt led him to hide Gu Guihua in the underground chamber of the mine, in the darkness, for nearly a month, until the West Second Well was sealed, until the roof collapsed, until it was all too late.

Renye opened his eyes and mentally pieced together the fragments. Some parts were still missing, and some were incomplete, but the general outline had emerged.

He took the letter out of his inner pocket and read the words again. Gu Guihua, Qinshui, 1941. He memorized those words, then folded the letter and put it back in his pocket.

-

The loudspeaker at Fenghuangshan Mine came on; it was exactly twelve o'clock.

Renye walked out of the mining headquarters building and stood on the steps, looking at this unfamiliar mining area. In the distance, miners emerged from the mine shaft, wearing hard hats, their faces so black they were unrecognizable. Closer by, female workers carried lunchboxes towards the canteen, chatting and laughing.

He thought of Tian Sui'er.

I remember her standing at the foot of the wall, saying, "I've come to see for her." I remember her squatting in front of the new grave on the back hill, gently placing a stone down. I remember her standing at the entrance of the family compound, saying in the darkness, "I won't tell anyone about tonight's events."

He took out the nearly empty pack of cigarettes and put it back.

Then he walked down the steps and headed out of the mining area.

Next stop, Wangtaipu Mine.