Black Gold 1983

Tian Mancang's face darkened further: "Yue'e, Shouyi. It's not that I, Tian Mancang, look down on your family. I watched Renye grow up; he's a bit of a scoundrel, but he's not a bad person at heart. But that can't put food on the table! How will Sui'er survive with him?"

Ren Shouyi and Li Yue'e were at a loss for words, their faces showing only undisguised embarrassment.

Although weddings these days are not as extravagant as those around 2015, with sky-high dowries and exorbitant demands, they still have their own essential customs and traditions.

"Three turns and one sound" are standard; missing any one of them is considered undignified and disrespectful to the woman. Moreover, for the children of employees, weddings always involve a banquet in the company canteen, with whole fish and whole chickens being essential, along with bottled liquor, Double Happiness cigarettes, and White Rabbit milk candy to appease the children and make a good impression. Add to that new clothes for the couple and all sorts of miscellaneous expenses, and the whole process will cost at least seven or eight hundred yuan.

In the past, this amount of money wouldn't have been too difficult for their family.

Ren Shouyi used to be the captain of the second coal mining team. He was considered a key member of the mine. His monthly salary, including seniority allowance and down-the-mine subsidy, totaled more than 80 yuan.

In an era when the average monthly salary was around 40 to 60 yuan, this was considered a truly high-income group. Although the family wasn't extremely wealthy, they were still well-off and had no worries about food and clothing. During festivals, they could even buy Renye a new outfit, and they never had to worry about food or cloth coupons.

However, the dangers of mining coal need no further explanation. Collapses, roof falls, and gas leaks are common occurrences. Many miners risk their lives to earn a higher wage than ordinary workers, which is why the children of many mining college graduates live a much more comfortable life than the families of ordinary factory workers.

But his family's situation is not what it used to be. Forget about the three watches and one radio, they even have to scrape together the money to hold a banquet.

Three years ago, a major roof collapse occurred at the Hongxing Coal Mine. Ren Shouyi was hit in the right leg by falling coal while trying to evacuate his trapped coworkers, resulting in a lifelong disability. He had to retire early and can now only receive a monthly pension.

Li Yue'e works as a helper in the mine's canteen, earning only a little over 30 yuan a month. The couple's combined income is enough to support their family of three, but Ren Shouyi's leg injury is recurring year after year. On cloudy or rainy days, the pain is so severe that he breaks out in a cold sweat and can't live without medication. The family was already struggling financially, and this leg injury makes it even harder for them to make ends meet.

"Dad! Stop talking. This is between Renye and me. Why are you talking about Aunt Yue'e and Uncle Shouyi!"

Standing to the side, Tian Sui'er watched Ren Shouyi and Li Yue'e's embarrassed appearance, and felt a pang in her heart.

"Don't interrupt." Tian Mancang glared at her, then turned to Ren Shouyi: "Shouyi, I'm not trying to force your family. But Sui'er is my daughter, and I can't just watch her jump into a fire pit!"

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

Renye stood to the side, his fist clenched tightly, then slowly relaxed.

He gently exhaled and took a step forward.

"Uncle Mancang." The voice was very soft, but everyone looked at him.

"Three months."

"Give me three months. After three months, I, Renye, will definitely marry Sui'er in a grand and glorious ceremony. All the 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a set of traditional Chinese jewelry, watches, and radios) will be provided. The banquet will have ten tables. And whatever the Xu family gives in betrothal gifts, I'll double them!"

The room was quiet for a moment, then suddenly exploded with a buzz.

Three months? A three-wheeled vehicle and a radio? And it's doubled?

This kid is probably still drunk!

Wang Xiuqin was the first to laugh out loud: "Aye, don't blame Aunt Wang for scolding you. In three months, even if you stole or robbed, you wouldn't be able to scrape together enough money for a bicycle."

Several neighbors joined in the laughter, not out of malice, but simply because they enjoyed the spectacle.

"Xiuqin is right, Xiaoye's boast is indeed too much! A bicycle alone costs over a hundred, and with the three turns, a radio, and a banquet, that's no small sum!"

"Yes, it's good for young people to have ambition, but they can't just boast. If they can't deliver, they'll make a fool of themselves!"

Despite the ridicule from the crowd, Renye remained unperturbed and sneered, "Wang Xiuqin, I would never do something as shameless as stealing or robbing. Unlike you, who have nothing better to do than gossip about other people's business."

Wang Xiuqin's face flushed instantly. Just as she was about to retort, Renye interrupted her, saying, "Whether I can raise the money or not is none of your concern. But you should watch your mouth and stop gossiping all the time. Focus on managing your own family's finances first. If I manage to get married soon, even the kids at the table will complain about your nagging."

A low chuckle rose from the crowd again. Wang Xiuqin trembled with anger, pointed at Ren Ye, but couldn't utter a sound for a long time. She then turned to look at Tian Sui'er.

"Sui'er, your aunt is doing this for your own good. Section Chief Xu's family is well-off, and Dongsheng is honest and reliable. Don't be foolish enough to give up a golden opportunity and insist on following that wild boy Renye. You'll regret it later!"

Renye scoffed, "What you're saying is getting more and more outrageous. You've never even been with me, how do you know you'll regret it?"

"Hahaha!" The group laughed uncontrollably, and even the usually serious Ma Guoliang couldn't hold back anymore.

Wang Xiuqin's face darkened, and she pointed at Renye angrily, saying, "You brat! You have no respect for your elders! Yue'e, you need to discipline you!"

"My son is right! Whether Sui'er regrets it in the future is up to her to decide. Who do you think you are to interfere?" Li Yue'e scolded, hands on her hips.

"Stop arguing!" Sui'er's mother waved her hand, silencing the crowd's murmur, and turned to Ma Guoliang: "Section Chief Ma, with things escalating like this today, how are you going to let Sui'er get married? How are you going to let Renye marry? What will people outside say?"

Ma Guoliang frowned, about to speak, when someone else in the crowd spoke up.

"Things have come to this point, what else can I do but marry Ono?"

"The key question is whether Section Chief Xu will let this go so easily? Their son's engagement has been ruined, and now the bride is marrying the one who caused the trouble. Can the Xu family swallow this insult?"

"What can he do if he can't swallow it? Xu Hongbing is using his work injury exemption to manipulate people. If he really dares to cause trouble, won't the mine's discipline inspection commission investigate him?"

"Besides, after such a mess, the Xu family didn't even come. Isn't that a clear indication they want to call off the engagement? In my opinion, it's better to downplay this and let it go. If we make a big fuss, we'll only lose face for Hongxing Mine. What if we lose our advanced collective status? Who will we complain to then?"

"In the end, all of you are just going on and on, why don't you just ask Sui'er what she thinks?"

These words were like a wake-up call, and everyone's eyes turned to Tian Sui'er once again.

Tian Sui'er was still supporting her mother, her face still wet with tears, but her expression was no longer as tense as before.

She didn't speak, nor did she know what to say.

"I don't think Sui'er might be unwilling..." Aunt Zhao muttered under her breath, but was nudged in the elbow by the person next to her and immediately shut up.

Renye walked up to Tian Sui'er at the opportune moment and said earnestly, "Comrade Sui'er, can you wait three months?"