Black Gold 1983

But Ma Tiejun noticed that Renye hadn't been talking much these past few days. It wasn't that he didn't talk to anyone, but rather that he avoided saying anything unnecessary. Before, when he squatted by the well smoking, he would chat with Ma Tiejun about the weather, village gossip, and coal prices. Now he didn't talk; he just squatted there alone, a cigarette dangling from his lips, squinting at the distance, lost in thought.

Ma Tiejun didn't ask. He knew Renye's personality; if he didn't want to talk about something, he wouldn't get it out of him no matter how much he asked.

On the third night, Renye didn't go home after work; instead, he went straight to Han Tianfang's house. The gate was closed. He knocked twice, and footsteps came from inside. The door opened. Han Tianfang stood at the door, looking even worse than a few days ago. He had heavy bags under his eyes, and his lips were chapped, as if he hadn't had a full night's sleep in three days.

"Come in." He stepped aside to let Renye in and closed the door.

The two entered the room. Several sheets of paper were spread out on Han Tianfang's table, covered with writing, some underlined, some marked with question marks. He sat down, pushed the papers forward, and Renye picked them up to look at them.

The first sheet of paper bore the name Zhou Zhilin. Following it was a list of details: 43 years old, Deputy Director of the Production Technology Department of Jincheng Mining Bureau, in charge of small coal mine approvals. He was transferred from Yangquan Mining Bureau in 1980, where he also worked in approvals. His wife taught at the mining bureau's affiliated school, and his son attended university in the provincial capital.

The second sheet of paper listed Zhou Zhilin's network of connections. It showed who he was close to, who he had business dealings with, and which coal mine owners he had close relationships with. Renye didn't recognize some of the names, but he did—Xu Hongbing's name was on it, circled with a ballpoint pen and marked with a question mark next to it.

The third sheet of paper listed Zhou Zhilin's recent whereabouts. It included where he went, who he met, the times, and the locations. Most of it consisted of routine work at the mining bureau: meetings, going down into the mines, and business trips. But one item was underlined by Han Tianfang in red pen—April 28th, 3 PM, Qinshui County, the old teahouse in the south of the town.

Renye's hand tightened. On April 28th, the day Ma Maocai went to the county town, he also went to the old teahouse in the south of the city. The time and place matched up.

"Tianfang, how did you find out all this?" Renye looked up.

Han Tianfang took the cigarette from his mouth and stubbed it out in the ashtray. "There's a brother in the transport team whose brother-in-law drives for the mining bureau, for the leaders. Zhou Zhilin always uses his brother-in-law's car when he goes out. His brother-in-law knows a little bit about where they go, who they meet, and what they talk about in the car."

Renye put down the paper, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the incandescent light bulb on the ceiling. The bulb wasn't very bright, emitting a dim, yellowish light that cast indistinct shadows on the furnishings in the room.

"What's in that envelope?"

"I don't know." Han Tianfang shook his head. "It could be money, it could be documents. But I found something—Zhou Zhilin has the approval authority for several small coal mines. When he approves mines, he doesn't look at whether your documents are up to standard, he looks at whether you're 'sensible' or not."

Renye knew what "being sensible" meant. In the early 1980s, the power to approve mining licenses was in the hands of a few people, and a single mining license could hold the lives of countless individuals in jeopardy. To obtain a license, one had to be "sensible," giving gifts, making invitations, and bribing officials as needed.

"What is his relationship with Xu Hongbing?"

Han Tianfang turned over the second sheet of paper and pointed to a line of text on it. "Xu Hongbing's son, Xu Dongsheng, worked in the transportation team for so many years, embezzling coal and illegally selling it outside the mine. Such a big thing, and nobody in the mine knew? It's not that nobody knew, it's that nobody dared to say anything. Why nobody dared to say anything? Because Xu Hongbing has connections. Zhou Zhilin, that's the person."

Renye's heart was pounding. Xu Hongbing had worked at the mine for so many years, his connections were incredibly complex, but his position as head of the labor and personnel department alone couldn't protect Xu Dongsheng from such a serious matter. He must have someone above him, someone who could influence things at the mining bureau and help him smooth things over. Zhou Zhilin was that person.

"If Xu Hongbing and Zhou Zhilin are on the same side, then Ma Maocai's matter becomes easier to explain." Ren Ye stood up and paced around the room. "Zhou Zhilin wanted to make a fuss in the Xi'er area, but he couldn't do it himself, so he turned to Ma Maocai. Ma Maocai is from Shigou Village, knows the inside story of Xi'er, and can help him get what he wants."

"What does he want?" Han Tianfang asked.

Renye thought for a moment, picked up the cigarette case on the table, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

"Two documents. One is the mining permit application we submitted, and the other is—the geological data."

Han Tianfang frowned. "What does he want with your geological data?"

"That geological data was something I compiled myself; it's not official data from the Hongxing Mine. It says there's coking coal beneath West No. 2, with reserves of 460,000 tons and a caking index of over 80. If this data falls into Zhou Zhilin's hands, he has two choices." Renye flicked his cigarette ash. "First, he'll suppress the approval and force me to go to him for 'leniency.' Second, he'll appropriate the data and find someone else to operate the mine."

Han Tianfang's expression changed.

"You mean, Zhou Zhilin wants to snatch the West Second Road market share from you?"

Ren Ye neither nodded nor shook his head. "It's not certain yet. But the fact that Ma Maocai met with him and took the envelope is suspicious enough. Ma Maocai is from Shigou Village. If he helps Zhou Zhilin obtain the geological data, Zhou Zhilin can bypass me and talk directly to Shigou Village. In that case, I, as the initiator, will be kicked out."

The room fell silent for a moment. Han Tianfang lit the cigarette, took a drag, and the smoke billowed from his nostrils, slowly rising under the light.

"What are you planning to do?"

Renye stared at the faded New Year picture on the wall and remained silent for a long time.

"Wait," he said. "Wait until Ma Maocai meets with Zhou Zhilin again, until they slip up. I need to be there then."

How do you know when they'll meet?

"I don't know. But I know who can tell me." Renye stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and said, "Brother Tiejun is keeping an eye on Ma Maocai. He'll let me know as soon as he has any news."

Han Tianfang nodded, put away the papers, folded them, and handed them to him.

"Take these things; they'll be useful."

Renye took it, put it in his inner pocket, and kept it close to his body. He walked to the door, then stopped and turned around.

"Tianfang, thank you."

Han Tianfang waved his hand without saying a word.

Renye pushed open the courtyard gate and went out. The alley was pitch black; the streetlights were still out of service, and it was impossible to see anything. He groped his way forward, the cobblestones crunching under his feet. When he reached the alley entrance, he suddenly stopped and listened intently. There were footsteps behind him, very faint; if he hadn't stopped, he wouldn't have heard them at all.

He didn't look back and kept walking. When he reached the gate of the mine, he turned into the guardhouse, borrowed a cigarette from the old man guarding the gate, lit it, and stood at the door smoking. Through the glass window of the guardhouse, he could see the way he had come.

A figure emerged from the darkness at the alley entrance, paused under the streetlight, then turned and walked in another direction.

Renye couldn't see the person's face clearly, but he could see the person's walking posture—the right foot landed a little heavier than the left, with a soft, thud, thud, thud.

Han Changhe.

Renye stood at the gatehouse entrance, finished his cigarette, stubbed it out at his feet, and tossed it into the roadside trash can. Han Changhe's figure had already disappeared into the darkness at the alley entrance. How long had he been following him? Had he started following him as soon as Han Tianfang left his house? Or even earlier? Renye couldn't understand why Han Changhe was following him, but he knew he couldn't ask; asking would only alert him. He put his hands in his pockets, felt for the few pieces of paper Han Tianfang had given him, confirmed they were still there, then turned and walked towards the family compound.

When he arrived home, Li Yue'e was sitting in the main room waiting for him. She hadn't been sewing shoe soles or preparing vegetables that day; she was just sitting there with a bowl of cold mung bean soup on the table in front of her. When she saw Renye come in, she stood up, picked up the bowl of mung bean soup, put it in the kitchen, and then brought out a hot bowl and placed it in front of him.

"I drank it; it cools me down."

Renye picked up the bowl and drank most of it in one gulp. The mung bean soup was no longer hot, but lukewarm and sweet, with rock sugar added.

Li Yue'e sat down opposite him and watched him drink. Only after he put down his bowl did she speak: "Your father went to the mine today and hasn't come back yet."

Renye glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost eleven. "Where did you go?"

"He said he was going to the electromechanical department to see Han Changhe to discuss equipment. He went in the afternoon and hasn't come back yet."

Renye stood up, walked to the door, and then stopped. Han Changhe had been following him tonight, so Ren Shouyi must have gone looking for him but hadn't found him. Where had he gone? Renye pushed open the door, about to go out, when a figure walked in from the courtyard gate. It was Ren Shouyi. He walked slowly, his lame leg dragging on the ground with a rustling sound. His expression was unreadable, but Renye noticed that he was carrying a bulging, brown paper file folder, filled with quite a few things.

"Dad, where did you go? Mom is so worried."

Ren Shouyi didn't answer. He walked into the main room, sat down in a chair, and placed the file folder on the table. Li Yue'e followed him in, wanting to say something, but seeing Ren Shouyi's expression, she swallowed her words and turned to go into the kitchen.

Renno sat down opposite him, looking at the file folder. "What's this?"

Ren Shouyi opened the file bag, took out a stack of papers, and placed them on the table. Ren Ye picked them up and looked at them. They were handwritten materials, with neat handwriting, each stroke carefully written—Ren Shouyi's handwriting. The title read: "Investigation Report on the Roof Collapse Accident in the West Second Mining Area of ​​Hongxing Mine".

Renye's heart skipped a beat. He turned to the first page, which read the date—November 1980. This was from the roof collapse accident three years prior.

"Dad, did you write this?"

Ren Shouyi nodded, took the cigarette from his lips, and stubbed it out in the ashtray. "Three years ago, after the West Second Well was sealed, I spent half a year investigating the matter from beginning to end. I asked countless people, walked countless roads, and filled countless notebooks—I can't even count them myself." He pointed to the stack of papers. "This is the final conclusion."

Renye flipped through the pages one by one. The material was written in great detail, with the time, place, people, process, cause, and responsibility clearly listed. He saw a name—Han Changhe.

"The roof collapse was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one." Ren Shouyi's voice was calm, but every word was as heavy as a stone. "A batch of the support timber in the West Second Mining Area was substandard. The distance between the supports was 30% larger than the design standard, the thickness of the backboard was half that of the original, and in some places there was no support at all. With such great pressure on the roof, it would be strange if it didn't collapse."

Renye looked up at Ren Shouyi. "Was the timber approved by Han Changhe?"

Ren Shouyi neither nodded nor shook his head, and lit his cigarette again. "Han Changhe approved it; he introduced the supplier. When the timber arrived at the mine, the quality inspection department did random checks, and the pass rate was less than 60%. But when the quality inspection report reached Han Changhe, he changed it. He changed 60% to 90%, and changed unqualified to qualified."

Renye gripped the stack of papers tightly. "Who made him change them? Himself? Or was someone instructing him?"

Ren Shouyi took a drag of his cigarette but didn't answer the question. He stood up, bracing himself against the edge of the table; his lame leg was weak, and he swayed slightly. Ren Ye reached out to help him, but Ren Shouyi pushed him away.

"Take the materials. Use them when you need them, and don't take them out when you don't." He turned around, dragged his leg, and walked back to the bedroom step by step, closing the door behind him.

Renye sat in the main room, reading through the stack of documents from beginning to end. Three years ago, a roof collapse killed six people and injured more than a dozen; Ren Shouyi's leg was crippled in that accident. He had always thought it was a natural disaster, bad luck, or poor geological conditions underground. Now he knew it wasn't. It was man-made. Someone used substandard timber to save money; someone altered the quality inspection report to cover it up; someone classified the accident as a mistake to shirk responsibility. That person was Han Changhe. But Han Changhe had connections. The supplier was introduced by Han Changhe, but could Han Changhe, a mere head of the electromechanical department, approve which company's timber? No. Mine material procurement required approval from multiple departments: labor and personnel, finance, and supply—none could be omitted. Han Changhe's ability to alter the quality inspection report meant he had connections in the quality inspection department. His ability to get the timber into the mine smoothly meant he had connections in the supply department.

Who are these people?

Renye carefully put the stack of documents into his inner pocket, next to the few sheets of paper Han Tianfang had given him. He stood up, turned off the light, and went back to his room. Lying in bed, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind filled with the words on the stack of documents: Han Changhe, substandard timber, altered quality inspection report, six lives lost, Ren Shouyi's leg.

The next morning, Renye went to the West Second Wellhead. Ma Tiejun had already arrived and was squatting next to the winch, inspecting the wire rope. Seeing Renye approach, he stood up and dusted off his hands.

"Brother Ren, Maocai went to the county town again today."

Renno's heart tightened. "When did you leave?"

"They left very early in the morning, before dawn."

Renye glanced at the sky; the sun had just risen, and a thin layer of mist still clung to the eastern mountain ridges. "Brother Tiejun, you stay here and keep watch; I'm going to the county town."