Black Gold 1983

Without waiting for Ma Tiejun's reply, he turned and left. After leaving Shigou Village, he flagged down a passing tractor, jumped on, and it sputtered off towards the county town. Upon arriving in the county town, he headed straight for the old teahouse in the south of the town.

The teahouse was located on an old street. It wasn't large; half of the wooden door had been removed. Inside, there were a few square tables and long benches. In the morning, it wasn't crowded; only a few elderly people were drinking tea and chatting. Renye went in, sat down by the window, ordered a pot of tea, and slowly sipped it.

He didn't wait long. About half an hour later, a man walked in from the doorway. He was wearing gray-blue overalls, black-rimmed glasses, and appeared to be in his forties. He spoke softly. It was Zhou Zhilin. He sat down at a table near the back, ordered a cup of tea, took a document from his bag, and began to read it.

Renye picked up his teacup, shielding his face with his eyes, and looked down at the rim. Zhou Zhilin was reading intently, flipping through several pages of the document in his hand, occasionally jotting down a few words with his pen. A dozen minutes later, another person entered.

Ma Maocai. He was wearing a slightly worn Zhongshan suit, his hair neatly combed, looking completely different from how he usually worked at the wellhead. He walked up to Zhou Zhilin, sat down opposite him, took an envelope from his pocket, and handed it to Zhou Zhilin. Zhou Zhilin took it, didn't open it, and put it directly into his briefcase.

Ren Ye's fingers tightened. The envelope was exactly the same as the one Ma Defu had described last time. Zhou Zhilin took the envelope, took another document from his bag, and handed it to Ma Maocai. Ma Maocai took it, opened it, and glanced at it. His expression changed slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

Renye put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the door, but didn't go out. He stood in the shadows by the door, waiting. About ten minutes later, Ma Mao came out, head down, walking quickly, almost bumping into the doorframe. Renye didn't stop him, watched him walk away, and then turned back to the teahouse.

Zhou Zhilin was still sitting there, his teacup already cold. He was putting the document into his bag when he looked up and saw Ren Ye standing in front of him, and he paused for a moment.

"Who are you?"

"Renye. A small coal mine in the West Second Mining Area of ​​Hongxing Mine."

Zhou Zhilin paused for a moment, then quickly resumed his normal hand gesture. He zipped up his bag, placed it aside, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and the cold tea made him frown slightly.

"Did you need something?"

"Director Zhou, I'd like to ask you something." Ren Ye sat down opposite him, his voice low, "What was in that envelope Ma Maocai just gave you?"

Zhou Zhilin's face was expressionless, but his fingers tapped lightly on the teacup.

"I don't know any Ma Maocai. You've mistaken me for someone else."

Renye looked at him, took out the mining permit application documents from his inner pocket, and placed them on the table. Zhou Zhilin glanced at them, and his expression finally changed.

"Director Zhou, I prepared the geological data for the West Second Mining Area. Every single number in that data was measured by myself after going down into the mine. If you want it, just let me know; there's no need to go to all this trouble."

Zhou Zhilin stared at him for several seconds, then smiled—a faint smile, as if he'd practiced it many times. "Renye, right? You've misunderstood. My meeting with Ma Maocai wasn't what you think."

"What does it look like?"

Zhou Zhilin didn't answer. He stood up, picked up his briefcase, and walked towards the door. After taking two steps, he stopped without turning back.

"Young man, don't act impulsively. Some things are not your business." He pushed open the door and walked out.

Renye sat in the teahouse, watching Zhou Zhilin's figure disappear around the corner of the old street. He didn't chase after him, picked up the now-cold tea, drank it down sip by sip, placed the teacup on the table, stood up, placed a dollar under the teapot, and walked out of the teahouse. The sunlight outside was blinding; he squinted as he stood on the steps, replaying every moment in his mind. The envelope Ma Maocai handed to Zhou Zhilin—Zhou Zhilin hadn't opened it, putting it directly into his bag. This indicated that this wasn't their first transaction; they both knew what was going on and didn't need to verify it in person. The document Zhou Zhilin handed to Ma Maocai—Ma Maocai's expression changed after reading it—what was that document? Was it asking him to do something, or was it some kind of message?

Renye pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a few puffs at the teahouse entrance. He didn't intend to go directly to Ma Maocai and alert him. He currently had no concrete evidence, only an envelope and a document; he didn't know what was inside the envelope or what was written on the document. He needed evidence—proof in black and white, evidence that could be laid bare and leave no room for argument.

On his way back from the county town, Renye finished his cigarette and stubbed it out in a pile of dirt by the roadside. He decided to find someone—Xu Dongsheng. Xu Dongsheng was suspended from his duties and under investigation, but he hadn't left the mining area. He stayed home every day, occasionally going to the mine headquarters building to cooperate with the investigation. Xu Dongsheng hated him, but he hated Zhou Zhilin even more. If it weren't for Zhou Zhilin protecting Xu Hongbing all these years, Xu Hongbing wouldn't have been able to do whatever he wanted at the mine for so many years, and Xu Dongsheng wouldn't have been spoiled into this state.

When Renye arrived at Hongxing Mine, it was almost noon. He didn't go home but went straight to Xu Dongsheng's house. Xu Dongsheng lived in a row of bungalows on the west side of the mining area, two alleys away from Han Tianfang's house. The gate was closed. Renye knocked twice, but no one answered. He knocked twice more, and then footsteps came from inside. The door opened.

Xu Dongsheng stood in the doorway, wearing a wrinkled white shirt with the collar open, his hair unkempt, and his beard unkempt for days. He saw Ren Ye, paused, and frowned. "What are you doing here?" Ren Ye asked, looking at him directly. "I want to discuss a business deal with you."

Xu Dongsheng stared at him for several seconds before stepping aside. Renye walked in; the courtyard was messy, with empty bottles and cigarette butts piled on the stone table, and several cigarette boxes crushed on the ground. Xu Dongsheng sat down next to the stone table, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and didn't offer it to Renye.

Renye sat down opposite him. "Xu Dongsheng, I know you hate me, and I know why you hate me. But I'm not here today to dredge up old grudges; I'm here to talk to you about something. It's about Zhou Zhilin." Xu Dongsheng's hand stopped moving, the cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling upwards. He looked up at Renye, his eyes holding something indescribable.

"Zhou Zhilin has nothing to do with me."

Renye took out the few sheets of paper Han Tianfang had given him from his inner pocket and spread them on the table. Xu Dongsheng glanced at them and his expression changed. The papers described the relationship between Zhou Zhilin and Xu Hongbing, including the year, month, place, who they met, and what they talked about. Some details were vague, while others were very detailed.

"Where did you get these things?" Xu Dongsheng's voice was a little strained, but he was holding on.

"You don't need to know where I got it from. All you need to know is that Zhou Zhilin has been protecting your father all these years. Your father has been doing whatever he wants at the mine, deducting wages, extorting money, placing cronies in positions of power, and suppressing dissidents. Isn't Zhou Zhilin backing him up for every single one of these things? You, Xu Dongsheng, have been deducting from coal supplies in the transportation team and selling them privately outside the mine. Do you think the mine doesn't know? They do know, but Zhou Zhilin has suppressed it."

Renye put the papers away and back in his pocket, looking at Xu Dongsheng. "Now that Zhou Zhilin needs to protect himself, do you think he'll still protect your father? He can even use someone like Ma Maocai, what is your father in his eyes? He'll use him and then throw him away."

Xu Dongsheng's face turned pale. He finished the cigarette, stubbed it out on the stone table, and the cigarette butt burned a black mark on the wooden surface. "What do you want?"

"I need evidence that Zhou Zhilin bribed Ma Maocai. I need the details of the envelopes in Ma Maocai's possession and the documents Zhou Zhilin gave to Ma Maocai."

Xu Dongsheng stood up, took a few steps in the yard, then squatted down, hugging his knees with both hands and lowering his head, like a dog that had been kicked.

"What can I get in return?"

Renye watched his retreating figure. "I can let bygones be bygones regarding your father's matter. I can also let bygones be bygones regarding your matter. But you have to get out of the transport team, leave the Red Star Mine, and never come back."

Xu Dongsheng squatted there, silent for a long time, so long that Renye thought he had fallen asleep. Then he stood up, turned around, and looked at Renye. His eyes were bloodshot, but Renye saw something in them—resignation.

"The document Zhou Zhilin gave to Ma Maocai was about the transfer of mining rights in the West Second Mining Area. Zhou Zhilin wanted to bypass you and directly sign an agreement with Shigou Village to take the mining rights from Shigou Village and then transfer them to someone else."

Renye's heart sank. "To whom?" "I don't know. There's no name on the document, only 'Party B'. But someone who can get Zhou Zhilin to care this much is no ordinary person."

Renye stood up, walked to the courtyard gate, then stopped without turning back. "Are you willing to tell the mine manager what you just said?"

Xu Dongsheng remained silent for a long time, so long that Ren Ye thought he wouldn't answer. "I told you, what guarantees can I offer?"

"You said that the mine could handle your father's case leniently. If you don't, when Zhou Zhilin's case comes to light, your father will be the first one he pushes out to take the blame. You choose."

Xu Dongsheng closed his eyes and leaned against the doorframe of the courtyard gate. The sunlight shone on his face, making it appear deathly pale, devoid of any color.

"I choose," he said.

After leaving Xu Dongsheng's house, Ren Ye went straight to the mining department building without delay. Wang Jianguo was in his office, several documents spread out in front of him, signing them with a pen. Seeing Ren Ye enter, he put down the pen and leaned back in his chair.

"Did you get the evidence?" Renye didn't sit down, but stood in front of the desk, repeating Xu Dongsheng's words verbatim. Zhou Zhilin wanted to bypass him and take the mining rights of Xier from Shigou Village, transferring them to someone else. Wang Jianguo listened, his expression unchanged, but Renye noticed that his fingers on the table tightened.

"Is Xu Dongsheng willing to testify?" Wang Jianguo asked. Ren Ye nodded. "He is willing. But he has conditions. The mine will handle his father's case leniently. As for his own case, he won't beg for mercy, but he hopes his mother won't be implicated."

Wang Jianguo remained silent for a moment, then stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the gray mining area. In the distance, the mine shafts gleamed with a rusty red in the sunlight, and coal trains passed by on the east side of the mining area, their whistles carrying a long, muffled sound from afar.

"Xu Hongbing's case isn't something the mine can decide. He's suspected of violating discipline and the law, so we need to report it to the mine's disciplinary inspection team. Xu Dongsheng's testimony might get him a lighter sentence, but it's impossible for him to go unpunished. Tell him that if he's willing to testify, he should come to me, and I'll arrange for him to talk to the disciplinary inspection team."

Renye nodded and turned to leave.

"Renye," Wang Jianguo called out to him. Renye turned around. Wang Jianguo was standing by the window, sunlight streaming in and casting a long, long shadow. "Work hard on that piece of land in West Second. Don't let anyone take the mine from you."

Renye looked at Wang Jianguo, took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, but didn't light it. "Mine Manager Wang, don't worry, no one can take it away from us."

After leaving the mine building, Renye went to the West No. 2 shaft. The winch was turning, the steel cable creaking and groaning, and a cart of coal was being lifted up from underground. Ma Tiejun stood beside the shaft, his face covered in coal dust, sweat streaking his face. Seeing Renye approaching, he took off his safety helmet and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Maocai is back." Ma Tiejun lowered his voice. "He came back at noon, but he didn't go home. He went straight to the wellhead and went down into the well. He hasn't come up yet."

Renye's heart skipped a beat. He quickly walked to the edge of the well and looked down. The dark shaft was bottomless, and the beam of his headlamp could only illuminate the wet rocks and wooden stakes on the shaft walls. He strapped the headlamp to his forehead, gripped the rope, and prepared to slide down.

"Brother Ren, what are you doing?" Ma Tiejun grabbed him.

"Go down the well."

"Now? You're not even wearing a helmet."

Renye ignored him, took the safety helmet off Ma Tiejun's head and put it on his own, then gripped the rope and slid down the well wall section by section, pushing off with his feet. The rope swayed, and the loose stones and dirt on the well wall fell down with a rustling sound as he kicked, splashing into the water at the bottom. The deeper he went, the colder it got; the chill seeping from the ground enveloped him, like a hand reaching out from the shadows and slowly clenching his bones.

When his feet touched the bottom of the well, the water was over his ankles, and the icy water filled his rubber boots, making him shiver. The entrance to the tunnel was right in front of him, pitch black, with only the beam of his miner's lamp shining in, allowing him to see only a few meters ahead. He pulled a steel shovel from his waist, held it in his hand, bent down, and crawled into the tunnel.

The alleyway was longer than the last time I was here, nearly ten meters further. The wooden stakes on both sides were newly erected, the bark not yet fully dried, emitting a raw, grassy smell. The gravel underfoot crunched loudly, amplified several times in the enclosed space, as if something was following behind.

He walked about two hundred meters when he heard a sound ahead. It wasn't the sound of wind, nor the sound of dripping water, but the sound of a pickaxe hitting the coal face—thump, thump, thump—one slow, powerful sound after another, as if it were struggling against something.

Renye raised his miner's lamp, the beam illuminating a figure. Ma Maocai stood on the working face, a pickaxe in his hand, hammering away at the coal face. His movements were mechanical, rising and falling, the falling coal chunks scattering all over the ground, but he didn't pick them up. His miner's lamp was at his feet, the beam illuminating the coal face and also his own shadow, which flickered on the coal face like a lost ghost.