Black Gold 1983

It was almost dark when Renye left Ma Dewang's house. The village lanes were dark, unlit, and he groped his way forward, the gravel crunching under his feet. After a few steps, he stopped, took the letter from his pocket, and glanced at it in the dim moonlight. The four characters on the envelope, "To Xu Hongbing," flickered in the moonlight like writhing snakes. He put the letter back in his pocket and quickened his pace towards the mine.

When Renye arrived at the mining department building, it was past closing time, and most of the lights in the building were off. Renye went up to the third floor. Wang Jianguo's office door was closed, and there was no light inside. He hesitated at the door for a moment, then turned and went to the security department.

The security office light was still on. Ma Guoliang sat behind his desk, a thick duty log spread out in front of him, writing something. Seeing Ren Ye enter, he looked up, his brow furrowing slightly. "So late, what's up?"

Renye took the letter out of his pocket and placed it on the table. Ma Guoliang looked at the envelope, then at Renye, picked up the envelope, pulled it out, and read the words. His expression changed, he put the letter down, leaned back in his chair, and stared at Renye.

"Where did it come from?"

Ren Ye didn't hide anything from him and told him about Ma Maocai. Zhou Zhilin had bribed Ma Maocai to keep an eye on him, steal geological data, and also to pass this letter on to Xu Hongbing. As Ma Guoliang listened, his expression changed from surprise to seriousness, and then from seriousness to silence. He stood up, walked to the door, closed it, came back to sit down, and read the letter again.

"Do you know what this letter means?"

"Know."

Ma Guoliang put the letter back in the envelope, placed it on the corner of the table, and pressed it down with his fingers. "Zhou Zhilin works for the mining bureau; I can't touch him. But this letter can be sent upstairs. Once it's sent up, he won't be able to escape." He looked at Ren Ye, "Are you sure you want to send it?"

Renye looked at Ma Guoliang, knowing what he was asking. If this letter was sent, Zhou Zhilin wouldn't escape, Xu Hongbing wouldn't escape, and neither would Ma Maocai. Ma Maocai had confessed voluntarily, so he could be treated leniently, but it was impossible for him to escape punishment. Ma Maocai's father, Ma Decheng, was in poor health, and he was the only able-bodied man in the family. If he went to jail, the family would collapse.

"I'll deliver the letter," Renye said. "But I've already discussed Maocai's matter with Uncle Dewang. He confessed voluntarily and returned the money, which can be considered a surrender. I hope the mine can handle it appropriately."

Ma Guoliang remained silent for a moment, then put the letter into the drawer and locked it. "I'll deliver the letter to the Mining Bureau's Discipline Inspection Team first thing tomorrow morning. I'll explain Maocai's matter clearly in the report."

Renye stood up, walked to the door, and then stopped. "Section Chief Ma, thank you."

Ma Guoliang waved his hand without looking up.

Emerging from the security office, Renye stood on the steps of the mining department building. The night wind was cool, blowing against his face and ruffling his hair. He reached into his pocket, found his pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, put it in his mouth, lit it, and took a drag. In the distance, the lights at the West No. 2 mine shaft were still on, the winch crouching quietly in the darkness, like a giant dozing in the night.

He remembered what Ma Maocai had said while squatting in the mine shaft—"I'm not doing this for the five hundred yuan." He was doing it for a secure job, to avoid working so hard underground, and to give his wife and children a better life. He had chosen the wrong path, but his reasons weren't bad. Renye finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe, threw it into the roadside trash can, and turned to walk towards the family compound.

When he arrived home, Li Yue'e was sitting in the main room waiting for him. Seeing him come in, she stood up, went to the kitchen, and brought out a bowl of mung bean soup that had been heated, cooled, and reheated repeatedly, placing it in front of him. "Drink it, and go to sleep early." Renye picked up the bowl, drank most of it in one gulp, and put it down. Li Yue'e sat down opposite him, looking at him. "Your father went to the mine again today; he didn't look well when he came back."

Renno's heart skipped a beat. "What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything. He went straight inside when he got back and hasn't come out since." Renye stood up, walked to the bedroom door, and knocked. "Dad, it's me." There was no answer from inside, so he knocked again, and the door opened.

Ren Shouyi stood at the door, wearing an old thermal undershirt, his hair disheveled. His eyes were red, not from crying, but from staying up all night. On the table lay the map of the tunnels in the West Second Mining Area, now marked with several more red circles, the blank spaces beside it filled with writing. Ren Shouyi sat back down in his chair, picked up a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and said nothing.

Ren Ye sat down next to him and recounted everything about the letter, Ma Maocai, Zhou Zhilin, and Ma Guoliang's words. Ren Shouyi listened without interrupting, his expression remaining unchanged. After Ren Ye finished speaking, he finished his cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

"You did the right thing." Ren Shouyi's voice wasn't loud, but it was steady. "Maocai should be given a chance."

Renye nodded, stood up, walked to the door, and then stopped. "Dad, what are you planning to do about Han Changhe's matter?"

Ren Shouyi didn't answer. He lit the cigarette again and took a drag. The smoke rose slowly in the dim light, like a thin curtain obscuring his face.

"His affairs are not for me to decide." He flicked his cigarette ash. "Three years ago, a landslide killed six people. Someone has to be held responsible for those six lives."

The room remained quiet for a long time, the old grandfather clock ticking away on the wall, round and round. Ren Shouyi stood up, leaning on the edge of the table. His lame leg was weak, and he swayed. Ren Ye reached out to help him, but he pushed him away. He dragged his leg step by step to the bedside and sat down without taking off his shoes, looking out at the dark night.

"You can go out now," he said. Renye looked at his father's back as he sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a lump in his throat. He wanted to say something but swallowed it back, then turned and left.

Li Yue'e was still sitting in the main room, clutching the shoe sole in her hand, not sewing. She looked at Ren Ye, her lips moved, but she didn't ask. She lowered her head, stuck the needle into the shoe sole, pulled it out, and then stuck it in again. Her movements were very fast, as if she were struggling with something.

Renye walked over and squatted down beside her. "Mom, Dad's fine. Let him be alone for a while." Li Yue'e didn't speak, her hands continuing to sew, inserting and pulling the needle and thread, inserting and pulling. Renye stood up, went into his room, lay on the bed, and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His mind was filled with the image of Ren Shouyi sitting on the edge of the bed, like a person whose body had been hollowed out.

The next morning, when Renye arrived at the West No. 2 mine entrance, Ma Tiejun was already working with his men. The winch was turning, the steel cable was creaking and groaning, and a cart of coal was being lifted up from underground. Ma Tiejun stood beside the mine entrance, his face covered in coal dust, sweat leaving streaks of white. Seeing Renye approach, he took off his safety helmet and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Maocai didn't come today." Ma Tiejun lowered his voice. "His father asked him why he wasn't at work, and he said he wasn't feeling well. Uncle Dewang spoke to Ma Decheng and told him to rest and recover."

Renye nodded without saying anything. He walked to the winch, patted the mine car's bucket; the sound was dull, indicating the sheet metal wasn't thin. Ma Tiejun followed and stood beside him. "Brother Ren, that letter..."

"I handed it in." Renye didn't look at him. "I gave it to the security department. They'll send it to the mining bureau's discipline inspection team today."

Ma Tiejun was silent for a moment, then took the cigarette from his mouth and stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe. "What...what will happen to Maocai?"

Renye thought for a moment and didn't hide anything from him. "He confessed voluntarily and returned the money, so he can be treated leniently. But punishment is inevitable; he'll lose his job at the mine, and he might lose his job in the village as well."

Ma Tiejun didn't speak. He squatted down, picked up a piece of coal from the ground, and held it tightly in his hand. The coal was shiny black, shimmering with tiny sparkles in the sunlight. He gripped it tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"He's my brother," Ma Tiejun said in a low voice. "A brother I grew up with. He did something wrong, and it hurts me."

Renye squatted down to look him in the eye. "Brother Tiejun, Brother Maocai isn't a bad person. He's gone down the wrong path, but as long as he's willing to turn back, there's still a chance."

Ma Tiejun nodded and threw the coal back into the coal pile. The coal rolled twice and came to a stop at the edge of the pile, like a lost child who couldn't find its way home.

For the next few days, Renye went to the West Second Mine entrance as usual. The winch turned from morning till night, and truckloads of coal were brought up from underground and piled up on the open ground next to the mine entrance, growing higher and higher. The number of trucks coming to haul coal increased from one to two, and then from two to three, lining up on the dirt road outside the village. The drivers squatted by the roadside, smoking and chatting, waiting to be loaded.

Ma Maocai stopped coming to work. Ma Dewang told everyone he was unwell and staying home to recuperate, and the villagers believed him and no one questioned him. Only Ma Tiejun would visit him every few days, bringing some things, sitting for a while, saying a few words, and then leaving. When he returned, he didn't look well, but he wouldn't say anything.

Renye didn't go to see Ma Maocai, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. The fewer people who knew about Ma Maocai's affairs, the better; if he went too often, it would only arouse suspicion. But he sent a message through Ma Tiejun—don't worry about things at the mine; he'll get his share of the profits.

On May 6th, the mining bureau's discipline inspection team arrived. There were three people; the leader, surnamed Liu, was in his forties, with a square face and thick eyebrows. He spoke softly, but every word he uttered was to the point. They didn't go directly to Shigou Village; instead, they went to the mining headquarters building and stayed in Wang Jianguo's office for nearly an hour. Then they went to the security department, spoke with Ma Guoliang, and took the letter away.

Renye received the notification at the mine entrance. Ma Guoliang sent someone to fetch him, saying that the discipline inspection team wanted to see him. When he arrived at the mine building, the discipline inspection team was already waiting for him in the conference room. The team leader, surnamed Liu, sat across the long table, a notebook open in front of him and a pen in his hand. Two other people sat beside him, one taking notes and the other listening in.

"Sit down," Team Leader Liu said, pointing to the chair opposite him.

Renye sat down and recounted the whole story of Ma Maocai. He explained when he noticed Ma Maocai's unusual behavior, when he saw him meeting Zhou Zhilin at the teahouse, the money in the envelope, the letter, Ma Maocai's voluntary confession, returning the money, and not sending the letter. He described everything in great detail, including the time, place, and people involved.

Team Leader Liu listened, occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook. After Renye finished speaking, he put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Renye.

"Ma Maocai himself has confessed to everything you've said. We've spoken with him, and what he said is basically consistent with what you said." He paused, "But there's one thing Ma Maocai didn't clarify. Did you create that geological data that Zhou Zhilin asked him to steal yourself?"

"Yes."

"Where did the data come from?"

Renye knew this question would come sooner or later. He took a deep breath and recounted everything he had seen, measured, and calculated underground in the West Second Mining Area. Coal seam thickness, burial depth, strike, dip angle, caking index, ash content, sulfur content—every figure had a source, and every source could be traced.

After listening, Team Leader Liu remained silent for a while, wrote a few lines in his notebook, and then looked up.

"It's not easy for someone like you who has never been to university or worked in geology to produce such a document."

Renye did not speak.

Team Leader Liu stood up and closed his notebook. "That's all for today. We'll contact you again if needed." He walked to the door, then stopped, without turning back. "Mining that coalfield in West Second Mine thoroughly. The country needs coal."

Renye nodded.

After the disciplinary inspection team left, Renye came out of the mine building, stood on the steps, lit a cigarette, and took a puff. The sun was shining brightly, illuminating every corner of the mining area. The red flags on the mine shafts fluttered in the wind, and coal trains passed by from the east side of the mining area, their whistles carrying far away, as if from another world.

He went to the West Second Mine entrance. Ma Tiejun was squatting beside the coal pile, breaking up large chunks of coal with several workers to prepare for loading. Seeing Renye approaching, he stood up and dusted the coal dust off his hands.

"Did the disciplinary inspection team contact you?"

"I've looked for it."

"How so?"

Renye squatted down, picked up a piece of coal from the ground, and weighed it in his hand. "I asked about the situation and then left. We'll wait for the results."

Ma Tiejun didn't ask any more questions, squatted down and continued hammering the coal. The hammer struck the coal, making a crisp sound, and the coal cracked open, revealing a shiny black cross-section that shimmered in the sunlight like a black gem.

Renye put the coal in his pocket, stood up, walked to the mine shaft, and looked down. The dark shaft was bottomless; the beam of his miner's lamp shone down, revealing only the wet stones and wooden stakes on the shaft walls. The winch was turning, the steel cable creaking and groaning, and a cart of coal was being raised from the mine. As the cart emerged from the shaft, he reached out and grabbed the edge of the cart, pulling it over. It was packed full of coal, piled high, with a few pieces falling out and rolling on the ground.

He picked up the few pieces of coal and threw them back into the truck bed, dusted off his hands, and turned to check the water pump to see if the water was still flowing. The water was flowing, not much, but it hadn't stopped. He squatted down and put his hand in the water; it was cold, drawn from deep underground, and had a salty taste.

Ma Dehou squatted on the other side of the well, a pipe dangling from his lips, squinting at the distance. Renye walked over and squatted down beside him.

"Uncle Dehou, is the support structure downhole still stable?"

Ma Dehou took the pipe out of his mouth and tapped it on the sole of his shoe. "Stable. The timber is holding up, and the roof isn't moving. We can push it another hundred or two hundred meters without any problem."