Black Gold 1983

The university gate was even more impressive than it looked in the photos. Several large, bronze characters were engraved on the lintel, gleaming under the streetlights. Renye stood at the gate, finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on the trash can, and walked in, carrying his canvas bag. The campus was quiet; the streetlights illuminated the path brightly, and the leaves of the plane trees on both sides were already turning yellow, rustling in the wind. Occasionally, one or two leaves would fall, swirling and drifting to the ground.

When he arrived at the girls' dormitory, an elderly woman wearing reading glasses was sitting at the entrance, knitting a sweater. Renye walked over and stood at the window. "Auntie, I'm looking for Tian Sui'er from the Chinese Literature Department."

The older woman glanced at him through her reading glasses, put down the sweater she was holding, picked up a notebook next to her, and flipped through it. "Tian Sui'er, you live in room 306. Wait here, I'll call her for you."

The older woman picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and said a few words. Renye stood at the door, took the cigarette from his lips, and squeezed it in his hand. Footsteps came from the stairwell, getting closer and faster. Tian Suier ran out from the stairwell, wearing a light blue nightgown, her hair casually tied up, and slippers. She saw Renye standing at the door, paused for a moment, slowed her pace, and walked up to him.

"Why are you here?"

Jinno took the canvas bag off his shoulder and placed it at his feet. "I've come to keep you company."

Tian Sui'er looked at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but then swallowed it back. She lowered her head and looked at her toes. Her slippers were pink, and one of the straps was loose, dragging on the ground.

"Have you eaten?" she asked.

"without."

"The cafeteria is closed. I have instant noodles in my dorm."

Renye nodded. Tian Suier turned around and led him into the dormitory building. The old lady at the gate peeked out and glanced at them, but didn't stop them.

The dormitory was on the third floor, a six-person room. It wasn't big, but it was clean and tidy. The other five beds were empty, with books and notebooks spread out on the table. Tian Sui'er had him sit on the edge of her bed, took out a packet of instant noodles from the cabinet, tore it open, put it in an enamel mug, poured water from the thermos, and covered it with a book.

"It'll only take a few minutes." She sat down next to Renye, and the two sat side by side on the edge of the bed, neither of them speaking. The sound of cars passing by on the road in the distance could be heard from outside the window, hazy and indistinct.

"Jinno, where do you live?"

Renye thought for a moment. "I haven't looked yet. I'll look for it tomorrow."

Tian Sui'er didn't speak, but lowered her head, looking at her hands. The instant noodles in the enamel mug were ready. She lifted the lid, and steam rose out, filling the entire dormitory with the aroma of noodles. She handed the enamel mug to Ren Ye.

Renye took the bowl, picked up his chopsticks, and scooped up a mouthful of noodles, stuffing it into his mouth. The instant noodles were braised beef flavored, and there was a bit too much seasoning, making them a little salty, but he still finished them quickly, even drinking the soup clean. He put the bowl down, wiped his mouth, took out a cigarette from his pocket, glanced at Tian Suier, and then put it back.

"Smoke if you want," Tian Sui'er said.

Renye took out his cigarette again, lit it, and took a drag. The smoke slowly dissipated in the dormitory, drifting out through the cracks in the window.

"Rinno, are you really planning to stay in the provincial capital?"

Renye took the cigarette from his lips and stubbed it out in the ashtray. "Yeah. I've left things at the mine to Tiejun and Maocai. I'll go back once a month."

Tian Sui'er didn't speak, but turned to her side and rested her head on his shoulder. It was very light, like a falling leaf, without a sound. Ren Ye didn't move, just sat there, letting her lean against him. The leaves of the sycamore trees outside the window rustled in the wind, like a wordless song. He glanced down; Tian Sui'er's eyes were closed, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her breathing gradually became even. He gently moved his shoulder, wanting her to lie down and sleep, but she opened her eyes, looking at him groggily.

"Jinye, don't go."

"I'm not leaving," Renye said, placing his hand on her shoulder and patting it gently. "Go to sleep, I'm here."

Tian Sui'er closed her eyes again and fell asleep quickly this time, her breathing deep and long, like a kitten that had finally found its nest.

The next morning, Renye went to look for a place to live. He found a small rental room in an alley next to the school. It was a small room with a bed, a table, and a stove. The landlady was a kind old lady. When asked how long he wanted to rent it, he said he would rent it for a year first.

He put his things down and stood in the middle of the room, looking around. There was a withered flower on the windowsill; he watered it. There were several cracks in the wall; he patched them up with newspaper. The bed was hard; with a quilt, it should be sleepable. The stove was made of sheet metal, and several honeycomb briquettes were piled beside it. He lit the stove, and the flames leaped up, quickly warming the room.

After settling in, he went to the school to find Tian Sui'er. She was in class, so he stood outside the teaching building waiting, leaning against a pillar in the corridor, and lit the cigarette he was holding. The bell rang, and students poured out of the classrooms. Tian Sui'er walked through the crowd and spotted him immediately, quickly walking over to him.

"Have you found a place to live?"

"Found it, it's right next to the school. Come on, let me show you the way."

The two walked through the campus, exited through a side gate, and turned into the alley. The alley wasn't deep, and the walls on both sides were covered with lush green ivy. Renye pushed open the wooden door and stepped aside to let Tian Sui'er in. She stood in the middle of the room, looked around, walked to the windowsill, saw the potted plant that had been watered, reached out and touched the leaves; the leaves had straightened up and were now green.

"This house is quite nice." She turned to look at Renye. "It's just a little small."

Renye lifted the kettle from the stove and poured her a glass of water. "Living alone is enough for you. Come over this weekend, and I'll cook you something delicious."

Tian Sui'er took the cup, lowered her head, and took a sip. "You can cook?"

"Learn to do it."

Tian Sui'er looked at him, something flashing in her eyes. She didn't speak, but sat down on the edge of the bed, holding her cup. The flowers on the windowsill swayed gently in the breeze, as if greeting someone. The kettle on the stove boiled again, the lid hissing from the steam.

Days passed by like this. Renye settled down in the provincial capital, taking Tian Suier to school every morning, picking her up from school in the afternoon, and waiting for her to come back from evening self-study in his rented room for a late-night snack. His cooking skills improved from boiling instant noodles to stir-frying dishes. Although the taste was sometimes good and sometimes bad, Tian Suier always ate them all up.

On weekends, Tian Sui'er would spend the whole day at the rented room. Sometimes she would bring a book and sit by the window reading. Sunlight would stream in through the window, illuminating her and casting a pale golden glow on her features. Ren Ye would sit beside her, flipping through the mine's ledgers, calculating production, sales, and profits, and writing down next month's plans in a letter to take back to Ma Tiejun when he returned to Hongxing Mine.

In early October, Renye returned to Hongxing Mine. When the bus arrived, Ma Tiejun was already waiting at the station entrance. He was squatting on the steps smoking. When he saw Renye come down, he stood up, dusted off his pants, and grinned.

"You're back? How was the provincial capital?"

Renye slung his canvas bag over his shoulder. "Not bad. How's it going at the mine?"

Ma Tiejun took his bag, and the two walked side by side toward the West Second Shaft. "It's all good. The new working face has stable production, and the sales of refined coal are good. Section Chief Zhao from the provincial steel plant added another thousand tons last month, so we can now produce 12,000 tons a month."

Renye nodded, feeling a little more at ease.

When they reached the mine shaft, the winch was turning, the wire rope creaking and groaning. The coal pile had grown taller, black and shiny, gleaming in the sunlight. Ma Dewang stood at the shed entrance, a pipe dangling from his lips. Seeing Renye approach, he took the pipe from his mouth, tapped it on the sole of his shoe, and said nothing more than, "It's good that you're back."

Renye stayed at the wellhead for three days, going down into the well, checking accounts, holding meetings, and arranging things for the next month. When he was about to leave, Ma Maocai saw him off at the station. Without saying a word, he handed him a package wrapped in oil paper. When he opened it, he found it contained dried pickled radishes from home.

"It's for Sui'er," Ma Maocai said, without adding anything more.

Renye took it and put it in his canvas bag. "Brother Maocai, you've worked hard at the mine."

Ma Maocai shook his head. "It's not hard work. You can stay there and relax. Tiejun and I will take care of things here."

In November, the provincial capital began to get cold. The stove in Renye's rented room burned every day. The coal was high-quality coal brought from Xier, which burned without smoke and had a strong flame, making the room warm and cozy. The flowers on the windowsill grew more and more vigorously, with lush green leaves and new buds sprouting.

Tian Sui'er comes once a week, sometimes bringing her roommate. Her roommate, Zhou Xiaomin, has a round face and wears two braids. As soon as she enters, she exclaims, "Wow, Sui'er, your boyfriend can cook!" which makes Tian Sui'er blush. Ren Ye cooked a few dishes: stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, shredded potatoes, and scrambled eggs—all simple and home-style dishes. The girls ate with great relish.

In early December, the provincial capital experienced its first snowfall. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, covering the sycamore trees and rooftops on campus with a layer of white. Tian Sui'er stood at the entrance of the dormitory building, reaching out to catch a snowflake, watching it melt into a water droplet in her palm.

Renye came to meet her with an umbrella, the snow falling on the umbrella making a soft rustling sound. The two walked side by side on campus, the snow under their feet crunching under their feet, each step leaving deep and shallow footprints, which, when looked back, resembled two lines of poetry side by side.

"Rinno, do you miss home?" Tian Sui'er asked.

Renye thought for a moment. "I do. But home is wherever you are."

Tian Sui'er didn't speak, but reached out and took his arm. Her red wool gloves rubbed against Ren Ye's cotton coat sleeve, making them feel warm. The two of them walked arm in arm through the snow-covered campus, past the sycamore tree whose branches were bent low with snow, and past the swirling snowflakes under the streetlights.

At the end of December, Renye returned to Hongxing Mine again. This time it was the year-end profit distribution meeting, and the main room of Ma Dewang's house was full of people. Renye stood next to the eight-immortal table and summarized the accounts for the whole year.

"This year, the West No. 2 mining area produced 120,000 tons of coal, generating over eight million yuan in revenue. The highest shareholder dividend was over 40,000 yuan."

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted in the main room. Ma Xiaojun, carrying Tiger Vanguard, weaved through the crowd, the tiger squealing from the jostling. It was now as plump as a little pig, its fur glossy black. Ma Tiejun grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits, revealing a set of yellow teeth. Ma Dehou squatted on the threshold, a pipe dangling from his lips, a faint but genuine smile playing on his lips, his squinting eyes gleaming. Ma Maocai sat in the front row, clapping and laughing heartily, though his eyes were a little red. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve as he bent down to light his cigarette.

Ma Dewang stood at the back of the crowd, a pipe dangling from his lips, squinting at the people. He didn't smile, but his eyes were bright. He took the pipe out of his mouth, tapped it on the sole of his shoe, walked up to Ren Ye, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Nino, well done."

After the meeting, Renye left Ma Dewang's house; it was already dark. He stood under the big locust tree and lit the cigarette he was smoking. The moon was bright, shining on the village lanes and making the road surface appear gleaming white. In the distance, the winch at the West Second Well was still turning, the steel cable creaking and groaning, the sound carrying far on the night wind. He stood there, gazing at that patch of lights, for a long time.

The next morning, he took the bus back to the provincial capital. By the time he arrived at his rented room, it was already afternoon. He was taken aback when he opened the door. The room was spotless, the stove was lit, flames leaping high, and the air inside was warm and cozy. The flowers on the windowsill had grown taller, their leaves lush and green, and a small, pinkish-white flower had bloomed; he didn't know its name.

There was a note on the table, weighed down by an enamel mug. He picked it up; it was written in Tian Sui'er's handwriting, in ballpoint pen, crooked and messy—"Renye, I'm going to class. There's food warming on the stove; remember to eat when you get back. The flowers on the windowsill are blooming; I planted them. They're called periwinkles; they bloom even in winter."

Renye read the note over and over again, folded it, and put it in his inner pocket with the other letters. He walked to the stove, lifted the lid of the pot, and found a pot of stewed cabbage with glass noodles and a poached egg.

He brought out the food and sat down at the table, eating slowly, bite by bite. The rice was still warm, and the vegetables were just the right amount of salt. The periwinkles on the windowsill swayed gently in the breeze, their small pink and white flowers standing out vividly in the winter sunlight. They were tiny and quiet, like the profile of Tian Sui'er sitting by the window reading with her head down. There was a small card under the flowerpot. He picked it up and looked at it. On the back, a line of words was written in pencil: "The meaning of periwinkles is—happy memories." Renye put the card in his pocket and continued eating, slowly, bite by bite.

In January, winter in the provincial capital reached its coldest point. The stove in the rented room burned brightly, and a thick layer of frost covered the windowpanes, obscuring the view from the inside. The periwinkles were still blooming, one after another, small and pinkish-white blossoms, vibrant on the windowsill, their leaves a glossy green.

Tian Sui'er's final exams were over, and she did well, ranking in the top ten of her department. She brought her report card to Ren Ye, who took it and looked at it for a while. He didn't quite understand the ranking, but when he saw two circles next to the word "Excellent," he knew it was a good thing.