My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 200: Greedy
The motorcycle's rear wheels kicked up dust on the pasture trail as Zhou Jingming led Su Xiulan back and forth. Once they had had their fill of playing, he stopped the motorcycle and waited for Wu Yang.

With a motorcycle, traveling to and from Tiramek is no problem at all, making two round trips a day.

We can't let Wu Yang fall behind alone. The two diesel-powered water pumps on the truck are considered extremely valuable production materials in the Gold Rush Valley these days. Many people want them, and if anything goes wrong, it will be a significant loss.

He planned to use one of the two water pumps at the mine site in the pincer-shaped ravine, and give the other to Li Guozhu to use at the mine site in the upstream river bend.

With these two diesel engines, we can save a few manpower and speed up the washing of ore. I believe that the gold output will increase significantly over the course of a month.

The three returned to the mine site near dusk.

Zhou Jingming immediately gathered people and set up one of the water pumps on the riverbank, while the other was carried to the mining site led by Li Guozhu upstream and set up there.

For the next few days, Zhou Jingming didn't go anywhere but stayed at the mine site. Every day, he would wander around the sluice gate and burn felt to extract gold in the evening.

In the same few days, people from those transferred mining sites began to deliver the gold they had promised Zhou Jingming.

Looking at the ever-increasing amount of gold he had placed on the shelf in his dugout, Zhou Jingming felt both happy and worried.

Unlike on the small peninsula of the Haiertes River, where you only get a few grams of gold each day, back then you could simply hide the accumulated gold in a small glass bottle or a small oil paper bag.

If the quantity increases, this method can no longer be used.

He pondered that he needed to find a proper place to store the gold.

After much thought, I came up with a particularly reliable place. Hiding gold in such a place would be the safest option.

Before motorcycles were available, that place was too far away to reach, but now it's much more convenient.

Having made up his mind, Zhou Jingming waited quietly for the Qingshan team to arrive.

We'll hide the gold after this matter is settled.

On May 8th, Zhou Jingming brought a kilogram of gold and entrusted the affairs of the mine to Wu Yang and others. He then rode his motorcycle to the bridgehead of the Fourth Mine early in the morning to wait.

He knew Liang Tongshu, the captain of the Qingshan team, was the right person. Since he had to deal with gold anyway, it was better to deliver the gold to him sooner rather than later than wait for Liang Mazi to find the mine and cause trouble. That way, he could at least leave him with the impression that Liang was sensible and wouldn't make things too difficult for him.

Sun Huai'an's information was very accurate.

When Zhou Jingming was waiting at the Fourth Mine Bridge, around 11 o'clock, he saw Liang Mazi leading more than 20 people on horseback, carrying luggage into the mountains.

They also came in a car, presumably to transport supplies for them.

The Altai Mountains have many valleys, and each time the mountain clearing team needs to go to many places, it cannot be done in a day or two, so they have to spend the night in the mountains.

Zhou Jingming saw them enter the temporary checkpoint at the Fourth Mine Bridge, which was only used occasionally. The horses were tied to wooden poles outside, and the cars had stopped.

A group of people began unloading the supplies from the vehicle into the checkpoint.

With so many gold-mining teams already in Haxionggou, and given the Qingshan team's excellent information gathering capabilities, Zhou Jingming didn't think they were unaware of the gold mines in Haxionggou. Such things couldn't be avoided.

Seeing everyone busy, he rode his motorcycle across the Fourth Mine Bridge and arrived at the checkpoint.

"What?"

Someone saw Zhou Jingming looking into the checkpoint and asked him a question.

After confirming that Liang Tongshu was leading the team, Zhou Jingming said directly, "I'll go find your Captain Liang!"

"Wait a minute!"

The man sized up Zhou Jingming, then turned and went back to the checkpoint.

A short while later, Liang Tongshu, dressed in uniform, came out. As soon as he saw Zhou Jingming, his face immediately hardened: "What do you want with me?"

Zhou Jingming was puzzled by Liang Tongshu's attitude, but he immediately went over, took out a Red Lotus cigarette and offered it to Liang Tongshu, then lit it with a match: "Brother Liang, can we talk in private for a moment?"

Liang Tongshu hesitated for a moment, then followed Zhou Jingming to the side.

Zhou Jingming didn't waste any time. He looked back and, seeing that no one was paying attention, stuffed a kilogram of gold from his pocket into Liang Tongshu's hand: "Brother Liang, please be lenient when clearing the mountain."

Liang Tongshu weighed the bag of gold in the oil paper bag in his hand, and his expression softened slightly: "You're quite well-informed. Judging from your appearance, you knew we were going into the mountains and were waiting here on purpose."

Zhou Jingming didn't intend to tell him about his relationship with Sun Huaian, so he made up another excuse: "Yesterday I went to Tiemaike to buy some things and overheard some rumors in the restaurant. I'm not sure if you guys are really going into the mountains, but I still wanted to try my luck. The Fourth Mine Bridge is the only way into the mountains, so I came here to wait."

Liang Tongshu weighed the gold in his hand again before finally putting it into his pocket.

Seeing this, Zhou Jingming knew that things had succeeded.

One kilogram of gold is already a huge sum.

But then Liang Tongshu chuckled and said, "You know how to handle things. Last year when I went to the Haiertes River again, I made a special trip to your mine, only to find that all of you had already left."

Hearing him say that, Zhou Jingming knew that he was being targeted by him.

He quickly realized that Liang Tongshu's stern face earlier was most likely because he hadn't received the promised benefits from the first visit to the small peninsula on his second trip.

Zhou Jingming quickly explained, "There's no gold left to pan at the mine. We can't just wait there forever, so we have to go somewhere else. Brother Liang, it's not my fault... You see, as soon as I heard you might be going into the mountains, I came here early to wait for you, didn't I?"

“I heard you found a new mining site in Haxionggou that hasn’t been mined yet. These places yield a lot of gold. Don’t you think the amount you’re giving is too little?”
"I've gained quite a few more brothers under my command. This little bit of gold won't be enough to keep them quiet!" Liang Tongshu said, looking at Zhou Jingming with a scrutinizing gaze.

Zhou Jingming's face remained unchanged, but inwardly he was cursing: This son of a bitch, I've already given you a kilogram of gold, and he's still not satisfied...

But now is not the time to offend Liang Mazi. On second thought, since the gold that has gone into his pocket will eventually be taken back, it doesn't matter if he wants it more. Consider it temporary storage, and he can take more back later.

He quickly smiled apologetically: "Brother Liang, how about this? I don't have any extra gold on me right now. When you get to the mine, I'll give you another kilogram as compensation for what happened on the small peninsula last time."

"That's all I can take. I have so many people working for me, and I support them all. My monthly expenses are considerable... I'll give you more next time you come, okay?"

To everyone's surprise, Liang Tongshu then asked, "Will you give me two kilograms next time?"

This is pushing your luck; it's still necessary to put on a show.

Zhou Jingming looked troubled: "Brother Liang, this is a bit difficult for me. There are just too many of them, twenty or thirty people. It will take a lot of time to find them."

"is it?"

Liang Tongshu smiled faintly: "I don't think it's too much. You have hundreds of people there, and two mining sites."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingming was slightly taken aback.

Liang Tongshu not only knew about Haxionggou, but also about the general situation of the people at Zhou Jingming's mine.

It must have been his first time entering Haxionggou, how could he know so much?

By the way, it's quite possible that among those who transferred their mining sites to Liang Tongshu by paying gold, some of them knew him and were unhappy about it, so they sold out his information.

Hearing this, Zhou Jingming gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Liang, give me two kilograms next time."

Upon hearing this, Liang Tongshu immediately laughed: "Alright, you can go back now!"

"Thank you, Brother Liang!"

Zhou Jingming offered him another cigarette, then turned and rode his motorcycle back to Haxionggou.

When we got back to the mine, it was lunchtime.

Inside the tent, Li Guozhu and the others were eating around a wooden table. When they saw Zhou Jingming return, they quickly invited him to sit at the table.

Then Su Xiulan poured him two ounces of wine and brought it over.

Seeing Zhou Jingming's somewhat gloomy expression, Li Guozhu thought for a moment and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Several leaders at the mine knew that Zhou Jingming had gone to the mountain clearing team this morning to make arrangements.

Zhou Jingming sighed slightly: "Liang Mazi is asking for an exorbitant amount. Every time he comes, he wants me to give him two kilograms of gold."

Two kilograms?

Peng Yuanchao, who had a fiery temper, immediately cursed, "You son of a bitch, why don't you just rob me?"

Zhou Mingming frowned: "This is not the most infuriating thing. Someone told Liang Mazi about the situation at our mining sites. We have two mining sites with more than a hundred people. He knows everything about them. Someone sold me out."

Li Guozhu's thoughts were similar to Zhou Jingming's: "The most likely culprits are those who transferred the mining sites from you. Seventeen mining sites, and at this point, it's unclear who said it. It's also possible that the gold-mining teams that left Haxionggou leaked our information, which makes things difficult."

Wu Yang snorted coldly: "Don't let me find out who it is, or I'll kill him!"

Zhou Jingming shook his head slightly: "It's hard to explain in a short time... Let's eat. In any case, we don't need to hide this time, and I hope that Liang Mazi's team won't be going into the mountains so often."

Listening to Liang Mazi's insatiable words, he had just gotten his hands on the first batch of gold and was already thinking about the next one. He was treating Zhou Jingming's place like a piece of fat meat.

When he said this, his thoughts were simple: if pushed too far, so what if you're the captain of the Qingshan team? I'll still find a chance to deal with you.

The Qingshan team, consisting of more than twenty people, had horses for transportation, and their speed in the mountains was not slow.

We arrived at Haxionggou around 3 p.m. and drove up the valley from the lower reaches, causing chaos among the chickens and dogs.

However, because there was a large forest on the other side of the river, it was relatively easy to hide. As soon as the Qingshan team arrived, all the teams, big and small, would pack their belongings and hide in the forest. Horses also had difficulty moving through the forest, so once they had hidden, the Qingshan team would not pursue them much.

Those unlucky souls who were caught had no choice but to admit defeat and obediently hand over the gold they had hidden when faced with the Qingshan team.

Such things always happen suddenly. Although Zhou Jingming received the news early on, he didn't think to inform the mines he had transferred.

Originally, Liang Mazi and his group went into the mountains largely to make money and spread rumors, which was a bad thing to do. If Liang Mazi found out, he would only make things more difficult for them in the future.

Having made arrangements beforehand, Zhou Jingming tactfully instructed everyone to put down their work and hide in the dugouts when they passed by, so as not to be too conspicuous.

Zhou Jingming then retrieved another kilogram of gold and gave it to Liang Mazi.

However, to Zhou Jingming's surprise, the Qingshan team went upstream into the valley and set fire to the dugouts all the way back.

When they arrived at the pincer-shaped ravine again, Liang Mazi came to them once more: "I heard that you've identified quite a few mining sites in this valley and then transferred them to other gold panning teams, making two or three kilograms of gold at a time... You must have made a lot of money!"

(End of this chapter)