My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 21 Double-edged Sword

Like Wu Yang, several novices, filled with curiosity about bringing women into the mountains, became restless and sat up abruptly, their eyes practically spitting blood as they looked at Zhou Jingming and Peng Yuanchao.

However, Peng Yuanchao's answer disappointed them somewhat: "I don't have spare money to support a woman!"

He then looked at the new recruits: "Look at you all, acting like you've never seen a woman before... Go to sleep. If you're still thinking about women when you get to the mountains, it just means you're not working hard enough."

Do you want to make money?

If you want to find women, wait until you find gold, come back to the county town and find them yourself. Don't expect me to pay for your enjoyment; dream on! If you're not afraid of being arrested as a hooligan…”

Zhou Jingming chuckled and chimed in, "It's not entirely useless. For example, it helps with cooking, washing clothes, and buying things from the herders. It's still useful... and they won't be so impulsive."

He was telling the truth. The herders in the mountains were always highly wary of the gold prospectors who came into the mountains, and they were difficult to deal with. It was easier for women to speak to them.

In addition, not seeing women for a long time can make people in their prime very irritable, and arguments and fights will often break out among the members of a group.

In this respect, women become the best mediator.

Peng Yuanchao shook his head firmly: "No money! According to the rules of gold panning, women are not allowed to be brought into the mountains to pan for gold, as it is considered unclean."

Zhou Jingming stopped trying to persuade him.

A woman can provide a lot of convenience in the mountains, but just as easily, she can also cause conflicts between or within the team, which is a common occurrence.

Moreover, many of the women brought into the mountains by gold-mining teams are extremely fickle and prone to doing things that are hard to guard against, as they are easily swayed by the wind and gold.

Women are like a double-edged sword, with both advantages and disadvantages.

He returned to his place, wrapped himself in a blanket, and huddled in the hay of the stable to lie down.

The others lost all hope, their interest vanished, and they all lay down.

Have a good night's sleep.

Early the next morning, Zhou Jingming was woken up by Peng Yuanchao. At that time, it was just getting light, and he could barely make out some things.

The others were also called up.

"It's still early, and there aren't many teams going into the mountains. Brother Zhou and I will go in first to scout out the area. You can keep the things we've bought. I'll leave you some money for living expenses these days."

Save your money wisely. It's enough for you to eat and drink for a long time. This money didn't grow on trees. You're here to strike it rich, not to be treated like royalty. Just make sure you're well-fed and don't keep thinking about good food and drink.

I've already taken care of the owner of the stable.

Remember, keep an eye on the stuff. If it's gone when we get back, you'd better pray I don't run into you in the northern frontier, or I'll kill you...

"Don't blame me for being ruthless. This is all the money I've painstakingly saved up over the past two years. If I lose it all, I'll be no different from a beggar, and that's all your fault."

Peng Yuanchao uttered a string of harsh words to the group of novices, slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, tied a roll of bedding to his sling, took out a few ten-yuan bills from his pocket, first lingered on Xu Youliang, who was the first to join the group, then scanned the rest of the group, and finally handed the money to Wu Yang before getting up and crawling out of the stable.

During the time Zhou Jingming spent with Peng Yuanchao, he observed Peng Yuanchao's every move and found that Peng Yuanchao often seemed to take a few extra glances at Xu Youliang, who was the first to join the team.

Although it wasn't usually obvious, Zhou Jingming still managed to catch a glimpse of something subtle.

Without making a sound, he bundled a gold bucket, a short-handled pickaxe, and his bedding together like a military pack, slung them over his back, and then took a military water bottle filled with liquor and carried it on his shoulder before getting up and following.

Wu Yang looked at the money in his hand and chased after them: "Brother Zhou, why don't I come with you?"

Zhou Jingming shook his head: "Brother, you should stay. We mainly need you to look after things here. It's not easy to get these things together, and the expenses are considerable. Brother Peng trusts us and is willing to give us a larger share of the gold. He's also entrusting you with the living expenses so that you can lead the team. We should also show our abilities and put Brother Peng at ease, don't you think?"

He made his point clear, not only to Wu Yang, but also to Peng Yuanchao and the other members. Zhou Jingming certainly hoped that Wu Yang would come into the mountains with him, as that would be much safer, but he also knew that if the two of them went with Peng Yuanchao, it would only make Peng Yuanchao uneasy.

It's not uncommon for the leader of a gold-mining team to be replaced.

Wu Yang may not have much experience, but that doesn't mean he's dull or wooden; he's quick to understand things.

He tucked the money into his pocket and then asked, "How long will it take you to get there?"

"It's more than 100 kilometers from here to the gold mining site. If all goes well, I'll definitely be back within ten days. If not, it might take longer."

"Don't rush, it's still early. It's freezing cold in the mountains; rushing in will only cause you suffering. You won't be able to get anything done yet. Just wait patiently."

After giving his instructions, Zhou Jingming left with Peng Yuanchao.

As they passed through the streets, the two bought some extra naan bread, which they packed in a cloth bag as provisions for their trip into the mountains.

In Altay, when people are panning for gold, they usually go into the mountains to scout locations as soon as the snow melts in early spring. Then the team follows and sets up camp in the selected location for about half a year. After autumn, they have to leave after working for a short time.

Autumn is short in northern Xinjiang, and the winter snow and ice are too heavy for people to stay in the mountains.

Unless some big bosses discover a rich mine and are afraid that someone else will take it, they will hire people to stay in the mountains to overwinter and guard the site, and then go back to mine again in the spring of the following year.

When Zhou Jingming worked in the geological team, he had been to Xigou and learned about the situation there. Originally, he wanted Peng Yuanchao to bring the team and go there directly.

But after thinking it over, it's not even April yet, it's too early. The mountains are covered in ice and snow, and it will be some time before they completely melt. Underneath the ice and snow is frozen soil that is difficult to dig with a pickaxe. The water in the river is also too cold. Going in too early will not make any progress and will just be a lot of suffering.

In addition, he was not clear about the current situation in Xigou, and felt that he should go and check it out first.

Furthermore, Peng Yuanchao doesn't know anything about Xigou, but Zhou Jingming does. He needs to send him to see for himself and let him see his ability to find Jin Miao so that Zhou Jingming can feel at ease.

Ultimately, Peng Yuanchao was the leader of this team.

Zhou Jingming was merely using someone else's resources to his advantage.

Some decisions still need to be made by Peng Yuanchao himself.

The weather was rather gloomy today, and Zhou Jingming estimated that there was a high chance that it would snow on this trip.

In places where it snows lightly from time to time even in May, this kind of weather is quite normal.

However, compared to the dead of winter, even if it snows, it won't be too cold. In the wild, as long as there is a fire, he is confident that he can get through it safely with his thick military overcoat and the bedding he brought, so he is not too worried.

The two left Tiemaike and headed west along the gravel trails worn by cattle and sheep.

The Gobi Desert is vast and empty, stretching far into the distance, and feels gray and lifeless.

Neither of them spoke, they just kept walking with their heads down, the only sounds being the whistling wind and the crunching of the sand and gravel under their feet.

After trekking for most of the day and walking dozens of miles, we arrived at the Fourth Mine Bridge, where the forestry workers and the mica mine dormitories were located.

There are many types of mica minerals, but the most commonly used in industry are muscovite and phlogopite, which are needed in electrical and electronic products, insulation materials, coatings, and other fields.

Since seven or eight years ago, the consumption structure has changed, and production has begun to decline year by year.

In Zhou Jingming's memory, this miners' dormitory, which now appears somewhat desolate, will become a large ruin in a few years as the mica mine is abandoned and all the workers are evacuated. Soon after, a large number of forestry workers also move to the county town, leaving only rows of neat houses behind.

And this place has become a haven for stray dogs.

(End of this chapter)