My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 58 Feeling unwell in your eyes?
Perhaps his body had gradually adapted to the intense physical work of the past few days, because when Zhou Jingming woke up the next morning, he found that apart from his fingers still feeling numb and swollen and his body feeling heavy, he no longer had much soreness.

After he and Wu Yang returned from exercising in the woods, their bodies felt relaxed and they felt much lighter.

Since Old Tang said he would set out wine and meat and wait for them, the three of them did not eat breakfast with the others.

After Xu Youliang led a few people into the forest to cut down trees, Zhou Jingming called Peng Yuanchao and Wu Yang to the small peninsula and looked towards the riverbank where Lao Tang and his men's camp was located.

On Old Tang's side, the diesel engine wasn't running, but a fire was burning on the riverbank, filling the air with smoke. Some people were warming themselves by the fire, some were gathering firewood on the hillside, and many more were pointing and talking around the sand pit they had dug.

Zhou Jingming looked up at the rising sun in the east and led the way downstream along the riverbank: "It's about time, let's go!"

The two camps were very close to each other, and the three of them quickly emerged from the woods by the riverbank and walked onto the river beach.

Upon seeing the three arrive, the group of people on the riverbank all stood up and looked at them.

Zhang the Dwarf, who was warming himself by the fire, quickly slipped into the middle tent. Not long after, Old Tang, still half asleep, came out with him.

He first looked around, his gaze quickly landing on Zhou Jingming and the other two, and then strode forward to greet them.

Zhou Jingming greeted him with a smile: "Old Tang, you're only getting up now? You're living a carefree life!"

Old Tang shook his head repeatedly: "Brother Zhou, please don't make fun of me. I've been so anxious because I couldn't find any gold. I couldn't sleep all night, and I didn't close my eyes until almost dawn... I thought you guys would be waiting a while before you came over."

Zhou Jingming looked at him and didn't see any swelling in his eyes, nor were there any bloodshot eyes. It wasn't the kind of look one would expect from someone who couldn't sleep; he was probably just too lazy to get up.

He didn't point it out, and said with a smile, "Since I promised, I'll keep it in mind!"

Old Tang gave Zhou Jingming a thumbs up: "I like brothers who are so loyal..."

He turned and scanned the crowd: "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and set out the wine and meat, and greet the guests. Brother Zhou has been so dedicated to helping us find Jin Miao, we can't neglect him."

Then he looked at Zhou Jingming and said, "Brother, last night I had them slaughter the sheep and cook it until it was half-cooked. This morning I cooked it again. It should be almost done by now, and we can eat soon."

Zhou Jingming nodded. Seeing Lao Tang instructing the men to cut meat and pour wine, he walked towards the sand pit that the group had dug on the riverbank.

It must be said that with many people, there is great strength, and with the water pumps flushing the sand in the sluice, their speed in digging and washing the mud and sand is really fast.

In just two and a half days, they dug a fairly large pit on the riverbank.

Zhou Jingming squatted by the sandpit, peered into it for a while, and then ordered Wu Yang, who was standing next to him, "Brother, get me a pickaxe."

Wu Yang looked back at the tent and saw that the tools were piled up next to it. He went and picked up a pickaxe.

Zhou Jingming took the pickaxe, jumped into the sandpit, walked around it twice, occasionally reaching out to touch the layers of mud and sand. He then raised the pickaxe, dug a few times on the bottom, and climbed back up along the mud and sand pockets left on the sandpit wall for easy access.

Old Tang came over at that moment and offered a cigarette: "We've dug more than four meters deep, but the gold yield has been poor. Now we've reached the bottom, so we can't continue."

I heard from Zhang the Dwarf that the muddy bottom plate has few gaps, which helps to prevent gold sand from settling. Generally speaking, the closer you are to the bottom plate, the richer the gold is. Once you dig to the bottom plate, the mine is considered depleted.

Fortunately, construction only lasted two days, so there wasn't much delay. I was thinking that finding a new location and hiring someone to find Jin Miao was the most important thing.

Zhou Jingming simply nodded slightly and lit his cigarette: "That's generally how it is."

Just then, Zhang the Shorty came over quickly and called for dinner.

Old Tang immediately beckoned Zhou Jingming to go into the tent.

Inside the tent, several logs were nailed together to form a rough table, on which sat a large bowl of steaming mutton, and wine bowls were also set out.

After Zhou Jingming, Peng Yuanchao, and Wu Yang took their seats, Old Tang personally brought over a wine pot and poured wine for the three of them.

Zhou Jingming glanced around the tent and noticed the four hunting rifles hanging on the wooden poles supporting it.

One of them was in good condition, with a rosy stock and a shiny barrel.

Zhou Jingming had seen one when he was in the Great Northern Wilderness. The farm manager where he worked also had one. It was said to have been brought over by a Russian who came to the Northeast to help with the reconstruction. It was an Eagle Rabbit brand shotgun.

According to the farm manager, that Russian was alright when he wasn't drinking, but once he started, he became like an animal. When he was completely drunk, he gave him the hunting rifle without even realizing it.

The farm manager treasured that shotgun immensely.

On the other hand, the Eagle Rabbit brand hunting rifle made in Russia is indeed a good gun.

Zhou Jingming once borrowed that hunting rifle to hunt foxes. When clearing land, the tractor turned over the black soil covered with weeds, and in doing so, it also pried open rat burrows. Rats ran all over the place, and foxes could be seen following behind the tractor from time to time, hunting and eating the rats.

The bolder foxes can even follow the tractor up to ten meters behind, keeping pace with it.

In situations like this, catching foxes while standing on a tiller is incredibly easy.

Compared to domestically produced shotguns, the Eagle Rabbit brand shotgun is far superior in performance. When firing shotgun shells, at a distance of 70 or 80 meters, the Eagle Rabbit brand shotgun's muzzle is only the size of a washbasin. When firing single rounds, it is also more accurate and stable.

At the same distance, a domestically produced double-barreled shotgun can produce a sand blast as large as a small winnowing basket, but its accuracy and stability are significantly inferior.

Zhou Jingming never expected to see one here with Lao Tang.

He glanced at it briefly before looking away, weighing the situation in his mind: If Old Tang really had his eye on the small peninsula, with more than double the manpower and these four guns, it wouldn't be easy to deal with.

It wasn't just Zhou Jingming looking at those hunting rifles; Peng Yuanchao and Wu Yang did too.

Like Zhou Jingming, Wu Yang only glanced at it and then looked away, appearing very calm.

Peng Yuanchao couldn't help but glance at the four hunting rifles again and again, thinking that Zhou Jingming hadn't seen them. He frantically winked at him and even reached under the table to shake Zhou Jingming's thigh.

Zhou Jingming smiled at him and asked, "Brother Peng, are your eyes bothering you?"

Peng Yuanchao was stunned for a moment. When he saw that Lao Tang was also looking at him, he realized what was happening and quickly rubbed his eyes. "I do feel a little uncomfortable. It feels like something got into my eyes!"

"Come on, let me see for you, which one is it? Or are there both?"

"Uh...left eye!"

Zhou Jingming used both hands to pry open his left eyelids and looked closely: "There's a small grain of sand..."

Before Peng Yuanchao could react, he blew a sharp puff into his eyes, causing Peng Yuanchao to tilt his head back and rub his eyes even harder.

Zhou Jingming asked with a smile, "Have you come out yet?"

Tears streamed down Peng Yuanchao's face as he nodded repeatedly, "He's out, he's out!"

Even Wu Yang couldn't help but laugh at this scene.

"You can't stand sand getting into your eyes... Just blow it out!"

Old Tang echoed this sentiment, then invited the three of them to start eating.

How could the three of them let such an opportunity pass by? They had come to help, so they took it for granted that they should eat. Even though the mutton was bland, overcooked, and a bit mushy with little chewiness, they still intended to fill their stomachs with as much meat as possible.

Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang, in particular, ate voraciously, as if they wanted to make up for all the physical depletion they had experienced over the past few days.

Old Tang tried to persuade them to drink, but the three of them only gave perfunctory responses and focused their attention on the meat.

When they arrived at Lao Tang's camp, Zhou Jingming had already told the two that they could drink, but they had to make sure they weren't drinking the same kind of wine as everyone else. Even if it was from the same pot, they could only drink after seeing others drink.

Also, you must never get drunk; even if you want to drink, just have a small sip.

Drinking is the biggest culprit, especially in someone else's camp. Don't get drunk and get tricked without even realizing it.

Many problems arise at the dinner table.

Half an hour later, seeing that the three had almost finished eating, Old Tang offered them cigarettes and said with a smile, "Brothers, your little peninsula produces a good amount of gold, doesn't it?"

Zhou Jingming's expression hardened slightly, knowing that another test was about to begin.

He lit his cigarette, took two puffs, and looked at Old Tang: "Not bad!"

If someone has the ability to help others find gold mines, it doesn't make sense for them to say that the places they chose don't produce enough gold.

Old Tang nodded: "Brothers, the main reason I invited you here is not to look at the feng shui and find auspicious seedlings, but to discuss something with you."

　Thank you to reader Hei A Niu for the generous donation!

　　Please continue reading...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)