My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 85: Shooting the first bird

After selecting a mining site, Zhou Jingming realized it was getting late and decided not to continue mining for gold, opting instead to rest early.

The two found a sheltered earthen hut on the rocky slope, where they put their luggage, lit a fire to bake bread, put a piece of tea from a brick in a tin basin, and sprinkled some salt on it.

As the two were munching on baked buns and drinking salted tea, a shout suddenly came from the opposite riverbank: "Hey... stop working, everyone stop working, Boss Yang is dividing up the gold..."

The two were already in a slightly higher position, and apart from some not-so-tall willows growing along the riverbank, there was nothing to obstruct their view, so they could see the situation of the camp on the opposite bank at a glance.

At this shout, the forty or fifty people who were busy on the opposite riverbank dropped what they were doing and ran toward the next step, where there were seven or eight dugouts lined up together.

On a vacant lot next to the dugout, four wooden pillars were erected, and a tarpaulin was stretched over them to make a sunshade.

There was a wooden table and a chair in the pergola.

Everyone ran to the edge of the shaded area to wait.

Seeing the commotion over there, Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang also looked over at the same time.

After waiting for a while, four men carried a middle-aged man out of a dugout using a blanket, while another man led the way, carrying a hunting rifle.

Wu Yang couldn't help but ask, "Is he a cripple? A cripple becoming the boss of Jin?"

Zhou Jingming shook his head: "I didn't see this person when I came up earlier, so I'm not sure, but I think it's probably not him. He's just putting on airs."

Some gold diggers like to put on airs, acting superior and intimidating their subordinates. They also enjoy bullying and treating gold miners like dirt!

He made this guess because in the Gold Rush Valley, people with disabilities are the easiest to deal with, and even a gold boss like him is no exception.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way, all of you, don't block the way..."

The men who cleared the way were shouting and cursing arrogantly. Anyone who didn't move aside in time was immediately kicked. After everyone cleared the way, the four men carried Mr. Jin into the shed and sat him on a chair. The five men then stood on either side.
Just then, a few more people emerged from the mine shaft on the distant terrace and ran towards the pavilion. They crowded around the perimeter of the crowd, tiptoeing to peer inside.

Zhou Jingming kept a close eye on them and spotted Zhang Debao among the approaching group. He muttered to himself, "Strange!"

I had carefully observed the gold prospectors on the riverbank, but I didn't see Zhang Debao. It turned out he was digging in the gold mine and hadn't come out yet.

Wu Yang was a little confused: "Brother Zhou, what's wrong?"

"When Peng Yuanchao and I went into the mountains to scout locations, we encountered a gold panning team on the way. The few people who just came out of the mine were from that team."

Logically, having entered the valley to pan for gold so early, they should have owned their own mining sites. Now it seems they've been absorbed into this gold tycoon's hands.

This was what puzzled Zhou Jingming, but after thinking about it, he felt that he was making a fuss over nothing. He guessed that the gold panning team that Zhang Debao was with when he entered the Gold Rush Valley must have encountered some problems.

Gold panning teams in the valley often merge due to competition for mining sites or other circumstances.

A large group of people were gathered around the shed, their heads thronging around them. Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang couldn't see clearly what was going on inside, but they could hear someone shouting names from inside.

The person whose name was called immediately squeezed through the crowd into the shaded area. They were probably the ones who would receive the gold.

But with so many people waiting to divide the gold, only seven or eight names were called. The two people across the riverbank could hear the gold dividers shouting, "The gold is all gone, everyone disperse!"

At this point, the crowd became restless and started making noise.

Where is our gold?

"We haven't received our share of the gold yet!"

"How come it's all gone already?"

……

The noise rose and fell.

Then, Zhou Jingming saw Zhang Debao squeeze into the crowd and heard him shout, "Where is our gold? So many of us haven't received our share yet. You think you can just let this go without distributing the gold? No way! Hurry up and distribute the gold to us!"

Inside the shed, Boss Jin's voice was even louder: "I fucking said there's no gold, and that's it. If you don't like what I have here, go somewhere else."

Zhang Debao's voice rang out again: "Brother Yang, you didn't give me any gold last time we distributed it. I lent you a bag of flour, and you deducted five grams of gold from my share. That's too cruel!"

Boss Jin's voice grew even angrier: "I fucking said there's no gold!"

Zhang Debao continued to grumble, "I don't believe it!"

"Don't believe me? So what if you don't believe me? Your whole gang's mining site has been taken over by someone else. I kindly took you in to give you food to eat, and you still dare to act tough in front of me? If you can do it, then do it. If you can't, then get lost. I don't need you here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingming thought to himself: So that's why they chose to seek refuge with others after their mine was occupied and their supplies were stolen.

"Boss Yang, you can't be so unfair to us. We've had it tough too. We're in the mine every day doing the hardest, most tiring, and most dangerous work. Considering how hard we work, you should at least give us some food and drink. Without gold, what will we eat and drink, and how will we work? You can't be so greedy!"

Seeing that Boss Jin's tone was getting harsher, Zhang Debao's tone softened a bit.

But the softer his tone became, the tougher Boss Jin's attitude became: "Zhang Debao, I'm going to be ruthless, I'm going to bully you, so what if I bully you?"

At this point, Zhang Debao suddenly became furious: "Why are you bullying me? I've worked for you for so long, it's not easy for anyone. Everyone has a hard time, you can't go against your conscience!"

That's what they said, but these words clearly resonated with other gold prospectors who didn't have any gold.

The crowd erupted in a clamor: "Why are you bullying us? Why aren't you sharing our gold? You can't go against your conscience!"

Seeing that the scene was getting increasingly chaotic and was showing signs of getting out of control, Boss Jin jumped up from his chair and shouted, "You've gone too far... Beat them up!"

As the saying goes, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Upon hearing Boss Jin's order, the five men standing beside him immediately rushed towards Zhang Debao. The leader, a burly man with a bare chest, kicked Zhang Debao in the chest, sending him staggering back several steps before he fell sprawled on the ground.

The group of people who joined in the commotion didn't step forward to help; they were all only concerned with protecting themselves and retreated to the side, not wanting to get beaten up themselves.

Zhang Debao was no match for the burly men in front of him. He had just rolled over and gotten up, but before he could even stand up, he was kicked and rolled away again.

The five men took turns kicking and punching Zhang Debao, forcing him to retreat repeatedly until he was finally pushed and beaten to the riverbank. There, he was kicked into the river, splashing water and making a loud splashing sound.

Zhou Jingming watched this scene without feeling any pity or sympathy.

Thinking of Zhang Debao, whom I had heard of in my previous life for his reputation as a scorpion, I realized that his actions were even more outrageous than those of this Mr. Yang.

They were both out panning for gold to make a living, and should have looked out for each other. He had experienced being bullied by the gold boss in a heartless way, so he thought that if he became the gold boss, he wouldn't be so ruthless and cruel. But the reality was quite the opposite.

Could it be that he has some kind of twisted or perverted mind?

Having witnessed the vicissitudes of life, Zhou Jingming knew that people could easily become the very thing they once hated most.

Deep down, Zhou Jingming even hoped that Zhang Debao would be killed, so that there would be one less scourge in the Gold Rush Valley in the future.

After Zhang Debao was kicked into the river, the group stopped and ignored him. They returned to the shed, dispersed the group of gold prospectors, and after Zhang Debao's example, no one dared to speak about dividing the gold. They all returned to the riverbank, picked up their tools again, and went about their business.

Zhang Debao soaked in the icy river water for a while before climbing ashore. Without even taking off his clothes or wrung out the water, he sat on the pebbles on the riverbank, still soaking wet.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the figure appeared extremely lonely.

Wu Yang took a deep breath: "How pitiful, these Jin bosses are really inhuman."

"Is it pitiful?"

Zhou Jingming shook his head: "I don't think so. Everyone actually has a devil hidden in their heart. Once you let it out, you'll find that none of them are innocent."

That's how it is in the Gold Rush Valley: it's either eat people or be eaten. It's a harsh reality.

In comparison, Peng Yuanchao, as the gold mining foreman, was already considered very honest and upright in his conduct and dealings with others. Such genuine people are rare in this gold-panning valley.

Wu Yang nodded: "Compared to this, Peng Yuanchao is indeed quite good. As the leader, he not only covered the costs and provided food, but also did many things personally, and the distribution of gold was also quick and fair."

Zhou Jingming stuffed the remaining small piece of steamed bun into his mouth and chewed it, then asked Wu Yang, "If you were the one who was just beaten, what would you have done?"

"If I were him, and I were bullied like this, I would do everything I could to kill that Boss Jin!"

Wu Yang laughed: "However, I am not him, nor will I be bullied like this. Those few guys who beat him up, it won't be difficult for me to handle them!"

Zhou Jingming felt that his question was unrealistic: "That's true, not everyone has your skills... but the reality is that most people, when bullied like this, often have no choice but to swallow their anger."

As he said this, he looked at Zhang Debao for a moment and asked, "What do you think he will do next?"

Wu Yang shook his head and sighed: "What else can he do? He probably can't stay here any longer. He might choose to join another team, or he might just go back to his hometown. After being beaten like that, he's probably badly injured."

Zhou Jingming thought about the sinister figure in his memory and asked himself, "Would it really be like that?"

However, he had a brief encounter with Zhang Debao in his previous life, but there was no direct conflict. He only knew what kind of person Zhang Debao was and was wary of him. He just hoped that Zhang Debao would not provoke him in this life.

Zhou Jingming hastily ate three baked buns, drank his fill of salted tea, and fed Jin Wang two more buns. Seeing that it was getting dark, he hurried to collect some firewood with Wu Yang to use in the evening, and then wrapped himself in a quilt and went to bed early.

Jinwang was in good spirits, wandering around the area. Even after it got completely dark, he was still rustling around, as if he had caught a mouse and was squeaking as it was bitten.

Until midnight, Zhou Jingming suddenly felt a movement beside him, followed by Jin Wang's fierce howling. He opened his eyes alertly and saw Jin Wang, who was lying cross-legged beside him, propping up his upper body and staring motionlessly at the camp opposite.

He sat up and looked in the direction Jin Wang was looking, and casually scratched Jin Wang's neck.

Under the moonlight, the figure who had been sitting alone on the riverbank stood up. Perhaps due to serious injuries, he walked unsteadily.

Zhang Debao paused on the riverbank for a while, gradually straightened his body, and then quickly walked towards the dugouts. He crawled into one of them and remained motionless for a while.

Just when Zhou Jingming thought he was going back to his dugout to sleep and was about to lie down again, he saw him crawl out of the dugout and follow him to the dugout where Boss Jin lived.

bang bang bang...

The sounds of an axe chopping at a door came one after another.

"Fuck me!"

Zhou Jingming let out a soft cry and reached out to shake Wu Yang, who was fast asleep beside him, awake.

Wu Yang sat up abruptly, thinking something had happened, and quickly grabbed the double-barreled shotgun that was leaning against the side: "What's wrong?"

Zhou Jingming pointed towards the camp opposite: "That guy went up there, took an axe from the dugout, and is chopping at the door of Boss Jin's dugout."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yang's eyes widened: "They have guns, isn't he just going to his death?"

He had barely finished speaking when gunshots rang out.

bang bang...

Two gunshots rang out in quick succession, the sound echoing through the night sky.

But the sound of hacking and slashing did not stop after the gunshots rang out.

　Thank you to the following four readers for their generous donations: Black A Niu, ljx73, Book Friend 202009172123519278, and Wandering Taoist Wandering the Four Directions!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)