The mine was about 40 kilometers away from Ning County. Su Niannian and Su Jianshan set out early in the morning, taking a bus and then a ox cart, and finally arrived at their destination in the afternoon. Unlike the bustling county town, the air in the mine was filled with the smell of dust. With one blast after another, the mountains in the distance seemed to be shaking and making deafening roars.
Su Jianshan was stunned, "Sister, is this the mine?!"
"That's where my brother-in-law works. My cousin helps cook here. It's in the innermost row of stone houses."
While talking, Su Niannian handed the letter of introduction from her company to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper squinted his eyes and looked at it. After a while, he said, "Looking for Wang Wei? He just went down the mine this morning. I guess we'll have to wait for him."
"It's okay, it's the same as looking for my cousin."
Su Niannian handed over two cigarettes at the right time, and the old man's smile became noticeably brighter. He even came over to open the gate for them. The mine is now a state-owned unit, and the welfare is less than those of the big factories. The work is hard and requires hard labor. The dirty workers seem inferior when they walk out.
Except for the people from the trade union and the factory committee, the laborers below were hardly regarded as real workers. Su Niannian's sidelong glance made the old man feel relieved, and he enthusiastically showed her the way.
There is an empty factory building at the outermost part of the mine, and outside are two immersion pools for washing gold ore. The surrounding air is filled with a peculiar bitter smell. Everything is completely different from the army.
Su Jianshan watched without blinking. After a while, someone in front of him exclaimed, "Brother?! Nian Nian! Why are you here? Have you had lunch?!"
Su Zhaodi, who was tanned a degree darker, was wearing an apron and had her black hair combed behind her head. When she saw that Su Niannian and the other woman had not eaten, she quickly lifted the bamboo curtain of the simple stone house, went into the house, opened the lid of the pot, scooped a bowl of meat and vegetables and handed it to Su Niannian first.
"It's wild rabbit meat that was just stewed at noon! Your brother-in-law and his men caught it in the back mountain. Please help yourself."
She grinned, with an imperceptible happiness and cheerfulness in her smile.
Su Niannian passed the bowl to her eldest brother. She leaned over and handed the enamel basin, kettle, teacup, military kettle and two pieces of cloth she brought to Su Zhaodi. "Grandma always complains that it's inconvenient for you to buy things at the mine. So, she asked me to bring you the rewards we got at home. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll bring it to you next time. Cousin, are you used to it?!"
These are all good things that cannot be bought even with tickets. Su Zhaodi didn't expect that the old lady still missed her. Tears flashed in her eyes immediately: "What's there to get used to! Your brother-in-law can earn more than 20 yuan a month, and he is so happy! He wants to stay in the mine all day... Old man Ding who is in charge of blasting is about to retire. I guess he wants to train a successor. Your brother-in-law wants to try."
When talking about the mine, Su Zhaodi would talk incessantly like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.
In the enamel bowl was a stew of cabbage and vermicelli with rabbit meat, with a little bit of oil floating on it. Su Jianshan stirred it intermittently. For the first time, he lost his appetite. When Su Zhaodi went to look for Wang Wei excitedly, Su Jianshan finally glanced at his sister. He said in a firm tone: "Sister, did you help Wang Wei find this job?!"
Su Niannian was surprised that Su Jianshan would say such a thing: "Yes."
"Brother, can you keep this a secret? Don't tell Gu Zhiye yet..."
"cannot."
“???”
Su Jianshan pursed his lips, thinking of the dusty but sincere smiles of the miners just now. He coughed twice and said, "Sister, I don't want to stay in the regiment anymore. Cockroach helped me submit my resignation letter. I wanted to go back to Xiangyang Village."
"But I just heard those workers say that due to the increase in mine production, their leaders want to recruit temporary workers from outside. I am as strong as Wang Wei. I don't want to stay in my comfort zone forever. I don't want to live under the protection of my brother-in-law. I don't want to be treated like a child by you forever." Su Jianshan's eyes gradually turned red. He choked up and said, "My brother-in-law is right. I am a man. I have to fight and fight to protect the people I want to protect."
His last words made Su Niannian's heart burn with anger!
She was just afraid that she didn't protect Su Jianshan enough, so she had set her sights on Wang Wei and had never thought of using Su Jianshan. But the other party actually took the initiative to ask to enter the mine. Did he know what he was saying? !
Su Niannian suddenly felt dizzy and didn't care about respecting the elderly and loving the young. She grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him outside, saying sternly, "Are you sure this is the kind of life you want?!"
The moment they stuck their heads out, Wang Wei was climbing up the iron ladder on the wooden support skillfully. His powerful biceps were clearly visible, and the man's head and face were covered with dust. When he took the handkerchief handed to him by Su Zhaodi, he neatly untied the safety rope around his waist. Dust was flying wildly, but the air was filled with the smell of freedom. Su Jianshan's belated rebellious period was at work, and after a while, he nodded.
What rang in my ears was Su Niannian's question.
"Brother, are you trying to escape from someone?"
Su Jianshan sighed, his eyes collapsed: "Yes, I don't want to see Taozi. As soon as I see her, I can't help but want to get close to her and protect her..."
"You still like her?!" Su Niannian's voice suddenly rose, scaring Su Jianshan so much that he immediately covered his ears.
“No…no.”
But his eyes clearly showed otherwise. First love is the most unforgettable. For a moment, Su Niannian was in an extremely complicated mood. Letting Su Jianshan stay in the army and live with Liu Tao day and night would be a time bomb sooner or later. Between Liu Tao and Gao Shanyue, she certainly preferred the latter. Besides, Su Zhaodi and her husband were both in the mine, so they were taken care of. Su Niannian was not worried that her brother would be bullied.
By hiding people in this place, we might be able to avoid the threat posed by Jin Chuan and prevent the same thing as last time from happening again. That guy is so cruel and ruthless that he even dared to kill Chen Niannian. We have to be on guard against him.
As her mind was turning, the balance in Su Niannian's heart began to tilt.
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