Chapter 0266 – Mineral Vein (I)

“I know, Senior. You can rest assured!”

Zhuang Rui also became serious, he hadn’t learned any wilderness survival skills, all he could rely on was his still strong body and the aura in his eyes, Zhuang Rui knew that without a unified command in the wilderness, it would be very easy to mess up.

The next day, the day just dawned, that is, five o’clock out of the head, Zhuang Rui was called up, put on the clothes and walked out of the small building, found that in the courtyard has been densely packed with people, Zhuang Rui estimated, at least to have a few hundred people, but there is no one in the place to clamor, it is very quiet.

In the center of the courtyard, a large square table was set up, on which a goat’s head was offered, as well as a table full of fruit plates, which was offered to the mountain god, to bless the jade pickers who entered the mountain with peace in everything.

The ceremony, which was presided over by the ancient master, was very simple. After a few words, toast to heaven and earth, sprinkled on the ground, and then all ready to enter the mountains of the men, all end of a bowl of wine, a mouth to drink into, Zhuang Rui hand was also stuffed with a bowl of wine, but fortunately it is wine, otherwise this bowl down, I am afraid that the presence of half of the people will fall.

After the ceremony, the crowd dispersed in a flurry, each team entering the mountain was looking for their own people, and some family members of the men entering the mountain came to see them off, the scene became noisy.

“Brother Zhuang, come, let me introduce you.”

As Zhuang Rui was sticking his head out to look for Zhang Dazhi, a dozen meters away from him, Zhang Dazhi waved his hand at him, and beside him stood three more people.

“Brother Zhuang, this is Brother Tie Zi, he is Wang Fei, this big naive guy is called Mang Zi, don’t look at him as big, he’s a year younger than me, this time we are in a group of five, let’s all get to know each other, Brother Zhuang is an honored guest of the Jade King. Specially arranged to our group.” Zhang Dazhi gave several people an introduction to each other.

When Zhuang Rui shook hands with a few people, he sized them up, Tie was slightly older, thirty-four or thirty-five years old, Wang Fei was going to be a bit younger, about the same age as Zhang Dazhi, both of them weren’t very tall, and they looked very lean in appearance.

And the fierce is a tendon meat, head foot more than one meter nine, look quite simple, hear ZhangDaZhi shouting him simple big man also not angry, a hard huh straight smile.

Tie and Wang Fei on Zhuang Rui’s attitude can not be said to be cold, but also can not talk about the enthusiasm, for with Zhuang Rui so a newcomer, their hearts are still more or less some resistance, after all, there is a newcomer in the team, will affect the progress of the jade mining.

In addition, according to the rules of the jade mining people, a small team of people to pick the jade, is to be shared equally, like Zhuang Rui for the jade mining without the slightest experience, but also will be divided into their share. This was also the reason why Tie and Wang Fei were unhappy in their hearts, but Zhuang Rui joining the team was at the behest of the Jade King, so the two of them didn’t put on a face to Zhuang Rui.

“Little Zhuang, and the few of you, come over here.”

Not far away, Elder Gu and Adira were standing there and were waving at Zhuang Rui and the others, a few people hurriedly walked over.

Old Master Gu pointed to a big backpack beside him that was more than a meter high, and said to Zhuang Rui: “This thing is specially prepared for you by your Tian Bo, here, this hiking stick is your Tian Bo’s beloved gadget! It’s also for you to use.”

Speaking, the old man took a hiking stick in his hand also handed to Zhuang Rui, said: “This walking stick handle has a small mechanism, here, with a finger against here, the following will appear this claw, the general fist size of the stone can be grasped, save bending down to pick up, this claw is alloy special, very strong, thank you Tian Bo it! ”

“Oh, don’t thank me, if you know nothing about jade, I won’t give this object to you, but let’s say it in advance, this time, what good things you find, but you have to sell it to the old man me first ah!”

Adira waved his hand and said to Zhang Dazhi and the others, “In your hearts. Are you complaining that the old man has arranged a new person for you?”

“No, no, Uncle Tian you are joking!”

Tie Zi and the others hurriedly shook their heads to deny it, even if they had a thousand grievances in their hearts, they wouldn’t dare to show them in front of the Jade King! In the Xinjiang jade world, no one dares to offend the Jade King.

“Don’t look at Xiao Zhuang’s youth, he is the director of the National Jade Association, the level of jade appreciation is not lower than me, having him follow you is considered to be a blessing for you boys.”

Adira’s words surprised a few people, they originally thought that Zhuang Rui was the son and nephew of the ancient master, and followed him this time to join in the fun, but now when they heard Zhuang Rui’s identity, they were stunned, they should know that the Jade King himself is only the director of the Jade Association.

“Ahem, Uncle Tian, you are joking, Tie Zi brother they are old jade quarrying people, I have to learn more like them.”

Zhuang Rui was very limited in modesty, yesterday ancient had given him the distribution of supplies for this squad, but with the special nature of Zhuang Rui’s eyes. Naturally, he was confident, there was really no need to be overly modest.

“Alright, you guys go eat! The trucks are all arranged, they’ll be leaving in another twenty minutes.”

After waiting for Tian Bo to finish, Zhuang Rui went up and lifted that big backpack, this weight is not light, it weighs fifty to sixty pounds, it’s not that Zhuang Rui can’t carry it, it’s just that if he carries it up the mountain, I’m afraid that he won’t be able to walk much farther.

“Brother Zhuang. I’ll do it.”

Mangzi stood out from behind Zhuang Rui, one hand took over the backpack, very casually threw back, back to the shoulder, like nothing in general, see Zhuang Rui straight stagger.

In a corner of the courtyard, set up a few cauldrons, which boiled porridge, cauldron next to the table above, but also set up the doughnut buns and other breakfast, a few women there to the crowd of porridge, in addition behind them, there are a bunch of like a schoolbag the size of the backpack, Zhuang Rui can see, in each backpack, there is a kettle.

Zhuang Rui found that each person hit the porridge at the same time, have received a small backpack, and so on his turn to porridge, really was also issued a porridge, one hand end of the porridge, mouth biting a stick of doughnut, Zhuang Rui opened the backpack to look at the next, there is a heavy military green kettle, there are also wrapped up with tarpaulin of air-dried meat and cakes, but these are the supplies after they went up the mountain.

During the meal, Zhang Dazhi introduced Zhuang Rui to the strengths of each person, Tie Zi is an old jade picker, from the age of 14 or 15 years old, followed the adults to the mountains, for the Kunlun mountain range as well as the topography of the Yulong Kashi River are quite familiar with the experience of jade picking naturally very rich.

Wang Fei is Zhang Dazhi’s comrade-in-arms, together with a few times on the mountain, shooting is very good, the only shotgun in this squad, is in his hands, and Mangzi body strong, camping and pulling out these physical work. As for Zhang Dazhi, field survival ability is very strong, in the middle of a mountain jade mining last year, he and the squad was separated, in the case of no food supplies, a person in the mountains stayed nearly twenty days, peacefully out.

As a whole, Zhuang Rui is in this jade mining team, is a good match, taking into account all aspects of safety, must be in order to take care of the first time into the mountain Zhuang Rui, the Jade King intentionally for it!

To six o’clock, a whistle came, squatting in various places to eat people have stood up, according to the past rules, time to be immediately get on the car to go, is not going to wait for late people.

“Come on, all get on the car quickly.”

“You monkey boy, where to drill ah! Hurry up and get in the car.”

“Ainuwal, still can’t let go of your family’s water jar? Do you want to take it with you and have a good time at night?”

Stray and noisy voices resounded in the courtyard, as each squad greeted their teammates, and a young Viennese man, who had just gotten married not long ago, was saying goodbye to his wife, attracting the uproar of a gang of bachelors.

This young man is to change the mine inside the people down, this go is estimated to be half a year time, his wife is a little reluctant to give up, standing there in a low voice “calling” sobbing.

Outside the yard parked a total of six cars, of which there is only a bus, the rest are all large trucks with canopies, Zhuang Rui and others are naturally on the bus, after sitting down, Zhang Dazhi happily said to Zhuang Rui: “Brother Zhuang, this time or dipped in your light ah! I went up the mountain by truck all last year.”

With the Jade King’s words just now, Tie Zi and Wang Fei two people to Zhuang Rui also a lot of enthusiasm, this is not the two people mercenary, it is just that they are only once a year to go to the mountains, the year’s income are counting on this opportunity, naturally, is not willing to take the newcomers, but Zhuang Rui has the expertise of jade identification, it is different.

There are a lot of jades on the mountain that are extremely difficult to recognize, and the weight that each person can carry is limited, with Zhuang Rui following them, they can pick the precious jades to carry, and a master that can identify jades will be of great help to them.

“Brother Zhuang, you can’t turn back, this is the rule.”

After another short whistle, the convoy slowly started, the minibus that Zhuang Rui and the others were in was driving at the very back, hearing shouts from the crowd behind them, Zhuang Rui was about to turn back to look, but was pulled back by Zhang Dazhi.

Standing in front of the big truck on the jade pickers, are also facing forward, the atmosphere is quite some “wind Xiao Xiao Ruoxi easy water cold, strong man a go Ruoxi not come back” of the sadness.

Hetian belongs to the foot of the Kunlun Mountains, the car driving more than an hour later, the terrain gradually become higher up.

The Kunlun Mountains, which you should have heard of from various myths and stories, start from the Pamir Plateau in the west, with a total length of 2,500 kilometers and an average elevation of 5,500-6,000 meters, with the highest peak at the junction of Xinjiang and Qinghai, which is as high as 6,860 meters above sea level.

Legend has it that the Kunlun Mountain immortal master is the Queen Mother of the West, and in many ancient books recorded in the “Yaochi” is the source of the Kunlun River, the Black Sea, which is 4,300 meters above sea level, the lake is clear Ying Ying, flocks of birds and birds, wildlife, the weather, in the Kunlun River through the wild cattle ditch, there are precious wild cattle ditch petroglyphs.

Not far from the Black Sea is the legendary Jiang Taigong cultivation of the five elements of the Avenue of forty years: Jade Hollow Peak and Jade Pearl Peak, the year-round silver, the mountain clouds, located in the Kunlun River on the north bank of the Kunlun Springs, is the largest in the Kunlun Mountains in the unfrozen springs.

Frozen springs to form the Kunlun June snow spectacle, the amount of water is large and stable, legend has it that the Queen Mother of the West is used to brew agar and jade liquid spring water, for high-quality mineral water. Originated in the Kunlun Mountains in the middle reaches of the Golmud River, long-term erosion of thousands of slate, the formation of the canyon walls relative to each other, dozens of meters deep one step of the heavenly wonders.

Because Zhuang Rui they want to go deep into the interior of the Kunlun Mountains, so even in June, still brought thick cotton clothes, you know, in the Kunlun Mountain Range year-round snow peaks are quite a lot.

In the car to the mountains on the way, Zhuang Rui found that all the way to see the trees, are short bushes, and not the kind of tall broad-leaved trees in the south, just now in a mountainside, but also saw a group of wild asses, Zhuang Rui just picked up the camera, the roar of the car makes the wild asses dispersed.

The car in the highway around the mountain drove more than three hours, the distant peaks towering like clouds above, can clearly see the snow-capped.

According to Zhang Dazhi’s statement, the altitude here is already above three thousand meters, the general public will be more or less plateau reaction, but experienced the Tibet trip Zhuang Rui does not have any difficult feeling, just some regret in his heart, the white lion did not come along, otherwise, you can also feel the charm of the big snow mountain.

“Brother Zhuang, we’re almost there, do you see that mountain pass in front of us, that’s the staging area to enter the mountains.”

Zhang Dazhi, they have come several times, have long been accustomed to, afraid of Zhuang Rui feel bored, so give him a chat about the legend of this place.

Car over the Karakoram mountain pass, across a gurgling ditch, Zhuang Rui clearly see a peak in front.

This is the famous “old man looking at the mountain” Legend has it that in ancient times an old man’s son into the Kunlun Mountains to pick jade did not come back, the old man will sit in the Kunlun Mountain pass watch. Day after day, year after year, generation after generation of jade pickers from his side stepped on the footprints left by the previous into the mountain, and dragged the tired body down the mountain, the old man carefully scrutinized the passing of each person, but never saw his son’s trail. Thousands of years passed, and he just sat there motionless in anticipation and watchfulness ……

In addition to the Queen Mother Yaochi, there are more beautiful stories circulating in the Kunlun Mountains. Just after getting off the bus, the feeling that the Kunlun Mountains gave Zhuang Rui was not so beautiful.

Get off the car is a transfer station, whether it is into the mountain jade mining people, or go to the mountain mining point of the workers, have to stop here, in this foot thousands of square meters of open ground, everywhere thrown plastic bags and other dirty garbage.

Said transfer station, is a small two-story building, there is a shed next to the building, there are actually four or five camels inside, which makes Zhuang Rui look at a few more eyes.

Into the mountains of the fleet more than Zhuang Rui them this one, in the transfer station that small building in front, has been parked three trucks, noisy crowd of people are swarming crowded to that small building, Zhuang Rui do not know how to do, a stare of work, found that more than a hundred people originally stood beside their own, only one of their own lonely, even Zhang Dazhi do not know where to go.

Looked at the black crowd, Zhuang Rui is not interested in squeezing in, after about four or five minutes, the crowd only dispersed a little, and then Zhuang Rui saw Zhang Dazhi hand carrying two enamel cylinders came over.

“Brother Zhuang, eat! This is the last hot meal into the mountains, there are many restrictions on building fires into the mountains, most of the time, we can only eat those foods we brought with us.”

Zhang Dazhi handed an enameled jar in his hand to Zhuang Rui, there were two steamed buns in it, and some mutton soup underneath, after five or six hours from the morning until now, Zhuang Rui was also starving, and took it and ate it.

After eating, the various jade picking teams combined together, headed for the mountains inside, some teams only two people, Zhuang Rui know, that are extremely experienced jade picking people, they are not willing to team up with those novices, for fear of equalizing the jade they picked, such a combination is generally a long time friends or family relatives.

“Brother Zhuang, the king asked me to take you to the jade mine to have a look at it first, and then we’ll go into the mountains to quarry jade, what do you think?”

“Da Zhi, you arrange it! I’ll just follow.” Zhuang Rui hadn’t forgotten Master Gu’s explanation before he came.

“Let’s go then!” Dazhi greeted Tie Zi and the others and followed the workers entering the mine, heading towards the mountains.

The transit station is still more than ten kilometers away from the mine, usually when there are fewer people, it is possible to ride a camel up, but today it is obvious that it is not possible, there are more people and fewer camels, and the camels have to transport the production and living materials, the miners only have to rely on the two-legged walk, Zhuang Rui looked at the workers, most of these workers are Việt Nam people.

If on the level ground, more than ten kilometers of road for anyone is nothing, but in the altitude of three or four thousand meters on the mountains is different, severe oxygen deficiency makes people chest tightness and shortness of breath, especially just on the mountain inexperienced new workers, headache like wearing a spell, every step are heartbeat, shortness of breath, legs shaking.

At the forefront were several camels carrying supplies, these workers followed closely behind, although not very accustomed to it, they were all gritting their teeth and holding on.

Zhuang Rui feels okay, but that small backpack on his body, obviously much heavier than before, looking at the front buried in the rush of the fierce, Zhuang Rui can not help but sweat a little.

Mountain stream gurgling flow, ding dong dong joyful singing in the empty bright canyon echo.

In the valley grows red willow, wild goji berries, camel thorns, reeds, a few poplars like soybean sprouts, standing alone at the foot of the mountain, full of cobblestones in the ditch can be found in the traces of jade, some of which have been passed by the jade workers picked up and placed on the “road” side of the stone, in order to transport the jade people to take away.

The history of jade mining in China can be traced back to more than 7,000 years ago, listening to Zhang Dazhi said, the ditch full of smooth pebbles is not all the result of the water flow, a large part of the jade miner’s feet friction caused by a long camel’s bells in the valley swaying more than 20,000,000 years, the people have become accustomed to this difficult course.

“The jade here is not picked?”

Zhuang Rui asked Zhang Dazhi by pointing at a fist-sized piece of jade by the side of the road, although the exposed jade flesh showed that this was nothing more than a piece of average-quality material, but it was still jade!

Zhang Dazhi shook his head and said, “All the good jade has been picked up, the ones that are placed by the roadside are ready to be pulled away in a car.”

Zhuang Rui and all of them wouldn’t have thought that because of the huge rise in the price of jade, in just these two years, more than 200,000 people would flock in, not to mention the jade on the side of the road, even the bottom of this valley would be plowed away.

Is talking, a tractor from the mountain drove down, although the mountain road is not very steep, but it is not peaceful, that tractor is like a roller coaster, the front of the high up, to the next moment on the sinking into the pit, Zhuang Rui look at the heart of the shock, favoring that car above the rear bucket is still sitting on the two people.

“Boys, go up and do a good job! Haha ……”

Passed by Zhuang Rui their side, the tractor that man shouted a voice, just this person’s appearance more or less some funny, bumpy road so that his butt simply can not dip on the seat, like a wind like swing dance, look at the crowd a burst of laughter.

After the tractor drove past, Zhuang Rui saw, behind the tractor also followed a person, can not stop the roadside jade thrown to the bucket inside, this mountain road tractor than people walking speed is not much faster than the back of the person also keep up.

More than two hours later, finally arrived at the mine, several wolf dogs “woof woof” barking pounced up, was followed behind to meet the people to rebuke away.

“Brother Zhuang, let’s go and take a look inside the mine! We’re going to leave after looking around.”

Although it was the Jade King’s command, Zhang Dazhi’s few people were not willing to delay their work here, after all, more and more people have been entering the mountains over the years, and if you’re one step late, the good jade might be picked up by someone else.

Zhang Dazhi has already spoken to the people of this mining site, hearing that it was the Jade King who arranged for people to come and see the mine, the middle-aged man called Lao Yu did not dare to be slow, and led Zhuang Rui and the others to turn through a mountain pass, and came to the top of the mine.

Appeared in front of Zhuang Rui, is a up to tens of meters of the huge mountain wall, just the entire mountain were quarry workers have been excavated, white profile just facing the afternoon sunlight, like a reflective mirror in general, stabbing Zhuang Rui can not open his eyes.

As the saying goes: jade buried in stone, difficult to recognize, but that warm jade gas will rise in the warm sunshine in the air, the magical white color creates a kind of beautiful jade smoke, confusing illusion, so that Zhuang Rui for a time in a trance as if lost, as if he has also been incarnated in it.

“Poetry – small elegant” said: other mountain stone, can attack jade, mining mountain stone material in ancient times called attack jade, also refers to mining mountain jade, that is, mining native jade mine, Zhuang Rui in the old Yu’s leadership, drilled into the pit that is said to have eighty-three meters.

This mine is only 1 meter high and wide, Zhuang Rui can only follow the old in the back, inch by inch creeping into the hole, not into the hole before, Zhuang Rui imagined that the jade mine must be connected to a piece of the hole is certainly all jade, light can be seen, but has been climbing to the bottom of the hole, he also did not see a trace of jade.

After eating a mouthful of dust, Zhuang Rui climbed out of the hole and asked the old Yu: “Master Yu, is this a jade mine? Even if there is jade in such a narrow area, it can’t be extracted!”

“Older brother, this is looking for the vein of ore, only to determine the vein of ore first, can be excavated, the first stage is not a large mining, otherwise destroy the vein of ore, then even cry is too late.”

After listening to the old Yu’s explanation, Zhuang Rui is considered to understand, dare to say that this mining jade and mining jadeite is different, speaking or a technical work.

Before coming to the jade mine, Zhuang Rui always think that mining jade and mining marble may be the same, a mining a large area, until this time only to know imagine how ignorant ridiculous, first of all, the jade mine is not like other ores even piece, but intermittently hidden in the rock core, veins of the really as the ancient poem cloud like smoke like fog, erratic, occasionally exposed veins and is wrapped in thick layers of rock, each take a piece of jade must be removed a large number of packages in the jade outside the Each piece of jade must be removed from a large number of hard rocks wrapped around the jade.

This determines that the jade quarryman not only has to pay very hard labor, but also has to have a pair of jade discerning eyes to recognize the difference between jade and stone. The rock connected with jade is called jade root, it seems like jade but stone, the most difficult to distinguish, get bad, jade and stone are broken, all the previous work is gone, and the idiom jade and stone are burned, is also from the allusion to the jade quarrying.

“Brother Zhuang, let’s go! It’s almost dark, if we don’t go, we won’t be able to cross the Death Valley at night.”

Seeing Zhuang Rui crawling out of the mine cave with a gray head, Zhang Dazhi on the side urged, from here to their destination was already a detour.

“Death Valley?” This word made Zhuang Rui’s heart skip a little when he heard it.

“You’ll know when we get to the place.” Zhang Dazhi didn’t explain much, but looking at his face, it definitely wasn’t a good place.

After bidding farewell to Lao Yu, the five-member squad continued to walk towards the mountain, without the miner team, the mountain was a lot more silent, the mountain here was basically made of stone, with river valleys and rolling hills along the way, after walking for four or five hours, several people were all wet, that was all from getting wet while crossing the streams.

However, Zhuang Rui’s performance was not bad, at least in these four to five hours of walking down, he was able to keep up with the team and did not drag his feet, which made Tie Zi and the others somewhat impressed with him.

Walking to the side of a stream, Zhang Dazhi stopped, looked at the sky, and said, ”Let’s eat something first! Brother Tie Zi, can we definitely cross the Death Valley at night?”

“Can, but we have to hurry up.” At the mention of Death Valley, a hint of nervousness also appeared on Tie Zi’s face.

“Then hurry up and boil the water!”

Zhang Dazhi gave an order, Mangzi put down that big backpack and actually took out a small steel pot from it, Wang Fei was nimble with his hands and feet and built a stove with stones, Tie Zi went to pick up some dry branches, only Zhuang Rui was a bit at a loss at the side.

In fact, there was no need for Zhuang Rui to do anything, but in three to five minutes’ time, the fire had already burned, Da Zhi took out the air-dried meat from his bag and threw it inside, and a few people sat down around the stone hearth.

“Da Zhi, why did you guys choose to harvest jade instead of looking for veins?”

Zhuang Rui earlier when chatting with Lao Yu, he knew that the veins on this mountain are all ownerless, as long as whoever can find it, the jade that is mined out, belongs to that person, and it is reasonable to say that this finding a vein is equivalent to getting rich overnight ah! It’s much better than going up the mountain to mine jade.

“Brother Zhuang, not to mention that this jade vein has been mined almost, even if we find a vein, we don’t have the money to mine ah! The upfront investment is at least tens of millions.”

Zhang Dazhi and the others had a somewhat helpless expression on their faces, even if those teams searching for the vein could find the vein, they could only account for a very small share, the big head was still taken by those who funded the mine.