Volume One, Chapter Six: The Shattered Dream of Gold Prospecting

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Maimaiti had no idea what Wang Xiquan was truly thinking. When the other suddenly left in a hurry, citing work matters, Maimaiti assumed that his subtle words had completely extinguished any lingering thoughts Wang might have had. For a moment, he felt disappointed, regretting not having devised a better plan earlier.

However, that disappointment vanished without a trace as soon as Maimaiti returned to the workshop—because the leave request he had previously been denied was suddenly approved!

“What’s going on here? Has that old hag lost her mind, giving me a leave slip like this?” Maimaiti stared at the familiar, crooked handwriting of Aunt Xu on the leave notice, unable to believe it. He turned to Yusupu beside him and asked.

“I don’t know either. When you were being scolded by the factory director, the workshop supervisor handed this leave slip to me.”

Yusupu shrugged cluelessly, more concerned about how badly Maimaiti had been reprimanded.

“Hey, Adashi, tell me, how did the director dare to scold you like that?”

“He didn’t approve my leave...” Maimaiti muttered to himself, suddenly realizing how the leave had been approved.

It must have been that Xu Aiping, upon hearing that he had been summoned by higher-ups to be scolded, figured he wouldn’t be back anytime soon and wanted to treat him as absent without leave.

Fine. Since Aunt Xu wants to play that way, I’ll really be absent without leave. After all, as a general laborer, the monthly pay is fixed.

A little more or less attendance bonus won’t make or break me!

Once I get the introduction letter and transfer certificate, I’ll... decisively resign!

With that thought, Maimaiti’s mood instantly lifted. After greeting Yusupu, he pocketed the leave slip, clasped his hands behind his back, whistled like a carefree street kid, and strode out of the waterworks factory with an indifferent gait.

—

Nianzigo Street Police Station.

“Uncle Han, I’m back. I’ve completed all the paperwork you asked for. Here are my political review form and the company certificate... all the documents you requested are here.”

At the household registration window, Maimaiti forced a bright smile, trying to ingratiate himself with the officer before him.

But Officer Han behind the window remained unmoved, his face dark as he took the file, carefully checked it, then sternly refused under Maimaiti’s hopeful gaze:

“This still won’t do. Transferring household registration has specific criteria, and since you’re moving to the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, it involves border control permits and access certificates.

Moreover, because of your status, your factory’s party committee must hold a meeting and unanimously agree before issuing a consent letter and certification. Only then can I submit it for further discussion before processing your request.

Besides, as far as I know, the Special Economic Zone has its own entry requirements, and you likely don’t meet any of them... So, I advise you to give up on this idea early.”

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Maimaiti was momentarily stunned. He had thoroughly studied the relevant policies over the past two months and was confident there were no issues before coming to apply.

If it was due to incomplete paperwork before, or the political review form being insufficient, that was understandable. But why was there suddenly a problem with his identity?

“Uncle Han, you didn’t say that last time. You said the company’s consent letter would be enough. Besides, what’s wrong with my identity—”

As Maimaiti voiced his confusion, Officer Han sneered in disdain:

“Don’t you get it yourself? Do I need to spell it out? Look around at other young ethnic minorities like you—who among them is so ambitious and restless, always thinking about wandering everywhere?”

“Uh...” Maimaiti was left speechless and felt wronged. From Uncle Han’s contemptuous gaze, he immediately understood the truth: it was his identity being looked down upon, treating him like a vagrant!

Isn’t this just a blatant case of bullying an honest man?

Maimaiti felt both angry and amused—angry because it confirmed he’d been brushed off all along, and amused that even eight years after the reform and opening policies began, some household registration officials still viewed young people moving south to seek opportunities as vagrants!

Sigh...

In the end, he was just a general laborer with no family background and a minority ethnicity; it was only natural to face injustice.

Maimaiti could understand. After all, Xinjiang is a remote region with relatively conservative social customs, and policy enforcement could be lax at times. It wasn’t entirely others’ fault.

Still, as his dream of heading south to seek fortune was on the verge of collapse, Maimaiti, though resentful, would never vent his frustrations in public.

With no desire to return to the factory, he tucked the file under his arm and headed home.

Maimaiti’s family lived in a tube-shaped apartment building behind the local Workers’ Cultural Palace, a benefit from the late-1970s state-owned enterprise housing allocation system, mainly thanks to his father Aili, a senior accountant at the Urumqi Sugar and Salt Company.

But Maimaiti always felt his father’s shrewd mind was fully dedicated to public accounts, leaving the family’s matters in a muddle.

Normally, mentioning heading south or even the words “doing business” was strictly forbidden by his father.

Earlier, Maimaiti’s elder brother Nurshati had tried to start a small business with friends but was chased down the street by their father. Eventually, the elder brother had no choice but to operate secretly, causing frequent domestic unrest.

As for why his father forbade the family from seeking fortune or doing business, Maimaiti never got a clear answer. When he asked his mother, she was vague, only saying their father had suffered heavy losses in this area and almost lost his job...

“You little scoundrel! You still know how to come back!”

Just as Maimaiti stepped through the door, his father’s roar surged like a flood, nearly causing him to drop the file he was clutching.

“Dad, what’s wrong with me...”

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“Always causing me trouble! I just ran into Section Chief Xu from your factory. She said you’re not working properly, got called out by the boss to be scolded, and still dared to skip work behind their back? Looks like you’re itching for a fight.

And, what makes you think you can secretly get an introduction letter and plan to head south? Let me tell you, no way! Unless you never come home again, you have to stay put and work honestly at the factory.”

Seeing his little secret spilled out and exaggerated by Aunt Xu’s gossip, Maimaiti’s mood, already sour from being reprimanded, surged with frustration.

“Dad, I wasn’t scolded. The leader just thought I was a promising young seedling and wanted to reassign me. As for going south, well, I admit I’ve thought about it. This is the transition from a planned to a market economy—personal business activities are legal, compliant, and even government-supported inland. I’m young, working as a general laborer here—”

Maimaiti sighed. “I didn’t earn much, but it’s not for nothing—I at least got some experience!”

“Say that again! Not working properly and now talking back too!”

Aili raised his hand as if to slap Maimaiti’s forehead, but seeing the boy’s eyes filled with quiet grievance, seeming truthful, he hesitated.

Indeed, the second son was at the right age and working as a general laborer was not a big deal. The fault lay in not studying hard at technical school. Now he regrets it—too late!

Though angry at his son’s lack of ambition, Aili wasn’t unreasonable. Remembering his son mentioned the leader’s intent to reassign him, he asked cautiously, “Is what you said true? That a leader came to talk about reassigning you and you weren’t scolded?”

“Of course, Dad. Usually, when I’m off or have nothing to do, I like to read related books at the agricultural university library next door. Yesterday, a leader came to inspect...”

Maimaiti recounted the entire event to his father, who remained thoughtful for a long time.

After lighting a cigarette, he finally asked in a calm tone, “What do you think?”

“I could go to Dabancheng and work on those wind turbines. That’s better than being a beast of burden in the factory.”

Hearing this, Maimaiti felt he was somewhat letting go of his obsession with heading south. After all, he had family and friends in this life, with emotions and ties.

To sever all that completely for personal gain was something he could not bring himself to do.

“If you’ve made up your mind, act quickly. If you’re going to Dabancheng, contact them soon. The leader sees you as a capable guy, not a donkey; you can’t keep them waiting. Once there, don’t get involved in that Ai 787 business; just work hard!

As for the south, if you really want to go...”

Aili crushed his cigarette and sighed deeply. “A capable guy like you—why bother with three legs on a dog?”