No one knew Ni Li's husband's real name anymore. Zhu Li said everyone called him Agu.
Agu was a local, born and raised. His parents were both gold panners, and his family had many children, most of whom had perished in the gold panning industry.
Given his family's circumstances, Agu would likely have become a gold panner himself when he grew up.
However, with his intelligence and resourcefulness, he escaped the gold panner profession and befriended many gold buyers.
He had previously worked in a gold shop and had spent several years working under a gold buyer.
At nineteen, Agu began soliciting business at the river mouth, helping many mine owners find buyers.
The mine owners at the river mouth did not sell their gold to fixed buyers; they sold it to whoever offered the highest price.
Each time Agu helped connect buyers and a deal was brokered, he would receive a commission.
He was a man of many connections and was well-regarded at the river mouth, getting along with everyone from the mine owners to the gold panners.
Originally, if he had continued this line of work, he wouldn't have become rich, but he would have lived much better than most people.
Back then, when Ni Li was the most beautiful woman in the river mouth, many mine owners had their eyes on her, but in the end, it was Agu who married her.
Although many mine owners were displeased, they didn't escalate the matter due to Agu's connections with many gold buyers.
After marrying Ni Li, Agu gradually fell into gambling, and his family began to struggle financially.
Later, he fell in with the wrong crowd and became addicted to drugs.
From that point on, he borrowed money everywhere, accumulating a mountain of debt and living by borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.
Until one day, he couldn't manage his finances anymore, and his creditors became insistent. He took a desperate gamble and set up a scheme.
He found people to impersonate major gold buyers and offered a high price to purchase gold from the mine owners at the river mouth.
During the transaction, Agu claimed the gold buyers had asked him to transport the gold out first and then bring back the money.
This method of transaction was unprecedented. Previously, transactions usually involved the mine owners personally delivering the gold, with payment exchanged upon delivery.
However, this was the first time a middleman was entrusted with transporting the gold.
Initially, many mine owners had reservations, but under Agu's persistent persuasion, they agreed to this transaction method.
Agu was clever; he asked each mine owner to provide a portion of their gold first, which he would take to the buyers for inspection. Upon confirmation, he would receive the full payment and then deliver the remaining gold.
Under the allure of the high price, many mine owners handed over their gold.
Agu gathered ten jin of gold and left with it.
When he took the gold, he intended to flee, and he had planned to take his wife and daughter with him.
However, a mine owner from Beihe discovered this and insisted on detaining his wife until he returned with the money.
Agu had no choice. After taking the gold out, he pondered his options. He wanted to flee directly, but he couldn't bear to abandon his family.
As he was deliberating, his creditors found him and seized all ten jin of gold he was carrying to settle his debts.
Agu was instantly stripped of everything. He knew he wouldn't be able to account for himself if he returned and that his death was certain.
So, he employed a stratagem, "concealing the sky and crossing the sea," and had a batch of fake gold bars made.
He returned to the river mouth with the fake gold bars and told the other mine owners that the gold buyers hadn't arrived yet, so he had returned first.
At the river mouth, he deliberately and casually let others see the box of fake gold.
Some mine owners went to him, and he showed them the fake gold bars.
At the time, the mine owners didn't think much of it. After all, they didn't believe Agu would dare to abscond with their gold, so they paid no attention to the authenticity of the bars.
Until one night, during a fierce thunderstorm, news spread through the river mouth.
It was said that Agu had fled with the gold!
Upon hearing this, the mine owners rushed over and dispatched many men to search for Agu.
After searching for an entire night, they only found a corpse, and the gold had vanished.
The mine owners were furious and sent out even more men to scour the mountains and plains for the lost gold.
Ni Li, as Agu's wife, was also subjected to harsh interrogation, but nothing was extracted from her.
This incident caused a great stir and even led to disputes between two mine owners, resulting in a brawl where many people died.
At this point, Zhu Li crushed his cigarette butt, lit another, and said, "With Agu dead, everyone was thinking about finding that box of gold. Many gold panners and mine owners were coveting that gold... It wasn't until later, when the big boss invited the mine owners for a meal, that the truth came to light."
"The big boss?" I asked, puzzled.
"Yes. The so-called big boss was the local authorities... Given the numerous incidents occurring in the black mines of the river mouth each year, do you really think the authorities would remain indifferent?" Zhu Li chuckled. "They call them black mines, but the amount of money handed over each year is quite substantial."
So that was it. No wonder the mine owners acted with such impunity.
"What did the big boss say to the mine owners?" Fatty couldn't help but ask.
Zhu Li replied, "What else could he say? He simply told them that their gold had already been taken by Agu's creditors."
"What did the mine owners do when they learned of this?"
"When the mine owners found out, naturally, everyone was furious. Some even wanted to kill Agu's wife and daughter."
Zhu Li paused here. "However, the big boss issued a decree, saying that since Agu was dead, his family should not be harmed."
"Why would the big boss protect Agu's family?" I asked.
"That's unknown. Some say Agu had saved the big boss's life years ago, while others say Agu had been giving gifts to the big boss over the years. As for the truth, only the parties involved know."
"So, this matter was kept hidden all this time?" I asked.
"Yes. The mine owners felt that since the big boss had spoken, they wouldn't pursue it further. As for the truth of the matter, they didn't want to reveal it. After all, if this became common knowledge, where would the mine owners' dignity go?" Zhu Li said.
"So, everyone knew the truth, except for Sister Gu?"
Zhu Li gave a wry smile and remained silent, slowly smoking a cigarette.
Ni Li had been kept in the dark all along. She believed the reason the mine owners hadn't harmed her was that they wanted to find the lost gold through her, but the real truth was...
Thinking of this, I sighed, feeling a moment of pity for the woman.
For so many years, she had been guarding a so-called "secret," hoping to use this "secret" to provide a new life for her daughter...