pjbooks Chapter 55: Mining Deal
Chapter 55: Mining Deal
The next morning, Lillian knocked on Jason's door.
"Jason, wake up, Nobel and the others have arrived," Lillian's voice pulled Jason from his sleep.
Yawning and still half-asleep, I quickly washed up to wash away the effects of last night's drunkenness.
Outside the room, under the eaves of the hotel, Nobel sat with a lawyer in a suit, waiting for Jason.
Lillian also brought a lawyer with her. She contacted him yesterday after returning to the hotel because she was in a hurry, and the fee was quite high.
Looking at the rising sun, Jason yawned and said, "Nobe, you're a little too early."
Nobel chuckled and explained, "Jason, signing a contract isn't that simple, and we still need to file it later."
The contract is made in triplicate, with one copy for each party and one copy required for filing.
The amount was considerable, but the venue seemed rather rudimentary.
They didn't bother looking for another place; they started the signing process directly under the eaves of the hotel's wooden cabin.
Jason and Nobel were relatively relaxed, mainly because their lawyers were communicating, confirming various terms, and verifying various documents.
Two hours later, after drinking three or four cups of coffee, the group finally reached a consensus on the various terms and documents in the contract.
During this time, everyone woke up, but they all remained quiet and did not disturb anyone.
Connor's drilling team packed up everything, nodded to Jason, and said a brief goodbye.
After a quick breakfast, the group drove to a small airport, where Nobel had already arranged for a small plane to wait.
"Nobe, are you in such a hurry?" Jason was both amused and exasperated by the situation.
Fortunately, he had the ability to detect the gold content underground; otherwise, given Nobel's attitude, even if others had explored the area, they would have been suspicious.
"There's no other way. I don't have much time left with that mine. I have to confirm it as soon as possible." Nobel didn't want things to be like this, but time waits for no one. Now he just has to wait for Jason's money to arrive.
During breakfast, when he learned that he needed to go to Bendigo to register his information and update his records, Brent insisted on going with him.
It's mainly for safety reasons!
When Brent saw Nobel's flustered appearance, he frowned.
Brent was a little worried and asked in a low voice, "Jason, I have a bad feeling about this. Are you sure the test results are okay?"
"Don't worry, I've been keeping an eye on things the whole time," he said, putting on his headphones and fastening his seatbelt.
As the feeling of being pushed back in your seat came, the sound of the propellers spinning echoed in the cabin, and the small plane carrying several people headed straight for Bendigo.
After spending some more time, all the procedures were finally completed, and it was already afternoon.
Without Nobel even needing to urge him, Jason immediately wrote out the check and handed it to Nobel.
After paying the lawyer's fees, Jason and Brent boarded the plane back to their destination.
Only then did Jason finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Everything has settled down!
Jason has finally put down roots in Australia.
Although it wasn't Brent who paid, Jason could no longer contain his excitement once he paid and boarded the plane.
"Jason, you're going to strike it rich this time!"
"There are so many gold prospectors in the Bering Sea, but as far as I know, you're the first one to have a mine in Australia!"
"Wow, Jason is amazing!"
The sound of the propellers, accompanied by Brent's excited shouts, echoed in the cabin, attracting the attention of the pilots.
A mine, and a gold mine at that.
Looking at Jason's still-youthful face, the elderly man was filled with emotion. Sometimes, the difference between people is just too great.
Because they had called ahead to let Jason know, everyone had already checked out and was waiting in front of the hotel when Jason returned.
"Set off!"
Jason's mood was different this time compared to the previous times. Well, maybe it was because the mine belonged to him.
After a bumpy ride, we arrived at the mine again. The mine, which was bustling with activity yesterday, was now shut down.
Bulldozers, excavators, and transport vehicles were parked on an open space. Although the ground was still mottled, traces of cleaning could be seen.
The ore washing machine, which is a full thirty meters long, stands there quietly, like a giant dragon lying prone. Only when you get close can you feel the overwhelming shock.
The electrical system was covered with waterproof cloth, and the mining machine was cleaned. Although it only took one night, it is clear that Nobel put in a lot of effort.
The person who handed over the items to Jason and the others was Nobel's son. After explaining the purpose of each place and the things left behind to Jason, he also said goodbye to Jason.
"Shall we start now?" Andy was already itching to get started.
"No rush, let's tidy up our places first, do a thorough cleaning, and see what we're missing so we can buy it quickly," Jason said, looking at everyone and laughing loudly, "This will be our permanent residence from now on, so what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"
The place they were staying in was very clean, but everyone still cleaned it up a bit.
Brent, Andy, and Hart shared a room.
Swail and Hart shared a room, Albert and Ada shared a room, Lillian shared a room with Ellie, and Jason had his own room.
As for Cass and his group, there were exactly three of them, so they occupied one room.
After tidying up their rooms and putting away their personal belongings, everyone began cleaning the kitchen, meeting room, and other areas.
Swail then led Brent and the others to start tidying up the warehouse, which contained some second-hand parts and repair equipment. Before the gold rush began, they needed to familiarize themselves with these tools.
Among them, the newly joined Hart is under tremendous pressure.
Although he and Jason grew up together, relationships are relationships and work is work. As a newcomer, he urgently needs to prove himself.
Following his own habits, Little Hart rearranged the various spare parts and repair equipment in the warehouse, which also served as a way of familiarizing himself with the tools.
Afterwards, Hart Jr. inspected the excavator and bulldozer again by himself.
He was quite knowledgeable about vehicles; no matter what kind of vehicle it was, the internal wiring was pretty much the same.
What troubled him the most was the mining machine!
He had never dealt with such large machinery before, let alone repaired it. His main focus now was to figure out its operating principles and maintenance methods as soon as possible.
Lillian was compiling statistics from reports, both on the equipment in the mine and on what each person needed.
The compiled table was handed to Jason, who couldn't help but scratch his head.
Jason put the report away and then arranged for Andy and Brent to buy the necessary items.
"Jason, wait, wait a minute, give me the money! I don't have any money on me right now!" Brent was anxious as he watched Jason leave after giving the order. He couldn't very well pay for it himself.
Jason looked at Brent speechlessly: "Wait, I need to get the money."
Money matters should be kept separate to avoid disputes later. Jason, who was a working-class man in his previous life, was very clear about this.
The report listed a jumble of things that needed to be purchased, including not only regular food and drinks, but also snacks, blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, clothes, and so on.
It's a mess, but each one seems to make some sense.
Of course, Ellie's doll is an exception, but Jason has no choice but to buy it to avoid being attacked by Ellie's screams later.
There aren't many people, but there's a lot to do.
Everything has to start all over again.
In the entire mine, only Swell had experience in land-based gold panning; the rest were all theoretical and had never done any practical work.
Jason could foresee that the initial work would not go so smoothly.
But there's nothing we can do; that's just reality, and we can only work things out step by step.
"Swell, do you still have any old gold-digging buddies around you?" After thinking for a long time, Jason decided to start by talking to Swell.
Hire a few experienced people to mentor the newcomers; this is the fastest way to learn while making money.
Otherwise, if you rely on these theoretical approaches and gradually learn through hands-on practice to become proficient, it will take quite a while.
Swail understood Jason's meaning, but could only express his regret: "Jason, don't even think about it. The people on my original team already have their own teams. It's unrealistic to ask them to come."
Jason was still unwilling to give up and asked, "Don't you know any gold prospectors who don't have a team yet?"
"No," Swail said, shrugging helplessly. "I've been working as a librarian for the past two years. Where would I know anyone?"
"Where can we find experienced operators and repairmen?" Jason was willing to accept any job, even if it meant paying high salaries, as a last resort.
"I can ask around for you, but it depends on luck," Swail said after a moment's hesitation, so as not to disappoint Jason later.
"You should also know that skilled operators and maintenance workers are core members of any gold mining team."
Jason nodded and said, "I understand."
"But let's give it a try, just in case, don't you think?"
Jason's optimistic attitude is a good leadership trait in the gold mining industry; such optimism is needed in adversity. However, excessive optimism is not a good thing.