Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1048 Making Money and Being Happy

Holding his cup, Li Long thought about the time since his rebirth and felt that he wasn't actually that unhappy.
Polati, taking a somewhat overbearing stance, didn't stand on ceremony with Li Long at all. He picked up the bottle, filled his own glass, and then poured one for Li Long before remembering to eat. He picked up a piece of lamb intestine with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, saying as he ate:
"Li Long, let me tell you, you Han Chinese people just live too hard a life. You people don't know how to enjoy happiness at all. Life is about happiness, right? What's the point of making so much money if not to make yourself happier?"

All you do is think about how to make money, exhausting yourselves like horses. What's the point of making so much money if you just save it and don't spend it?

Look at me, we don't have so many worries. We earn a little, spend a little, eat when we want, drink when we want. Life is just about being happy!

You know, life is so much better now than before. We can drink whenever we want and eat meat whenever we want.

I still get a monthly salary. My son is already married and has his own life, so I don't need to worry about him anymore.

Yang Gangzi had plenty of food and drink at home and didn't have to worry about anything.

I'm here watching over the woods now. When I'm relaxed, I run around a bit. When I get tired, I find a gully, tether my horse to the grass, and take a nap.

Nobody's watching me. How I work is my business. Just tell me, and you'll see how great it is!
Unlike you Han Chinese! I don't know where you get so many worries, worrying about this and that. Haven't the future already happened? Why think so much?

Li Long understood what Polati meant.

People from different ethnic groups have different lifestyles and mindsets.

Let alone now, even if we push forward thirty or forty years, many Kazakh Uyghurs will still have the same mentality as they do now in Bolati.

Their young people also go to the city to work, or those with large-scale agricultural production will set up factories and companies in their area, and they will work in the factories.

Some young people from ethnic minorities have the same mentality as Polati: they earn enough to live on for a month, but if they find their work annoying or unsatisfactory, they quit.

I'll happily go through this month's salary, and then look for a job when I run out of money.

I don't know when, but many ethnic minority faces have appeared in the temporary labor markets in the city.

They also enjoy working half a day or a full day like this, earning money for one day, spending it for one or two days, and then going back to earn more when they run out of money.

In the park's lawns and the community's green belts, you can often see three or five people sitting together, drinking for half a day with a bottle of baijiu or a bottle of beer and a bag of peas and peanuts.

After finishing his drink, he took off his coat, spread it out on the lawn, and lay down to sleep for the entire afternoon.

They don't care about other people's opinions, and they rarely bother others. They live in their own spiritual world and are very happy.

Of course, there are also many young people who, after receiving primary, middle, high school and university education, enter the system or companies and live the life of a slave like cattle and horses.

But whenever they have a day off, even just a weekend, they drive their cars with their wives and children to riverside grasslands or hillsides far from the city for picnics and camping, and they have a great time.

Well, their habits are different. If you asked Li Long to live that kind of life, he might not be able to handle it.

So, in response to this comparison by Polati, Li Long smiled and pointed to Mingming and Haohao, who were eating nearby, saying:

"Look, your kids are already married and have their own lives, you don't need to take care of them anymore. My kids are still young, I still have to take care of them until they go to school, get a job and get married."

By then, he'll have his own life, and I'll be just as happy as you are now, drinking when I want to drink, and not working when I don't want to work."

Polati looked at Mingming and Haohao beside him, then suddenly smiled and said:

"You still have a long way to go! But you have a lot of money now, so you don't have to work so hard anymore. You Han Chinese people just create too much trouble for yourselves, and you suffer your whole lives!"

After saying that, he picked up his glass, clinked it with Li Long's, and drank it by himself.

"Don't drink so fast," Li Long raised his glass and waved it at him. "You'll get drunk if you rush. This place is so far from your forestry team, what will happen if you drink too much?"

"So what? If you've had too much to drink, just spread your coat on the grass and lie down to sleep." Polati didn't care at all.

"What if a wolf comes?" Li Long was naturally worried.

"What's there to be afraid of? My horse is very strong. It will kick if a wolf comes. I'll wake up as soon as there's any noise. The gun is right in front of me. I'm not afraid."

Well, it seems Polati is experienced; she may have encountered similar situations before.

Despite saying that, Li Long deliberately controlled the pace of his drinking and kept urging Polati to eat more.

This was the first time Polati had drunk with Li Long like this, and he gave Li Long a lot of face. He slowed down the drinking and talked about the past while drinking.

It turns out that Bolati was also a herdsman, and he had his own pasture here. However, he did some things that others might not think were good, but Bolati himself didn't think they were big problems. So he stopped being a herdsman and became a forest ranger.

Now, Bolati feels that not being a herdsman is quite good. He has a stable job, his son is married in the county and has a yard, and he lives a good life. That's enough for him.

As for what others think, what does it matter? Will it have any impact on me? As long as I don't care, it certainly won't have any effect.

In short, Polati has a big heart, and if we disregard his personal character, he is a friend worth making.

At least since he met Li Long, the things he has done for his friends are truly impeccable.

Li Long didn't want to judge his past, so he just listened.

The snacks on the table were quickly finished, and according to Polati, it was time to drink straight.

Li Long didn't have this habit; he said:

"Wait a moment, I'll cut a little more. And I'll make some hot tea." Li Long likes to drink baijiu (Chinese liquor) with hot tea, so the effects of the alcohol wear off quickly.

After all, Bolati still has to go back to the forestry team, which is such a long distance, so it's better to stay clear-headed.

I still have to take care of Mingming and Haohao, so I can't just fall asleep here.

After chopping up two more plates of offal and placing them on the low table, Li Long poured two bowls of hot tea. Polati, also thirsty, put down his wine glass, picked up the teacup, and gulped down the tea. Li Long smiled at him, then simply picked up the teapot and placed it aside. The two continued eating, drinking, and chatting.

This time, Bolati started talking about the forestry team. "The higher-ups said they're going to set up a forestry bureau, and our forestry team will be under its jurisdiction. But to me, I don't care about a forestry team or a forestry bureau, as long as they pay us our wages on time, that's fine."

As a low-level employee, Polati really didn't care at all about the reorganization, merger, or new establishment of administrative agencies.

In his view, no matter how much the organization and adjustments are made, it won't affect him much. Anyway, he won't get a raise, and it's impossible for them, the people who actually do the work, to be laid off.

Li Long recalled the situation in his previous life and felt it was probably similar. The Forestry Bureau, the Tiandong Forestry Bureau—gradually, these things were handled much the same way as in his previous life.

As forest management becomes more standardized, forest management stations will gradually be established, making it much harder to hunt like this in the future.

Whether hunting, gathering herbs, or engaging in other activities in the forest, these activities would be restricted.

Of course, this is also a sign of social development and progress. Humans cannot take things from nature indefinitely. Although human destruction of nature is only a minor ailment for the earth, some of the damage is truly devastating for humanity itself.

Mingming and Haohao finished eating early, and after they finished, they even took their plates and put them on the table, and then played in front of the house.

After playing for a while, the two boys got sleepy. They told Li Long, and he took them into the house, put them on the wooden kang (a heated brick bed), covered them with a thin quilt, and the two boys quickly fell asleep.

That's how it is in the mountains. Even though the sun is blazing and the sun is scorching, it can get cold in the shade if you don't cover yourself with something.

Polati didn't stop drinking until noon. Mainly because he had finished the two bottles of wine, and he wanted more, but Li Long disagreed.

At this point, Li Long was a little dizzy, but not drunk. When Polati saw that Li Long wouldn't let him drink anymore, he stood up and swayed as he tried to ride away on horseback, telling Li Long to pull him directly to the wooden kang (heated brick bed) in the room to sleep.

Polati refused, saying he wanted to sunbathe and sleep on the lawn. Actually, although he was a bit sleepy, he wasn't completely drowsy and knew that there were two children sleeping on the wooden bed. Although the wooden bed was big enough, turning over would inevitably disturb the children, so he decided to let them sleep outside.

Li Long pulled out a mattress and spread it on the grass next to the wooden house, letting Blatti lie down on it. Blatti took off his hat and covered his face, and fell asleep, soon starting to snore.

Just as he said, he ate, drank, slept, and did whatever he wanted, and was really happy.

Li Long smiled and shook his head. He tidied up the low table, took the plates and bowls to the spring to wash them clean and put them away. Then he took a stool and sat at the door, poured himself another cup of hot tea, took a sip from time to time, and put it on the wooden floor next to him after finishing. He then leaned against the wooden wall and dozed off.

Polati was sleeping outside, and Li Long didn't dare to go inside. After all, there were many wolves in the mountains, and it would be quite troublesome if he were bitten by one.

Just as he had said, Polati's horse, though tied to a post, would occasionally look at its owner sleeping on the lawn, sometimes snorting or kicking its hoof to show its presence.

What a loyal partner.

Occasionally, a mountain breeze would blow, bringing a touch of coolness. But the blazing sun was really making his face uncomfortable. Li Long stood up and went inside to get a straw hat. He put the hat over his face while sitting on the stool, which made him feel a little better.

He was thinking of cutting some wood in the next couple of days and building a shed in front of the cabin, which would involve extending the eaves forward and covering it with dry grass, making it more comfortable to sit under the shed.

Just then, Li Long heard the neighing of a horse. He took off his straw hat and looked into the distance. He saw a person leaning on a stick slowly walking towards him.

Disheveled and unkempt—this is the daily life of those who gather herbs in the mountains. With streams nearby, they can wash their faces clean. They generally don't have combs, clippers, or even razors, so it's normal for their beards to be unkempt, and their hair to be even more tangled.

The person in front of us was in an even worse state; his clothes were torn in several places, and his trousers were ripped open, just like those performance artists giving demonstrations.

When Li Long got closer, he realized that the man was injured, his face was covered in blood, he had cuts on his arms, and his shoes were stretched out.

"You got robbed?" As the man approached the wooden table, Li Long stood up, walked over, and asked, "Are you alright?"

"It was indeed robbed." A bitter smile appeared on the man's ashen face. "I originally wanted to bring some fritillaria bulbs to you to exchange for some supplies, but the only fritillaria bulbs I had were also stolen, and damn it, they didn't even leave me any tools..."

"Could you please give me half a steamed bun? I've been starving all day..."

"Come here, I have some naan." Li Long beckoned to him, then turned and went into the house, took two naan, took some scraps from the basin, chopped them up haphazardly and rolled them into the naan, thought for a moment, then poured a bowl of hot tea and took them out together.

"Don't be shy, eat slowly." This person was not old, not even thirty years old, and still had a scholarly air about him. I wonder how he ended up here digging for fritillaria bulbs.

"Thank you so much, thank you so much." The man was surprised that Li Long had given him so many things, but he was too embarrassed to accept them and thanked him repeatedly while hesitating.

"Eat up, everyone has their difficulties." Li Long smiled, put the plate and naan in his hands, and placed the hot tea beside him. "You should understand, don't eat too fast, drink water, your stomach needs time to recover."

"I know, I know, I'm just too hungry." The man replied, picked up the naan, thanked Li Long again, and then started eating.

Li Long could sense that this person's physical instinct was to wolf down their food, but they were restraining themselves and eating slowly, even chewing the food thoroughly before swallowing.

He's such a well-mannered person, how did he end up like this?

However, Li Long didn't ask. There are all sorts of weird people in the mountains, so naturally, weird things will happen.

So as not to disturb the other person's meal, Li Long put down his things and went back to sit down at the entrance of the wooden house.

At this moment, Mingming and Haohao, who were behind him, got up. The two children stood on either side of Li Long, curiously watching the people sitting on the grass eating outside, and whispered to Li Long:

"Dad, is this uncle sick? He looks terrible."

"Exactly, just like a patient!"

"You two play inside. This uncle is hungry. He'll be fine after he eats," Li Long said softly. The two children turned and went inside.

The place where that person was eating was about ten meters away from the wooden house, so they probably didn't hear it.

Perhaps feeling indebted to Li Long, or perhaps finding the silence too awkward, the man began to speak while eating:
"I went into the mountains to collect herbs a couple of days ago. There are a lot of fritillaria bulbs in the mountains. I dug up more than half a bag. I don't have much left, and I can't carry it all. I was thinking of going down the mountain to exchange for some money and supplies."

Unexpectedly, the confiscation was taken by the forest ranger as soon as they reached the mountain pass.

The forest ranger was really nice; he only took the fritillaria bulbs, but left me all his tools and other equipment.

What's infuriating is that yesterday afternoon, while I was digging for fritillaria bulbs, I was targeted by three people. They not only stole my fritillaria bulbs and tools, but also beat me up. They also took the supplies I had stored in my dugout.

I haven't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon, otherwise I wouldn't have come here to ask for something... Thank you so much... I probably would have starved to death if it weren't for you..."

"Do you still have a fever?" Li Long asked after looking at you for a while. "I have some medicine here."

"Really?" The man put down the food and looked at Li Long somewhat embarrassedly. "I have nothing on me right now..."

"It's alright, it's alright. Like I said, everyone has difficult times when they're away from home." Li Long stood up, went inside to get some medicine, came out, and handed it to the person.

"The tea is the antidote. Shall I change it to hot water?" Li Long said, pointing to the bowl.

"It's alright, it's alright, it's really not a big deal, I know that." The man looked at the pills and asked, "Aspirin, oh, that's good!"

Without drinking any water, he swallowed the pills with the naan bread in his mouth.

After drinking the medicine, the man pointed to Polati lying on the ground and said:

"He must be the one who took my fritillaria bulbs. He's a forest ranger, right? A herb gatherer. Although many people say forest rangers are bad guys, they're much better than those robbers."

“Yes, this is the forest ranger, my friend.” Li Long nodded, guessing that this man was probably among the fritillaria bulbs that Polati had brought.

The man didn't finish his naan; he rolled up the rest, held it in his hand, drank the hot tea in the bowl, wiped his mouth, stood up, returned the bowl to Li Long, and then said seriously:
"Thank you. My name is Mo Linsheng. With these things, I can last for a day or two. In the next day or two, I'll dig up some more fritillaria bulbs and pay back for this meal. I will definitely come back!"

The man spoke firmly, as if he were expressing his integrity to Li Long.

Li Long smiled and said, "I believe you, but how are you going to dig for fritillaria bulbs with your bare hands? Wait a minute, I'll get you a shovel."

After saying that, he took the bowl back into the hut, then retrieved an iron shovel, a pair of rubber boots, and a urea bag. He walked up to Mo Linsheng and handed him the shovel.

"Take it, consider it a loan from me."

Then he handed him the rubber boots: "Put these on. There are a lot of wild animals in the mountains. If you encounter wolves or something, having a good pair of shoes will at least help you run faster."

Mo Linsheng showed a grateful expression, and then solemnly said to Li Long:

"Consider these as a loan from me, and I will definitely repay them double!"

After saying that, he took the shovel, shoes, and bag, bowed deeply to Li Long, and turned to walk into the woods.

Li Long thought for a moment, then caught up with him, stuffed a box of matches into his hand, and said, "I almost forgot, this is the most important one."

Mo Linsheng said nothing more, took the match, nodded, and left.

Li Long watched his figure slowly disappear into the woods, and felt quite happy.

People always feel a sense of accomplishment when they do good deeds. He was even looking forward to their next meeting, hoping that Mo Linsheng's condition would improve by then.

(End of this chapter)