Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1085 Junfeng, times have changed, and opportunities lost are never regained.

After driving back from Kuitun, Li Long went straight to the Fourth Team.

My mother was waiting at the preschool, and I could hear Qin Hongyan leading the children in reciting the English alphabet song from inside the classroom.

"You're here unusually early today," Du Chunfang said with a smile upon hearing the car engine. "Have you finished your business?"

"It's all done." Li Long sat down next to his mother and asked, "Are those two naughty?"

"Naughty? Of course he's naughty! Kids are supposed to be naughty." Du Chunfang's face was full of doting affection. "He's very smart!"

Fine, I won't get any real information from my mother. Li Long felt that no matter how naughty Hao Hao was, he was probably still good in his mother's eyes.

A short while later, get out of class ended, and the children rushed out in a swarm. As soon as Mingming and Haohao saw their fathers, they hurriedly ran over, hugged one of their legs, and called out "Dad!" Then, without waiting for Li Long's reply, they quickly ran off to play with their friends.

On the open ground near the flower bed, siege lines were drawn, and the children had automatically split into two groups, noisily continuing the task they hadn't finished during the last break.

Qin Hongyan came out of the classroom, paused for a moment when she saw Li Long, and then walked over with a smile.

"Are you here to pick up your child? It's a bit early; they still have one class."

"It's alright, I'm just chatting with my mom and getting some sun," Li Long said, standing up. "How are my two kids doing?"

"That's great, very smart, learns things quickly, much better than you were back then." After saying that, Qin Hongyan felt like she had told a funny joke and laughed first.

Li Long chuckled along, and said self-deprecatingly:

"I really didn't like studying back then."

"You know that too?" Qin Hongyan nodded. "But if you had been more studious back then, you'd probably be a government official like Xiaoxia now, right?"

"Possibly." Li Long nodded. Actually, he wasn't very familiar with Qin Hongyan and didn't have much to say to her.

"I heard your family is looking for a farmhand?" Qin Hongyan asked. "Have you found one yet?"

"How did you know?" Li Long asked, puzzled. How could the news have leaked out in just one day?

Qin Hongyan glanced at Du Chunfang, and Li Long understood.

“We have a lot of land at home. As you know, my older brother drives a tractor, and my parents can't help much with the farm work. Our family has to farm the land for four families, so we can't manage without hiring a farmhand,” Li Long said honestly.

"That's true. So, are you looking for this year or continuing to look? By the way, what are you planning to plant next year?"

"I don't know, we'll see," Li Long said. "Right now, the main thing is definitely grain; we have to pay the grain tax to all four families. The rest depends on the market."

The conversation would usually end here, but Qin Hongyan was clearly not satisfied and continued to ask:
"You've been harvesting watermelon seeds for the past two years, aren't you going to stop growing watermelons?"

"I can only buy watermelon seeds if there is demand. If the other party doesn't come this year, wouldn't I be at a loss if I planted them? The market demand for watermelon seeds in our area is not large."

Li Long now understood that Qin Hongyan must have been entrusted by someone to inquire about the situation.

"If I get a purchasing job, I'll take it. If not, I won't. It depends on the market situation; it's not stable."

"What kind of plants are more stable for you to grow?" Qin Hongyan asked curiously.

"Beets, of course. Shicheng has a sugar factory, so they'll definitely buy beets. They might even grow cotton. There's a cotton and linen company in the county, so they'll buy the produce, and the price is decent."

"Grow cotton? Do you know how to grow it?" Qin Hongyan asked.

"I can't, but my older brother can," Li Long said with a smile.

Li Long deliberately leaked the news about planting cotton. After all, for pesticides to sell well, the cotton planting area must be large enough. As things stand, no one in Team Four has thought of planting cotton yet.

But once this news gets out, people will definitely start asking about it.

Cotton, a cash crop, can only be driven to technological and industrial upgrades if more people cultivate it. Li Long deliberately leaked this news to see how many people would be interested.

Qin Hongyan didn't want to ask too many questions because the students needed to go to class. After she left, Du Chunfang cautiously asked:
"Xiaolong, I told everyone about hiring a long-term worker. Will there be any problems?"

"No." Li Long shook his head, signaling his mother to relax. "She'll find out sooner or later. Besides, there will be more and more people doing this kind of thing in the future."

The four teams have a uniquely advantageous natural environment, with each family owning dozens of acres of land, and those with greater ambitions may own hundreds of acres. Before mechanization is fully developed and widespread, hiring long-term and short-term workers is the trend.

Li Long was chatting with his mother here, asking her about his family's past.

Du Chunfang enjoyed this time alone with her youngest son, and she talked on and on about the things she remembered from the past, including some myths and legends.

As fragments of his memory overlapped with his mother's words, Li Long began to recover some of his memories of his hometown and his former home.

He was somewhat relieved that he was reborn in 1981.

If it had been ten years earlier, I would have suffered terribly.

After preschool, Mingming and Haohao came out with their little backpacks. Haohao even turned around and said to a child:
"Little sheep, remember to return my eraser tomorrow!"

After saying that, she and her brother ran towards Li Long.

Li Long, with his two children and his elderly mother, went to the jeep. He helped his mother into the car first, while Du Chunfang got in, saying, "Why are you getting in the car? It's just a few steps..."

That's what she said, but she actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

That's how the older generation is. Call it hypocrisy or awkwardness in doing things, it's just how they were raised in that environment.

After all, their generation suffered hardship from a young age, spending the first half of their lives in constant hunger and upheaval.

When they reach old age, their lives suddenly become happy, and the changes are so drastic that they can't adapt to it all at once.

The frugality, even stinginess, hardship, and patience that one develops from the hardships of the first half of life can easily become awkward when combined with the slight discomfort of being able to enjoy, be generous, and have a fulfilling life now.

Some people can adapt to these awkward situations; Li Qingxia and Du Chunfang are considered good examples. There are also some elderly people in the village who truly endure hardship without any real suffering; this awkwardness can even last for decades.

Call it a generation gap or conservatism, it's nothing more than a mark of the times.

When they returned to their eldest brother's house, Li Jianguo wasn't there, but their sister-in-law was in the wheat field. Their father, Li Qingxia, was there, but he had just returned in his tractor.

Yes, Li Qingxia can already drive a tractor.

Li Long parked the jeep by the roadside in front of the gate, and the two children got out and ran into the yard. Then he heard them shouting:

"Fish, big fish!"

When Li Long and his mother entered the yard, they saw his father unloading bundles of green reeds from a small four-wheeled tractor.

This is used as a kidney when harvesting wheat (similar to the straw rope used to tie wheat in the mouth).

Of course, you don't need to use it now. While it's still green, just leave it aside. When you need it, water it the night before, let it shade, and the next day take it to the field, put two or three together and stomp them flat before using it.

Li Long stepped forward and helped his father lift the bundle of reeds, asking:

"Dad, are you cutting and catching fish at the same time?"

“There are reeds right by that little lake,” Li Qingxia said cheerfully. “After cutting them for a while, I thought I had enough, so I cast two nets. I didn’t expect to catch such a big one.”

The larger one is a five-striped perch, which weighs about two or three kilograms and looks quite fierce.

After all, it's a carnivorous fish.

Although Mingming and Haohao were not afraid of fish, the teeth sticking out of the fish's mouth still made the two children afraid to poke the fish's mouth directly with their hands.

"You two, stay away from each other." Du Chunfang, who had just come over, was startled when she saw the fish and hurriedly reminded them.

There were some crucian carp in the large laundry tub, and Mingming and Haohao went to tease the little fish.

The father and son quickly unloaded the bundles of reeds and arranged them neatly. Li Long went up and drove the tractor under the shed, then he and his father processed the fish together.

There were two kinds of fish soup for dinner. The large black fish was put on the stove immediately. As arranged by Li Qingxia, Li Long was supposed to take the large black fish home for his family. Li Long refused, saying that the fish was best eaten now, and if he took it home, it would be gone by tomorrow, and the fish wouldn't be fresh by lunchtime.

Hao Hao's belly was round from eating, but thankfully it's getting dark now, so he can digest his food properly.

"If I do the math, they should arrive in two days," Li Jianguo said at the dinner table. "Xiaolong, with Junfeng leading the way, they might just find their way straight to your yard."

"Then I won't go out tomorrow after dropping Mingming and Haohao off," Li Long said. "As soon as they arrive, I'll pick them up and bring them over. Is the house here ready?"

“Your east room is all tidied up,” Du Chunfang said. “There was a place to live there before, and there’s a stove outside. They can cook for themselves if they want, or they can eat with us.”

Although she usually didn't interfere, Du Chunfang still had a say at this time. While Liang Yuemei was hesitant to speak up, Du Chunfang didn't care. The people who came were all of her grandchildren's generation, and she made no secret of her stinginess. They could stay and eat, but if the work wasn't done well, she wouldn't have a kind word to say.

The east room was a large communal room, big enough for my second brother's family of four, or even three or four young men.

“Your and Xiaoxia’s room is usually locked,” Liang Yuemei said. “My mother and I take some time to air out your blankets.”

While eating the boneless fish that the old lady had picked out, Mingming Haohao heard his mother's name, looked up, and then continued eating.

The flesh of the five-striped black fish is very elastic. The meat in the belly area only has large bones. Once the large bones are removed, it tastes delicious when dipped in fish soup.

This fish was stewed with watercress, which Li Long dug up from the mountains. The watercress was wild and had roots, and it grew into several plants in the vegetable garden, which then became thick and strong.

The mountain pepper wormwood grows for over ten or even decades. As an herb, Li Long has seen many that are over a meter tall, almost becoming shrubs. It also has a very strong flavor, perfect for stewing fish.

After dinner, we took Mingming and Haohao home, and the whole family was very satisfied.

With more time for his parents to spend with their two grandsons, Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei now had someone to discuss things with. There were some things they couldn't reason with the two elders about, but Li Long could make the decisions.

Having spent so many years in northern Xinjiang, Li Jianguo's thinking had long since changed, and he sometimes disagreed with his parents. However, as the eldest son, he had a somewhat blindly filial nature; he didn't always listen to his parents, but he was mainly used to reasoning with them.

But can you reason with an elderly person sometimes? If you could, the saying "bad people get old" wouldn't exist in society. Can you reason with an elderly person who steals sweet potatoes or vegetables from someone's field? Some people take advantage of their age and do bad things with a sense of self-righteousness.

accustomed.

Mingming and Haohao were also very happy. Having grown up in the big courtyard since they were little, they were overjoyed to suddenly have so many playmates.

For the next two days, Li Long would drop Mingming and Haohao off directly to the fourth team and then come back to wait in the courtyard.

Lu Dehai came over, and Li Long took him to the Shicheng Tractor Factory.

“I’ve saved some money. The two thousand yuan you gave me, plus some borrowed money, should be enough to buy a tractor,” Lü Dehai said.

"The harvester is at the tractor factory; you can pick it up today," Li Long said as he drove him. "Your threshing grounds over there are starting preparations too, right?"

"It's started. Several families have already asked me to harvest their wheat when they find out I'm buying a tractor and a combine harvester," Lü Dehai said excitedly. "More than a hundred acres of land!"

Before even starting work, he already had orders worth over two hundred yuan, which naturally made Lü Dehai very happy.

I didn't say much when I bought the tractor, but now everyone likes bigger ones, and a 15-horsepower one just looks better than a 12-horsepower one.

Lu Dehai had just enough money prepared, and after filling up the gas tank, there wasn't much money left.

Li Long noticed that there were still some small change in the money he paid, and he knew that this guy had really emptied his pockets.

But I'm still excited, after all, I can make money when I get back.

When the staff at the Kuitun Agricultural Machinery Factory saw Li Long, they smiled. One of them finished dealing with his current customers and hurriedly came over to ask Li Long if he had come to pick up a harvester.

Seeing Li Long nod, he led Li Long and Lü Dehai to the warehouse. The group carried the harvester out together, and then Li Long signed a receipt, which concluded the task.

Lu Dehai was unaware of Li Long's relationship with the agricultural machinery factory and was curious about how Li Long could have such a big influence.

Li Long didn't leave immediately. He stayed at the field and taught Lü Dehai how to get on and operate the harvester. People are more daring and willing to try new things at this time. Lü Dehai also knew that such opportunities were rare, so he learned very seriously.

"Go back and work hard, but be careful. Can you drive back by yourself?" Li Long asked after finishing his instruction.

"Yes, I can." Lü Dehai said confidently. "These past two days, I not only raised the money, but also treated someone to a meal and borrowed their tractor to drive for a few days to get familiar with it."

"That's good. Even if you can drive it slowly, make sure it doesn't hurt anyone. The harvester has blades."

After reminding him repeatedly, they finally let Lü Dehai, who refused to eat, go back inside. When Li Long returned to the courtyard, he saw Li Junfeng and several others standing at the locked gate.

However, when he saw that Li Junfeng was with a pregnant woman, he was a little confused.

He knew that Li Junfeng had two sons, who should be seven or eight years old now and of school age.

Is that Li Junfeng's wife?
Who are those two young men next to him? If it's not Jun-hyun, who's the other one?
Regardless, Li Long hurriedly drove the car to the door.

Li Junfeng and the others had bags at their feet, and they were starting to get anxious.

Seeing Li Long get out of the car, Li Junfeng was overjoyed:
"Uncle! Hey, I knew it! You should have come back!"

Li Long asked:

"When did you arrive? This is all..."

"This is my wife, Xiaojuan, and this is our Uncle Xiaolong! Call him Uncle!"

"Uncle!" Li Junfeng's wife, Dong Xiaojuan, exclaimed, clutching her belly.

"This is Junxian, this is Qianjin, Chen Qianjin. He's Aunt Anguo's younger brother!"

Li Long thought to himself, "Great, they're all here!"

Anyway, since they were already there, he couldn't just turn them away. He accepted their greetings one by one, then opened the courtyard gate and let them in.

After everyone went inside, he drove the jeep in and found that Li Junfeng had already familiarly gone to the kitchen to get water and poured it for everyone.

"Come, come, have some water. Don't be shy here with Uncle Xiaolong." Li Junfeng also poured a bowl of tea for Li Long.

The other three were a bit reserved, mainly because the courtyard was quite large, making it feel like the home of a wealthy landlord. Li Long, driving a jeep like those used by high-ranking county officials, made them feel like they were from another dimension.

"Don't be shy," Li Long said with a smile. "You've rested for a bit, have you eaten yet?"

"I ate," Li Junfeng replied. "I got out of the car and came to your house, but the door wasn't open. I knew you were busy, so I went out to eat and then came back to wait."

Li Junfeng hadn't visited for several years since his last trip back. He knew a little about the changes in Li Long's situation, but not much. Li Junshan didn't say much when he went back either, so his impression of him was still from before.

"Now that we've eaten, let's rest for a while and then go to your Uncle Jianguo's place to settle in. Is your wife alright?" Li Long asked.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Li Junfeng quickly replied.

When Li Long went to the restroom, Li Junfeng hurriedly followed and whispered:
"Uncle Xiaolong, I heard from Junshan that you're doing business in the county. Do you think I can stay with you in the county?"

Li Long glanced at Li Junfeng with some surprise, not expecting that he had inquired about some things beforehand.

"Why do you think that?" Li Long asked back.

“Look, your niece-in-law is pregnant. It’s inconvenient to leave her at the team’s place,” Li Junfeng explained, blushing.

"Don't you already have a child? Why are you thinking of having another one?" Li Long asked, puzzled.

“Having a daughter, I just thought having a son would be better… The law is strict about this back home, so I thought I’d come here to hide.” Li Junfeng told Li Long the truth without thinking.

“It won’t work.” Li Long waved his hand. “I have two sons, and I don’t even dare to have a daughter. They’re cracking down on this now. If we put you in the county and they find out, your aunt’s job as a government official will be gone. We’d be breaking the law, understand?”

Li Junfeng nodded awkwardly and retreated.

This is just one reason. Li Long clearly felt that Li Junfeng had become a bit more slick during his visit. Li Long already had people handling his various tasks, and he didn't want to just randomly assign someone and complicate things that were going smoothly.

Let's leave it with my older brother for now!
　If you've won a monthly pass in the lucky draw, hurry up and join the group to find the operations team!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)