Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1114 Returning Home in High Spirits: A Car Is a Must

In the direction Li Long looked, on a higher mountain, nearly two hundred meters away from him, something moved and then disappeared.

Although Li Long only glanced at it, he could tell that it was a snow leopard, but it was very wary and immediately hid when it saw people in the area.

They probably smelled the blood here, so they went to take a look, but were discovered by Li Long and ran away.

I imagine they'll come back, since they'll be putting a huge pile of brown bear entrails here later.

Li Long raised his gun and aimed in that direction, but the guy didn't show up.

After trying for a while, Buick and the others had skinned and butchered the bear, but the snow leopard still hadn't made a move, so Li Long had no choice but to give up.

If I can take down a bear today, and then a snow leopard, that would be perfect.

Unfortunately, the snow leopard was so alert that it didn't appear!
They didn't take the bear's head, but they skinned it, removed the internal organs, and filled four bags with the bear meat and paws. They planned to carry one bag each back by themselves.

Bear skin is more troublesome; the skin alone weighs about ten kilograms.

"I'll do it." Li Long was strong. He slung the gun over his shoulder, tucked the bag of bear meat under his arm, and carried the rolled-up bear skin in his other hand as he strode back.

The location for hunting bears was too steep, and it was too troublesome to turn around and go up, so we turned into another ravine and went down.

On his way back, Li Long looked around, hoping to find the little brown bear, but he still couldn't find it.

He guessed that they had most likely crawled into some hole and hidden themselves.

"Boss Li, I didn't expect you to be so strong!" Liu Gaolou struggled to keep up with Li Long's pace, panting heavily. He carried the bear meat, said a few words, then stopped to rest for a bit before switching hands.

"Come on, give me the bear meat," Li Long thought to himself, "You have a good physique, how come you're so weak?" Buick and Bai Shanbai followed behind, moving at a steady pace, clearly very methodical. Liu Gaolou, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a good grasp of rhythm, and his stamina was lacking.

"No need, no need," Liu Gaolou hurriedly waved his hand, "I can carry it..."

"Can you hold the hides for me? I can keep my balance with one bag in each hand." Li Long thought to himself that he was the one who made these hides, and the others were just helping out. Although in the end everyone would eat the meat, they couldn't take it all back anyway.

Otherwise, he would have thought of bringing some oil back with him, since he had a belly full of grease.

By the time the bear meat was brought to the car at the foot of the mountain, it was almost noon.

Li Long also knew that this hunting trip was almost over.

The motherland is on the other side; you can see the production and construction corps companies and villages there.

Thinking about the food, I'll go back.

When they returned to Nalingol, Liu Shanmin had recovered. Looking at the bear skin, bear meat, and bear paws they had brought back, and hearing that Li Long had prepared them, he exclaimed in admiration:

"I knew you were a great hunter when I first saw you in the mountains, but I didn't expect you to be even better here!"

Li Long was busy cleaning up the bear gallbladder and said modestly:
"I was just lucky to run into them. These bullets are powerful; two shots took them down."

He certainly wasn't just lucky. His eyesight and observation skills are much better than before, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to spot the brown bear.

"I just think you're incredibly lucky, that's why I partnered with you," Liu Shanmin said without any hesitation. "To be honest, since partnering with you, I've been completing my tasks much faster. You're a lucky star, really! I have high hopes for you; I might even have to rely on you in the future."

"You're just flattering me," Li Long chuckled. "Your business is huge, so big. What is mine? It's just a small operation. It can't compare."

The two exchanged pleasantries and compliments for a while. Li Long finished preparing the bear bile, and the meal was almost ready.

Actually, the meal was almost ready when they returned, except for an extra dish of roasted bear meat.

Okay, here's what we do: bake.

The taste was just average.

Li Long wanted to take the bear skin and bear bile back with him, as it was one of his greatest gains in a foreign land. Liu Shanmin took some bear meat back with him, intending to keep it for later consumption.

Although they didn't say it was particularly delicious, it's still bear meat, which is rare!

During the meal, Bai Shanbai repeatedly praised Li Long, saying he had never seen anyone so skilled at killing bears. He took down a brown bear weighing several hundred kilograms with just two shots, cleanly and efficiently.

His words were relayed by Buick, and Li Long was quite pleased to hear them. He could tell that both Bai Shanbai and Buick were looking at him differently now.

These people respect warriors; anyone who can kill such a large brown bear must be a true warrior.

After lunch, Liu Shanmin went back. He didn't want to stay there any longer; the officers at the outposts kept coming over here. Unlike back home, some of these officers were looking for lovers in Nalingol.

His home is in Almaty or another city, but he has a mistress in Nalingonna whom he supports, so he has two homes. And these guys are particularly good drinkers; if he doesn't leave in the afternoon, they'll probably come knocking on his door for drinks that evening.

troublesome!

They left a bag of bear meat for Baishanbai and took the rest. They drove to Buick's relative's place and stayed overnight. The next day, they took the antelope hides and horns they had hunted, left another bag of bear meat, and then returned to Almaty.

After spending a day in Almaty, Liu Shanmin, along with Li Long and three vehicles, crossed the customs and returned to Khorgos.

Upon returning to China, Li Long, like Liu Gaolou, immediately sought out a place to eat.

Although only a few days have passed, I really don't like the food there.

I don't know how Liu Shanmin could stand it.

The three cars drove to Yining first, where Liu Shanmin exchanged six thousand US dollars for Li Long, saying that Liu Gaolou should go back with him this time and bring three more truckloads of white sugar.

Li Long naturally had no objections.

Earning three thousand dollars in one trip, what a bargain!

Liu Shanmin was a good friend; when he left, he brought back a lot of local specialties from Almaty, such as chocolates, Soviet candies, rye bread, Russian nesting dolls, cashmere shawls, and so on.

Not only his, but also Liu Gaolou's, which Liu Gaolou was to send back to his hometown.

Anyway, he can't go back anytime soon.

Actually, they brought a truck with them when they came back, which was full of various mechanical parts. However, someone took over after they passed through customs. Liu Shanmin made it very mysterious, so Li Long and the others naturally did not participate.

Overall, Liu Shanmin was very happy and paid the money readily. He also told Li Longming that Li Long could drive the car he was driving back himself. The price was one thousand US dollars or five thousand RMB.

This car is a Moskva sedan, slightly inferior to the one he gave to Li Long, but it's practically new. Forget five thousand, someone would want it for fifty thousand.

Li Long wondered if it was really his luck that affected Liu Shanmin, but since Liu Shanmin dared to give it away, he certainly dared to accept it too.

The main thing is that the car has all the necessary paperwork, so he's naturally not worried.

Of the three cars, one belongs to Liu Gaolou, and it also has all the necessary paperwork; the transfer of ownership and license plates can be done here. Liu Gaolou privately told Li Long that he, as an uncle, treats Li Long better than he treats his nephew!
Liu Shanmin drove over in one of his own trucks because he had business to attend to. He told Liu Gaolou to hire three trucks to go with Li Long to Shicheng to pick up sugar, which would make things easier.

Since Li Long was already there, he thought that instead of driving back to Ma County empty-handed, he might as well bring back some local specialties. But after thinking it over, he realized that at that time, Yili's local specialties could be loaded onto trucks, mainly apples and the like.

After all, Aksu apples weren't famous at that time, while Yili apples were very well-known.

We'll haul a load back to the purchasing station; some will be for our own family to eat, and some will be sold.

Apples can be stored anyway; they can be kept in the cellar and eaten in winter.

There are also crabapples. As for grapes, they are available in Ma County, so there's no need to buy them separately.

In addition, there's horse meat and horse intestines. Winter is approaching, and the horse meat and horse intestines in Yili are quite famous now. They're all smoked. Li Long bought the cooked food directly from a large pot at the market, intending to take some back for his own consumption and some as gifts.

Liu Shanmin watched Li Long shopping here and said with a smile:

“You, you, actually, given your current situation, you can definitely come over every now and then. When the resources from your side are brought over, you can come along with them.” Li Long then inquired about exactly what the Kazakhstan Soviet Socialist Republic needed, besides sugar.

“We don’t need cement in winter, but we definitely need daily necessities. We’re short of all kinds of shoes, clothes, cotton hats, socks, and so on. Basically, anything we need for daily life is in short supply.”

Liu Shanmin said with emotion:
"For such a large country, the main support comes from heavy industry. There has always been a shortage of light industrial products. In the past, it was better if the distribution was relatively fair. But as you all know, the higher-ups made a mess of things, and things fell into chaos at each level."

Corruption, embezzlement, rigid systems, coupled with the egalitarian planned economy, led to low morale among workers and peasants…

Li Long didn't say much. The analyses in many newspapers in later years mostly focused on systemic issues, the divisions in the West, and so on. Now, listening to Liu Shanmin talk about these practical things, he realized that some things cannot be overturned overnight.

Perhaps the foundation of that once mighty empire has already been eroded by two-thirds or even more, and it only needs a strong push from an external force to collapse.

In Ma County, including Shicheng, there are few or no clothing and shoe factories. Most ordinary families make their own clothes and shoes, and while some buy them, it's rare.

So if you want to get your hands on shoes and such, you still have to find Zhao Hui and Huang Lei. It's 1987 now, so it's not as hard to buy as it was at the very beginning of the reform and opening up.

Moreover, if you're going to do it, bringing a truckload of shoes might be better than clothes.

Of course, we have to be wary of those fake shoes made of kraft paper; we can't do things that will ruin our reputation!

After having dinner, they stayed overnight in Yining and set off together the next day. Upon reaching Qingshuihe in Huocheng, they parted ways. Liu Shanmin took Bekmulati back to Khorgos, while Li Long and Liu Gaolou took the truck to Guozigou to return to Ma County.

Three trucks, one loaded with apples, and the other loaded with miscellaneous things Li Long had bought.

This time, Liu Gaolou didn't ride in a truck; like Li Long, he drove a car alongside the convoy. His driving skills weren't as good as Li Long's; he was very excited driving a Volga, but he became extremely cautious after entering the Guozigou Valley.

It has already snowed in Guozigou, and the roads are a bit slippery. Trucks have snow chains on, but cars don't, so they drive slower.

The mountain road itself was not good, and large trucks would pass by from the opposite direction from time to time, which could easily cause a collision. It was a nerve-wracking drive all the way out, but once we arrived at Sayram Lake, we felt much more at ease.

The convoy rested for a while at Sayram Lake. After getting out of the car, Liu Gaolou said to Li Long with a wry smile:

"I was just showing off this time. My legs were weak after driving out of Guozigou."

“It’s alright,” Li Long smiled. “After this experience, you’ll be more courageous when you drive the remaining 300 kilometers to Ma County and come back. You still need to drive often. Riding in a car is different from driving.”

Liu Gaolou thought that made sense. Although he was relieved and scared after driving it, he had to admit that he had gained a deeper understanding of his driving skills.

He felt he could handle it better if he drove back now.

We drove carefully through the Guozigou Valley, rested for a while at Sayram Lake, and then stopped at Wutai Mountain.

Anyway, the most dangerous part is over, and the rest can be handled easily.

Li Long wanted to go back as soon as possible, but he could clearly sense that Liu Gaolou hadn't adapted yet, so he could only accommodate him for a while.

There's no way to eat or sleep properly here, so Li Long has to make do. He hasn't slept well and is worried that someone might steal things from the truck.

The apples weren't expensive, so it didn't matter. But the horse meat and intestines were quite rare, and if they were stolen, Li Long would be furious.

Fortunately, when they woke up the next day, the car was safe. They ate some stew in front of them and then drove off.

The weather is getting colder, and there is already snow on the mountainside not far from the highway.

We drove almost nonstop all day. We had lunch at the Kuitun military post, and then drove on to Ma County. It was already completely dark by then.

Li Long led them to the purchasing station. Gu Boyuan had just finished dinner and returned. When he saw a long line of cars coming, he knew that Li Long had returned. He was quite excited and he and Liang Shuangcheng opened the big iron gate early to let the cars in.

Liu Gaolou didn't drive in; he parked his car outside. After the truck came in, he was going to take the driver to the county guesthouse.

Li Long wanted to invite them to dinner, but Liu Gaolou waved his hand:
"You should go back now, don't worry about us. It's not like this is your first time here, I know this place pretty well. Okay, let's talk about it tomorrow, we're all pretty tired, we should go and rest too."

Li Long didn't stand on ceremony. He waved for them to leave and then briefly told Gu Boyuan about what had happened in the past two days.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Go eat first, then hurry home and rest." Gu Boyuan didn't let him say any more. "Mingming and Haohao have been asking about you at the dinner table these past few days. It's a good thing that the child knows he misses his father."

If he went home now, Sister Yang would definitely be able to cook a meal. Li Long didn't want to trouble them, so he drove to the state-run canteen, ate dumplings before getting off work, and then hurriedly returned to the compound.

Gu Boyuan had already called Gu Xiaoxia to inform her that Li Long had returned, so as soon as the car arrived at the door, the gate opened, and Gu Xiaoxia, Mingming, Haohao, Sister Yang, and Han Fang were all there, looking at him with some excitement.

"Another car came back? Was the journey alright?" Gu Xiaoxia asked after Li Long parked the car and got out.

"I bought it cheaply, all the paperwork is in order, I'll sell it later," Li Long said. "It's been fine on the road, and it'll be alright abroad too. Boss Liu has connections there, so it's doing well, except the food is terrible. Sister Yang, if you want to go there, you can be a head chef at a hotel!"

Sister Yang laughed when she heard this, then quickly waved her hand:

"No way, with my skills, I can manage to set up a small stall, but as a chef... that's definitely out of the question."

"I'm not lying to you," Li Long said with a smile as he took things out of the car. "Boss Liu is coming over tomorrow, you can ask him if you don't believe me. By the way, invite him to lunch at my house tomorrow, I'll get a fish and a chicken then."

"Okay, then I'll finish work early tomorrow and come back to do it." Sister Yang was naturally happy to be praised.

Li Long took out several nesting dolls, gave one to Han Fang, and one each to Mingming and Haohao, saying:

"Take it and play with it. It's a nesting doll. Open it up and you'll see one inside the other. It's so much fun."

"This must be expensive!" Sister Yang hurriedly refused, "No need, no need, it's fine for Mingming and Haohao to play with, Xiaofang is too old to play with it..."

Han Fang was unhappy at that moment.

"Sister Yang, it's alright, I brought plenty, there's enough for everyone." Li Long took out more chocolates and distributed them to the three children, and finally handed Sister Yang a shawl:
"I went over there, and to be honest, they didn't have as many ordinary supplies as we do here. This is for you, sister. You've worked hard too."

Sister Yang was embarrassed and quickly waved her hand, saying, "Why did you buy it for me..."

Gu Xiaoxia also joined in the persuasion:
"Sister Yang, please accept it. We're practically family now, so don't be shy."

Sister Yang accepted the money with embarrassment, and then led Han Fang into the house.

We shouldn't disturb their family's rest.

Li Long then took a cashmere shawl from the back seat of the car and handed it to Gu Xiaoxia: "This is for you. Look, there's also this..."

A shawl, fancy little mirrors, and a set of ethnic clothing—Gu Xiaoxia looked on with great curiosity: "Did you bring all of these from the Soviet Union?"

Gu Xiaoxia didn't know much about the constituent republics of the Soviet Union; anyway, most people nowadays just call that area the Soviet Union.

“Yes, mostly,” Li Long said. “There are also apples and horse meat and sausages brought from Yili in the trucks at the purchasing station. We’ll unload them tomorrow.”

The family of four entered the house in a lively atmosphere. Mingming and Haohao were already captivated by the matryoshka dolls. Although one would fall from time to time, it would be quickly picked up and put back together.

The two sets of matryoshka dolls had different patterns, but were similar in size. Soon, the two children mixed them up. Under the light, they didn't care about the mess, repeatedly unfolding and putting the dolls back on, over and over again, still enjoying themselves immensely.

Li Long washed up, changed his clothes, and lay comfortably on the bed, saying:

"It's better to be at home!"

Gu Xiaoxia played with the children for a while, then urged them to wash up and go to bed. The two children were a little reluctant, but Gu Xiaoxia allowed them to sleep with the nesting dolls, and Mingming and Haohao quickly became obedient.

After the two children fell asleep, Gu Xiaoxia thought Li Long should also be asleep, but when she came over, she found Li Long lying on the bed, staring at her intently with his eyes wide open. Gu Xiaoxia's face immediately turned red.

She knew that tonight would be another quiet evening.

Sure enough, as soon as she sat down on the edge of the bed, Li Long grabbed her and pulled her down. When Li Long whispered in her ear, "I missed you so much," her body went limp with his breath, and she let Li Long do whatever he wanted to her.

The night was a complete mess.

(End of this chapter)