Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1123 The family enjoys a happy meal, but the unlucky one is Old Sparrow.
Since everyone was going anyway, Li Long simply drove the van, put the net in the back, told everyone to put on their clothes, and then took them to Lao Ma's place.

Liang Yuemei didn't want the child to bother Li Long and his wife, finding it troublesome. Gu Xiaoxia smiled and said it was fine; they had always played together since they were little, and it was a rare opportunity for them to get together, so let him make a fuss.

My parents didn't say anything, just watched with smiles. The house was lively, and they were happy too. Li Jianguo added:

"If you make too much, bring it back and stir-fry it. If you make less, you can just grill it."

As the van drove away, Mingming and Haohao were still curiously pulling Li Qiang aside, asking how they caught the sparrow and whether it tasted good.

"It's delicious!" Li Qiang kept emphasizing, and even brought up what Li Long had told him before, "Uncle, your dad said that old sparrows in winter eat grains, which taste good. Old sparrows in summer eat insects, so you can't eat them."

The logic might be a bit off, but the two kids certainly didn't care and just nodded along.

When it was time for Old Ma's turn, the dogs in the yard started barking, and Uncle Luo and Yang Laoliu came out with flashlights.

Li Long led Xiaoxia and the children out of the car, right in front of the two elderly people.

"Oh, Xiaolong's here! Look, bring him in quickly, it's cold outside. Mingming Haohao hasn't been here in a long time, he's grown so fast!"

When Mingming and Haohao were in preschool, they would come to Lao Ma's place to play from time to time. After they started kindergarten, they didn't come for a while, and the old folks missed them quite a bit.

Yang Laoliu was also very happy, but he had a loud voice, was unkempt while herding sheep every day, and had a muttony smell on him, so Mingming and Haohao didn't like him.

He happened to really like Mingming and Haohao, so he simply ran into the house to get some dried meat and apples to give to the children.

With delicious food, the children were naturally happy. Yang Laoliu wanted to take Mingming and Haohao inside to play, but the two children, eating dried meat, refused to go inside.

"Grandpa Yang, I want to catch sparrows with my dad!"

"You brought the baby here to catch the old sparrow?" Uncle Luo asked Li Long with a smile when he heard this.

"Yes, we had nothing to do at night, so we brought the kids out to see the sights."

"Hey, you've come to the right place. We have a lot of cattle and sheep in this stable, and we feed them a lot every day. Flocks of sparrows and wild pigeons come to eat, and at night they burrow into the haystacks. There are so many of them."

"There are wild pigeons too?" Li Long was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, there are herds of them, sometimes over a hundred," Yang Laoliu chimed in. "They look very fat, they eat with the cattle and sheep every day. We even kept them alive once, but after that we stopped staying overnight here, and even then, it was rare. We kept hundreds alive that time, and they were all braised and eaten."

“We’ll come back and take a look in a while. We caught some sparrows today,” Li Long said with a smile. “The wild pigeons taste good too.”

"It's really good, but it's troublesome to clean up. It's not as easy to clean up as Old Sparrow." Old Yang was obviously a connoisseur who knew a little about everything.

"Uncle, shall we go? What if Old Sparrow runs away if we're late?" Li Qiang was getting a little anxious when he saw Li Long just chatting with someone and not moving.

“How can you let it run away? The darker it gets, the more soundly the old sparrows sleep, and the easier they are to catch.” Yang Laoliu told him, “Remember this in the future, it’s easier to catch these old sparrows when it’s late. Go catch them as soon as it gets dark, before the old sparrows fall asleep. They will hear you as soon as you move, and they will run away easily.”

"No wonder the sparrows all ran away when we tried to catch them last time," Li Qiang suddenly realized. "The timing was wrong!"

"Yes, that makes sense, but now the time should be right."

"Let's go, let's go!" Li Long said. "Let's go, I'll go catch it, you guys get ready to take it."

Other elderly people also came out. When they saw Li Long and his group catching the old sparrow, they greeted them and then some joined in to watch the excitement, while others went inside to watch TV.

Yes, Li Long provided a TV for the elderly at Lao Ma Hao, so they can watch it when they have free time, which suits their tastes quite well.

Because they raised six or seven hundred cattle and sheep, there were many haystacks in the old horse stable. Li Long knew the approximate location and went straight to a large pile of reeds.

The grass was cut from the irrigation ditch; it included reeds, wild alfalfa, wild peas, and other grasses. After the grass dried, it was bundled up and piled into stacks.

Such haystacks are ideal for sparrows to hide inside and spend the winter.

The straw from threshing is piled up in heaps with no gaps, so sparrows can't squeeze in and there aren't any birds inside.

When they got closer, everyone fell silent, even Mingming and Haohao. Li Qiang had told them beforehand, so the two children covered their mouths and held their food in their hands, resisting the urge to put it in their mouths.

Li Long held a flashlight in one hand and a net in the other, shining it upwards. He quickly saw bright little eyes and smiled. So many!

Finding a spot where sparrows were clustered together, Li Long used a flashlight in one hand and a net in the other to cover them up!
At the very beginning, he had to put a flashlight in his mouth and hold a net in both hands to catch the sparrows so they wouldn't escape.

Now that I'm stronger, it's not so troublesome anymore. I can hold the net with one hand like it's nothing. As soon as I cover it, the sparrows next to me immediately flutter away, while four sparrows get into the net, fluttering and struggling to get out.

"Got it! Got it!" Hao Hao couldn't help but shout, which startled two sparrows into flight.

He realized what was happening immediately, covered his mouth, and looked apologetic.

"Come on, get ready, we're going to catch sparrows. It's okay, just don't make a sound." Li Long slowly lowered the net and placed it on the snow, taking a sparrow out of the net as he spoke. "Who wants to take it?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it!" Mingming whispered.

Hao Hao made a mistake just now, and now he doesn't dare to shout.

"Come on, one for each of you, everyone gets one." Li Long took out a sparrow and handed it to Mingming, then took out another and handed it to Haohao, and then gave one to Li Juan and one to Li Qiang.

Li Qiang whispered instructions to Mingming and Haohao not to hold it too tightly, and to be careful that the old sparrow might poop on them.

This haystack was quite large. Although each time I covered it up, it would startle a few birds and they would fly away, I managed to catch twenty-eight birds after I finished covering the haystack.

Each of the children held one, and Gu Xiaoxia put the rest into a bag. So, the old sparrows were fluttering around in the bag from time to time, trying to fly out.

“There are still three stacks, and there might be more over there,” Uncle Luo said. “That area is closer to the sheepfold and water trough. Old Sparrow will go there after he finishes eating and drinking.”

Later, after the old folks all went home, Li Long led Xiaoxia and the children to collect all the haystacks. The bag was bulging with nearly two hundred haystacks.

“That’s enough for a meal,” Li Long said with a smile. “Alright, hurry up and get in the car. I’ll tell Uncle Luo and the others and see if they want to save some.”

Uncle Luo said no, and told Li Long and the others to go back quickly, because it would be troublesome if the children got cold if they stayed outside for too long.

Li Juan and Li Qiang were alright. Even though Hao Hao was sniffling a little, they insisted that they weren't cold, and the sparrows they were holding were still moving.

When Liang Yuemei drove back to the Li family home, she scolded Li Long, saying that the child was still young and shouldn't stay outside for so long.

In fact, it took less than an hour in total, but the elders doted on the child, and this time, unusually, the old lady Du Chunfang did not help to defend Li Long.

"Come on, everyone, get your hands dirty and peel off the old sparrows. Tonight we'll just stir-fry them with dried chili peppers!" Li Jianguo said with a smile. "With so many old sparrows, we'll have plenty to eat."

Upon hearing that there was food, the children were no longer cold and all wanted to come and help.

“You don’t need to. Xiaolong, take a few and grill them for them,” Li Jianguo said. “Let them try them first.”

"Dad, go roast it. I'll deal with the old sparrow faster."

“Okay, Dad, what do you think?” Li Jianguo asked.

“Sure, whatever you say is fine,” Li Qingxia said cheerfully.

Li Qingxia was delighted to have the rare opportunity to play with her grandchildren.

Li Qiang was experienced; after twisting the old sparrow to death and handing it to his grandfather, he went to the kitchen and took a small bowl containing chili powder, salt, and cumin powder to make a simple barbecue seasoning.

I learned it from Li Long.

Gu Xiaoxia wanted to help skin the old sparrow, but Liang Yuemei stopped her: "Don't do it. Those two brothers will do it faster. You help me prepare the ingredients."

As the saying goes, the whole family went along with the nonsense.

"So many sparrows on Old Ma's ship." Li Jianguo was quick and efficient. He didn't even need a knife. He twisted the sparrow's head off, peeled off its skin, and the feathers came off with it. He didn't even need the belly or intestines. He just wanted a small croaker.

The main problem is that I find it troublesome to deal with things like hearts and livers.

Li Long was quick to act, and soon a plate in front of him was filled with croquettes of various sizes.

“There are many, and even more have escaped.” Li Long said as he ate. “Uncle Luo said there were also wild pigeons. Yang Laoliu and his men caught more than a hundred wild pigeons a while ago and ate them in braising.”

"Hey, they're hogging the food," Li Jianguo joked. "I'll have to go check on them when I have some free time."

“I was thinking of next week or sometime, I’ll go over there tonight and catch some to braise,” Li Long said. “There are empty pens in the stable, they say wild pigeons go inside and sleep. All you have to do is block the windows and doors and catch them.”

“I’ll go check it out next week too,” Li Jianguo said, also showing interest. Winter is a busy time, and besides watching TV, there’s no other entertainment in the evenings; otherwise, Xie Yundong and the others wouldn’t have remembered to drag Li Long to get some quack chicken last time.

Nearly two hundred sparrows were processed in about forty minutes. Liang Yuemei and Gu Xiaoxia had also soaked and chopped the dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Li Jianguo went over with a cleaver and started chopping wildly, cutting all the sparrows' roe into finger-sized pieces so they would cook faster when stir-fried.

Li Qiang rushed over, followed by Mingming and Haohao, whose mouths were still covered in soot.

"Dad, Uncle, is there any more Old Sparrow? We've finished eating!"

"That's all, let's wait for the stir-fried dishes," Li Jianguo said. "It'll be ready in a bit."

Disappointment was evident on the faces of all three children.

"Stir-fried is even better!" Li Long said with a smile. "Go wipe your mouth, you'll see in a bit. Stir-fried is much tastier than grilled!"

Mingming Haohao immediately became expectant and was no longer disappointed, and followed Li Qiang to wipe his mouth.

"Add more oil," Li Long said as he watched his older brother take charge of the cooking. "Frying it a bit will make it taste better."

"Don't worry about that," Li Jianguo smiled. "It's not that we were reluctant to use oil back then; now our family uses a lot of oil!"

Li Long was relieved and went to the inner room to watch TV.

On the table were a plate of stir-fried sunflower seeds and a plate of stir-fried sunflower oil.

Ordinary families wouldn't be so extravagant. Usually, they would stir-fry some together. Oil sunflower seeds are fragrant, but they are small and troublesome to eat. Common sunflower seeds are large, but not as fragrant as oil sunflower seeds, and are convenient to eat.

Some people like to eat sunflower seeds. They stir-fry a handful and stuff them into their mouths, chew until they taste the aroma, then spit them out and have another small handful.

Then his lips turned black.

Li Long grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and slowly began to chew them.

The TV show on TV right now is "Plainclothes Policeman," which is incredibly popular across the country. The song "Young Ambition Knows No Sorrow" is sung by everyone, young and old alike, and it's become a huge hit.

The film wasn't very clear at this time, but it had a great feel to it. The hairstyles and clothing were very vintage, and the performances were down-to-earth and highly professional, making it a comfortable watch.

At this time, Lao Liu didn't have such a thick neck when he sang; he was still in his prime.

No wonder people online have been saying that only film and music have truly lived up to the expectations of people from the 1970s and 80s.

Films and television programs at that time were truly authentic, unlike some films produced after the 2010s, where the acting and fighting were perfunctory and lacked any real substance, making them unbearable to watch.

With a "whoosh," the ingredients were poured into the hot oil, creating a burst of flames and releasing a fragrant aroma.

Li Juan, along with Li Qiang, Mingming, and Haohao, hid in this room, waiting expectantly.

The sparrow was chopped into small pieces, so it cooked quickly. It was also deep-fried in hot oil, so it was ready in seven or eight minutes. Two large plates were served, and the dishes were divided into two portions.

"Want to have a drink today?" Li Jianguo said to Li Long.

"Okay, I'll go call Dad." Li Long had the same idea. He was busy all year round, wasn't it all for this little bit of happiness and freedom?

Liang Yuemei and Gu Xiaoxia ate with the children in the east room, where the children made a lot of noise and created a lively atmosphere.

"Yuemi, would you like some sweet wine or spicy wine?" Li Jianguo asked. "We're happy today, so let's have a little of both."

“Let’s pour some champagne for the baby, the two of us…” Liang Yuemei looked at Gu Xiaoxia.

"Sweet wine?" Gu Xiaoxia said, not liking baijiu (Chinese liquor).

"Okay, grab a bottle of sweet wine."

Li Jianguo went to fetch a bottle of red wine and handed it to Liang Yuemei, then asked Du Chunfang:

"Hey, are you going to drink spicy food with us?"

“I drink spicy liquor, but not with you guys. I’ll sit with the kids, it’ll be more lively.” Du Chunfang shook her head.

So, only the three of them were at the large table in the east room. Li Jianguo took out two bottles of wine and said with a smile, "This wine is Baiyang Laojiao, which Xiaolong bought after selling his fish in 1982. It's been more than five years since we got it. Let's have a taste today!"

“Catching fish to sell for money,” Li Long sighed. “It was really hard work back then, but the money was quick to make.”

“Yes, that little lake has been there for many years. Who would have thought that catching fish there would make money?” Li Jianguo poured everyone a glass, put the lid on, and said:
"have a drink?"

"Come on, have a drink." Li Qingxia said with a smile, "Life is so comfortable. I can eat whatever I want and drink whatever I want. I can even eat and drink foreign things. This life is truly worthwhile!"

Li Long laughed and said, "Dad, the good days are yet to come. We're only at the beginning. We'll have to wait until you live in an apartment building."

"Then I'll be waiting." Li Qingxia wasn't pretentious at all. He could enjoy the good times and endure the hardships. He lived a truly optimistic life.

He downed the 50-gram cup in one gulp. It burned his throat, but once it went down to his stomach, it felt soothing. Li Long put down the cup, picked up a piece of old sparrow meat with his chopsticks, and started chewing.

"It tastes really good, even the bones are fried until crispy." Li Long picked up another bite with his chopsticks and said, "It looks small, but it tastes really good!"

"Yes, that's right." Li Qingxia didn't spit out the bones, and said while eating, "Who would have thought this little guy would taste so good?"

At that time, the main crop was grain, so sparrows were quite numerous and only became less so after cotton was planted on a large scale.

Catching some to eat is nothing unusual, and no one would consider this thing to be a protected animal.

If anyone mentions that sparrows are protected animals at this time, they will be scolded.

The situation in my hometown has improved somewhat, but the grain grown in the fields is barely enough to pay the government taxes and feed the family. It's difficult to get rich, so many young people have gone out to work.

After returning home, Junxian called the brigade to let them know he was safe and sound, saying he planned to come back next year.

Li Qingxia maintains more contact with his hometown; some of the brigade cadres are his nephews or nieces, so he often hears about their affairs.

Although Du Chunfang always says he wastes money on phone calls, she says what she wants and he makes what he wants. He can pay his own phone bill. It's normal for him to want to know more about things back home.

Some of his old friends had passed away, while others had gone to work elsewhere, which made Li Qingxia feel even more strongly that bringing his whole family over was the right choice.

Look at the life we're living now, this is what life should be like!

He took a sip of wine, picked up a piece of sparrow meat with his chopsticks, and ate it with relish.

Even a god wouldn't trade it!
As for Li Long's statement that things would get better in the future, he couldn't imagine it. After all, his current life was beyond his wildest dreams; how much better could it possibly get?

We eat meat almost every day now, and we also get apples every day. We don't get cold in the dead of winter, and the house is very warm. Our children are also very filial. What more could I ask for?
Li Long and Li Jianguo then discussed planting cotton in the spring.

“Let’s stick to spot seeding. Row seeding requires openings in the plastic film, which is a hassle,” Li Jianguo finally decided. “I’ll have Junxian bring a few more people over then. Oh, and Qianjin is good at working too, let’s have him come over as well. We have a lot of land at home and we need more people.”

Not only do we need seeders and people, but we also need fertilizers, plastic film, and seeds. It's an investment as soon as spring arrives.

But the two brothers were very happy, because they both knew that a new era might be about to begin.

This was the first time the fourth team had planted cotton. Although neither of them knew how things would go the first year, they weren't worried.

The family has already built up a solid financial foundation, so even if something really happens, they can handle it.

Before they knew it, a bottle of wine was empty, but the three of them were still in high spirits, so they opened another bottle.

They had finished eating in the other room, so Gu Xiaoxia didn't disturb them and took the child to the front yard to prepare for bed.

Mingming Haohao didn't want to sleep yet and wanted to stay with his older brother and sister. But Gu Xiaoxia wouldn't allow it, saying there wasn't enough room to sleep here, and they could play together tomorrow morning.

After saying that, Mingming Haohao pouted and followed his mother away.

"Mingming and Haohao are so much fun." Li Juan whispered as she helped Liang Yuemei tidy up the kitchen. "They're very well-behaved and smart. Their academic performance will definitely be good in the future."

"If you and Qiangqiang take good care of them, their younger siblings will all do well in school." Liang Yuemei is now very satisfied with her two children's grades and said with a smile, "Don't suffer too much at school. When you leave tomorrow, I'll stir-fry some meat with pickled vegetables for you to take with you."

"How could I be suffering? I'm the richest in our dorm," Li Juan said with a smile. "My uncle and aunt sometimes give me money when they visit, they practically force it on me, I can't refuse, how could I possibly spend it all!"

“Hehe, then take it.” Liang Yuemei said with a smile, “In their eyes, we’re all family.”

“We’re family,” Li Juan said matter-of-factly.

My uncle used to live at home; we were family.

(End of this chapter)