Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1137 A Few Days in Yanjing: Lively and Joyful

When Li Long went to pick up Harim and the others, he realized that he had underestimated their concept of travel.

They brought two bags of freshly baked naan bread, a bag of milk curds, and fried rice and noodles, among other things.

Li Long was somewhat amused and exasperated. He pulled Halimu aside and said:

"There are halal canteens over there, so we don't need to bring too much food. You can bring some on the way, since you might not be able to eat the food on the train, but you can eat at the canteen or cook for yourself after you get off the train, so you don't need to bring so much."

After much persuasion, we finally managed to put some of the items down. Yesterday, we bought a shoulder bag for each child, and now we're disassembling some of the items and packing them into the children's shoulder bags.

In the end, we only brought a third of the food. The rest were water jugs for everyone, which we bought yesterday. They're the kind with lids, so we can use them on the train today.

Each person also carried a new enamel bowl in their bag, which was for eating.

In any case, it's better to be prepared. This was also the first time Li Long had taken them out, so he was inexperienced as well.

Li Long drove them to the county bus station, told them to get off and wait there, and that he would drive the car back, then walk over and take a bus together to Wucheng.

It was the first time Halim and the others had ridden a long-distance bus, and they were quite curious, looking around as if everything was new and exciting.

Nassen, Sasken, and Yushanjiang's son Yerjiang and daughter Ganaguli had all read or heard about long-distance buses in books and on the radio.

Now, sitting and walking around in person, it feels like the things I've learned are being put into practice, and it's quite exciting.

Although the car had heating, it wasn't very hot. There was a light fog on the windows, which they wiped away with their hands. Looking out the window, they would occasionally gasp in surprise when a truck passed by.

When the car arrived at Wucheng South Railway Station, the children were shocked by the tall buildings.

They've lived their whole lives in Ma County, spending most of their time in the mountains, seeing more cattle and sheep than people.

Even when I occasionally go to Ma County, it's just a quick stopover. Yesterday, for example, was my first time in Shicheng and the first time I'd seen so many people.

Today was my first time in Wucheng, and I saw so many more people than yesterday. I felt dazzled and overwhelmed, unable to take it all in.

"How was it built?" Nathan, who was more familiar with Li Long, asked directly, "Uncle Li, how was it built? Was it for living in?"

"There are residential areas and shopping malls, which sell things." After all, this building is taller and has more features than the department store in Shicheng, so Li Long explained one by one.

This was the first time the children had ever seen a bigger and more prosperous world. Li Long wouldn't laugh at them, because at that time, most of them, like the children, had never left the county town, or even the countryside.

Because there were many people with them and they wanted to catch the train first, Li Long took them to a restaurant run by ethnic minorities and they ate mixed noodles.

Children always adapt the fastest. Just a moment ago they were amazed in the square, and now they're laughing and joking as they learn to peel garlic and mix noodles like Li Long in the restaurant.

On the contrary, Halim was a little reserved. There were quite a few people eating around, including both Uyghurs and Kazakhs, and he felt that someone was watching them or laughing at them.

"Hurry up and eat," Li Long said while mixing noodles. "After we finish eating, we need to catch the train. It leaves this afternoon. Let's go to the waiting hall after we finish eating."

Since Halim had never experienced this before, he naturally listened to Li Long in everything. Now, he didn't care whether anyone was watching them or not, and started eating quickly and heartily.

Li Long could understand his feelings, but this was not the place to explain. He could only urge him on to forget his brief loss of composure.

After the meal, Li Long led them into the waiting hall, checked the train number, and found the nearest seat.

The children couldn't stand it for more than a few minutes. They stood up, looked around, and kept remarking on how crowded it was and complaining about the poor air quality.

Li Long pointed out the locations of the toilets and water rooms to them, and that anyone who wanted to go there had to be accompanied by an adult.

By this time, the waiting room was already very crowded, and he was afraid that the children would get lost or wander off, which would be a real problem.

Fortunately, the children were very well-behaved. After going to the toilet only once, they stayed close to the adults and only looked at things from a distance.

Nathan and Sasken were more talkative, mainly asking Li Long questions. Yerjiang and Ganaguli were less talkative, but they listened attentively when Nathan and Sasken asked questions, which was quite enlightening.

Next, we checked our tickets and queued to board the train.

The hard sleeper berths were full, but it wasn't very noisy. The children were astonished to see that everyone still had one berth left.

Because Li Long bought his tickets early, he got six lower berths, which made it convenient for him to sleep.

This is how he arranged it: Yerjan and Ganaguli were opposite each other, Halim and Sasken were opposite each other, and he and Nasen were opposite each other.

As it turned out, the middle bunk in Yerjan's seat was occupied by an elderly woman who had difficulty getting in and out. Yerjan offered to switch seats with the elderly woman and received praise from her. Yerjan blushed but was quite happy.

The old woman was Han Chinese and looked like a retired cadre or teacher. After she finished tidying up the lower bunk, she asked Yerjiang and Ganaguli where they were going.

Hearing that the two were also going to their final stop, Yanjing, the old woman was very happy. She introduced herself as a teacher at a middle school in Wucheng, whose home was in Yanjing, and that she was now going home.

Neither Yerjan nor Ganaguli spoke fluent Mandarin, but the old teacher was very patient, speaking and gesturing slowly as he chatted with them. Li Long sat nearby, watching and listening without disturbing them. This was Yerjan and Ganaguli's first time traveling, and some things they had to experience; it was better to let them experience things on their own without interruption.

When it was time for dinner, the old teacher bought a boxed lunch and offered to treat Yerjan and Ganaguli to dinner, but they declined.

The children followed Li Long to fetch hot water and ate it with the naan and milk curds they had brought.

The elderly teacher was a little embarrassed, but knowing the customs of the ethnic group, she didn't say anything, only that she would treat them to a meal when they arrived in Yanjing.

The children didn't seem to mind and ate happily. Li Long didn't stand on ceremony either, and bought himself a boxed lunch and started eating.

That's the situation. Maybe we should buy some instant noodles when we get to the next stop, so it will be easier for them to eat.

There were announcements on the train, which the children found quite entertaining, especially the crosstalk performances, which made them laugh frequently. They listened until the lights were turned off and it was time to go to sleep.

At first, Li Long was worried that the children would be too excited to sleep, but to his surprise, the children fell asleep one after another as soon as the lights were turned off.

The main reason is that they had too many experiences today, which was a considerable challenge for them. They were exhausted and naturally fell asleep quickly.

The earlier you go to bed, the earlier you wake up. The next day, Li Long was woken up by Nathan. The train had stopped at a major station, and some people got off to explore. Nathan wanted to get off and take a look too.

Li Longcai woke up, but instead of letting him get off, he told him to prepare his toiletries and go to the dock with him to wash his face. They would get off at the next stop.

As dawn broke, people from the hard-seat section would occasionally come over to sit here, some getting off and others getting on.

These are all scenes that are quite novel to children.

The old teacher got off the bus, wandered around the station, and bought some bread when he got back on, intending to share it with Yerjiang and the others, but Yerjiang smiled and refused.

“You can eat it. It’s halal, there are words on it.” The old teacher was eager to express her gratitude, but both children shook their heads, saying they didn’t want to eat and weren’t hungry.

Li Long smiled but didn't say anything.

Both children are quite grown up and have their own principles, unlike Nathan and Sasken, who are still young and need adults to help them make decisions.

So he didn't go up to explain or persuade him; there was no need.

They continued their journey, stopping and starting, until they arrived in Yanjing in the morning.

Li Long and his group had already packed their things and were ready to get off the bus. The old teacher once again told Yerjiang and Ganaguli that he wanted to treat them to a meal and asked them to leave their addresses.

Yerjiang had already refused several times, but this time he couldn't refuse. After asking Li Long, he left the address of the courtyard house that Li Long had bought.

Li Long planned to get off the bus and then take another bus to his courtyard house.

I called Gu Xiaoyu in advance and asked her to set up the stove in the courtyard so that at least the house would be warm when they went there.

There were many people at Yanjing Railway Station, and many cars were picking people up. Li Long and his friends were walking out together with the old teacher, but they got separated by the crowd and disappeared by the time they got out.

Li Long and his group found a minivan, got in, gave the driver directions, and were taken to the location of the courtyard house.

They went to Li Long's small courtyard house. The courtyard was small, but it wasn't crowded for several people to live there.

Moreover, this courtyard house has been renovated, with new plumbing, electrical, and heating systems, and the bedding has also been purchased. Although the furniture inside is old, it's still valuable stuff.

When they arrived at the courtyard house, Li Long paid the fare and got out of the car with his entourage. Gu Xiaoyu had already come out from inside.

"Brother-in-law, you've arrived." Gu Xiaoyu said with a smile, "Come in, come in. I've already set up the stove. It's warm inside. Come on, it's cold outside."

Halim was stunned, then pointed at Gu Xiaoyu and asked Li Long:

"Your Yanggangzi... what are you doing here?"

Li Long smiled and led them inside, saying, "This is Yang Gangzi's younger sister. They are twins, understand?"

"Oh, I see. They look very similar." Halim breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon entering the courtyard, the children immediately became cheerful. The snow in the courtyard had been cleared cleanly and the place was tidy. After learning that it was Li Long's courtyard, the children relaxed considerably.

In their eyes, Li Long was just like the other uncles in the tribe, a friend of their father, or perhaps closer than a friend.

Therefore, they are trustworthy people, and they can play freely and easily in Li Long's yard.

Once inside, it immediately warmed up, and the fatigue from the journey seemed to lessen considerably.

Although they haven't started their tour yet, they already feel it was worth the trip.

(End of this chapter)