Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

"My child, I am your father!"

"Whose father are you? I'll kick you to death, you little bastard!"

The sounds of arguing and fighting came from outside the courtyard.

In the courtyard, Chen Xingbang turned his head and listened for a few moments, then said to Li Xia, "Look at you, your daughter is getting more and more out of line. When did she learn to swear? She speaks Mandarin perfectly well, why does she suddenly throw out such a swear word?"

"Isn't that what you and I always tell her?" Li Xia, who was loading things into the car, glared at him. "Who specifically taught her to swear? But you can't be polite to those little punks! Listen to the crap they're singing..."

Chen Xingbang chuckled and said, "What's wrong with that? Kids are bound to be mischievous... Speaking of which," he lowered his voice, "shouldn't we have another one? Hongqin is all alone, it's so lonely. Look at my eldest brother's two, my second brother's two, and Xiaolong's two too..."

Li Xia actually wanted one too, but she was too busy right now. She had to raise pigs and sheep, and Chen Xingbang was always busy and never home. If she raised another one, would she be able to take care of it?

Seeing Li Xia hesitate, Chen Xingbang decided to try to persuade her again, since he was always uneasy without a son.

Before he could finish speaking, Hongqin stormed back in, fuming. He stopped talking, deciding to discuss it another day.

"What happened? Who did you fight with again?" Li Xia asked Hongqin after she finished loading her things into the trunk of the car.

“That Liu Zhongping from the Liu family over there on the street,” Hongqin complained, “was playing happily when he suddenly started singing. If you’re going to sing, sing properly. He even changed the lyrics. I hit him a few times and he ran away. I’ll hit him again next time he comes!”

The theme song of the TV series "Chen Zhen" starring Leung Siu-lung, "The Big Number is China", begins with the line "Child, this is your home". Many children at the time modified it to "Child, I am your father!" and sang it to other children, trying to gain an advantage verbally.

It's quite popular.

But the person being sung about is naturally unhappy, and a fight is inevitable.

The adults didn't think it was a big deal, just kids playing around, so Li Xia said, "Then let's not play with them anymore."

“Yes,” Hongqin nodded, and seeing her parents packing things into the car, she asked, “Mom, are we going to my uncle’s house?”

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and Chen Xingbang and his colleagues have already been given a holiday. At this time, the company is still quite humane. Although there are only three days off for the Lunar New Year, most of the veteran employees will come to the company on New Year's Eve, say goodbye, and then go home.

What family doesn't prepare New Year's goods, put up couplets, and set off firecrackers?
The sound of firecrackers outside was incessant, but Hongqin didn't really want to set them off. She wanted to see Li Juan, Xueping, and Xueqin as soon as possible.

"Okay, we'll leave after lunch," Li Xia said.

According to Chen Xingbang, even if his parents couldn't come from their hometown, they didn't plan to go back. But after all, he was a member of the Chen family, so what was the point of going to his brother-in-law's place on New Year's Eve?

It was Li Xia's idea to spend New Year's Eve at Li Jian's house. She had no relatives or friends in Shicheng, and it wouldn't be very interesting for her family to spend it alone. They only had three days off, so wouldn't it be better to have a lively and fun-filled holiday?

“You can have your own life, but I’m going.” Li Xia’s opinion was firm. “You’re driving Xiao Long’s car, do they treat you like an outsider? They bring you things every year, and now you’re suddenly remembering you’re surnamed Chen?”

Chen Xingbang had nothing to say.

Although he and Li Anguo had settled the payment for the car that Li Long had given them in the past two years, to be honest, if the car were left out there, it would be worth at least 30,000 to 50,000 yuan.

Li Long sold the car to him cheaply, and he got a great deal.

There's no other way, so let's go. We can drink early if we get there.

By this time, Li Anguo and his family had arrived at Team Four and were moving their belongings down. The construction and installation company had done well this year and had given out a lot of year-end bonuses, so Li Anguo and his wife decided to bring some of them with them.

Although my older brother doesn't lack anything, bringing it over is still a token of appreciation.

Xueping and Xueqin got off the bus early and ran off to play with Li Juan. At that moment, Li Juan was helping Li Qiang, Mingming, and Haohao put things on the table.

Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia had also arrived, but Li Long was in the front yard. Although they would be having their New Year's Eve dinner together in the back yard, the couplets and other decorations in the front yard still needed to be put up.

Gu Xiaoxia was helping Liang Yuemei prepare the family reunion lunch in the backyard when Chen Lirong joined in a little while later.

After Li Anguo finished moving his things, he chatted with Li Jianguo in the inner room about the recent situation, while his father, Li Qingxia, sat beside him listening.

Having worked as a manager at the purchasing station for the past two years, he has gained a lot of experience. He listens to his two sons and occasionally chimes in, able to keep up with the young people's way of thinking.

The sound of firecrackers outside intensified. Lunch was almost ready, and Liang Yuemei was about to cook dumplings when Li Jianguo called Li Qiang to ask him to call Li Long over to set off firecrackers.

"What should I release? Juan and Qiangqiang have grown up, they should be released now." Li Long said with a smile as he lifted the curtain and came in. "From now on, our family will have to look after them."

Li Jianguo smiled. Li Qiang, who followed Li Long in, was a little flattered. Li Jianguo then pointed to the firecrackers on the fire wall and said, "Then go set them off. Call your sister too."

Although Li Jianguo is a bit conservative, feudal, and chauvinistic, his daughter Li Juan is indeed the pride of their family, and her studies are impeccable.

On one or two occasions when Li Jianguo went to the county to see Li Juan, he ran into her homeroom teacher. Hearing the teacher praise Li Juan, saying that as long as she maintained her grades, she would definitely be able to get into a key university, Li Jianguo was very happy.

"Did you really let them release him?" Li Anguo looked at his elder brother, then turned to look at his father, Li Qingxia.

“Then let her go, she’s not a baby anymore.” Li Long said matter-of-factly. “Our Juan might be the first college student from our team to go abroad! When she gets her acceptance letter in July or August, we’ll have to make sure she gets a proper welcome!”

Li Jianguo smiled, looking very pleased.

It's not a big deal that I didn't go to university, but these two kids look promising, so at least there's someone to carry on the family line.

Li Qingxia smiled too. He was happy to see his descendants growing up and becoming successful.

Li Long grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, cracking them open as he asked, "Second Brother, how's things going in Kui City this year?"

"It's alright." Li Anguo smiled. "Our company is doing well, and your sister-in-law is also doing well with her small business."

After saying that, he added, "I'm not as good as you guys, but I'm much better than before."

"That's good then." Li Qingxia smiled. "As long as we get better year by year, that's fine."

“Junshan took his wife back to his hometown,” Li Anguo continued. “They left a week before the New Year, carrying their baby. Hey, what a hassle.”

“That’s just a hassle. It’s Chinese New Year, and the train is so crowded. He’s fine on his own, but what’s it like with a child?” Li Jianguo frowned.

“His father said that once he got married, he wouldn’t go back, and now that he has a baby, he won’t acknowledge him if he doesn’t go back,” Li Anguo explained. “Junshan is also in a dilemma. He finally managed to persuade his wife to go back and stay for about a week.”

Li Long chimed in, "How old is their child? Two or three years old? He's definitely going to get sick and suffer when he gets back!"

Even Li Qingxia nodded after hearing this.

In the cities of northern Xinjiang, there is central heating, and in the countryside, there are stoves. Although the temperature is lower than in my hometown, the houses are warm.

The weather back home is so hot that the temperature hovers around zero degrees Celsius, but it's about the same inside and outside the house. How can such a small baby stand it?
Getting sick is inevitable; I don't know if it will be serious.

"I reckon this is the only time he'll come back. He'll have to wait until he's older before he can go back, otherwise his wife won't agree to it again." Li Anguo smiled. "Junshan's wife is quite decisive."

Liang Yuemei called out from the kitchen, "Time to make dumplings!"

Xueping, standing at the door, shouted to the outside like a megaphone, "Big brother! Time to make dumplings! Time to set off firecrackers!"

Li Juan stood at the door holding a pole, while Li Qiang held incense sticks in one hand and the end of a firecracker in the other, ready to go. As soon as he heard the firecracker going off, he immediately aimed at it.

Mingming Haohao hid a little further away, watching Li Qiang with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

"Crackling and popping..."

The firecracker exploded immediately after the fuse was lit. Li Juan coordinated perfectly; as soon as Li Qiang lit it, she raised the pole, letting the firecracker explode in the air.

Li Junfeng walked over, saw the firecrackers being set off at the gate of the courtyard, stood there watching, and only entered the courtyard after the firecrackers had finished.

"Hey, Xueping and Xueqin are here? When did you arrive? Where's your dad?" Li Junfeng asked with a smile when he saw Xueping and Xueqin at the door.

"My dad is in the inner room." Xueping already speaks fluent Mandarin. She got used to speaking it while studying in Kui City. Even though Li Anguo and Chen Lirong at home speak their hometown dialect, they still speak Mandarin. Of course, this is inseparable from their parents' encouragement.

Li Juan and Li Qiang can seamlessly switch between three languages: Mandarin when reading texts, Lanzhou-Yinchuan Mandarin when chatting with classmates, and their hometown dialect when speaking with their parents at home.

This is also related to the regional environment. In places like Ma County, there are many people who talk like Li Juan and Li Qiang.

But in Shicheng, not many people speak Lanzhou-Yinchuan Mandarin; they directly switch between Standard Mandarin and Henan dialect. Hongqin is one of them.

Kui City is different. Although the locals generally speak Henan dialect, the official language is mainly Mandarin, after all, it used to be the center of northern Xinjiang.

Li Junfeng entered the house, greeted Liang Yuemei and the others who were busy in the kitchen, and then lifted the curtain to go into the inner room.

"Uncle Anguo is here?" Li Junfeng greeted Li Anguo. "When did you arrive?"

"I just arrived a little while ago," Li Anguo said with a smile. "Have you written home yet? Are your parents doing well?"

"Okay, okay." Li Junfeng sat down in the seat that Li Long had given him. "I'll spend the New Year at home, and then take the train over when spring arrives."

"Are you planning to settle down here?" Li Anguo asked with a smile. "Would your father be willing?"

"I came here to take a look. I'm thinking of getting them to settle here, and I'll see if they're willing."

“Look, that’s the difference,” Li Qingxia said. “Junfeng’s father can come and see for himself, while Junshan’s father is just sitting there smug. He’ll regret it later.”

Li Long and the others just laughed without explaining anything.

The misunderstandings they had about XJ weren't new, nor could they be cleared up overnight, so Li Long and the others simply stopped trying to explain.

People like Li Junfeng's father, who dare to come and see for themselves, will understand once they compare. People like Li Junshan's father, who don't even want to understand and already have preconceived notions, are beyond the power of explanation.

They treated other people's affairs as mere gossip, so they didn't say much. Instead, they started talking about the cooperative's farming activities in the spring.

"You acquired so much land, how come you only received this much?" Li Anguo was somewhat surprised after hearing the amount of money the cooperative received in the first year and calculating the acreage.

“The first year it was barren land, so the yield was limited,” Li Jianguo explained. “The ones that could be harvested were mostly those with good technology. This second year, like this year, there’s more land, so more can be distributed.”

"The yield for the first year is calculated at 50, this year at 100, next year at 150, and the yield for the year after that will be calculated based on cotton yields. The distribution will be higher then—the land will be cultivated by then, making the distribution fairer."

So the Li brothers weren't in a hurry; the real challenge was yet to come.

Li Long plans to gradually reclaim wasteland, and after the cooperative's operations reach a mature stage, he will continue to invest shares and land.

From now on, I can just lie down and be a landlord.

Of course, this is all predicated on preserving the water in Xiaohaizi. Currently, the water level in Xiaohaizi is acceptable, but it will gradually accumulate silt and sand. If no adjustments are made, it will slowly turn into an above-ground reservoir, reducing its water storage capacity. Eventually, irrigation will rely solely on water from the Mahe River and wells.

There's too much land; the water bill alone is enough to fill several jugs.

As they were talking, Liang Yuemei called out to Li Juan, "Juan, bring out the dumplings! Tell your younger siblings to get ready to eat!"

With so many people, we set up three tables: one in the east room, one in the room where Li Juan and her family lived, and one in the room where the elderly couple lived, mainly so that there would be plenty of room to sit.

There were so many kids that two tables weren't enough to seat them all. Since there was plenty of food prepared, we split into three groups, each enjoying their own space.

Just as they started eating, a car horn sounded, and Chen Xingbang and his group arrived.

After another flurry of activity, when we sat down at the tables again, they were quite full.

Firecrackers went off one after another outside, while inside the house it was warm and cozy. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, everyone started eating.

The new year has arrived.

……

The Spring Festival is still very lively, but in the few days after the festival, everyone is back to their busy schedules.

Li Juan is taking the college entrance exam this year, so after her relatives left, she started studying diligently, only playing around for a couple of days when Han Fang came over.

Li Qiang was in the same boat. This year, he took the high school entrance exam. Although he now knew he could apply to a better school like the state's No. 1 High School, Li Qiang ultimately decided to apply to the county's No. 1 High School.

He had actually made a pact with some of his close friends from junior high school to take the exam in the county.

When Li Qiang learned that they could take the entrance exam for schools in the prefecture, he told his classmates the news. Some of them were eager to try and went to ask their teachers.

The teachers knew this, but the junior high schools in the village were relatively weak. It was considered good if ten or so students could get into high school in a year, and only a very few could get into university. So, according to the teachers, apart from the top few, everyone else should just apply to the county's No. 1 high school.

Getting into the county's top high school is already a blessing, why would you want to go to the prefecture level?

Li Qiang heard from Li Juan that after being admitted to high school, teachers would arrange seating based on the high school entrance exam scores and pay attention to students based on their scores. So he planned to get a high score and never thought about any kind of secret comeback.

A few days after Li Anguo returned, he called Li Jianguo. Li Long was also there at the time and learned about Li Junshan's situation.

Sure enough, the child caught a cold after returning home. Junshan's parents thought it was just a common cold and gave him some medicine. However, the environment was still the same, and the child's condition quickly worsened, developing into pneumonia. He was then hospitalized in the county.

They even spent the Spring Festival at the county hospital. Junshan's wife bought a ticket and came back after the child's condition improved.

Junshan was caught in a dilemma, but in the end he still followed his wife back.

According to Li Anguo, the couple had a cold war for a while after returning home, but the child couldn't suffer, so he received IV drips for several days after returning home before he recovered.

After returning home, Li Junshan went to Li An's house twice and drank alone, saying that he and his wife had discussed it and decided not to go back home while the child was still young. Even if they were to return, it would have to be in the summer, but the child would soon be starting kindergarten, then primary and middle school, and it would probably be difficult to go back after that.

His father didn't want to come either, which made Li Junshan quite worried.

There's no way to persuade someone about this; only the person involved can find a solution.

There was some good news during the Spring Festival. Yang Yongqiang found a girlfriend in Kuishan and brought her home to meet his parents. They also visited the Li family to offer New Year's greetings.

According to Yang Yongqiang, the woman was an employee of the post office, two years younger than Yang Yongfeng, and their relationship was considered a free choice. Yang Yongfeng met her while sending things home and they subsequently went out together several times.

The woman's family is from the 7th Agricultural Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, similar to the Li and Yang families. Their parents' generation all came from northern Xinjiang, so they have similar backgrounds. Both sets of parents have met, and the wedding is expected to take place around the summer of 1990, in Kui City, but also in the Fourth Production Team.

Yang Yongqiang's parents definitely don't plan to go to Kuishan. The young couple will live there, and if they have children later, Yang Yongqiang's mother will go there to take care of them.

Yang Yongqiang said all of this to Li Long when he visited her for the New Year. He said these things and the woman pinched him several times.

Seeing Yang Yongqiang's cheerful expression, Li Long felt that things should turn out well in the future.

After the New Year, Li Junfeng would come to Li Jianguo's place from time to time to call, mainly to contact his family and ask his parents to come over as soon as possible.

His parents initially made excuses, saying the house wasn't cleaned properly and they needed someone to watch the chickens. Later, they said the money was too little, so Li Junfeng wired them 500 yuan for travel expenses and other costs. This time, his parents stopped talking and planned to come over in late February.

After the New Year, Sister Yang began to gradually delegate tasks to group leaders such as Tielanhua. She was preparing for her trip to Kou Li for an inspection.

The lamb offal they produced and packaged between the Lunar New Year and the New Year has already been shipped out, including the batch destined for the Beijing office of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. Liu Gaolou ordered a larger quantity, and so far only a little over two tons have been produced.

Fortunately, the raw materials are still sufficient. Yushanjiang brings a lot of sheep offal to the warehouse of the purchasing station every day. This offal is continuously sent to the processing workshop, processed into sheep offal, packaged, and then put into the warehouse or transported to the store.

Li Long's father-in-law, Gu Boyuan, left the fourth team on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year and drove back to the valley.

Before heading back, I stopped at the acquisition station and talked with Li Long about the next development plan.

"What we can get from the valley right now are hides and medicinal herbs; we don't get much other miscellaneous stuff. But last year, a lot of people came to the collection station to sell antiques. I saw some, and a lot of the items were quite new, including gold, silver, and bronze items."

Li Long immediately learned what was behind this situation.

In the valley, there are hundreds of earthen mound tombs of varying sizes scattered across several counties and cities. In the 1980s and 1990s, when state control loosened, almost all of these earthen mound tombs were looted during this period.

The main reason is that the valley is too large and the earthen mounds are far from human settlements, so it is difficult for people to notice if someone digs from top to bottom at night or even during the day.

More than a decade later, during a cultural relics survey in a certain county, more than twenty earthen mound tombs were unearthed in one go. Inside, there was nothing but rotten coffin boards and bones—they had all been hollowed out.

"So I thought I should buy it. If I didn't, they would sell it through other channels, and it might even be sold overseas."

"Then we'll take it." Li Long could only agree. Report it? At this point, the cultural relics management unit simply didn't have the capacity to control it.

"You've started selling agricultural supplies here, right? I've started over there too. But the control over hides isn't as strict over there as it is here, so we can still get quite a few hides all year round, especially in winter."

Gu Boyuan is still quite optimistic about business there. He said, "It's an ethnic minority area, so it's still managed, but the management is different. Some people beat others, but as long as we don't see them or catch them, we just take the skin over, and the people in the market don't care."

This is what later generations called "no buying, no killing." Li Long was not a moral gentleman, and he felt no guilt about collecting hides.

Gu Boyuan was aware of Li Long's situation, so he simply didn't ask. After all, selling cars alone was enough to keep Li Long's company thriving.

The used car market is very profitable right now. As long as Liu Shanmin can stay put in the Soviet Union's Kazakhstan republics, Li Long's business will continue to thrive.

Of course, even if things don't go well on his end, agricultural supplies and medicinal herbs, especially fritillaria, will still allow Li Long's company to make steady profits.

Gu Boyuan needed to return to the valley before the Lantern Festival for another reason: Teacher Song needed to prepare to return to work. Although the valley normal school was currently on holiday, teachers sometimes needed to go back in advance to prepare.

Not long after Lao Gu left, Li Junfeng's father, Li Andong, and mother, Hu Yuhua, arrived from their hometown. Having contacted each other by phone beforehand, Li Junfeng drove to Wucheng to pick them up. After arriving in the county, he first met with his father, Li Qingxia, before returning to the fourth team.

Dong Xiaojuan had cleaned the house early and set up the stove, waiting for her parents-in-law.

Li Andong had heard that it was cold in northern Xinjiang when he was in his hometown. After leaving the train station, he felt it deeply. He regretted it at that moment, thinking, why did I come all the way from the Central Plains to this icy and snowy place?
But since we're already here, we can't just turn around and leave, so we thought we'd stay for a few days and then go back.

When Li Qingxia met the couple at the purchasing station, she said, "Don't think too much about it. It's cold in winter, but it's warm inside. Let's wait until summer to talk about it."

As a junior, Li Andong naturally couldn't say anything, but looking at his third uncle like this, it felt a bit unreal—back in his hometown, his third uncle, Li Qingxia, was just an ordinary old man who played cards every day, went to the market when he had free time, had a little money, and nothing else.

Now, he looks even more imposing than some of the county officials, sitting behind the counter, he really looks like he's in charge!

He didn't know what "a change in environment affects one's temperament and physical constitution" meant, but he knew that it must have been the environment of the northern frontier that caused his third uncle to undergo such a change.

So the idea that came to me at the train station started to waver a little.

Li Andong was older than Li Jianguo, so Li Jianguo had to call him "Second Brother." Therefore, on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Li Jianguo set up a table at home to invite Li Andong and his wife to dinner, as a way of welcoming relatives from their hometown.

In the past few days, Li Andong has gained a deep understanding of the Li family's situation in the village.

First, it was the two cars and several high-horsepower tractors in Li Jian's home that made him reconcile the stories the young men who had returned told him about the Li family's situation with reality.

Most people in the village didn't believe the stories the young men and women who returned to the village told them about the Li family's financial situation.

"Two cars, three high-horsepower vehicles, and two tractors? Are you kidding me? How much would a single high-horsepower vehicle cost? That's something an average family can't afford!"

Now that he has seen it for himself, Li Andong understands.

Their family is really rich!
Of course, the meals they had these past few days made Li Andong and his wife feel a little unreal.

Are we going to eat this meat every day? Or save some to eat slowly throughout the year?
Are we just going to burn this charcoal like this? Are the spent charcoal just thrown away without being collected?
Li Junfeng explained that the meat was given by Li Jianguo, and that his family had the money to buy it themselves. They raised a pig, slaughtered it, and it weighed over 80 kilograms, which they couldn't finish.

As for charcoal, a ton of charcoal here only costs a few dozen yuan, which is much cheaper than back home, so burn as much as you like.

Li Jianguo set up a table to entertain guests, including his father Li Qingxia and Li Long. There were two tables: one for the men in the inner room, where they would drink, and another for the women and children in Du Chunfang's room, where they would mainly eat and chat.

While eating, Hu Yuhua chatted with Du Chunfang about how spicy the food was, but also how plentiful it was.

“Who would have thought that everyone says life here is hard, but I don’t see it as hard at all. We can eat meat every day. Even the landlords of the past never lived like this.”

“Hehe, Junfeng told you to come early, but you didn’t want to come,” Du Chunfang said. “Coming early means you can enjoy life sooner, right? What’s this? You’ll see later, the good days are yet to come.”

“Who would have thought…” Hu Yuhua kept shaking her head.

These past few days have already brought about a complete change in her thinking.

At first, I thought my son and daughter-in-law were just putting on a show, but when I saw the neatly stacked rice and flour in the spare room, and the meat hanging from the rafters, I believed them.

"Anton, you can catch fish too! When spring comes, go to that little lake, cast a few nets, there are so many fish there, you can't catch them all!" Li Qingxia boasted after a few drinks. "Don't worry about catching them, that little lake is contracted by Xiaolong, nobody will bother you!"

In the past few days, Li Andong has learned from his son and daughter-in-law that his cousin Li Jianguo is impressive, but his younger cousin Li Long is even more impressive.

He acquired all these cars, and he also acquired the high-horsepower tractors. Now he's even started a cooperative. Li Junfeng has only one thought now: to join the cooperative.

According to Li Andong, it shouldn't be a simple matter of a word. But Li Junfeng explained that when the cooperative was established, his own land had just been allocated, and there was no wasteland to be contributed as shares.

The cooperative is not accepting new members now, otherwise, plenty of people would want to join.

Li Andong is still undecided about whether he and his wife should stay in northern Xinjiang, but since he's already here, he figured he might as well help his son. So, taking advantage of Li Qingxia's conversation, he steered the conversation to the cooperative:
"Third Uncle, Xiaolong, I didn't know anything about your situation when I came here. But I heard from Junfeng that he was able to have his current home and be able to settle down and get land, which is really thanks to you."

“Second Brother, what are you saying? Junfeng has been a great help to us here. Those people from our hometown owe a lot to him,” Li Jianguo raised his glass and clinked it with Li Andong’s. “It would be too formal to say such things.”

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony,” Li Andong said, putting down his glass after drinking, “I heard from Junfeng that you’ve set up a cooperative. Is this cooperative… the kind you used to be…”

"Pretty much," Li Jianguo said. "Similar to the cooperative in front of the old commune."

"Can Junfeng join your cooperative?" Li Andong continued, "We're all family here, farming together, so we can look out for each other, right?"

As soon as he said this, Li Junfeng's expression changed immediately: "Dad, what are you saying? Didn't I tell you this already? The cooperative isn't hiring now; it's not the time to hire!"

Li Andong slapped him hard on the shoulder: "Isn't hiring people a matter of your second uncle or your Uncle Xiaolong's word? Wasn't the cooperative established by them? How come they can't make the decision?"

"Second Brother, the cooperative isn't hiring right now." Li Jianguo smiled, his expression not changing at Li Andong's words. "When we do hire, we'll definitely consider Junfeng."

According to what you said, we are family, but the cooperative doesn't belong to the Li family. Since last year, more than a dozen companies have asked to join the cooperative. If I take Junfeng in, will I take in the others?
Although they aren't surnamed Li, they've been living with me in the village for over a decade or two; we have a deep bond!

“Anton, you shouldn’t meddle in this,” Li Qingxia said. “You’re new here and don’t understand the ins and outs.”

This isn't my hometown. The village has dozens of different surnames; they have to get along to work together. If, as you say, everyone only cares about their own family, then this cooperative is useless; it'd be a complete collapse!

Li Andong originally thought that by bringing it up over drinks, Li Jianguo would at least give them some face, since this was a welcome banquet for them.

Unexpectedly, Li Jianguo refused on the spot, and his elder Li Qingxia also scolded him, making him lose face.

Li Long thought to himself that his cousin was really clueless.

However, things shouldn't get too awkward at the dinner table, so Li Long said, "Alright, alright, we'll talk about the cooperative later. Second brother, let me toast you."

You must be exhausted from your journey. Take a good rest these next few days. Although it's cold in northern Xinjiang in winter, it's still easy to catch wild rabbits or pheasants if you dress warmly. Just think of it as a trip.

After clinking glasses with Li Long, Li Andong drank his wine in silence without saying a word. Li Long then asked Li Junfeng if he knew when Junhai and the others would be arriving.

“It’s almost March,” Li Junfeng said. “There are a lot of things to take care of back home. Junhai, Junxian, and Jinqian, too, all want to settle here. I’m inquiring about the situation there.”

When Li Andong heard that several people wanted to register their household registration, he became anxious and turned to Li Junfeng to ask, "If your mother and I want to register our household registration, will we be able to do so?"

"This one……"

Li Junfeng looked up at Li Jianguo; he knew this matter wasn't up to him.

"We'll see how it goes. We'll stay until spring and see if you get used to it," Li Jianguo said, picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks as he ate. "Don't rush."

“How can I not be anxious? I heard Junfeng say that once you register your household there, you'll be allocated land, five mu per person. If my wife and I register, wouldn't we get ten mu of land? There are two or three families back home who don't even have ten mu of land…”

At this moment, Li Andong became anxious again.

“The policy has changed; it was only changed before the Lunar New Year,” Li Jianguo explained. “The policy of settling down requires allocating land once every three years, so five mu is correct. But if you really settle down, even without allocating land, you can still clear a lot of wasteland, so there’s no rush.”

Li Jianguo said twice that there was no rush, and even if Li Andong was in a hurry, he knew that this matter could not be done now.

Actually, settling down is quite simple. The couple and their son are here, so settling down is just a matter of a few words—given the Li family's current situation in the village, and that they meet the requirements.

The reason Li Jianguo told them not to rush was to give Li Andong a little push. He could tell that his second brother was no pushover either. Li Junfeng was reliable, but if his father dragged him down, it wouldn't matter whether the relationship between the two families was good or not; if things went wrong, it would be troublesome.

Besides, this is just a dinner party. Based on Li Jianguo's many years of experience, he doesn't make promises lightly at the dinner table. He'll talk about it when he's sober.

After the meal, Li Long took Gu Xiaoxia back home, while Minghao and Haohao continued to live there.

Li Junfeng brought his parents home, and as soon as he entered the house, he began to complain about his father:
"Dad, why did you say those things at the dinner table? Didn't I already tell you that Uncle Jianguo already knows everything? With you saying that, I'm completely embarrassed at the table."

"Isn't it because I was thinking of putting in a good word for you?" Li Andong knew he had made a mistake today, but he didn't want to lose face in front of his wife and daughter-in-law, so he explained, "Besides, I'm his second brother. What's wrong with asking him for a favor?"

"You didn't do anything, but it's like I'm complaining to you..." Li Junfeng felt wronged, and he was also worried that Li Jianguo and Li Long would misunderstand.

What's done is done, there's no point in saying anything more. We can only try to explain later or see how we perform.

Li Andong followed Hu Yuhua to the west room to rest. After entering the room, Hu Yuhua launched into another round of complaints against her husband:
"You've only just arrived, so don't act all high and mighty. Even though you're Jianguo's brother, how many years has he been developing his business here? Junfeng will still be relying on him in the future, so speak more politely in the future..."

"I was just worried about Junfeng's situation." Li Andong knew he was being anxious, but he didn't want to admit his mistake, so he offered an explanation.

As an old married couple, everyone knows each other well. Hu Yuhua knew her husband's character, so she didn't say anything more and went to set up the stove.

She'd already grown fond of the stove and the fire wall next to it in the few days she'd been here. Back in her hometown, winter was just something to endure. In those years, when giving birth or working, conditions were poor, and she just had to tough it out; every winter, many parts of her body ached.

Now that we have a stove and a heated wall, the house is warm and cozy. When I lean against the heated wall, I feel the coldness in my bones being slowly warmed out.

That feels so good!
Now she could understand how her aunt Du Chunfang felt. She'd often snuggle up to the fireplace, feeling incredibly comfortable. And if she toasted a slice of bread on the stove until it was golden brown, and ate a piece now and then, oh, that was bliss!
Seeing that his wife had stopped arguing, Li Andong breathed a sigh of relief. He had drunk quite a bit that day, poured himself a glass of water, glanced at the honey jar on the cabinet, and was hesitating when he heard his son Junfeng say from outside the door:
"Dad, you've been drinking. I made you a cup of honey water; it'll make you feel better."

Hey, sons are still the best!
Li Andong opened the door, took the enamel mug his son handed him, and smelling the sweet honey aroma inside, couldn't help but say:

"Junfeng, I won't say much about what happened to you later. You've been here for a long time, so if there's anything you need, just tell me. I'll do what I can, otherwise I won't step in anymore."

Fueled by the alcohol and the honey water, Li Andong blurted out his true feelings, only to immediately regret it. How could he maintain any authority in front of his son after saying those words?

Li Junfeng was a little surprised by what his father said, then smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'll discuss anything else with you later. You should get some rest."

After Li Junfeng left, Li Andong closed the door, sat on the edge of the bed with a jar in his hand, and slowly sipped the honey water.

Hey, it's so sweet!

After they left, Li Qingxia remained seated and asked Li Jianguo:
Is it really that difficult to get residency?

“It’s easy, but we can’t rush it.” Li Jianguo said his thoughts. “Second Brother is undecided right now. What if he regrets it a few days later after we get the residency? Given the current situation, he needs to be more cautious.”

"Yeah, as long as you know it. Anton used to be alright, but now he seems even worse than Junfeng," Li Qingxia said with a sigh. "He hasn't made any progress in the past two years back home; in fact, it feels like he's regressed."

Li Jianguo smiled but didn't say anything. He hadn't been back to his hometown for a long time, and he didn't know what the situation was like there.

Over the next few days, Li Andong really calmed down and stopped mentioning the cooperative and settling down. He would chat with Li Jianguo every now and then, and occasionally go with Li Junfeng to chase rabbits in the snow.

As long as he doesn't cause trouble, Li Jianguo won't say anything to him, and they'll even chat about their childhood from time to time.

It can also be considered a way to remember the bitter past and appreciate the sweet present.

At the end of February, the snow began to melt and the weather warmed up, so everyone got busy preparing agricultural supplies.

The cooperative was particularly busy because it needed to cultivate thousands of acres of land. Xie Yundong went to the purchasing station early in the morning. Li Long loaded the agricultural supplies needed by the cooperative onto a truck with his men and drove it back to the team, where they first put them in the bungalow where Li Junhai and the others lived.

Junhai and the others said they would arrive in mid-March, so there was still plenty of time.

Not only are they taking action, but the other two cooperatives and farmers are also stockpiling agricultural supplies in preparation for spring plowing in April.

Sister Yang had already packed her bags and was ready to join the inspection team from Kui City Machinery Factory for a visit to Kou Li. (End of Chapter)