Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Seeing that there was no problem with the jade, Li Long did not leave immediately. He looked through the windshield at the group of young men who had been stopped and questioned by the people maintaining order.

Even when faced with those maintaining order, the group of young men remained arrogant, shouting and cursing loudly that someone had robbed and vandalized their stall, demanding that the order-keepers help them find the culprit.

Those maintaining order didn't give them a friendly look either. They didn't want to disrupt unity, but they wouldn't let these people do as they pleased. They persuaded the onlookers to disperse and pointed to the distance in front of the young man. Li Long guessed that he was pointing to the police station.

Those lads who tried to harass those maintaining order were dispersed.

The group of young men were cursing and swearing as they packed their things and looked around. One of them headed in the direction of Yu Sufu and his group, and Li Long guessed that he was probably going to inquire about where he came from.

He was a little worried about Yu Sufu, since Yu Sufu had just told others that he was his friend. If those lads found out where the stall was, they might cause trouble for Yu Sufu.

Li Long thought for a moment, changed his clothes in the car and got off. He quickly made his way to Yu Sufu's side and, sure enough, saw the young man asking people at each stall.

Li Long walked over and saw the young man from the side. It was the same guy who had threatened the outsider with a knife. Yu Sufu's stall was just two stalls away. Li Long chose a simple and brutal method: he went up and slapped the young man to the ground.

Balangzi got up cursing and saw Li Long running quickly to the other side. He didn't bother to ask anyone anymore and rushed over with his knife.

Yu Sufu was still a little confused when he saw Li Long's back. The person at the stall next to him didn't recognize Li Long either and asked with a bewildered look, "What happened? Why did he suddenly start hitting someone? What's wrong with society these days?"

Yu Sufu shook his head, indicating he didn't know either. One of the shopkeepers who came to buy something said, "Those thugs selling knives near the train station were forcing people to buy them, and then a young man overturned their stall. They probably angered everyone; they can't find the young man, so they're asking around. This guy probably just doesn't like them..."

Every nation has its bad apples and its good people. The guy who came to buy things couldn't stand those peddlers who were forcing people to buy from him, and his tone was a little gloating.

Yu Sufu was so clever. When he saw that Li Long had changed his clothes without saying hello and had led that young man away, he understood what was going on.

He felt a mixture of shame and gratitude.

He's different from Li Long. Li Long can leave after beating someone up, but if these young men find out he's connected to Li Long, he'll probably be targeted.

Li Long lured the person away to avoid causing him trouble and to reduce his problems.

Regardless of Yu Sufu's thoughts, Li Long quickly left, luring away the young man who was yelling and threatening to chop him with a knife, before disappearing into the alley to the east.

When the young man chased after him with his knife, he found Li Long waiting for him with a stick he'd somehow acquired.

When Li Long came out again, he had an extra trophy in his hand.

It must be said that the short knives used by these barbarians are of good quality. The handles are decorated with gemstones instead of cheap colored plastic, and the scabbards are made of real cowhide instead of artificial leather.

The blade is already sharpened, and there are brown marks in the blood groove; it's a good knife.

After going around in circles and getting back into his car, Li Long felt that everything should be fine, so he drove back to the county.

When he passed by the People's Market, he noticed that there were also two knife stalls at the east gate of the market, with the same tall frames propped up diagonally on the carts.

The shelves were filled with short knives and daggers. The man selling the short knives was also from the same ethnic group, and he was a little older, in his twenties.

These people were very polite, enthusiastically introducing their knives to passersby. Even if someone wasn't interested, picked them up, and put them back, no one would object.

Yes, that's good. Consider that Han Chinese make up over 90% of the population in Ma County now, that's the basic foundation, and with that foundation, everyone can live together peacefully.

On the way back, when we were almost at the courtyard, we saw two groups of young men fighting. Some of them were brandishing short knives and making a lot of noise. Of course, no one dared to stab the other. When the police arrived, the young men threw their knives far away and disappeared.

Li Long was initially a little surprised. Why did he throw the knife?
It wasn't until I drove back to the yard that I realized the nature of fighting with a knife and fighting hand-to-hand were completely different. If caught, the treatment would be different depending on whether they had a knife or not. These young men probably fought often and knew how to maximize their gains.

Seeing two or three disputes a day was strange to Li Long. He thought that now that people had spare money, the young men were able to eat their fill and had plenty of energy, they just didn't know how to vent their frustrations.

It seems we've been too lenient.

Li Long recalled that about ten years later, they were going to do something similar to what happened in 1983, and he felt it was worth it.

On Saturday, Li Xiangqian called Li Long and said that the guest had arrived in the county and he had arranged for the guest to stay at the county hotel. Li Xiangqian also specifically reminded Li Long that this person was not as polite as the previous Director She and was a bit arrogant. He told Li Long not to worry about him and just to lead the way.

After that, Li Long should just do his own thing and not get involved in these things.

Li Xiangqian was a little worried. What else could they do in the mountains besides soaking in hot springs? He was afraid that this person would cause trouble if he was idle.

Li Long suggested taking him to the mountains to pick mushrooms and dig up some ginseng. These people live in the city all year round; a trip to the mountains would probably be a fleeting visit. Li Xiangqian could take him to get some tangible results.

Most people enjoy this kind of outdoor activity.

Li Long also reminded Li Xiangqian not to eat the wild mushrooms he picked directly, but to distinguish which ones were edible and which ones were not, so as not to make him sick.

Li Xiangqian thought this was a good idea, saying that Li Long was the smartest. Li Long just smiled and hung up the phone.

If Li Xiangqian felt that this person was arrogant, he was probably difficult to deal with, so Li Long thought it would be better to stay away from him tomorrow.

Out of respect for Director Qian, I can't ignore him, but I certainly won't get close to him.

After telling Gu Xiaoxia about it, Gu Xiaoxia told him to handle it himself.

Gu Xiaoxia has been quite conflicted lately. Last time, Li Long casually mentioned that he wanted to give Mingming and Haohao a younger sister. Although she later learned that Li Long was joking, Gu Xiaoxia was still slightly tempted.

Gu Xiaoxia was well aware that if she wanted to have another child, she would definitely lose her job.

Gu Xiaoxia doesn't particularly value this job now; instead, she's a bit envious of people like Sister Yang, who manages a factory and is so capable.

As for whether she could start her own business like Sister Yang, Gu Xiaoxia had some ideas, but she hesitated and didn't know whether she should take that step.

Li Long could also see that Gu Xiaoxia had this idea, but he didn't interfere and would respect his wife's decision.

In reality, given their current net worth, the value of being a government employee and receiving a government-subsidized food ration is negligible. Li Long wasn't entirely sure how much Gu Xiaoxia valued her current job, so he left the decision to her.

Although Li Long didn't need to prepare anything, he still bought some daily necessities that afternoon, and then bought some naan bread early the next morning.

He was thinking that if he didn't have to stay at the hot spring resort, he would go to the summer ranch to see Harim and the others and send them some supplies.

After breakfast, he met up with Li Xiangqian and the others at the supply and marketing cooperative, and the two cars went together to the county hotel to pick them up.

To Li Long's surprise, the visitors were a family of three: a man and a woman, two middle-aged people with a seven or eight-year-old boy.

Li Xiangqian led them to his car, then let the two people he had brought ride in Li Long's car. One of them was Zhou Yuan, the head of the purchasing section, who was an old acquaintance of Li Long. The other was a young man, whom Li Xiangqian had just introduced, Zheng Zhongshan, a recent graduate from a vocational school.

"I don't want to ride in this low, crooked car, I want to ride in that car!" The child was unhappy when he heard that he had to ride in a sedan. He saw that Li Long's Land Cruiser was taller and insisted on riding in Li Long's car.

Li Xiangqian was about to try to persuade her again, but the woman became annoyed, glanced at him, and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? My little one can ride whichever car he wants. Hurry up and get on the bus!"

As she spoke, the woman took the child and opened the back door of the Land Cruiser, getting inside.

The middle-aged man smiled insincerely and said to Li Xiangqian, "Kids are a bit mischievous, and my wife is a bit willful. Please don't take offense. Let's go, let's go." With that, he got into the passenger seat of Li Xiangqian's car.

Zhou Yuan and Zheng Zhongshan had no choice but to sit in the passenger seat of the car, one in the front and the other in the back.

After the child sat in the SUV, he leaned out the window and kept saying he was bored. He only stopped talking when Li Long's car led the way out of the county and onto the road leading to Qingshuihe.

There are fewer people here, and the terrain is relatively complex. There are farmlands along the roadside at first, and then the semi-desert Gobi Desert, where many red willows and tamarisk trees grow.

Occasionally, a large-eared jerboa would dart out from the tamarisk bushes, startling the boy for a long time. After all, his knowledge was limited to what he had seen in the city, and he had seen very little about the things in the desert and Gobi.

Then a jerboa darted in front of the car and ran along the road. When the child saw it, he stood between the two seats and shouted for Li Long to stop the car.

Li Long ignored him, slowed down, honked the horn, and startled the jerboa into flying to the nearby Gobi Desert.

The child slapped Li Long on the shoulder hard: "Who told you to scare him away? I wanted to catch him and play with him!"

"Keep an eye on your child!" Li Longtou said sternly without even turning around. "I'm driving. You don't want me to drive the car straight into the ditch, do you? If you want your child to die, you can jump in right now!"

The woman grabbed the child and pressed him into the seat, saying to the child, "Be good, don't disturb his driving. Look outside, look outside, let's look outside, there must be other good things outside."

When the child continued to look out the window, somewhat dissatisfied, the woman complained to Li Long in front of her, "He's still a child, can't you be a little more polite?"

Li Long knew they were Director Qian's guests, but he wouldn't tolerate it now: "This isn't the first time you've traveled with your child, is it? He dared to interfere with the driver while the car was on the road? Did he want everyone on the bus to die?"

The woman knew that Li Long was right. She was just unhappy with Li Long's attitude. After all, when she had ridden in the cars provided by the county governments before, the other party was always very polite. How could he have such a bad temper?

However, since she was in the other person's car now, she couldn't say anything more. She thought she would complain to her husband when she got back and ask him to report it to Director Qian so that he would teach this person a lesson.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhou Yuan tried to smooth things over, saying, "Don't be angry, don't be angry! Mr. Li, these are our distinguished guests. You are familiar with Director Qian, and they are also Director Qian's guests. We are all on the same side."

Ms. Liu, this Mr. Li is a friend of Director Qian and our Director Li. Don't let his young age fool you; he's quite wealthy. He owns several companies and also does foreign trade. Director Qian specifically called to ask him to take us for a tour of the mountains.

Only a boss like him in these mountains could build a hot spring resort; ordinary people simply couldn't.

"He's not from your supply and marketing cooperative?" The woman's tone softened immediately upon hearing this. "So he's a big boss. He looks so young, it's hard to believe. He's really young and promising! To be able to do foreign trade these days, that's quite impressive..."

Zhou Yuan immediately smiled and said, "You're absolutely right! Boss Li has many friends and a wide network of connections. A leader in Yanjing even gave him a recommendation. He's young and promising!"

The woman's impression of Li Long immediately changed. No wonder he had such a bad temper; he had real power. And it was no wonder he could drive such an expensive car. Even Director Qian valued him highly—he was indeed extraordinary!
She immediately realized that someone who knew leaders in Yanjing, was so young, and could do this kind of business must have connections in high places.

This woman surnamed Liu was no simpleton either. She immediately started thinking about which leader at the autonomous region level was surnamed Li. It seemed that leader was quite farsighted to be able to arrange for people to come here, so that they could do foreign trade business quietly and stay away from that vortex.

It seems I'll have to quietly tell my husband when we get off the bus that we can't be too smug on this trip, and we need to be careful with our attitude so as not to offend anyone.

As the car drove into the mountains, it slowed down, and the noise from both sides increased. The woman whispered to the child, "Don't talk nonsense in the car, be mindful of your behavior."

Although the child is young, he is quite clever. He usually pays attention when his mother speaks like that, and even if he sees something he doesn't know, he won't be surprised anymore.

Zhou Yuan was quite tactful, occasionally pointing out things along the mountain path and answering the child's questions to avoid any awkwardness on the way.

Li Long knew that Zhou Yuan had said that on purpose to make the woman misunderstand, so that it would be easier to entertain her and she would have less trouble.

Moreover, everything Zhou Yuan said was true, and even if the woman's family learned the truth later, they couldn't say anything.

So Li Long turned his head and looked at Zhou Yuan, his eyes full of approval. Zhou Yuan had only one expression: It's nothing.

Li Long controlled his speed, keeping the car behind him within 50 meters of the SUV. By the time he arrived at the hot spring resort, it was almost noon.

Outside the mountains, the sun blazes fiercely, but here there are gusts of cool breeze, so even under the sun, you don't feel the temperature is very high.

"So comfortable!" the woman exclaimed sincerely after getting out of the car. Even though she was usually very picky about her surroundings, she couldn't help but praise the place.

When the car arrived, Li Long had already opened the gate of the hot spring resort. After going inside, he opened all the windows and doors to ventilate the room.

Just as the middle-aged male guest was about to make a comment, the woman whispered a few words in his ear. The male guest's face changed, then he smiled and exclaimed, "What a wonderful place! To be able to build such a large courtyard here, one must be extraordinary."

Come on, let's get to know each other again. I remember Xiangqian mentioned earlier that your surname is also Li, right? My wife told me you're in foreign trade? That's impressive! Xiangqian said earlier that I thought you were in the supply and marketing system. Thank you for providing us with such a great environment!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Wang Shengli. I work in the commerce department of the autonomous region. I'm an old friend of Lao Qian, their Director Qian. I was busy with investment promotion for two months recently, and I've finally had some free time. I was thinking of taking my family to relax, so I'm asking for your help!

Li Long was surprised; the times were changing so fast.

"Of course, that would be best," he said with a smile, shaking hands with the man surnamed Wang. "No need to be so polite. I was just thinking that staying in the city every day, eating all sorts of rich food, it would be nice to come to the mountains to change things up and experience the breath of nature."

“Exactly, exactly, I feel the same way,” Wang Shengli echoed. “It’s just that I don’t have your skills, brother, to get a courtyard and environment like this. This time, I’m just benefiting from your help.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Long introduced them to the hot spring pools, then pointed around and said that wolves and wild boars might appear nearby, so it was best not to leave the courtyard or go too far.

Upon hearing this, Wang Shengli became eager to try it out; he had just wanted to go hunting.

But his wife, Ms. Liu, grabbed the child and took two steps back, moving a little further away from the gate, clearly not wanting to get involved in any danger.

“With us here, as long as we stay around this yard, there shouldn’t be any problems. I got a gun from the security department when I came here,” Li Xiangqian said, giving his assurance. “But we can’t go too far, since wild boars and wolves can come out in packs.”

By this time, Zhou Yuan and Zheng Zhongshan had already set up the barbecue grill and were preparing to cook mutton. Li Long brought out a low table from the house, and Zhou Yuan placed the other food they had brought on it.

The child was hungry and immediately went over to eat, without even having time to wash his hands.

Li Long then told Wang Shengli and Li Xiangqian that he was going to the mountains to see other friends and told them to make themselves at home.

Li Xiangqian didn't understand why Wang Shengli had changed just now, but he knew that Li Long was too lazy to serve these people, so he waved to Li Long and let him go. Wang Shengli, on the other hand, shook hands with Li Long quite solemnly and waved as he drove away.

After Li Long left, Wang Shengli took the opportunity of visiting the courtyard to ask Li Xiangqian if Li Long had opened several companies and was still engaged in foreign trade.
Li Xiangqian seemed to suddenly realize something and immediately nodded, saying that Li Long had started importing cars, agricultural machinery and other products from the Soviet Union a few years ago. The company did indeed open several stores and was still selling canned goods to Kazakhstan.

"I heard that a leader in Yanjing even gave him some pointers?" Wang Shengli asked again.

Li Xiangqian turned to look at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan, who was behind him, probably guessed what they were talking about, so she didn't come closer. Instead, she and Zheng Zhongshan were busy preparing food. Li Xiangqian then turned back and said, "It's true."

Then he whispered a name to Wang Shengli, and Wang Shengli immediately fell silent.

After taking a walk around, the group started soaking in the hot spring. Wang Shengli and his wife soaked inside the house, while their child played in the half-meter-deep pool outside. Li Xiangqian was also outside.

Wang Shengli said to his wife, "Luckily you reminded me. At first, I thought they were just a few country bumpkins. I didn't expect them to have brought a great deity!"
Old Qian didn't explain things clearly, and I almost offended him.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness. I think this Mr. Li is a very nice person, not at all pretentious, and he even drove us here." After learning Li Long's identity, the woman's mood and attitude immediately changed. "Completely different from those people in Wucheng."

People in Wucheng who are that wealthy wouldn't bother with socializing; they'd be the ones being flattered.

No wonder he's valued by the leadership; this person is truly exceptional!

Although Wang Shengli felt a little uncomfortable hearing his wife praise others, he had to admit it was true. Among the second-generation rich kids in Wucheng, some were involved in foreign trade, but most were arrogant and haughty, unlike Li Long.

"This is the first time I've ever soaked in a hot spring in such an environment," Ms. Liu exclaimed again. "This Mr. Li has really good taste."

It would be so comfortable to have a hot spring in the mountains, with the hot spring water brought directly into the house—oh, no, I mean, to build a large courtyard right next to the hot spring and soak in it in your own backyard.

Old Wang, although you have some power and our family is somewhat wealthy, to be honest, we're not really at that level. If we want to enjoy that kind of life regularly, we still have to work harder!

Wang Shengli felt a bit aggrieved. He usually felt quite successful, always having people to greet him wherever he went, without spending a penny of his own money.

Why do you have to belittle yourself after enjoying yourself here?

When they came out of the bath, Li Xiangqian had already changed his clothes and was waiting for them.

“The barbecue is ready,” Li Xiangqian said, pointing over there. “Let’s eat some and then take a walk around. Li Long said there are a lot of mushrooms and some Chinese herbs in this ditch. He said that the codonopsis can grow as thick as an arm. Let’s see if we can find any.”

"Didn't they say there were wolves and wild boars?" Ms. Liu was still quite worried.

“It’s alright, you and the children can stay in the yard and not go out.” Wang Shengli looked at Li Xiangqian, who was already carrying a gun, and seemed a little impatient. “It’s a rare opportunity to come out, and if we just stay cooped up in this yard, it would be a waste of the scenery outside.”

Hearing this, Ms. Liu was also a little intrigued. She tentatively asked, "Shall we go with them, and just stay nearby?"

“It’s nearby. We’ll go over there after we finish eating.” Li Xiangqian raised his gun and said, “I’m carrying a gun, and Section Chief Zhou and Xiao Zheng will take a stick. We’ll definitely be fine.”

They quickly finished their food, then closed the door and headed into the woods. At first, they were cautious, afraid of disturbing any wild animals that might be there. But once they saw the mushrooms in the woods, they excitedly started picking them, making more and more noise.

Fortunately, there were no wild beasts nearby. They circled the woods around the manor. It was a time when there were few people in the mountains, and herb gatherers rarely came here. They had quite a lot of mushrooms and had a good harvest.

Li Long was unaware of what had happened after he left. He drove his SUV to the mountain road they had built and found that weeds had already started to grow on the road.

There were also tire tracks on the gravel road, which looked like they were from ten days or half a month ago. Li Long guessed that it must have been from when Halimu and his group went down the mountain to purchase supplies.

He drove his SUV uphill, crushing the tenacious, upward-growing weeds, and arrived at the summer pasture an hour and a half later.

From the foot of the mountain, it looks like a sunny day, but once you reach the summer pasture, you'll see large, fluffy white clouds drifting from west to east.

When the clouds block out the sun, the temperature drops immediately, and my arms feel cool. When the sun comes out from behind the clouds, the temperature rises instantly, and my arms feel warm again.

Li Long drove the car to the door of the yurt and found that the door was locked and no one was there.

Harim's car was parked right next to the yurt.

He got out of the car and unloaded the supplies he had brought, including a bag of more than a dozen naan breads.

From a distance, herds of cattle and sheep grazed leisurely a few hundred meters from the yurt, but Halim and Gulimire were nowhere to be seen.

Li Long didn't go looking for them. He opened the bag, took out a piece of naan, tore it in half, and put the rest back as is. He ate the naan while looking around.

Less than 30 meters from the yurt, there was a small ditch where white mushrooms were scattered like pearls in the grass. The grass was not tall, and the mushrooms ranged in size from as small as broad beans to smaller than eggs, making them look quite adorable.

They were all small, round mushrooms that hadn't opened their caps yet. Li Long picked one up casually, and it felt tender, with a strong mushroom aroma wafting up.

He finished the naan in his hand in a few bites, took a bucket of water from the trunk of the car, and started picking things up.

We wanted them all, big or small, and swept them up. The small size of the mushrooms doesn't mean they can still grow. Once these mushrooms emerge from the soil, their size is already determined. Although they look small, they are already mature. The spores on their caps have already dispersed, thus completing their reproductive mission.

So picking them up is a form of reuse, and it's not a waste of our lives.

After filling the bucket, Li Long had only cut less than a third of the ditch. He put the bucket in the car, found a urea bag, and continued collecting.

After filling the urea bag to about half full, Li Long finally finished picking all the mushrooms in the ditch. When he stood up with the bag, he realized that several smaller ditches ahead were also filled with these kinds of mushrooms.

Just as they were about to continue, the sound of horses' hooves came from the yurt. Li Long turned around and saw that Halim and Gulimire were riding horses and had arrived in front of the yurt.

Li Long, carrying a bag, went to greet them. Halim had already jumped off his horse, came over, hugged Li Long, said hello, and then explained that they had gone to another yurt to discuss matters.

It turns out that another herdsman also wanted to go to Kazakhstan, and his whole family was going to sell their cattle and sheep to Harim.

Halim already knew the current situation of the three families he had visited. Two were doing relatively well, continuing to be herders, while one was now working for others without any official status.

So the couple went to advise the person that they should think it through carefully. They were doing so well here, why go there to suffer?
"Do they listen to you?" Li Long asked Halim as he put the bag of mushrooms in the car.

“They won’t listen. They think we’re lying to them,” Gulimire said to Li Long. “Someone told them that it’s great over there, but they don’t believe us.”

After saying that, Gulimire went into the yurt to make tea. The milk in the yurt had run out, so she put the teapot on the stove and then took the bucket to the cows to milk them.

Li Long and Halim sat outside the yurt, eating naan bread and talking about the matter.

"What's your relationship with them like?" Li Long asked Halim.

Halim brought out a small table and two small stools from the house, then took out plates of honey, cream, ghee and jam, gesturing for Li Long to eat as he said, "We have a good relationship. They took good care of us when we were here. Once my mother fell, and they were the ones who found out and brought her over."

Li Long shooed away the flies that had come to him after hearing the news and said, "Then let's give them an idea: let them go there for a trip. It should be easy to get a visa now, right?"
"Whether you use it as a business guise or not, you can go over there and see if it's any good. If it's good, you can't persuade them to stay; if it's not good, they might come back without you even having to try."

Halim dipped his naan in jam and said as he ate, "That's all we can do. I need to lend him some money, otherwise he won't even have enough for a short trip."

He thought the honey-dipped naan was quite delicious, so he broke off another piece, spread honey on it, and said, "Do you have enough money? If not, I have some here."

"That's enough, that's enough," Halim waved his hand and said, "I didn't use up the money I got from you last time, and I sold some more cattle and sheep later, so there's still some left."

The main problem is that they often encounter forestry bureau patrols who tell them not to collect deer antlers or hunt. They also say that they can't sell the things they get in the mountains. These people wait at the foot of the mountain and take them away when they see them.

So none of the people on the ranch had any money; otherwise, they would have had the money to go out on their own.

Li Long understood the implication in Halimu's words and asked, "Does he have anything in his yurt now? If so, give it to me, and I'll give him the money."

Although hunting and collecting things to sell are now prohibited, Li Long has a good relationship with the people at the forestry police station, and since he came with Li Xiangqian, it shouldn't be a problem for him to take some things out.

"Won't those people make things difficult for you if you go out?" Halim asked with some concern.

"It's okay, they won't check me." Li Long smiled, looked at Gulimire who was carrying a milk bucket, and continued, "At least not for the time being."

Halim laughed and said, "Then wait a moment, I'll go get the things from him." With that, he stood up, ready to ride his horse.

Li Long hurriedly asked, "Is it convenient to drive that way? If it is, we can drive there directly."

Halim shook his head and said, "We can't get through, there's a ditch. Just wait, the milk tea will be ready soon."

Halim mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and galloped off. Li Long saw Gulimire making milk tea, so he simply grabbed another bag and went to pick mushrooms.

These mushrooms are hard to find outside the mountains, so Li Long plans to pick more and share them with everyone.

When they had collected about half a bag, Gulimire called him over to have some milk tea. From a distance, they saw Halim and another person riding over on horseback, with sacks on their backs.

Wow, there's quite a lot of stuff!

Li Long carried the bag into the car, picked up the milk tea that Gulimire had placed on the small table, then put it down again—it was too hot.

Halim and another man in his forties rode their horses to the car. After getting off, the man excitedly asked Li Long, "Dorsen, can you really accept these things?"

Li Long nodded and said, "This time it's fine, I just happen to be going into the mountains with someone else. But next time is another story. Come on, let's take a look at the things."

He recognized the man but couldn't recall his name. The man was also in a hurry to buy things, so he quickly unloaded the sack and opened it for Li Long to see.

Two pairs of deer antlers, three wolf skins, three ibex skins, one wild goat skin, and several fox skins.

These things could fill the trunk of an SUV. Li Long did the math and said, "How about I give you a thousand yuan?"

The man readily agreed, saying, "Sure, sure, let me help you load it onto the car."

The trunk could barely fit everything, and he wanted to put it in the front seat, but Li Long told him that someone needed to sit in the front seat, so he put everything in the trunk.

Li Long took out a wad of cash from his bag, counted out ten bills, and handed them to the man, who smiled and put them away.

I thought these things would just be a burden, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Li Long didn't try to persuade him. He wasn't close enough to move there, and besides, he and Halimu were such good friends that if Halimu's persuasion was useless, his own persuasion would be even less effective.

Gulimire was already preparing to cook when Li Long quickly said that he was almost full from eating naan earlier.

Li Long told him not to bother, as he could tell that Halim and his group didn't have much in terms of supplies, usually just naan bread and milk tea. If it were Li Long himself, he would definitely have cooked a mushroom feast, but Halim and his group didn't like the taste, so Li Long didn't stay long. After chatting for a while, he drove down the mountain.

When Li Long returned to the hot spring resort, Li Xiangqian and Wang Shengli were in the yard spreading out all the mushrooms they had picked and sorting them.

Hearing the car horn, they hurried to the door. Seeing Li Long get out of the car, Wang Shengli quickly greeted him, smiling and saying:
"Xiangqian said you're an expert in the mountains, and that you know the most about these mushrooms. Let's see if any of the mushrooms we've picked are poisonous, which ones are edible, and which ones aren't. We can learn from you."

Looking at the yard full of mushrooms drying in the sun, Li Long smiled and said, "Quite a harvest! I'll take a look."

When Ms. Liu heard that Li Long had returned, she quickly brought her child out, saying that she also wanted to learn from him.

Looking at the sorted mushrooms, Li Long thought it was quite convenient, so he introduced them one by one: "These big white crispy mushrooms are the most abundant right now. You must have gotten about ten kilograms of them. Not bad, not bad, you can eat them."

Black tiger paw mushrooms are currently the most expensive mushrooms, costing tens of dollars per kilogram when dried, but they also taste very good.

These enoki mushrooms are rare in this area, it's great that you managed to get them, they're edible.

These pine mushrooms are also quite good; their flavor is comparable to termite mushrooms, a rare find among high-quality mushrooms.

"The rest are best left alone. Things like Amanita mushrooms and dog's urine mushrooms... Look at this chicken leg mushroom, it would be edible if it weren't so black, but now it's black and oozing oil, just throw it away."

One-third of the mushrooms they picked were inedible, but Wang Shengli and Ms. Liu felt it was still pretty good; at least their trip wasn't a complete waste.

They urged Zhou Yuan and Zheng Zhongshan to quickly pack up the mushrooms, as they planned to take them home.

Li Xiangqian chatted with Li Long and asked him where he had been. Li Long said that he had delivered some supplies to his friends in the mountains and had also picked some mushrooms.

Upon hearing that Li Long had also picked mushrooms, Wang Shengli and Ms. Liu immediately came over to see what Li Long had found, also saying they wanted to learn from him.

Li Long didn't keep anything secret and brought down the bucket of mushrooms he had picked to show them.

"Wow, they're so cute!" Ms. Liu exclaimed, her eyes immediately drawn to the mushrooms. "How come we've never come across such beautiful mushrooms? Mr. Li, you're really something! Where did you find these? Were they easy to find? Are there many?"

"Over there, at the herders' summer pastures." Li Long felt a little uncomfortable under the woman's admiring and envious gaze, and explained somewhat embarrassedly, "It's quite far, nearly a hundred kilometers away."

"Sigh, it seems there's no chance today." Ms. Liu's eyes never left the mushrooms as she deliberately sighed.

Li Long saw that the meaning was quite clear, and having no other choice, he thought that since they were Director Qian's friends, he said, "Then I'll divide them up for you. Old Zhou, find a bag, I'll pour some for them."

When Ms. Liu heard that Li Long was going to share mushrooms with them, she was overjoyed and even a little overwhelmed with gratitude.

Li Xiangqian, who was watching from the sidelines, saw it most clearly and thought to himself that Lao Zhou had done a good thing this time, cleverly securing Li Long's identity.

Imagine if Ms. Liu only thought of Li Long as a temporary worker, and Li Long had offered to bring her mushrooms, she might have felt he was currying favor with her. But now that she is asking Li Long for mushrooms, she feels honored.

That's human nature.

In conclusion, the trip to the mountains was quite fruitful, and both hosts and guests enjoyed themselves. (End of Chapter)