Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 205: Xiaolong's girlfriend is pretty
In less than an hour, most of the fish had been sold and the sun had risen. The three basins had a strong fishy smell, but Li Long no longer noticed it.

"Dad, you sold these fish for eight dollars and sixty cents. The rest may not be sold. Here!" Li Long handed a stack of banknotes to Li Qingxia. Most of the money was in Mao Zedong's currency, with some one-dollar notes mixed in.

Li Qingxia pushed Li Long's hand away and refused to pay:

"What are you doing for me? Just take it."

"Dad, don't be polite. This is the fish you caught, so you should get the money from the sale. My eldest brother and I are brothers and we have to settle accounts clearly. Besides, you can see that I have more money than you."

Li Qingxia no longer refused and happily took the stack of money.

More than eight yuan, a day's harvest, and all I paid for was a basin, a piece of gauze, and a morning of hawking.

Isn't this too easy?
Li Qingxia couldn't believe it when he took the money.

He looked at the other stack of money in Li Long's hand and felt at ease again.

His son is much better at making money than him!
The fish Li Long brought today were not as big as usual, weighing less than 50 kilograms. There were still some small crucian carp and a half-grown silver carp left that had not been sold. All in all, he had more than 40 yuan in his hand.

Less than usual, but still a lot.

There were not many flower loaches left, less than one kilogram. They had been stuck in the water for too long and had all died and turned upside down.

One or two small crucian carps were still struggling to stay alive, occasionally splashing in the water, but they looked half-dead.

"Dad, let's go. I'll take you to have breakfast." Li Long saw that there were fewer people in the morning market and estimated that the remaining food could not be sold.

There are still people looking at this side, but Li Long doesn't care much anymore.

"It's a pity to throw it away." Li Qingxia was reluctant to throw it away. If I put it back home, I would peel it and fry it in oil. It would be delicious! It can also be stewed. The stew soup and cornmeal cakes are also delicious!

"There are plenty of fish in the lake, so this is not a big deal." Li Long understood his father's thoughts and said with a smile, "If we don't pour it out now, it will stink soon. When the sun comes out, it will get hotter the later we go. We have to go back soon."

"Okay, okay." Li Qingxia was immediately happy when he thought about getting the money tomorrow. "Then let's go. I don't want this... anymore."

The two men poured all the remaining fish in the basin into the ditch next to them, cleaned up and pushed the cart away.

Before they even pushed their bicycles away, some people quickly jumped into the canal and started picking up fish. Among them were two of the stall owners nearby.

Well, it’s true that getting a bargain is quick, but free things are the best!
The two people were pushing the bicycles. Although they were tired, they felt very relaxed mentally.

Li Long pointed out to Li Qingxia what the various buildings in the county were, and they walked all the way to the big yard, put down the basins, scales and other things, and then went to the big meat canteen.

"Hey, Comrade Li is here?" Zhong Guoqiang was talking to the waiter at the counter. When he saw Li Long, he came over and greeted him with a smile:
"Are you here to sell fish again today? Have you sold all of them?"

"We've sold out. We don't have any big carp, so we didn't come to give you any." Li Long said with a smile, "I'll give you some good fish when I have them."

"Okay, okay, if you have a two- to three-kilogram carp, be sure to send it to me." Zhong Guoqiang said with a smile, "Our chef said your fish is authentic, and the customers who ate it also said the fish is good - who is this?"

"This is my dad." Li Long introduced, "He just came from his hometown. Dad, this is Manager Zhong from the cafeteria, he always takes care of me."

"Hello, Manager Zhong!" Li Qingxia was a little reserved. Zhong Guoqiang was dressed in a Zhongshan suit, like a cadre, which made Li Qingxia, who had not had much experience with officials, feel a little oppressive.

"Hello, Comrade Lao Li!" Zhong Guoqiang took the initiative to shake hands with Li Qingxia and said with a smile, "Comrade Xiao Li is very modest. It's not me who takes care of him, it's he who has been providing us with high-quality ingredients. Just look at Comrade Lao Li and you will know that Xiao Li can be so outstanding, he must have received a good family education..."

Li Qingxia rubbed his hands, not knowing what to say.

"Manager Zhong, I feel embarrassed for what you said." Li Long said with a smile, "What's delicious this morning?"

"Porridge, steamed buns, pickles, the usual three. Do you want me to cook you a hot dish? The old man is here, I'll treat you!"

"No, no." Li Long waved his hand hurriedly, "I just brought the old man here from the morning market. I have some money from selling fish, so let's cook some vegetables."

There aren’t many good dishes now. The sign on the window says leeks and eggs, shredded potatoes, and cabbage with vinegar, etc.

Li Long ordered two bowls of porridge, four steamed buns, and a fried leek and egg. When he wanted to order more, he was stopped by Li Qingxia.

"That's enough. There's too much to eat."

Li Long knew his father's appetite and knew he would definitely finish it, so he said:

"I'm tired after a whole morning. I'm hungry. If I can't finish the food, I'll take it back and stir-fry some cabbage."

Then go and pay.

Li Qingxia looked at Li Long with heartache as he paid bills to the waiter. This money plus the food coupons would eat up one-third of the money he earned from selling fish in a day!

Arriving at the table and waiting for the meal, Li Qingxia whispered:
"Xiaolong, I knew you could make money, but I didn't expect you to spend it so quickly..."

"Then what do you do with the money?" Li Long said with a smile, "I work hard to earn money, so I can't treat myself badly."

Li Qingxia did not respond, but he began to feel that there was some truth in what his wife Du Chunfang said: He had to find a wife for his youngest son to take care of the household. Otherwise, if he continued to spend money like this, how would he be able to save money?

Li Long and Li Qingxia washed their hands at the door, and when they came back, the buns were already on the table. There were not many people in the morning, so the food was served quickly, and the aroma followed. Li Long was already hungry, so he took a bun and handed it to his father, then drank a mouthful of porridge, and then ate the bun in big mouthfuls.

"This bun tastes so delicious!" Li Qingxia took a bite and exclaimed.

"Then buy a few more and let mom have a taste!" Li Long said, "We can go back early, so we don't have to cook lunch at home."

“…Okay.” Li Qingxia thought it was okay. He couldn’t eat all by himself.

Although Li Qingxia had previously told Li Long not to order more, after the meal, there was nothing left on the table.

"Twenty more buns." Li Long went to the counter and said, "Pack it up and take it away."

At this time, the big meat restaurant also has take-out buns, but the paper bags for take-out are charged.

"So much?" Li Qingxia was surprised.

"My girlfriend is in middle school, I bought her some." Li Long said with a smile, "She even bought me a Dacron shirt a few days ago."

"Ah?" Li Qingxia didn't expect that what Li Long said was true. Did he really have a partner?
He started to worry again.

The other party is a teacher and is a public servant. Would he be interested in Li Long?

When Li Long brought Li Qingxia to the township middle school, he saw that there was no one in the school. Then he remembered that it was the weekend.

"Dad, are you going to wait here or come with me to take a look?" Li Long asked at the entrance of the middle school. "He may not be here. It's the weekend today, so he might have gone home."

"Then let's go and take a look." Li Qingxia was also very curious about what the girl his son was dating looked like.

Although their children are excellent in every way in the eyes of their parents, they still have a rural household registration after all, which in this era is naturally one level lower than the non-agricultural household registration that eats commercial grain.

Li Long originally didn't want to let Li Qingxia go, but since it had come to this, he might as well let him go. He rode his bike into the school - schools didn't have walls back then, and the school worker took a look at Li Long at the gate, recognized him, and ignored him.

When he arrived at the female teachers' dormitory, Li Long was a little surprised to find that the door of Gu Xiaoxia's dormitory was open.

Li Qingxia pressed the handbrake, and when she felt that they had reached the destination, she hurried down, and Li Long also got down and parked the car. Gu Xiaoxia, who heard the noise, came out of the house. When she saw Li Long and an old man together, she reacted immediately, blushing and lowering her head.

Li Long smiled awkwardly and said:

"Xiaoxia, this is my dad. He came out with me to sell fish today. We had breakfast and bought some buns. I wanted to bring some to you..."

"Hello, uncle." Gu Xiaoxia greeted gently, and Li Qingxia nodded quickly:

"Hey, okay."

"Dad, this is Xiaoxia. She used to be on our team and is now my girlfriend."

Li Long introduced the buns to Gu Xiaoxia while giving them to her. Gu Xiaoxia took the buns and gently hit Li Long, feeling shy and happy. Is this considered a formal meeting with the parents?

Li Qingxia saw the girl's expression and knew that what Li Long said was right. He was very proud and said with a smile:

"Okay, Xiaoxia, right? You should take care of my little dragon from now on... These buns taste good. Eat more and gain some weight, haha."

Seeing that his father was already a little incoherent with joy, Li Long said:

"Xiaoxia, why didn't you go back?"

"The midterm exam is coming up soon. It's my first time teaching a class and I have to prepare some things in advance, so I didn't go back."

"Oh, okay, let's go back first. I'll come see you when I have time."

"Well, goodbye, uncle!"

When leaving school, Li Qingxia was smiling at first, but then he stopped smiling.

"Xiaolong, you said this Xiaoxia is from the team?"

"Yes, his father and my eldest brother have a very good relationship." Li Long said, "At the beginning of this year, I got the news that the school would test a group of people, so I told her in advance, and she reviewed and passed the exam."

"Ah."

"She made shoes for me, bought me clothes, and was very nice to me." Li Long was quite proud.

But Li Qingxia was still vaguely worried.

After all, Gu Xiaoxia eats commercial grain and is pretty. She has a good relationship with Li Long now, but what about the future? The identities of both parties are there, can this relationship last?

Li Long didn't know that his father had thought so much. He pedaled his bicycle very fast, thinking that he could rush back to eat the buns at home before they got cold.

After all, the meat buns are most fragrant right out of the pot. If you simmer them again, the taste will be different.

When he rushed home, Li Long saw Li Qiang still playing by the well in the yard, but Li Juan was not there.

Seeing Li Long and the others coming back, Li Qiang threw away the mud in his hand and ran over, shouting:

"Uncle!"

"Hey." Li Long got out of the car and said to Li Qiang:

"Go wash your hands. I bought some meat buns. Eat them after washing your hands. By the way, where's your sister?"

"My sister and my parents went to work in the fields." Li Qiang turned around and went to the well. After the well was dug, a basin was placed beside the well all year round for washing hands.

Du Chunfang sat at the door and watched Li Qiang play. When he saw Li Long and the others come back, he smiled and asked Li Qingxia:

"So? Did you sell the fish you caught?"

"It's sold for more than eight dollars!" Li Qingxia said proudly, "A lot of people wanted it! They said this fish is so good..."

"So much money?" Du Chunfang was also shocked. "How valuable is this fish?"

"Well," Li Qingxia said proudly, "I will go fishing with Xiaolong today and sell it tomorrow. I will give half of the money to the boss. I can't just take his money."

"That's fine." Du Chunfang didn't have any objection.

"I just saw Xiaolong's girlfriend," Li Qingxia whispered to her, "She's very pretty, she teaches at a middle school, and she seems to be very nice to Xiaolong."

"Really?" Du Chunfang was a little unconvinced. "How could someone who eats commercial grains like Xiaolong?"

"Xiaolong said she was also on this team. It was Xiaolong who gave her the news at the beginning of the year that she was admitted as a teacher. Her father and the eldest brother have a very good relationship." Although Li Qingxia was also worried, he tried his best to say things that would benefit both parties.

Du Chunfang was still thinking about introducing one of her relatives to Li Long, but now it seems that this is not going to work.

"Mom, come and eat some buns. These buns are not cold yet, they taste really good!"

"Okay, okay, I'll eat half of it... I just finished breakfast, so I'm not that hungry..." Du Chunfang said half a refusal as he took the bun, broke it in half, and handed the remaining half to Li Qingxia.

Li Qingxia took it and started eating.

Li Qiang was also there, eating meat buns with big mouthfuls, his face full of smiles.

"Qiangqiang, has Daqiang come?" Li Long asked.

"Uncle Daqiang came, picked up the net and left." Li Qiang said while eating buns, "He said he would come again in the afternoon."

Li Long didn't expect Tao Daqiang to be so quick today. The six nets were still being picked up at this time.

"My grandma helped me pick it up." Li Qiang added, "She said it was easier to pick up the nets today."

That's it.

Li Long understood.

The wind came. Li Long looked up, turned his head to look northwest, sighed, and said to Li Qingxia:
"Dad, we can't catch fish today."

"Why?" Li Qingxia had just finished half a bun and was still a little confused.

"It's going to be a yellow wind today, so we can't go out. We can't get off the internet or go online, so we have to stay at home today?"

When Li Qiang heard that a yellow wind was about to blow, he immediately ran out of the yard. A minute later he ran back and said loudly to Li Long:

"Uncle, uncle! The yellow wind is about to blow! I can see a dark line in the west!"

Li Qingxia and Du Chunfang still don't quite understand what Huang Feng is.

"This yellow wind is blowing sand!" Li Long explained to them simply, "The sky is full of dirt and sand, and you can't see anything... It happens a few times a year."

Yes, there's a sandstorm coming!
Li Long hurriedly packed up the things in the yard, and also pressed down some things that needed to be pressed down, so that the strong wind would not blow some things away. If they were really blown away, they would have no idea where they would float to and they would be impossible to find.

(End of this chapter)