Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Jianguo had just set up his stall and Li Long was moving fish for Li Anguo and his friends when the market manager came over.

"Are you all together?" asked one of the managers.

"Yes." Li Long thought the man looked familiar. He handed the fish bag to Li Junshan and said, "How much is the management fee? I'll pay it."

"You pay one dollar for the carriage. The others pay ten cents each - after all, they are also going to occupy the stall, right? When we change shifts later and ask you guys, tell Lao Guo that you have paid."

"Okay." Li Long paid the bill. This was quite humane - for a stall like the one his brother had, 1 cent per item was actually quite cheap.

After the management staff left, Li Anguo and his team also went to set up their stalls. Except for Li Junshan, who was about 60 to 70 meters away, the other people were less than 40 meters away from the carriage, which was quite close.

Li Jianguo was already shouting over there:

"Fish for sale, freshly frozen wild fish, cheap!"

There were obviously more people at this time than when Li Long first arrived yesterday. Some people walked up to the stall, and some heard the shouting and walked over.

Li Junfeng also started shouting, which surprised many people. There were quite a lot of people selling fish.

The old street is larger than that of Ma County. With more people, it can accommodate more goods. In less than ten minutes, all five stalls were opened.

Although there weren't many people gathered around, everyone at least made a deal, which was a good start.

Then an acquaintance came to find Li Long.

"Young man, there are fish on your carriage, too, right? Why don't you display them?"

"I have to put it on display. Of course I have to put it on display." Li Long said with a smile. Just kidding, I have nothing to do anyway, so how can I not sell it?
He took a bag of fish from the cart, spread out a plastic sheet, poured the fish on it, and started picking it up:

"Young man, I have been eating your fish since summer and it has lasted until winter. Are these fish from a different place than the ones I ate in summer?"

"Yes." Li Long did not hide it. "In the summer, the fish I sold were from a small lake, but now they are from a large reservoir. These fish are not as fat as those in the summer, so they are cheaper."

"Eighty cents, right? I heard from my neighbor that you sell it for eighty cents a kilogram. Weigh me two pieces of five-strip black, this one, and this one."

"Good." Li Long put the two black-and-white fish on the scale for the old woman and said as he weighed them, "Auntie, you are an expert. Black-and-white fish eat small fish, and their bodies are full of garlic cloves. They are very delicious."

"Of course not!" The old lady was very happy. "I eat it often, so I have gained experience. How much does it weigh?"

"Four kilograms and seven cents, I'll give you four and a half kilograms, four hundred and eighty-thirty-two, five hundred and eighty-forty, three dollars and sixty cents."

"Okay, young man, you can settle the account."

"Haha, that's true. You'll get used to it if you do it often."

The old man paid the money, put the fish in a cloth bag and took it away.

There were five stalls nearby. There weren't many people here, so Li Long wasn't in a hurry. He squatted down and slowly arranged the fish, carp in one row, crucian carp in another, and black carp in another. Looking at it this way, carp was the most numerous. In fact, there were many crucian carps in the sea, but they were mainly small crucian carps. The number of large crucian carps was not as large as that of carp, and there were also a few grass carps. There were also many silver carps, but Li Long and his team collected few silver carps, and most of them were taken home by locals.

It's meat after all, right?

The first person to sell out was Chen Xingbang. In less than an hour, his bag of fish was sold out. He came to Li Long excitedly and proudly:
"Xiaolong, here you go, twenty-eight!" Chen Xingbang counted the money and gave it to Li Long, "I'll move another bag."

"Okay." Li Long took the money and smiled as he helped Chen Xingbang move another bag of fish.

As expected of a man who was able to expand his business with some old bottles in his previous life, he has a very flexible mind. Li Long looked over and saw that as soon as the fish bag overturned, people immediately surrounded him.

He couldn't guess why Chen Xingbang sold the fish so quickly, but he didn't have time to guess because someone else came to his place.

And quite a few.

Li Long raised his head and looked towards the station, and found that there were two long-distance buses parked there.

His carriage was a big sight, and the fish on the stall were neatly arranged, which immediately attracted people.

Li Jianguo shouted again.

Then when Li Long started to move the second bag, Li Jianguo also moved the second bag.

Li Long was the first to sell out the second bag, while Li Junshan still had more than half of the second bag left.

His fish sells slowly. One reason is that his stall is far away. The second reason is that he doesn't know how to shout and he doesn't know how to actively solicit customers.

There is nothing we can do about it. After all, human nature is like this. Fortunately, Tao Daqiang is stronger. If Tao Daqiang were here, the accounts might not be settled clearly.

It was already noon when the cartload of fish was sold out - today Li Long and his team pulled sixteen bags of fish. Li Long, Chen Xingbang, Li Jianguo and Li Junfeng each sold three bags of fish, and Li Anguo and Li Junshan each sold two bags of fish.

In fact, Li Long was still far ahead. The carriage was a big target and there was a constant flow of people. If it was not for the small amount it was pulling, it would not be impossible to sell four bags.

"Let's go, let's drink some milk tea and eat some naan first." Li Long pointed to Keyum's milk tea shop and said, "We'll have a good meal when we get back to the county."

"Hey, what kind of milk tea do you want?" Chen Xingbang made more than 20 yuan today (he sold it cheaply), and he was very happy. "Let's go and have a good meal. Shicheng is so big, there must be some big restaurants."

Li Long looked at the others and saw that they also looked like they wanted to eat well, so he smiled and said:
"Okay, let's go, let's find a place to have a good meal."

Li Long didn't know much about the restaurants in Shicheng at that time, so he simply went to the milk tea shop to ask Keyumu.

"You mean to have a good meal?" Keyum thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to Xingfu Road. There should be a cafeteria there."

Li Long and his friends followed the direction pointed by Keyumu and headed for Xingfu Road.

I searched along the road and found a canteen without even a name. I knew it was a canteen because, although the sign was removed, I could see people coming in and out and smell the fragrance of food.

"Here it is. Put the scale in the bag and bring the bags of fish in together." Li Jianguo said, "Don't leave anything on the carriage, or it will be bad if it is lost."

"Uncle, I'll stay and watch the carriage." Li Junshan said, "I'm not too hungry yet. I had a full breakfast. I can take over after Junfeng finishes eating."

"Yes, yes, yes," Li Junfeng also said, "The carriage is outside, so we have to leave someone behind."

"Okay, Junshan, you wait outside. Let's go in and order food first. Then it's your turn." Li Jianguo did not insist and took the lead to go in.

The dining room was quite large, with a round table and several square tables. The square tables were all full, so Li Jianguo and his friends sat at the round table, while Li Long walked to the blackboard where the names of the dishes were written.

The waiter was about to say something, but Li Long looked at the blackboard and said:
"Give me a portion of all the dishes above," he then turned to Li Jianguo and the others:
"Do you want to eat rice or steamed buns?"

"rice."

"Steamed bun!"

"Then give me three bowls of rice and ten steamed buns..."

"Rice is served in a bowl." The waiter's expression softened. There was a dish on the blackboard: braised pork elbow. Those who could afford this dish were not ordinary people. So he could just sit at the round table in the middle.

"Then let's have a pot first." Li Long said, "Do you have buns?"

"No."

"Then let's do this for now."

"Please pay first. Thirteen dollars and seventy-two cents, plus three catties and two ounces of food coupons."

"Is XJ food coupons okay?" Li Long asked as he took out the money. He had collected more than 500 yuan from the fish today, and his pocket was bulging. Fortunately, he had some change in his other pocket, otherwise he would have taken out a large stack of Datuanjie notes, which would have exposed his wealth. "Okay." The waiter looked more relaxed when he saw him take out two Datuanjie notes.

The dishes were not served quickly, but the portions were large. After each dish was served, Li Long left an empty plate for Li Junshan. Li Junfeng ate very quickly, finishing two bowls of rice, wiping his mouth, and standing up to take over for Li Junshan.

Li Junshan, who was outside, came in and clearly felt that it was still quite cold. In fact, I didn't feel cold walking all the way from the team, even if my eyebrows and beard were all white. I didn't feel cold when I was selling fish. At that time, I only felt the joy and tension of calculating the bills and collecting the money.

But after standing guard outside for half an hour, Li Junshan felt like he was almost frozen through.

This feels completely different from walking.

The room was warm, but his hands were shaking as he held the chopsticks. At first, he couldn't pick up any rice or vegetables. He simply held the bowl and scooped food into his mouth. It took him a while to calm down.

After dinner, when they were walking back, several people got on the carriage. Li Jianguo had pulled sugar residue here before, so he was familiar with this road. He also said that ten years ago, before he got married, he came here to sell coriander and other things, selling them for five cents a handful at the gate of the family compound.

Li Long was very surprised when he heard this. It turned out that his elder brother was the expert at making money in Shicheng - he had come here so early to sell coriander - five cents at that time was more valuable than five cents now.

"Is there anyone selling it?" Li Long asked with great interest.

"Yes, there weren't many coriander plants here at that time. There are many people from Henan Province here, and we always put coriander in soup or rice. If I had the seeds, I would have planted some nepeta to sell."

Well, give him what he likes!

Great!

"Xiaolong, this meal is not cheap. Let us share some of the money with you..." Chen Xingbang suddenly spoke.

"No, what do you mean?" Li Long waved his hands hastily. "I've made a lot of money, so I should pay for the meal. It's fine as long as you don't think I make too much. I'll take care of lunch for you when you sell fish in the back. I'm not here, but Big Brother is here, so you can pay from the fish money. This will be the standard from now on."

"Hey, Xiaolong is generous!" Chen Xingbang blurted out, "If you eat like this every day, won't you become fat?"

"It's hard work, so let's eat something good." Li Long said with a smile, "It's worth spending this money on our own family."

Chen Xingbang was a little upset at first, but now it has all gone. He has actually figured it out. Li Long has the ability and the money to do this business. If it were him, when he knew there were fish in the sea, even if he could think of selling fish, he would at most borrow some money to stock up a few hundred kilograms.

Do you dare to stockpile ten tons at a time?

Moreover, the basic price is given directly when the fish are released, and the rest is decided by whoever sells it. At this time, it is up to everyone to show their magical powers.

Chen Xingbang is capable, so he should get more money. Li Junshan is dumb, so he should get less money.

If the distribution is not equal at this time, everyone will feel that this is the right way.

If you have the ability, you can eat meat happily. If you don’t have the ability, you can still drink the soup without complaining.

When they got back to the team, the sun was about to set, so Li Jianguo simply put the carriage in the stable. They were not idle either, they unloaded the horses and put them in the pen, propped up the carriage with benches, and started loading the fish into the carriage.

After carrying sixteen bags, Chen Xingbang carried two more bags and finally had to tie them up with a rope.

"Let's see if we can sell a few more bags tomorrow." Chen Xingbang said with a smile, "If we sell one more bag, we can make an extra ten yuan."

"Then load a few more bags." Li Long said with a smile, "It's already tied up with ropes, and no one will be sitting on it when we go, so it doesn't matter if we load more."

As soon as Li Long spoke, Li Junfeng immediately went to pick up the bag of fish.

The fish were sold out at noon today, so we could have sold them a little longer and sold a few more bags.

In the end, there were twenty bags of fish, piled up quite high.

After braking with the rope, everyone went into the house.

Uncle Luo had already cooked the soup, and after everyone drank it, they took a rest.

Li Jianguo returned home and simply washed up in the hallway, then Liang Yuemei brought him rice porridge.

"How are you today?"

Li Juan and Li Qiang who were in the room also looked at their father.

"I made thirty dollars." Li Jianguo took out the money and handed twenty dollars to Liang Yuemei, "You keep these twenty dollars. I'll keep these ten dollars for now."

"It's a lot." Liang Yuemei happily put the money away.

"Maybe there will be more tomorrow." Li Jianguo said, "Xiaolong said I will take care of the fish sales later. Then I will distribute the fish bags to them, and I can also sell them myself. I can make at least 40 or 50 yuan a day."

"Not bad!" Liang Yuemei nodded.

At this time, Li Jianguo's family no longer had any psychological burden about making money from Li Long. At the beginning, Li Jianguo was a little resistant, but now, he is no longer.

What's that little bit of resistance? Is money good?
Dad follows him to make money, and now his younger brother and brother-in-law are the same. He can also make money on his own.

It’s normal to live a good life!
On the third day, Yang Yongqiang joined the team of people making money. On that day, there were 22 bags of fish on the carriage. Yang Yongqiang sold two bags of fish that day.

After all, the market is so small, and if there is competition, that person will sell less.

On the fifth day, when Tao Daqiang wanted to join, it was time for the militia training to assemble.

Li Long joked to Tao Daqiang:

"Da Qiang, you are still newly married, so don't blame me for not calling you. If I call you, your wife will definitely blame me."

"She won't. She knows about you and me, and she told me a few days ago to find you earlier." Tao Daqiang said with a smile, "She said she would take care of the family affairs, and I just need to make money."

"Okay, I'll support you." Li Long said with a smile, "Then wait until the militia training is finished, then you can follow my eldest brother and the others to sell fish. Pay 28 yuan for a bag of fish, and the extra is yours. That bag of fish weighs 40 to 50 kilograms, so it's enough to make back the money. A few days ago, Yongqiang made more than ten yuan a day."

"I heard about it. He was the one who told me, so I thought of coming to find you." Tao Daqiang felt a little embarrassed.

Li Long didn't say anything, this was normal. As newlyweds, everyone has a time when they don't want to leave their family - by the way, shouldn't I get married too?

Although I am an old man in my mind, my body is still very young. It’s not that I don’t have wild thoughts sometimes, but I do it a lot.

But no matter how fast this happens, we will have to wait until after the New Year.

On the afternoon of the first day of training, Xu Chengjun came to see Li Long specifically.

"Xiaolong, this time the township asked each village to organize training, but after the training, there will be a militia competition. I think you are the one who shoots the most in the team, so you should participate. We have to win honor for the team, right?"

Li Long waved his hands hurriedly:

"Captain, when I hunt, I'm shooting animals, which is different from target shooting. Wolves and wild boars are so big. The targets are so small, it's different..."

"That's better than others." Xu Chengjun said with a smile: "You shoot more than others anyway. I heard that there are people who shoot hidden and visible targets. You can just shoot that. How about it?"

Since Xu Chengjun said so, Li Long had no choice but to agree.

Fortunately, Xu Chengjun also said that now that the focus is on economic development, militia training has been changed to half a month.

Very good. (End of this chapter)