Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

"Xiao Li, there are 106 rabbits." After listening to the logistics staff count, Section Chief Hu asked Li Long, "You didn't count them at that time?"

"I counted them." Li Long said with a smile, "One hundred are for the agreement we signed, and six are for you to eat. It's almost the New Year, and we don't have much good food there, just these rabbits and fish. There are more than ten kilograms of fish, which is a little gift from us rural people."

"Xiao Li, you have a very high level of ideological awareness." Section Chief Hu patted Li Long on the shoulder and said, "But we are a state-owned factory after all. How can we take advantage of you personally?"

"No, no, no, you are not taking advantage of us. I have already pulled several truckloads of sugar residue from you. These sugar residues are of great help to the breeding industry in our village." Li Long said sincerely, "Chief Hu, I am telling the truth, I am not being polite..."

"Tell me the truth. I like to hear the truth. Okay, in that case, you can pull another truckload of sugar residue back from the factory later. Don't be in a hurry to leave at noon. The food in our sugar factory canteen is pretty good. Eat it and then go about your business. In the future, if you want to pull sugar residue, come to me. I can't guarantee anything else, but I will give you enough sugar residue!" Section Chief Hu promised seriously.

Li Long did not refuse. After weighing the rabbit and the fish, signing the bill and getting the money, he parked the car, put on his holster and followed Chief Hu to the cafeteria.

"Xiao Li, you are still carrying a gun. Did you get it from your village?" Section Chief Hu could tell at a glance that there was a rifle in the holster and asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I can't do anything about the militia's guns." Li Long smiled bitterly, "I've been to Shicheng a few times before, and I encountered two gangs of robbers on the way. If I hadn't brought guns, I might have been robbed. Later I got used to it."

"Alas, there have indeed been some chaos in the past two years." Section Chief Hu shook his head. "Our factory security department has also been very busy recently. From time to time, there are petty thieves climbing over the wall to steal things in the factory. It's really a bit chaotic."

Li Long knew about this situation, but didn't say anything. After all, his superiors would definitely take this matter seriously.

The lunch at the sugar factory was really good, with steamed buns, stir-fried vegetables, and cabbage vermicelli soup. Although there was no meat in the dishes, the portions were quite filling. Section Chief Hu asked someone to get a meal for Li Long, so that he could eat here in peace. He also got a meal for himself and ate opposite Li Long. Although he was the section chief, he was still the same as everyone else at this time.

While they were eating, other people came to get their meals. Section Chief Hu glanced at them and then shouted:
"Xiao Song, Xiao Li from Ma County is here. Take him to the waste material workshop and have him load the sugar residue onto a horse-drawn cart directly there. This will be more convenient."

"Okay." Xiao Song was the team leader Song Ming whom Li Long had met before. He greeted Li Long with a smile and then went to get his meal.

Section Chief Hu ordered less and ate faster. After eating, Section Chief Hu left first and Li Long waited for Song Ming.

"Comrade Li, I heard that you are here to bring benefits to our factory?"

"Haha, I'm not giving it to you, I'm selling it to you." Li Long corrected in a low voice, "Fish and rabbits, similar to the rabbits we had last time. We have a lot of wasteland where we are, and there are many rabbits on the red willow beach."

The abundance of rabbits continued until the 1990s. During those two years, outsiders drove to the beach on the east side and used battery-powered electric wires to electrocute the rabbits. It was said that they took away a truckload of rabbits when they left.

Although wildlife protection had been legislated in those days, not many people were in charge, and the rabbits were almost wiped out in those two years, just like when a flood in Xiaohai Lake broke the dam and injured the fish. It was not until more than ten years later that the scale of wild rabbits increased.

Of course, by the time this place was finally made into a protected wetland, rabbits and pheasants had already begun to proliferate.

The kind that can be hit with a slingshot!
"Hey, Comrade Li, that rabbit is really fat!" Song Ming finished his meal, washed his lunch box, and walked to the workshop with Li Long. He said, "I took it back and asked my mother to stew it. The meat is really delicious, but it has a bit of earthy smell. But how can it not have a bit of fishy smell?"

In this age of scarcity, it is impossible for ordinary people to use too many seasonings when cooking, which naturally cannot suppress the earthy smell of rabbit. Li Long smiled and said:

"If you want it to taste good, use more chili peppers and peppercorns, it will taste good."

"You want it to be flavorful, right? Sichuan peppercorns are hard to make, but chili peppers are easy!" Xiao Song was happy when he heard it. "It's a pity that the rabbit ate it, but since you guys sent it this time, I should be able to get one. I'll try it during the Chinese New Year!"

"You don't have to be so frugal. I may have to go to the old street to sell fish and rabbits in a few days. Just bring you two when I come. I often ask you to buy sugar residue, so I have to show my appreciation, right?"

"Haha, Xiao Li, to be honest, you are a really good friend! Okay, I'll wait for you in two days. My apprentice and I pull sugar residue every day, so you can always find it anyway."

"it is good."

The matter was settled. After Xiao Song finished his meal, he enthusiastically pulled Li Long to collect the sugar residue, and curiously asked Li Long why he was carrying a gun.

Li Long explained the situation, and Xiao Song also sighed, saying that this matter was indeed quite troublesome.

This time, the sugar residue was put directly into the sacks after it came out of the pot. It was still dripping with water, but it was used as animal feed, so it was okay if it froze on the road. Twelve sacks of sugar residue were loaded on the car. Li Long said goodbye to Xiao Song, and staggered out of the sugar factory and headed towards Ma County.

When passing the poplar forest, Li Long was alert, loaded his rifle, released the safety, and stood on the shaft of the cart. Standing high, he could see far. No. 76 was an old horse that knew the way and could keep going without being driven, but it just didn't go fast.

As he walked along, he did not find any ambush. Occasionally a truck passed by, stirring up a cloud of snow powder. The driver of the truck would look at Li Long with a surprised expression.

After passing the poplar forest, there was only a row of poplar trees on both sides of the road. Further ahead, there were fields to the north and Gobi Desert to the south. You could see several kilometers at a glance and no one could hide there. Further ahead was the checkpoint, and Li Long breathed a sigh of relief.

never mind.

After crossing the Ma River Bridge, Li Long turned towards the department store.

I paid the bill today, and with the money I saved before, my pocket is full. According to current figures, it is equivalent to the annual cash income of several families.

He went to the department store, holstered his gun and started shopping.

The carriage was tied to the railing of the carriage shed outside and could be seen through the glass, so Li Long was not worried.

He first went to the women's clothing section and bought a scarf for Gu Xiaoxia and her elder sister-in-law. After wrapping them up, he went to the men's clothing section and bought a pair of big-toed shoes for his elder brother.

The big toe shoes were imitation military products. At that time, they were labor protection products. They were very practical for rural people in this era. Li Long originally planned to buy cotton-leather shoes, but then he thought about it and gave up. Cotton-leather shoes were really good-looking but not practical at that time. If you wear them outside, you might be called "showy" by others.

Carrying these things, Li Long went to the wine counter and bought two bottles of Moutai.

"I won't refund this wine once it's sold." The guy at the counter reminded Li Long after seeing him take out the money and the wine ticket.

"Is there anyone who wants to retreat?" Li Long asked with some surprise.

"Return it. Many people here are not used to drinking Maotai-flavor liquor." The elder brother kindly reminded, "If you have never tasted it, it is best not to try it. Once you open it, you can't return it. Seven or eight yuan a bottle, it is not cheap!"

"Then give me four bottles." Li Long saw that there were still some on the counter, so he smiled and said, "Let me see my wine ticket... Oh, I can only buy four bottles."

If this wine is kept for thirty years, can its value appreciate thousands of times?
But it doesn't matter. He doesn't buy a few more bottles for the purpose of collecting and selling them. It would be nice to keep them for a few years and then take them out to look at them.

If you have the conditions, why not get a few bottles?
Seeing that Li Long was so determined, the eldest brother took out four bottles of wine - there were no paper boxes outside the wine at this time, but the eldest brothers at the counter all had unique skills. They found a rope to tie the four bottles of wine together, and tied a loose knot on it. They were held firmly and would not loosen or collide with each other at all.

"What a great craftsmanship!" Li Long paid the money, got the invoice, praised while holding the wine, and continued to move forward.

In the food area, Li Long bought sesame cakes, Jiang noodles, and weighed a kilogram of fruit candy. There were not many snacks to buy at that time, so he bought six packs of egg cakes. The ingredient list of egg cakes at that time was really clean, with only three or four ingredients. Unlike the egg cakes packaged in plastic boxes that Li Long saw in the supermarket in the future, the first three main ingredients were not eggs! And the ingredient green was actually densely packed in three rows!

Well, technology and hard work, why don’t you say anything.

I bought a small bottle of champagne - and the salesperson was immediately shocked. Usually, apart from people coming to the store to purchase goods or companies holding activities, few people buy one directly.

The salesperson directly helped Li Long move the carton of champagne onto the carriage!
I went to the stationery section and bought a relatively high-end Hero fountain pen for Li Juan, one with a paper box, unlike the bulk goods that come in boxes of ten, and a small Rubik's Cube. I bought a plastic toy revolver and a magnetic plastic pencil case for Li Qiang.

The rest is up to you.

Li Long thought about it and finally paid the bill.

Don't buy your own things here.

He turned around and was about to go out, and then he saw the girl. The girl who seemed to be interested in him before, used to have two big braids, but now her hair is tied up. Should she be married?
But he looked quite serious and didn't smile much.

Li Long didn't think too much about it. The thought only flashed through his mind, and then he went out with his things.

He also wants to buy things for himself.

He put these things on the carriage, untied the reins, and pulled the carriage to Xinhua Bookstore.

Li Long plans to buy a few books to read.

There weren't many novels he was familiar with that were available for purchase at that time. Even the famous Jin Yong's Complete Works had not been published in mainland China. Fortunately, there was Wulin Magazine, which published The Legend of the Condor Heroes from 1981 to 1982. But the thick magazine from Xinhua Bookstore didn't have the complete works. They probably ordered some, sold some of them, and kept some.

Li Long flipped through the books for a long time, found more than a dozen magazines, and bought a few books on traditional Chinese medicine from XJ. He paid the bill, and then, feeling a little unsatisfied, he drove the carriage back to the supplementary food company.

The main items here are food, and many things no longer require tickets. However, the more popular items shipped from the mainland still require tickets to purchase.

For example, kelp, hairtail and so on.

Li Long bought three of each kind and picked and chose, almost using up all the non-staple food coupons he had.

After buying all these things, Li Long was still not satisfied, so he bought some eggs, and then he didn't plan to buy more. He could go to the market to buy more, but he didn't want to go because most of the things in the market were already at home, or he could find them in the team.

Li Long's big purchase today came to an end, and he pulled the carriage back to the yard.

Gu Xiaoxia hadn't finished get off work yet, so Li Long unloaded No. 76 and put a stool on the carriage. Li Long pulled No. 76 to the back, wiped the sweat off his face, put in the hay, and went to the kitchen after finishing.

I washed the hairtail, kelp and other things, soaked the black fungus and chili peppers, took out the frozen meat and thawed it, and also thawed a fish.

He plans to cook a big dinner in the evening.

The fire in the kitchen had gone out, and while Li Long was doing his preparatory work, he began to build a new fire, boil water, and do his preparatory work.

While preparing, I recalled the dishes I had made before. Braised hairtail, kelp salad, scrambled eggs with black fungus, and two more meat dishes. There was also wine in the big house, and I bought a small bottle of champagne, so I could drink some tonight.

When Gu Xiaoxia entered the yard, she smelled a rich fragrance.

For lunch, Gu Xiaoxia had mixed noodles at Sister Yang's place - Sister Yang is very capable and eager to learn. She has now learned how to make pulled noodles. Although they are a bit thick, the dish is fried well, so Gu Xiaoxia ate more at noon and planned not to eat in the afternoon.

When she saw that the door was not locked at the gate of the courtyard, she was delighted for a moment. Li Long was back!
I happily opened the door and pushed my bicycle into the yard. When I smelled the food, I knew that I would have a satisfying meal again today!

"Change your clothes and take a shower first, I'll be ready soon!" Li Long shouted in the kitchen, followed by the sound of cooking.

"Okay." Gu Xiaoxia parked the car, locked it, carried her bag into the house, and started changing clothes.

After changing her clothes and taking a quick shower, Gu Xiaoxia went into the kitchen. Seeing Li Long cooking, she leaned against the door and watched with a smile.

"There is another dish. We can eat it after it is cooked." Li Long said as he cooked, "Am I right in calculating the time?"

"Why is there such a rich feast today?" Gu Xiaoxia looked at the five plates on the table and asked in confusion, "It's not a New Year or a festival."

"I'm making money now." Li Long paused with the spatula in his hand, then said with a smile while frying, "I made a few hundred dollars delivering things to the Shicheng Sugar Factory these few times, and my big brother, big brother, and Yongqiang also made some money. This is almost the end of the year. A big thing has been solved, shouldn't we celebrate?"

Although Li Long gave the reason, Gu Xiaoxia always felt that it was a bit far-fetched.

"Of course, the most important reason," Li Long scooped out a piece of meat with a spatula to taste the saltiness. It felt good, so he took a plate to serve the dish, and said as he served:
"This time last year, I was fired from the factory, and I felt that I couldn't continue like this, so I started by pulling wood from the mountains, and have worked my way up to where I am today."

Li Long put the dishes on the table and looked at Gu Xiaoxia with a bright smile: "It's been a year."

"Yes, it's been a year." Gu Xiaoxia repeated with emotion. She felt that this was the main reason.

Because Li Long has given people a completely different feeling since this time last year. Before, he seemed like a child who had not grown up, vain, proud, a little boastful, and a little inferior.

What's next? Solid, confident, capable, brave, creative, and capable of execution.

These were not available before.

The two of them took the bowls and chopsticks, and Li Long finally made some porridge - originally he was going to make a salty soup, but according to current eating habits, it is not considered a meal if there is no staple food or grain. So he just made some porridge and made some pancakes.

"Eat it," Li Long called out, "Come and have a taste."

Gu Xiaoxia smiled and said:
"It's definitely better than what I cook. To be honest, this fish -" she pointed at the hairtail and said, "I don't know how to cook it at all."

Not to mention cooking it, even eating it is rare. After all, this thing is sea fish. In the current era of material shortage and inconvenient transportation, sea fish is still a very expensive thing, even shrimp skin is considered expensive.

Of course, kelp is slightly more common. After all, it is equivalent to seaweed and is very easy to catch.

Gu Xiaoxia would praise it every time she took a bite, which made Li Long a little embarrassed. He smiled and said:
"If you like to eat, eat more. In winter, you need to store more fat to keep warm and get through the winter."

Gu Xiaoxia smiled a little embarrassedly. But to be honest, the dishes Li Long made were really delicious. She didn't finish the half pancake in her hand until she was full, and basically ate the vegetables.

"The rest is enough for me to eat for several meals." Gu Xiaoxia burped a little and changed the subject a little embarrassedly:

"Each one looks good. Anyway, it's cold outside now, so we can save it and not waste it."

"If it's not wasteful, what's there to waste?" Li Long smiled. "This is nothing. Before the New Year, I think we should slaughter another wild boar and make a pig-killing meal. Then I'll ask my sister-in-law to stew more pickled cabbage and meat. After it's soaked, cut it into pieces and bring it to me. You can heat it up and eat it in a few days. It's so delicious."

Li Long is really experienced. In later times, even in the village, there are not many people who feed pigs with grain. Li Long raises one every year just to have a pig-killing dinner at the end of the year. The pickled cabbage is pickled by himself, and although it is not as delicious as the one pickled by his sister-in-law, it is not much different. The main thing is that the pig is slaughtered on the spot, and the sour cabbage and big meat stewed with the meat from the neck on the day of the slaughter are delicious.

He would stew more every year, and after the people who helped came to eat them, he would cut the remaining parts in the pot into pieces after soaking, put them in food bags and freeze them outside. He would thaw them every few days and eat them hot, especially when eaten with hot steamed buns dipped in the oil. It was so delicious.

Many people in the village also started to feed their pigs half feed and half grain, so the taste of the pork was not as good as that of pigs fed directly with grain. Although many people wanted to buy meat from Li Long, Li Long just refused to sell it.

He hopes to avoid those disasters in this lifetime, and then leave this matter to his eldest brother!

Hey!

"What are you thinking about that makes you so happy?" Gu Xiaoxia looked at Li Long's changing expression and a smile on his face, and asked curiously.

"I was thinking, since my eldest brother is a professional pig farmer, I'll just keep raising pigs. I'll kill pigs every year and eat the pig dishes. I'll just go to his house and eat the pig dishes..."

"What do you mean his house? Isn't it your house too?" Gu Xiaoxia asked.

"The problem is, we're going to build a new house in the early spring, and soon we'll be a family." After Li Long said this, he suddenly remembered that he had originally planned to drink today!

What a pig brain I have! (End of this chapter)