Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Long asked Yang Yongqiang to think about it. After all, this was a big deal, and it was normal that he couldn't make a decision in a short time.

When Li Long left Yang Yongqiang's house and was about to ride his bicycle, Yang Yongqiang ran out of the house, caught up with Li Long and said:

"Brother Long, I want to do this. When my second uncle and his family go to Kuitun, I will go with them to take a look. If the situation there is good, I will stay there and work. If I can't adapt, I will come back."

Li Long nodded and said with a smile:
"That's a good idea. To be honest, I don't know what the specific situation is there. After all, none of us have been there."

Li Long added in his heart that he had never been there in this life.

Kuitun is now much more famous than it was 20 or 30 years ago. In the mid-to-late 1970s, the Yili Prefecture government moved to Kuitun and later moved back to YN City.

But in just a few years, Kuitun has become the center of northern Xinjiang. Some party and government agencies in Yili Prefecture are located in Kuitun, and even the former Northern Xinjiang Military Region is located in Wusu near Kuitun. This place is much more famous than the ancient city of Ma County.

Of course, 20 or 30 years later, although Kuitun is still one of the golden triangles of northern Xinjiang, the entire northern Xinjiang is famous throughout the country because of tourism. Foreign tourists first know about the Nalati Grassland in the Ili River Valley, Kanas Lake, Hemutuwa Village, Sayram Lake and Xiata Ancient Road, but know very little about Kuitun. After the HYH City of the Seventh Agricultural Division was separated from Kuitun, Kuitun's population and economic development were shrinking.

But this place was once the center of northern Xinjiang after all - Ili Prefecture once governed Ili, Tacheng and Altay, and managed most of northern Xinjiang. It was a sub-provincial unit. Even if the broken ship fell down, there were still three layers of nails. In the eyes of the rural people in Ma County, this place is a big city.

It feels more honorable to work here than to work in Shicheng.

This is also the reason why Yang Yongqiang hesitated.

Li Long remembered that in his previous life, he had heard someone make this analysis: since there is Eastern Xinjiang (Hami and Turpan), Northern Xinjiang (the area north of the Tianshan Mountains surrounding the Junggar Basin), and Southern Xinjiang (the area around the Tarim Basin before the Tianshan Mountains), why can't there be Western Xinjiang? Someone concluded that Western Xinjiang can exist, which is the Ili River Valley and the Outer Ili River Valley that once belonged to our country, because this large area was separated from other parts of Northern Xinjiang by the Northern Tianshan Mountains.

I have gone off topic, but in a word, Kuitun is now very famous and is very attractive to young farmers who want to eat commercial grain. Li Junshan and his friends may not know this, but Yang Yongqiang and his friends know it very well.

After all, Kuitun is closer to Manasbiwu City. Yang Yongqiang asked for the specific time, and Li Long said that it would be in the next two days, so he should pack up first. No matter whether he stayed there or not, he had to go there. Nowadays, more than 100 kilometers is considered a long journey. After all, it is not the era of cars in later generations.

Li Long rode his bicycle to his eldest brother's house.

Li Jianguo was away, so Li Qingxia and Du Chunfang were busy in the vegetable garden. This was Li Qingxia's idea - although Du Chunfang was a little unhappy, Li Qingxia gave her a good talk.

"You live in the eldest son's house and work for the youngest son. What will the eldest daughter-in-law think? She cooks for you every day, and even if you don't want to eat at the table, she still brings it to you. What else do you want? Qiangqiang's mother not only has to take care of his family, but also us and the second son's family... Now we can do what we can. Isn't this better than staying at home?"

"That's not better than back home..." Du Chunfang muttered as he picked up stones in the field, "I don't have to work back home..."

"So what did you eat in your hometown?" Li Qingxia curled her lips. "Didn't you have enough cornmeal porridge and dried sweet potatoes? Or did you not have enough braised pork here?"

Du Chunfang stopped talking. To be honest, she had eaten a lot of braised pork during this period. It was stewed until it was soft and fragrant. She really liked it.

Then let’s get to work. Actually, there’s nothing wrong with doing a little work. Aren’t you going to eat the vegetables you grow later?
It is not easy to have such a large vegetable plot in my hometown. The area of ​​this vegetable plot is equivalent to the food field of a family in my hometown.

This place is so big! You can burn as much firewood as you want! It’s so warm in winter! You can always eat meat! The sun is so comfortable…

There are so many benefits that Du Chunfang thinks it is better to stay here. After all, she is in her hometown and she doesn't go out to visit other people or gossip about other people. It is most comfortable to stay at home and not think about anything.

It's good now.

Li Long rode his bicycle into the yard. When he parked the bicycle, Li Qingxia had already seen him. Du Chunfang was hard of hearing and did not hear anything. However, when he saw his wife looking towards the yard, he turned his head and asked:
"What, the boss is back?"

"No." Li Qingxia said, "Xiaolong is coming."

Du Chunfang smiled. Although she didn't take good care of Li Long, favoritism exists in all parents, the only difference is the degree of favoritism, or whether they are aware of it or not.

"Are you here from the stable?" Li Qingxia stopped what he was doing, and when he saw Li Long approaching the entrance to the vegetable garden, he asked, "Looking for your elder brother? Your elder brother is out looking after the land."

"No, Dad, I'm looking for you. I need to tell you something. I found a job for my second brother and his friends at a construction company. They'll start as temporary workers. They have to leave in the next two days and are packing up now."

"Is it far?" Du Chunfang asked immediately when she heard that her second son and his friends were leaving.

"No matter how far away it is, can it be farther than my hometown?" Li Qingxia said, "At least it is within the scope of the Northern Frontier."

This is how he explained it to Du Chunfang, but he turned around and asked Li Long:
"Xiaolong, where is the work place? How far is it from here?"

Du Chunfang rolled her eyes. This damn old man is still talking about me! Isn't this what I am concerned about?

Li Long smiled and said:
"Not far, about 100 kilometers, or about 200 li. It's closer than from Wucheng to here, and you can go back and forth in a day."

"That's not bad." Li Qingxia nodded. "Although working in construction is a temporary job, it's better than staying at home."

"That's hard to say." Du Chunfang habitually retorted, "This team has so much land, you can make money just by farming - it just depends on how you farm."

Li Long did not participate in this topic. This was probably a habit or pleasure in his parents' daily life.

Liang Yuemei was selecting vegetable seeds in the house. When she heard the noise, she came out of the house and saw Li Long in the yard. She smiled and said:

"Xiaolong is here? Your elder brother went to check the land. How is your house going?"

"It's basically finished." Li Long said, "Now we just need to wait for the furniture to arrive and decorate the house."

"So should I get married to Xiaoxia?" Liang Yuemei said with a smile, "This is a big deal."

Li Long felt that things had all happened at the same time. Judging from the current situation, his second brother and Li Junshan would not be able to attend his wedding.

There is nothing we can do about it. After all, work is important and when things are squeezed together, we have to prioritize them.

Of course, the wedding with Gu Xiaoxia did need to be held. He vaguely remembered that Gu Xiaoxia had mentioned it before, and the street office seemed to have asked her about her relationship with the landlord.

It's better to get the certificate as soon as possible, then make it public and give out some wedding candies, and the matter will be settled.

I can have a comfortable home now.

Li Long was thinking about good things and rode his bicycle back to Laomahao.

The doors of the house where his second brother and sister-in-law lived, as well as the house where Chen Xingbang and others lived, were open. Li Long put away his bicycle and went over to check on Li Anguo first.

Chen Lirong had a bit of sadness on her face, but when she saw Li Long coming over, she still managed to smile. She also knew that this was a good thing. She had lived a good life during this period, but both the house she lived in and the food she ate were provided by Li Long. When Chen Lirong and Li Anguo got married, Li Long was already in Northern Xinjiang, and it was even the first time the two met. This made her feel a bit embarrassed, and she couldn't help but feel a bit like a dependent.

Even though neither Li Long nor Li Jianguo and his wife would have such an attitude, people's minds are sensitive.

Now that Li Anguo is about to get a job and can earn money, Chen Lirong has become more confident psychologically - according to Li Anguo, if things go well, he may become a formal worker in the future, and after he gets a house or gets a foothold there, he will bring them mother and daughter over.

This is a beautiful vision of hope. Although Chen Lirong is a little reluctant, she also wants her husband to go there as soon as possible so that he can become a formal worker as soon as possible.

The mood is quite complicated.

And all these good things were brought about by this brother-in-law. From this point of view, Chen Lirong is sincerely grateful to Li Long.

"Brother, how are you packing?" Li Long nodded at Chen Lirong and asked Li Anguo. "What's there to pack? Just bring some clothes and toiletries. The temperature there should be about the same as here, right?"

"Almost." In Li Long's impression, the climate environment of Kuitun and Ma County is similar. One or two degrees higher or lower makes no difference to people today.

"That's all." Li Anguo smiled, "I'll go over there. Your sister-in-law, Xue Ping and Xue Qin are here. Please take care of them."

"No problem." Li Long nodded and said to Chen Lirong, "Second sister-in-law, if you need anything, just tell me. We are family, so don't be polite."

He knew that his second sister-in-law was actually quite introverted, so he decided to regularly put some daily necessities there. Otherwise, Chen Lirong would be embarrassed to ask for them. It would be easy for the adults to say no, but the children would suffer.

He went to Li Junshan's place. Li Junshan had also packed his things. His luggage consisted of a bag with a bedding roll. Everything in the bag was packed, and he just had to roll up the bedding when he left.

Li Long returned to his room. He was now hesitating whether to let his second brother and the others go to the bus station to take a bus to Kuitun, or to drive the tractor there himself.

Driving a tractor may consume some fuel, but it is also good to go over and take a look at the environment over there. Before things get busy, you can also go over and see if there are any opportunities to make money.

Of course, you have to go through the license and certificate procedures before you leave. Regardless of whether you have completed it or not, at least you have to go through the procedures when you are checked at the checkpoint.

A walking tractor is an agricultural machine that needs to be registered with the county agricultural machinery bureau and the township agricultural machinery office, and a license and license plate must be obtained. At this time, the procedures for obtaining a driver's license and license plate are quite simple. Li Long has inquired about it, and now he only needs to actually operate it.

In the evening, Li Anguo's family, Chen Xingbang, Li Junshan and Li Long went to Li Jianguo's house. Although it was still a little cool outside at night, it was not too cold. There was no room for so many people in the house, so they just stayed outside.

Li Long told the story again, focusing on what he said to Li Jianguo.

"Then when do we leave?" Li Jianguo asked.

"I'm thinking of leaving the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll go to the county agricultural machinery bureau and the township agricultural machinery institute to complete the formalities," Li Long said, "Then I'll drive them over on a tractor and take a look at the situation over there. I'll be able to tell you about it when I get back."

"Okay." Li Jianguo thought for a moment and said, "If the team hadn't divided up the land, I would have also wanted to go and take a look."

"What are you going to do? Even you're that old, no construction company will hire you." Liang Yuemei joked.

"Let's go and see what Kuitun is like." Li Jianguo explained seriously, "Kuitun has an agricultural science institute. It is said that the fruit tree seedlings cultivated there are very good..."

"Then I'll take a look when I go there, and I can buy a few. The yard is ready now, so I can plant a few fruit trees and eat the fruits in the fall."

The children all laughed when they heard the news. Some people in the team have fruit trees at home, but they are basically simple and common fruit trees such as grapes, apples, and sand dates.

If they want to eat other fruits, they have to buy them. Li Juan and Qiangqiang have seen many fruits in textbooks. Before last year, they had only seen them in books. In the following year, Li Long bought a lot of fruits, but the supplies in northern Xinjiang were relatively scarce, and transportation was not very convenient, so the only fruits they could eat were oranges, pears, persimmons, etc., which were easy to preserve. Most of them were just heard or seen in pictures.

For example, red dates and apricots are available in southern Xinjiang, and there is even an apricot tree in the park in Shicheng. However, they cannot be grown in Ma County, and even if they are planted, they will not bear fruit.

Li Long was going to buy some jujube and peach trees. There were peach trees here, the kind with small hairy peaches that had not been grafted, and the fruits were very small, not very sweet, and ripened very late. Li Long was thinking about whether he could buy peach and flat peach seedlings. After all, these types of fruit trees were very common in this area in the future, and they tasted very good.

“By the way, I heard they have Kuitun Special Liquor for sale there. Bring back a few bottles to try.” Li Jianguo said again.

"Why don't you just go with them!" Liang Yuemei complained without waiting for Li Long to answer, "Won't it cost money?"

Li Jianguo chuckled.

"Then I'll bring back a box." Li Jianguo knew that the taste of Kuitun Special Liquor at this time was really good, and the shape of the bottle was also very good, with an arc at the bottom, which was different from the ordinary square bottles.

It was very popular for a while.

Everyone was talking at once and expressing their ideas. The remaining fire on the stove was still burning. Li Long took a few salted dried fish and roasted them by the fire. When he felt they were almost cooked, he handed them to others as snacks.

Li Juan, Li Qiang and Li Long were not unfamiliar with the fish. Although Li Xueping and Li Xueqin were still a little reserved, the contact they had during the past few days had made them realize that this uncle was rich and generous, so they waited obediently in the back. After getting the fish, they went over and snuggled up to their mothers and ate slowly and quietly.

When Li Long was eating, he looked at the scene and thought that everyone would miss this scene after several years. After all, when Li Anguo and his friends went to Kuitun and settled down, it would be almost impossible to have a happy reunion like this.

In other words, people may gather together at that time, but it will be impossible to have such a harmonious scene.

It was getting darker and darker. Li Jianguo installed a 50-watt light bulb in the yard. When he was about to turn on the light, Li Long and the others stood up and prepared to go back to rest. Today, because the Li family had something to discuss, they did not turn on the TV for the first time. Those neighbors who wanted to watch TV were persuaded to go back. Otherwise, the house would be full of people now.

After returning to Laomahao, Li Long washed up and went to bed. He had to drive the tractor to the county to handle the formalities the next day.

The next day, Li Junshan went to the county with Li Long. The team also had a meeting that day. Last night, Li Jianguo asked Li Long if he wanted to contract land before he left. Li Long said that the two families could just contract one piece of land, and Li Jianguo would decide what kind of land to contract.

At present, when mechanization has not yet been rolled out, more land is not a good thing, and more manpower and labor are needed. The main reason is that crops do not make money. At present, the only thing that can be tested is melon picking. If melon picking can make money, then we can plant more next year. Li Long believes that those who can contract land in the team now will only contract for two or three years at most, or even one year. After all, no one has extra labor now, and planting 30 to 50 acres of land is already the limit.

Farming will become easier only when mechanization becomes more popular - this makes Li Long feel more and more that he should find an agricultural machinery factory to cooperate with. Should he go to Kuitun to give it a try?
This is possible.

After receiving Li Long's application for a license, the staff of the Agricultural Machinery Bureau handed him a book:

"One dollar and fifty cents. Memorize everything in this book. There will be a unified test on April 10th. Bring the book with you then."

Bring the book? Li Long was a little confused.

"Open book test?" he asked subconsciously.

"Well, considering that many people have a low level of education, our theoretical exam is open-book and you are allowed to look through the book." The staff patiently explained, "Of course, you can't cheat in the practical exam, so you need to practice well."

OK, there is no need to cheat in this practical operation, my drilling rod level is still good enough. I believe that in this era, there are not many people who can be better than me in the tractor operation level, especially the reverse gear into the warehouse drilling rod and other tests.

The main thing is this centralized exam - well, it's normal when you think about it. After all, there are very few people who can afford a tractor these days, even if you put the whole county together.

After finishing the license issue with the Agricultural Machinery Bureau, you have to go to the township agricultural machinery station to sort out the license plate issue.

The application for this license plate is much simpler. After showing them the car purchase procedures, they registered and then just had to wait. As for when it would be ready, the staff said they didn't know.

Li Long was not in a hurry either. After all, as long as the formalities were being processed, when he went to Kuitun and was checked at the checkpoint, he could openly say that he was in the process of processing the formalities.

Of course, this is the actual situation, and I believe that the person who checked it will not have any objection.

The next question is, should I bring a gun when I go?

There are road robbers these days, but Li Long has not heard of them here. It's just that this year is a sensitive year. Li Long thought about it and finally decided to bring the small-caliber gun. This gun was obtained from Li Xiangqian. There are documents. Even if it is found, at least there will be no problem. It's hard to say where the other hunting rifles and the five or six semi-automatic rifles came from. There are no documents. If they are found and confiscated, then it's just bad luck.

Well, it’s such a happy decision.

PS:

Thanks to Fengyun FLYING for the reward, and thanks to Liu Ya of Fu De Niuyou, Da Xiao Youzi, Feng Wu Jiu Tian, ​​Wukong Ba Bu Jie, tanlan, Gu Gu_eE, 20231011193134377, 20170722044547580 for the reward~! (End of this chapter)