Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

In the evening, Li Long came to his elder brother Li Jianguo's room again.

They had already had dinner. When Li Juan and Li Qiang saw Li Long coming, those who were doing their homework stood up and ran over, pulling his clothes and hand and asking him all kinds of questions.

After Li Long dealt with the two children, he asked them to do their homework. Liang Yuemei was cleaning up the dishes and came out of the kitchen and asked:

"Xiaolong, have you eaten? If not, I'll get you something to eat."

"Sister-in-law, I've eaten. I came here to discuss something with you."

Li Jianguo came into the house after feeding the pigs. When he heard what Li Long said, he put down the bucket and asked:
"What's the matter? Just tell me."

"I plan to settle my affairs with Xiaoxia next week," Li Long said. "I feel like I can't put it off any longer."

"This... isn't it a little too tight? Can't we postpone it for another week?" Liang Yuemei felt that time was indeed a little tight after hearing this.

"Look, sister-in-law, it's early April now, the ground temperature has risen, I will do it next week, there are still about ten days to prepare, it's still in time. We have to sow in full in mid-April. Corn, sunflower, rapeseed and the like are easier to plant, they can be planted with a large tractor, but we have to plant melons, it will take at least two days to plant ten acres of land manually, and after that I have to go to the mountains, my brother-in-law said he was going to sell meat in the old street, I have to go to the mountains to help him contact some cattle and sheep.

My friends in the mountains may have to move in late April, so I have to go and deliver some food to them. These things are happening one after another. If the wedding is postponed to the week after next, everyone in our team will be busy, and they may not have time to come.”

If a man coaxes the land for one day, the land will coax him for a year. Sowing a day earlier or later may not seem to have much impact, but those who have planted the land know that at the critical moment, even half a day earlier can make a big difference when the seedlings grow in summer or when the harvest is harvested in autumn.

When Li Long went to tell his second sister-in-law and Yang Hua about Li Anguo's situation in Kuitun, he was thinking about this matter on the way. If he didn't stay in Kuitun for a few more days, he might have extra time. Now it seems that time is very tight and there is no extra time at all. Unless the wedding is postponed to after sowing and moving.

But for a wedding in summer, some of the things you buy are difficult to store. Now the weather is still cool in the mornings and evenings, so the ingredients you buy can still be kept. And it’s not cold at noon when the sun rises, so the time is just right.

As long as it does not affect the planting of crops, the villagers will be happy with the work.

"Yes, that's the truth." Li Jianguo nodded after listening to Li Long and said, "The time is just right. In this case, I have to write the post in the next two days."

"I will drive a tractor to the county tomorrow to bring back the furniture and buy the invitations. Brother, you write them tomorrow and I will send them out tomorrow."

"Well, you don't have to worry about posting it. Just find some people in the team to post it. Just think about what to prepare."

"I need to discuss this with my sister-in-law. I plan to drive the tractor to the county again this weekend to buy the necessary things. I will bring the post back tomorrow and then discuss it with you. Write down the things you want to buy and try to buy everything in one trip."

"You can go there tomorrow and talk to Xiaoxia about this. Oh, and talk to Lao Gu later. He should be almost ready, but this matter still needs to be... Never mind, I'll ride my bike over there and talk to him now."

Li Jianguo felt like a parent again. Actually, this matter should have been handled by Li Qingxia. But Li Qingxia never cared about big things and let Li Jianguo take care of it, so Li Jianguo took the responsibility himself.

"Hey, brother, then I'll leave this matter to you." Li Long smiled and began to discuss what to buy with his sister-in-law Liang Yuemei.

"We need to buy a washbasin, a washbasin stand, two thermoses, pillows, pillowcases, sheets and quilt covers - we need to find time to sew the quilt. Your second sister-in-law and I will also call Tietou's mother..." Liang Yuemei had already started to plan. Not only Li Jianguo would be busy with this, but she would also have to be busy.

The mother-in-law cannot be relied on, and Liang Yuemei feels good that Du Chunfang can help with the work in the vegetable garden. After all, Li Jianguo said that Du Chunfang basically did not work when she was in her hometown, just cooking. The food here is different, and it cannot be relied on. But the mother-in-law does not make trouble, which makes Liang Yuemei very happy.

The eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. Liang Yuemei has taken care of Li Long for so many years that she has become accustomed to treating Li Long like a child. Now that Li Long is getting married, she naturally has to take on the responsibility of buying things for him.

"...Do you want to buy a sewing machine? If not, move this one over. You bought it anyway."

"No, no, Xiaoxia and I are not good at using sewing machines. Let's put this one here." Li Long said hurriedly, "The furniture over there has been arranged. What we need to buy are these small things."

"Okay, let's do the math first. Write down everything you just said. There are mirrors, combs, cleaning oils, and things to use in the house... and pots, pans, and utensils in the kitchen. You have to buy all of these. You don't need to prepare rice or flour, just move some from here. No matter how much, you have to prepare something, at least to make others think you're living a normal life. Spatulas, strainers, water jars, buckets, salt, vinegar, soy sauce and other condiments... You also need to buy cigarettes, sugar, melon seeds, peanuts..."

Although Liang Yuemei prefers working in the fields to cleaning the house, when it comes to the things to prepare for these rooms, she had no idea at first, but gradually she got it right, talking about one room at a time. This gave Li Long an idea, and he bought things according to the room.

"...For the wine for the wedding, go to the winery and buy some loose wine. Get a few jugs. You are considered rich in the team, and those who like to drink will be watching you..."

"No need to distribute the liquor, just put two bottles of Baiyang Special Liquor on each table." Li Long said, "and two bottles of red wine. If you like to drink white wine, drink white wine, if you like to drink wine, drink wine. Since others are watching, just let them drink openly."

Since you are getting married, you should make it grand. If you can put a bottle of wine on the wedding table, it is already very high-end and will be remembered for many years.

"Okay." Liang Yuemei didn't object. After thinking about it, since she had money, since others knew about it, and since it was a lifelong thing, she might as well be a little extravagant.

When they were discussing, Li Qingxia and Du Chunfang mainly listened, occasionally interjecting, but getting married in their hometown was different from here, so they mainly listened.

They had been discussing waiting until Li Jianguo came back, and Li Long felt that it was about time.

"Old Gu was a little angry when he heard that, but I think he was just pretending. He was actually very happy. Xiaoxia is now a government official in the county, which is something he never dared to think about in his entire life. Next, he thought about your marriage. Now that it's finally settled, he should be relieved."

"Does Uncle Gu have any requests?" Li Long asked.

"Nothing. The officiating party will be Junwazi, and Junwazi has already told him and me that there is no problem. Lao Gu meant that everything should be done according to what you young people say. But you must prepare to buy things these days. He saved some money and asked me to bring it over, but I refused. He meant that when you go shopping, you should prepare the ingredients he wants to prepare. It's not easy for him to run over there."

"Okay." Li Long nodded. "In that case, we have to build a stove in the yard in the next two days."

"Then don't worry about it. Just go do your job and leave the things in the yard to me. I'll take care of the chef, the food, the tables, chairs, plates and so on."

Li Jianguo now seemed quite high-spirited, Liang Yuemei laughed at him:

"Look how happy you are!"

"I'm happy!" Li Jianguo thought it was natural. "I've been a housekeeper for others for the past few years, but this is the first time I've prepared for my own family! I have to do everything smoothly, right?"

Come to think of it, Li Jianguo has been the manager of many weddings for others in the team, and the experience he has accumulated is just right for use in this matter. Li Long thinks it's quite beautiful.

The family discussed things until late at night before Li Long went back to the stable. He woke up early the next day. With something on his mind, he drove the tractor to move furniture after breakfast.

Tao Daqiang was still sitting on the tractor's handlebars. He had heard last night that Li Long had returned, so he came over this morning to ask about Yang Yongqiang's situation. He happened to see Li Long going out to buy furniture, so he let him get on the tractor.

"Brother Long, from what you said, can Yongqiang stay there?" Tao Daqiang asked.

"It's highly likely." Li Long said, "They are short of people and Yongqiang is a strong person. If he wants to stay, he should learn more, watch more and do more, and he should be able to stay."

Tao Daqiang had a complicated expression after hearing this. "Why, do you regret it? Do you want to go? If you want to go, I'll take you there after I finish my business here."

"No, no, no, I don't regret it." Tao Daqiang shook his head vigorously, "It's different. I just feel that Yongqiang may become a worker all of a sudden. It feels like his identity is different."

"Nothing." Li Long could roughly guess some of Tao Daqiang's thoughts. "In fact, there are different ways of living everywhere. He went to the city and became a worker, earning a stable salary every month. Later, he might find a wife there, and then divide the house and have children. In the future, the children will also be city dwellers."

“I’m still from the countryside.”

"That's not necessarily true." Li Long said as he drove the tractor. "With the speed at which we make money, we can buy a yard in the county or Shicheng in two years. If you want to be a city dweller, then do it. There will be quotas for rural-to-urban migration later, and you can also buy a city hukou for your wife and children, so that they can go to school in the city."

In fact, it was not very obvious in this century. After all, in Li Long's memory, Li Qiang and his friends went to school in the countryside and were admitted to key universities. At that time, the gap in educational resources between rural and urban areas was not that big. It was not until ten years into the next century that the gap became increasingly larger.

At that time, the biggest reason why wealthy people in rural areas bought houses in the city was to buy a school district house for their children so that they could enjoy better educational resources.

After all, at that time, the siphon effect of big cities on education, medical and other resources was very strong. He remembered that when he traveled to Yili, there were several remote counties where no one was admitted to a top university for several consecutive years!
All the good teachers and students were attracted to YN City, the central city of the state, so naturally their college entrance examination results would not be very good.

Even if Tao Daqiang's child is born now, he will take the college entrance examination at the beginning of the next century, and it will not be very obvious at that time. Of course, after ten years, when the household registration boundary is not very obvious, he can spend a few thousand yuan to buy a non-agricultural transfer, and then go to school in the county or city. This is a feasible way.

It’s too far to think about now.

Tao Daqiang listened to what Li Long said, nodded and said:
"That's right. If I work with you on our team, I can make at least a thousand yuan a year, which is equivalent to his salary for several years. If you have money, it will be convenient to do anything."

Li Long sighed that the fickleness of human nature made Tao Daqiang realize the importance of money so early on.

The tractor arrived at the village carpenter's shop. Li Long had ordered a lot of furniture, and it was too much to carry in one trip. Fortunately, the workers in the carpenter's shop were experienced. They piled them up, and almost half of the tractor was loaded. Then they tied them up with ropes and separated them with sacks.

Li Long went to the township store and found Lao Zhang to buy a hundred invitations.

"Who is getting married?" Lao Zhang asked while counting.

"Me." Li Long said with a smile, "I'm not too old anymore, it's time to get married."

"Is your partner a teacher at that school?" Old Zhang still had some impression of Li Long.

"Well, he's going to the Education Bureau now." Li Long knew that this Lao Zhang would most likely receive an invitation, so he did not hide it and said, "He was transferred there before the New Year." The eldest brother has a wide network of contacts. He has contacts in the county, towns, and villages, and in the Corps. If you go further, there are also contacts in the Corps under Shicheng. It's not just the relative who went to the field. Li Jianguo once worked in the Corps for a period of time and has comrades there.

Yes, although the Corps was collectively demobilized at that time, colleagues at that time were still called comrades-in-arms.

"Well... not bad, not bad." Lao Zhang's expression was a bit complicated.

Li Long came out of the store and went to the carpenter's room to check the installed furniture, then drove the tractor back with Tao Daqiang.

On the way back, Li Long also told Tao Daqiang about his next plan.

"After we get married, we'll start farming. Once we've planted the seeds in the land and irrigated it, there won't be any problems. I plan to go to the mountains to deliver some food first, and then I'll stay there for a while." Li Long said:
"You know there are Fritillaria in the mountains. I'll find a ditch with more Fritillaria. If you have nothing to do, prepare to dig Fritillaria there. If you're quick, you can get a few kilograms of fresh Fritillaria a day.

If we calculate that we can get one kilogram of dried fringe shells from seven or eight kilograms, one kilogram of fresh fringe shells is worth four yuan, so we can earn about ten yuan a day. Of course, if we pick up deer antlers, we can earn dozens of yuan. Of course, we can stay at home and catch fish with a net. However, there are more people catching fish in the team, so we definitely can’t sell as much as before, but we can only make twenty or thirty yuan a day. I think, since your wife is pregnant, why don’t you stay in the team…”

"Brother Long, are you not going to take the lead?"

"Yes, if you want to go, I will definitely take you with me," Li Long smiled. "A sling may be more expensive this year. It may be ten yuan, but it will still be seven or eight yuan. If you can weave three in a day, you will make more money than fishing."

Last year, everyone was just testing the waters, but this year, a large number of people will definitely flock to the stall business. Just like Chen Xingbang, if he hadn't chosen to sell meat, Li Long wouldn't have necessarily recommended him to go.

Fish is a natural resource.

There are many reservoirs and ditches around Ma County, so if you want to catch fish, you can definitely catch them. So there will definitely be many people selling fish in the county, and the competition will be very fierce. If you want to make money, you have to go to Shicheng. But not many ordinary people have bicycles, and it is definitely not worth walking to Shicheng. People may not be willing to take the bus, and the bus starts late. In summer, fish will die and stink if you don’t take good care of them. So if you want to make a little money selling fish, you can, but if you want to make a lot of money, you have to have certain conditions.

Li Long has the conditions, but he doesn't plan to do this in the short term. Isn't it nice to collect Fritillaria in the mountains?

That's the real money making one.

Tao Daqiang finally decided to catch fish at home first. Li Long believed that his father Li Qingxia would be happy to team up with the big guy. When the time came to form a group, Tao Daqiang would be called. He believed that Li Xiangqian would definitely leave him some work in this area.

When the tractor returned to the team and drove to the new yard, Li Qingxia, Chen Xingbang and others were working in the vegetable garden.

Seeing the tractor arrive, both men and women got on and unloaded the things together. Even Du Chunfang smiled and carried a stool down. As she carried the stool, she said:
"This stool is very heavy. It must be made of good wood!"

"Elm." Li Long replied. The wood he brought back from the mountains was mostly pine, used to make beds, cabinets, etc. There wasn't enough wood, so he bought some elm directly from the carpenter's shop. There wasn't much good wood here either.

"Look at this beautiful color." Du Chunfang smiled happily.

The wooden bed needed to be moved into the house at an angle, which was a semi-skilled job. After a few big men studied it for a while, they stood the bed up and moved it in at an angle. Although it was strenuous work, it was very lively and the noise also attracted Lu Yingming's family to come over and join in.

Li Jianguo just happened to tell Li Long about his marriage.

Then Li Long was greeted with a wave of congratulations and teasing questions. He was not shy and responded openly one by one.

The tractor was about to make its second trip, and during the break, Li Jianguo started to arrange things. These things were easy for him to do, and everyone else was willing to do them.

As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor, and a close neighbor is not as good as the one next door. Over the past year or so, the Li family has become rich, but no matter whether it is slaughtering the New Year pig, getting good things from the mountains, or catching fish from the small lake, they have never forgotten these neighbors. Usually, the Li family does not need anything, after all, they live better than themselves, but when they need help, it means it is time to repay. Naturally, each family spares no effort, makes plans, and works hard. No one backs down.

At this time, the feelings between people are really plain and simple.

When Li Long pulled back the second truckload of furniture, there were more people in the yard, including some children who had not yet gone to school, and some teenagers who had already started moving bricks to build a stove.

Li Long didn't even need to do anything. The furniture was quickly moved down by the people in the yard, and then carried into the house amidst shouts of "be careful".

Looking at the gradually filled house, Li Long felt like a home was slowly being built. It was good, really good. (End of this chapter)