Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

There are fish in the small lake, and there are also fish in the big lake.

More than a year ago, the water in the sea was drained and almost all the big fish were caught, and everyone who participated had a great harvest.

But in fact, people only caught a small half of the fish, and more fish went to the three reservoirs downstream with the huge water flow.

When the water was released in the summer, these fish swam up along the current and came to the sea.

Li Long originally thought that if there were not enough fish in the small lake, he would go to the big lake to cast his net.

Yes, put the net under the ice.

First, make a hole in the ice and put the sticky net in. Then, make another hole in the ice a few meters apart and pass the net through it, and continue until all the nets are put out.

The ice hole is not easy to smash, but since I have accepted the task, I have to find a way to complete it.

Although breaking holes in the ice is tiring, the harvest from setting nets under the ice is also huge. A net set out for one night can catch more than 60 to 70 kilograms of fish.

If you just enlarge the mesh, the kind that's four or five fingers wide, then you can complete the task quickly.

Of course this also requires technology.

The later-generation net-releasing devices that can pull the net underwater are of course advanced, but unfortunately they are not available now.

So they had to use primitive means to set up nets in the ice holes.

Li Long originally planned that if there were not enough fish in the small lake, he would dig another hole in the large lake and then set out a net to catch the big fish, but it seems that this is no longer necessary.

His hands felt heavy, and he lifted up the scoop net as he stepped onto the ice. In the bottom of the net, there were seven or eight crucian carps of different sizes, as well as a very beautiful big carp with a red head and tail.

"Hey, this fish is beautiful!" Li Qingxia praised loudly, "Is it probably three or four kilograms?"

After spending a long time in northern Xinjiang, the old man has started to measure weight in kilograms.

There is no other way. If you go to sell fish and you ask for the pound, the old soldiers in Shicheng will not be happy.

The big carp was struggling in the net, its tail slapping the water with a splashing sound. Li Long scooped the fish out with force.

That is, it was winter, because it couldn't keep up with the water temperature and its physical strength. If it were summer, with such a big fish in the scoop net, I'm afraid it would be broken by just one fish's tail!

After throwing the big carp onto the shore, Li Long turned the scoop net upside down and threw out the small crucian carp inside. Then he went to the ice hole and began to explore the net.

Tao Daqiang heard the noise and came over. He looked at the big carp still thrashing on the ice and exclaimed:

"Hey, Brother Long is really good, and he's really energetic. I haven't caught a carp this big in several days!"

Li Long smiled and said:
"What a lucky guy! I encountered one. It seems there are quite a few big fish in this small lake."

"Well, these two days are better than the previous two days, and there are more big fish." Tao Daqiang chatted for a few words and went over to catch fish again.

Most people stay at home during the winter.

In fact, when Li Long spread the news, he certainly would not just take the fish from these few families. As long as someone broke a hole in the ice on the small lake to catch fish, as long as they sent him the right fish, he would definitely take it.

But no matter what, many farmers have a fundamental problem: even though they have food and drink, they are too lazy to go out in the winter.

Even if you know that you can break ice holes and catch fish in a day, you don't have to go to the streets to sell them. You can just send them to Li Long and you can get five or ten dollars.

More than the workers earn.

But I'm just too lazy to do it.

This is also why, thirty or forty years later, many people asked online why there were so few people going out to work in the snowy areas of northern Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia?

There is little land in the inland rural areas, and the young and strong have all gone out to work. In the northern Xinjiang area, except for a period of time in the 2000s when a group of people went out to work, there are relatively few young people in the village.

But most of them came back later.

Of course, this does not apply to those who have graduated from university.

Most of those who came back did so because they had their own land, dozens of acres. After switching to drip irrigation, they could make at least tens of thousands a year. In a good year, making hundreds of thousands would not be a problem.

If you are bold enough, you can contract more land when the land price is low, and it is normal to make hundreds of thousands directly.

What about working? The salary of two to three thousand yuan is not enough to cover the rent, utilities and food expenses. After working for two years, I found that it was not right and simply quit.

So, to put it nicely, it means being content with what you have, but to put it bluntly, it means not being enterprising.

For example, now Tao Daqiang and Liang Dacheng can earn a few dollars or tens of dollars a day by breaking holes in the ice to catch fish. If they are lucky, they can earn more than twenty dollars.

There are definitely people in the village stores who say sour things, saying it would be better to make reeds in the autumn and weave bamboo baskets in the summer.

The problem is that he only does that kind of work a few times a year.

Now it is considered a great achievement to earn a few dollars a day. The average worker only earns one or two dollars a day.

Laziness, making excuses for myself. I have food to eat, I can eat enough, plus Li Long's work makes them earn some money, life is not so stressful, so I feel good, I don't want to move in winter.

After all, it's cold outside.

The last time we went hunting, Tao Daqiang spoke from the heart.

If you want to live a good life without having to work hard, you can only pray to God for good luck and good opportunities.

It's like winning the lottery.

Li Long cast a few more nets and caught a black carp weighing more than one kilogram, two silver carps, and the rest were small fish.

It is obvious that there are not as many fish as last year or the year before.

This is normal. If you fish all year round, no matter how fast the fish grow, they can't keep up with the speed of catching them.

He stood up and replaced the eldest brother Li Jianguo. Li Jianguo did not replace Tao Daqiang, mainly because Tao Daqiang wanted to make money. The three Li family members were here to make money, so they could do whatever they wanted, even without money.

Tao Daqiang wants to make money. As for rest, he will rest when he is tired.

Even if we are our own family, we cannot be the same as our family members.

Tao Daqiang also understood this, so he divided the fish he caught into two piles: one pile was to be given to Li Long, and the other was to be taken home and eaten slowly.

Fish stew is good for both women who have given birth and children, and is extremely nutritious. At least that's what people think in this era.

There is no shortage of meat at home, but it would be better to have some fresh fish in the winter.

Tao Daqiang didn't want to be away from his daughter, so it was just right for him to catch fish in the small lake.

His plan was to catch at least 200 kilograms of big fish within this month and earn 200 yuan.

When Li Long asked his elder brother Li Jianguo to go fishing, Li Qingxia had already brought a pile of hairy reeds, so Li Long took out a lighter and lit it.

When the hairy reeds burned, they quickly melted the snow underneath, revealing the crystal clear ice surface.

The ice didn't melt much. Heat was conducted quickly on the ice surface, and when the fire of the reeds burned to a pile of hot ash, the ice surface melted a little.

The sun did not rise. At noon it was only two poles high in the south, far from rising directly overhead in the summer.

The three members of the Li family began to clean up the fish and prepare to go back for dinner. Li Long called Tao Daqiang, and Tao Daqiang also started to clean up.

Looking at the two bags, Li Long roughly estimated that the small fish he had weighed about 7 or 8 kilograms, and the big fish weighed about 12 or 13 kilograms.

The big carp had to be dug out. Li Long meant that it was too big to sell, so it would be better for his family to eat it.

The best time to eat it is during the Chinese New Year reunion dinner, which is auspicious and festive.

Li Qingxia agreed directly. Li Jianguo didn't care. He didn't care much about it. Since he and others built this village, he didn't believe in those things much.

Happiness is created by your own hands.

Tao Daqiang cleaned up the fish and found that the number of fish was almost half of that of the Li family. How could he sell the big fish for six or seven yuan in the morning?

That’s ok too.

Seeing that the Li family and Tao Daqiang had left, people from other places also began to pack up their things.

"Xiaolong, should we send the fish to your home now?" someone shouted.

"Okay, send it over now. I'll weigh it and you can get the money now." Li Long said with a smile.

"Okay, we'll pack it up right away and send the fish to you right away!"

Li Long and Li Jianguo were carrying bags on their backs, and Li Qingxia was holding a scoop net behind them, looking like generals who had won a battle.

When the three of them arrived at the settlement, Li Long first went to open the spare room in his own house.

There was no room at my eldest brother's place. The snow in my yard had been cleared, and the spare room was cool, just the right place to put these fish.

The plastic sheet was ready, as was the scale. He took the plastic sheet outside, dumped the big fish on the plastic sheet, spread it out, and then waited for others to come.

The first person to come over was Tao Daqiang, and Li Long weighed him.

Tao Daqiang was a little embarrassed and said that he just wanted to weigh it casually and didn't care about the decimals. Li Long rounded off the decimals for him, six kilograms and six cents, and gave him seven yuan.

"Go back quickly. We can use the small fish to make soup at noon so that we can be full." Li Long said with a smile.

Things are different now. Tao Jianshe no longer favors his eldest son. Tao Daqiang has also married, so it is not easy to keep him for lunch.

Next was Liang Dacheng, who had a good harvest. After weighing the goods, Li Long gave him ten yuan.

There are three more shops behind. The one with the most has seven or eight kilograms, and the one with the least has a little more than three kilograms.

Li Long weighed them one by one and paid on the spot.

After the people left, Li Long discovered that the big fish he had caught at the beginning was also frozen.

He wrapped it in plastic and took it back to the spare room.

There is a stove in the master bedroom, and the charcoal fire inside is red. This fire is the best fire for barbecue, it is smokeless and the temperature is high enough.

Li Long added a furnace full of charcoal into it, and then pressed it with coal foam. He planned to finish his meal at his eldest brother's place and come back to rest here for a while.

Tao Daqiang hurried back with a bag on his back and a scoop net in his hand. He felt a little regretful that he should have ridden his bicycle over to Li's house and left it there so that he could go home earlier.

When he returned home, Tao Daqiang saw his father Tao Jianshe waiting for him in the yard. Seeing Tao Daqiang coming back, Tao Jianshe nodded and turned to walk into the house.

Well, we have to build a house in the spring.

An idea flashed through Tao Da's mind, and then he placed the scoop net by the door and went into the house carrying the bag of fish.

The aroma of food filled the house. Although Tao Daqiang couldn't understand the child's occasional "baby talk", his heart was immediately filled with happiness.

Seeing Tao Daqiang coming back, Yang Pingping took out the dishes from the pot. There was rice for lunch and two fried dishes, both of which were quite large portions.

The family was having dinner. The child was lying on the kang, holding a cloth tiger and playing with it, occasionally barking, but he was quite well behaved.

The cloth tiger was made by Tao Daqiang's mother-in-law. It doesn't look exactly like the original, but the child likes it very much.

The three were eating when they heard footsteps and the sound of stomping snow outside.

Then the door was pushed open, Tao Daqiang looked over and saw that it was his elder brother Tao Dayong.

"Are you eating?" Tao Dayong asked with a smile.

"Brother, have you eaten? Just one piece?" Yang Pingping asked as she stood up.

"I've eaten, I've eaten." Tao Dayong waved his hand hastily, "You guys eat yours, I'll sit down."

He sat next to the fire wall and didn't dare to go up to the kang.

Seeing that he knew not to bring cold air to the child, Tao Jianshe's expression relaxed.

"Brother, is there anything I can do for you?" Tao Daqiang asked.

"Well, ... well, I heard that Li Long is back. You guys caught some fish at noon and sold the big ones to him. Did he pay you in cash?"

"I gave him one yuan per kilogram," Tao Daqiang said. "I paid him on the spot. Several families sold the big fish they caught to him."

"Then Daqiang, can I work with you?" Tao Dayong hesitated for a moment, and finally said the truth, "I think there's nothing to do at home, and there's no future in chatting with those people in the store, so I might as well go fishing.

If you can catch a big one, you can sell it. If you can't catch a big one, you can still eat the small ones, right?"

"That's the truth." Tao Daqiang nodded, "How are you going to partner up?"

His question stunned Tao Dayong.

"Then... I'll listen to you." Tao Dayong thought for a moment and finally said, "You have experience in this job, so I'll do it the way you say."

Tao Jianshe's mouth curled up.

My eldest son is pretty good, as he can put aside his brother's dignity and follow his younger brother.

In fact, Tao Dayong got the melon seeds from the Li family in the fall. Although they were shriveled, they were actually able to sprout. He had already decided to make some changes.

In the past, when everyone had their own meals from the same pot, it was okay to just get by, but nowadays, life is getting worse and worse. Having enough to eat is no problem, but life will definitely fall behind.

Thinking back to the past, before he got married, Tao Dayong was considered a passionate young man in the team. He worked just as hard as others and was also good at farming.

How did life become like this?
Saying that your wife is not good? That's because you are easily influenced.

If I have my own opinion, can my wife convince me?

He has been thinking about it for the past two months. Seeing his brother's life getting better and better, Tao Dayong feels that he was really a bit of a jerk in the past.

Then just live a good life.

Tao Daqiang, Liang Dacheng and others were ordered by Li Long to catch fish. Some people were envious, while others said sour words.

Tao Dayong is the one who is more envious. His younger brother is simple and honest, but he has made a good friend. Li Long can help his younger brother make money and fortune, which is his blessing.

How many people in the team can still earn money in winter?
He was unwilling to do so, but he didn't have that kind of luck. But when he thought about the other people breaking ice holes, they were all fathers and sons, brothers, so why couldn't he go too?
What's wrong with being shameless and asking your brother for help? We are family, no shame!

So Tao Dayong came over and put his words there, and listened to Tao Daqiang in everything. He really put aside his pride and prepared to make a good living.

Tao Daqiang was also a little surprised when he heard this, and then he said:
"Let's start from tomorrow. Come over early tomorrow morning. There is a scoop net at home. You can take it back and tidy up the handle.

Tomorrow we will have an ice hole, which the old man of the Li family and I will dig together. If the ice hole is not enough, we will dig another one."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Tao Dayong nodded vigorously.

With this statement, the Tao family was quite satisfied.

After dinner, Yang Pingping asked Tao Daqiang in a low voice:

"Daqiang, can my brother come over and work with us?"

"Okay." Tao Daqiang thought about it and explained, "Look, Xiao Haizi is on our team. If people from other teams come here, they will be chased away.

But, your brother will work with me, and the money will be the total, and I will give you the share later, so there is no problem."

"Okay, I'll go back and ask when you come back to look after the kids tonight." Yang Pingping said, "It would be best if he could come. It's better than playing cards at home every day."

"Yeah." Tao Daqiang responded, put on his coat, went out with a scoop net, and rode his bicycle to Li's house.

At this time, Li Long was lying down in the bedroom of his house to rest.

It is impossible to dry the quilt in the winter, so the quilt I am using now does not smell like the sun. But the room is warm and there is no moisture. This is probably because I use the stove every day.

Li Long felt very comfortable. He didn't even want to get up and go to Xiaohaizi until Li Jianguo and Li Qingxia shouted at him outside. Li Long had to get up.

There was no wind in the afternoon, which was just right for fishing. Li Long, wearing a coat and carrying a bag, followed Li Jianguo and Li Qingxia. There were people in front and behind.

"Daqiang has already gone there. His bike is in your brother's yard." Li Qingxia said as they walked. "Tomorrow his brother will go fishing together. There may be more and more people coming in the future."

"That's good." Li Long said as he walked, "It will be easier for me to complete my task if there are more."

"What should we do when we have collected enough?" Li Qingxia continued to ask.

"If they want to send more to me after we've collected enough, we can take them to Shicheng to sell. By then it will be almost New Year, and there will definitely be a shortage of fish in the market, and many people will want to buy, so we can sell them at a good price."

"Okay." Li Qingxia was happy.

It's not just about catching fish, but also about having a harvest, only then can you feel satisfied.

We caught more fish in the afternoon than in the morning, because the ice hole was closed at noon, so the fish gathered around it. As soon as we started fishing in the afternoon, we found big fish in almost every net.

When the sun was about to set, the three members of the Li family walked back. When they returned to the yard, Liang Yuemei had already cooked the fish soup.

Li Long first waited for the fish brought by others to be weighed. After paying the money, he locked the door on this side, went to his eldest brother's yard to drink fish soup, and then drove the jeep back.

Also brought back with the jeep were three or four kilograms of small crucian carp that had already been skinned by my sister-in-law and mother.

The big red carp had its stomach emptied and frozen, ready to be eaten during the New Year.

Whether or not I can catch such a big fish in the future is not certain, but I’ll just keep it for now.

There are already many more people fishing in Xiaohaizi than last year. If Tao Dayong joins, there will be even more.

Li Long was quite happy. Everyone knew that they could earn money by catching fish. This concept was much better than that of people in other villages.

You can't just let yourself move forward all the time, you need some subjective initiative.

Xu Sanduo wanted to almost kill Shi Jin before he would move forward. Li Long didn't want to be exhausted by the villagers.

If you want to be rich, you have to rely on your own efforts.

If someone gives you an opportunity, you should reach out and grab it, right? (End of this chapter)