Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

When Li Long left Tao's house, the sun was about to set, but Tao Jianshe began to pack up his nets.

Tao Daqiang saw it and told his father:
"Dad, are you still going to go fishing? Don't do it. It's so late. It will be dark by the time you're done fishing... The road will be hard to walk on."

"The professor and the university students are coming tomorrow, we have to get some delicious food to send over." Tao Jianshe continued to load the nets, "We don't have much good meat at home, so getting some fish over is a token of our appreciation."

Yang Pingping said as she fed the child:
"Dad, those are professors and college students invited by Li Long. Li Long has already slaughtered the pigs. This treatment is enough. Let's not get involved, right?"

"How can that be called interfering?" Tao Jianshe explained seriously, "Xiaolong brought these experts and professors here not just for himself, but to pave the way for the saline-alkali land in our team. Once it's done, this saline-alkali land can be used to grow things, so whoever reclaims it will own it in the future. Xiaolong is blazing a trail for us, so we can't just wait for something ready-made. You'll see tomorrow. When we deliver fish, others will definitely bring things too."

Tao Daqiang was skeptical, but he no longer stopped his father from casting the net. He told Yang Pingping and followed his father to help.

The next day, before the sun came out, the people Li Long greeted went out to hunt in the wild.

Wucheng, Agricultural College. When she got on the bus with her luggage, He Lijuan was no longer so optimistic.

After a day of brainwashing by Xu Hongxia, He Lijuan gained a true understanding of current rural life. She even felt that she might not be able to hold on until the end of the month.

In order to verify the authenticity of what Xu Hongxia said, she asked several other students from rural areas in her class yesterday, and some more words that she had never heard of before came to her mind.

Water from reservoirs, dry-rammed earthworks, dugouts, endemic diseases...

In general, the rural areas in northern Xinjiang are better than those in southern Xinjiang and neighboring provinces, but the situation is limited. According to the current situation, people can eat enough, but it is impossible to eat well. It is only the beginning of spring, and there are almost no fresh vegetables. If there are any, they are just pickled vegetables.

Don't even think about meat. Locals may only eat meat three or five times a year. Of course, as a guest, you may eat meat once on the day you leave, and eat it again when you leave. This is already an ideal situation.

In the car, except for Professor Luo who was writing and drawing, most of the other people had bad expressions - obviously, not only He Lijuan had found out the specific situation, but everyone else felt the same.

Li Qingyuan is from Wucheng. He has the same understanding of the countryside as He Lijuan, and he feels a bit complicated now.

Zheng Zhiguo lives in southern Xinjiang. He is one of the few Han people in the village. He is the most optimistic. No matter how hard life is in northern Xinjiang, it is better than in southern Xinjiang - at least it looks green now. Unlike southern Xinjiang, this is the season of strong winds and sand. The sky is full of yellow sand and no one can be seen. That is scary.

Zhu Yuechan is from Kouli, so she is not worried about the tough conditions. Yesterday, a classmate told her to be careful not to be caught by any bachelor to be his wife.

Zhu Yuechan's family is not well off, and she has to live frugally to go to school. Although she receives subsidies, her family cannot provide much money, so she has to spend frugally. Therefore, the conditions in northern Xinjiang described by her classmates are actually quite good in her opinion.

But the fact that 8,000 Hunan girls entered Tianshan several decades ago led some people to misunderstand that the men in the rural areas here might be more domineering, which made Zhu Yuechan a little worried.

There is another classmate named Hu Dongfeng, and his classmates jokingly call him Mahjong. He is a native of northern Xinjiang. Although his home is not in Ma County, it is not far away - in Fuhai in the north, so he is the calmest.

His family also comes from the countryside, and he is very familiar with the rural areas in northern Xinjiang, so he is not worried at all. Instead, he is a little curious. He is curious about what the difference is between this rural area and the one in his own home?
"Okay, everyone, be quiet. We're almost at the Bayi Bus Station. Let me briefly explain to you. When we get to Ma County, someone will pick us up and take us directly to the village where we're doing our research. The rooms for accommodation have already been arranged, and someone will cook for us, so you don't need to worry about that.

Of course, everyone knows that the conditions in the countryside are not that good, but since we have already boarded the train, there is no regret. After arriving at the place, those with strong abilities should help those with weak abilities, and those who adapt quickly should help those who adapt slowly.

Remember, we are going there to study and work, not to play or go on an outing, so we must get into the situation as quickly as possible, set up the framework of this subject as soon as possible, and then solve the problems one by one.

Hu Dongfeng, you are from northern Xinjiang and are most familiar with this place, so you will be the team leader for the time being. I will be the one to communicate with the local people. If I have any problems, you will be responsible for them. Do you understand? "

"I understand!" Hu Dongfeng was a little excited. His academic performance was not very good, and he basically never took charge of a project alone. He couldn't even be a team leader. Today, he suddenly became a team leader. How could he not be excited?

"There are two girls in our group. Although we emphasize gender equality, it will naturally be inconvenient for girls to go there. Boys should take the initiative to help girls to avoid problems. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

……

On the school bus, Professor Luo said everything he needed to say. What he meant was that once we get on the bus, there will be a lot of people talking, so we shouldn't say anything and just need to take care of each other.

Because they arrived early, there were not many people at the Bayi Bus Station. Professor Luo and Hu Dongfeng bought six tickets smoothly. Then, with the help of the school driver, they loaded the students' luggage and equipment into the bus and placed them on the luggage rack.

He Lijuan and Zhu Yuechan sat on the double seat. After sitting down, He Lijuan took out a bag of egg chicken cake from the small backpack she carried with her, opened it, and distributed it to Professor Luo and the classmates one by one.

We gathered after breakfast this morning and rushed here. Everyone was a little hurried. We were not very hungry, but there was egg cake, so we still wanted to eat it.

Since Professor Luo did not refuse, the others naturally took it.

"Thank you." Zhu Yuechan said softly, and then started to eat it in small bites, catching the crumbs with one hand.

"You're welcome... I don't know what kind of vehicle will pick us up when we get off later, a horse-drawn carriage or a donkey-drawn cart? Is there a tractor?"

"It's OK." Zhu Yuechan thought that the tractor was the most likely. There were few tractors in her hometown, but she had been to college in northern Xinjiang for a few years and knew a little about this place. While eating, she whispered, "It could be a tractor. Isn't it said that agricultural machinery here is more advanced?"

"Okay, it's an experience for me anyway." He Lijuan also whispered, "I haven't ridden in any nice cars in the county. I usually ride a bicycle, take the bus, and go to school by bus... I've never ridden in a horse carriage."

"I haven't ridden one either." Zhu Yuechan finished her egg cake and waved her hand at the piece He Lijuan handed her. "No more, I'm full. My family only has a wheelbarrow. Our village doesn't have horse-drawn or donkey-drawn carts, but we do have a walk-behind tractor."

"That's good too." He Lijuan nodded.

Zhu Yuechan turned her head to look at her, and then made sure that she was not joking. She knew that this "potential colleague" really didn't know much about rural affairs, so she nodded and didn't continue the topic.

Two hours later, the car stopped at Ma County Bus Station.

Hu Dongfeng and Zheng Zhiguo took the initiative to get things from the luggage rack, and Li Qingyuan and Professor Luo helped to take them down. They were ready to slowly take the things down and then take over to transport them out.

"Hello, Professor Luo!"

Li Long had already seen Professor Luo and his classmates. He quickly walked to the bus, greeted Professor Luo first, and then carried the luggage with his classmates.

"This is heavy, it takes two people to lift it..." Hu Dongfeng shouted on the luggage rack of the car.

At this time, the luggage rack of the shuttle bus is on the roof, and these large items that cannot be placed inside the car are placed on it and then tied with ropes.

Li Long was taking one large, tightly wrapped cardboard box after another by himself. Hu Dongfeng was afraid that he couldn't handle it all by himself, so he reminded him.

"It's okay, I'm strong." Li Long took the cardboard box and put it gently on the ground, then continued to help.

"You are really strong enough."

"Comrade Li Long, I didn't expect you to be so strong." The cardboard box contained scientific research equipment. Professor Luo packed it himself, so he was naturally aware of its weight. He said in surprise at this time.

"I came from the countryside, so I trained myself."

Following Li Long was the driver from the supply and marketing cooperative's transportation department. He also helped move things, then carried out the light luggage and prepared to put it on the truck.

"We have a lot of stuff." Professor Luo said to Li Long while carrying his bag.

"It's okay. I'm driving a jeep and bringing a large truck, which is enough for transportation." Li Long smiled and walked out carrying two large bags.

Several classmates looked at Li Long in surprise - these were big bags that required each of them to carry with great effort, and Li Long was carrying two by himself!
Is this person born strong?
"Hurry up and move the things. We can't let others laugh at us." Hu Dongfeng said in a low voice after he reacted, "This guy is really amazing!"

Everyone was moving, and two girls stayed behind to look after the remaining luggage and supplies.

"He said he was driving a jeep... Is that true?" He Lijuan thought of what Li Long had just said, "Can we take a jeep?" "There really is a jeep parked outside!" Zheng Zhiguo, who had moved the things over first and then ran back, whispered, "It's a 212 jeep and a Dongfeng truck... We're in good shape this time!"

He Lijuan was a little surprised. Didn’t Xu Hongxia say that they could take a tractor and a horse-drawn carriage, and maybe someone would have to carry the luggage for a while?

Why is the painting style different from what I imagined?

When they were in the car, Li Long had already started driving, and He Lijuan asked stupidly from behind:

"Comrade Li Long, is this car... yours?"

She didn't believe it even when she asked it herself.

"This belongs to the Beitingzhou Supply and Marketing Cooperative. I am an employee of the cooperative. This vehicle was approved by the cooperative to complete the task. I am driving it during this period." Li Long gave the old-fashioned explanation, "The truck behind it belongs to the county supply and marketing cooperative."

"So that's how it is." Hu Dongfeng, who was sitting in the passenger seat, nodded.

Professor Luo was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck at the back. He was worried about the equipment and instruments, and he also noticed that the students were curious about the jeep, so he took Zheng Zhiguo to sit in the back, and the others sat in the jeep.

"The roads here are pretty good." He Lijuan looked outside and felt that the road conditions were quite good, different from what she had imagined and what Xu Hongxia had described.

"This is the road from the county to the village. The road from the village to the team is a little worse, a gravel road, and it will be bumpy."

"Oh."

Once we got to the gravel road, the quality was indeed a little worse, but it was not unacceptable.

This made He Lijuan, Zhu Yuechan and others feel that the situation was not as bad as they had imagined.

When the jeep arrived at Laomahao, there were quite a lot of people there.

The sugar residue that was originally drying in the yard has been collected, and the place has been transformed into a pig slaughterhouse - but there is only one pig, so the process is relatively simple.

When Li Long and his team arrived, the pigs had already been slaughtered and the hair had been shaved off. Sauerkraut and meat were stewing on the stove in the yard - although it was already April, to be honest, there were still many families who had sauerkraut at home.

After all, the fresh vegetables have not arrived yet, and some people still prefer pickles and sauerkraut.

The jeep stopped, and those who were busy in the yard understood that this meant the person to be picked up had arrived.

Except for those who were cooking, everyone else stopped and quickly came to the door, ready to welcome the guests from afar.

"Quite enthusiastic." He Lijuan whispered to Zhu Yuechan after getting off the car. Then she looked at these people's clothes... Not bad, not so rustic.

Zhu Yuechan was also looking at these people's clothes. What surprised her was that there was not a single patch on their clothes!

Although they are not very new, they are definitely not old, and there are no patches on them from top to bottom. Most of them are even worn with socks!
These days, there aren’t many people who can afford to wear socks.

This village... is quite rich.

"Come on, you will live here for the next month." Li Long greeted everyone, "To welcome you today, we slaughtered a pig and will have a pig-killing meal at noon. Come on, I'll take you to the dormitory to settle down first."

"Hey, we're in for a treat!" Hu Dongfeng was immediately delighted when he heard that they were going to have a pig-killing meal. He excitedly carried his things and followed Li Long inside. After only a few steps, he asked Tao Daqiang and others to take over his luggage.

There weren't a lot of people in the team, but they were pretty good at moving the luggage.

So except for the small bags that each person brought, all the other luggage was taken over by the team members.

Li Long entered the yard, arranged a place for them to live, and then introduced the people here to Professor Luo.

Everyone just greeted each other, knowing that the guests from afar needed to rest and organize their things, so they didn't disturb them and continued to prepare lunch.

Li Long saw not only pig-killing dishes, but also stewed crucian carp, steamed alfalfa and steamed elm seeds, all of which were delivered by the people he called.

"The fish was caught by Daqiang's father, the alfalfa was brought by Yundong and Dacheng, and the elm seeds were brought by Weidong," Li Jianguo said with a smile, "There are quite a few side dishes, and some have not been cooked yet, so they are left over. They are enough for the guests to eat for a few days."

"That's great." Li Long was happy. "I told them there might not be any fresh vegetables, but now there are some."

"Your sister-in-law asked me to bring a basket of eggs. It's not easy for students to come here to work, so we need to make up for it." Li Jianguo continued, "We can't treat them unfairly."

"That's definitely not possible." Li Long said, "I have arrangements here."

He Lijuan entered the house and whispered to Zhu Yuejuan:
"It seems that we thought too much. This village... is quite rich. Look at the food here. I can't eat like this at home. There are meat, fish, and scrambled eggs..."

"Yes!" Zhu Yuechan also nodded heavily, "They killed a pig just for us. This... is too grand!"

Professor Luo also came out of the room at this time, pulled Li Long and whispered:

"Comrade Li Long, this is too grand. You even killed a pig. It's hard for us to accept this..."

Li Long pointed at the pens and said, "Look, the domesticated wild boars and red deer in this pen are all mine, and there are sheep and cattle over there. There are so many things, so killing one is not a big deal. You came here to help us with the soil testing and improvement of the saline-alkali land, and this is all we can give you as a thank you, so don't be polite, really don't be polite, we should really thank you!"

Professor Luo thought to himself that Professor Wu had not said that Comrade Li Long was so generous. If he did not produce some results, he would be letting down his fellow villagers.

Both Professor Luo and the students were very satisfied with the lunch.

The people in the team had eaten it before the New Year, so they naturally had some habits. After eating, they cleaned the yard. Li Long divided the meat among the people who came, and asked Uncle Luo and others to stew the remaining bones and meat, and braise the bones, so that they could be kept for a longer time.

"I found a pressure well in the yard. It is quite convenient compared to tap water in school, and the water quality is very good." He Lijuan said with a smile, "We can use water both day and night."

"We have a stove in our house and coal outside, so it's convenient to make a fire and boil water." Zhu Yuechan was completely relieved this time. "This is a brick house, not surrounded by residential areas, so there's no need to worry about any bad guys..."

"That's right, I knock on the door at night - I think this door is pretty solid." He Lijuan said with emotion, "This place is pretty good."

"Hey, it seems that there will be no problem with living. They have provided us with such good conditions. We have to study it carefully."

"The saline-alkali land next to it is really alkaline." He Lijuan was a little worried. "It has turned into an alkaline crust, and I don't know what the seedlings growing on it are..."

"Beets." Zhu Yuechan was well-educated and could tell that it was beets. "Beets are a crop that is relatively resistant to salt and alkali, but the salt and alkali here are indeed a bit high. I think Professor Luo should have an idea, right?"

After dinner, Professor Luo asked Li Long to take him to the saline-alkali land in the west.

The salt and alkali here is indeed very thick, which surprised Professor Luo a little.

But then he felt relieved. If the salinity was not serious, there would be no need for them to come here. They came here to overcome the difficulties. Otherwise, how could they deserve such good food?

At least half of a pig was left in Lao Mahao, which would serve as their basic food source for the rest of the year.

What this shows is that Li Long has done a very good job in terms of security.

Then, it all depends on what these experts from the Agricultural College will do. (End of this chapter)