Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 935 Arriving safely in Yanjing: It wasn't easy.

After passing Dunhuang, further east, there are several train stations that were once the strongholds of notorious thieves, and many passing passengers suffered at their hands.

Of course, the main victims are those entering and exiting the station, but occasionally someone will also trespass on that section of the train. I encountered this on my last round trip. Although I'm in a sleeper berth this time, I still need to be careful.

When we stopped temporarily while crossing the mountain, someone outside in the snow was knocking on the window with a stick.

The train conductor reminded passengers not to open the windows to avoid accidents. However, even in broad daylight, some people didn't pay attention and actually opened their windows.

People from outside came to sell their wares. Because it wasn't a platform and the train was higher up, they had to carry their wares on sticks.

Several train windows were open, but the train attendant didn't seem to care. He had warned them, but they wouldn't listen. What could he do? Everyone is an adult and should be responsible for their own actions.

Li Long and his group didn't open their windows. Someone was banging on them with a stick, but they ignored it.

Soon, someone spoke from the window, and Li Long and the others recognized the voice.

Someone brought pheasants to sell, saying they were ten yuan each. The people inside the car thought it was too expensive, but the people outside refused to lower the price, so they reached a stalemate.

At the other window, someone was selling kiwifruit; it was unclear how they had been preserved to this day. Someone bought some, and it tasted pretty good; it must have been wild from the mountains.

Li Long went over to take a look. The price was one yuan for two jin, which wasn't expensive. Even so, he looked more than he bought. Li Long bought two yuan's worth. He had a good eye and picked through the items. A small bamboo basket was brought up. Li Long tossed two yuan down. As soon as the person saw the money, he tried to take the basket back, but Li Long, with his long arms, grabbed the basket and the handle in one go.

He snapped the stick in two, pretending to scare the boy, then laughed and carried the basket back to his seat.

Just as I expected, the kiwis in this basket are pretty good. They weren't frozen or damaged, and one tasted quite good.

They divided the money among their family members, giving one to each of the middle-aged couple. The couple politely declined at first, but eventually accepted it.

Mingming and Haohao were quite happy. Kids love flavorful things, and they munched on them slowly, while Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Xiaoyu wiped them clean with tissues every now and then. The two children were well taken care of and looked very adorable.

At another window, someone started arguing. Li Long overheard it and realized that the people in the carriage had plucked the tail feathers off someone's pheasant.

Why does this feel so familiar?
Then another argument broke out. Apparently, someone had given money, but the people below hadn't handed over the goods—consider it a lesson learned, they couldn't just go down there.

The train started moving again, and the noise gradually subsided.

Whether they bought something, got a good deal, or suffered a loss, it all became a topic of conversation for a while.

At the next stop, the train conductor came over and reminded each passenger to be careful with their valuables.

Clearly, these train attendants are experienced and know the local customs and atmosphere.

The people in the carriage started talking, and some of them glanced at Li Long and his group, intentionally or unintentionally.

No wonder. Adults and children eat train meals three times a day, and they can buy local specialties at the station from time to time. They are also generous when it comes to shopping. People like this are the ones who are being watched.

Fortunately, this is a sleeper car, so not many people can get on. The last time someone was allowed on board was because the neighboring carriage wasn't strictly managed. Someone complained about it, and fewer people boarded after that.

That evening, not long after dinner, Mingming and Haohao fell asleep. The Gu sisters laid one child out on a mat and looked after the other.

Gradually, the carriage returned to calm, and most people went to rest.

Around 2 a.m., the train stopped at a small station. The train attendant opened the doors and went out to keep watch. Some people climbed down from the upper berths and started packing their luggage.

The man slung his bag over his shoulder and stopped when he reached Li Long and the others. He then skillfully climbed the ladder and reached out to grab the luggage that Li Long and the others had placed on the luggage rack.

"What are you doing?" Li Long suddenly sat up and slapped the man's leg. Caught off guard, the man fell off the ladder with a cry of pain, which woke up the others.

"I'm getting off the bus, why are you blocking me?" The man reacted quickly, scrambling to his feet and retorting, "If you block me again and I miss my stop, are you going to take responsibility?"

"Trying to shift the blame?" Li Long stepped forward and slapped him across the face. "Why did you get off the bus and run over to touch my luggage? What, were you sleepwalking?"

"Yeah, what were you doing climbing over our luggage rack?" The middle-aged man on the upper bunk, after being woken up, immediately refuted the other man on Li Long's behalf.

Li Long guessed that he probably hadn't even seen it, but naturally he sided with him.

"Those of you who live close to him, check if anything is missing from your luggage?" Li Long said, hearing that someone seemed to recognize the thief. "Don't wait until he gets off the bus and then you realize your things are missing, it will be too late then."

Li Long guessed that this person definitely had designs on more than just him.

Some people didn't think much of it, while others, who were carrying valuables, hurriedly checked it.

"Oh no! My bag is missing! It contains important documents!"

Upon hearing that someone had indeed lost something, the people nearby immediately panicked. This thief had just been slapped so hard by Li Long that he bled. But seeing Li Long's tall and strong physique, they knew he wouldn't be easy to deal with.

Hearing that someone had discovered their belongings were missing, he knew that if he didn't act quickly, he wouldn't be able to escape. He reached for his waist, and a knife appeared in his hand. The man said fiercely:
"Mind your own business! This knife doesn't discriminate!"

Li Long thought to himself, "Who are you trying to scare?"
But when he saw the other man draw his knife, the middle-aged man on the upper bunk immediately fell silent, while Li Jianguo stood up, clearly intending to deal with the guy together with Li Long.

Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Xiaoyu comforted Mingming and Haohao, carefully watching their side.

"Hey, you think you can scare us with a knife?" Li Long suddenly pointed in that direction and said, "The train police are here!"

The thief was still inexperienced. As soon as he heard that, he turned his head and knew he was in trouble. Li Long had already made his move and slapped his wrist, causing the knife to fall to the ground. Li Jianguo was also prepared and kicked him in the shin. The thief cried out and knelt down.

The train stop at the small station was short, and the train attendant had already closed the doors and boarded the train. When he saw the commotion, he immediately came over and, upon realizing there was a thief, called the train police.

At this moment, the people who had lost their belongings saw that the thief's knife had been knocked away and immediately surrounded them.

Li Long listened and saw that three people had lost their belongings, so the evidence was complete.

When the train police arrived, they searched the thief's bag and found two items. Another person's bag was missing, and he looked dejected, not knowing where he had lost it; it seemed unlikely to be found.

After the train police took the people away, many people praised Li Long and Li Jianguo for their good skills and quick reactions. Li Juan and Li Qiang had been awake for a while, and their eyes were sparkling.

I've only ever heard of things like this in stories; I never imagined I'd encounter it in real life.

"Alright, get some rest," Li Jianguo whispered to Li Juan and Li Qiang. "We'll be arriving in Chang'an tomorrow. We'll buy some local specialties then."

Li Juan and Li Qiang quite enjoyed the local specialties they encountered along the way. Li Long especially loved the jujubes he bought at a small station, though he only bought two bags at the time. He thought he'd buy a few more bags on the way back to give as gifts.

The rest of the journey went well, with some ups and downs along the way. The train attendants increased their reminders, and the railway police also increased their patrols. Nothing happened, and it went much more smoothly than Li Long had imagined.

When they arrived in Yanjing, even Li Long was already getting restless, let alone Li Juan and Li Qiang.

At first, taking the train was novel, but later I got off at every station, partly to explore and see what was happening outside. Eventually, I started to get a little bored.

After all, how could a child who is used to running in the wild possibly get used to that small carriage?

To Li Long's surprise, Hao Hao barely cried or fussed along the way. He was only occasionally a little uncomfortable, but he was quickly soothed.

When they arrived at Yanjing Station, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Not only them, but everyone else on the train felt the same way; they were all tired of train travel. But there was nothing they could do. They weren't eligible to fly yet, and cars were even worse than trains. Fortunately, things weren't so complicated here, and they only needed to come once or twice a year, so they could tolerate it.

The middle-aged couple also got off the train with Li Long and his group. After three or four days on the train, most of the passengers looked extremely haggard. After leaving the carriage, the middle-aged couple invited Li Long and his group to their home and gave them their address in a hutong near Xizhimen. It was quite a sincere gesture, not just a formality.

Li Long carried Mingming and Haohao with a large backpack, Li Jianguo led the two children and carried a handbag, and Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Xiaoyu followed behind. Just like when they boarded the train, they left the station with the flow of people.

After leaving the station, Li Long and the others looked at Gu Xiaoyu. Actually, his idea was to find a state-run hotel nearby to stay in first.

But Gu Xiaoyu is the landlord, so it's best to listen to her opinion.

"Let's go to the vicinity of our school first, and I'll find you a place to stay." Gu Xiaoyu had obviously already thought it through. "The place isn't far, it's quite quiet, and the prices aren't expensive."

Li Long and the others naturally had no objections and followed Gu Xiaoyu out of the station and headed towards the hotel.

"This is Yanjing City!" Li Juan exclaimed. "So many buildings, wide roads, and cars..."

Well, Beijing in the 1980s was truly different from a small county town in the Northwest. Unlike later times, where even third-tier cities and above seem to have similar bustling areas, even Wucheng in the Northwest had dozens of high-rise buildings and thriving commercial districts back then.

In Li Long's view, there is not much difference between first-tier and second-tier and third-tier cities.

But things were different at this time. In Ma County, there were hardly any multi-story buildings. Wucheng was more prosperous, but there were bungalows everywhere and very few multi-story buildings. But Yanjing was clearly different.

Li Juan and Li Qiang sighed briefly, then quickly followed the adults forward.

Stepping out of the warm train carriage onto the cold street felt like stepping from a fairy tale into reality; this is what winter is all about.

“This is it,” Gu Xiaoyu said, pointing to the name “Spring Breeze Hostel.” “It’s run by a company next to our school. Let’s stay here tonight.”

"Okay," Li Long replied, pushed open the door, and went inside to ask a staff member for his room number.

"Where are you from? Do you have work IDs? Do you have any proof of employment?" the staff member asked.

When Li Long reached for his work ID and the certificate he had obtained, Gu Xiaoyu stopped him and said:

"I'm from a nearby university, this is my work ID, and these are my family members." He then handed over his work ID.

Li Long smiled and took back his work ID.

The staff looked at Li Long and then at Gu Xiaoyu, and then booked two triple rooms for them.

Li Long, Li Jianguo, and Li Qiang share a room, while the Gu sisters share another room with Mingming, Haohao, and Li Juan.

"The room numbers are 109 and 110. Go inside and turn left. There's hot water in the water room, and a thermos and washbasin in the room. The toilet is at the very back. Here's the key," the staff member reminded them after collecting the money and registering the room.

"Thank you," Li Long said, carrying Mingming and Haohao ahead of him.

The room wasn't big, but it was quite clean, and the heating was just right. Sitting on the bed, everyone relaxed and finally felt tired.

They didn't say much anymore. Even Li Juan and Li Qiang, who had been very excited on the street earlier, looked exhausted. Gu Xiaoyu had originally wanted to take them out for dinner, but the adults and children both felt the same way: just have some hot water and go to sleep.

Although I can fall asleep in a sleeper berth on a train, my sleep is very light. I wake up many times during a nap and can't sleep soundly at all, so I need to catch up on some sleep now.

Li Long didn't wake up until after 7 a.m. the next morning. It was already light outside. He saw that Li Jianguo had just woken up, while Li Qiang was still asleep. He stretched and got up, taking his washbasin and toiletries to the water room.

When she returned from washing up, she saw that the door next door was open, and the Gu sisters and Li Juan were already up. Gu Xiaoxia was preparing formula for Mingming and Haohao, while Gu Xiaoyu and Li Juan were comforting the two children.

After everyone had washed up, Gu Xiaoyu took them to a nearby restaurant for breakfast, and when they returned, they discussed their next move.

“Xiaoyu, now that you’re back, why don’t you go to school and register first? We’ll come here according to our schedule. After you finish your business, you can help us find out how to buy a courtyard house.” Li Long expressed his thoughts, “We’re completely clueless about this, so we’ll have to trouble you.”

“Brother-in-law, what’s the trouble? I’ve told you before, a colleague of mine bought a house a while ago, and I’m going to ask him about it. You guys can take a look around. There are buses and trams nearby, and the bus stop signs have directions, so you can ask him for directions. I’ll tell you how to get to Tiananmen Square later.”

Since they were all on the same side, Li Long didn't hold back and said to Gu Xiaoyu:
"Then I'll leave the house-hunting to you. You can tell the seller that I have some US dollars."

"What? You have US dollars?" Gu Xiaoyu was a little surprised, but then she said, "US dollars are really attractive to many people right now. But if you don't have enough US dollars, it probably won't be enough to buy a yard..."

"I can still come up with a few thousand," Li Long said modestly. "Buying a courtyard shouldn't be a problem."

Although the official exchange rate is 1.5 to 1.8 RMB per US dollar, in reality, private exchanges offer rates of 1 to 6 to 8, and even 1 to 10.

So Li Long said that if he took out a few thousand dollars, it would be enough to buy several yards.

Gu Xiaoyu looked at Li Long, then at Gu Xiaoxia, trying to confirm this.

"It's true." Gu Xiaoxia didn't have much of a concept of this. She genuinely didn't know how much money her family had, nor did she ask—Li Long earned so much money that he would give her a sum of money to save every year. Now, she alone had saved fifty or sixty thousand yuan, not to mention the money Li Long kept himself.
Therefore, she believed everything Li Long said, whether she knew it or not.

Gu Xiaoyu took a deep breath and said:

“If we had US dollars, buying the yard would be very easy. We would just have to mention it, and people would be begging us to buy it.”

Her confidence immediately returned.

Li Long thought for a moment, then went inside to get five hundred dollars and handed it to Gu Xiaoyu, saying:

"Take this first, consider it proof or a deposit. As long as the yard is suitable, we'll buy it."

Li Jianguo remained silent. He could tell that using US dollars would be more convenient than using RMB, at least at this time, to buy the yard.

He was pleased that his younger brother was capable, but since he didn't have the US dollars, he decided to hold off for now. He planned to pay Li Long back in RMB after Li Long bought the yard.

Li Juan and Li Qiang listened in a daze, but knowing that this was something adults did, they didn't interrupt or ask any questions.

Gu Xiaoyu then picked up her bag and left, while Li Long began to study the route Gu Xiaoyu had described.

It's not particularly far from Tiananmen Square, but transportation isn't very convenient right now. Taking a bus is okay, but getting a taxi is practically impossible.

As early as 1984, yellow minivans, commonly known as "mian di," appeared as taxis in Beijing. At that time, taxis were reserved for wealthy and influential people, and it was quite difficult for ordinary people to hail one. After all, in such a large city, the number of minivans was far less than it would be later.

Fortunately, our legs are well-trained, so even walking to Tiananmen Square is only two or three kilometers, which is not far.

"Shall we walk around for a bit?" Li Long said. "Tiananmen Square..."

"Let's go." Li Jianguo also thought about going to take a look. Since they were already here, this was the first place he wanted to go.
As for the university, with Gu Xiaoyu there, it's not a big problem.

Li Long even considered having Gu Xiaoyu take Li Juan and Li Qiang to visit Tsinghua and Peking Universities to experience their cultural atmosphere.

Of course, the most urgent task right now is to go to Tiananmen Square. This is his first time here in this life, and he is thinking about comparing it with when he came here in future lives.

It may be in line with the characteristics of the times, but precisely because of this, it may also be more magnificent and imposing.
This was Li Long's own idea.

　The author is very diligent, updating frequently, with at least 10,000 words per day.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)