Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 972 People Die for Money, Birds Die for Food—These Kinds of People Are Unacceptable
After lunch and a short rest, Li Long stood up and looked south—he felt a bit neurotic lately because of the flood, and he kept checking the situation to the south.

Just then, a dark cloud loomed over the mountains to the south. He said to Meng Hai, "Old Meng, we still need to send a safety officer. It's raining again to the south. Although this area is far from the river, we need to be careful."

"Okay, I understand." Meng Hai looked to the south, then called over a young man and told him to go ahead and keep watch.

Li Long, carrying his backpack and gun, continued forward.

Some people looked at his background with envy. He's different; he can do whatever he wants, while they have to work hard here cutting down trees and carrying stones. Sigh, there's no comparison between people.

Li Long's backpack contained a bag of explosives, a small bag of detonators, a bundle of fuses, and several pull tubes.

These things weren't assembled together; he also had tools in his backpack, like pliers and electrical tape, which he could quickly assemble into individual explosives or even a large device when needed.

It's better to separate them when not in use.

When Li Long passed by the location of the large jade stone, he took a special look and found that if someone who didn't know the situation were to look at it, they really wouldn't notice anything unusual.

He memorized the terrain of this area, but didn't plan to move the large jade stone back anytime soon; he would wait for the right opportunity.

As they continued upstream, crossing riverbanks of varying widths, they didn't spot a single wild animal. Li Long suspected that the sound of explosives a couple of days ago might have driven these creatures away, making them too afraid to come any closer.

A series of rumbling thunder echoed in the mountains. Li Long looked at the area shrouded in dark clouds, which should be upstream of the riverbank he was walking on, so there was a high probability that a flood would indeed come down.

He was also careful, always staying close to higher ground along the riverbank when he left.

The pastoral route, however, is different. It basically follows the course of the river, spending most of the time in the riverbed. When Yushanjiang and his group traveled there, the river was not deep and there was no flooding, but now that the road is under construction, it is during the peak season for snowmelt floods.

Although mountain floods are intermittent, each one is sudden, and they come and go quickly, they are still very destructive and can easily wash away roads with unstable foundations.

Therefore, you still need to be careful when repairing it.

Li Long marked several locations, all places where the river bends and rapids are likely to form. He planned to remind Meng Hai when they turned back that when paving the roadbed at these locations, stones must be used. With stones of all sizes paved on the roadbed, even if a flood comes, the roadbed will be difficult to destroy.

Continuing onward, we reached a place shrouded in mist. The air felt very humid, and occasional raindrops would fall. Wisps of cloud on the mountain ahead looked like vertical stripes, which was very beautiful and ethereal.

Li Long didn't continue forward. He had walked for nearly two kilometers without encountering any major obstacles that required his intervention. Even in places with rocks, he could easily bypass them without much effort, so he didn't take any action.

On his way back with his gun, Li Long deliberately went into the mountains, partly to check the wild mushrooms and partly to see if there were any wild animals to hunt elsewhere.

As we entered the forest, we occasionally saw hoofprints of wild animals, some fresh and some not, but we didn't encounter any wild animals. It seemed they were truly terrified.

He walked back to where he was working, put down his backpack and gun, and started working with everyone else.

As the sun was setting and they were preparing to wrap up work, the flood arrived as expected. However, this time the water volume was not large, and it was still far from the roadbed. Li Long originally planned to leave, but then he remembered the large willow tree that he had protected with stones the day before, so he let Meng Hai and the others go first, while he went to take a look.

Meng Hai was still worried and insisted that the others wait there for a while while he went with Li Long to check on things.

The area protected by the stones was partially submerged by the flood, but the situation was not serious. Although the current was quite strong, the stones were basically unaffected.

Li Long felt reassured and turned back with Meng Hai, then led everyone to evacuate. Li Long paid Meng Hai his daily wages on time, as daily settlement was more convenient.

Driving his jeep back to the county, Li Long passed by the purchasing station and saw that it was already closed. Next door, Sun Jiaqiang was talking to Tielanhua in the yard.

Tillandsia is already showing her pregnancy, but she's moving with remarkable speed. What a strong woman!

The couple didn't see Li Long's car and were talking and laughing in the yard.

Happy days.

When Li Long returned to the courtyard, Han Fang heard the noise and rushed over to open the door. She then quickly went over and, together with Gu Xiaoxia, pulled Mingming and Haohao away, afraid that the two children would run over and get hurt by the car.

After the jeep stopped, Han Fang ran over and closed the door, while Sister Yang called for everyone to start eating.

"You rescued people from the flood?" Gu Boyuan asked during dinner. "Was it dangerous? The news reports made it sound quite thrilling."

When Gu Boyuan said this, everyone was looking at him, which meant that everyone knew about it.

"It wasn't very dangerous..." Li Long smiled and explained, "It was just that when there was a flood that day, a villager who was building a road on the Qinghe River fell into the water. I thought that since I was the one who built the road, I couldn't let him lose his life, so I went into the water and rescued him."

"That Officer Ma wrote a very thrilling account," Gu Xiaoxia said, still a little uneasy and skeptical. "He said there was a lot of debris in the water, and that you were injured..."

"I'm fine. There were some pieces of wood and branches in the water," Li Long hurriedly explained. "That guy panicked after falling in and didn't know how to save himself. He wouldn't let go of me, so I had to knock him out before I could pull him up. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten so wet. By the way, the riverbank wasn't deep, and there were people on the shore who helped me. We got him out quickly, so he's alright."

As he spoke, he rolled up his arms to show everyone:
"See, I'm not injured. These past two days, they've even sent safety officers to evacuate to higher ground whenever there's flooding, so there won't be any more danger."

When he said that, Gu Boyuan and Gu Xiaoxia were half-convinced, but they still reminded him to be careful and not to hurt himself while repairing the road, as it wouldn't be worth it.

Li Long hurriedly nodded in agreement, thinking that next time Ma Xiaoyan helped write a news article, he would definitely remind her not to write anything too thrilling.

After Mingming and Haohao fell asleep that night, Gu Xiaoxia insisted that Li Long take off his clothes to check his body and see if there were any injuries.

Li Long said with a smile as he took off his clothes, "No, don't worry."

Actually, there were some, but the scabs on his wounds had fallen off in the past two days. However, the observant Gu Xiaoxia still noticed two marks on Li Long's back that were a different color from the rest of his skin. She touched them and asked:

"Is this where you're injured?" Having been married for several years, how could Gu Xiaoxia not know her husband's quirks? "Your wounds heal very quickly, and they scab over very fast—"

“It was right there, underwater. The flood washed away a tree and it hit me,” Li Long explained gently, holding Gu Xiaoxia close. “It’s okay, look, it’s just a minor scratch. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t go into the water in a dangerous situation. With you and the child in my life, I wouldn’t want to risk my life.”

"It's good that you know." Gu Xiaoxia hugged Li Long back. "Mingming, Haohao, and I are waiting for you to come back safely every day. We have enough money and a good enough life at home. We don't ask for anything else, just peace and safety every day."

"I know, I know..." Li Long said softly, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

That night, Li Long felt guilty and wanted to make amends, while Gu Xiaoxia wanted her husband to truly feel the warmth of family. So, the wind blew the leaves, the rain pattered on the banana leaves, and everything was in chaos.

This resulted in Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia getting up earlier than Mingming and Haohao the next day.

While eating breakfast, Gu Xiaoxia kept her head down, her face slightly flushed. Han Fang felt something was off, but didn't ask.

After dinner, Gu Xiaoxia rushed off to work, while Li Long waited until Sister Yang finished her work and took over Mingming and Haohao's care before driving off.

The weather in the county was quite sunny, but when Li Long arrived at the mountain pass, he found that the mountains were shrouded in clouds, and it didn't look like a good day.

He was a little worried, so he continued driving until he reached the road construction site. He saw that Meng Hai and his team were already working on the road, and there were clumps of clouds overhead that looked like cotton candy, but it didn't look like it was going to rain.

Looking further south, it should already be raining in the southern mountains. Looking at the river, the water level hasn't risen, the water is still clear, and the flood hasn't come.

The road being built here has already passed the location of the boulder that Li Long blasted open. The riverbank is quite wide, and this section of the road is located above the riverbed, so there are no safety concerns.

After exchanging a few words with Meng Hai, Li Long, carrying his backpack and gun, continued walking along the road.

Having traversed part of the route yesterday, Li Long marked the places he had chosen and discussed with Meng Hai with stones, as these areas would require more ditching for repairs. Continuing onward, having not walked the route yesterday, Li Long noticed a sudden increase in the river's water level after walking two or three hundred meters. This time, he witnessed firsthand the floodwaters carrying mud, sand, branches, and withered grass down the river.

The sound was quite loud, and the water level rose by twenty or thirty centimeters in an instant. Watching the floodwaters pollute the clear river water and submerge the previously dry riverbed, Li Long turned and shouted towards Meng Hai:
"There's a flood!"

His voice was loud and echoed through the valley. Li Long shouted a few times, then turned and ran back.

He didn't want another Su Qiangqiang to appear on Meng Hai's side. At least with him around, he could handle any situation that might arise.

However, he hadn't run more than a few steps when he realized that the flood was moving much faster than him. Just now the water level had only risen by twenty or thirty centimeters, but now it had risen by half a meter. Although there wasn't much debris on the surface, it looked disgusting.

The floodwaters had already surged several hundred meters ahead; there was no way to catch up.

Li Long stopped running and walked back with his gun on his back. He figured they must have heard his shouts and were on high alert by now.

Just then, the bushes on the mountain across the river suddenly began to sway. Li Long looked over and saw a small group of deer running around—the flood and Li Long's shouts had startled them. They had been grazing on the hillside, but now they started to run uphill.

The slope on the other side is much steeper than this one. I don't know why this family of five red deer went up that steep slope. The calf seems a bit more agile, while the huge male red deer must weigh two or three hundred kilograms, with several forked antlers on its head, which looks very beautiful.

The mother and fawn hurriedly ran uphill, while the male deer was a bit clumsy, climbing step by step along the path it had trodden. Li Long looked at the male deer's antlers with great envy—those antlers must weigh at least seven or eight kilograms, right? Even dried, they would weigh one or two kilograms, wow!
However, he didn't shoot. He could have hit it, but if he had, the deer would most likely have fallen into the flood, and he wouldn't have been able to retrieve it.

Let it live.

As Li Long was thinking, the male deer slipped and fell into the bushes. It tried to get up, but its body was too heavy and the bushes could not support its weight. It slid and rolled all the way down and finally fell into the flood.

By this time, the floodwaters had risen to nearly a meter deep. The river was originally shallow enough for deer to wade through, but now they were completely submerged.

The red deer naturally tried to save itself. It struggled desperately in the flood, trying its best to stick its head out of the water and cry out pitifully, while also trying to move its body towards the shore. Unfortunately, the force of the flood was much greater than its own, pushing it forward and quickly moving it nearly a hundred meters away from its original position.

Li Long was stunned. This actually works?

With such a huge flood, weren't they even a little more careful? What a waste of the venison and antlers, and yes, the penis too.

If someone was swept away by such a massive flood, they most likely wouldn't have survived. I imagine that if other villagers were also swept away, they would have met the same fate.

Although Meng Hai should have been prepared, Li Long still quickened his pace.

The deer's head bobbed up and down, and it quickly disappeared from Li Long's sight.

Upon hearing Li Long's shout, the safety officer rushed back to report to Meng Hai. Meng Hai immediately gathered everyone together, took tools, and went to higher ground, repeatedly warning the villagers:

"The floodwaters are huge, don't go near them! Su Qiangqiang is still coughing, you should know that, don't be as foolish as him!"

The floodwaters had barely gathered when they were swept down. This time, the floodwaters were similar to the last one, carrying withered grass and branches forward. The volume of water increased rapidly, and the rate of rise was fast. In less than five minutes, the floodwaters had reached halfway up the riverbank and were still rising.

"Hey, will this floodwaters reach our area?" some villagers wondered.

"No way, it's several meters high, how could it rise that fast?" someone said with a laugh. "Besides, the flood comes and goes quickly, it'll be gone in less than an hour."

As they spoke, the floodwaters had already begun to cover the entire riverbank, and at this point, the floodwaters were less than a meter away from the roadbed.

People were still watching the flood with a spectator's attitude, and some even said that the flood did not actually affect their work, so it was not good to just watch.

Meng Hai, however, wouldn't let everyone work; he told them to wait and see. After all, any movement could lead them close to the roadside, and if someone fell, who would save them?
Since we're not allowed to go to the riverbank, some people are thinking of going to the woods to take a look, even if it's just to pick some mushrooms.

Just then, someone exclaimed:
"Look, there's something in the river!"

The male deer was swept away by the flood; it was still alive and struggling desperately.

The male deer's head was sticking out, topped with two antlers, some of which were still covered with weeds, making it look quite comical.

It had realized that there was no possibility of getting ashore on the other side of the mountain. It had tried to climb up several times but failed. This deer was not stupid. Since it couldn't get up there, it would try its best to come this way.

Then it struggled in the water, trying to swim closer to the side where the road was being built.

Although it can see a few big guys (tractors) and some two-legged creatures here, it's better than drowning.

The red deer is very energetic and has a strong will to survive. So, in the struggle, it actually managed to reach this riverbank at an angle. However, the riverbank had already been flooded, and the water was more than a meter deep, basically level with the roadbed.

The floodwaters were flowing extremely fast. Although the deer could still stand on solid ground, its previous struggles had exhausted almost all of its energy, making every step extremely difficult.

"A deer!"

"It's a male! Look at those antlers! They must be worth over a hundred yuan, right?"

"And the hides! Even though they're spring hides, they should still be worth fifty or sixty yuan, right?"

"There's quite a bit of meat on it, if we caught it..."

Some people are already imagining it.

Seeing the villagers' eagerness, Meng Hai hurriedly shouted, "Don't even think about going into the water! Have you forgotten what happened to Su Qiangqiang the other day? If you go into the water, you might get swept away by the flood, and then no one will be there to save you!"

"It's not deep here, is it? It's not in the middle of the river, it's just a riverbank, it's not that dangerous, is it?" Some people, seeing such a large deer right in front of them, still couldn't resist taking a chance.

"What? You want your kid to be fatherless, is that it?" Meng Hai said fiercely. "Or do you want your wife to be a widow?"

These words were harsh, and the person who had spoken immediately shut up.

But everyone's eyes were fixed on the red deer, watching it struggle its way towards them step by step, forty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters...

Many people were hoping that the deer would run directly to the shore, so they wouldn't have to risk going into the floodwaters.

However, a gust of floodwater carried it far away again. The deer cried out and continued to struggle. It could feel death approaching, its strength almost gone, and it was still far from the shore.

The floodwaters carried it downstream, and debris occasionally bumped against its body, causing it pain but leaving it powerless to do anything about it.

"Screw it, I'm not doing this job anymore, this deer is mine!" Someone finally couldn't hold back and rushed out!
If we manage to bring this male deer ashore, we can earn at least two hundred yuan!

Even if you do this job, it will take more than a hundred days!
It's better to risk everything than to work yourself to death. The deer is right in front of you; it's just a gamble!

This area of ​​water is shallow, unlike the spot where Su Qiangqiang fell into the water that day.

Even if you're a good swimmer, you definitely won't die!

When the others saw the young man rush out, they all regretted not rushing out themselves!
"Zhang Xingwang, how dare you!" Meng Hai never expected that despite his repeated warnings, someone would still risk their life for that money. He sprang up, rushed over, and kicked Zhang Xingwang to the ground.
"You don't want to live, but I have to agree first! Let me tell you, you don't need to work anymore, and you can forget about jumping into the water! If you want to die, go jump into the Ma River yourself, don't be a menace in my team!"

(End of this chapter)