The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Yang Dalin wasn't excited about the delicious fish soup that was about to be served, but his colleague from the security department was.

He was young, named Jiang Hongjun, only three years older than Yang Dalin, not yet twenty, and at the age where he loved to play. He had only been working for a little over a year, and his family's financial situation was average. He came out this time hoping to go to the grasslands and get some meat to eat.

Normally, their earnings are far less than those of the drivers.

How could I not be excited to have free fish soup?

Jiang Hongjun grabbed a small knife and ran towards them as fast as he could.

By the time Jiang Hongjun arrived, Yang Dalin had caught another large crucian carp.

Jiang Hongjun asked, "Dalinzi, are the fish this easy to catch here in winter?"

Yang Dalin told him, "Brother Hongjun, it might be related to the fact that people here don't eat much fish."

Influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, they believe that fish are the embodiment of gods and therefore do not eat fish.

So there are a lot of fish inside, making it easy to catch them.

Jiang Hongjun cleaned the fish quite efficiently, his hands unfazed by the cold, all for the sake of a good meal. As he cleaned, he said, "Not bad, Dalinzi knows a lot."

Yang Dalin modestly said, "Hey, before I came, I asked a knowledgeable neighbor a few questions."

My master told me that there are many taboos among the Mongolians here, so I asked a lot of neighbors who had visited before.

That way, we can avoid getting into trouble.

Jiang Hongjun nodded: "Yes, that's what our section chief meant by 'never fight a battle unprepared'."

"How are we going to prepare this fish, Da Linzi?"

Yang Dalin turned his head to look at the fire and said, "Brother Hongjun, wait a moment, I'll catch a few more. We'll make a soup with some crucian carp, and we'll grill one of the bigger fish for each of us."

I also brought seasonings, I guarantee you'll enjoy your meal.

Jiang Hongjun was very pleased to hear that Yang Dalin had made thorough preparations.

There was no rush to go back to warm up by the fire. The plan was that Yang Dalin would catch one fish and he would clean it. Even though Yang Dalin caught a lot of fish quickly, Jiang Hongjun couldn't bear to throw away the fish scraps.

Yang Dalin thought he could keep it; he could stir-fry some fish offal for dinner.

Let's keep it then.

Soon, Yang Dalin caught more than a dozen fish.

The team leader and Brother Tian came over, and Yang Dalin was even preparing to get ready to cook a delicious meal for everyone.

The team leader looked at the catch: "Great job, Dalinzi, you're quite skilled. Let's go fish. Why don't you fish a little longer?"

Let's catch more fish so we can have them for dinner.

Fishing at night is inconvenient.

Yang Dalin thought it was a good idea and told Brother Tian that there were several small bottles and jars with seasonings in a small bag in his cab, and asked Brother Tian to take them over and use them.

Otherwise, Yang Dalin wouldn't believe that these rough men could cook fish so well.

After they left, Yang Dalin decided to fish at his leisure, preparing to eat the catch later.

Moreover, if you catch a relatively large fish, you can put it in your spatial storage. You can throw one out of the ice and store it in your spatial storage.

After catching a dozen or so more fish, Yang Dalin finally went back.

When Yang Dalin returned, he found that the fish soup was already simmering, and the others were each grilling a fish. Tian Xueyi had two fish grilling, and he must have had one of them, probably the biggest one.

It seems everyone knows the truth: Da Linzi caught this fish himself, so it's already generous of him to treat everyone to a meal. The biggest credit should go to Da Linzi.

And he is the youngest.

This group of colleagues are all men, and we get along quite well, so there's not much trouble between us.

Unlike many student groups or groups of women who come out, they are not scheming.

If there are people who don't fit in, the team leader will let them into the team, otherwise it will be troublesome if something happens on the road.

Yang Dalin noticed that not much of his seasoning had been used; everyone had only used a little salt.

Yang Dalin took the fish, asked everyone what they liked, and when everyone had almost finished grilling, he sprinkled some chili powder and cumin powder on them, and added some salt. Goodness, everyone ate it with great relish.

After everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, fill each person's kettle with boiled water and extinguish the fire with soil to prevent a fire.

Then everyone continued on their way.

In the afternoon, Yang Dalin spotted some herders grazing in the distance. There wasn't much snow on the grasslands this year, and the sheep were grazing on dry grass where there was no snow.

Yang Dalin had sharp eyesight and spotted a few lone wolves from afar, but he didn't bother to attack them.

Tian Xueyi told him that a pack of wolves might come at night, and that he shouldn't worry about the lone wolves that were far away.

As evening fell, the convoy failed to reach another inhabited gathering point, so they had to pitch tents and stay in the wild for the night.

The convoy first stopped in a sheltered spot with a river in the background.

Eight vehicles surrounded the tent in the middle, forming a circle that could both block the wind and provide a safety barrier.

Dried cow dung was also prepared in all four corners of the tent.

One of the fires in the corner was lit, and the other three were lit when the night watch was over.

There will definitely be people on night shift tonight, with priority given to the four security personnel.

Each of them works a two-and-a-half-hour shift, and they also have to work with four drivers, so that most of the drivers can get a good rest.

They would take turns doing it the next day.

Yang Dalin remembered what he had prepared in advance, told everyone about it, picked up a bag and took a few wooden sticks that had been prepared in the car, and went outside.

The team leader and the squad leader of the security department followed him to make arrangements.

This was something Yang Dalin came up with on a whim before he arrived.

It is said that if you stay in the wild at night, you will inevitably encounter wild animals, especially wolves, which may attack you.

Yang Dalin then bought a few small bells and some ropes to take with him.

If we set these up around the vehicles at night, we can create an extra line of guard.

Wolves are indeed intelligent, but can they be more intelligent than humans?

If they dare to attack at night, as soon as they touch the rope, which has a bell attached, the sound of the bell will immediately alert the night watchman.

The person on night watch will wake up the people in the tents as needed.

That would make everyone much safer and give them more time to prepare.

The team leader watched Yang Dalin setting up the bells and said with satisfaction, "Dalinzi, if you had been born in a time of war, you would definitely have been a great fighter."

My mind is working so fast! With your plan, I can really sleep soundly tonight.

The security team leader also said, "Yes, we used to be roughnecks. We never expected that this simple arrangement would save us so much trouble."

Look, Dalinzi was afraid the person on night duty wouldn't hear him, so he led two ropes with two bells all the way to the fire next to the tent where the guards were on duty.

Dalinzi, you're really something, kid. Why don't you transfer to our security department?

Our section chief really likes you; he'll definitely mentor you when you arrive.

The team leader kicked the security squad leader in the backside: "Get lost, you're delusional."

Dalinzi is staying in our convoy; he's not going anywhere else.

"Are you in the security department envious of our convoy's many achievements, especially Da Linzi? You're not just trying to poach people, you're trying to dig up my grave! Get out of here, go set up your sentry posts!"

The security team leader knew the other party was joking, so he wasn't angry. As he ran away, he shouted, "Dalinzi, think about it."

Brother, I'm waiting for your letter.

Look at your captain, how rude! Like a rooster that lost a fight over a hen. Ouch, you're kicking me again? Kick me again and I'll hit you back!

Yang Dalin watched as the two captains left, bickering and joking.

Yang Dalin was focused on setting up the bells, not because he was being cautious, but because he had a premonition that, given his unlucky nature, a pack of wolves might actually come that night.