Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

"Boss Li, I thought you weren't coming." The man carrying the bag said with a smile.

"I thought you would gather the Fritillaria, dry them somewhere, and then sell them down the mountain." Li Long parked the tractor and got off the car and said, "The Fritillaria season is almost over."

"Well, it's been just these two days." The man said, "The Fritillaria in some places has bloomed."

Li Long didn't expect that the Fritillaria would bloom so soon. It seems that this Fritillaria season is really coming to an end.

But no matter how you look at it, he has made enough.

He weighed the Fritillaria for the man, and it was 17.5 kilograms. Li Long calculated it as 18 kilograms, and then gave him 54 yuan. The man happily took the money and left. Li Long knew that this should be the last time this man would come to sell Fritillaria to him this year. The next time he dug Fritillaria, he would probably go directly to the county.

Li Long washed the Fritillaria in the basin with the spring water, swept the dust off the wooden floor with a big broom, and left the Fritillaria there to dry in the sun.

There weren't many things left in the cabin, and Li Long had no plans to replenish them. He would exchange as much as he could, and if there was nothing left, he would just pay for it. He would put the remaining rice and flour here, and he would definitely come back to the mountains later, so he would just keep it as a backup.

Not wanting to cook at noon, Li Long set up the stove in the wooden house and prepared to bake the buns he brought with him for a meal.

When the fire started, two people came to sell Fritillaria. They didn't bring many Fritillaria, about seven or eight kilograms each. Li Long guessed that they came here for emergency and they must have Fritillaria drying somewhere else.

After weighing the Fritillaria and paying for it, Li Long washed and dried the other buns again. The fire was already on, so he put two buns under the furnace to roast and put a pot on top to boil water.

When the buns were ready, Li Long put them in an enamel plate and baked two more buns. He sat on the doorstep and started eating.

Don't have a flavor.

In the distance, two people walked out of the woods in the south. Li Long looked very familiar with them.

Li Zhengtang and Li Zhengting.

It has been a few days since Li Long last saw the two brothers. He originally thought that they would stockpile some Fritillaria, find a suitable place in the mountains to dry them, and then sell them at the purchasing station after the Fritillaria season was over.

After all, the price given by the purchasing station is much higher.

When these two people came over, each of them was carrying a bag on their backs and holding a bag in their hands. It seemed that they had gained a lot.

The two of them slowly walked to the front of the wooden house. Li Long raised the buns in his hand and asked:

"Have you eaten yet?"

"I ate it, I ate it." Li Zhengtang said with a smile:

"Boss Li, we just came here yesterday and didn't see you."

"I'm in Xiaobaiyanggou in the east. My team is carrying the bags and loading them onto the truck." Li Long explained. "So, you guys are planning to leave the mountain?"

"It's out." Li Zhengtang nodded and said:

"We have almost dug up all the Fritillaria near the cave where we live. Some have already bloomed. We plan to go back now. We won't care about the rest."

"Yes, it's time to get out of the mountains. It has not been easy for you over the past month." Li Long stood up and asked:
"Are you leaving now or are you going to rest here?"

"Take a break. Go ask Boss Li for a bowl of water. We still have two bags of Fritillaria here. If Boss Li doesn't mind, we'll sell them to you."

Li Long was a little surprised. He thought the two would take Fritillaria to the county. After all, there had been precedents.

"Okay." Since the other party wants to sell it, he will naturally buy it.

"We dried some of them in the sun, so they are half-dry." Li Zhengting explained, and Li Zhengtang pulled him.

Li Long opened their bag, reached in, grabbed a handful and took it out to look at it.

The Fritillaria were not washed, but there were indeed some semi-dried ones and quite a few fresh ones.

"That's right, I'll charge you six dollars per kilogram." Li Long said, "It's not easy."

He looked at the other bag of mother-of-pearl; they were all similar.

Li Long went to get a scale to weigh the two bags of Fritillaria, and found that they weighed more than 47 kilograms. Based on 48 kilograms, the total price was 288 yuan. They divided it equally between the two of them, and each of them got 144 yuan.

Li Long poured the Fritillaria from the bag into a large basin, stirred it with his hands, and found that the quality was the same. It seemed that the two brothers had really changed.

Li Long put the Fritillaria basin aside. The water in the room boiled. He poured hot tea for the two people in two enamel basins and gave each person a baked meat bun.

"Eat. We still have a long way to go out of the mountain. It would be better to have some hot food in your stomach."

The two of them were no longer polite and took the buns and started eating.

Ten minutes later, Li Zhengtang and Li Zhengting walked towards the north mountain. Each of them was carrying a small bag with their daily necessities in it, and even their bedding was thrown into the mountain.

Li Long didn't ask specifically how they planned to spend the evening.

After lunch, Li Long simply washed the Fritillaria. He estimated that the 48 kilograms of Fritillaria would yield a lot of dried Fritillaria.

In the afternoon, people came to sell Fritillaria. Most of them, like Li Zhengtang and his brother, left the mountain after selling. Some sold Fritillaria, took the money, exchanged for supplies and went back into the mountain. Li Long wondered if they were going to dig Codonopsis after digging Fritillaria.
When the sun was about to set, Li Long saw Wu Benzhong.

The acquaintance hurried towards the cabin as if someone was chasing him.

"Boss Li, luckily you're here!" Wu Benzhong panted, "I was scared to death!"

"What's wrong?" Li Long stood up and asked.

"Bear, damn, when I was digging for Fritillaria, I ran into a bear! A brown bear!"

"How big is it?" Li Long became interested when he heard there was a bear. He stood up with his gun and asked:
"Which ditch? Which position?"

Although he didn't know the area very well, Li Long felt that he could still find it as long as Wu Benzhong pointed out the approximate location.

Logically speaking, the brown bear should be active in the deep mountains at this time, so why would it run to the outside mountains?

"Do you know Mr. Li, the grove with hot springs?" Wu Benzhong calmed down and said:
"It's just southeast of the hot spring ditch. Wild boars often appear in that ditch..."

As he spoke, he gestured the distance, and Li Long quickly confirmed that this was the ditch where he had previously discovered the two-headed deer.
His heart moved, and he asked again:
"Old Wu, how tall and big is that brown bear?"

"About the same height as me?" Wu Benzhong thought for a moment and said, "But it's pretty fierce. It broke a pine tree as thick as my arm with one claw! I was scared when I saw it, so I ran away quickly. It chased me at first, but I don't know why it stopped later. Otherwise, I don't think I would have been able to escape!"

Li Long poured a bowl of water for Wu Benzhong and asked:
"Have you eaten yet?"

"I had a quick meal at noon. I've used up most of my energy after running just now."

"Are you going to go into the woods?"

"No, no, no." Wu Benzhong shook his head. "I'm here to make money, but I don't want to risk my life here."

Li Long gave him a cold steamed bun and said:
"Take a bite? Or wait for me to grill it for you?"

"Let's grill it." Wu Benzhong didn't take the buns, but smiled and said, "It's so hard to have a hot meal here, so it's better to grill it."

Li Long took two buns and put them under the stove to bake. Wu Benzhong also asked Li Long to weigh the Fritillaria he brought.

Most of these Fritillaria were fresh, and a small part was a little dry. Li Long weighed them and found that they were more than 14 kilograms but less than 15 kilograms, so he calculated the price at five yuan.

Wu Benzhong didn't expect Li Long to raise the price for him. He was quite moved when he received the 75 yuan.

"Are you going out of the mountain tonight, or staying in my shed?" The sun was about to set, and Li Long knew that if Wu Benzhong left, it might be dark when he left the mountain. It was still a long way from here to Qingshuihezi, and if he really encountered a wolf on the way, he probably wouldn't be able to fight it with his small body. "If you don't mind, I'll stay in your shed for one night." Wu Benzhong was not polite. This was a matter of life and death, and he would not joke about his own life.

"Okay, go and lay the grass yourself. There's grass. You can light a fire next to it. Just don't burn down my shed." Li Long pointed to where Liu Shanmin lived in the shed and said:

"I'll go wash the Fritillaria."

"Okay. You cook tonight, right? I'll go pick some mushrooms after I'm done. How about we stir-fry some mushrooms?" Wu Benzhong took the initiative to take the job.

"Okay. There's some wild celery here. Let's stir-fry it together later." Li Long ate most of the buns he brought. He didn't plan to eat any more in the evening. He planned to have some pancakes instead.

In fact, if there is enough time, Li Long still hopes to steam the buns. He still doesn't like to eat food with unpaste.
But now there is obviously no choice, as long as it is edible, there is no need to be so particular.

Wu Benzhong quickly spread out his simple blanket on the grass in the shed, and then got some firewood to light a fire nearby. Seeing Li Long lighting the stove outside to prepare pancakes, he said hello and went to pick mushrooms nearby.

Li Long kneaded the dough and put it there, covered it with a cloth, and went to the waterside to get some wild celery. This thing still needs to be fried with meat, and a lot of oil, and it also requires skills, and it can't be fried for a long time, otherwise it will be a bit like hairy celery and be fried into ropes.

When Li Long was done, Wu Benzhong also came back with a large bag of mushrooms in his clothes. While washing the mushrooms, he said to Li Long with emotion:

"If we had such good resources in our hometown, we wouldn't come out. There's no way we can finish eating all the food. There's so much wood in the mountains, and there's even more things that can be sold... Alas."

Li Long smiled and didn't respond. Every place has its advantages and disadvantages. Thirty years ago, many people in the mainland still regarded this area of ​​northern Xinjiang as a cold and bitter Gobi desert. It was only after forty years, when more people came to travel, that this misunderstanding was gradually resolved.

Of course, this is also related to the propaganda of some departments.

Both of them moved quickly, and the meal was ready soon. Wu Benzhong went to get a stool, and the two of them sat at the table to eat, chatting as they ate. The sun had already set, and the sunset glowed red and then faded.

"Tomorrow will be a good day. I will leave at dawn." Wu Benzhong said while eating.
"Go to the county and buy a ticket to Wucheng. I will arrive in Wucheng today. If I can buy a ticket back home today, I will leave directly."

"You really are eager to go home."

"Alas, I miss home after being out for so long. In fact, I miss leaving after staying for only a few days. It's not easy to survive here, but back home..."

After the two men finished eating and cleaning up, Li Long went into the house and beat Wu Benzhong with a stick, then said to him:
"Put less firewood on your fire each time, and it's best not to let it go out. If there's a fire, wolves will come over at night and won't dare to look for you. Be alert when you sleep, and call me in time if anything happens. Oh, and you can use those handles in the shed to block the door, which can also help."

Wu Benzhong followed suit and quickly blocked the door of the shed with a handle.

Quite beautiful.

Li Long had already put away the Fritillaria. He locked the door of the small room, poured an enamel tray of water into Wu Benzhong's room, and then went into the wooden house to sleep.

The next day, when Li Long got up, it was already daybreak. When he went out to drain the water, he saw that no one was in the shed and the enamel basin was placed by the door. He thought Wu Benzhong had left at dawn.

It’s better to leave. This season’s planting is over and it’s time to go back.

Li Long didn't feel reluctant to leave. It was normal for people to come and go.

After filling the toilet at the back with water, Li Long came back and lit the stove to boil water. He also lit the stove outside. He planned to go to the place Wu Benzhong mentioned today. The brown bear was not big, and should be a minor. At that time, it might be because it was similar in size to Wu Benzhong, and there were other things attracting it, so he did not chase it.

But since they had come to the outer mountain, Li Long guessed that this guy would not run back to the inner mountain in a short time. It was possible that he had secretly run away from the adult bear or lost it.

If I can defeat this bear, then the first half of this year will be quite fulfilling.

In the morning, he baked and ate the remaining two buns. Then Li Long packed up his gun, loaded it with bullets, and put on his shoulder bag.

He took out the knife he usually carried with him and checked it. He wiped the blade with his thumb and found it was very sharp, so he inserted it back in.

After everything was ready, Li Long locked the door and walked into the mountains.

Now it is not important whether or not you can get Fritillaria or how much you can get. The Fritillaria season is coming to an end, and many people should be planning to bring Fritillaria to the county or even back home. After all, this is also a very good medicinal material. Cough is a common disease even in the last forty years, and it is very troublesome. Although this thing is not as famous and effective as Sichuan Fritillaria, it is still wild and effective.

The temperature had risen, but there was still dew on the grass. Li Long tried to walk to places with less grass to avoid getting his pants soaked before he even entered the woods.

Although it was not long after dawn, the original owners of the forest had already finished their initial foraging activities and were preparing to return to their nests. Li Long could hear the calls of grouse, pheasants and other birds in the pine forest. No wonder they say that the early bird catches the worm.

It's really early to get up.

Arriving at the Hot Spring Valley, Li Long crossed here and headed to the place where he found the two-headed deer.

In the distance there was a faint cry of deer, the sound was extremely long, but because it echoed through the valley, no one knew where it was coming from.

Li Long had already picked up his gun when he entered the valley. If he really encountered something, he could still respond in time with the gun in his hand.

There is a lot of wild animal droppings and hoof prints in the valley, which seem to have been made recently. The grass here is lush, but there are not many Fritillaria. There are few people here, so wild animals like it more.

Of course, the main reason is that there are some wild fruit trees growing in the valley from time to time, and there are also many plants such as wild strawberries in the grass on the ground. Only when there is food can wild animals be attracted.

Li Long walked along the narrow path halfway up the mountain, looking around vigilantly. The path was still some distance from the pine forest, so even if a bear really came out, he would be able to respond in time.

Soon, Li Long reached the middle of the valley. This place was relatively wet, and you could see water seeping from the mountain, but not much, not enough to form a stream. It just wet the grass.

There were huge claw marks on the path. Li Long guessed that it should be from a bear?
He moved his index finger and released the safety of the gun.

Pull the bolt to load the bullet into the chamber, and you cannot be careless at all at this time.

Because the land in front was moist and fertile, the grass grew taller, and the narrow path that was originally vaguely visible was covered by the grass. Li Long couldn't even see the end of it.

There is enough fertile soil and water, and it is not within the range of herdsmen's grass cutting. The grass here grows wildly and crazily.

It wasn't like this the last time I came here.

Some of these grasses even have bright flowers blooming more than one meter above the ground, which is very strange.

Li Long hesitated for a moment and didn't think about moving forward. It was hard to say what was in the grass. Ordinary wild animals were fine, but if there was a snake, he would have to be careful. He didn't want to have his calf amputated like Qiu Chunlei.

Then there is no need to live.

Just as Li Long was hesitating, a sound came from the bushes in front. Li Long took a few steps back, leaving enough time to react. He guessed that it might be one or several wild boars.

After all, among the wild animals of this weight class in this forest, this thing should be the most numerous.

After all, they are very fertile. Ordinary wild animals, whether bears, wolves, deer or lynxes, usually only give birth to one or two babies at a time.

This guy can give birth to five, six, seven, eight, or even more than nine cubs in one litter.

In the videos I saw in my previous life, and in the hunts in this life, I can see more than a dozen big wild boars, leading a group of more than ten, twenty, or even thirty small wild boars.

With this growth rate, it is no wonder that it became the first to be removed from the list of “three-protected” wild animals.

If so, Li Long thought about shooting one down first, as he couldn't just run away empty-handed.

The grass branches were shaking more and more violently. Li Long took a few steps back. He was worried that if too many things rushed out and there was not enough buffer, he would be swept in, so he had to leave enough space.

It is more than thirty meters from here to the bushes. With my current marksmanship, it is enough to hit it.

Finally, the grass on the outermost edge moved, and a small animal rushed out from inside. It was very panicked, its steps were disorderly, and its body was tilted and covered in blood.

This is a wounded fawn.

Li Long's hand was already on the trigger, hesitating whether to shoot.

Then, a huge figure appeared from behind the little deer. (End of this chapter)