Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Seeing that Li Long was not opposed to asking questions, the girl became bolder and introduced herself:

"My name is Yelaya, and I'm the broadcaster for the animal husbandry team. I want to write a news release about your work on repairing houses and digging wells here. Do you think it's okay?"

"Okay. Where are you sending this manuscript?" Li Long asked as he continued to tie the steel bars down.

"Go to the county radio station." Yelaya said, "The county has been talking to us a lot recently, and we need manuscripts on this topic."

"Okay, just ask whatever you want to ask." Li Long thought it wouldn't interfere with his work anyway, so he just answered casually.

"Are you friends with Halimu and Yushanjiang? How did you become friends?"

Li Long briefly told the story of how he went into the mountains to pull wood and met Harimu. This story was a bit ordinary, so Yelaya simply recorded it and then continued to ask:
"Have there been any special or memorable things that happened between you?"

Li Long thought about it and felt that it was actually quite ordinary. He shook his head. Regarding hunting and exchanging daily necessities for supplies in the mountains, Li Long did not intend to elaborate, but just chatted briefly.

Ye Laya was a little puzzled. If it was so simple, she couldn't understand why Li Long would go to so much trouble to come and repair the houses and dig wells for the two families if it was so simple?

She looked at the old lady next to her.

The old lady looked at the turbid water in the well, her eyes full of hope.

How much time could you save every day if you could use water without leaving home?
For the old lady here, fetching water every day is a very troublesome thing. The river is not far from the village, but the old lady is old after all, and it takes a long time to fetch half a bucket of water to get home. It takes a lot of time to fetch water every day.

If the two young people can dig a well in the yard, it will be more convenient to use water in the future, and their lives will be much better. They will also have more time to do other things.

Ye Laya didn't understand what was going on. When she saw the old lady, she suddenly asked her a question.

The question was asked in the ethnic language and Li Long didn't understand it.

When the old lady heard Ye Laya's words, she lowered her head and thought for a while, then looked at Li Long and said a series of words.

Li Long just heard that Nathan's name seemed to appear among them.

Ye Laya was very excited when she heard this, and immediately made notes in the notebook she brought with her.

Li Long didn't understand why the girl was so excited, but he didn't care. The steel bar had been driven in more than three meters, and it felt much lighter when he applied force under his hands. It should have penetrated the Gobi rock layer. Next, he would try to use the pipe to see if he could press water up. If there is an aquifer under the Gobi rock, then the well is almost done. Now he just needs to test the amount of water below.

Shake the steel bar vigorously to make the hole bigger and wider so that the plastic pipe can go in. The end of the plastic pipe should be tied with a towel, otherwise if a stone is stuck in it, even if it is drilled into the underground river, the water may not be sucked up.

Ye Laya asked the old lady a lot of questions. While the old lady was answering them one by one, Li Long and Tao Daqiang were digging the water pipes down.

Because the hole made by the steel bar was enlarged in advance, it was relatively easy to push the pipe down. When we encountered a difficult place to go down, two people held the pipe and pushed it down together. The plastic pipe is curved, not as straight as the steel bar, so the speed of pushing it down is slower, but it took about ten minutes to push it directly to a position of more than three meters. It couldn't go down any further.

Next, Li Long went to the other end of the pipe and connected the wellhead. He used a towel to wrap the joint tightly to prevent air from leaking. Tao Daqiang went to get a bucket of water and poured it into the wellhead. Li Long immediately pressed it down. Tao Daqiang held the wellhead to prevent it from shaking.

Seeing them operate, Yelaya did not ask any questions but watched nervously. She had used a well pressure pump in school and knew how to use it. Now that she saw the well pressure pumping process with her own eyes, although it was not shocking, she was very nervous and did not know whether water would come out.

Li Long pressed hard and felt that the suction resistance was quite strong. An experienced person could tell from the sound whether there was water underneath. Although it was the first time for Li Long to do well pressure drilling by himself, he was also an experienced person in this area. At least he could tell from the sound that there was indeed water underneath, but because of the air leakage, the water needed greater suction to be sucked up.

It’s good to have a door!

Li Long was very strong, and he pressed the well handle faster and harder, and soon the first stream of water was pushed up. Because the pipe was not buried, it was leaking, and the pipe was not stable after it was pushed down, and the aquifer below did not gather water so quickly, so the first stream of water contained some mud and sand, and the water was very muddy.

Although she had some imagination, Yelaya was still a little disappointed when she saw that the water was not large and was very muddy.

Li Long was quite happy instead. Being able to pump up water meant that the aquifer beneath the Gobi rocks was still rich in water. He immediately increased his strength, and soon, streams of water were pumped up. The water was still turbid, but the amount of water had increased.

"Daqiang, take a ladle, wait a while until the water is clear and taste it." Li Long called to Tao Daqiang. Tao Daqiang immediately let go of his hand, took a ladle and took half a ladle of water and put it aside.

The water pipes used were relatively long, which were prepared for the two wells. According to Li Long's plan, each well would be at most four meters deep, regardless of whether it was saline water or clean water. He and Tao Daqiang were not professional well diggers, so they could only dig this deep at most.

The water level is now over three meters, and it is most likely sweet water from a deep well, which is already very good.

Seeing Li Long stopped, Ye Laya immediately asked:
"Comrade Li Long, I heard from Halim's mother that you left some medicine for Halim and the others. This medicine saved Nathan's life. Do you know about this?"

"I know." Li Long said, "I heard it from Halimu."

"Well...why didn't you say that just now?" Ye Laya was a little puzzled.

"I don't think it's a big deal. In fact, I think with Halim's personality, if there was no medicine at the time, he might have just taken Nathan and ran down the mountain." Li Long said calmly.

"But it really saved Nathan's life." Ye Laya felt that Li Long said this too easily.

"In fact, I suddenly remembered something very important." Li Long said suddenly, "I think you can write about this. At that time, I often went to the mountains. Halimu Yushanjiang said that I couldn't live without a house in the mountains. They used the time before going to the summer pasture in the spring to build a wooden house for me. They treated me as one of their own, so they did this. Now I am doing this, in fact, I think the same as they think. Although we are of different nationalities, we are brothers, we are one family. If our brothers have difficulties at home, we should help them, so it is normal for us to come here to do this."

Li Long's tone was very normal, and he actually said what was in his heart. Halimu gave him the good things in the mountains, Yushanjiang taught him how to hunt, and led people to build a house for him, without thinking about any reward. They treated him as their own, so they did this, and he did this with the same mentality now.

The water was clear, Li Long took a sip, and felt the water was cool and a little sweet. He didn't know if it was because he had tasted salty water before, or if this water was really better. He smiled and said to Tao Daqiang:
"The water is great! That's it, we're done!"

Tao Daqiang was also very happy. He took the ladle from Li Long's hand and took a sip, with a smile on his face.

"Is the water good?" Yelaya asked curiously.

"Very good, very good!" Li Long laughed happily, "We succeeded! Daqiang, come, let's cut the pipe and prepare to dig the well."

Since water is coming out from below, and the amount is not small and the water quality is good, there is no need to find a new place.

It's not that Li Long knows how to find a place, it just means that these days, groundwater resources are still quite abundant, and it's easy to dig a good well. But most of the people in the animal husbandry team are mainly grazing, and they don't even think about digging a well. After all, they are used to living near water and grass, and their ancestors have used river water, stream water and spring water for generations, and they don't know how to dig a well. Now society has just begun to develop, and the familiar things of every village and drinking clean water have not yet become popular. Not to mention here, many Han villages are also drinking water from reservoirs and rivers. If Li Long, the time-space disorder element, hadn't come to the fourth team, the settlement would still use the kind of well shared by four or five families. It would be two years before each family would use a cellar well, and it would be a few years before it became a pressurized well, but that was in the 1990s.

Therefore, groundwater resources are now really abundant, and it is normal to drill wells at will.

Digging a hole is not easy, but filling it with soil is much easier. Fill the soil in, tamp it down, and build up the manhole frame - Li Long and Tao Daqiang spent a lot of effort nearby, and under Ye Laya's guidance, they found a pile of half bricks and stones and built them up. Li Long also regretted not bringing cement, so for the time being he could only build it up and support it firmly. It can still be used for a while, and when he comes back later, he will use cement mixed with sand to apply it, and it will be solid by then.

"Tell the old lady not to use it now. Let's try it before we leave in the afternoon. Clean water should be available tomorrow." Li Long told Ye Laya and asked Ye Laya to tell the old lady.

The old lady nodded repeatedly. In just two hours, a well was dug. She saw the water coming out of the well with her own eyes. Although it was still turbid now, Li Long said that since it would be clear later, it would definitely be clear.

Li Long poured out the water in the ladle, and then slowly squeezed out another ladleful of water.

"Let the old lady taste it later. The water is very good." Li Long said to Ye Laya.

"Okay, okay." Yelaya was also full of anticipation, she also wanted to try it.

"Okay, let's go. We also need to dig a well in Yushanjiang's yard." Li Long is now full of confidence. If there is no problem with the first well, he believes that there will be no problem with the second well as well.

Arriving at Yushanjiang's yard, Li Long found that the mud here had been mixed. Others were clearing the weeds and garbage on the roof, and some were plastering the wall. The work was slow yesterday because I was unfamiliar with it, and there was a bit of confusion when I started preparing. Now I am familiar with it, and although there are two less people, I can work much faster. The pilaf on the temporary stove outside is already simmering, and the aroma is already coming out.

Keep digging the well.

Yu Shanjiang's wife was pouring water for a few people. When she saw Li Long and the others coming, she smiled and continued with her own work.

Just dig, it's easy.

Near the corner of the wall, Li Long and Tao Daqiang removed the weeds and started digging. Yushanjiang's wife came over and said something, but Li Long couldn't understand it. He gestured and pointed at the water. He thought that Ye Laya would come over later and could translate for him.

However, Li Long also decided that he must learn how to have ordinary conversations this year, otherwise it would be too troublesome.

It can’t be too difficult, right?
If only it were as easy as digging a well.

Li Long thought to himself that digging a well was indeed simple. He had just dug a well and was in high spirits. He dug a hole, put in steel bars, and then lowered the pipe.

When the tube reached the end and had not yet started to absorb water, Yushanjiang's wife called everyone to eat.

The pilaf is cooked.

A large pot of pilaf, scooped up with a spatula, underneath were large chunks of mutton bones with meat. The carrots had become soft and sticky, and the skin sprouts that were visible when cooking at the beginning had melted and were almost invisible.

Yushanjiang's wife also made a pot of brick tea, which could help relieve the greasiness of the pilaf.

When the children came back from school, not only Yerjiang and Ganagul, but also Nasen and Sasken were there, they were also very happy.

The pilaf is very fragrant. Although there is not as much meat as yesterday, the rice is soaked in oil and every grain is chewy and delicious.

Each person carried an enamel basin and would sit or squat while looking for a place to eat. It was tiring but also very happy.

Ye Laya came over, and Yushanjiang's wife also served her a bowl of pilaf. Ye Laya blushed and refused, but in the end she couldn't refuse. Li Long asked her to explain the well to Yushanjiang's wife. After Ye Laya finished speaking, she told Li Long that she would send the manuscript to the county, and maybe to the state.

Li Long's wildlife breeding was reported in the state newspaper, so he didn't care. When he heard Ye Laya's words, he just nodded. Being in the newspaper was not a big deal. It wasn't the first time anyway.

While working in the afternoon, Yelaya took a few more photos. She said that this camera was given to her by her teacher and she planned to take these photos to keep as documentation.

She didn't know, and Li Long wouldn't have thought, that it was this casual action that elevated Li Long's behavior over the past two days by several degrees and dimensions.

After eating pilaf, rest for half an hour and then continue working.

Because Li Long and Tao Daqiang had to dig a well, the others had to share more of the work. But because they were more skilled today than yesterday, Yu Shanjiang's wife was also helping, and the two children did not have classes in the afternoon and also joined in, so the progress was not much slower than yesterday.

After the well was dug, it was built with bricks and stones, just like Halim's house. Yelaya told Yushanjiang's wife not to use it hard for the next two days. He would come back in two days to build it with cement.

After Yelaya finished translating, she left. She had accumulated enough material and needed to write it up and send it to the county as soon as possible.

Yelaya thinks this is a very good subject and should be able to be published, right?

She heard that the county radio station needed to recruit people, and she also wanted to write more, and it would be best if she could write for the county station.

After all, there is such a precedent in the county.

Who doesn’t want to make progress?

When the sun was about to set in the afternoon, the work in the Yushan Jiang family's yard was completed. Although it was not yet brand new, it had completely changed its appearance.

Even Yushanjiang's wife sighed as she looked at her own yard.

It's really different.

Li Long then pressed the well pressure again, and water came out quickly. Although it was a little turbid, it was much better than at noon.

"There will be clean water tomorrow," Li Long said with a smile. "We don't have to go to the river to fetch water tomorrow. Okay, we're leaving."

After loading the tools onto the car and waiting for everyone to get in, Li Long started the tractor and drove away from Yushanjiang's home towards Halimu.

The old lady was guarding by the well. When she saw Li Long coming, she stood up excitedly.

Li Long got off the tractor and went to the side of the well. He used the water in the ladle as a primer, sealed it, pressed a few times, and the water came out.

The water was very clear. Li Long took a scoop and tasted it. It was very good. He felt that it was even better than the water in his own yard.

He poured out the water and took another ladleful for the old lady. The old lady tasted it with a smile and then took another big sip.

This water is so good!
Li Long waved to the old lady, then got on the tractor and drove to the county.

"We'll go to the cafeteria to eat mixed noodles tonight, and then go home." Li Long said, "Tell them in advance to get some extra noodles, so they won't be out of stock."

We are all big-bellied men, so this matter really needs to be told in advance, otherwise, the noodles won’t be cooked in time and the dishes will get cold and won’t taste good.

Everyone was very happy to hear that Li Long was treating us to mixed noodles. Although we were tired from working these two days, we ate well. We had hand-pulled meat, rice, and mixed noodles in the cafeteria. This was much better than working at home.

After all, few of those in the truck can eat out often - even people like Jia Weidong and Liang Laoer may not be able to eat out once or twice a year.

There were quite a few people in the cafeteria at night. They had originally wanted to occupy a round table, but now that there were people there, they had to disperse. Li Long went to pay for the meal and pointed to the people on his side to the waiter.

There are a lot of people, so few people eat mixed noodles in the evening, and even fewer people eat mixed noodles with oil and meat, because it is the same dish, cooked in the same pot, and the noodles come quite quickly.

Everyone was in a hurry to go home and ate quickly. It was almost dark when they finished eating. Li Long turned on the tractor headlights and drove towards the team.

There were almost no pedestrians on the road, and the wind was blowing, but it was not cold. Li Long could clearly feel that the wind near the county town was hot, but when he left the county town and there were fewer people, the wind coming from the ditches on both sides of the road became cooler and quite comfortable.

At this time, the county radio station had already received Yelaya's manuscript. The editor who received the manuscript attached great importance to it and, after a simple revision, broadcast it through the announcer.

A reporter from a certain TV station who was on a business trip and passing through Ma County on his way to an interview in Yili further northwest was listening to the radio in the guesthouse and heard this article.

After listening to it, he thought about it, discussed it with his colleagues, and changed his itinerary.

At this time, Li Long had just sent all the people away. Seeing that it was not too late, he drove his tractor back to the county.

It was past eleven at this time. The lights in the yard were still on. When Gu Xiaoxia heard the tractor sound outside the gate, she finally let go of her worries. (End of this chapter)