Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

As it got dark, Li Long and Li Jianguo, who had just finished dinner, smeared wind oil on their bodies to ward off mosquitoes. It was already cold in the evening of August, so both of them put on their coats and walked to the melon field.

Driving a tractor at night makes too much noise, and riding a bicycle makes it difficult to see the road clearly, so it is better to walk.

Li Qingxia wanted to come over, but Li Long persuaded him to come. It was late at night and he couldn't see the road clearly. If he missed a step or fell, it would be troublesome.

So Li Jianguo and Li Long agreed to let him stay at home and just look after the house. Besides, school hasn't started yet, and there is a color TV in Li Qingxia's room. Many children follow their parents to watch TV in the room, and it won't work if no one is watching.

Without their owners watching, the kids dared to change the channels on the TV. After all, there are always naughty kids. There were more people poking hornets' nests and stealing bird eggs than in later generations. Basically, any sparrow nest that appeared in the field of vision was not spared. Li Qiang had robbed several sparrow nests.

There were even children who were naughty enough to destroy swallows' nests - of course, the result was a beating by their parents.

Swallows flying into the house is a good sign. Some people, when building a new house, leave the windows open specifically to let the swallows in.

There were few street lights in the village at that time, and when it got dark, you couldn't see anything from a distance, so Li Jianguo and Li Long went to the fields with flashlights after dark so that no one could find them.

Li Long judged that they would not stay in the field for too long. The naughty kids would steal melons at most around 11 or 12 o'clock at night, and it couldn't be any later. After all, it was impossible to get them up in the middle of the night, and if the family found out that they were gone in the middle of the night, they would really mobilize the neighbors to look for them. No matter what they did, they would be beaten up first.

So the children usually can only run to the melon field before going to bed.

"There have been several days in a row where there have been cut open melons every day, so this kid will definitely come tonight." Li Jianguo judged, "After we catch him, don't do anything. Find out which family he belongs to and let him go back and tell his family. Then the adults should understand what's going on."

After Li Jianguo said this, Li Long also understood.

No child wants to be taught a lesson by others. No matter how big the mistake is, you should pay the money and apologize, but you can't let others bully you.

Whether you use a belt or a stick to discipline your child behind closed doors is your own family’s business, but outside, adults will usually protect their children.

Most parents have this mentality, so Li Jianguo said this.

"Don't worry, big brother. At most we'll catch them and confirm the person." Li Long said. In fact, he also knew that if the person was really confirmed, as long as the parents were reasonable, they would be more cruel to the child than outsiders.

After all, everyone wants their children to grow up and not grow crooked. This kind of thing that destroys crops is a big mistake for any farmer.

The two men looked at the road in the dark, chatting in low voices until they arrived at the field.

Although it was hot during the day, at night when you left the village, a cool breeze blew from the fields. It was either cold or cool.

The Beginning of Autumn has passed. Although there is no dew in the mornings and evenings, it is no longer as comfortable as in June and July.

When they got to the field, Li Long was delighted and said with a smile:
"Brother, the temperature is low and there are basically no mosquitoes. That's a good thing."

"Well, you stay at the edge of the field, I'll go inside. Our field is diagonally opposite the old farm, if someone comes over there, we can see them at a glance."

"I'll go forward too. If someone really comes today, we'll catch him after we get into the ground."

"Okay." Li Jianguo walked towards the field.

On one side of the melon field was a wheat field that had been harvested and plowed, and on the other side was a corn field, where the corn stalks were relatively high, and that was where the trouble came from. Once someone got into the corn field, it would be really hard to find them.

However, Li Long and his men were good at hiding. They hid in the cornfield and the melon thieves could not see them at all.

Li Long came out after staying in the cornfield for two minutes. It was cool outside and there were no mosquitoes. The cornfield was not very breathable, so the temperature was relatively high and there were many mosquitoes. As soon as he went in, he was surrounded by mosquitoes.

The ridges in the melon field are covered with melons. According to Professor Wu's instructions, there are about two to three thousand seedlings to one acre of land, and there are two to three melons on each seedling, which means there are about four to five thousand melons to one acre of land.

Unlike watermelons, which are round in shape, there is only one kind of melon, which is round. However, the flesh of the ripe melon is different, with yellow flesh, pink flesh, and light green flesh. The taste is not as sweet as watermelon, and it feels a bit greasy when pinched in the hand.

The melons were not ripe yet, so Li Long had no intention of picking them. Seeing that his elder brother had already hidden in the field, he turned and went into the cornfield, found a corn stalk that had no cobs and a thin stalk, broke it off from the root and took it out.

Li Long peeled the skin of the corn stalks and removed the tips. Then he found a place with taller grass between the two fields and sat down. He began to chew the corn stalks like sugarcane.

There are very few snacks available in the countryside at this time. Watermelon is one, but it is impossible to eat it every day. Corn stalks are one, but you need to find something sweet.

Normally, corn stalks that produce large cobs are not sweet, but corn stalks that have no cobs, grow later and are tenderer are relatively sweeter.

After the corn is picked, the stalks are cut and brought home to be used for firewood next year. In the winter, some children will look for those stalks that are not completely dry from the pile of corn stalks and chew on them.

At this time, if the stems are still green, they will taste a bit sweet.

In winter, there are even fewer snacks. To be honest, this thing is not very delicious, and the skin is easy to prick your mouth.

But it’s better to have it than not.

Even people eat the choking sand dates, let alone this?

Li Long followed two sections of a corn stalk and heard a rustling sound in the cornfield. This was the sound of leaves rubbing against the cornfield when people passed by.

He dropped the pole to the ground and looked in the direction of the sound.

As soon as this kid enters the melon field and prepares to take action, Li Long is ready to rush out and give him a good lesson!
A short shadow emerged from the cornfield, looked around, and seemed quite alert.

He was only about ten meters away from Li Long, but because of the grass, his vision was limited and he could not see anything. Then he crouched down and went into the melon field.

Hey, you even know how to use tactical moves.

Li Long was just about to take action when he suddenly found another person coming out from the cornfield.

Two!
No wonder so many melons were harmed, it turns out there was more than one!
The one who entered the field first was relatively shorter. After entering, he waved to the people behind him, asking them to come in quickly. Then he touched the melons in the field. He touched one, felt dissatisfied, and then touched another one.

The one behind was slightly taller and his movements were a little nervous. Li Long felt that this figure was familiar. The one in front was already holding a knife and ready to make an opening, but the one behind hadn't entered the ground yet. Li Long was a little anxious.

"I opened 20 or 30 holes for picking melons, but none of them tasted good. I just don't believe it. I really can't find a good melon."

The one in front was opening the hole for the melon while talking, and he didn't forget to call out to the one behind him:
"Tietou, hurry up! If you keep dawdling like this, we'll get scolded when we go back!"

Hey! The one behind is actually Lu Tietou! The one who lives opposite Li Jianguo!

Li Long was almost happy. This time he didn't have to catch anyone. He could just go to Lu's house to find him.

The voice in front is a little unfamiliar, but it doesn’t matter. The one in front is the mastermind and the one behind is the accomplice. Even if we can’t catch him today, we know who is the leader.

Li Long saw Lu Tietou squatting down shyly, picked up a melon at random, and when he was about to cut it with a knife, he suddenly stood up and roared:
"What are you doing? Stop it!"

Li Long had already rushed out when he roared. His target was the short guy. He wanted to pin him down and see who he was.

This was Lu Tietou's first time coming here. He was already feeling guilty, and after being yelled at by Li Long, he sat down on the ground with his face turned pale with fright.

The little man was an old hand. When he heard Li Long's shout, he not only did not stop, but also put away his knife, turned around and rushed into the cornfield.

Li Long didn't expect the boy to react so quickly. He immediately turned and ran into the cornfield, but the little guy was quick and had already slipped in and disappeared.

Li Long followed and heard the rustling of corn leaves. The corn stalks were dense and it was late at night, so he could not see the other party at all and could only chase based on the sound.

This cornfield is about 20 mu. This strip of field is about 450 meters long, and 20 mu is about 30 meters wide. Li Long heard the sound and found that the little guy didn't run out of the field directly, but walked through the cornfield, trying to distance himself from him.

Li Long understood his idea, and after keeping a distance from him, he hid in a cornfield, making it difficult for others to find him.

We can't just cut down all the poles. How are we going to find it in the dark?
Li Long was not in a hurry. Even if he couldn't find him, with Lu Tietou around, he would be able to find this guy.

He slowed down and listened carefully to the other party's position. Li Long's hearing was better than that of ordinary people, and he quickly locked the other party in front of him on the right, and his speed was not slow.

This is normal. After all, the opponent is small and the gaps in the cornfield are small. Where the opponent can easily pass, Li Long has to squeeze through.

Li Long took a shortcut and rushed over to the other side, making quite a lot of noise. The guy originally wanted to make as little noise as possible and hide in the cornfield, but when he heard Li Long rushing towards him, he knew he was discovered and ran out immediately!

Outside the cornfield is an unplowed wheat field, and on the other side is a sunflower field. The sunflowers have not been harvested yet. Although the stalks are not as tall as the corn, they are difficult to find if hidden inside.

This guy had this idea - when Li Long heard the noise in front of him, he knew that the guy had escaped and immediately sped up.

"Ouch!"

The boy's screams were heard outside. Li Long was a little surprised. Did he fall down?

He ran out of the cornfield and then laughed.

The eldest brother Li Jianguo was standing in the wheat field, and the boy fell on the wheat stubble.

Although wheat stubble is not hard, it is still easy to get your skin scratched if you fall on it directly.

"I didn't touch him. He got startled when he saw me and fell down."

"Whose is this?" Li Long still hadn't recognized it.

"Ma Yinbao's son Ma Ming." Li Jianguo knew.

Ma Yinbao, Ma Jinbao’s younger brother.

This family is quite strange, lazy and dishonest, but Ma Yinbao is slightly better. His brother herds sheep and doesn't work in the fields, but he works hard on the land. However, because the family has always been poor, his son follows Ma Jinbao's family and becomes a sly person.

He was expelled from junior high school. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, he was hated by everyone. His family couldn't control him, and it was impossible for outsiders to control him either.

After another two years, he became a nuisance in the village, and petty thefts were commonplace. Until one day, someone reported him to his home, and Ma Yinbao beat him up severely, making him scream in pain. Then he took him with him to do farm work and did not allow him to go out. Only then did he change.

After all, a slacker needs soil to slack off on. How to slack off on the soil? Roll around?
Looking at Ma Long, Li Long smiled. This guy has the same name as him, so he finally caught him.

He turned his head and shouted into the cornfield:
"Ironhead!"

Lu Tietou came out of the cornfield tremblingly, lowering his head and not daring to look at the two people.

"Go back and tell your dad yourself." Li Long said, "Go back."

Tietou had a sad face and was worried that he would be beaten if he told his father about it when he got home.

But if I don’t tell anyone and the Li family tells them, I might be beaten by both my parents!
It’s all Ma Long’s fault. If he hadn’t urged me to come here to taste the melon, I would be sleeping at home now.

How can this be possible!
Ma Long was still thinking of a solution at this time.

If the Li family asked him to run back and tell his father, he would never tell them. He would go back to sleep and run away early the next morning. Even if the Li family told his father, he would not be able to find him.

Ma Long had a good idea, but Li Long said to Li Jianguo:
"This kid from the Ma family is a thief. We can't let him go back alone. We have to take him to find Ma Yinbao."

Li Jianguo nodded, feeling a little puzzled. Li Long didn't even recognize who this guy was, so how did he know he was the more cunning one?
But this Ma Long is really a thief, he is used to it.

When Ma Long heard this, his face became even more drawn than Tietou's. He looked around. Li Long saw what he was thinking and sneered:
"You can try to run, but if you run away and I catch you again, I'll beat you up first! Your dad will definitely beat you up again when you get home! Tell me, how many times have you been here? How many melons have you cut? Do you have any accomplices? Tell me!"

"Only this one day..."

"Are you looking for a fight? Seeing how skilled you are, I'll find Lu Tietou as a pair..."

"Two days... no, three days... well, one week. I came here a week ago... I didn't open many melons in total, and they weren't tasty..."

Ma Long was smooth-talking and wanted to deny it, but as soon as Li Long raised his hand as if to hit him, he immediately showed his true colors and confessed.

For one week, he came almost every day and brought two people with him. The previous one was a kid from Team 3. That kid didn't dare to come again after he came once.

Li Long asked Li Jianguo to go back first, but Li Jianguo refused. He and Li Long took Ma Long to Ma Yinbao's house.

It was past eleven at this time, and most people had gone to bed. There was no other way, as most people didn't have televisions at home, and there was no entertainment. Although there were lights, there were power outages from time to time, so they just went to bed.

Li Jianguo and Li Long took Ma Long to Ma Yinbao's house, and sure enough, the lights were off. It seemed that Ma Yinbao's family had gotten used to Ma Long coming home late, and they didn't care much.

During the busy farming season, I'm too tired to care about so many things.

When they arrived at the Ma family's yard, the dog was barking. Ma Yinbao heard the noise and got up, then shouted in the house:

"Longlong, are you back?"

Li Long thought to himself that it was a good thing his name was Longlong instead of Xiaolong, otherwise what would happen if he got mixed up?

Malone said weakly:

"Yes, Dad, please get up."

"What's the matter? Let's talk about it tomorrow..."

Li Jianguo didn't say anything. Li Long was impatient and wanted to go back early, so he shouted:
"Something's happened to Ma Long. You should get up."

The light came on all of a sudden.

Ten seconds later, Ma Yinbao opened the door and walked out of the house. He was a little surprised to see Li Jianguo and Li Long, and was stunned for a moment.

Li Jianguo was not in a good position to speak, so Li Long said:

"Brother Yinbao, your Ma Long went to my melon field and destroyed dozens of melons. They all had triangular holes and we didn't eat them. The melons are not ripe yet and the seeds are still white. These melons are useless.

I came here to tell you that when the melons are ripe, you can go into the field and eat as much as you want, just leave the seeds. It will take about ten days. It may not work now, so you can teach me something."

After saying that, he nodded and went back with Li Jianguo.

"Why didn't you go home so late at night to go to someone else's field and destroy the crops? Are you sick? Those crops are living people, how can you destroy them casually?"

Ma Yinbao's angry voice was heard, followed by Ma Long's screams.

At this time, it was normal to use spanking to educate naughty children. There were very few children who had never been spanked in this era, or almost none.

When Li Jianguo and Li Long returned to the yard, Lu Yingmingcong and Lu Tietou had already arrived at the gate.

Seeing Li Jianguo and Li Long coming over, Lu Yingming kicked Lu Tietou down, and swung the imitation military belt with iron buckles in his hand, and hit Lu Tietou hard on the back!
"what--!"

Lu Tietou screamed.

If he hadn't yelled, Lu Yingming wouldn't have been particularly angry, but when he yelled like that, Lu Yingming got even angrier:
"How dare you yell? Don't you know that the melons can't be eaten if they're not ripe? And you followed others into the fields to steal the melons? Don't you know the hard work of farming? Huh?"

"Snap!" Another belt hit Lu Tietou and he screamed again. Li Long hurried over and snatched the belt away.

"Stop beating him," Li Jianguo advised, "He was brought there by someone else. It's enough for him to know his mistake. As a child, everyone makes mistakes. That's enough. It's getting late. Two beatings are enough. Let's go back."

When Lu Yingming saw Li Jianguo's statement, he knew that the matter was over, so he cursed him a few more times and turned to walk into the yard.

Li Long lifted Lu Tietou up and said:
"Okay, your dad has calmed down, go back. Just don't do stupid things like this again."

Lu Tietou knew that he had passed this stage, but he was still a little frustrated and had a little back pain. Needless to say, there would be two red marks on his back, and it might even bleed.

Of course, compared to passing the level, this little pain is nothing.

I think this matter will spread throughout the village tomorrow. The naughty kids in each family should know the seriousness of the matter and will not do similar things again.

Li Long returned to his yard with satisfaction. Chen Lirong and her two children were already asleep in the spare room in the west room. Li Long entered the room quietly. He simply washed his face without turning on the light, and then fell asleep on the bed.

The biggest consequence of running back and forth these days is that my sleep quality is very good. Except for necessary activities in the compound and with Gu Xiaoxia, I basically fall asleep as soon as I lie down.

Although I was tired, I was full of energy the next day after a good night's sleep. (End of this chapter)