Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

In the small courtyard south of the Wuyi Highway, Sister Yang and Han Fang cleaned up the snow. Han Fang went to set up the stove, and Sister Yang held two letters, hesitating whether to open them.

Compared with the big courtyard in the north of the city, Sister Yang and Han Fang still prefer to regard this small courtyard as their home.

Of course, they knew that the small courtyard did not belong to them.

But after the most difficult times passed, they continued to live here, so every once in a while they would come over to clean the place and set up the stove.

Sister Yang feels that she will want to move back in the future.

She got these two letters from the post office. When she lived in this small courtyard, she used the address of this courtyard when she sent telegrams to her hometown.

Later, she moved to a large courtyard. She was worried that she would not be able to pick up telegrams or letters from her hometown, so she told the postman that any letters or telegrams from this courtyard should be left at the post office and she would pick them up herself.

Sister Yang was more careful at the time and did not leave the address of the big courtyard, so as not to cause any trouble to Li Long and others.

After Han Fang lit the stove, she sat quietly at the desk and read.

Although they have lived in this courtyard for a long time, the mother and daughter have always lived in the east room, which is also the guest room. They only clean the main room in the west room and never live in it.

The mother and daughter were reluctant to throw away the various books and magazines they cleaned out of the house, so they kept them all and Han Fang would read them when she had nothing to do.

The two letters were written by Sister Yang's mother-in-law, Han Fang's grandmother, and the village party secretary.

The two letters were sent within two days of each other, so I wonder if they are talking about the same thing or not.

The letter from the village party secretary was obviously thicker, and it was obvious that the letter from my mother-in-law was written by my brother-in-law.

After hesitating for a moment, Sister Yang opened the letter from her mother-in-law first.

What if the letter contained information about my husband?

The letter was only one page long. Sister Yang had only finished elementary school and only attended junior high school for one year, but she had no problem reading the letter.

Han Fang heard the sound of her mother tearing the envelope, turned her head to take a look, and then continued reading.

Sister Yang didn't let Han Fang read the letters from her hometown, nor did she let her take care of these things. She just told her to study hard.

Even if Han Fang wanted to help her mother share some of the burden, she didn't know where to start.

Children from poor families have to grow up early. Han Fang has experienced a lot of suffering in the world and matured precociously, but she knows that if she doesn't speak for now, her mother will worry less.

She stood up, went to the yard, took the rice pot back to the original kitchen, and prepared to wash it.

Sister Yang looked up, then lowered her head and continued reading the letter.

There was only half a page of content on the paper. The first half talked about the situation in my hometown. The harvest was bad this year, the land was damaged, and there was not enough food, so I asked Sister Yang to send some money back.

The second half says that some people in the village have gone out to the south to work and earn money, and ask Sister Yang to go back as soon as possible, saying that the northwest is bitterly cold and it would be uncomfortable for the mother and daughter to stay there. If they go back, Han Fang will be left to be taken care of by her grandmother, while Sister Yang can go out to work and earn money so that her life will be easier.

After reading the letter, Sister Yang read it again from the beginning. From beginning to end, there was not a single word about Han Fang's father, Han Bin.

Sister Yang sighed.

In fact, she has saved quite a bit of money. If she really takes it back, it would be enough to amaze people back home.

However, Sister Yang did not feel safe. She came to the northern border to find Han Fang's father and live a good life with her family.

Her hope is to find Han Fang's father. Even if Han Bin's job is really not good at that time, she has the confidence to say to Han Bin, "We can live well on our own."

However, although I have earned the money, I have not found the person to talk to.

Sister Yang had a bad feeling.

This made her a little afraid to open the letter written by the village party secretary.

The village party secretary and Han Bin's father were childhood friends, but Han Bin was younger than Han Bin's father. Han Bin's father, Han Fang's grandfather, was injured while participating in water conservancy construction and passed away a few years ago.

The mother-in-law favors her younger brother-in-law, otherwise Sister Yang would not have brought Han Fang to northern Xinjiang.

In the end, Sister Yang tore open the letter.

She carefully tore off a small strip along the edge of the envelope to avoid tearing the paper.

The village director’s surname is Wu, and his name is Wu Yongfu.

Secretary Wu's letter was three pages long. The characters were large and the writing was sharp, so much so that the paper was torn in some places.

There was a stack of money in the letter, some in small change and some in whole, a total of thirty yuan.

This surprised Sister Yang a little.

The reason for looking for Secretary Wu was because Secretary Wu was upright and had a history with Han Bin's father. After Han Bin arrived in Northern Xinjiang, Wu Yongfu also told Sister Yang about the situation there.

When Han Bin first arrived at the Northern Xinjiang unit, he wrote a letter and got a certificate here. The letter was written directly to Wu Yongfu, and the certificate issued by Wu Yongfu should have the background of Han Bin's unit.

At the beginning of the letter, he told Sister Yang that he understood the situation of Sister Yang and Han Fang. Although it was not easy for him to interfere in the Han family's affairs, he still knew something about Han Bin's affairs.

First of all, Han Bin's unit is in the northern Xinjiang, the Hongqi Farm of the Sixth Agricultural Division, and the specific address is in JMSE County, Beiting Prefecture. As for the specific address, Wu Yongfu doesn't know, but he should be able to find out if he finds it.

Wu Yongfu was very concerned about Sister Yang's life in northern Xinjiang. What he meant was that if Han Bin could not be found or was difficult to find, she should collect some money and come back. With him around, Sister Yang and Han Fang would not have to go hungry.

At the end, there was a paragraph about Wu Yongfu's speculation. When Sister Yang read this paragraph, her heart suddenly tightened.

Secretary Wu said that in the second half of the year, a large package of things, including letters and remittance slips, were sent to the Han family from Northern Xinjiang, and fifteen yuan was wired every month afterwards.

The bill of exchange was first sent to Secretary Wu of the village office. He saw that the remittance unit was not Han Bin personally, but the Red Flag Farm.

So this is quite suspicious, and I don’t know if something happened to Han Bin.

Wu Yongfu said that after he received the letter from Sister Yang, he went to the Han family to ask. Han Fang's grandmother hesitantly said that Han Bin was fine, so he didn't dare to ask further.

Finally, Wu Yongfu left a message, asking Sister Yang to write to him or send him a telegram if she needed him to do anything, and to also send him a telegram if Han Bin was found.

Sister Yang read the letter again, her heart was very tense, and she was at a loss for what to do for a while.

Han Fang washed the pot outside and brought it back to the car. Seeing that the fire in the stove on the car had gone out, she looked at the sky, went into the house and asked:
"Mom, it's getting late. Should we go back and make dinner?"

Sister Yang shuddered as she listened, then raised her head and said to Han Fang with a forced smile:
"Okay, I'll go now."

Sister Yang stood up and staggered a bit. Han Fang came over and supported her, asking with concern:

"Mom, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

"No, no." Sister Yang calmed down and said, "It's okay, let's go back and cook."

After folding the two letters and putting them in her pocket, Sister Yang tied her headscarf and started pushing the cart. Han Fang locked the door, then went to open the main gate, and waited for Sister Yang to push the cart out. She then locked the main gate from the outside and helped her mother push the cart forward.

On the way back, Sister Yang silently memorized the address in her heart - no wonder she got it wrong, that was the No. 6 Agricultural Division, she only remembered the last word, and wrote "division" as "si", that was the Hongqi Farm, and this was the Hongqi Commune.

No wonder I took the wrong turn.

I just don’t know how far it is and how long it will take to get there.

I'll go back and ask Uncle Li if it's easy to go there. If it is, I'll have to go there myself.

No matter what, I have to go see where Han Fang's father is.

Although she had a bad feeling, Sister Yang still hoped for a miracle and that she could meet Han Fang's father.

After the two returned to the compound, Han Fang went to park the car, and Sister Yang went into the house to change her clothes. After hiding the letter, she went to wash her hands and prepare to cook.

When Li Long and his team drove the tractor back to the county town, the sun was about to set. Hong Qin was sitting on the back of the tractor, looking around curiously.

When they arrived at the county, Li Long asked his elder brother and father to go to the compound. Li Jianguo and Li Qingxia did not want to go and wanted to go home quickly. Li Long only took back the capital from the fish sales and did not ask for more. Li Jianguo and Li Qingxia disagreed, so Li Long said that he still had a lot of money and asked his elder brother and father to keep it.

The jobs that earn money here are all big jobs, so he won't share the money. It's just a subsidy to his eldest brother. After all, his parents are supported by his eldest brother, and he still eats the food grown by his eldest brother.

So the tractor took Li Long to the door and then went back without stopping.

At this time, there was still more than an hour before Gu Xiaoxia got off work. Li Long returned to the yard and planned to take a rest before picking up his wife.

Han Fang was doing her homework. She opened the door for Li Long and then continued doing her homework.

What a well-behaved child.

Sister Yang saw Li Long coming back, so she endured it for a while, but waited until Li Long changed his clothes and came out to tinker with the jeep before she asked:
"Uncle Li, do you know where the Red Flag Farm of the Sixth Agricultural Division is? They say it's something called Sar..."

After reading the letter twice, Sister Yang took note of the Hongqi Farm of the No. 6 Agricultural Division. Although she also took note of Jimusar, she still didn't remember everything.

"Jimusar, right? It's more than 200 kilometers from here, or about 500 li." Li Long thought for a moment and said, "What? Did you find out about Xiaofang's father's work?"

Sister Yang didn't expect that Li Long could tell the reason from the question she asked. She said in embarrassment:

"Yes, my hometown... The village party secretary sent me a letter saying that Xiaofang's father's former unit was there, so I thought..."

"Go look for it? That's good." Li Long thought about it and said, "There are still ten days before the Chinese New Year. Let's talk about this when Xiaoxia comes back. I'll drive you to look for it the next day or the day after tomorrow!"

"That won't work!" Sister Yang shook her head hastily: "No, no, I can go by myself. Xiaofang will stay at home too..."

"You can't go by yourself." Li Long smiled, "You found the wrong place before, what will you do if you get lost again this time?
The road is not far, just over 200 kilometers. To be honest, if you find it, you can live there and I can run back and forth in a day."

To be honest, Li Long really saves a lot of trouble now that Sister Yang and Han Fang live in the big yard.

It saves trouble, but you can't just keep her forever. After all, she still has a husband, and Han Fang has a father, so they have to be reunited.

Sister Yang takes good care of Gu Xiaoxia. Her sincerity is rewarded with true love, so Li Long cannot help but care about their affairs.

It's just a matter of taking a jeep trip, I think Gu Xiaoxia will definitely agree.

As for Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Boyuan’s lunch, it shouldn’t be a big deal to just have a meal out occasionally.

"Okay, Sister Yang, it's settled." Li Long said, "After dinner, you can pack up your things - I'm not chasing you away. There's time before the New Year and after the New Year. You can go over whenever you want..."

"The sooner the better, that is, Xiaofang should stay here first..." said Sister Yang.

"I won't stay! Mom, I'm going with you!" Han Fang ran out at some point and cried, "Mom, I'm going with you!"

It turned out that Han Fang had been eavesdropping when Sister Yang and Li Long were talking.

"What's wrong with you..." Sister Yang was a little angry, but seeing that Han Fang's eyes were red and she was hugging herself, she couldn't bear to scold her.

"Let Xiaofang go with you." Li Long said, "It's not cold in the jeep, and Xiaofang will be worried if you go alone."

"Well... okay." Sister Yang originally thought that she would go and check it out first. If she could find Han Bin, that would be the best. If she couldn't find him, she would come back without telling anyone. At least she wouldn't let Han Fang down.

She was almost disappointed, and she didn't want Han Fang to suffer this feeling.

But Han Fang didn't want to leave her mother.

"Okay, it's settled. Don't cry, Xiaofang. I will definitely take you with me when I leave." Li Long smiled, "I'll pack your things when I have time. Be happy."

He had heard of the three eastern counties, but had never been there in his previous life or this life. But he had never left the border of Beiting Prefecture, and since there was a mouth under his nose, he had asked about it.

The matter was settled. Sister Yang didn't expect that Li Long would drive them there in a jeep.

This solved a big problem for her. She cooked there with great excitement and waited until Li Long brought Gu Xiaoxia back.

Han Fang was packing her things in the room. She was quite conflicted. If she found her father, where would she go to school? Should she stay with her father or come back? She actually liked this place very much, but...

In fact, Han Fang's impression of her father Han Bin has faded. Han Bin left the village for northern Xinjiang when Han Fang was three years old, and later came back once a year. The total time he spent with Han Fang was less than one month each year.

To be honest, I feel that my impression of my father Han Bin is not as familiar as that of Li Long.

After all, I don’t remember much when I was younger.

Li Long told Gu Xiaoxia about this matter on the way.

Gu Xiaoxia was quite happy for Sister Yang. It was naturally a good thing to be able to find her relatives.

Although she was a little reluctant, she supported Li Long's idea. After returning, Gu Xiaoxia went to the kitchen and specifically congratulated Sister Yang.

When Gu Xiaoxia returned to her room to change clothes and wash her hands, she whispered to Li Long:
"Sister Yang doesn't seem particularly happy."

"Could it be that there is other content in the letter that she didn't tell us?" Li Long guessed.

"If anything happens to Han Fang's father over there, you must support Sister Yang!" Gu Xiaoxia didn't know what she was thinking of, and immediately said to Li Long seriously.

"What could happen?" Li Long was still a little confused. "Is he sick or injured? What can I do to support him?"

"No, I'm talking about that kind of thing..." Gu Xiaoxia saw that Li Long didn't understand, glared at him, and explained, "We just received a letter of accusation two days ago, reporting that a male teacher in a middle school below had an affair with someone else even though he had a wife..."

Li Long understood immediately, he shook his head and said:
"I don't think this is likely, but we'll see. Don't worry, I'll take Sister Yang and the others with me, and I'm sure they won't suffer any loss."

"Should we bring some more things over there?" Gu Xiaoxia thought after giving instructions, "If Sister Yang and the others stay there, shouldn't we show some appreciation? Sister Yang is here with us and has such a good relationship with us..."

"That's easy. I'll just bring some fish and some meat."

At that time, meat was considered hard currency and was popular everywhere.

That was settled.

When Gu Boyuan came over for dinner, Li Long told him about this again in private. Gu Boyuan immediately said:
"Yes, yes, we should go. She's been so kind to us and has taken good care of Xiaoxia, so we can't treat her badly.

Go ahead, don't worry about lunch, Xiaoxia and I will eat outside. Don't rush when you are on your way, safety is the first priority, it's okay even if you can't come back in a day, be sure to pay attention to safety! "

It was agreed that they would leave the next day. Sister Yang was very anxious, but she said it was not a good idea to be so anxious. Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia both said that the sooner the family could be reunited, the better.

The next day, we had breakfast a little earlier. In fact, Sister Yang had hardly slept well the whole night.

Li Long got up early and fixed the stove, then boiled water in the house, and then went to the glass room at the back to set up the stove.

Half of the green vegetables in the glass house have been eaten, and the celery has grown. But the chives are still very thin. Li Long regretted that he should not have planted chives. He should have waited until the spring to get some chive roots from the team.

Fortunately, after he asked Li Jianguo, Li Jianguo told him to cut the thin leeks as they grow longer. After cutting a few times, the leeks will become thicker.

After breakfast, Li Long added hot water to the jeep, filled up the gas, and put the Type 56 rifle with the gun case into the car.

I would feel uneasy if I went to a strange place without this.

Although it was only 1983, who can guarantee that there won’t be someone without eyes or brains popping up in the wild?
After sending Gu Xiaoxia to work, Li Long came back and loaded meat and fish into the car.

Sister Yang and Han Fang had already packed their bags and placed them on the passenger seat, while the mother and daughter sat in the back seat.

Li Long drove the jeep out of the compound, got out of the car, locked the gate, and then drove east.

"It takes us two hours to walk from our county to Beiting Prefecture, which is a hundred kilometers away. We shouldn't be very hungry by then. Let's go east, pass Wucheng, and go northeast. It's still another hundred and fifty to sixty kilometers to get there. We'll eat in Fukang in the middle."

Li Long just planned the route according to his memory. Many people don’t know the name Fukang, but Tianchi in Tianshan should be very famous, and Tianchi is in FK City.

"Okay, Uncle, we'll go the way you say." Sister Yang had no objection to Li Long's plan. She didn't know how to go, but she trusted Li Long very much.

The jeep quickly drove out of the county town, and the sun finally came out when we passed the Pingyuan Forest Farm. (End of this chapter)