Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Long's idea was to unload the furniture, drink two bowls of milk tea, and then go out of the mountain and return to the county. If there was enough time, he could also pull some furniture into the mountain again.

But he hadn't been here for a long time, and when he finally came, the Halim family had no intention of letting him leave in such a hurry.

Li Long stayed here, and Halimu's mother and wife cooked together. For lunch, they cooked pilaf, which took some time. Li Long and Halimu took some time out of the winter nest, waded through the snow to see the location of the water pipe they planned to divert in the spring. When they came back, the aroma of pilaf had already wafted out from the crack of the door of the winter nest.

Nathan and Susken were old enough to work for the family. When Li Long and Halim came back from the snow, they were cleaning the grass stalks that had been eaten clean of leaves in the sheep pen. They piled the grass stalks together with a wooden fork, then picked them out and threw them aside. After the pen was clean, they picked the grass bundles into the pen and spread them out for the cattle and sheep to eat.

This work has to be done three or four times a day. The grass stalks that are cleared out pile up higher and higher. When they are dried in the spring, they can be used as kindling fuel.

Li Long and Halimu did not enter the winter den. They took over the wooden forks from Nathan and Susken, finished the remaining work, and then put down the wooden forks.

"If the water pipe can be connected, the opening will be placed here." Halimu pointed to the side of the sheepfold and said excitedly, "It will be much more convenient to water the sheep then.

If the water is bigger, I am thinking of digging a sheep-washing pool here. When I drive to the summer pasture, I can see if I can wash the sheep first, and then it will be much more convenient to go to the summer pasture. "

Li Long knew a little about washing sheep.

Sheep have more hair than cows, and they are longer and more prone to parasites. If not treated, they will develop skin diseases, causing all the wool to fall off, or even skin ulcers and death.

Therefore, every early summer, sheep farmers will drive their sheep to the sheep washing pool to let them "take a bath".

It is actually a long pool with water in the middle and parasite-killing drugs, usually chlorpyrifos, in the water. Sheep herders drive the sheep to one end of the sheep-washing pool, and then drive the sheep into the pool one by one.

The pool should be 20 to 30 meters long, long enough to soak the sheep and kill the parasites. At the other end of the sheep washing pool is a sheepfold, where the sheep stay after washing. After all the sheep are washed, the sheep owner will drive them away.

Usually, such sheep-washing pools were originally used by the public during the collective period. Later, when the production quotas were allocated to each household, the sheep-washing pools were also used. They are located next to the canal, and whoever uses them can drain the water and bring their own medicine.

Team 4 had a sheep-washing pool, but because it was a directly dug pit with rammed earth walls on both sides, it was a bit simple and was gradually abandoned after a few years of use - no one repaired it.

Later, a private individual built a sheep-washing pool. Its shape reminded Li Long of the shape of a Western Zhou tomb that he had seen in a book. The only difference was that it was just a pit dug out of the earth, paved with bricks and coated with cement, and could be used for a long time.

This kind of sheep-washing pool can be rented out, and a certain fee is charged for each sheep washed. Li Long vaguely remembers that around 2000, the fee for washing a sheep was 1.5 yuan per sheep.

It’s not clear what happened to Li Long afterwards.

Halim said excitedly:
"If we can dig a sheep-washing pond, we won't have to drive our sheep to the sheep-washing pond at the animal husbandry team's post at the foot of the mountain to be washed. It takes a whole day to go back and forth, which is too troublesome."

"It takes a whole day for you, so those who live deeper in the mountains may need even longer." Li Long sighed, "It's really troublesome."

"Yes, but what can we do? The sheep must be bathed, otherwise there will be too many bugs on their bodies and the sheep will die."

Those parasites not only suck sheep's blood, but also transmit diseases, which is indeed very troublesome.

Li Long thought about it and said:

"It's possible to dig, but to be honest, the workload is a bit large."

Halimu also knew that what Li Long said was true. A sheep washing pool must be at least 30 to 40 meters long from beginning to end and at least 60 centimeters deep. This is not just about digging a pit, but also about tamping the bottom of the pit and building walls around it.

Even though they were near his pasture and could save the effort of building the sheepfold at the back, even a simplified version was not something that the laborers in their small tribe could complete in a short period of time.

Moreover, in the spring, they would spend most of their time grazing, and at that time they had to gain weight as quickly as possible on the cattle and sheep—green grass was the best feed.

Halimu sighed and decided to just think about it.

The pilaf was ready, and Halimu's wife went out to call them to eat, and the topic of the sheep washing pool ended there.

The pilaf is filled with carrots, sprouts, and mainly lamb chops. It is cooked with a lot of oil and is very fragrant.

In his previous life, Li Long never really liked eating pilaf in restaurants outside. Of course, it might be because the restaurants he visited were not good at making it.

The pilaf sold on the street is divided into vegetarian pilaf and meat pilaf. I won’t talk about the vegetarian pilaf, after all, most people still like to eat meat.

To make meat pilaf, you need to fry the meat bones first, then add rice and other vegetables, and then simmer the rice.

However, in order to save time or perhaps for other reasons, some restaurants make pilaf with meat, but the rice does not have a meaty aroma.

Normally, after frying the meat with pilaf, the rice is directly simmered in the broth. However, some restaurants boil the meat and simmer the rice, and then put a few pieces of meat on the pilaf after it is cooked - that kind of rice does not taste good.

So some people prefer small pot pilaf, because most of the steps of this small pot pilaf are the same as those of making pilaf at home.

The taste was very fragrant, and Li Long ate two large plates. Halim and his family had the habit of putting two large plates of pilaf on the table. They used to eat with their hands, but after getting to know Li Long, they gradually changed their habits and put a few iron spoons on the plates. Each person had a plate or an enamel basin, and used a spoon to scoop rice into their own plates.

The two children eat fast. Although they glance at the meat in the pilaf from time to time, when they really eat, they only eat one or two pieces of meat at most. They mainly eat rice. They are quite sensible.

After the meal, I drank brick tea - it was not milk tea at this time, but brick tea without milk. Because the pilaf was very oily, drinking this tea could smooth the oil in the mouth and throat, which was very comfortable.

Some restaurants in later generations used rose tea, which tasted more fragrant, but Li Long felt that brick tea and pilaf were still the best match.

After dinner, Li Long rested for half an hour, then stood up, said goodbye to Halimu and the others, went out and drove the tractor. With Halimu's family waving at them, the tractor drove out of the mountains at a rumbling speed.

After finishing the post-dinner things, Halimu's wife and mother looked at the furniture that Li Long pulled over, with light in their eyes.

Previously, Li Long ordered small tables for Nathan and Sasken to do their homework.

Later, Halimu's wife asked for other furniture as well.

At the moment, she just envied Talihar's grandmother Sana for being so decisive and capable that she directly replaced all the furniture in her house.

To be honest, there aren’t many pieces of furniture that can be placed in the winter nest, but these pieces of furniture are used by the Yanggangzi every day. Who doesn’t like to use new, easy-to-use, and sturdy cabinets and boxes?
If you put a new kang table in place, you will feel much better when eating, right?
The two of them discussed together the practicality of these furniture, the styles of the patterns, and whether these patterns could be used on blankets they would weave at home in the future.

Halimu did not participate in the discussion. Seeing Nathan and Susken grabbing their thigh stones on the wooden kang, he scolded them and told them to do their homework quickly.

In his opinion, it was unforgivable that one did not do his homework properly even though he had a new kang table.

Even he himself didn't have any furniture to use alone. Li Long was so good to them.

Li Long drove the tractor out of the mountain and headed north along the same path he came from.

When the snow falls in northern Xinjiang during the winter, it first turns into ice crystals, then forms a layer of snow crust on top, and underneath is all salt-like particles. When a tractor passes over the road, the snow is compacted or pushed to the sides, and the ruts extend far to the Qingshui River.

Although the temperature was still low, Li Long had just finished his meal and felt warm all over. He was wearing a cotton hat and a coat, but it was not buttoned, so he did not feel that cold.

In early February, even the temperature on the mountainside has risen from more than minus 30 degrees Celsius to more than minus 20 degrees Celsius. The daytime temperature in the county town occasionally drops to more than minus 10 degrees Celsius, which is already quite bearable.

As the temperature rises, more people in Qingshuihe Township are engaging in outdoor activities, such as collecting firewood, manure, etc.

Some people come to visit too.

When passing Qingshuihe Village, Li Long did not see anyone familiar, so he did not slow down. He drove through the village and headed towards the county.

When a few people in the village who knew him heard the sound of the tractor and ran out, they found that the tractor had already driven away.

When Li Long's tractor arrived at the county, the sun had not yet set, so he simply drove to the woodworking factory.

Qi Xinzhi was not there. The factory director He Changming was talking to the workers in the workshop. When he saw Li Long driving in on a tractor, he came out and greeted him.

"Hello, Director He, I'm coming to take away the remaining furniture."

"Okay, okay, Lao Qi told me, wait a minute, I'll find someone to open the door." He Changming said with a smile, "How is it, the furniture made by our factory is good, right?"

"Very good, my friends like it very much and may want more later." Li Long said with a smile, "Take the finished furniture away today." "Okay, okay, as long as you order, we can make it here." He Changming said with a smile, "Don't worry about the quality!"

He Changming asked someone to open the door, and then called a few young people to help Li Long put the furniture on the car. He also got a lot of wood shavings to pile under the furniture, and then tied the furniture with hemp rope.

Because the bill had been settled earlier, Li Long gave the factory a receipt to prove that all the furniture had been received. Then he said hello to He Changming and drove his tractor to the county.

When he returned to the compound, it was almost dinner time. Li Long was somewhat surprised to see Gu Boyuan.

"Uncle Gu, are you here today?" Li Long got off the tractor and greeted Gu Boyuan.

"Yes." Gu Boyuan wiped his face. "I have to come up. There are too many people who come to drink with me. People from Team 3 and Team 2 are also here. I'm afraid if this continues, I will get drunk to death in the team, so I hurried up."

Gu Boyuan spoke seriously, and Li Long laughed as he listened. He went to get a basin and drained the water from the tractor, saying as he drained the water:
"That's great. I smelled that Sister Yang should be cooking porridge. Drink more porridge to nourish your stomach."

"Well, I thought Xiaoxia had already finished get off work." Gu Boyuan had not entered the house and was standing outside. He must have felt it was inconvenient. "I didn't expect that she hasn't arrived yet today."

"It should be here soon," Li Long said, looking at the sun.

He has a watch, but to be honest he doesn’t really like to wear it, and occasionally he takes it off and forgets about putting it on again.

When Sister Yang knew that Li Long had returned, she came out of the kitchen to say hello and then continued cooking.

Gu Xiaoxia got off work in just half an hour, so today was indeed a little later than usual.

"The New Year has passed, and many notices have been issued from above. There are also some documents that need to be studied, and some preparations have to be made for the start of school." Gu Xiaoxia came back and said to Li Long while changing her clothes, "Originally, they wanted to send someone to the countryside to check on the school situation, but because of my health, they didn't let me go."

Li Long nodded, thinking that this was what he should do.

After breakfast the next day, Li Long drove the tractor into the mountains again.

What surprised Li Long was that when he arrived at Halimu's winter home, there were already quite a few people gathered there. There were also quite a few horses tied up in the stable.

Seeing Li Long's tractor coming, many people cheered and rushed over to follow both sides of the tractor.

Li Long slowed down the tractor, drove it to the front of the winter den, turned off the engine and got off.

Yushan Jiang was there too. After he and Li Long exchanged greetings, he said:

"Everyone is happy to know that you have brought all the furniture here."

"Good boy!" Talihar's grandmother Sana patted Li Long hard with a smile on her face.

Although she has already got all her furniture, she still wants to come and take a look. It's like a party here.

Li Long didn't understand what she said, but he understood what she meant and smiled as a response.

He also saw Talihar, a young man who was usually very confident and outspoken, but now he seemed a little silent.

Li Long wanted to ask about the details of the big brown bear, but now was obviously not the right time. Some people had already got on the tractor and started unloading the furniture.

Halimu also opened the door of another room in the winter nest and asked the boys to move out the other furniture.

These pieces of furniture look really beautiful when put together.

Li Long and Halimu stood at the door of the winter den, watching the herdsmen choosing their own furniture.

They did not argue, the elders took their own first and the younger ones second. Everyone remembered what furniture they had registered, and some people were more interested in the furniture that others had registered and had already made, and they just went to ask.

Soon, everyone got their own furniture, but the matter did not end there. Instead, everyone started chatting more enthusiastically, talking about the advantages of these furniture: sturdy and good-looking.

He also talked about how he would use these furniture, and that the old furniture in the house would not be thrown away but would be used for other purposes.

Although Li Long didn't understand much, he could feel this love for life.

"Talihar, come here, look at how nice and sturdy this table is... Don't hang your head, look, come and see..." Old lady Sana called Talihar over and asked him to look at the furniture in other people's homes.

Li Long guessed that Talihar's grandmother asked him to come over so that he could relax and relieve himself.

"I can already imagine what it would look like with dried fruits, yogurt lumps and cream on this long table," said another woman in her fifties with a big laugh. "This table is really sturdy. It's nice just to look at, really nice!"

Everyone spoke in loud voices, which sounded quite cheerful. Although the weather was still a little cold, Li Long felt that these people's enthusiasm for life was really heartwarming.

Suddenly, music was heard in the winter den. Although it was not traditional Kazakh music, some people had already started dancing, and some even took out a dombra from somewhere and started playing it.

The sound of the dombra was a bit monotonous, but in this monotonous music, someone immediately started dancing, the black horse dance, even Li Long, a layman, could recognize this dance move at once.

Halimu and Yushanjiang were watching from the side, with Li Long between them. Halimu's wife and mother couldn't help but join the dance circle and dance together.

The man who played the dombra was a man in his thirties. Seeing this scene, he played even more vigorously.

Seeing that Li Long was watching very seriously, Yushanjiang touched him with his arm, motioning him to follow him and move his arms and learn the dance moves.

Li Long has seen many such videos in later life, and he thinks this action is quite simple.

But when I really started to move, I found that my arms were quite stiff and it was difficult to move smoothly to the rhythm of the music - even if I could, the movements were not right.

It turns out that practice is still needed.

This spontaneous little dance did not last long. After getting the furniture, the herdsmen could not wait to rush back home to use it. They tied the furniture to their horses, said goodbye to each other, and rode into the mountains.

Li Long originally wanted to keep Talihar to talk about the big bear, but seeing that although Talihar became a little more cheerful because of this small gathering, he still hadn't recovered, so he gave up the idea.

It’s better to wait until the water pipe is pulled before asking. I think Talihar should have recovered by then.

The last one to leave was Yushanjiang. He also told Li Long about the big bear and said that he had seen several deer recently, but failed to kill them because they ran too fast. If Li Long wanted to go hunting, he could tell Li Long where they were.

"If you want to hunt, you must call us along," Yushanjiang warned Li Long. "The mountains are not safe. When the wild bears and gray wolves are aroused, they will become more ferocious in the spring. It is very dangerous to hunt alone."

Li Long nodded to show that he understood. He also told Yu Shanjiang that he had no intention of hunting at the moment. After this trip, the next time he came might be when the snow melted.

Hunting used to be his main way of making a living, but now that there are more ways, hunting has become a pastime and a hobby.

Of course, if he encountered one with a gun, he would definitely fight it. For example, if it was a big bear, he wanted to ask about the situation.

Even if you can't hit it, at least you know the specific details.

It will also be beneficial for my future activities in the mountains.

This time some more furniture was registered, which was considered an increase, but not as much as last time. Li Long estimated that the total was less than a tractor truck load.

And there is no rush, just send it in the spring.

The herders who placed the order did not bring anything with them. After all, they came up with the idea on a whim and said that they would bring Li Long something to exchange for the furniture next time they came.

Li Long naturally didn't care.

Next, he has to go to Kuitun. (End of this chapter)