Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

The man stayed with Fritillaria, and Li Long took away what he was supposed to take.

Didn't spoil him.

But the man was not angry. Before leaving, he asked:
"Comrade, if I find those things again, will you take them?"

"Take them." Li Longtou didn't even raise his head, his hands were busy, "But the price won't be high, these things are not valuable."

"As long as you can pay, that's fine." The man didn't complain and left.

Li Long was also wondering how this person could be so confident in finding something. Did he discover the treasure cave?

But if it is really a treasure, there can't be just these few things. It is most likely left behind by jade miners or gold diggers.

Ma County is known as the land of gold and jade. There are many gold and jade mines in the Nanshan Ma River. People have been mining gold and jade since before the Qing Dynasty. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government at that time felt that these things belonged to the official, so it banned private gold mining and started official operations.

It must be something left over from that time.

Li Long didn't think much about it and started cleaning these Fritillaria.

After washing the Fritillaria and placing it on a board to dry, Li Long then took out the bedding from the big room to dry in the sun.

Since he had nothing to do and it was not convenient for him to go out looking for prey, he just cleaned up the house.

As he was cleaning up, another person came over from a distance. Li Long looked at him and saw that he seemed to be a little unwell. He staggered every few steps and could hear coughing from a distance.

Does this person have a cold or a lung disease?

Li Long was suspicious, then he put down the broom in his hand and went to the trunk of the jeep to take out the medicine he brought this time.

There were aspirin, vitamin C and Yinqiao tablets, and yes, there were also cold and flu capsules, which were quite effective at the time, and only worked after one or two times.

After putting the medicine away, Li Long waited for the man to come.

Most of the people who came to exchange things these days were carrying three or four kilograms of Fritillaria, and the bags were dirty and had never been cleaned.

But Li Long didn't mind. He had made a lot of money anyway, so it was no big deal to spend some time to clean it up.

When this person came up to him, Li Long realized that he was not very old, about 30 years old, but he was very thin, probably less than 50 kilograms. He was less than 1.7 meters tall, just like a big child - if it weren't for the thick beard on his face and the messy hair even mixed with some white hair, Li Long would have really taken him for a child.

"What to change?" Li Long asked from three or four meters away.

The man didn't say anything. He carried the bag and walked until he was less than one meter away from Li Long. He stopped, looked up at Li Long, who was about 1.8 meters tall, and coughed vigorously twice. Li Long had subconsciously stepped to the side, and the foam from the man's cough sprayed into the air.

Li Long saw the unwillingness and complexity in this person's eyes. He was startled and took two steps back, raising his voice:
"What do you want to change? If you want to change, change it. If not, leave!"

He could hear that when this person coughed, it didn't sound like he had a cold, but rather that his lungs were full of phlegm. Could this guy have an infectious disease?
"Exchange for noodles, exchange for matches, exchange for some salt... cough cough cough..."

The man carried the bag and took two steps towards Li Long. After taking two steps, he started coughing again.

Li Long strode to the trunk of the car and pointed his gun at it:
"Put the bag down, and step back, step back!"

Looking at the black muzzle of the gun, the man actually took another step forward, obviously thinking that Li Long didn't dare to shoot and was trying to scare him.

"boom!"

Li Long fired a shot at his feet. The bullet hit the ground, and the dust and pebbles that bounced up hit his calf, making him scream in pain. He quickly stepped back with an unbelievable look in his eyes.

This guy really dares to shoot!

"You want to hurt me, don't you? Put down the Fritillaria, take this bag of noodles, and get out!"

"It's not enough, why change to this one?" The man wanted to move forward, but just as he raised his foot he stepped back. He already knew that Li Long really dared to shoot.

"You want to hurt me, and you still have the nerve to say that there are not enough things?" Li Long said, holding up a gun, "If you don't leave, I will break your legs!"

The man tried to get the noodles while explaining himself, but seeing that Li Long's gun never left him, he had no choice but to turn around and leave.

"I've remembered your stench. If you dare to destroy my house when I'm not around, I'm telling you, I can catch you, kill you and bury you in the woods. You can just wait to be used as fertilizer!"

Li Long saw the man occasionally looking back while walking, and immediately threatened him loudly.

The man didn't dare to look back. He bent over and ran hurriedly into the woods to the southeast.

This man really wanted to burn down the wooden house, but when Li Long saw through his plan, he felt guilty and immediately gave up the plan and ran away.

The herbalists also communicated with each other. He heard that Li Long beat the previous person who stole things from the wooden house half to death, and then had the forest ranger drag him away on a horse.

Some people said that the man was dragged to death halfway, while others said that he was not dead, but his face was gone.

He was worried that if he burned the house and Li Long really found him, he would kill himself and throw him into the woods. No matter if he was buried or eaten by wolves, he would be dead.

There is no doubt that no one will come to find me.

It is better to live a miserable life than to die, so I might as well dig up Fritillaria.

Li Long watched the man walk away and disappear into the woods. Then he turned off the safety and put down the gun. He picked up the bag and poured the Fritillaria into the large basin.

He definitely didn't want the bag anymore, so he planned to dry it in the sun and then burn it.

As for the Fritillaria, just put it in a basin and let it soak for a while. No one knows what may be mixed with it.

Fortunately, the sun is very strong now, which is perfect for disinfection. It is good to get more sun exposure.

After all, I have watched so many videos in my previous life that I know that no matter how powerful a virus is, it will not survive long under the sun.

Li Long continued to clean up the wooden house. As he was cleaning up, he heard the sound of horse hooves from afar.

Li Long came out of the wooden house and saw that it was Bolati who ran over. This time, Bolati didn't have Fritillaria on his horse. When he ran over and got off the horse, he asked:

"Li Long, what's going on? Why did you shoot?"

"Just now, there was a bad guy with an infectious disease who wanted to infect me. He kept getting close to me, so I shot him to scare him." Li Long explained, "This guy is very bad. If you meet such people in the future, be careful and don't let them get involved."

"Is it so bad?" Bolati had obviously never encountered such a situation before, and was shocked when he heard Li Long's words.

There were many infectious diseases at that time, some of which were difficult to cure, unlike later generations, when there were almost always specialized treatment techniques and appropriate medicines.

So Bolati was also very angry when he heard it. He thought for a while and said:
"What does that person look like?"

Li Long gave a description.

"Okay, I get it. Next time I see him, I'll find a stick and beat him up first."

None of them are ruthless people, and none of them want to take anyone's life, but at this time, when it comes to their own safety and health, they will definitely be more cautious.

Bolati chatted with Li Long for a while, then said mysteriously:
"Li Long, let me tell you, I will bring a large batch of Fritillaria tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. You prepare money, meat, and wine. Then we can exchange."

"A large number? Where did they come from?" Li Long was a little confused. "How many are there?"

"At least... three bags!" Bolati thought about it. He didn't know how many kilograms there were, so he just counted by bags. "As for the stuff, we've spotted a group of people digging for Fritillaria. These people are really good at digging!"

"So you want to take away all their fritillarias?" Li Long's expression was a little complicated. Isn't this a bit cruel?
"That's impossible!" Bolati said with a smile, "We are just giving them a warning so that they won't destroy the forest too much.

We can dig up those Fritillaria, collect them, or leave some for them, but we can’t just dig them up and run away. They have destroyed the grass so badly! There are pits everywhere. Once the flash flood comes, the grass will be gone!"

It turns out that Bolati and the others also knew that digging for Fritillaria would damage the turf.

Then Li Long doesn't have to worry, their forestry team will handle these conflicts.

He only needs to be responsible for purchasing the Fritillaria.

One hundred kilograms, that really requires careful planning, hunting, and bringing back the stuff.

Li Long once again felt overwhelmed.

Seeing that everything was fine here, Bolati rode away on horseback. Later, Li Long exchanged supplies for the two herbalists, then loaded the washed Fritillaria into the car and headed for Xiaobaiyanggou.

have lunch.

As soon as he entered Baiyanggou, Li Long smelled the smell of rice amid the smoke of burning rice. Today's lunch should be rice and stir-fried vegetables. There were mushrooms and wild vegetables - and it seemed there was also soup?

While distinguishing the types of food, he drove the car to the "camp".

When Li Long got off the car, everyone had already started eating. Someone came over with an enamel basin and handed it to him with a smile.

"Hey, Sun Jiaqiang!" Li Long was delighted when he saw this man. He took the enamel basin with one hand and slapped the guy hard, "When did you arrive?"

"We entered the mountain a few days ago, but got lost for two days. We only found this place this morning." Sun Jiaqiang's clothes were still neat at this time, and he smiled and bared his white teeth and said:
"I came here and found that everyone still kept the dugout for me, so I was happy."

After Li Long greeted the others, Sun Jiaqiang sat on a fallen log with them and ate and chatted.

In fact, Sun Jiaqiang did not find this place this morning. He had been digging for Fritillaria nearby for two days and came here only after he had collected several kilograms.

"You don't know that many of the Fritillaria in the Fritillaria ditch nearby have been dug up by others." Sun Jiaqiang complained while eating, "I thought I didn't bring anything. Even if I want to join in, I have to ask Lao Huang to cook for me. I have to bring something. I have only been digging Fritillaria for two days. Do you have any food? If you did, just give it to me and I'll give it to Lao Huang, so that I can feel more at ease when eating."

This was true, and Li Long felt that Sun Jiaqiang was a good person.

He asked casually:
"Is it hard to dig Fritillaria this year?"

"It's not easy to dig." Sun Jiaqiang shook his head. "Someone in my hometown probably made money digging last year, so many people came this year, and most of them came in groups of two or three, or three or five people.

Like last year, I could spend three to five days, or even ten days digging a ditch by myself. They could probably clear a ditch in two or three days, and then go to dig the next ditch..."

Li Long didn't expect that the competition in this industry would be so fierce.

He thought for a moment and suddenly asked:
"If I ask you to work for me, will you do it?"

"What? Weaving handles? I don't have that skill." Sun Jiaqiang shook his head. "I can't eat this bowl of rice. I'd better find a new place to dig Fritillaria. At most, I just have to walk a few more miles and run deep into the mountains."

"I mean, you go to my wooden house and help me collect Fritillaria." Li Long said, "There is a place to live there, and you can also build a stove to boil water and cook.

This year, I have to focus on transportation. If I don't leave someone there, I won't be able to collect some Fritillaria. Of course, I'm there too, so you can help me out.

Then, when I'm not around, you can trade my stuff for Fritillaria, and for every kilogram of Fritillaria, I'll give you... 50 cents."

Last year, Li Long harvested tonnes of Fritillaria. At this rate this year, he won’t be able to harvest as many, simply because he is away from time to time.

Of course, the ones from Bolati don’t count, it’s mainly the bulk cargo.

He thought that Sun Jiaqiang was a reliable person, so he decided to let him stay at the cabin so that he could be busy with transportation and hunting.

It's not easy to deal with one person after all.

"So... do you trust me?" Sun Jiaqiang thought about it and felt that this matter could actually be done.

He had dug Fritillaria himself and knew that last year he had exchanged nearly half of his Fritillaria for Li Long.

It must be nearly 100 kilograms, right?

It's such a big mountain. Not to mention other places, just in this section of Ma County, there must be at least hundreds of people digging for Fritillaria in the mountains, right?

Maybe a little less, but not much less.

If we assume that each person can bring 50 kilograms of Fritillaria to Li Long to exchange for things, that would be 5,000 kilograms... I can earn 2,500...

I dare not think about it!
"Of course, if I'm here, or if the forestry team comes to exchange, it's still mine." Li Long also added with a smile, "Those people usually won't deal with you."

Li Long was telling the truth. People like Bolati would not trust someone easily. Once they trust someone, they would truly treat him as a friend and would not change their mind easily.

"Okay!" Sun Jiaqiang shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth. "Just because you trust me, I'll make the money! Will I go with you after dinner?"

"Well, you stay at the cabin and I have to go hunting. There are a lot of people who want to trade meat recently, and there is not much meat left in my cabin."

Several people in the team saw that Li Long had a good relationship with Sun Jiaqiang, so someone asked Tao Daqiang.

Tao Daqiang shook his head. He didn't know Sun Jiaqiang.

Xie Yundong said:
"This is the man who dug Fritillaria here last year and lived here. His surname is Sun, and he is a good man. He pointed out the hunting places for Li Long and exchanged a lot of Fritillaria he dug for Li Long. He is an honest man."

Someone asked Tao Daqiang:
"Da Qiang, why don't you go over and have a few words with Li Long?"

"What am I doing? I have time to do that. After dinner I have to work on my routine." Tao Daqiang shook his head.

"Aren't you on good terms with Li Long? How can you have a good relationship if you don't even talk to each other? I think you're even worse than outsiders." This young man came here with Xu Haijun, and he wanted to see a joke.

Tao Daqiang said:

"The relationship is obvious. If I do a good job and avoid problems, it will give Brother Long face. What does it matter how much I say? Besides, I have the harvester, so do I need to prove it with words?"

After he said this, the man stopped talking.

Xu Haijun had finished eating and had just come back from washing the dishes when he heard the conversation between the two people. He slapped the other person on the head:

"Even good food can't stop you from talking nonsense. If you keep talking nonsense, I won't bring you here next year!"

Xu Haijun's hand was heavy, and the man cried out "Ouch!" and covered his head but still begged for mercy from Xu Haijun.

Everyone else looked over here, Xu Haijun also felt a little embarrassed, and waved his hand and said:
"Work hard and see how you perform."

Tao Daqiang and Xie Yundong looked at each other and both felt that Xu Haijun had matured a lot after returning from military service.

After dinner, Li Long and Sun Jiaqiang washed the enamel basin and drove away in the jeep.

Before leaving, Li Long took out two large bags of noodles from the jeep - one bag was five kilograms. He gave the noodles to Lao Huang and said that this was the food that he and Sun Jiaqiang had handed over.

Old Huang took it with a chuckle and said he would make noodles in the evening - it would be much easier with these noodles.

Li Long and Sun Jiaqiang came to the wooden house together. Sun Jiaqiang sighed:

"Hey, it's like a dream to live in a house like this in the mountains."

He went to the small room, slept on the floor, and spread out his bedding. Li Long reminded him that the sun was at its highest, and asked him to dry his bedding in the sun to prevent moisture and insects. Sun Jiaqiang naturally understood what Li Long meant and did as he was told.

After a while, someone came to exchange things. Li Long asked Sun Jiaqiang to look at the approximate exchange rate. This person exchanged noodles, matches, and salt.

He brought more than four kilograms of Fritillaria and exchanged them for a lot of things.

After this person left, Li Long said to Sun Jiaqiang:
"If we calculate based on one kilogram of Fritillaria being exchanged for three yuan worth of goods, the prices of these things are roughly like this: dried noodles are 60 cents per kilogram, and a box of matches is 10 cents. If people exchange a lot, it's no problem to give them a box of matches.

As for fresh meat, one kilogram of Fritillaria can be exchanged for two kilograms, including the bones..."

Sun Jiaqiang was listening and taking notes carefully. After a while, another person came and Li Long demonstrated it to him again.

"After changing, just pour these Fritillaria into a large basin and clean them," Li Long dragged a large basin and said, "Otherwise they will be too dirty and won't be graded and sold at a good price..."

After going through the process twice, Sun Jiaqiang had memorized it.

"You really remembered it?"

"I've got it." Sun Jiaqiang was confident.

"Well... it just so happens that another one comes. You come this time." Li Long said, pointing at the person carrying things coming from a distance.

The man was relieved to see Li Long, and was a little surprised to see that it was Sun Jiaqiang who exchanged things, but he still said that he wanted to exchange them.

Rubber shoes, noodles, and rice are all edible.

Sun Jiaqiang exchanged the coins according to the price given by Li Long, explained everything one by one, and gave the man a box of matches.

Li Long looked at it and nodded. It was quite standard, not giving too much or too little, not bad.

"Okay, come, let's move the things into the hut. You stay here and boil some water to wash the fritillaria or something. I'll go see if I can find anything."

Li Long felt relieved. (End of this chapter)