Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Qingxia felt very comfortable sitting on the sleeper berth for three days.

The people on the middle and upper bunks were dressed more elegantly than him, all carried travel bags, spoke Mandarin, and were very careful about eating and sleeping.

Then they looked at Li Qingxia. Although they didn't ask any questions, their eyes were full of inquiry and confusion.

After all, these days, there are not many farmers who can afford a sleeper berth - and Li Qingxia's standard farmer's attire makes him look a little out of place.

But Li Qingxia seemed to be completely oblivious, eating and sleeping. When the waiter in the dining car brought the food, he bought one to try, but after finishing it, he said it was not tasty.

Although this money could buy two bowls of mixed noodles in the county town, Li Qingxia knew that everything on the train was expensive, so he didn't say anything.

He had a lot of money, and a lot of it was exposed, but fortunately, the sleeper berths were strictly managed at that time, with tickets checked strictly, and there were no outsiders hanging around here, which made Li Qingxia feel relieved.

After all, I was traveling alone, carrying a lot of money and some other things. If I had to sit in a hard seat, I might have been robbed.

Now I think the hard sleeper that my youngest son bought is really good and comfortable.

He actually wanted to use the money he saved from fishing in the past two years to support his children.

But at present, the eldest son's family is one of the richest in the team, and the second son is a worker. Although his money may be a little tighter than that of the eldest son, it should be enough. Xiaoxia and her husband are definitely not short of money. Chen Xingbang is a smart man and knows how to make money.

As for Li Long, he is one of the most outstanding people in the team, not to mention the whole county. There is no need for him to worry about him.

Since he had no place to spend the money, he became indifferent to it.

It would be worth it if we could use the money at hand to do something useful and significant.

Three days later, Li Qingxia got off the train and left the station refreshed. When he was young, he had strong arms. Although he is old now, he has never stopped working. Catch fish every day, so carrying those things is nothing.

It was quite lively outside the train station, with people shouting and selling things, people pushing tricycles to help pull things, and people carrying shoulder poles to help carry things.

Some also ask for money.

Li Qingxia carefully walked out of the crowd carrying his things and walked to the bus station.

It was already afternoon when he got off the bus. He planned to ask about the return ticket and then decide whether to stay or take the bus.

The bus station is not very far from the railway station, less than one kilometer away. Li Qingxia walked and stopped, wiping his sweat from time to time.

The climate in my hometown is different from that in northern Xinjiang. The sun is about to set, but the autumn heat is still very strong and it's hot.

When he arrived at the bus station, he carried his things into the ticket office and asked. He was told that tickets to the next county were only available tomorrow morning, so Li Qingxia planned to come back tomorrow to buy some.

There is no special car going back to Lilou. You need to take a bus from the county to the next county and get off halfway.

The next county is more than 40 kilometers away from this county, and Li Lou is located a little remote in the middle, about 20 kilometers away.

Li Qingxia found a noodle restaurant near the bus station to eat. Having been in northern Xinjiang for more than two years, he was already used to eating mixed noodles. This restaurant had noodles, so he thought about it and said to the boss:
"Comrade, give me a bowl of noodles, but don't take out the soup. Then stir-fry a vegetable for me, stir-fry shredded potatoes."

"How can you eat noodles without soup?" The boss was a little embarrassed, "How about I give you half of the soup?"

"No, no, just cook the noodles normally and then just scoop out the noodles." Li Qingxia put the things away, wiped the sweat off his face, and explained to the boss again.

"Okay." The boss hesitated for a moment, "If you don't want soup, then I'll charge you the price of noodles with soup, okay?"

"Okay, no problem. By the way, give me a separate bowl for the soup. I'll drink it after I finish eating."

The noodles haven't been mixed yet, and Li Qingxia suddenly had an idea to give the whole buffet version.

The sound of cooking could be heard, and the time for cutting noodles also started.

After a while, a plate of fried potato shreds was served. Just as Li Qingxia was about to eat, a large bowl of noodles was also served.

It was not a round stick like the ones used to make noodles, but square strips cut into it - but Li Qingxia frowned, as there was still half a bowl of soup underneath.

The boss brought out another bowl of soup and said to Li Qingxia:

"How can you eat noodles without soup? I'll leave you a little soup, it will be delicious this way."

Li Qingxia smiled bitterly and said to the boss:
"Go get an empty bowl, and some garlic, and some vinegar."

The boss felt that this didn't make sense.

But business was slow at that time, so Li Qingxia paid according to the price of noodles and stir-fried dishes, so of course he still had to provide the service.

Li Qingxia took the bowl handed to him by the boss, sifted out the noodle soup, then poured half a plate of shredded potatoes into the big bowl, added some vinegar and mixed it, then peeled a clove of garlic and started eating it.

The boss just looked at it curiously, and then his face turned confused and puzzled.

How to eat this?

Li Qingxia thought that the boss's dishes were pretty good. Although the noodles were a little different from the noodles in Northern Xinjiang, eating them this way at least barely resembled mixed noodles, so he would just make do with it.

After finishing the meal, Li Qingxia drank another half bowl of noodle soup and felt 75% full. Then he nodded to the boss, stood up, picked up his bag and prepared to leave.

"My fellow villager, how did you eat that just now?" The boss couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"You know Beijiang, right? This is Beijiang mixed noodles." Li Qingxia said, "It's very filling and delicious."

Li Qingxia went to find a hotel to stay in, and after the owner closed the hotel, he began to think about it.

Northern Xinjiang mixed noodles, it sounds quite interesting. Although this way of eating is a bit strange, the person eats it so happily, it should be good, right?

The next day at noon, the boss made a portion for himself when he was free. After taking out the noodles, he mixed them with fried shredded potatoes, added a little vinegar and garlic, and it was really tasty.

So from today on, this small restaurant has added a new dish: Northern Xinjiang Mixed Noodles!
The next day, Li Qingxia came out of the hotel and bought a sesame cake on the roadside while eating it while buying a ticket. After buying the ticket, he bought some things at the state-owned store outside the station with his bag, and then found a place to sit down and wait at the station entrance.

"Huh?" Li Qingxia was observing the people around him when he suddenly heard a familiar voice not far away:

"Third Grandpa, why are you here?"

Li Qingxia turned his head and saw that the person talking to him was Li Anmin's son Li Junhai.

Li Junhai is in his twenties. After graduating from high school, Li Anmin used his connections in the county to find him a job in a food factory as a worker.

"Jun Hai, why are you here?" Li Qing Xia asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to work today?"

"I asked for leave. My father asked me to pick someone up. He said the person coming from Shandong is also from the same family as mine."

Li Qingxia understood as soon as he heard it. This should be to pick up those who came to continue the family tree.

It is said that this branch of the Li family migrated from Shandong at that time, and left a branch in Shandong, and they are still in contact intermittently. Although the Li family is not a big family at present, and Li Lou is the main branch and there are no outstanding figures, if the family tree is to be rebuilt, the branch must be invited to continue.

After all, we are all one family.

"Where are the people?" Li Qingxia asked.

"My dad said that the bus would arrive this morning. I waited for a while, but there was no one on the bus he mentioned. I thought I might be late, so I waited a little longer."

"Let's wait together. When I take them back, you can stay in the county."

Li Junhai was not married yet and lived in the factory dormitory. His father was the principal of the brigade school, and his grandmother originally lived in Lilou, but later followed his father to the house allocated by the school.

"Third Grandfather, how is Northern Xinjiang? My uncles have all gone there, Junshan has also gone there to work as a worker, and I see you've gained weight. Is it easy to make money there?"

There were only a handful of people in Lilou who could eat commercial grain in the county or region. Li Junhai could work in the food factory because of his father's reputation - although Li Anmin was the principal of the brigade school, he had been a principal for 20 to 30 years and still had a network of connections.

The people in Li Lou knew this.

Therefore, it is really difficult for them to eat commercial grain.

But look at Li Qingxia's side, his whole family went out, and then one after another, first Li Anguo became a worker, and then Li Junshan, who followed Li Anguo out, also became a worker.

Later, I heard that Li Qingxia's son-in-law also became a worker in the food factory, and Li Xia's household registration was also moved to the city.

You say that if one person in a family goes abroad and becomes a worker, that would be easier to explain. But if all of them become workers, then if there is nothing wrong with it, people won't believe it.

At the beginning, everyone thought that the Northwest was a cold and bitter place, and even if they worked there, the salary might not be high and life would be hard.

But I didn't expect to hear from Li Junshan's father that Li Junshan's salary plus bonus is more than 50 yuan, which is less in winter, about 30 yuan, but in winter, people basically don't work. How beautiful!

It is said that the Chen family in the neighboring village is regretting their decision to death.

"It's not bad," Li Qingxia said with a smile, "There are fewer people there and more opportunities. Not to mention being a worker, even if you're a farmer, you can get more land there than here."

"So, Third Grandpa, how many acres of land do you have?" Li Junhai was full of curiosity.

"Five acres." Li Qingxia said proudly.

"So much?" Li Junhai was really surprised. "My whole family doesn't even have five acres of land!"

His household registration is in the county, while his father, mother and grandmother are still registered in Lilou. They all received land, and the total land held by the three of them is a little more than four acres but less than five acres.

"Hey, these five acres of my land are all good land, and the yield per acre is 200 kilograms." Li Qingxia has been in the northern border for two years and has become accustomed to using kilograms.

"That's amazing!" Li Junhai exclaimed.

Of course, he would definitely not go to Northern Xinjiang if asked to do so. After all, he is a formal worker now.

But Li Junhai knew how difficult it was to be a worker. His father not only used connections, but also spent a lot of money. As a result, he and his girlfriend have to postpone their marriage because they have not saved enough money.

The two of them waited until Li Qingxia's car was about to leave but the people had not arrived yet, so Li Qingxia went to get on the car, and Li Junhai went to the post office to call the school to inquire about the situation.

It was already morning when Li Qingxia returned to Lilou. He carried his bag and went straight to the brigade school.

There’s no hot food to eat when I get home anyway, so I might as well go and have a meal.

The meal at Li Anmin's house was not ready yet. When Li Qingxia entered the yard, Li Anmin had just returned home and had just washed his hands.

"Oh, Third Uncle is back. I just received a call from Xiao Hai." Li Anmin smiled and welcomed Li Qingxia into the house. Li Anmin's mother was lying on the inner bed, covered with a quilt. After hearing the noise, she reluctantly got up and walked to the door. She looked at Li Qingxia and said:
"Is his uncle back? I haven't seen him for a while. You look very energetic, unlike me, whose waist and legs are not obeying me."

She struggled to come over, but Li Qingxia waved his hand and said, "If you feel uncomfortable, just go inside and lie down. You are not a stranger."

Li Anmin helped the old lady into the house and let her continue to lie down. Anyway, the house was connected, so she could hear what was happening outside.

Li Anmin's wife was cooking. She came out of the kitchen, said hello to Li Qingxia, and then went back inside.

Li Anmin went into the kitchen and asked his wife to cook more noodles. If that didn't work, he could cook some instant noodles. Then he came out, pulled out a stool, and sat down with Li Qingxia to chat.

Like his son, Li Anmin was very curious about life in Northern Xinjiang and asked a lot of questions.

Li Qingxia remembered what Li Long said, bent down and took out the wine in a plastic cage from his bag, handed it to Li Anmin and said:

"Take this wine and give your mother a glass every night."

"What kind of wine?" Li Anmin asked.

"Tiger bone wine." Li Qingxia said proudly, "Real tiger bones!"

"What? A tiger?" Li Anmin asked in surprise, "Where did it come from?"

"It was made by Xiaolong's friend. We haven't seen one in the mountains for years. One came out last year and was killed by Xiaolong's ethnic minority friend. The bones were left behind."

"Does this... work?" Li Anmin had actually found many prescriptions to treat his mother's back and leg pain, but the effects were not very good.

Although he had a salary, which was better than ordinary people at home, his son had spent all his savings as a worker, and his mother's medical treatment also cost money, so they really couldn't afford some good medicinal herbs.

"This... is expensive, right?"

"I don't know if it's expensive or not, but it's free here." Li Qingxia smiled, "Don't worry about it. Give it to your mother first and see how she feels. If she gets better, that's good. I'll send you more later. If it doesn't work, we'll think of other ways."

Li Anmin was deeply moved by Li Qingxia’s words.

As the principal of the brigade school, he looked very glorious in the eyes of others, and some relatives borrowed money from him. But in fact, his life was very tight. How could he not know that tiger bone wine was good for waist and leg pain?
But that wine is expensive! And it's not like the one Li Qingxia gave me, which is just a piece of bone soaked in it.

That kind of tiger bone wine is produced in large quantities. I don’t know how many hundreds of bottles of wine can be soaked in one piece of tiger bone.

It does have an effect, but it's definitely not as strong as this one.

The gratitude towards Li Qingxia in my heart is really heavy.

After all, when other relatives come to visit, most likely they are here to borrow money, seek help to build relationships, etc.

As an elder, what this third uncle did was impeccable.

The meal came, and while we were eating the conversation turned to the affairs of the older generation and the matter of compiling the family tree.

Li Anmin asked a question while eating:
"Uncle San, I vaguely remember my father saying something. He said that it seemed like our ancestors also had treasures, which were kept by several families in turn. But later it wasn't our turn, so they were gone... Is that true or false?"

"Really?" Li Qingxia didn't expect that he didn't say the main thing, but Li Anmin involved in an old story, which also reminded him of Li Long's hobby.

"Back then, during my grandfather's generation, my father, your grandfather, was only in his thirties or forties. There was still war, fighting everywhere, and there were bandits, robbers, and devils from various countries in our area.

At that time, many large tombs were dug in Luoyang. Later, it was said that there were also some here, and bandits and rebels led people to dig everywhere.

In the end, they left without finding anything. Later, I don’t know how, but my grandfather and his brothers dug out a tripod from the ground.

I don’t remember what the tripod looked like, I just know it was a treasure - but during the chaos of war, no one dared to show it, so my grandfather’s generation took turns keeping it.”

Li Qingxia was eating noodles, and he thought of the "fake noodles" he had yesterday. He smiled, picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks, and continued:

"We have three rooms. There were four rooms in total at that time, and they said each room would be taken care of for five years, and they would take turns taking care of it, and they would see what to do with it when there was a chance. But what happened is that after rooms one and two were taken care of, when it was our turn, room two said it was gone."

"Then it's gone?" Li Anmin asked doubtfully, "Didn't you look for it?"

"How to find it? It seemed like there was a war going on at the time, so where can we find it? Our family has always been here, and some people from the other two families moved away. It was a chaotic time.

Ten years later, my grandfather didn't remember to ask, and when he remembered, he said there was no one, and he couldn't just fight. "

After he said this, Li Anmin sighed.

Actually, it is not a regret, but only that things are unpredictable. After all, it has been 50 or 60 years since those days, it is too long ago, and I only heard about it, so I don’t miss it too much.

Not to mention him, even Li Qingxia didn't have a deep feeling because he had only heard of it but never seen it.

However, he remembered that his son Li Long liked collecting, and thought that after finishing his business here, he might find some old things to take back with him.

After telling this story, and as he had something on his mind, Li Qingxia didn't stay at Li Anmin's house for long and went back to his own home with his things.

I haven't been back to the house for two years and it's still there. Although I asked someone to look after it when I left, it's bound to be a cold stove and it will take me an entire afternoon to clean it up.

After he left, Li Anmin went to school. He didn't teach any classes, so he started to edit the family tree in his office.

The old genealogy is there, and the important events of inheritance need to be reviewed to see if there are any that need to be changed or taboos. As for the newly added parts, the original volumes of the genealogy can basically be continued in the original order.

The contents at the beginning when talking about this ancestor will basically remain unchanged, only the major events and the genealogy will be changed.

He had participated in this matter when he was young, so he was considered an insider. However, he was not the one in charge, but the elders of several tribes, including Li Qingxia, the tribe leader of this tribe.

Of course, each branch has its own representatives and they need to sit down and talk together.

It is said that this time there is quite a big fuss, and several branches hope to be included in the family tree. This still requires the joint judgment of representatives, and it is not possible to be included if you want to.

When Li Qingxia returned to his house, he saw Li Junfeng already waiting there.

The news of his return had already been known in the morning. After the meal, Li Junfeng had already taken people to clear the grass in the yard, and as for the house, nothing was touched.

"You go ahead and do your work, I'll take my time." Li Qingxia didn't let Li Junfeng participate. This little job was nothing to him.

Li Junfeng still insisted on cleaning up and asked about the situation in Northern Xinjiang before leaving.

Li Qingxia took advantage of the sunshine today to take out the quilt and dry it in the sun.

There are many more things to come. (End of this chapter)