Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Long stopped purchasing cattle and sheep before the heavy snow fell.

There are currently 110 sheep and 12 cows in the newly built pen.

Li Long chooses sheep randomly, as long as they are not too old or sick, male or female. At this time, most ewes have lambs, and they are kept until the New Year. They will give birth to lambs before and after the New Year, and there will be more next year.

Li Long is quite picky when choosing cattle. Basically, they are two or three years old, and two are one and a half years old.

He basically planned to fatten these cows and slaughter them for meat before the New Year.

The livestock market is still going on, but after the heavy snow, fewer people come here to sell cattle and sheep. After all, the market is not very mature at this time, and not many people come here to buy cattle and sheep. It is even more inconvenient after the snow. If it is too cold, people will not set up stalls.

The cattle and sheep that Li Long bought couldn't even fit half of the new pen.

In other words, it would be no problem to put another one or two hundred cattle and sheep in this newly built stable.

Uncle Luo dried the sugar residue every day. These things filled up the empty pens and several empty houses of Lao Ma Hao. The rest were piled in the open air and covered with canvas.

Song Ming was still bringing sugar residue here next week. Anyway, Li Long and Uncle Luo didn't think it was too much.

Halimu and his friends returned from the summer pasture before the first heavy snow. Li Long found out about it when he went to the animal husbandry team's rear office to deliver some things to the two families.

When Li Long drove a tractor loaded with grain and oil to Halimu and his family, the people from the pastoral team were coming to collect the cattle and sheep from their winter home.

Halimu and the others were very happy to see Li Long. Li Long didn't hesitate and went to help them after parking the tractor.

The pastoral team took away twenty sheep and two cows from Halimu, all of which looked fat and strong.

Li Long also saw their transactions. The animal husbandry team came over with a scale. Live sheep were priced at 70 cents per kilogram, and live cattle were priced at 80 cents per kilogram.

This time, Halimu received a total of 620 yuan.

Not a lot.

That’s more than what many farmers earn in a year.

But it is really hard work. The summer ranch is far away in the mountains and is almost isolated from the world. Life there is not easy. If you ask ordinary people to live there, I'm afraid nine out of ten would not be willing to do so.

After seeing off the people from the pastoral team, Halimu and Li Long gave each other a big hug before helping him unload the things from the tractor.

This time, Li Long mainly brought rice and flour. Just now, he saw people from the pastoral team coming to collect things, and they were also bringing large trucks. Li Long thought that they should have brought some supplies over anyway.

The result was nothing.

He mainly prepared basic living supplies such as food, brick tea, salt, etc. Of course, knowing Halimu's eating habits, Li Long also brought a few bags of basil and potatoes, as well as a small amount of chili and tomato sauce.

After unloading all the things and putting them in the small room, Halimu invited Li Long into the house to drink milk tea and talked to him about his life in the past period of time.

"This year, we came down from the mountain half a month earlier than before," Halim said. "In previous years, we didn't harvest as much grass, so we came back later. The cattle and sheep ate less grass, so we had less pressure.

This year, with your tractor we cut more grass than in previous years. After we came down the mountain, the herding team took away some cattle and sheep, and we sold some more, so that we have enough grass and won’t stay inside. It’s too cold…”

Li Long put one hand on his chest and took the milk tea handed over by Halimu's wife with the other hand. He took a sip and put it down, and asked:

"Is everything going well in the mountains? Is anyone sick or injured?"

"Of course. But the medicine you brought to everyone is in good condition." Halim said with a smile, "The grass and water in the summer pasture are better this year. You can see that my cattle and sheep are fat."

He told Li Long that they had been back for five days. After returning, they visited their mother and children and reported to the animal husbandry team. Halimu also said excitedly that he had cleaned up the dirt in the sheep washing pool and they could wash sheep here in the spring of next year.

"After the beginning of spring next year, I will bring you the medicine for washing sheep." Li Long said, "Prepare more, Yushanjiang and the others can wash here."

After chatting for a while, Li Long wanted to go back, and Halimu asked him to take a few sheep with him.

Li Long said:
"I plan to fatten some sheep. The herding team happened to come today to pick up the sheep. I will buy some cattle and sheep from you like they do, and raise them until the New Year and then slaughter them for meat."

"Okay." Halimu asked, "How much do you want?"

"It won't cost much." Li Long said, "I've already bought some. I'll buy ten sheep from you and a cow."

Halimu raises brown cattle. Li Long thinks this kind of cattle is more abundant than yellow beef, so he buys one to see.

"Okay." Halimu pointed at the milk tea and said, "I'll get it for you after you finish drinking it."

Halimu grabbed a sheep from the flock, and Li Long took it from outside, tied the sheep's legs and threw it into the tractor box.

Li Long could tell that the sheep Halimu caught were all fat and strong. After he caught two, he said to Halimu:
"Catch a few culled sheep and I'll take them back to fatten them."

"If we pull it over like this, we won't have to breed it anymore." Halimu knew this very well, so he said.

"No, no, I got some sugar residue from the sugar factory, there's a lot of it! I'm going to use that to fatten up the sheep, and then we'll slaughter them before the New Year. So, you should look for some discarded ones, don't just take the fat ones, it's a waste of raising them."

Halimu laughed and caught two fat sheep before starting to catch the eliminated sheep.

Li Long wanted to pay for the ten sheep, but Halimu refused, saying that the rice, flour and oil were enough. He also put some wild goat skins and red deer skins on Li Long's tractor, so Li Long had a legitimate reason to pay for them.

"Come over tomorrow. I'll talk to Yushanjiang and the others today. They'll have driven the sheep here by then, and you can take them away then." Halimu said.

Since Li Long wants to raise fattened sheep, his friends will naturally support him.

Li Long drove the tractor out of the winter den. He planned to bring some more supplies tomorrow and buy some roosters, hens, eggs, etc. from the market.

When he reached the mountain pass, Li Long met Bolati who was waiting there.

"I heard the sound of cars and tractors, and I knew you were coming." Bolati said with a smile, "You haven't been here for a while, and we got some Codonopsis pilosula. Do you want to take it?"

"I will definitely accept it." Li Long said, looking at the two bags of things on Bolati's horse, "But right now, I can only exchange them for money. I don't have any supplies with me now."

"Then let's exchange it for money. After all, we are exchanging it for others." Bo La got off the horse and handed the two bags of Codonopsis to Li Long. "These are for two people, not mine. You can give it as you see fit."

There are two bags of Codonopsis pilosula. One bag is relatively dry, and the other bag is not completely dry. It is not dried well and one of the codonopsis pilosula has already become moldy.

Li Long picked out the moldy one and threw it away, then he weighed it and said to Bolati:
"This one is of better quality, I'll give it 40 yuan, this one is not so good, I'll give it 35 yuan."

"It's good, it's more than they thought." Bolati was very satisfied. "They think it's good to have 20 yuan. It's good to be able to exchange this tree root for money. By the way, do you also collect sheep?"

"Well, I built a sheepfold and planned to raise some sheep in the winter and then slaughter and sell them during the Chinese New Year."

"You guys are smart." Bolati smiled and said, "Well, when are you going to go into the mountains again?"

"I'll come over tomorrow." Li Long said, "I'll go to the winter den to bring some sheep back tomorrow. I'll come over almost every day in the next few days."

"Okay, I got it. If I find Codonopsis again, I'll come to you again."

Li Long took the two bags of Codonopsis pilosula, tied them to the leaf board, and drove out of the mountain on the tractor.

After Li Long pulled the cattle and sheep in the tractor to the old horse shed and put them down, he had lunch at his eldest brother's house and then drove back to the county to purchase.

It was already early winter, and most people walking on the street had already put on cotton-padded clothes. Li Long himself was also wearing a cotton-padded coat while driving a tractor.

He went to the department store and bought wine, batteries, cotton-rubber shoes and cotton gloves.

Herders usually make their own clothes, but some buy them now. Most of them buy boots and shoes, but the rubber shoes sold in department stores are more convenient and fashionable. So although the cotton-rubber shoes are not as warm as their felt boots, they are popular among young herders, especially boys.

Then there are the wool scarves for girls and the fur hats for men.

Li Long bought a lot of these things, and also bought a lot of snacks like egg cakes. Basically every herdsman's family has elderly people, and they don't have to worry about eating these.

After coming out of the department store, Li Long went to the market.

He found that in addition to food and batteries, the most popular items were wine, rice and potatoes. In winter, herders had no vegetables to eat, so they relied on rice and potatoes, as well as the sauces they made from wild fruits picked in the mountains.

The granulated sugar and sugar cubes that Li Long brought to them were of great help.

The shops in the market sell everything, and you can basically buy everything you want in just one visit.

Li Long also bought some eggs and slaughtered roosters and hens. Although it hadn't snowed yet, the temperature at night had dropped below zero, so these things could be stored in the spare room.

After pulling a cart full of miscellaneous items, Li Long returned to the yard.

Xiao Hei was so happy to see Li Long coming back that he jumped up and down. The two roe deer had grown bigger and started to push people, so Li Long took them back to the old stable, planning to catch more young ones next spring and bring them back to the yard.

By then the children will be old enough to sit and play, and if there are young roe deer or red deer, they can play with them.

Of course, if you can't find any, two little goats would be nice too.

The weather had turned cold, and in the afternoon Sister Yang was pushing her two children around in circles in the yard.

Li Long asked a carpenter to make a cart for the two children. It was actually similar to a flatbed cart, with two large wheels for a cart and two small wheels for a pushcart. The board on top was made into a slope, with blankets spread on it so the children could lie half-way and look outside. There was a partition in the middle so both children could lie down.

With this cart, the two children love riding on it. They can move around and see the scenery. Sister Yang can also be free and no longer have to hold the children all the time.

When Li Long came back, Han Fang had finished class and Gu Xiaoxia had not yet finished get off work. However, Gu Boyuan came over first and was checking the stove in Li Long's room.

The weather is getting colder, and Li Jianguo's family in the fourth team has already set up a stove. Right now, we have made a lot of money at the end of the year, so we don't need to be too frugal. The bungalow is already a bit damp and cold, so we set up the stove first to dry out the moisture and make it convenient to cook every day.

Li Long was busy with things outside every day and forgot about the stove.

Of course, there is another main reason, which is that the main house of this large courtyard is well designed and built. Li Long and his friends have not felt cold so far since living there.

Gu Boyuan had already set up a stove in his small yard. During lunch, he asked Gu Xiaoxia about the stove. Seeing that it had not been set up yet, he did not blame Li Long.

As a man, Li Long is busy making money and working on his career outside every day. Plus, it's warmer here than in his small yard, so it's normal that he didn't think about it.

Anyway, he doesn't have much to do at the moment, so he closed the store early today and came over to take a look at the stove and try it out.

Li Long looked at his father-in-law lighting the stove, his face still covered in ash and his face turned red. He got out of the jeep and hurried over to help.

"It's okay, it's okay, just do your thing, this stove is just a small matter." Gu Boyuan said cheerfully, "I have tried the stoves in the east and west bedrooms in your house, let's set them up for a few nights to warm up the house.

I instructed Xiaofang to set up the chimney in her room. The chimney didn't get clogged with smoke all summer long. The big yard is different."

My father-in-law still knows how to avoid suspicion. Li Long smiled and told Gu Boyuan what he was doing.

"Hey, you have good vision." Gu Boyuan nodded and said, "Now everyone has some money in their hands, so we can buy some meat to improve our lives during the New Year.

The meat put out by the food factory is definitely not enough. There is a meat stall in the market, but only a small amount of meat is put out every day. There are also people selling meat in the black market on the outskirts of the city, and the good meat is still in great demand..."

It turns out that Gu Boyuan is not just looking after the agricultural supply store, but is also very concerned about many things in the county.

"So I'm thinking of raising a batch of cattle and sheep now, fattening them up until the twelfth lunar month, and then putting them in the market. At least I can sell dozens of sheep."

"That's more than that. You underestimated the purchasing power of our county's people." Gu Boyuan shook his head. "Do you know how many people have come to my store to buy agricultural supplies since the beginning of autumn? Hundreds!
These people came from three towns in the north, and from several regiments in the north dozens of kilometers away. What they said most was that they wanted to buy some beef and mutton to take back, but they couldn't buy any. Don't worry, let alone dozens of sheep, you can sell a hundred sheep in the first half of the month before the New Year!"

These words suddenly boosted Li Long's confidence.

In fact, he was thinking of buying more cattle and sheep for fattening. It would be good to sell them, but if they couldn't be sold, he would keep them. Anyway, there were several people in Uncle Luo's place, so at worst he could just let the cattle and sheep graze in the summer.

Team 4 doesn't have much else but a lot of wasteland. Although the team has a few flocks of sheep, it's still far from saturation.

When Gu Xiaoxia came back from get off work, she was very happy to see Li Long and his father Gu Boyuan chatting happily. She was naturally in a good mood because the two men closest to her had a good relationship.

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

I'm used to driving a jeep. Even though the current jeeps don't have power steering, it's very difficult to turn the steering wheel, almost the same as a small four-wheeler. But at least the car is faster and more stable.

The small four-wheel tractor had poor shock absorption and was not fast. It took Li Long more than an hour, almost two hours, to reach Halimu.

When he arrived, he saw Yushanjiang and Talihar already outside the winter den.

Besides them and Halimu, there was a group of more than twenty sheep outside the winter den.

There were words painted on the sheep, in red and blue, clearly belonging to two families.

However, whether it is the sheep marked in red or the sheep marked in blue, they are all very fat. Li Long sighed, "Alas."

He drove the tractor in front of a few people, stopped, hugged Yushanjiang and Talihar, and then pointed at the tractor and said:
"Let's unload the stuff first. There's a lot of stuff here. Divide it among yourselves."

"Hey, I knew that as long as Li Long came over, we could get the good stuff." Talihar said with a smile.

However, he did not move the things immediately, but asked Li Long:
"Do you have any bullets? I'm out of bullets, but I brought you something good!"

Li Long brought a gun but not many bullets. While thinking about what good things Talihar could bring him, he took off his backpack, pulled out a bag of bullets and said:
"Twenty-five rounds. You use them first."

Talihar aspired to become a hunter because he had killed 17 wild goats. Later, he almost became mentally ill after facing a bear. After being enlightened by Li Long, he recovered and became more determined to become a hunter.

When he took a huge bear skin from his horse's back and handed it to Li Long, Li Long felt that he was not about to become a hunter, but had already become a qualified hunter.

No, are the bears in this mountain so easy to kill?

After all, he is considered the bully in the mountain, right?

Yushanjiang also smiled and took the bag off his horse.

When he opened the bag and shook out a piece of leather to Li Long, Li Long felt numb.

A snow leopard skin!

Hey!
These two are surprises for themselves!
"Bear skin, one thousand yuan. Snow leopard skin, two thousand yuan." Li Long finally calmed down and gestured the numbers, "I'll send the money to you tomorrow..."

He thought about going into the mountains to collect sheep, and the maximum he could bring was two thousand yuan, which was obviously not enough at the moment.

"Li Long, what you said is really hurtful." Talihar said deliberately with some sadness, "The leather is given to you by us, and you are talking about money. Aren't we friends?"

"Friends are friends, but you still have to take the money." Li Long shook his head and said seriously, "I also gave you supplies for those skins before, and we said we were friends. This time, it's two more expensive skins... I feel uncomfortable taking them."

"No, no." Yushanjiang said with a smile, "This leather is an advance payment for you to bring people to build a winter shelter for me next year, so, take the deposit first."

"Yes, yes, mine too." Talihar stuffed the leather into Li Long's hand and said with a smile, "Our winter home is leaking. Let's fix it next year. We trust you to do the job!"

Well, this deposit is quite expensive! (End of this chapter)