Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1236 The divisions among the tribes are growing.

As soon as the sun peeked out, Halim emerged from the winter hut, went to the back to drain the water, and then went to the cattle and sheep pen. He opened the doors to both the open pen and the inner heated pen, then crawled inside and drove out the lying cattle and sheep and the standing horses.

After being driven out of the pen, the cattle and sheep that had been holding back all night were quickly nibbling at the tips of the grass that hadn't been completely flattened in the snow, some ran to the water pool to drink, and some urinated in the snow as soon as they left the pen.

Letting them out at this time allows them to relieve themselves after holding it in all night, preventing the heating pad from becoming damp and smelly.

Even so, when Halim lifted the cotton curtain of the warm ring, a foul and pungent smell immediately filled the air.

He used a wooden fork to pick out the bare grass stalks from the open pen. Some of the mischievous cattle and sheep, having drunk their fill and emptied their bellies, looked up at the distant verdant pine forest, thinking of running off in that direction.

The black dogs rushed over, barking loudly, and herded the cattle and sheep back.

The cattle and sheep could only wander around nearby, while the smart ones had already run to the haystacks at the edge of the pen and were grazing on the dry grass.

Halim cleared the bare hay stalks from the pen, then went to the haystack, drove away the cattle and sheep that had gathered around, carried the hay bales to the open pen, spread the hay out, and divided it into several parts.

After picking three bundles of hay, he put down the pitchfork, picked up the sheep-driving whip from the sheepfold entrance, and began to drive the sheep into the pen.

After the cattle and sheep were all inside the pen, there were more than a hundred yellow marks of various sizes in the snow by the pond, as well as countless sheep droppings that looked like black beans.

After all that was done, my wife had already prepared the milk tea, broken the naan bread, and prepared the cream and ghee.

The couple quickly finished their breakfast. Halim went outside to start the tractor, while his wife tidied up the house, filling the kang table with jam, dried fruit, cream, and other treats before continuing to prepare ingredients for making milk tea.

Half an hour later, Halim started the tractor, and the sputtering sound echoed in the valley. Soon the sound became a duet and then a trio, because two more tractors appeared on the road below the mountain.

Yushanjiang and Talihar also arrived in their tractors. Their tractors carried about a dozen elderly people and children from the tribe.

The tractor stopped at the entrance of Halim's winter hut. Halim called them to get out, and his wife invited everyone inside for milk tea.

The milk tea session lasted only a short while before the three tractors drove down the mountain together.

The tractor's trailer was lined with blankets. Yushanjiang, Halim, and Talihar were all experienced tractor drivers. Although the mountain road was uneven, they drove very steadily.

It was cold in the mountains, so they were all dressed warmly. The elderly and children in the back of the truck chatted from time to time, and they all looked quite excited.

These elderly people were mostly women, who were visiting Halim's mother and to see how she lived in her small courtyard in the county.

By the time the tractor reached the county, the sun was already in the southeast, not very high, but the calm county town sunshine was still quite warm.

“It’s warmer and more comfortable here than in the mountains,” Talihar’s grandmother suddenly said. “There are also more people here.”

“There are still cars,” another elderly woman said.

The tractor drove straight to the gate of Halim's house and stopped.

Some of the neighbors heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. When they saw it was Halim and his group, they didn't say anything.

They knew that an elderly Kazakh woman lived in the courtyard with her two grandsons. Because Nathan and Sasken were very polite, the neighbors all liked the two boys.

Harim's mother was inside the house, listening to the radio and spinning yarn. The wool was brought back by Harim in the summer and moved with him.

She plans to spin all the wool into yarn to make wool socks for her two grandsons.

Because she was hard of hearing, she didn't hear the tractor outside, but she did when a large group of people entered the yard.

Just as I stood up to see what was going on outside, Halim opened the door and let everyone in.

"It's so warm!" Talihar's grandmother exclaimed. "This house is so clean and beautiful!"

When Halim's mother saw the elders from the tribe come in, she smiled with delight and went over to greet them and give them a cheek kiss.

The children wandered around the yard, their faces full of curiosity.

The door couldn't be closed properly, and the children kept going in and out. The running water was a novelty to them, as was the heating. The smooth brick floor was also a novelty to them. Although the television had no picture, they were even more curious about what it was.

Yushanjiang drove his tractor back to his own yard first. He needed to make some preparations, as these people would be coming to his house later.

Halim's mother started setting out dried fruits, candies, and snacks on the kang table, complaining as she did so that the only downside here was the lack of people. All the people she knew were in the mountains, and Nathan and Sasken were usually at school, making it difficult for her to find someone to talk to.

Several elderly women toured the house, and they all exclaimed in admiration.

When Talihar's grandmother learned that a snow leopard pelt could buy the entire yard and there would be some left over, she immediately said to Talihar:

"Tomorrow, take that snow leopard pelt from home and give it to that friend Li Long, and ask him to buy you a yard! I also want a yard like that in the county... Living here in winter, the house is spacious and bright, so comfortable, and I won't have to worry about back pain or cold legs!"

Winter shelters can be a bit damp and cold in winter, since heating with a stove can't guarantee that the whole house will be warm.

Although the elderly are used to wintering in their homes, how could they not want to enjoy a better life?
Especially people like Talihar's grandmother, who is quite open-minded and readily accepts good things.

Talihar could only nod in agreement.

The other elderly women, however, lacked this decisiveness. Unlike Talihar's grandmother, they didn't wield significant power. At this time, the tribe was still largely a patriarchal society, with men controlling the family finances. This situation was unlikely to change much even thirty or forty years from now.

After playing outside for a while, the children came in and started eating their favorite snacks and candies on the kang table. Their faces were full of excitement and joy, and their eyes were sparkling. They clearly liked the place very much.

They had just ventured out into the alleyways and someone asked them some questions, but since their Mandarin wasn't good enough, they didn't know what to say and came back.

They also saw a car—they had seen the car Li Long drove into the mountains many times before, but this time it was different.

They planned to ask their family members what kind of car it was, and after asking around, Talihar told them it was a sedan.

The old people sat peacefully at the kang table and chatted. They mainly asked Halim's mother about everything in the county, and Halim's mother answered each question one by one, with a lot of complaints in her tone.

"We need to buy milk, we need to buy naan, and we need to buy coal. If it weren't for Li Long bringing us some every now and then and giving us money, we wouldn't even have a chance to eat here."

“He gave you money, didn’t he? It must have been the hides or antlers that Harim gave him, which he sold and gave to you,” Talihar’s grandmother guessed. “If you have money, it’s easy to buy things.”

Then she started asking about the prices of various items in detail.

Because several villages near the county seat have started growing greenhouse vegetables, you can occasionally see some green vegetables in winter. Halim's mother also goes to the vegetable market occasionally, so she has some understanding of the situation outside.

"If more families could live in this area, it would be nice for us to chat together regularly."

“The men in the family definitely won’t agree!” An old woman shook her head. “If we move here, who will milk the cows, make milk tea, and cook for them?”

“Let them do it themselves!” Talihar’s grandmother shouted. “Don’t they have hands and feet?”

This was said as a matter of course, but the other old ladies all gave wry smiles.

Talihar's grandmother is in charge; the old man has passed away, and she can do whatever she wants. Naturally, her son and daughter-in-law listen to her.

Other people's situations are different.

Halim and Talihar went outside to make sure the water in the tractor didn't get cold so it could keep running. Later, they would take everyone to Yushanjiang's house—only the old lady was in Halim's yard, so they couldn't prepare food for too many people.

Moreover, the old ladies hadn't seen each other for a long time and wanted to catch up, so they didn't have time to cook. The cooking task fell to the Jiang family of Yushan.

Around one o'clock, the sun had already risen directly in the southern sky when the group of elderly women finally came out together. Talihar took a group of people over first, while Harim and the others waited for Nathan and Sasken to finish school before going over.

The children were especially happy during lunch at Yushanjiang's house. Since Nathan and the others were at school, some of their childhood playmates rarely saw each other anymore, so seeing them here naturally brought them great joy. Yushanjiang's house had a larger yard and more rooms. The elderly ladies gave it another tour before lunch. Lunch was pilaf. Yushanjiang went home early and, after discussing it with his wife, went to the butcher shop and bought half a lamb rib and a leg of lamb.

He didn't know how many of these old ladies would ultimately stay and buy houses in the county, but he knew little about it. After all, the old ladies might be willing, but the old men might not.

If a family is like Halim's, where the children are already capable of supporting the household, that's better. But in most families, even when the children are adults and the man in charge is sixty, he still refuses to admit he's getting old.

Unless they split up.

But after the family split up, the old lady was still responsible for cooking, milking cows, and doing housework, so it was unlikely that she would come out.

This is easy to analyze.

Even if they can't come to the county, it's still good for them to experience life in the county town first, just like planting a seed.

Without the old men around, the old ladies were very cheerful and talkative. During meals, someone would sing, and others would immediately join in.

The joy in the tribe includes the joy of gathering together, the joy of men drinking, horse racing, and goat-grabbing, and the joy of women chatting and singing together.

There's also the joy of children sharing secrets and playing together.

After the meal, Yushanjiang took them to the market to see if they needed to buy anything.

Except for Talihar's grandmother, none of the women had brought any money. Yushanjiang lent them some, planning to settle the accounts when they got back.

It's just a matter of one or two pieces of leather at most; it's nothing in Yushanjiang.

After returning from the summer ranch, Li Long's transactions with them were no longer based on barter. Apart from the money for road repairs, Li Long would give them cash for the things they brought back.

Since both families have courtyards in the county and need more money, Li Long can't always be the one providing the supplies.

Neither Harim nor Yushanjiang could accept this.

After buying the goods, they took Halim's mother back to the small courtyard, and the others got on the tractor and went back into the mountains.

The children were the most excited along the way, receiving their favorite candies, snacks, and toys. Several elderly women chatted about the houses, praising the advantages of having a courtyard in the county town.

However, once they entered the mountains, they almost all fell silent.

What's the use of a nice courtyard if my family doesn't agree? I can't live in the county, so I can only continue to stay in the winter shelter.

Previously, Li Long and his men had repaired and reinforced the winter shelters, making them more comfortable. The herders were very happy because they felt their quality of life had improved.

But compared to the courtyards in the county, the newly built winter shelter doesn't seem so comfortable right now.

However, it's unrealistic to move everyone into the county. There's the family, the livestock, the food, and the neighbors.

It's all problems.

Only Talihar's grandmother acted quickly. Once home, she had Talihar turn the snow leopard pelt inside out to check for any damage.

"Tomorrow you go down the mountain and give this hide to Li Long, ask him how much he can sell it for. I heard from Nathan's grandmother that after buying the yard, we need to renovate it and buy the furniture we're used to, and all of that will cost money."

Tell him that if the money from this hide isn't enough, we have other things.

Talihar's grandmother was very confident. Ever since she learned that these things in the mountains could be sold for money, she had started collecting them, and Talihar also loved hunting. Although every time Li Long came up or Yushanjiang and the others went down, they would bring a batch of things down with them.

But the family still has some savings.

The next day, when Talihar came down the mountain, he also brought with him the few puppies that Yushanjiang had found for Li Long.

When he entered the county town and found Li Long at the purchasing station, Li Long was in the yard talking to Commander Qi about the high-horsepower tractor.

Before the meeting, Commander Qi went back and inquired with people at the Shicheng Tractor Factory. They were astonished to hear that a high-horsepower John Deere tractor in excellent condition, along with its matching agricultural machinery, was only selling for 250,000 yuan.

At first, the technicians thought it might be a scam, or that there was something wrong with the tractor, but Commander Qi denied it. Of course, he wasn't exactly a technician himself; he had brought technicians over yesterday to inspect the high-horsepower tractor he had his eye on.

As a result, the technicians spent a long time studying it but couldn't find any problems. Instead, they found that the tractor was in excellent condition; it had been broken in but hadn't been used much, and its performance was at its best.

The technicians even considered submitting a report to the factory to buy the machine.

However, Commander Qi was very clever. After the technicians confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the machine, he immediately told Li Long to place the order.

After returning yesterday, he met with the political commissar, held a meeting, and finalized the matter. Today, he brought the finance staff and driver to pick up the tractor.

With 250,000 yuan deposited into his account, Commander Qi smiled and said to Li Long:
"Comrade Li, those two tractors of yours are probably going to be sold soon. The technicians at the Shicheng Tractor Factory are really eyeing these machines! They imported one before, bought it in US dollars, and they treasure it!"

You have two here, and they can buy them with RMB; they're very interested!

Li Long said with a smile:

"That would be the best. This thing is really better used on a farm than left here. It's a waste to leave it here."

Seeing that Li Long still had things to do, Commander Qi didn't stay long. He led his men to drive away (take away) the tractor and its supporting farm implements. Having this thing in the regimental mechanized farming team makes a completely different feeling!
Only then did Li Long have time to talk to Talihar.

"Buy a yard? That sounds good," Li Long said with a smile. "Do you have a specific location in mind?"

“It’s near Halim’s house, I think,” Talihar said. “My grandma wants to chat with the old lady there. She doesn’t know anyone in the county, and at her age, she wants to be with someone she knows.”

"I understand. I'll inquire about it in the next couple of days."

“If that’s not enough, I have other things at home.” Talihar placed the leather on the table in the living room. “My grandma said that you’ll also have to help with the renovations, furniture, and stuff.”

"That's no problem. But even if we manage to buy it, we won't be able to start making the modifications until spring."

“No rush, no rush. Just get it done before the transfer,” Talihar said. “Thank you for your help.”

"No trouble at all, what trouble?" Li Long only then realized that several old ladies had come over yesterday. He blamed Talihar for not telling him, but Talihar just smiled and didn't say anything.

As he went outside, Talihar looked at the cars in the yard with great envy. These things were much better than tractors; at least they had driver's cabs, and it wouldn't be so cold in winter.

Unfortunately, it's very expensive, and I can't afford it right now.

But thinking about all the things in the mountains, if I can get some good stuff, maybe I can get a new car to drive!

Now Talihar and his people also know how good the things in the mountains are. In the autumn and spring, when they are herding, they no longer lie on the grass to sleep, but will go to the riverbank and the grass from time to time to see if they can find some treasures.

Of course, the greater hope is to find gold nuggets, rough gemstones, and things like stag stones.

A single juvenile deer can sell for several hundred yuan, which is equivalent to the price of ten or so sheep. It's so expensive!
Although there are fewer things to get in winter, the pelts you occasionally get from hunting are quite valuable.

Li Long had already warned them that hunting was no longer allowed, but for Talihar and his group, the concept of the rule of law had not yet taken hold.

While Li Long was daydreaming in Talihar, he began to settle the puppies.

He plans to keep three at the purchasing station and one at home, just to raise them for now.

(End of this chapter)