Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1251 Another New Year has arrived, but this year is different.
On the 28th day of the Lunar New Year, Li Long was cleaning the yard. This year there was no Lunar New Year's Eve; the 29th was New Year's Eve. Li Long planned to go to the Fourth Team the next day, but his second brother's family arrived in their car that very day.

Li Anguo and Chen Lirong, along with their two children, Xueping and Xueqin, drove to the purchasing station first, only to find it closed. So they went to the courtyard instead.

The two children had come over during the Mid-Autumn Festival, more than three months ago. This time, they both seemed to have a bit of a city kid's air about them. Li Long opened the door, and the two children, after getting out of the car with Li Anguo and Chen Lirong, politely greeted Li Long:

"Hello, Uncle!"

"Alright, alright, come in, come in quickly, it's cold outside." Li Long invited his second brother's family into the courtyard, but Li Anguo said:

"I was thinking of going to the recycling station to see if Dad was there, but it was closed..."

"It's not closed, it's on holiday!" Chen Lirong corrected Li Anguo's wording.

"Yes, yes, we're on holiday, so we came to let you know. We're heading down to the team now."

“Okay, you guys go back first,” Li Long said. “Xiaoxia’s holiday starts tomorrow, I have to wait for her to go back together.”

"Yes, yes, that's only right," Li Anguo said with a smile. "Where are Mingming and Haohao? Should I take them both back first?"

"Hey, those two got to Team Four a long time ago and haven't come back yet. They've been having a blast with Qiangqiang," Li Long said with a smile. "Then I won't keep you for lunch. You guys go ahead, it's probably time for Big Brother and the others to start eating too."

"Alright, alright, then you go ahead with your work." Li Anguo nodded, then got into the car with his family. Before getting in, Xueping and Xueqin said goodbye to Li Long, who waved back, thinking to himself that this little girl was really something else, so well-behaved!

My two kids are usually polite, but they went wild this holiday and are starting to become a bit of a brat.

After watching his second brother's car turn north at the intersection and disappear from sight, he went inside to call his eldest brother's family to let them know, just in case they were unprepared and it would be troublesome.

When Li Anguo's family arrived at the fourth team, Li Jianguo and his family had already cleaned the house—the house where Li Junhai and his family had stayed last year was still empty, the bed boards were ready, and there were new quilts, so they could just put them down. The stove had also been set up, and now the house was warm and cozy, just right for Li Anguo's family to move in.

With so many people, the meal was lively, but one table was definitely not enough, so another table was set up in the east room.

Li Qingxia had only been back from the purchasing station for a few days. It was lively there, and back home, it was lively in a different way. He enjoyed it all.

Du Chunfang felt the same way. Several children would pass by her from time to time, chattering away, but she didn't find it noisy at all. On the contrary, she felt that this was what a home should be like, and that it was right to have more children.

The happiest were Xueping and Xueqin. While they were studying in Kuitun, they were already thinking about coming over during the holidays to play with their older and younger siblings.

The children didn't eat much for lunch, as they were already looking forward to going out to play together. So after quickly finishing a few bites, they rushed out in a swarm, led by Li Qiang.

Li Qiang had already received a box of small firecrackers that had been disassembled. He was in junior high school and no longer a child, so he secretly disassembled dozens more and put them in his pocket to set off properly later.

Mingming Haohao was used to being with him, but Xueping and Xueqin were a little reserved at first. Studying in the city meant they were already learning certain rules, or rather, certain established customs.

Following Li Qiang now would be like being restricted in one's actions.

But soon, their natural instincts kicked in, and they became less reserved, joining Li Qiang in playing wildly—Li Qiang didn't ask them to do anything too outrageous, they just made snowballs in the snow.

The two little girls didn't know what was going on, but they did as instructed, and Mingming and Haohao also came to help.

Then Li Qiang stuffed the sparklers into the snowballs one by one, and then tried one with a lit incense stick. The fuse of the sparkler burned very quickly, and with a "bang", it exploded the instant Li Qiang withdrew his hand and stood up.

Several smoldering snowflakes landed on Li Qiang, but thankfully they weren't very powerful. The children were overjoyed!
Li Qiang himself was also quite startled, not expecting the fuse to burn so quickly—fortunately, its power was less than that of the original electric cannon.

He was already studying physics and chemistry and knew the reason why some kinetic energy was lost during the transmission of force, so he felt it wasn't so dangerous.

Once I figured that out, I immediately became bolder and stuffed four or five electric cannons into a snowball. Then I enlarged the snowball so that when it exploded, the snowball would just be blown apart but wouldn't fly away.

Seeing that it wasn't dangerous at all, the children were eager to try it out, so Li Qiang redid it and then let them try it one by one.

This emboldened the two girls, and all the children were unusually excited. Xueping and Xueqin were studying in the city, where most of the girls didn't set off firecrackers; they were timid, and their parents wouldn't allow it either.

Trying it now feels novel, fresh, and exciting.

Mingming Haohao used to only fire small cannons, which wasn't very satisfying. Now that he can fire light cannons, it seems like he's grown up a bit, so he feels more excited about it.

They were playing outside, and Li Juan would occasionally come out to check on them and remind Li Qiang to be careful, to which Li Qiang naturally responded.

As the eldest of the boys in this branch in northern Xinjiang, Li Qiang naturally had the awareness to take care of his younger brothers and sisters.

Finding a balance between taking care of his younger siblings and having fun has become one of the topics he unconsciously studies.

The children were playing, while Li Jianguo and the others were chatting inside the house.

The main question was about Li Anguo's current situation in Kuitun.

“I’m basically idle in winter. I’m the team leader, so I have to be on duty. Otherwise, I would have come here long ago,” Li Anguo said with a smile. “It’s more comfortable staying in the countryside.”

“That’s right,” Li Junfeng said with a smile. “A few days ago, I went with Uncle Jianguo and Uncle Xiaolong to chase rabbits and catch fish. Uncle Xiaolong and the others even chased chickens. There’s a lot of wild land and a lot of wild game in our village! In winter, there’s not much to do, so you can just wander around outside and get a lot of good stuff!”

His experience was the most profound. Back in his hometown, there wasn't much work to be done in winter, and there was practically no wasteland left. There was just one big river, with villages lined up one after another on either side. No matter how many resources there were, after being skimmed off layer by layer, very little was left.

So he was truly amazed that he could catch fish just by finding any remaining puddle in Dongdagou and lifting the ice.

So, despite his father's strong opposition, he went ahead with the family move. He even hoped that once he settled in and the house was built, he could move his father over as well.

Look how comfortable Third Grandfather is living here. He earns more in a year than I do. Isn't that amazing!

If my own father came, he would still have work to do and could find a place to contribute his remaining energy.

Instead of staying in their old home, sitting at the door every day basking in the sun that's not even half as strong as it is here.

That winter... was unbearable.

Having grown accustomed to living in a house with a stove here, and then thinking back to the old house where the ventilation was poor, the inside and outside were just as cold, and even on sunny days the inside was not as warm as the outside, Li Junfeng was really determined to move his parents here.

Let's take it one step at a time. It's already been a very difficult task to settle our family here.

After all, Uncle Xiaolong said that the road would be built in the spring, and only after this road was built would the representatives in the team agree to let their other children settle here.

I must repay this kindness properly.

Li Anguo was also very envious, but he could only be envious.

He's already in the system, and he, along with his wife and children, are now receiving government-subsidized food rations; there's no way he can change his ways.

Fortunately, life is getting better and better, and with a car, it's much more convenient to travel back and forth.

He brought a lot of New Year's goods with him on this trip, including wine, dried fruit, and other dried goods. The factory did quite well this year, and they gave out a lot of benefits for the New Year, so he brought half of them over.

In the past, it was always his older and younger brothers who helped him out. When his family came, they brought little with them but took a lot back with them.

While it's true that one should take it for granted, is it really? As the second oldest brother, I should be taking care of my younger brother, but I'm always the one receiving more care from him.

I'm ashamed.

So this time, bringing over more things is a way of making up for it—and of course, it's also a way of showing filial piety to my parents.

As he carried things downstairs, Li Anguo had a triumphant look on his face. Yes, this day had finally come.

Actually, Li Jianguo and his family didn't care much about these things. What they cared about more was that Li Anguo could come over a day earlier and reunite with his family for the New Year.

If you're in your hometown, and everyone lives in the same village, then it doesn't matter; being a day earlier or later doesn't make a difference.

But in northern Xinjiang, the Li family only has a few places, and compared to their hometown, they are relatively isolated. The Lunar New Year is a time for celebration and festivities, so in recent years, Li Anguo and his family have always come over on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.

If we could come two days earlier, wouldn't it be more lively for two more days?

Li Jianguo had this idea primarily because, as the eldest son, he was considering his parents' opinions.

Parents naturally love to be surrounded by their children and grandchildren, and to have a large and prosperous family.

That's it now.

The men were chatting, while the women were tidying up the kitchen and preparing for tomorrow's New Year's Eve dinner.

In fact, most of the preparations are already complete—the small crucian carp and meatballs are fried, the ribs have been deep-fried, and the braised meat is ready to be sliced ​​and plated tomorrow. Even a lot of green vegetables have been prepared, which Li Long asked him to bring when Li Qingxia returned.

"Xiaolong said he won't grow vegetables in greenhouses next year. People around the county town are growing vegetables in greenhouses, and the vegetables there are just as fresh."

“These apples are pretty good,” Chen Lirong exclaimed, looking at the rather large apples. “Xueping’s dad also got some from his factory, but they weren’t as big as these, and they were frozen, so he didn’t bring them over.”

"These apples were brought over from Yili by Xiaolong's father-in-law. They were wrapped in cotton blankets to keep them warm, and they were fine when they arrived," Liang Yuemei explained. "There are many apples in Yili, and they are of good quality and large."

Dong Xiaojuan mostly listened, occasionally chiming in with a word or two, but mostly focused on doing her work.

The family's household registration has been settled. Uncle Jianguo also said that next spring, when Li Junhai and the others come over, he will first help them lay the foundation for the house, and if it can be built, they will start building it.

So she's been quite happy lately, coming over to help with chores whenever she has free time, never idle for a moment.

For the Li family, the New Year is simply a matter of everyone coming together, the adults chatting, the children playing, and going through the usual rituals – that's all there is to it.

Chen Xingbang arrived by car as it was getting dark in the afternoon. He hadn't called beforehand, nor had he gone to Li Long's place, so when he arrived, although the courtyard was lively, it was also a chaotic mess—people were arranging accommodations for the Chen family of three.

It was prepared, but the stove wasn't set up. At this moment, Li Junfeng was quick and went over to set up the stove to dry the house first.

Hongqin and Xueping were the same as when Xueqin first arrived—a little reserved and polite.

The little girl had grown up a bit in the city, and after not seeing her for several months, it was impossible for her to integrate so quickly at first. However, Li Qiang and his team had a way to help her quickly become part of the "family."

Sure enough, by the time the stove was set up in the house and Chen Xingbang and the others started chatting in the main room, Hongqin had already successfully become a member of Li Qiang's small group and went to set off firecrackers together.

The Li and Chen families lived in the city and were used to three meals a day. The Li family had also gotten used to Li Long occasionally bringing back fish, so they would make fish soup and boil cow or sheep milk in the evenings.

So even though the adults weren't very hungry, they still boiled milk for dinner, cut up several plates of braised pork, and put some fried dough sticks on the table. The milk was mainly for the children; if any of the adults were hungry, they could eat a few slices of braised pork, fried dough sticks, or fried dough twists to tide them over.

People from my hometown still carry the tradition of eating little for dinner and not eating after noon. Whether it's good or not is another matter, but basically at this time of year, people eat very little in the evening, and a little porridge is considered a meal.

Chen Xingbang was an excellent conversationalist. He had earned quite a bit this year, both professionally and personally. He had brought the 10,000 yuan he owed Li Long for the fare with him. Being able to pay off the fare felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, making him feel incredibly relaxed. He even spoke with a certain air of confidence and magnanimity.

They brought some donkey meat and semi-finished products such as stuffed spicy sausages with them.

According to Chen Xingbang, his elder brother's family has no shortage of meat; they definitely have beef, mutton, and pork, and even venison and wild boar meat. If they were to give him meat, they should give him some that the family doesn't have access to.

The food factory where he worked had a wide variety of meats. Before coming here, Chen Xingbang had asked someone to exchange some donkey meat for some, and then he got some sausages. He kept some for himself and brought the rest with him.

When we leave, my brother's family will definitely need to pack other things for us, so it's not a bad deal.

Although Chen Xingbang was talkative, his words weren't as harsh as before. Li Xia was busy in the kitchen, initially listening carefully, afraid her husband might say something offensive, but later she relaxed.

The children played outside until it got dark before returning home and going to Li Juan and Li Qiang's old room, which immediately became lively.

Not long after, Li Qiang, carrying a flashlight, led a group of children out. Li Juan asked him a question, and he said he was taking his younger siblings to catch sparrows.

“It’s not time yet. Some of the old sparrows have just gone into their nests and haven’t gone to sleep yet. Some haven’t even gone into their nests yet… Don’t you remember when your uncle took us there?” Li Juan said to him, and Li Qiang then brought his younger siblings back.

He actually knew, but he couldn't help himself. As the leader of the children, he had to demonstrate some extraordinary abilities to win them over.

However, the other children, especially Mingming and Haohao, became curious about the story of their father taking their older siblings to catch sparrows at the beginning, and begged Li Qiang to tell them about it.

Li Qiang naturally wouldn't forget what happened back then, and he began to recount it without hesitation.

"So... we couldn't afford meat back then," Mingming and Haohao exclaimed.

In fact, Xueping, Xueqin, and Hongqin could all sense it, because in their memories, the days when they couldn't eat meat were not long ago.

Li Qiang's words prompted them to recall and recount their own experiences:
“It’s not just about having meat; sometimes we don’t even have enough to eat!” Hongqin couldn’t help but say. “The cornbread and dried sweet potatoes are so tough they make your throat choke, and we can only afford white flour buns during the New Year…”

Looking at Mingming and Haohao, she felt that although they were only a few years older than each other, they didn't seem to be from the same era.

Li Juan sat to the side, ignoring their discussion, but her heart was filled with many emotions. She, too, had come from a time when she could only afford coarse grains and no meat, so her feelings ran deep.

When did the change occur? Was it because of the household responsibility system implemented that year, or because of my uncle's return from Wucheng that year?

Du Chunfang leaned against the fire wall, listening to the men talking and reminiscing about the past. They were talking about their days back in their hometown.

Speaking of her hometown, Du Chunfang felt a little nostalgic, but mostly she didn't want to think about it. It was so nice to stay here; the winters were so comfortable!

Li Junfeng didn't want to talk about it either. He started talking about the cooperative that was going to be established this year. After the spring, his family would also be allocated farmland for their own food, five mu per person, just like before.

At first, he also planned to grow cotton on these lands, and it would have been great if he could join the cooperative, but Li Jianguo did the math for him and said that it wasn't possible for the time being.

Firstly, his land is connected to other people's good land, but not to the cooperative's newly reclaimed land, making it difficult to manage. Secondly, if he wants to join the cooperative, he will have to pay an additional fee.

Putting aside whether he can actually afford it, they've only just settled down, and they'll have to pay grain taxes next year. Will they have to buy it then? That's quite troublesome.

Li Jianguo meant that since his family had just settled down, they shouldn't rush things and should take it one step at a time. After the house was built in the spring, they should first plant wheat, sunflowers, and other essential grains and oilseeds in the fields before discussing anything else.

They talked late into the night, until Li Qiang and his men caught about ten old sparrows, which Li Junfeng roasted and ate for them, before the conversation ended.

Everyone went back to their own rooms to rest, and the children were the first to fall asleep.

The Li Anguo and Chen Xingbang families, however, have different approaches.

It had only been three months since they last met, but the eldest brother's family situation had changed again, and the younger brother had made new progress. The cooperative, a term they had once remembered, had reappeared, but in a completely new and profitable way, which made Li Anguo and Chen Xingbang very emotional.

How come Xiaolong always manages to come up with something new?

Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia didn't return until nearly noon the next day.

They didn't bring much back. When the car pulled up into the Li family's yard, Li Long brought back some beef jerky. The beef jerky comes in two types: strips and granules, all dried and packaged in paper bags. He mainly brought it back for his family, and some was also for his second brother and sister's families.

The preparations for New Year's Eve were almost complete, so Li Long and the others didn't need to do much work after arriving. Gu Xiaoxia helped Liang Yuemei and the others with setting the dishes, while Li Long greeted his second brother and brother-in-law and asked about their families.

"There's not much work left here, you should go and rest," Liang Yuemei said to Gu Xiaoxia. "You've been working for a year now and haven't had a proper rest."

"No way, my job is much easier. Hao Hao is on vacation and you guys take care of him, Sister Yang cooks for him, and we have everything we need at home," Gu Xiaoxia said with a smile. "I feel like if this keeps up, I won't be able to cook or do housework anymore. By the way, sister-in-law, let me tell you something funny..."

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Liang Yuemei and whispered something in her ear.

"Hey, Mingming's mom and sister-in-law have such a good relationship," Chen Lirong said to Li Xia with envy.

"How can that be the same? I heard from Xueping's father that his sister-in-law raised Mingming's mother like her own daughter, and Xiaolong has been in this family for over ten years, and his brother and sister-in-law have raised him like their own son... Now that they're family, their relationship is even better." Li Xia knew some of the inside story.

“That’s good, that’s good, there’s no barrier between us.” Chen Lirong nodded.

"What? Really?" Liang Yuemei was shocked at first upon hearing Gu Xiaoxia's words, then she laughed. "Hey, I really didn't expect this... Haha, your dad came over a couple of days ago, but he didn't mention this. I'll tell Juan's dad later, hey! That's great, your dad has secretly done something big!"

The men chatting in the inner room heard Liang Yuemei's laughter, and Li Jianguo was a little puzzled: "What is Juan's mother laughing about?"

"I guess Xiaoxia talked to my sister-in-law about it," Li Long said with a smile. "Brother, you probably don't know yet, but Uncle Gu has a girlfriend and they might get married this summer."

"What? You're saying Lao Gu has a girlfriend?" Li Jianguo was also quite surprised. "When did this happen? I didn't hear him mention it when we were drinking the other day."

Li Anguo and Chen Xingbang only knew that Gu Boyuan was Li Long's father-in-law, but Li Qingxia was more familiar with this in-law and said with a smile:

"It's good to have a partner, it's good to have a partner. His ex-wife remarried, and now he has a partner, isn't that perfect... otherwise, he'd be a bachelor with no one to cook for him or anything."

If it weren't for Lunar New Year's Eve, Li Jianguo would be thinking of going over to chat with Lao Gu right now. Hey, he's having a second spring in his life!

"Well, when he comes over tomorrow or the day after, I have to have a good drink with him. It's such a big deal, and he didn't even tell us he was coming to our house. That's not right!" Li Jianguo felt that Old Gu was being unfair.

Li Long laughed and tried to excuse his father-in-law: "He's probably just embarrassed. After all, this is a complicated matter..."

"Hey, he's still embarrassed?" Li Jianguo laughed. "No way, when I see him in a couple of days, I'm going to make a good laugh at him..."

"What's so funny? This is a good thing, what's so funny?" Liang Yuemei and the others next door heard Li Jianguo's voice. She noticed Gu Xiaoxia's embarrassment and said loudly, "We should see if we can make some arrangements. If we're having a banquet in the summer, then our family will have to step in."

Besides his daughter, Old Gu is also single. If he really wants to hold a banquet, he can only rely on his close relatives to help out.

“Then we definitely have to help. We’re in-laws, who could be closer to us than us?” Li Qingxia said. “It’s settled then. We’ll discuss it with Lao Gu when he gets here.”

With the old man's word, the jokes stopped, and the matter got back on track.

Liang Yuemei inquired about the woman's situation from Gu Xiaoxia, but since she couldn't ask about the man, she changed the subject and started talking about other things.

Both Chen Xingbang and Li Anguo asked Li Long about the cooperative. After getting the information, Li Anguo didn't say anything, which Chen Xingbang found a bit of a pity. He said:

"We should invest that high-horsepower tractor as a share. Once we invest, the cooperative will be ours, and everyone else will be working for us. Wouldn't that be great!"

“Others aren’t stupid either. Would they do something that’s obviously a loss for them?” Li Jianguo shook his head. “These days, nobody gives away anything for free. Besides, those people have a good relationship with Xiaolong. We can’t cheat them.”

"Yes, yes, I was just saying." Chen Xingbang smiled awkwardly. "It might work for doing business, but in a cooperative, everyone knows each other well, so it's really not a good idea to do it this way."

"Xingbang, how's it going at the food factory?" Li Anguo changed the subject. "Are you still managing the shop?"

“I’ll manage it, but now I’ll manage three shops, and I’ll be the team leader,” Chen Xingbang said with a smile. “I don’t need to manage the slaughtering anymore; I’ll just supervise. There are younger people managing the shops selling meat.”

“That’s a promotion,” Li Anguo nodded. “Working a few more years makes a difference.”

When the topic turned to the future, Chen Xingbang and Li Anguo had more in common, and Li Jianguo and Li Long listened, thus gaining an understanding of their recent changes.

The sound of firecrackers could be heard outside, one after another. It was the sound of people setting off firecrackers while eating dumplings at noon.

The Li family also wanted to set off fireworks, and now that Li Qiang was there, the task of setting off fireworks was handed over to him, or rather, Li Qiang took the initiative to take over the job.

Although there are actually five families together now, they can eat lunch together, so let's put them up together. The couplets were already put up before Li Long came, in both the front and back courtyards, including the small house where Li Junfeng and the others live.

As living standards improve, more and more traditional customs are being revived and put into use.

No one would find it strange; it's as if life has improved, and this is how it should be.

When people are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame; when the granaries are full, they know etiquette. That must be how it is.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and various fragrances. The happiest people were the children. Although they hadn't started exchanging New Year's greetings yet, they had already started wearing new clothes and comparing the contents of their pockets.

Boys often competed on the number and variety of firecrackers, while girls competed on the amount of candy they had.

Many people also picked up unexploded firecrackers and put them in their pockets, planning to collect more before setting them off.

Li Qiang has already started to lead the trend. His invention of stuffing electric cannons into snowballs immediately inspired boys to imitate him. Moreover, everyone was competing to see who could use three electric cannons to blast open a snowball the size of a football.

The more fragmented the frying, the more impressive it is—between boys, "You're amazing" is all you need as a wager.

There's absolutely no need for physical objects to stimulate it!

After lunch, while Li Long was chatting with his older brother and the others, Mingming and Haohao ran into the house. Gu Xiaoxia pulled them aside and offered them water, but Haohao struggled and ran into the inner room, loudly saying to Li Long:
"Dad! There's an older boy whose firecracker in his pocket exploded, tearing his clothes to shreds and turning his skin red. He ran home crying!"

Li Long was startled and hurriedly asked:

"Who is it? Are you bleeding from the explosion?"

"No, it's just the outside of my thigh that's red from the explosion. A whole bag of firecrackers exploded!"

"How can the cannon in the pocket explode?" Chen Xingbang asked, puzzled.

"What else could it be?" Li Anguo knew. "They must have picked up an unexploded firecracker, and the fuse wasn't completely extinguished, so it slowly smoldered in their pocket!"

Li Long knew this must be the truth. He wondered whose unlucky kid it was. He guessed that kid wouldn't dare to set off firecrackers for a long time now.
Li Qiang ran back, and only then did Li Long realize that it was Old Wang's youngest son who had set off the firecracker.

Li Long vaguely remembered that his family had opened a small shop a couple of years ago, but later closed it down to open a new store. The family had given their children a lot of money.

I never expected it to be him.

This incident became a running joke in the village. When Li Long visited relatives and friends for the New Year a couple of days later, everyone he met would bring up the story, and everyone would just laugh it off.

After all, the village is small, and there aren't many things that can make everyone happy.

With everyone present, it was only natural to watch the Spring Festival Gala together on New Year's Eve and enjoy the festivities. Li Jianguo, as the eldest, placed several bottles of wine on the table, while Liang Yuemei, a woman at the next table, had brought sweet wine (red wine).

Women drink voluntarily, but there's no such thing as not drinking at the men's table. It's the New Year, who can't have a couple of drinks?

Li Jianguo asked his father, Li Qingxia, to start drinking. Since Li Qingxia wouldn't say anything, Li Jianguo started drinking himself:
"Since the Anguo and Xingbang families came to live here a few years ago, our family has been getting better and better, year by year. Now the children are growing up, and my parents are in good health."

Our generation—some received government-subsidized grain rations, some farmed, some ran businesses—we've all made progress in various industries, and all have done very well. We've all become leaders in contributing to the nation's prosperity and stability…”

Li Anguo and Chen Xingbang quickly declined, waving their hands and saying they weren't really leaders.

“They’re not just ordinary workers anymore,” Li Jianguo added. “Xiaolong is the most outstanding. The cooperative has been established, and the purchasing station is thriving. Thanks to you, we’ve also started driving cars and using high-horsepower tractors. Next year, we’ll even be repairing roads for the team…”

Anyway, I hope our lives will get better and better from now on, that Dad and Mom will be healthy, and that the kids will do well in their studies. Come on, let's have a drink!

"Good, good, brother is right, let's have a drink!" Li Anguo raised his glass.

Everyone else raised their glasses, thinking that Li Jianguo's summary was really good.

Chen Xingbang was slightly dissatisfied, but then he thought it was acceptable. His own gains were nothing compared to Li Long's, after all, he was able to drive a car thanks to Li Long.

Although he had already handed over 10,000 yuan to Li Long that morning, he knew that Li Long had done him a great favor by selling the car for 10,000 yuan.

Otherwise, let alone 10,000, even 30,000 might not be enough to buy it.

They've given me plenty of face, what else could I possibly want?

After the first drink, things went smoothly. Since everyone was family, there weren't many rules, and everyone knew each other's drinking capacity. Li Long didn't urge anyone to drink; he just offered each person a toast.

Chen Xingbang has a penchant for drinking contests, but his alcohol tolerance is much better than last year. His face turns red after drinking, but there's nothing wrong with it.

Li Jianguo's family also replaced their television with a color TV, an 18-inch one, which made watching the Spring Festival Gala very clear.

Li Long didn't have a deep impression of that year's Spring Festival Gala, but watching it again was very enjoyable. However, his brother-in-law and second brother would occasionally want to have a drink with him, and sometimes Mingming and Haohao would come over to ask him questions, so he had to interrupt his TV viewing.

The sound of firecrackers outside grew louder and louder. Perhaps because the night was quiet, the sound of firecrackers from the county town also drifted over. Rarely, some fireworks could be seen mixed in with the firecrackers in the sky. Although there were few, there were some.

In other words, large fireworks were already being sold in northern Xinjiang at this time.

Li Long vaguely remembered that for a period of time, there was a family south of the township government that specialized in making firecrackers and could also make these slightly larger fireworks.

However, the family moved away one year—and it was never investigated whether they were making fireworks legally or illegally. Later on, there were basically no fireworks manufacturers in northern Xinjiang anymore; everyone had to import them from other places. Then, a shameless association that only cared about money started issuing documents requiring vendors to import fireworks through their channels.

The problem is that this association is still a non-governmental organization and does not have the power to issue such a binding announcement or notice. Yet, it has controlled the fireworks and firecrackers market in northern Xinjiang for several years.

This is such a ridiculous thing that it's both laughable and absurd.

In the end, people in northern Xinjiang often had to spend five or six times more, or even more, than people in other parts of China to buy firecrackers for the Spring Festival, and some people simply stopped buying them altogether.

Using your ID card to buy firecrackers is understandable, but ridiculously expensive ones are forcing people to leave the market.

On New Year's Eve, no one drank too much. After the Spring Festival Gala ended and midnight had passed, Li Qiang, who was still waiting to set off the firecrackers at the gate, didn't need any instructions. He took a few firecrackers, opened the gate, and set off the firecrackers. The New Year had officially begun.

Mingming Haohao had already fallen asleep long ago, and so had his father, Li Qingxia, and mother, Du Chunfang. They couldn't stay awake any longer and went to sleep as well.

The women at that table had stopped drinking long ago; they were just sitting together chatting.

Liang Yuemei had only lived in her hometown when she was a child, so she was the one asking Chen Lirong and Li Xia about their hometowns most of the time, while Gu Xiaoxia listened with curiosity.

The four men at the table didn't drink much anymore; they watched TV, chatted, and occasionally remembered to have a drink.

The fire in the stove was burning very hot, and everyone was sweating, which helped them sober up quickly, so they didn't feel drunk at all.

In this atmosphere, after listening to "Unforgettable Tonight" and welcoming the new year, everyone returned to their resting places.

Although it was only one night, or even half a night, that we went from the Year of the Dragon to the Year of the Snake in the lunar calendar, it was quite fun.

The continuous sound of firecrackers in the village has stopped, but every now and then a loud bang indicates that many households are still setting off firecrackers to open their doors.

No one was watching, so Gu Xiaoxia took Li Long's arm, feeling exceptionally secure.

With new hope in this new year, it truly feels like things will get better.

P.S.: When I was picking up my child from school, I saw police cars and an ambulance arrive at the "Jiu Lai Jiu" chain supermarket near the school. A very thin girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, was half-lying on the ground, already incontinent. From the conversation I overheard the police, it seemed she had taken drugs…

On the way back, teach your children that drugs are all around us! This stuff supposedly has a relapse rate of over 99%. When it flares up, you'll eat shit if they tell you to!
(End of this chapter)