Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1272 Old Gu's wedding was lively, and his worries were finally resolved.

The next day, after dropping Mingming and Haohao off at kindergarten and watching the two children happily rush inside, Li Long drove away, bought some supplies at a department store, took a detour around the city, and then drove into the mountains.

As I entered the mountain pass, I glanced at the wooden house in Bolati out of habit, but found the door locked, so I didn't stop and continued on my way.

When Li Long arrived at his cabin, he was surprised to find that Polati's horse was there, and there was a person with his hands tied behind his back, sitting on the edge of the shed with something stuffed in his mouth—it looked like a sock.

The car pulled up in front of the cabin. Polati, hearing the noise, came out of the cabin, saw Li Long, and said with a smile:

"Adasi, you're here? See? I've caught a thief!"

"What happened? Did he come here to steal something?"

“Hmm.” Polati nodded. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t come over these few days? I exchanged a few bags of fritillaria a couple of days ago, and it’s a bit of a hassle to bring them back, so I’ve been staying here tonight. But last night, this coward came over to pick the lock, and I shot him. He was so scared he peed his pants.”

Polati wore a mocking expression. The gun the forestry team had issued to him had been confiscated, but he had gotten his own. He kept watch here at night, mainly to protect himself from wolves, but instead of wolves, a thief came.

Li Long turned his head and looked him over. The thief looked to be in his twenties or thirties, but his beard was unkempt, and he didn't look like he hadn't groomed himself for several days.

However, no matter what, this person cannot be released. If he is released, there's a high chance he'll lose his cabin, and Li Long won't take that risk.

So he asked:
"So what do you plan to do with him?"

"Aren't you going to take the fritillaria away later? Leave the people here. I've calculated that the forest police should be coming today, and we can hand them over then."

"Illegal digging for wild resources will get you at least half a month in jail. Add the theft, and it could be six months. I just searched you; you didn't have any letters of introduction or identification. If you can explain where you came from, that's better; you can be deported directly. If you can't, and they find out you're a fugitive, then you'll stay in there."

"You seem very familiar with this procedure," Li Long said with a smile.

"You're kidding. After the forestry bureau was disbanded, they reorganized us and gave us a retraining session, mainly targeting these people. Although we don't have law enforcement power, we can still hand these people over to the police if we see them."

Polati is a veteran forest ranger, and he said these words with a hint of pride.

So I ignored that person and looked at the fritillaria.

To Li Long's surprise, these fritillaria bulbs had all been washed, so he gave Polati a little more money.

While he was away these past few days, the fritillaria bulbs that Polati received were mostly semi-dried, with only a small portion being fresh. The fritillaria bulbs in the mountains were starting to bloom, and the herb gatherers were beginning to leave the mountains one after another. Polati himself knew that the fritillaria bulbs he could exchange would gradually decrease in the future.

But he was content. This season alone, he got three or four thousand yuan from Li Long, much more than his own salary. This money was not only enough for his own expenses, but it could also help support his son.

He had already decided that after saving money for another two years, he would buy a GAZ truck from Li Long so that he wouldn't have to ride a horse for long-distance travel.

Although they are from a nomadic people, riding horses for long distances really chafes the thighs.

Li Long didn't linger there. He unloaded the things from the car, loaded up the fritillaria bulbs, and left.

When they returned to the mountain pass, they saw that the forest police's sidecar had already driven up, met Li Long, and then drove towards his cabin.

According to Bolati, he would receive a reward for handing over such a thief to the forest police.

Hey, isn't this killing several birds with one stone?
After leaving the mountains, Li Long unloaded the fritillaria bulbs at the purchasing station, and then went to check on Meng Hai and his team's road construction progress.

The location where Meng Hai and his team were repairing the road was more than 30 kilometers away from the county seat. When Li Long arrived, Meng Hai and his team had already begun to finish their work and were preparing to eat.

Li Long saw Meng Hai overseeing the morning's work at the tent, trying to pave the last bit of asphalt mixed with sand and gravel into the potholes on the road, so as not to waste it.

He got out of the car and walked over, smelling a strong odor of asphalt – there was a large pot nearby, melting asphalt blocks.

At this time, the operation was still relatively primitive. It required melting the asphalt blocks, then mixing them with sand and gravel, stirring them evenly, and then spreading them on the road and flattening them.

Too much asphalt melts easily in the hot summer and then sticks to your shoes.

It is estimated that many people in that era had similar experiences.

"It looks like it's already more than half done?" Li Long asked. "It'll be finished in a few more days, right?"

"Yes. The Transportation Bureau came to inspect the day before yesterday and said we did a good job. They plan to allocate another road for us to repair after we finish this one. That road is longer and will take about a month to complete," Meng Hai said with a smile.

"I heard that the budget for that road is going to be higher... mainly because it's old and needs a lot of repairs, so our company will be able to make more money."

Although the overall earnings are not particularly high, it's much better than farming at home.

So Li Long glanced over and found that although these workers, who had just been converted from villagers, were tired, the smiles on their faces were genuine.

The main dish for lunch was rice, and the side dish was stewed pork slices with gourd. Li Long disliked eating gourd, so he simply didn't stay for lunch. He was relieved to find that Meng Hai was managing the place very well and that there would be work to do.

Meng Hai still felt a little guilty. When he saw Li Long off, he said that if he had known Li Long was coming today, he should have prepared a better meal.

"The food is actually quite good." Li Long looked at the workers who were eating large chunks of fatty meat and said with a smile, "It's just that I've never eaten gourd since I was a child, so don't worry about it. Hurry up and eat, there won't be any more food soon."

After watching Li Long leave, Meng Hai smiled and turned to get his food.

The cook topped his rice bowl with a large spoonful of vegetables, including quite a few slices of fatty meat.

Meng Hai carried his rice bowl to a shady spot under a tree, sat down, picked up a piece of gourd, and started chewing.

"It tastes pretty good, why don't you eat it?" He was a little puzzled.

When Li Long drove to the county, it was already past lunchtime, so he simply went to Zhong Guoqiang's canteen and ordered a bowl of mixed noodles to eat.

While he was eating, Zhong Guoqiang sat down opposite him and asked with a smile:

"I heard you went to the valley? How was it?"

"It's great. The climate there is nice, not as hot as here," Li Long said. "There's also a lot of fruit, and it's perfect time to eat mulberries. By the way, the noodles there are mostly minced meat noodles, and there are also noodles with fried pork, but minced meat noodles are more common."

Zhong Guoqiang, who works in the catering industry, was naturally interested in this, so he asked Li Long to elaborate.

Li Long actually knew quite a bit about this, so he explained in detail what the ingredients for the minced meat noodles were like. He also pointed to the cold noodles that someone was eating next to him and said:
"The jelly they eat over there isn't like the ones we use here, which include fried chives and vinegar chili sauce. It's made with a sauce seasoned with eggs and then boiled."

"Is this how you eat it? Every place has its own unique flavor," Zhong Guoqiang exclaimed. "I never imagined it."

"How's the meat that Yushan River delivers every day?" Li Long changed the subject. "Not bad, right?"

"Not bad, not bad at all. To be honest, you should have introduced him to me a long time ago. He's much more diligent than the old meat delivery guy. I can ask him to cut the meat into any shape I want, and he does it exactly that way. He's very skilled; he cuts the meat cleanly and into a shape suitable for pilaf. Hey, really good!"

Zhong Guoqiang showered Yushanjiang with praise, which made Li Long feel proud.

After eating and drinking the noodle soup, Zhong Guoqiang went about his business, while Li Long drove back to the compound.

He had originally intended to go to the team to see if there was anything he could help with, but then he remembered that Gu Xiaoyu was still in the yard. It seemed that when he left that morning, she had been making a phone call to Yanjing from inside the house. Considering the current season, he decided to go back and check on her.

The gate was ajar. Li Long got out of the car and opened it. As he was about to drive in, he saw Gu Xiaoyu sitting on the steps of the main house, her head down, seemingly lost in thought.

Li Long thought this wasn't a good idea, so without asking Gu Xiaoyu if she was feeling unwell, he directly addressed her:

"Xiaoyu, Uncle Gu and the others are having a banquet tomorrow. Let's go to the team and see if there's anything we can help with. Xiaoxia has to work today and can only go tomorrow, so we need to go and check on them."

Gu Xiaoyu slowly raised her head, looked at Li Long, and hesitated to speak.

"Let's go, let's go," Li Long said, ignoring her expression. "If we're late, people will start talking. We can't let the villagers help with such an important matter; we have to do our part too."

Gu Xiaoyu thought Li Long's words made sense, so she stood up. She swayed and was a little unsteady.

I sat here all morning, and after lunch I sat here again. I've been sitting for so long that I'm starting to feel uncomfortable.

After getting out and sitting in the passenger seat, Li Long closed the gate again and drove to the fourth team.

"The head chef should be frying things in the yard right now. The tables should be almost set up, and the plates and bowls have been borrowed in batches. We'll just go over and help out, and see if anything is missing."

Li Long talked as he drove, not even looking at Gu Xiaoyu's expression, as if he didn't know she had something on her mind.

Gu Xiaoyu opened her mouth several times, but ultimately didn't say anything. Even if she did say it, she felt Li Long wouldn't understand.

The car was driving very fast. At this time, the students were all on their way to school. There were only a few trucks on the road leading down to the fourth team. When they turned onto the asphalt road leading to the fourth team, there were even fewer people.

Li Long happily accelerated to 80 km/h, roaring eastward. The driver's and passenger's windows were open, and the strong wind messed up Gu Xiaoyu's hair.

But the wind that blew made her more awake.

Am I lucky to be here?
Before she could think much about it, the car had already driven to the fourth team. Instead of going to the Li family's house, it turned directly at the entrance of the Gu family's courtyard.

There were already four cars parked here. As Li Long turned off the engine and got out of the car, he said with a smile:

“My older brother is here too. It looks quite lively in the yard.”

It was indeed lively; most of the people who came to help were there, and some were busy working—like the head chef. Oil was heating in a wok on the stove, and the head chef was deep-frying large carp.

Some people listened to Li Jianguo's instructions. The young people, holding large wooden trays, listened carefully to the tasks they would be responsible for the next day.

The air was filled with the aroma of fried food, and there was also a wave of heat.

Xie Yundong and several others were adjusting the tables one by one. Because the ground was uneven, they had to use something to prop up the corners of the tables.

The east end of the yard is for cooking, so three tables can be placed in the middle and west. Li Long estimates that two more can be placed inside the house, and the rest will have to be placed at the neighbor's house.

On the counter set up at the east end, a large basin of fried potato chunks and meatballs looked golden brown.

Teacher Song, wearing an apron, was also helping out—she was clearing away the dishes and chopsticks with several older women.

"Xiao Long is here?" Xie Yundong was the first to see Li Long and said with a smile, "Have you had lunch yet? We're going to make a table over here later, Chou Dong, come and eat with us."

Li Long took Gu Xiaoyu over, and after chatting for a few minutes, Teacher Song noticed Gu Xiaoyu and pulled her away with a smile.

This was the first time Gu Xiaoyu had seriously tried to understand the place where her father and sister had lived all these years. She put aside her worries and began to seriously learn about the courtyard, combining the stories her father and sister had told her about the past with the scenes in the courtyard.

"Can everyone come tomorrow?" Gu Boyuan, who was supposed to be the male lead tomorrow, was the only one with nothing to do, so he came over to ask Li Long, "Your dad, Xiaoxia, Mingming, Haohao, and Sister Yang and the others..."

“The purchasing station will be closed for a day tomorrow,” Li Long said with a smile. “I wrote it on the sign today. Sister Yang can come, but Xiao Fang can’t. She has her exams coming up soon, and it’s a stressful time for her. Everything else is fine. My dad and I will drive over and bring them over.”

Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng will definitely be participating as well. Before Li Qingxia joined the purchasing station, the two of them had worked for Gu Boyuan for quite some time.

"That's good," Gu Boyuan said. "I might not be able to take care of them, so just bring your people over and have your brother make the arrangements. I'll toast them then."

In rural areas, a large feast is essentially a type of continuous banquet. Even including the neighbors' courtyards, only about ten tables can be set up in total. There aren't enough seats for people from the village to come, and if people from other villages hear about it and come over, there will be even more.

So the banquet usually starts at 12:30 or 1:00 and continues until the afternoon. Those who arrive first wait for the time to start the banquet, eat, and leave. The people who helped quickly clear the table and clean up, and then they wait for the later arrivals to join a table and start the banquet.

So the people helping out will be busy, and the head chef will keep cooking; it's very hard work.

But this is also popularity, it's helping out—it's also mutual assistance.

Who doesn't want their celebration to be auspicious and prosperous? If in the end no one comes to help or eat at the banquet, people will talk about it behind your back for years.

Li Long whispered to Gu Boyuan about Gu Xiaoyu's situation. He didn't go into too much detail, only saying that there might be something going on at her workplace, and that she seemed a bit down after the call, so he told Gu Boyuan to be careful.

Gu Boyuan turned his head and saw Teacher Song and Gu Xiaoyu looking at the room and talking quietly, so he smiled and said:

"It's okay, it's not a big deal, and there's nothing you can't get through."

Li Long then stopped talking and went to listen to his elder brother's instructions.

"...Remember tomorrow, our feast starts promptly at 1:00 PM. Everyone in the village knows, so all ten tables will definitely be full. You must serve the dishes quickly—even though it's not winter and it won't freeze if you serve them a little late, if you serve the candied potatoes late, they'll clump together. How are people supposed to eat that? Right?"

After listening for a while, Li Long went over to the case and looked around. There were quite a few main dishes, including a whole two-kilogram carp that had already been fried and was ready to serve. Chickens were also being slaughtered and plucked. He wasn't sure whether they would be stewed or served whole tomorrow. Then he noticed the menu posted on the wall next to the stove.

Li Long then realized that rural banquets also have menus, and the head chef couldn't possibly memorize all the dishes at once; he had to follow the menu.

The table was piled high with basins and plates of all sizes, so he decided not to join in the fun—mainly because the heat was too intense and uncomfortable.

Seeing that there was nothing he could help with, Li Long went over to tell Gu Xiaoyu and then drove back to the Li family home.

Most of the people helping out at the Gu family's house were young people from the team. Xu Haijun and Tao Daqiang were among them. Meanwhile, Li Junfeng and other members of the Li family were working in the fields.

It wasn't that he was treating them like outsiders; Li Jianguo had considered this when he made the arrangements. His nephews and nieces were here to make money. There wasn't much work to be done in the cotton fields, but there was plenty of weeds. They would earn money every day they worked, so it was best not to delay them.

Of course, I'll still go to the banquet tomorrow, just to join in the fun, and consider it a day off.

With her sister-in-law not around, only her mother, Du Chunfang, was in the yard tidying up the grass she had cut, not knowing whether she planned to chop it up for chicken feed or pig feed.

Now, wild vegetables are growing in the fields and farmlands. Even bitter lettuce, when chopped up, is eaten by chickens and pigs alike; they are all good things.

Seeing Li Long enter the courtyard, Du Chunfang stopped what she was doing and said with a smile:

"Xiaolong, why didn't you go to the back? Your older brother and the others are busy there. Your sister-in-law and Tietou's mother are there too. It looks like you're going to be busy today."

"It'll be in the next couple of days." Li Long sat down to help his mother. "Once Xiaoxia's father's matter is settled, things will be much easier."

“It’s much less busy now. After Junfeng and the others came, your sister-in-law complained that there was less work she could do in the fields, and she could only work in the vegetable garden.”

“She’ll be busy later. She doesn’t have to do any work in the cotton fields, but she’ll definitely have to participate in the threshing when the wheat is harvested in a while,” Li Long said with a smile. “That’s just how my sister-in-law is. She’d rather do the work in the fields than tidy up the yard.”

"Your sister-in-law is very generous," Du Chunfang said, still quite satisfied with her eldest daughter-in-law. "But there are always things I don't like. For example, I don't like going to the fields; it's too sunny!"

Li Long laughed. "I'm almost at the age where I can say whatever I want without worrying about what others will say," he thought.

“Let’s go together tomorrow,” Li Long said. “My dad will come too, and our whole family will sit at one table.”

"Is Minghao coming over or not?" Du Chunfang asked.

"come."

"Okay then." Du Chunfang grinned and said, "I'll head over then. It's been a few days since I've seen them, and I've been missing them quite a bit."

Li Long laughed as he chatted with his mother, helping her to clean the wild vegetables, pile them up, put them in a pot, add water and cornmeal, and cook them together.

Once cooked, this can be eaten by chickens, pigs, and dogs.

When Li Qiang got out of school, Li Long had already cooked the pig feed, poured it into a bucket to cool, and cleaned the pot.

"Uncle's here?" Li Qiang was very happy. He was in the second year of junior high school, which was relatively easy. He could finish his homework at school and help with some chores when he got home.

Li Long has been quite busy these past two years and only comes back occasionally. Li Qiang sees him infrequently, so he was still very happy to see him.

After Li Long's transformation in the winter of 1981, he became Li Qiang's idol, and he was always happy to see Li Long.

"You guys don't have a day off tomorrow, right?" Li Long asked casually. "We're having a feast."

"No holiday." Li Qiang parked his bicycle and said, "It's a banquet, there'll be another chance." "I'll drive over and pick you up at lunchtime, or you can ride your bicycle back to eat. By the way, do you get an hour break at noon?"

"Yes," Li Qiang seemed somewhat tempted. Once the asphalt road was paved, the five-kilometer journey from his home to school would only take about ten minutes, less than half an hour round trip, including half an hour for lunch. However, after thinking about it, he shook his head again.
"Forget it, I'll just stay at school. It's too much trouble to go back and forth."

Li Long didn't say anything more, but asked him about his studies.

Li Qiang was quite excited and said that their school planned to participate in the county's math training program, and each class would send one person.

"Can you go?" People in later generations had heard a lot about math olympiads, but at that time, rural students really didn't know much about them.

"I don't know, there's a test. We haven't taken it yet. I guess whoever gets the highest score goes," Li Qiang said, but he seemed quite confident. He leaned closer to Li Long and whispered, "I got a hundred on my math quiz a while ago!"

"Hey, that's amazing!" Li Long exclaimed. "Getting a 100 on math is really impressive! Have you told your parents yet?"

"No, it wasn't a midterm exam, it was a unit test, so I didn't mention it." Li Qiang was a little embarrassed. "I got a little over 90 on the midterm, but not quite 100—I was thinking of doing well on the final exam."

"Good, good, keep it up! Getting a 100 on math is really great!"

Math is easier in elementary school, but it gets harder in middle school and then even harder in higher grades, making it difficult to get a perfect score.

I remember seeing a joke once—a famous person said that if you don't know the answer to a political question, you can just write something random; if you don't know the answer to an English essay, you can copy from the reading comprehension section; but if you don't know the answer to a math question, you can only write down a solution.

In his previous life, Li Qiang did not show any particularly strong mathematical talent, but this life is different.

Li Long thought he could tell his older brother and sister-in-law to help him train his skills—but as for coming back, he decided against it, given the teaching environment in such a remote area as Ma County, and suggested letting things take their course.

It's already quite good that Gu Xiaoyu was able to get some materials from Yanjing for them to study outside of class.

After chatting with Li Qiang for a while, Li Long heard the sound of a car outside. He went over and saw that Xie Yundong had driven over.

After he got out of the car, he came over carrying two enamel basins tied with gauze and said:

"Brother Li and Qiangqiang's mother are busy over there and can't come over, so I thought I'd send you some vegetables."

Li Long laughed and said, "I didn't even make any, I was too lazy to... Perfect timing, what's here?"

"Braised pork ribs, spicy chicken, and freshly steamed buns," Xie Yundong said with a smile. "Here you go. I have to hurry back; things aren't finished over there yet, probably not until tonight."

"Okay, by the way, has Xiaoyu eaten?" Li Long asked, taking the enamel basin.

"I ate, I ate with your sister-in-law and the others." Xie Yundong said, then turned and got into the car.

"That's great, now all we need to do is burn a breast," Li Long said with a smile.

"Uncle, I'll go make some milk," Li Qiang said. "By the way, I heard yesterday that people in the valley like to drink milk tea. I remember you took me to drink milk tea a few years ago. Can we make some milk tea today?"

“Sure, why not?” Li Long said. “It’s easy, I’ll do it.”

The food in the enamel basin was hot. Li Qiang moved out the small square table, set out the food basins, and then brought out the milk basin.

"You don't need that much milk for milk tea, but you have to put the milk skin on top in; it makes it more fragrant," Li Long said as he worked. "You can't use the tea leaves; you have to filter them out."

He used gauze to cover the spout of the teapot and filtered the brick tea into the pot.

Some people make milk tea by boiling it, while others mix it with other ingredients. Li Long still thinks that the boiled version tastes better.

Dinner consisted of steamed buns with vegetables and milk tea. Although it was just the three of them eating together, they enjoyed it very much. Li Junfeng and his family had already started cooking in their yard, and Li Junhai and his family were now eating at Li Junfeng's house. This way, Dong Xiaojuan didn't have to go out to work, but Li Jianguo would give her a salary at the end of the year.

That kills two birds with one stone.

During the meal, Li Long asked Li Qiang what major he planned to study in college. Li Qiang said that he wanted to be a doctor, a teacher, and a soldier in the People's Liberation Army.

"I remember writing my homework like this in the first year of junior high school," Li Qiang said with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Our teacher said I had too many ideas. I said this... now I'm thinking about it, isn't it a bit too far ahead?"

Li Long thought about it and agreed. After all, he was only in the second year of junior high school, and thinking about it was indeed a bit far off.

After dinner, Li Long and Li Qiang cleaned up the table, then carried the cooled pig feed to feed the pigs and chickens. Older sister Du Chunfang was a little sleepy and dozed off against the wall.

Li Long didn't bother her anymore. He tidied up the place quickly, told Li Qiang, and drove to the Gu family's house.

The Gu family's place was still bustling with activity. The fire in the stove was still burning brightly, and the two tables of food prepared for winter had already been served. Apart from two or three women who were cleaning up the dishes, most of the others were resting and chatting.

Gu Xiaoyu and Teacher Song were sitting on a small stool by the door chatting. When they saw Li Long coming over, Teacher Song got up to greet him. Gu Xiaoyu, lost in thought, kept her head down and didn't say anything.

The older sister-in-law came out carrying water and, upon seeing Li Long, asked, "Have you eaten?"

"We ate. The dishes Lao Xie brought over earlier, my mom, Qiangqiang, and I all ate them together," Li Long said. "Aren't you guys done here yet?"

"Almost done. I'll boil some hot water. Cold water won't work to wash that oily dish, and even adding bran won't get it completely clean," Liang Yuemei explained. "Then you can go back first. You'll have to come back tomorrow. I see that Mingming and Haohao's aunt are both sleepy."

Gu Xiaoyu didn't talk much today and kept her head down, which made Liang Yuemei think she wasn't feeling well.

"Okay, you guys go ahead with your work, we'll head back now."

He went over and greeted his elder brother, told his father-in-law, and then planned to take Gu Xiaoyu back to the county.

Gu Xiaoyu didn't say anything. When Li Long asked her if she was leaving, she stood up and headed towards the car.

Li Long greeted Teacher Song and then went to get his car.

On the way back, Li Long asked Gu Xiaoyu if she was feeling unwell. Gu Xiaoyu shook her head, so Li Long didn't ask any further questions.

He figured he could just have his wife inquire about it when he got back. After all, she was his sister-in-law, so he couldn't say too much.

After Li Long and the others left, some of the younger members of the team started discussing Gu Xiaoyu.

"Old Gu's two daughters are both impressive. One is a government official, and the other is teaching at Yenching University. They're really different."

"That's right. He himself is a college student, so naturally he can raise his two daughters well. It's just that times are different, otherwise Li Long's wife could have gone to college too."

"If he gets into university, then Li Long won't be involved anymore, right?" someone joked. "By the way, I wonder if Gu Xiaoyu is married yet?"

"Old Gu said it's not settled yet," said someone who had talked to Old Gu.

Suddenly someone asked Xu Haijun:

"Navy, you're so old and still not married, what do you think of Gu Xiaoyu?"

"How about it? It's definitely good." Xu Haijun said with a sigh, "So what if it's good? He's a state cadre from Yanjing. He came here just to attend Lao Gu's wedding and then left. He can't stay. I just think it's good, what can I do?"

Xu Haijun had actually gone on quite a few blind dates, but he couldn't find anyone he liked. The women who liked him weren't interested in him, and the women he liked weren't interested in him. He was still unconvinced. Even Liang Shuangcheng had bought a house in the county and found a city resident because of his relationship with Li Longgan, while he could only look for someone in the nearby villages.

However, he was getting anxious because he was almost thirty and people were starting to think there was something wrong with him if he didn't find someone else soon.

Recently, his relatives in the city planned to introduce him to a girl who works in a leather factory in the county. He plans to meet her and, if things go well, then they can get married.

As everyone in the Gu family left, the two head chefs were still busy. Some things couldn't be prepared too early, since ingredients spoil easily in the summer. It was best to process them at night, when it was cool and less likely to spoil, so they could be cooked directly the next day when the temperature rose.

When Li Long and Gu Xiaoyu returned to the county, Li Qingxia had already brought Mingming and Haohao back. The purchasing station was also locked up and a notice was posted saying that it would be closed for the next day.

Liang Shuangcheng and Sun Jiaqiang are both going tomorrow, as is Sister Yang. However, Tielanhua isn't going; she works in the dried meat workshop but has to take care of her two children. Sister Yang asked her to take the dried meat back for packaging and then bring it back for Sister Yang to check.

She plans to take a day off and have a good rest.

Li Long and the others had already eaten dinner, so he told Gu Xiaoxia about Gu Xiaoyu. Gu Xiaoxia said she knew, and after taking care of Mingming and Haohao until they fell asleep, she pulled Gu Xiaoyu into the bedroom.

Li Long went to fetch water to wash the car. It was the longest part of the day now, not getting dark until after 11 PM. However, Li Long didn't let Mingming and Haohao stay up too late; he drew the curtains and put the two children to bed at 10:30 PM.

The next day at breakfast, Li Long could clearly sense that Gu Xiaoyu's mood had improved considerably. Everyone except Han Fang, who was going to school, had changed into new clothes and were waiting for the bus to go to the fourth team.

The helpers arrived at the Gu family's house when the sun was up, and they found their places to work without being told.

The table across the hall was also set up, with plates on it, and someone was putting melon seeds, peanuts, and candy into the plates.

Some people were setting out cigarettes at each table, others were carrying boxes, and each table was set with wine—two bottles of sweet wine and two bottles of strong liquor (baijiu) on each table. Bottled wine wasn't so rare at this time, but the wine on Lao Gu's wedding table was Baiyang Laojiao, which was quite impressive.

At least in the eyes of drinkers, it's better than those strong liquors.

Some idle men from the village also came early, not to work, but to grab a handful of melon seeds, crack them open, and chat as they passed around the seeds.

Xie Yundong helped Li Jianguo maintain order, occasionally shouting at some people not to grab candy and stuff it into their pockets before they even sat down at the table.

The main reason is that half of the sugar used this time was imported sugar that Gu Boyuan brought in from Khorgos, which looks very pretty, and there are also some liqueur-filled chocolates mixed in.

This thing is so fascinating, not just to kids, but to adults too.

As people arrived one after another, Li Jianguo began arranging tables for them.

After the Gu sisters got out of the car, they took Mingming and Haohao inside to find Teacher Song. Teacher Song was dressed very beautifully today, with her hair up and wearing a pink dress. Both she and Old Gu had flowers pinned to their chests, making them look very festive.

Li Long went to his older brother to ask if there was anything he could do, but Li Jianguo told him to sit aside and not to delay things, as there was nothing he could do today.

Li Long wandered around the yard and then saw Old Gu coming out of the house.

"Xiaolong, why do I feel a little nervous? I didn't feel anything at all at the Huacheng Hotel that day."

“There’s nothing to worry about there. Most of the people sitting down there are your business partners. There’s no need to be nervous. But the people in this team are different. They’ve been with us for over ten or twenty years. You’re all grown up now, and you’re married. How can you not be nervous?” Li Long said half-jokingly.
"But it's alright. Think about it, since you're going to Yili again in a couple of days after this banquet, just treat your old friends here to a good meal before you stay there permanently, right?"

“What you said makes a lot of sense,” Gu Boyuan said after thinking for a moment. “Then you should hurry up and take your seat. There are a lot of people coming in the first group today, and I’m afraid you won’t be able to get a seat.”

"Of course, we have to prioritize the others. If I can't get a seat, then I can't." Li Long wasn't short of food; he was practically the host, so naturally, he had to put others first.

Gu Boyuan went to greet others, and Li Long also took a look around. Then he saw that his sister-in-law Liang Yuemei had already prepared two bowls of meat and vegetables for Mingming and Haohao, and told them to eat first.

"Sister-in-law, you really spoil them." Li Long said with a smile.

“What do you mean by spoiling them? Before, we had no choice; we wanted the kids to eat meat but couldn’t. Now that we have it, why shouldn’t they eat it? Remember that winter when Juanqiang and the others wanted meat, but we didn’t have any? Wasn’t it you who went and caught some sparrows for them to eat?” Liang Yuemei said.

"If it's your own child, then your own family has to love and care for them."

Li Long turned and left, feeling both sentimental and embarrassed.

Mingming and Haohao listened curiously, and Mingming looked up and asked Liang Yuemei:
"Auntie, my dad took us to catch sparrows last winter. How come we didn't know about the one you're talking about?"

"You weren't even born then," Liang Yuemei said with a smile. "Hurry up and eat. By the way, do you want some fried peanuts?"

"eat."

"I'll eat too!" Hao Hao was determined not to fall behind.

"Then I'll serve you some."

As more and more people arrived, the tables were soon filled. Upon seeing this, Li Jianguo immediately changed his plans and started the banquet earlier than scheduled.

Gu Boyuan and Teacher Song had originally planned to eat a few bites before offering toasts, but they couldn't care less at this point. Li Jianguo had someone bring out the wine trays, then called the two of them over to go around offering toasts to each table.

Li Long was worried about getting his father-in-law drunk, so he prepared to protect him. Unexpectedly, when they started toasting, the atmosphere was very harmonious. When it came to each person's turn, the men drank spicy wine and the women drank sweet wine, both in double cups, without any hesitation.

They all offered words of blessing and didn't make things difficult for Lao Gu and Teacher Song, nor did they force them to drink.

Li Long found it quite strange, and Tao Daqiang whispered to him:
"Before you came back, your older brother and the team leader told these people that your new mother-in-law is a university teacher, so we can't go too far. Toasting is fine, but no drunken brawls. A little excitement is okay, but no reckless behavior."

Li Long understood.

However, he felt that this approach was a bit too dull; after all, it's a wedding, so creating some atmosphere is important.

Just then, he saw a few slightly older, half-dead men at the third table joking with Gu Boyuan:

"Old Gu, judging from your appearance, you won't be staying in Team Four for long. We came here together to build Team Four, so we're not trying to make things difficult for you today. For your wife's sake, drink this glass of wine, and we wish you a happy and harmonious life in your new place!"

Those two glasses were glass cups, filled with a white, transparent liquid that looked like baijiu (Chinese liquor).

Old Gu frowned and said:

"I can drink it, but Teacher Song has a low alcohol tolerance and can't drink it, so I'll drink it for her..."

"That won't do." The person who served the wine shook his head. "You drink yours, and I'll ask Teacher Song for a drink... Teacher Song, we're all farmers, rough men. Old Gu is the only college graduate in our team right now, an educated man, and we all respect him."

We're so happy he's marrying you, so here are two glasses, one for each of you, as our blessing. If you don't want to drink them..."

"I'll drink it!" Teacher Song knew she was definitely going to drink it. "But I really can't hold my liquor. If I finish this, I probably won't be able to toast the other tables..."

As he spoke, he picked up his cup.

Gu Boyuan turned to her and whispered:
"Why are you so unaffected? This is baijiu (Chinese liquor)..."

"We have to give you some face here..." Teacher Song smiled.

Left with no other choice, Gu Boyuan also picked up his glass, the two clinked glasses, and then drank it down...

Teacher Song originally drank with a resolute attitude, but when she tasted it, she found it was so sweet.
Gu Boyuan felt the same way; he immediately noticed something was wrong when he tasted it—it wasn't spicy at all!
Seeing the smile on the speaker's face, he understood—it was sugar water!
Hey!
been played!

But I'm quite happy!
After the two finished their drinks, the people around them immediately applauded and cheered.

The atmosphere immediately became lively. Li Long was still a little confused, wondering why they didn't seem to have any reaction after drinking it.

"You have a really good alcohol tolerance!" someone exclaimed.

"Alright, I've already told you what to do. We old folks have already had our turn to drink on behalf of the team. The rest of you can drink whatever they offer you!" the person setting out the drinks shouted to the remaining tables.

"Those of you who haven't arrived yet, wait here! Don't run away! These college students are toasting you; they're doing you a favor! Maybe after you drink tonight, your kids will get good grades when they go back to school, and they might even get into college!"

These words immediately made some people who had originally planned to leave after finishing their meal stop thinking about it.

Even if it's just a vague possibility, we have to stay.

The two courtyards were packed with people, and the sounds of talking and playing drinking games filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

It's a joyous occasion, so it should be like this.

During the transition, Teacher Song whispered to Gu Boyuan, "I think the people on your team are really good... better than the people at our school!"

Gu Boyuan smiled smugly.

Hey, old friends, you really made me proud!
(End of this chapter)