Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

In late July, when it was hot and the wheat was being harvested, the watermelons were also ripe. Carts of all sizes carrying watermelons drove around the village. Watermelons were cheap at this time, costing only seven or eight cents a kilogram, and melons were only ten cents a kilogram. Each family in the fourth team would bring home sack after sack of watermelons.

In the threshing ground, each household not only placed watermelons next to their wheat stacks, but also herbal tea to help them cool off in the heat.

After all, watermelon is quite cold, and some older people can eat one or two slices, but not too many. They still prefer to drink cooled brick tea.

On the contrary, the children, after returning from work or playing, would roll a watermelon out from under the bed, cut it in half, and eat it with a knife or spoon. Some people also liked to take half a dried steamed bun from the basket hanging on the outside shed and soak it in watermelon juice.

In summer, people usually steam three layers of buns, making dozens of them. As mentioned earlier, these things don't have refrigerators now. If you put them all in a steamer, they will grow mold in two days. If you want to preserve them for a long time, you can only break them apart and dry them thoroughly in the sun for easy storage.

Li Qiang took Mingming and Haohao to pick wheat. None of the three of them were afraid of the heat. After picking wheat in their own wheat field, they would go to other wheat fields to pick wheat.

Actually, at this point, none of the four teams were short of food, but no one was ungrateful for it. Liang Yuemei specifically found this job for Li Qiang, asking him to bring Mingming and Haohao along, so that he could experience life.

Li Qiang is fine. It's just that Minghao Hao is having a hard time doing this, but fortunately Li Qiang is taking them on his bicycle.

Because of Li Long's overpowered existence, the Li family's life is much better. At this time, Li Qiang is much taller than in his previous life. Although he has only graduated from the second year of junior high school and is about to enter the third year, his height is already close to 1.68 meters, almost surpassing Li Jianguo.

Riding a 28-inch bicycle at this height is no problem at all—in his previous life, he would either not be able to sit on the seat or his lower half would not be able to reach the pedals.

I don't do that anymore. I ride my bicycle with Mingming in front and Haohao behind, and the two urea bags filled with wheat ears are tied and hung on both sides of the back seat, which fits perfectly.

"Brother Qiangqiang, where are we going to gather wheat ears today?" Mingming asked Li Qiang. "Is it far? Will we be able to catch any grasshoppers?"

After the wheat is harvested, it is not plowed immediately, and some reeds will grow back quickly. These reeds that have been cut down in the wheat field will not only be visited by cattle and sheep, but also by various grasshoppers that have already grown up—because the reed leaves are the most tender at this time.

Moreover, the grasshoppers at this time are sexually mature and will vibrate their wings to make sounds, perhaps for courtship.

Actually, it's not just grasshoppers, but also katydids and all sorts of other creatures, but the farm boy just calls them all grasshoppers.

“Let’s go north, to Grandpa Wang’s land,” Li Qiang said. “It’s far away, and most people don’t go there to glean wheat. We should have a good harvest.” As he spoke, Li Qiang pedaled his bicycle hard. Today, Liang Yuemei’s task for them was to glean two bags of wheat in the morning and come back when they had enough.

Li Qiang had visited Old Wang's land in previous years—the wheat fields there stretched for hundreds of acres and were harvested with sorghum extract. In some corner areas, the sorghum extract couldn't reach the wheat, leaving a lot of unharvested wheat behind.

Old Wang's wife's surname is Li, and Li Qiang calls her "Auntie." She doesn't allow other people to pick up the wheat in the field, since the wheat hasn't fallen over and therefore isn't considered to have been dropped.

Li Qiang has recently become obsessed with reading novels, so he wanted to finish picking wheat quickly so he could continue reading—although Aunt Li doesn't allow others to pick wheat, she lets Li Qiang do it, showing how good the two families are.

After riding for more than a kilometer, I arrived at Wangjiadi. Sure enough, there were quite a few unharvested wheat stalks on the edge of the field, and some wheat stalks had probably fallen over before being harvested, lying on the ground. The ears of wheat were mostly full.

The Wang family has few people, a lot of land, and a lot of work, so there's not enough time to pick wheat at this time.

Although Minghao Hao didn't really want to do this work, he immediately got excited when he entered the field and saw so many ears of wheat. He ran over to pick them up, and Li Qiang hurriedly shouted for them to slow down so they wouldn't fall and get hurt by the stubble.

By the time he had set up his bicycle and entered the field with two bags, Mingming and Haohao already had large handfuls of wheat in their hands.

Because the wheat stalks had to be broken off and discarded, Li Qiang grabbed a handful of fallen wheat from the ground, squeezed it, twisted it a few times, and stuffed the ears of wheat into the bag.

Mingming and Haohao could only manage to pick one or two ears of wheat at a time, mainly because some of the wheat stalks were brittle and easy to handle, while others were tougher and harder to handle.

Li Qiang, along with Mingming and Haohao, tried their best to clear away the fallen and scattered wheat ears. They didn't touch the uncut wheat ears along the edge of the field, knowing the Wang family might need to cut them again manually.

They had only filled half a bag when they heard someone shouting in the distance:

"The land hasn't been cleaned up yet, you can't pick it up!"

Li Long looked up and saw that Aunt Li was coming over.

They stopped what they were doing—they were still a little uneasy. Although in previous years Aunt Li had let them pick the wheat, what if things had changed this year? They might have to return the wheat they had already picked.

"Hey, Qiangqiang, my eyesight isn't very good..." Aunt Li walked closer, and upon seeing Li Qiang, immediately smiled and said, "You guys pick them up. Oh, and those over there that haven't been cut down yet, hurry up and collect them too. We don't have time to deal with them, it's a waste to leave them here... Is this... Xiaolong's doll?"

"Auntie, this is Mingming, and this is Haohao. They're from my uncle's family," Li Qiang said hurriedly. "Mingming and Haohao, call them Auntie!"

"Hello, Auntie!" Mingming and Haohao's clear voices made Aunt Li happy.

"Hey! You're so handsome! Come on, let your brother pick some vegetables, you two come with me over there. I have some vegetables from my well, including some cucumbers, they're just ripe. Come on, let's go eat some cucumbers!"

"Auntie, we're not going. We need to hurry and pick wheat," Mingming said. "We're not hungry."

"Alright, you can pick them up then. Come back tomorrow, and bring a pair of scissors with you; it'll be faster with scissors!" Aunt Li didn't insist; on the contrary, she thought the two children were really sensible.

After Aunt Li left, Li Qiang continued to lead Mingming and Haohao to pick up wheat here. It was more like packing than picking; there was so much wheat lying on the ground and standing on the side that these two bags were simply not enough to hold it all.

After filling both bags, he had to kick them a few times to pack the wheat into the bags before continuing to fill them.

Just then, Aunt Li came over again, carrying three dark green, crisp melons (somewhat similar to honeydew melons today), and gave one to each of the three children.
"Come on, take a break and have some melon! My melon patch is right there, and quite a few are ripe. When you come over tomorrow, you can pick some yourselves. The bigger ones are ripe."

Li Qiang, along with Mingming and Haohao, hurriedly thanked Aunt Li and then stopped to eat.

Aunt Li watched the three children eating crisp melons with a smile on her face. She asked about their studies and learned that Li Qiang would be in his third year of junior high school in September. She then asked him whether he planned to take the entrance exam for a vocational school or a high school.

"I'll try to get into high school," Li Qiang said. "I'll learn from my sister and see if I can get into university."

"Hey, that's really ambitious!" Aunt Li praised, then said to Mingming and Haohao, "You two should study hard too, and go to university like your older brother and sister!"

Aunt Li sensed the three children were a little reserved, so she chatted with them for a few more minutes before returning to the makeshift hut at the edge of the field. Actually, once the wheat harvest was over, there wasn't much to do here. But she had planted vegetables here, including this crisp melon, and she couldn't bear to leave them, so she decided to stay a few more days.

After Li Qiang and the others finished eating the crisp melon, they picked some more and filled two bags, tied them up, and hung them on the back seat of the car. Hao Hao whispered to Li Qiang:
"Brother, I want to eat some crispy cucumber too."

The melon wasn't as sweet as the watermelon, but the flesh was still edible and tasted quite good. The two kids ate very little, so they naturally found it special.

"Then I'll get it for you—come on, let's go together." Li Qiang actually wanted to eat too, so he took Mingming and Haohao to the field.

Aunt Li was cutting celery in her vegetable garden when she saw the three children coming over, and she stood up.

"Auntie, we...we'd like to have some cucumber too." As the older brother, Li Qiang naturally had to speak up, though he was a little embarrassed.

“Then go pick them. They’re right there. Pick a few more; we can’t eat them all.” Aunt Li pointed to the melon patch. “Look, those are the ones peeking out.”

Li Qiang didn't pick many; he picked three, then said goodbye to Aunt Li, and the three of them left happily.

When they returned to the courtyard, the melons were already gone, but the two large, bulging bags of wheat surprised Du Chunfang, who was in the yard.

"It's only half past noon, how come you've picked up so much?" she couldn't help but ask.

"We've arrived at Grandpa Wang's field to the north," Li Qiang said as he untied the bag. "Their wheat field is huge, and they don't allow others to pick it up. There are just too many ears of wheat in there."

"It's just that your dad and Lao Wang have a good relationship." Du Chunfang has lived in the fourth team for several years. Although she doesn't go out much, she still remembers what Sister-in-law Lu, Liang Yuemei, and others usually say.

"Hehe." Li Qiang chuckled, dumped the wheat ears onto an open space in the yard, and then stepped on them with Mingming and Haohao.

The wheat on the threshing floor had already been threshed and was just waiting to be winnowed, so these gleaned ears of wheat could only be processed by the family. The grain itself was fine, it was just that the final use was different.

After working for a while, the three children were covered in sweat, so Du Chunfang stopped them and told them to wash their faces and cut a melon to eat.

Mingming and Haohao were the happiest when they heard they were going to eat watermelon. They had worked so hard all morning, and eating watermelon was a treat for them.

While Li Qiang and his friends were eating watermelon, Li Long drove to the fourth team. When he arrived at his older brother's house, he saw his two sons and Qiangqiang showing off their watermelon.

"Qiangqiang, where's your sister? Where's Xiaofang?"

These past two days, Han Fang has also stayed at the Li family's house for a rare two days, mainly to play and work with Li Juan.

"He went to work on the threshing floor," Li Qiang said. "He went there after breakfast, and Sister Dong was there too."

"Okay, I'll go take a look over there." Li Qiang didn't drive; he planned to walk.

"Uncle, is there something you need from them?" Li Qiang sensed that his uncle was speaking a bit more formally today.

"Your sister Xiaofang got into a vocational school, and the acceptance letter has arrived," Li Long said with a smile. "She's going to register in August, so I'll let her know."

"You got in? That's amazing!" Li Qiang exclaimed in surprise. "I heard that vocational schools are much harder to get into than high schools. Sister Xiaofang is really impressive!"

"What did Sister Xiaofang get into?" Mingming was a little confused.

"Vocational school," Li Long said as he walked toward the wheat field.

"Hey, Sister Xiaofang got into vocational school!" Mingming put down the watermelon and ran forward. "Sister Xiaofang got into vocational school!"

Li Long was both amused and exasperated; this kid was eager to rush off and deliver the good news.

"Amazing, truly amazing!" Du Chunfang exclaimed as she sat in the courtyard. "I never would have guessed that little girl could get into a vocational school! She'll be a government cadre in the future, living on government-subsidized food!"

As she spoke, she looked at Li Qiang, then thought of her eldest granddaughter Li Juan, and continued with a smile:

"You two are good too. Study hard, going to university is much better than going to a vocational school!"

High school is not as good as vocational school, but university is definitely much better than vocational school or teacher training school. Du Chunfang didn't understand this before, but she has learned a lot from her family members over the past two years.

The threshing ground was only two hundred meters away from the Li family's house, and Mingming's loud voice almost drowned out the sound of the tractor on the threshing ground.

Soon, Liang Yuemei, Dong Xiaojuan, Li Juan, and Han Fang all heard the sound.

"You really passed the exam?" Liang Yuemei was also surprised and delighted. She had asked Han Fang, but Han Fang was modest and said it was not certain. Now that Mingming had come to report the good news, and looking at Li Long behind her, it must be true.

The tractor on the threshing floor stopped, and everyone started praising Han Fang.

Among the people in the fourth team, only those closely related to the Li family knew about Han Fang's background. They lamented the girl's tragic past, but also felt fortunate for her.

"Your mother can finally enjoy her retirement!" exclaimed Sister-in-law Lu. "This girl is truly remarkable!"

"Exactly, exactly. After graduating from vocational school in three years, the state will assign you a job, and you'll become a cadre with a guaranteed food ration. Then we can bring her mother over, and she'll be able to enjoy a life of leisure."

Dong Xiaojuan looked on with envy.

She didn't know this before, but after settling down here, Li Junfeng would often talk about his future plans, telling his children to study hard and follow in the footsteps of Li Juan and Li Qiang. Even if they didn't get into university, they could still get into a vocational teacher training school, and then he could enjoy a comfortable life.

So Dong Xiaojuan now knows that vocational school students, teacher trainees, and university students are all formidable individuals.

If my children can get into university in the future, I wonder how happy I will be!
Han Fang blushed with embarrassment after being praised by everyone, and it was only when Li Long came to her rescue:
"Your teacher and classmates delivered the admission notice, and I've already given it to your mother. Now come back to the county with me; let's go see it first."

“Yes, yes, let’s go back first,” Liang Yuemei said. “Well, let’s take a look at the notice first, see what it says, and prepare in advance.”

Han Fang was still a little reluctant to leave, but Li Juan said with a smile, "Go back quickly. It will definitely take some time before you report for duty. You can come back later."

So Han Fang followed Li Long back. Mingming and Hao Hao also wanted to go back to see the excitement, so they went along too.

When Li Long drove Han Fang, Mingming, and Haohao back to the courtyard, Sister Yang was standing in the yard, clutching the admission notice in her hand, still very excited.

Although I was basically certain I would get in after estimating my score, the matter couldn't be settled until I received the admission notice.

Now that the acceptance letter has arrived, a weight has finally been lifted from her heart. She no longer needs to worry about her daughter's future, and she feels much more relaxed.

After the car pulled in, Han Fang quickly got out, took the admission notice from her mother, and read it over and over again, too excited to speak.

"Sister Yang, Xiao Fang, why don't you go to the front yard?" Li Long whispered, noticing the mother and daughter were silent. "Should we..."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Sister Yang nodded hurriedly. She had thought of this before her daughter returned, but now that Han Fang was back, the mother and daughter were so excited that they forgot about it for a moment.

"Shall I drive you there?" Li Long asked again.

"No need, no need, the two of us can just ride our bikes over." Sister Yang didn't want to trouble Li Long, so she quickly said, "We'll make lunch a little later today, and we'll be back in a bit."

"No rush, no rush, I'll take care of lunch," Li Long said with a smile. "You guys go ahead with your work."

Sister Yang nodded.

When they went there, they were thinking of buying some cooked food at the market and bringing some other things to talk about this in front of Han Fang's father's portrait, that's for sure.

Mingming and Haohao wanted to go too, but they were clueless and didn't understand anything, so Li Long persuaded them to stay.

These past few days, Mingming and Haohao have known that life in the countryside isn't easy. Since they're not going out today, let them play in the yard.

The fawns had grown a bit and become more aggressive, so they were taken to Old Horse's place to find their companions. But the little goats were still quite young and mischievous, so Mingming and Haohao went off to play.

Li Long took out a piece of lamb ribs that Keyum had delivered that morning from the refrigerator, and also took out a frozen chicken, intending to cook two dishes at the same time, making a big plate of chicken and braised lamb ribs.

After all, there's a happy occasion today, so we have to celebrate.

Although school was on holiday, Gu Xiaoxia still had to work shifts and do other things occasionally, so she had to go to school from time to time, after all, she was a leader.

When she and her father, Li Qingxia, returned at noon, Li Long had almost finished preparing the meal. As soon as they entered the door, Mingming and Haohao rushed to tell them about it.

"You really passed the exam? The acceptance letter arrived? This is the biggest happy event in our compound this year!" Gu Xiaoxia said with a beaming smile. "Where are Sister Yang and Xiaofang?"

“They went to the front yard,” Li Long said as he came out of the kitchen. “We have to tell her dad about this. Dinner will be ready soon, wash your hands, I think they’ll be back soon.”

Just then, the door opened again, and Han Fang and Sister Yang pushed their bicycles in.

Li Long could tell that both mother and daughter had red eyes, clearly from crying.

However, they all wore smiles, appearing calm and composed—perhaps this indicated that their worries had been resolved.

The two dishes Li Long prepared at noon were very popular, which greatly satisfied his vanity.

After dinner, Sister Yang was cleaning up the kitchen when Li Long stood at the kitchen door and said:
"Sister Yang, shouldn't we talk to Xiaofang's father's former workplace about this?"

Han Fang's father, Han Bin, originally worked at the Hongqi Farm. After he sacrificed his life there, Sister Yang and Han Fang came here. The farm sent a pension to their hometown and also regularly sent money to Han Fang.

From both a moral and logical standpoint, now that Han Fang has passed the exam, they should inform them.

"Oh, right, how could I forget about that?" Sister Yang rubbed her hands nervously. "Then..." "Let's go to our room and call them," Gu Xiaoxia said. "It should be easier to call from their side."

Sister Yang followed Gu Xiaoxia to the bedroom to make a phone call. Li Long said to Han Fang:
"Xiaofang, why don't you go over there too? Maybe the leader over there will want to say a few words to you."

For the past few years, Hongqi Farm has been sending money to Han Fang. Actually, after Sister Yang partnered with Li Long to open a dried meat processing workshop, she was no longer short of money and had written back to them about this matter.

But they insisted that the families of the martyrs must be taken good care of, especially since there were children among them. This was a principle passed down from the old unit – a principle of the Production and Construction Corps.

Every year during the Spring Festival, they would send a letter of condolence, which included the unit's phone number, so Sister Yang could call them.

After Gu Xiaoxia led Sister Yang and Han Fang to the bedroom, she withdrew and waited with Li Long in the outer room.

Sister Yang wasn't used to making phone calls, but she remembered the number. Because the letters of condolence always contained the line, "Hongqi Farm is your strongest support; if you have any difficulties, contact the farm," she knew the number very well and even had Han Fang write it down as well.

Han Fang picked up the phone, dialed the number, and after two rings, it was answered.
"Hello, this is Hongqi Farm. Who are you looking for?"

Sister Yang was stunned for a moment, and then became nervous and didn't know what to say.

Han Fang reacted quickly, grabbing the microphone and saying:
"Hello, Uncle, I'm Han Fang. My father is Han Bin. He died in the line of duty a few years ago..."

"Han Fang, hello, hello!" The other person clearly knew Han Bin and Han Fang, and immediately said, "You're in junior high school now, right? How's your mother? Is anything wrong at home?"

Han Fang looked at Sister Yang, who pointed to the microphone and then to her, indicating that it was Han Fang's turn to speak.

Actually, Sister Yang had already recovered, but she felt it would be more appropriate for Han Fang to say it herself.

The farm's leadership has actually changed, but they still remember the martyrs who died in the line of duty. This is considered a responsibility of the leadership.

"Uncle, it's like this, I graduated from junior high school this year and got into Beiting Teachers College. I wanted to tell you the good news," Han Fang said, a little nervously. "Thank you for remembering me all this time... and for sending us money..."

Sister Yang mouthed the words:

“We don’t need money anymore. We’re living a good life at home now and we don’t need to send money back.”

Han Fang tried to smooth things over, but the other person laughed and said:

"You got into the teachers' college? Great! That's wonderful! Even though you're not on the farm anymore, you're still one of our farm's children. That's fantastic! Your mother has raised you so well! We uncles are so proud of you! Don't worry about tuition or anything, the farm will help you figure it out..."

"No, no, no, that's not necessary!" Han Fang hurriedly said, "My mother said that our family is not short of money now. My mother and Uncle Li have opened a meat processing workshop together, and they are making a lot of money now. My tuition is enough, and I heard that there are subsidies for going to teachers' college..."

You really don't need to send me money anymore. I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't let you down, and I haven't let my dad down either..."

Han Fang was still young when Han Bin died in the line of duty, so she didn't remember it very well. But now, thinking about the hardships she had endured over the years, especially the fragmented hardships of her first year in northern Xinjiang, Han Fang choked up.

Sister Yang's eyes also reddened. She gently patted Han Fang's back to comfort her daughter.

"Hey, Han Fang, Xiao Fang, don't cry, you're great! You've set a good example for all the children going to school on the farm, you're a good role model!"

We will definitely commend you for this. Your mother is capable of earning money, and the farm is your support; this is what we should do. When you go to school, your uncles will come to see you.

When you go to teachers' college, you must study hard and strive to graduate with excellent grades so that you can become a pillar of our country!

The other end of the phone said a lot of encouraging words, and Han Fang was still a little excited after hanging up.

The farm's performance did not disappoint Li Long. They continued to send support payments to the children of martyrs without stopping despite the change in leadership; in this respect, the Production and Construction Corps set an example.

Because we had already celebrated after taking the exam and estimating our scores, we didn't celebrate again after receiving the admission letter.

For once, Sister Yang didn't go to the meat processing workshop in the afternoon. Instead, she chatted with Han Fang in the house and started packing her luggage.

Attending a teachers' college inevitably means living on campus. Han Fang had never left her mother since childhood. Even when she came to northern Xinjiang to find her father and ended up staying under a bridge in the wrong place, she was still with her mother.

Although her current school is only a little over 100 kilometers away from Ma County, and theoretically she can go home every weekend, she is still leaving home, so Han Fang is feeling a little melancholy.

"Why are you sighing?" Sister Yang seemed quite optimistic. "Think about Li Juan. She went to high school when she was your age, and she also had to live on campus and could only come home once a week. She got through it, didn't she?"

“But Beiting is far from Ma County.” Han Fang really couldn’t bear to leave her mother. Of course, there was another reason: she had never left home before, and like a fledgling bird leaving its mother’s nest for the first time, she was bound to feel insecure.

She had to face everything on her own from then on. Although she could come back once a week, she had no experience with the things that happened at school and the various aspects that needed to be dealt with.

"It's okay. I think you should go to the fourth team tomorrow and talk to Li Juan more." Sister Yang thought for a moment and said, "She lives at school. Although it's a high school, which is different from your teachers' college, the boarding situation should be similar."

Ask her more questions, like about meals, how she gets along with her classmates and roommates, and how she studies. Ask her as much as you can so she can be mentally prepared.

Han Fang nodded emphatically; this was indeed the right thing to do. Earlier, when she was with Li Juan, Li Juan had asked more about high school life, how the coursework differed from junior high, and whether there would be any distance between classmates as they grew older.

Now she has to start all over again and get along with new classmates. Everything is new, and Li Juan is really experienced in this regard.

So the next day after breakfast, Han Fang went to the fourth team with Li Long again.

Li Juan was still busy working with her mother in the wheat field, and Han Fang naturally went over to help, while also asking some questions.

The people in the threshing ground were quite familiar with Han Fang. For example, Sister-in-law Lu would tease her from time to time, her tone a mix of envy and joking.

Since Tie Tou can't go to school, it's up to Xiao Ni'er. She's in junior high now, just like Li Qiang, but her grades are just average, and it's uncertain whether she'll be able to get into high school.

Look at the children of the Li family, and the children who are close to the Li family, how come they are all so outstanding?
Tie Tou is getting on in years. Sister-in-law Lu had originally hoped that Han Fang could find him a partner when she grew up, but now that Han Fang has been admitted to a teachers' college and will become a government official, that idea is no longer worth mentioning.

Faced with Han Fang's questions, Li Juan addressed them one by one and offered some good suggestions.

“Look, you’re going to a teachers’ college. Your classmates and roommates are all people who came from all over Xinjiang, so I think you should get there early and choose a good seat—you’ll have to decide for yourself which seat is best.”

If you want your bed to be less likely to be sat on by people, choose the top bunk; if you want it to be easier to get in and out of bed, choose the bottom bunk.

Also, the temperature in Beiting is similar to ours, so I think the dorms should be about the same. In summer, it's fine, but in winter, the doors will definitely be open a lot, so don't choose a room near the entrance, otherwise it will be very cold.

Since you can come back every week, just bring two or three sets of clothes to change into, but make sure you have spares.

Another thing is to keep your money safe. It's hard to say whether you'll encounter someone who likes to steal, but you might.

Last year, for a period of time, several dormitories had money stolen. Later, it was found that a student had secretly entered the dormitory and stolen the items while everyone was studying.

When you first move in, don't get too close to your roommates; keep a certain distance. Some people like to take advantage of others, and if you're too friendly and agreeable, they'll easily take advantage of you, and you won't know how to respond.

Also, when living off-campus, don't be too agreeable; learn to say no—that's what my uncle told me. If you don't learn to say no, people will take advantage of you.

Li Juan shared a lot of her experiences and lessons with Han Fang, which Han Fang found very enlightening.

In her mind, everyone should be positive and motivated after entering a teacher training college or high school, and everyone should strive for their ideals and have their own goals and plans.

I never expected there to be so many complicated things involved; my head is starting to ache.

"Don't think of it as too simple. Although it's simpler than the outside world, it really requires us to use our brains more. We can't just blindly study like before. We need to learn to show our temper and not be a pushover."

Kindness should be tempered with moderation. Some people deserve your kindness and good intentions, while others do not.

Just as Li Juan was picking straw and explaining the school's rules to Han Fang, two boys and a girl arrived at the gate of the courtyard and knocked on the door.

Little Black immediately started bleating, and the goat lambs, not wanting to miss out on trouble, joined in with bleating. Several hedgehogs that were foraging for food in the yard darted into a corner and hid—they were the most timid of all, and even in familiar places, they didn't want to show themselves.

Gu Xiaoxia was washing clothes alone at home—Mingming and Haohao had gone to the team with Li Long and the others, and Sister Yang was at the processing workshop, while she was busy in the yard with the things in the washing machine.

"Come in." Gu Xiaoxia responded to the knock. Xiao Hei was tied up and posed no threat to the doorway, so she didn't go forward to protect him.

After the three teenagers entered, they seemed somewhat surprised to see Gu Xiaoxia. The slightly older boy said:
"Auntie, we've come to see Han Fang. We're her classmates."

Gu Xiaoxia smiled and said:

"Han Fang isn't home; she went to the village today. Please come back in a couple of days."

"Isn't she coming back tonight?" the girl couldn't help but ask, seeing that Gu Xiaoxia seemed quite kind.

"I'm not sure, she might be staying at a friend's house," Gu Xiaoxia said. "You know she got into teachers' college, right?"

“Yes, we found out yesterday afternoon,” the boy who spoke first said. “The two of us got into high school, but he got into a vocational school.”

All three of them passed the exam, Gu Xiaoxia said:
"Congratulations. If Xiaofang comes back tonight, I'll ask her, 'By the way, what are your names?'"

"My name is Nie Hongying."

"My name is Jia Weiqiang."

"My name is Chen Hongwei."

The three people gave their names, said goodbye to Gu Xiaoxia, and turned to leave.

Quite polite.

Gu Xiaoxia thought that these children were all good and should have a bright future. This roughly corresponds to the saying: "Birds of a feather flock together."

When Li Long drove back that evening, he was alone—Mingming and Haohao were with Qiangqiang and didn't want to come back. Han Fang wanted to ask Li Juan for advice and didn't want to come back either.

After listening to Gu Xiaoxia mention that some classmates had come over, Li Long wrote down their names and said that he would tell Han Fang about it when he went downstairs to see her the next day.

Sister Yang was thinking about preparing new net covers and new bedding, since she was going to live at school and needed to bring all sorts of things with her.

Gu Xiaoxia said with a smile:

"There probably isn't enough room for all my stuff in the dorm. Bedding, backpack, lunchbox, toiletries, towels, and a change of clothes should be enough. I'll also bring some money for emergencies, such as food, tuition, and accommodation. I'll be back in a week, and I can prepare anything I need when I get back."

She often communicates with Li Juan, so she knows some of these things.

Sister Yang thought about it and realized it made sense, then she laughed to herself. It was because she was worried that she had brought too many things, even if she didn't need them.

When Li Long arrived at the team the next day and told Han Fang about it, Han Fang didn't think much of it. They were all classmates from the county, and they could get together before going back to school.

She still wanted to learn more from Li Juan. Li Juan had told her a lot about things that happened at school, which she felt were all valuable lessons. Perhaps she could use those experiences when she got to school herself.

Prioritize the tasks; the most important thing now is to learn more from experience.

Han Fang followed her mother to northern Xinjiang to find her father. They encountered difficulties and the mother and daughter depended on each other for survival. It was inevitable that she was precocious and thought more than children of the same age.

The wheat harvest is nearing its end. Apart from Liang Yuemei, who is with Li Junhai and Li Anmin, everyone else on the threshing floor is either in the cotton fields or driving high-powered tractors to plow the wheat fields to earn money.

After finishing his conversation with Han Fang, Li Long drove to the cotton field.

The cotton fields, spanning thousands of acres, look quite impressive. While not exactly boundless, they stretch for seven or eight hundred meters from one end to the other and are nearly a kilometer long horizontally. Although not endless, they are certainly a bit difficult to see.

A dozen or so people were scattered across the field, barely noticeable. It was the time when cotton was ripening, and the land had just been watered. Li Long bent down at the edge of the field to look at it; the ground wasn't dry yet, but some areas had already turned salty and alkaline.

Clearly, the task of eliminating salinity is arduous and has a long way to go.

However, looking at the cotton plants that weren't too high up in the field, Li Long was quite pleased to see that four or five bolls had already formed on them, with a few more flowers still on top.

I paid close attention this season, watering, fertilizing, pruning, pest control, and spraying pesticides. I put in a lot of effort, but at least for now, it's been worth it.

At this point in the cotton field, some weeds no longer needed tending, but Xie Yundong and his team still led their men through the field row by row, pulling out all the weeds they could see.

The most disgusting thing is the morning glory, which is similar to the plant called "butterfly vine" in elementary school. It will twine around the cotton, grow from the ground and reach the top of the cotton leaves. It will grow wildly, wrap around the cotton, spread its leaves, flower and bear fruit, and steal the cotton's resources.

On the contrary, the yellow dodder, which is often seen in grasslands and is also the famous Chinese medicinal herb Cuscuta, cannot grow in cotton fields.

Xie Yundong carried out a bundle of grass, threw it on the edge of the field, and then walked up to Li Long and said:
"Okay?"

“It’s doing great.” Li Long smiled. “At this rate, this acre should yield at least a hundred kilograms.”

Saline-alkali land is newly reclaimed land, so there is no need to pay various taxes and fees. After deducting costs, the rest of the output belongs to the owner.

Even if it's only 100 kilograms, and each kilogram costs two yuan, that's still a considerable income.

"Don't even mention 100 kilograms, 80 kilograms would be great." Because there are no taxes or fees, Xie Yundong felt that an average yield of 80 kilograms per mu was already very good based on last year's prices.

Cotton prices remained relatively stable for the next few years until a sudden surge in the late 1990s, which resulted in cotton farmers making money that year.

Li Long was familiar with these years, but he wasn't sure if they would change because of him.

However, considering the overall situation in my village, more and more people will be planting cotton in the future, and as long as we can hold onto the land now, things will only get better. Even if we don't plant cotton in the end, just living off the land rent will be enough to make a good living every year.

Xie Yundong was still very busy. After chatting with Li Long for a few minutes, he went back into the field to pull weeds.

Right now, the grass in the field is mainly twigs, reeds, and yellow clover, and there are also annoying camel thorns and so on at the edge of the field.

Now no one goes to the fields to watch anymore. The cotton situation for each family is basically settled, and everyone is busy with their own work. The year's harvest depends on what's in front of them.

Li Long knew that he couldn't let his guard down at least with his own cooperative. If the cotton hadn't been picked and the money hadn't been received, then it wasn't truly his.

Deep down, Li Long is still a farmer. Although he has made a lot of money in business, he is not a typical businessman. It was during the early stages of the commodity economy, an era of rampant growth for private enterprises, where anyone could make money by seizing opportunities.

If this were in later generations, someone with his personality would probably lose a lot of money in business, or be easily cheated.

Li Long knows his own limitations, so he is also very clear about his own position. No matter how big his business becomes, he never forgets to keep his roots in the countryside.

With those properties, even if he fails in business, he can still live a good life.

PS: Thank you to readers Hongchen_Bin for the donation, and thank you to readers Shuxinyu, Tiaodaohaili Tuoyu, 20180902113402678, goldad, 20251230180442237, and others for their donations. I also appreciate the valuable feedback from readers, as well as the subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets.

This year has come to an end so quickly! Over 3.3 million words. Although I'm still a bit short of 10,000 words a day, it's not bad. I'll keep up the good work next year!

Let's encourage each other! (End of Chapter)