Chapter 143: Gu Xiaoxia's Handmade Gift

Li Long never expected that selling a fish would make someone remember him.

"Young man, are you the one who sold frozen fish here in winter?"

Li Long looked at the middle-aged woman in her forties and smiled, saying:

"Big sister, I did sell fish here in winter."

"I knew it! You look familiar! Your fish is good; I bought one back then, and my neighbor said it definitely wasn't fresh. But after thawing, the fish was truly excellent... Your fish today looks good too. Come, weigh out two yuan worth of crucian carp for me!"

"Alright, I'll weigh it generously for you!" Li Long said with a smile. "You're a returning customer, so I'll give you an extra one for free—caught this morning, still alive. Just stew it when you get home; it's very fresh!" Li Long had prepared some rush grass; once wet, it was incredibly tough. Seeing the woman had no container for the fish, he threaded the fish through the rush grass, formed it into a loop, and handed it over.

"This young man knows how to do business. I'll come back tomorrow to buy more."

The woman left satisfied, carrying her fish, while other onlookers began buying fish.

Some people were still asking about the fish's origin. When Li Long said they were wild fish from Dahuizi, someone in the crowd who knew immediately started explaining:

"I know that place. It used to be a wetland, just a natural waterhole with reeds and lots of mosquitoes, but the fish there are truly excellent... Look at this crucian carp; the head and tail are slightly golden. Beautiful, right? Crucian carp from ordinary reservoirs are usually gray-white, not this beautiful, nor this tasty—Young man, weigh out two... three yuan worth for me!"

With knowledgeable volunteers helping to introduce and explain, the nearly thirty kilograms of crucian carp Li Long brought were reduced to just over a dozen small ones in less than twenty minutes. Crucian carp are incredibly resilient; the remaining dozen small ones swam happily in the scant water in the basin.

Seeing the crucian carp were neither large nor numerous, people's gaze turned to the carp and five-striped black bass in the basin.

There were more fish experts here, so what remained were silver carp—silver carp have fine flesh and are actually quite delicious when cooked well, but they have too many fine bones, so many people didn't want them.

Over an hour later, Li Long had forty-nine yuan in his pocket. By then, the sun had risen, and two basins still held seven or eight small crucian carp and one silver carp weighing seven or eight hundred grams.

He looked around; seeing no one wanted to buy fish, he simply poured the fish along with the dirty water from both basins into one, carried the basin to the roadside ditch, and dumped it.

The moment he straightened up, a gust of wind hit his face, and then he watched three people rush into the ditch, quickly gathering those fish.

The one who picked up the white silver carp was a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit who looked decent; he smiled proudly, then looked up and met Li Long's eyes.

That smile froze instantly.

Li Long vaguely remembered this man had been in the crowd of onlookers earlier but hadn't bought anything from start to finish.

Li Long turned his head expressionlessly, folded the urea bag, stacked the basins on the back seat, secured them with a clip, and pushed his bicycle into the old street.

He remembered there seemed to be a milk tea shop in the old street; having worked hard all morning, he needed to reward his stomach.

He ordered a bowl of milk tea and a naan. The Uyghur owner asked in authentic Henan Mandarin:

"Fellow townsman, do you want milk skin?"

"Yes," Li Long laughed. "More of it."

"You can actually get used to milk tea with milk skin? That's great, great. Here, the naan is freshly baked."

"This naan is good—indeed, no hot naan ever makes it home intact..." Li Long smiled as he took the naan, broke it into pieces on a plate, took a piece, and took a bite.

"You, ah, are excellent, speak very well!" the ethnic owner said with a smile. "You know how to eat..."

Li Long knew he was referring to his habit of breaking the naan before eating—it was a habit he learned from Harimu. Breaking naan to share rather than eating alone; giving a piece to someone in need is kindness, a good habit.

A steaming bowl of milk tea was served, topped with a thick layer of milk skin, smelling fragrant.

Milk skin is actually the layer of creamy fat that forms on top while boiling milk, regarded as the essence of milk. But because it is fat, some people may not get used to it.

After finishing the milk tea and the naan, Li Long stood up, paid, and left. The milk tea cost twelve fen, the naan two fen; truly not expensive.

By then, the flow of people in the old street began to increase, with more people arriving to take transport. Li Long carefully avoided the coming and going pedestrians, pedaled his bicycle into the sunlight, and headed toward the county town.

Arriving at the county town's department store, Li Long got off, locked his bike, and eagerly walked toward the radio counter. Seeing three radios still displayed on the counter, he handed over money and coupons. While the salesclerk fetched a radio, he checked it and asked:

"Comrade, do you still have stock of these radios?"

"Yes," the salesclerk, recognizing him as someone who had bought radios before, said. "There are some in the warehouse."

"Good," Li Long smiled. "I'll come back to look in a day or two."

The salesclerk smiled and said to Li Long:

"Welcome to come back anytime."

This salesclerk was a girl around twenty years old, with two large braids, a round face, looking healthy and cute.

Li Long also bought two boxes of twenty No. 1 batteries from her, tied them together with cotton string along with the radio box for easy carrying.

After Li Long left, a big sister at another counter joked:

"Oh, Little Liu, who is this person that you're so enthusiastic about?"

"Sister Wang, what are you saying? I don't know this person."

"Don't know him? I've never seen you be so polite to any young man. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Sister Wang, don't talk nonsense; I really don't know him."

"Really don't know him? Next time he comes, I'll ask around—I saw he arrived by bicycle; his family background must be extraordinary!"

Little Liu said nothing. She had seen Li Long come to buy things more than once: bicycles, sewing machines, food, clothes, shoes, and the like; these past two days he had taken two more radios.

People like this either come from good families or are likely resellers, but Little Liu felt Li Long didn't seem like the latter.

Li Long rode his bicycle to the large courtyard, put the radio inside, checked again, confirmed no one was coming, locked the door, got on his bike, and headed to the morning market.

It was already late; not many stalls remained at the morning market. He circled around but couldn't find anyone selling piglets, so he turned back.

Arriving at the rural middle school, Li Long slowed down. Through the trees, he could vaguely see Gu Xiaoxia's dormitory; the door seemed to be open.

Wondering if he would see her figure, suddenly someone ahead called out to him:

"Li Long!"

Hearing that clear voice, Li Long smiled. At the school gate ahead, Gu Xiaoxia was standing gracefully.

It was already spring; having shed the bulky cotton clothes, Gu Xiaoxia's figure had grown like a sprouting willow branch. As Li Long pedaled toward her, he thought she was still a bit thin.

A little flesh would be better.

When the bicycle stopped in front of Gu Xiaoxia, she said:

"I guessed you should be returning around this time." With her right hand, she brought it out from behind her back; in her hand was a blue knitted object, like a hat but triangular.

A seat cover!

"Your bicycle is exposed to the sun every day; the leather on the seat is prone to peeling. Covering it with this will help," Gu Xiaoxia said seriously. "Bicycles are precious; you should take better care of them."

Li Long got off the vehicle and let Gu Xiaoxia put the knitted wool seat cover over the seat; it fit perfectly.

"I knitted it by measuring against Mr. Wang's bicycle. Is it okay?"

"How could you say it's just okay? It should be excellent!" Li Long said with a smile.

Flattered by Li Long's praise, Gu Xiaoxia felt shy, lowered her head, and twisted her fingers together. She spoke softly:

"You don't need to come see me every day; just come on weekends if you have time. That... that person teaching the second year, I have nothing to do with him..."

"I believe you," Li Long said with a smile. "I'll be going into the mountains for a while soon. Take care of yourself. Before I leave, I'll bring you some things..."

"No, no!" Hearing that Li Long wanted to bring things, Gu Xiaoxia quickly looked up and said anxiously:

"I still have enough of what you brought last time to last over a month. We get paid next month. You don't need to bring me anything. Take care of yourself in the mountains and make sure you bring everything you need; otherwise, there's nowhere to buy things once you're in the mountains..."

Li Long had originally intended to remind Gu Xiaoxia to take care of herself since he was heading into the mountains, but instead, she had given him a whole list of reminders. Still, his heart felt warm, and it was a nice feeling.

This concern was different from that of his eldest brother and sister-in-law. What else could it mean when a peer of the opposite sex cared for him from the bottom of their heart?

The school bell rang. Gu Xiaoxia stopped speaking, turned her head to look at the school, then turned back to Li Long and said:

"Class is over. I have a class next period, so I have to go back. You... go back first."

!.

"You go back first," Li Long pointed to the bicycle. "I'm faster."

"Then... okay. I'm leaving." Gu Xiaoxia hesitated for a moment, turned, and walked toward the school. After walking a dozen meters, she turned her head. Seeing Li Long still looking at her, her face flushed red. She quickly turned around again and walked toward the school, not looking back again.

Li Long watched until Gu Xiaoxia's figure disappeared behind the office building before he got on his bicycle and headed back.

The rural middle school was nearly a kilometer from the primary school. When Li Long arrived at the primary school, he smelled the scent of something burning.

He rode his bicycle into the primary school and saw piles of fire burning on the wasteland east of the school playground, with groups of people gathered there weaving carrying frames.

The carrying frame was a manual tool used in Northern Xinjiang since the 1950s and 1960s. Similar to a stretcher, it had two poles on the sides and a basket-like structure woven from willow branches in the middle. Essentially, it was a stretcher with the canvas in the middle replaced by woven willow, curved downward slightly to hold items.

The carrying frame was extremely useful. Before animal-drawn carts and motorized vehicles became common, carrying frames were used to carry coal, soil, grain, and more.

Every class from the third grade and up in the school would weave carrying frames and make brooms in the spring, to be used for one or two years.

Weaving a carrying frame was a skilled task. First, a shallow pit had to be dug, as the woven willow part of the frame needed to be concave downward; without the pit, it couldn't take shape. Freshly cut willow branches also had to be roasted over fire to make them flexible so they wouldn't break when bent.

While doing these preparations, four wooden wedges were driven into the weaving area. The two carrying poles were placed against the outside of the wedges. Then, several thick strips were placed in the middle, parallel to the poles, to serve as supports. Selected willow branches were first woven to form the outermost frame of the basket, and then, similar to weaving a basket, strips were woven inward one by one.

When Li Long found Li Juan, he discovered she was leading four boys and two girls, busy at the edges of two pits. Li Juan's face was smudged with black and gray patches, and the other boys and girls were much the same. However, the carrying frames they had woven were clearly subpar; the woven part was not only small but also loose and flimsy, unable to bear any weight.

"Li Juan, what should we do... we won't finish weaving today..." A little girl, half a head shorter than Li Juan, wiped her face with a crying voice.

"Don't worry, let's try a bit harder..." Li Juan's voice was full of exhaustion, yet she was still comforting her classmates.

"It's all Lin Qiang's fault. He clearly agreed to weave the carrying frames today, but he didn't show up. He's the only one in our group who knows how to weave!" Another boy complained.

Li Long smiled. School days were also full of vitality and fun; of course, these small conflicts could be ignored.

He parked his bicycle, locked it, walked over, and called out:

"Juan!"

Li Juan turned her head, saw Li Long, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Not finished yet? Come, let me see." Li Long hadn't woven anything in a long time in his past life, but his old skills were still there. Looking at the state of the carrying frames, he quickly found the problems. The children's strength was insufficient, so the willow strips were woven too loosely, making them unable to bear the load.

There was another major issue: the willow strips needed to be interlaced when woven. In these two carrying frames, several strands of willow were running parallel, similar to walking with both feet moving in the same direction, failing to achieve the interlaced structure needed to bear weight, rendering them useless.

"Small matter. Alright, you guys roast the strips; the rest is up to me." Li Long rolled up his sleeves, squatted by the pit, and began to modify the frames. For strips that had already hardened, he simply pulled them out to take back for them to roast again.

With an adult present, the students immediately felt they had a backbone. Some roasted the strips, some passed them along, some tended the fire, and others stood by Li Long to learn and help.

Originally, Li Juan's group had the slowest progress, but with Li Long's help, they quickly began to overtake the others.

Li Long wasn't particularly skilled at first, but being an adult, he had logic and reasoning. In his past life, after turning fifty, when the land was incorporated into the cooperative, he would occasionally weave small items in his spare time, so handling such large weaving projects came naturally to him.

The two carrying frames were quickly finished. Seeing there was still plenty of time, he took the two frames they had woven earlier and modified and reinforced them.

After finishing, Li Long's hands and face were covered in dust. Li Juan happily led the group to report to the teacher with the carrying frames. Actually, the teacher had already seen an adult come to help, so the inspection was passed quickly.

"Juan, do you have classes this afternoon?" Li Long washed his hands at the irrigation ditch by the playground and returned to ask Li Juan.

"No, this afternoon is just for making tools. We also made large brooms using Achnatherum splendens." Li Juan was somewhat proud.

"Bring them over and let me see." Li Long sighed inwardly and continued working. Large brooms made by students usually looked decent at first glance, but in use, the Achnatherum grass would start falling out in less than half a month. The main reason was that the students lacked the strength to drive as much Achnatherum grass as possible into the iron hoops.

In later times, large Achnatherum brooms were tied with iron wire, but in the 1980s, iron hoops were used. First, the Achnatherum grass was stuffed into the iron hoop as much as possible. When it couldn't be stuffed any further, a pointed tool called a

"juezi" was used. The tip of the juezi was driven into the tail end of the Achnatherum grass, then split from the head end to find the tip. Taking a bundle of Achnatherum grass, one would tap the juezi backward while stuffing the grass in along the tip. This was a skilled task requiring good coordination. When it truly couldn't be stuffed any further, the large broom was tied. Then, a sharpened wooden stick was used as the broom handle, wedged into the tail of the broom. Finally, the fluffy tops of the Achnatherum grass on the broom head were burned off, and the work was done.

Li Long saw that this broom looked decent. A ring of red willow branches had been added around the outside and tied with thread to prevent the brittle Achnatherum grass from breaking, which would shorten the broom's lifespan.

But just by shaking it, he knew it was tied too loosely. He asked for the tools, had Li Juan bring more Achnatherum grass, squatted on the ground, removed the broom handle, and then used the juezi to drive more grass into the broom, followed by adding more Achnatherum grass.

Watching Li Long add small handfuls of Achnatherum grass, the large broom became noticeably "thicker and sturdier." The students immediately looked at him with admiration in their eyes.

They had seen adults make large brooms before, but when they did it themselves, the result wasn't the same.

After finishing all this, Li Long looked with satisfaction at his modified work. It should last a long time.

"Little Uncle, you're amazing!" Li Juan shouted, then turned to a little boy nearby and said:

"Chen Xiaobing, you said yours was tied fine. Look, how much Achnatherum grass is missing..."

The little boy felt ashamed.

Li Long smiled and said, "It's okay. You are children; it will get better when you grow up. Tying it like this already isn't bad. Juan, is school over? If school is over, let's go back."

"Okay, I'll go tell the teacher, then pack my bag!" Li Juan ran off at full speed.

Starting today, each chapter will be a large one of about four thousand words. Basically, three chapters a day, totaling twelve thousand words, which is more content than before. If there are any other changes in the release schedule, there will be advance notice.

(End of this chapter)