[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw":3,"chapter-reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-151":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Reborn in 1981: Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1934032,2572,"Chapter 151: The Half-Finished Winter Camp","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-151",151,"\u003Cp>On the mountain path, Li Long struggled to pedal his bicycle; this section was the hardest, with weeds growing thick, a steep slope, and many stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pedaling up this nearly one-kilometer long slope, the gentle slope ahead felt much more comfortable; Li Long held the handlebars with one hand, rode forward, and wiped a layer of sweat from his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People riding bicycles are like people driving cars in later generations: once on the vehicle, they don't want to get off. Even if they know pushing the bike might save a bit of effort on this section, they still want to pedal it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedaling into the mountain pass, the road ahead became a winding path of nine curves and eighteen bends. Fortunately, this road had been trodden by herders and their cattle and sheep coming and going, so riding was quite good. Li Long avoided the stinging nettle all the way and arrived near the Halimu winter camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halimu was just outside the winter camp. Seeing Li Long approach, he ran over with a smile, followed by Nasen and their family dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Li Long, you didn't come yesterday,\" Halimu said. \"I was originally thinking of taking you to see your winter camp.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We can do that now too,\" Li Long said. \"There were some matters at home yesterday, so I didn't come over—let's put the grain in your winter camp first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm, put it here first. After we unload the grain, let's go to your winter camp. We can tell them you brought grain. By the time we reach the summer pasture, what they need most will be this rice and flour.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his previous life, Li Long had heard that herders in the mountains usually ate Fu tea with naan. If there were side dishes, they might be butter, cream, or jam; it was very simple. They couldn't eat meat at every meal—eating meat was a luxury for them, usually only slaughtering a sheep during festivals or when guests arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had only heard this and wasn't clear if it was true, but he didn't ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Together with Halimu, they moved the grain to the winter camp, then walked west.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They have already started building the wooden walls. According to Yushanjiang, in less than two days, your house will be finished. Then you can move in—the things inside need to be prepared by yourself, after all, our living habits are different from yours.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood, understood.\" Li Long felt a bit excited. Setting aside the team's house, that was his eldest brother's. After he started his own family, he would definitely have a homestead to build a house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting aside the houses on the street, those were bought directly, and they were houses from decades ago; it was impossible to feel any emotional connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the structure he was about to see, which couldn't even yet be called a house, had been built in just these few days since he came to this life. It was built by these lovely, enthusiastic Kazakh herders to thank him for his tiny, insignificant contribution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Li Long truly a bit excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before seeing the house, Li Long heard someone singing and the sound of a radio; it seemed a broadcaster was playing news. Although it wasn't in Chinese, he could still recognize that tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also the sound of wood being hammered and laughter and play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are very happy,\" Li Long said with a smile. \"Your mindset is really good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our ancestors passed down a saying: people must look forward. Although we are in the mountains and don't have as many things as you do down below, we are very content.\" Halimu's words made Li Long feel dazed for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his previous life, his life could be described as having abundant material wealth, but it didn't seem as happy as these past few months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrival of Halimu and Li Long made these men even happier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yushanjiang called out, telling the men still working to rest. Everyone gathered around, speaking one after another. Li Long shook hands with each of them one by one. He didn't understand what they were saying, but looking at those sun-spotted faces full of enthusiasm and innocence, he truly felt very lucky in this life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yushanjiang led Li Long to the house where two wooden walls had already been built and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look, once these two sides are built, the back will be quick. This house has two rooms; one is for people to live in, and one is for storing things. By the way, we will lay wooden planks inside, and we will plaster a layer of mud on the walls. That way, when we make a fire later, there won't be any problems.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The house frame was very simple: just two rooms, one large and one small. The large one was about thirty square meters, and the small one felt like twenty square meters. Built now, it looked rough and primitive, but it had a different kind of beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, thank you all!\" Li Long said sincerely to Yushanjiang. \"I really don't know how to thank you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Friends, don't say that!\" Yushanjiang said seriously. \"You helped us so much; we really want to do these things. We are people of the horseback; we won't speak such nice words, but for friends we recognize, we will treat them sincerely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long stopped speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over there, after Halimu spoke with the others, those men suddenly cheered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you bring them rice and flour?\" Yushanjiang suddenly asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm. I asked Halimu what you would lack when you reached the summer pasture. He said besides brick tea and salt, the most lacking thing was grain. I bought some these past two days, and I will buy more later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look, you still say thank you to us; this is something we should thank you for.\" Yushanjiang patted Li Long's shoulder and said, \"We are giving our strength; strength, once used, will come again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when we reach the summer pasture, once the grain is eaten, it's gone. You preparing grain for us must be sincere, right? You don't hope for any return, right? Friends, adash, are just like this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long actually wanted to say that the money he used to buy the grain came from the deer antlers they had given him. But he couldn't say it. Actually, when he bought the grain earlier, he truly hoped to help these sincere friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halimu said a few more words, and then all those men looked at Li Long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Halimu says you can help them exchange for things they want. Deer antlers, roe deer antlers, or hides and such things are all fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sure!\" Li Long said very firmly. \"I am very willing to help my friends!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young men looked at each other, none thinking to speak first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long and Yushanjiang walked over from the house to where the young men were sitting on logs and found a log to sit on as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man mustered his courage, stood up, and spoke a string of words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halimu looked at him with some surprise, then turned his head and asked Li Long:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He says he saw a female elk with a fawn. He asks how many of such fawns can be exchanged for a radio like this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elk fawns?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exchanged for a radio?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long felt his brain a bit freeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he reacted, thinking it was normal. In the eyes of these herders, an ungrown elk fawn wasn't worth more than a sheep, after all, it was hard to raise. Even if it had velvet antlers, that was years away—and it might not even be a male deer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was inevitable that these fawns were not valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Li Long, it was different! Every part of the deer was a treasure, even the fawn! \"One for one,\" Li Long said, holding up one finger. \"Of course, there are no radios left in the county now; I have to go to Shicheng to check.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halimu turned and explained to the young man. The young man's face showed an expression of wild joy. He sat down; someone nearby asked him something, and he nodded without saying much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One could imagine he was already calculating how to catch that fawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the first person, soon a second person spoke a string of words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Deer antlers. How many deer antlers can be exchanged for a radio?\" Halimu translated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Deer antlers...\" Li Long thought. The current average price of deer antlers was five yuan, so about ten kilograms could exchange for a radio. Adding a box of batteries, it would be at most twelve or thirteen kilograms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Two to three deer antlers will do,\" Li Long said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he finished speaking, Halimu and Yushanjiang first stared blankly at him; their expressions clearly showed disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really,\" Li Long said. \"However, I'm not sure if we can get a signal in the mountains. After all, this is the winter pasture now. At the summer pasture, it's too high; I don't know if we can receive it. Adding iron wire for an antenna might not work either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We can't let you suffer a loss,\" Yushanjiang suddenly interjected. \"Li Long, we are friends. Friends shouldn't suffer a loss. We work voluntarily, for the sake of friends. You brought us news from the outside...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halimu nodded in full agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long gave a bitter smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did they think he was a selfless sage in their eyes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a moment and said to Harimu and Yushanjiang:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The two pieces of jade you gave me the first time can be exchanged for five or six radios. As for deer antlers, they weren't enough back then, but now the price has risen, so they can be exchanged. Our country can produce radios itself now; many factories can make them, so they aren't very expensive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harimu and Yushanjiang exchanged a glance, then Harimu began translating for the young men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening, some of the young men wore expressions of disbelief on their faces as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most wanted to exchange for radios, some for grain, others for katanas, medicine, and tools. Li Long answered each one individually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through this conversation, Li Long realized that the herdsmen in the winter pasture truly lacked supplies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although scarcity of supplies was a common phenomenon throughout society in this era, due to language barriers and ethnic customs, the herdsmen in this area had relatively fewer supplies overall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conversely, because of their pasture location, they actually possessed vast amounts of precious resources: various furs, jade, deer antlers, roe deer antlers, and small amounts of deer velvet, among others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was even genuine Tianshan Snow Lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the medicinal effect of Tianshan Snow Lotus was not as miraculous as legend claimed, it was still a precious gynecological herb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, in the eyes of locals, the Snow Lotus appearing in later TV programs and border specialty counters was actually called Stone Lotus. Only those truly growing above the snow line were called Snow Lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they were too scarce, and some greedy individuals would pull them up by the roots upon discovery to maximize profit, people in later generations could hardly see genuine Tianshan Snow Lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said that years ago, a certain pharmaceutical factory in the border region produced a Snow Lotus Saffron Tonic Wine and hired a singer who later fell from grace as a spokesperson. They flew along the northern slope of Tianshan by helicopter for a week but still couldn't find a single genuine Snow Lotus growing above the snow line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Long was still unclear about the current purchase price of Snow Lotus, though he knew it certainly wouldn't be high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Long said he would go ask, but added a reminder that they might need a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man who asked about the Snow Lotus looked somewhat disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, alright, get to work!\" Yushanjiang clapped his hands and said, \"Work a bit longer, your sisters-in-law will be coming to deliver meals soon. We can't let the women see us slacking off. Come on, get to work!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long and Harimu also joined the work crew. He didn't know how to do the skilled work, but he could carry wood and hammer wooden wedges. Although they couldn't speak the same language, gestures were the best means of communication at that moment; through gestures, they could understand what kind of cooperation the other expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At noon, Harimu's wife brought a large basin of mutton, while Yushanjiang's wife brought large pieces of freshly baked naan and mare's milk. Li Long ate meat and naan in big mouthfuls with them, drinking mare's milk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lunch, during a break, Harimu called Li Long over and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Li Long, you don't need to work here anymore. We'll take over the work here; you go attend to your own matters. In two or three days, this winter pasture will be finished. Then the arrangements here will be your own responsibility. You'll have endless tasks then. I think if you have time, you can haul some wood down and make some furniture to bring up. We can build wooden kang beds for you, but we can't make other things; you'll have to handle that yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long nodded; indeed, that was the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If possible, he also hoped his wooden cabin would have wooden tables and chairs, an iron stove, cabinets, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yushanjiang and the others couldn't make these things, nor did they have suitable tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I'll come tomorrow. People from our village will be working in the gully on the east side at Hongshanzui; it might take a month. I'll check in frequently, so for this month I'll be running back and forth between the mountains and the county town. If anyone needs to exchange items, I'll bring them over for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't worry; tomorrow you'll be busy enough. Everyone might go back today and bring many things tomorrow, asking you to help exchange them for them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No problem at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving this place, Li Long returned to Harimu's winter pasture, mounted his bicycle, and headed for Xiaobaiyang Gully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To get from here to Xiaobaiyang Gully, one had to go around to the outside of the mountains, then ride along the outermost mountain trail to Hongshanzui, and from there ride into the mountains. Xiaobaiyang Gully was one of the gullies inside; its mouth did not lead directly to the outside of the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Long arrived at the entrance of Xiaobaiyang Gully, he saw his own cart and another cart from the team already parked there. Most of the goods on the carts had been unloaded, and some people were digging earth-pits on the flat slope a few dozen meters from the gully entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A winter pasture was a dwelling for herdsmen to spend the winter, basically built against the mountains, sometimes even pre-built as rammed-earth or wooden houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth-pits were different; they were common in the Northwest and Northeast, serving as semi-underground temporary dwellings. A pit was dug in the ground, usually square or rectangular, covered with a layer of branches or wood, then topped with a layer of soil. People lived inside; this was called an earth-pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering an earth-pit meant digging a trench directly from the outside inward, which could be steps or a ramp. Inside, grass was usually laid down, and a rolled-up bedding placed there. For those who were more particular, the pit was dug wider to accommodate other items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the team had stayed in a sideline unit here before, the earth-pit they had occupied, though no longer usable, still had the pit intact; a simple repair would make it functional again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Tao Daqiang and the others were clearing out the pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Long, Li Jianguo by the cart smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of this chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2655,"2026-06-14T06:06:39.549Z",1,"Qwen3.5 122B","b222252a887dba4217e27ab9f85d468cb8dac3d11f6eae515596bd68a0b18c48","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-152","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-150",180,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-cover.jpg"]