[{"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-16":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},1933897,2572,"Chapter 16: Preparations for Entering the Mountains","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-16",16,"\u003Cp>Li Long did not know how the villagers viewed him now, but he did not care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After mounting the carriage and trying to drive it for five hundred meters, he became proficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had done similar work in his past life. Although Li Jianguo was one of the first families in the team to afford a tractor, in the years before buying it, the family's main transport was a donkey cart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long could not only drive a donkey cart but also ride a donkey. Before passing away in his previous life, he had even considered raising donkeys, since donkeys fell ill rarely, were easy to keep, and their selling price kept rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Long, when did you learn to drive a horse carriage?\" Tao Daqiang sat on a bale of hay on the carriage and said enviously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's so special about that?\" Li Long said while sitting on the carriage frame. \"The road is so flat, and the horses in our team are naturally gentle. As long as you don't provoke them, just keep an eye on them occasionally and let them move forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it sounded simple, but it was not that simple in reality. Li Long just felt there was no need to explain in such detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the way to the township, there were few people on the road. On both of their hat brims, eyebrows, and even the downy fuzz just growing above their lips, a layer of white frost had already formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun rose, and the temperature increased slightly, but Li Long felt his feet had already frozen numb. He got off the carriage and drove it along the main road toward the county.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The road from the township to the county was much better. Trucks passed by, the road surface was pressed wide, and occasionally one could see donkey droppings or horse droppings. Li Long remembered that when he used to walk to the county in winter, he would kick these things out of boredom. The best were camel droppings, perfectly round, and one kick could make them roll far. Donkey and horse droppings were oval and flat, rolling along irregular paths when kicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he saw an old man carrying a dung basket, picking up dung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was rare. In Northern Xinjiang, because the land area is vast, chemical fertilizers had already begun to be used on a large scale. Picking up dung was common in Li Long's hometown, but he had hardly seen it here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the carriage arrived in the county, both the horse and the people were covered in white. Li Long found the procurement station, drove the carriage to the roadside, pulled out several bundles of hay for the horse to eat there, and told Tao Daqiang:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Daqiang, you watch the carriage here. I'll go in and check the price for muskrat pelts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay.\" Tao Daqiang nodded vigorously. He felt he was finally useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long held the bundle wrapped with muskrat pelts, pushed the door open, and entered the procurement station. He saw a middle-aged man sitting behind the counter reading a newspaper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man wore a blue Zhongshan suit, his hair was parted four-six, and he looked quite spirited—just the appearance of a cadre from that era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stove stood in the procurement station, the fire burning vigorously and making a rumbling sound. Without looking, Li Long knew the stove must be stuffed full of coal—truly luxurious!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Comrade, I want to ask if you buy this.\" Li Long spoke while taking out the muskrat pelt and placing it on the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hongjun sized Li Long up and down, then slowly stood up, glanced at the pelt, and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know what pelt this is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The procurement station had almost no business in winter, so the staff worked in shifts, one person per day, like being on duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since someone had finally come to deliver goods, he did not appear too cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Muskrat pelt, right? Oh, this thing is also called muskrat, isn't it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. The young man knows quite a lot.\" Chen Hongjun nodded, touched the pelt, picked it up to examine it again, and asked, \"Fresh pelt?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. I caught it yesterday. It was an accident, I suppose. These are easy to get in spring; now it's just good luck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The pelt is good. I'll give you five yuan for this one.\" Chen Hongjun put the pelt away. \"If there are more later, the price will be the same—you should know, this is a high price.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, it was a high price. It would take two more years for the price to rise to ten yuan per pelt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine.\" Li Long was already very satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking the five yuan, Li Long left the procurement station. He felt a bit regretful; he should have let Tao Daqiang come inside to warm up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there were still things to do and opportunities ahead. \"How much did you sell it for?\" Seeing Li Long's bundle was much thinner, Tao Daqiang immediately asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Five yuan.\" Li Long gestured and said with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go to the Department Store. We'll buy some food before we leave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So expensive!\" Tao Daqiang's eyes immediately lit up. \"If we can really get a few more...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In spring. Now the Little Haizi is frozen over; getting even one is lucky.\" Li Long gathered the unfinished hay, put it on the carriage, and drove toward the Department Store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving at the Department Store, Li Long took out the five-yuan banknote printed with steelworkers and said to Tao Daqiang:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Daqiang, you go in first. Buy one kilogram of sesame cakes and two bricks of tea, then warm up a bit before coming out to switch with me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... I dare not go.\" Upon hearing he was to buy things, Tao Daqiang immediately stuttered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Brother Long, you should go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm sending you in so you can warm up. We can't both go in at once. Buying these things doesn't require bargaining; just pay and take the goods.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Li Long urged him twice, Tao Daqiang took the money and hesitantly walked in. In less than five minutes, he came out, carrying a bag of items for Li Long:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Long, I bought them. The sesame cakes were one yuan and twenty-eight fen, the tea bricks were nine fen. Here is the change.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long took the money, put the items on the carriage, and went back inside himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Department Store was much larger than the procurement station, with three floors. The first floor sold food, tobacco, alcohol, household needles, thread, and the like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long took out money and bought another kilogram of sesame cakes. After thinking for a moment, he also bought a bag of salt, walked around to warm up, and then went out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tao Daqiang was pacing by the carriage. Li Long untied the rope tethering the horse and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go. Now we enter the mountains!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay!\" Tao Daqiang also got on the carriage. Li Long flicked the whip, and the carriage sped toward the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than an hour later, they arrived at the Qingshuihe Commune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Long, do your coworkers live here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm.\" Li Long gave a vague answer. \"But we won't go there first. We'll go straight into the mountains.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding Li Long's decision to enter the mountains directly, Tao Daqiang did not ask why. Whatever Brother Long said, he would do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If an ordinary person came here and wanted to enter the mountains, they would have to ask a local; otherwise, they might not even know the way in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Long had entered the mountains many times in his past life and knew the roads very well. He drove the carriage past the Qingshuihe Commune, turned onto a small path, wound left and right, and entered the mountain pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further ahead, although there were still wheel tracks, the snow was deeper, making it difficult for the horse to walk. Li Long and Tao Daqiang both got off the carriage. Where the snow was deep, Tao Daqiang even pushed the cart from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Southern Mountain had several layers. Ordinary people seeing the outermost layer, which was an earthen mountain with basically no vegetation, would not find much. Walking inward through two more layers of mountains, sparse shrubs would appear. Going further in, the mountain ranges would become continuous, with grasslands, pine forests, and shrub thickets on the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Li Long drove the carriage to the mountain area with pine forests, another hour had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped, panting heavily, and then began searching for his target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, behind the pine forest, he saw the target he was looking for: the winter camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of this chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1459,"2026-06-14T06:06:39.549Z",1,"Qwen3.5 122B","4e173c04e5deba5a7cc053c1cd9f3fc38359326040f3d3dc44a0bf45bb5287da","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-17","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-15",180,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-cover.jpg"]