[{"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-169":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},1934050,2572,"Chapter 169: Li Long and Gu Xiao's World of Two","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-169",169,"\u003Cp>\"Do you really think I can see the mushroom circle?\" Gu Xiao kept asking all the way, \"And the Tianshan snow lotus...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can't see the Tianshan snow lotus for now; the timing just isn't right. When the snow lotuses bloom in June or July, if we have three or five days, we might be able to climb up to the snow mountains. But if you want to see the mushroom circle, that's much easier to achieve.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really?\" Gu Xiao, acting like a child who never grew up, chattered nonstop while sitting on the back of the bicycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long could tell that Gu Xiao had probably been repressing herself for a long time due to family reasons. Now that she had a job and her father was doing well, those suppressed thoughts were slowly being released.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was good. A young girl shouldn't be so old-fashioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll take you to a place,\" Li Long said. \"There, you can find the mushroom circle. If you're lucky, you might even see wild boars, wild sheep, and the like. Of course, that still depends on your luck today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My luck...\" Gu Xiao's tone suddenly dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think your luck today will definitely be very good!\" Li Long had a premonition and cut off Gu Xiao's words. \"Just listen to me; you won't go wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiao felt warm inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look here; I hunted a wild boar here. See that patch of earth and grass roots that were dug up? A few days ago, wild boars were active here, then I hunted them, caught some small wild boars, and since then, that herd of wild boars hasn't come here anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really? Are the small wild boars fun?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quite fun. The small ones aren't afraid of people; they know how to root around. Very wild.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After passing the mountain valley where Harimu and the others were, Li Long didn't stop because time was tight and headed straight for the location of his winter camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look, this wooden house is our destination.\" Li Long proudly showed it to Gu Xiao. \"This is my winter camp. Please, take a tour.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your winter camp? You actually have a house in the mountains?\" Gu Xiao looked puzzled. \"Is it really yours?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course.\" Li Long smiled. \"I have quite a few friends in the mountains; they helped me build this winter camp—or rather, it should be called a small mountain cabin. Come, come in and sit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long parked the bicycle, opened the cabin door, and said, \"It's still quite simple inside for now. In a few days, I'll get a stove and add some other things, and it'll be about right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were already quilts on the wooden kang, and the cooking utensils were quite complete, but there was no furniture yet, so it looked quite messy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This house is really made of wood! Just like in a fairy tale, a small cabin in the mountains... it's really nice!\" Gu Xiao sighed sincerely. \"Living here feels just like in a fairy tale...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go; I'll take you to look for the mushroom circle.\" Li Long smiled. \"I picked quite a few straw mushrooms the other day; there might be even more today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she heard they were going to look for the mushroom circle, Gu Xiao forgot about the fairy-tale cabin, turned around, and walked out, asking impatiently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Which way?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long took the small-caliber rifle off the bicycle, removed the holster, loaded the bullets, and then engaged the safety. He pointed to the slope behind the cabin and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See those? The white spots among the green grass are most likely mushrooms. Think about how 'Records of Tianshan Scenery' describes the mushroom circle; just look for it. Let's go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You brought a gun too?\" Gu Xiao asked curiously as she walked. \"Is it very dangerous?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Better safe than sorry,\" Li Long said with a smile. \"In the mountains, no one can guarantee what might happen. A while ago, the herdsmen helped me build the house. On the day of the celebration, I treated everyone to some small champagne. I stayed here that night, and in the middle of the night, a pack of wolves surrounded us, gnawing on discarded sheep bones. I even shot one wolf.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That sounds thrilling!\" Li Long spoke so lightly that Gu Xiao didn't sense any danger; she just felt it was exciting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two of them walked to the white spots and indeed saw palm-sized straw mushrooms growing in the grass. Gu Xiao happily bent down to pick one, examined it, smelled it, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just this one mushroom is enough to stir-fry a whole plate!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are more over there. Look, this is wild green onion, this is wild garlic, and over there is a patch of wild chives. Oh, and that thing over there that looks like mugwort is pepper mugwort. You... huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long suddenly saw a fat head poking out from a nearby mound of earth and immediately said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look, a marmot!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where? Where?\" Gu Xiao asked excitedly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's in 'Records of Tianshan Scenery' too. Marmots are said to be very cute...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was a bit too loud, and the marmot, frightened by her, burrowed back into its hole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It went into the hole, but don't worry; it should come out in a while.\" Li Long pointed to that area. \"See? There's a lot of dug-up earth there; that's a patch of marmot holes. They're very curious and a bit silly; they'll come out in a moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiao knew her voice had scared the creature back, so she fell silent and followed Li Long, staring intently at that spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, the marmot came out of the hole in just a few minutes and started looking in their direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long and the others didn't approach, so the marmot didn't retreat into its hole. After watching for a while and sensing no threat, it started crawling out and looking for food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wow! It's so chubby and cute!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This thing is a groundhog,\" Li Long explained softly. \"But I heard this creature might carry the plague virus, so we'd better stay a bit further away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plague was still quite terrifying at that time. Li Long remembered that in his previous life, the groundhogs in the Tianshan Mountains had become internet celebrities; people often brought things to feed them, and those groundhogs weren't afraid of people, eating right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When watching those videos back then, Li Long had worried for them. If those creatures were really startled and swiped at you with a claw, it could be trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the chance was only one in ten thousand, it was better not to test it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's keep going up; the grass up there looks denser. Maybe there's a mushroom circle up there.\" Li Long made a suggestion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay.\" Gu Xiao was in high spirits at this moment. She pointed into the distance and said, \"Over there are cedar trees. The clouds in the sky are beautiful. Although we can't see a herd of wild horses, just this scenery makes me truly feel the beautiful scenes described in 'Records of Tianshan Scenery'!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long just smiled and watched Gu Xiao. To Li Long, these sceneries were commonplace; after all, he saw them almost every day. But for Gu Xiao, seeing the content of the book reflected in reality for the first time felt truly wonderful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wow! A sea of flowers!\" Walking further and going around a small patch of pine forest, Gu Xiao saw the slope ahead covered with white, yellow, and purple flowers of various sizes. She screamed again, \"So beautiful!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long felt that only now did Gu Xiao look like a girl should.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiao jogged into the flower patch, bent down to greedily sniff the fragrance, and then suddenly jumped back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bees!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long smiled, picked a big bunch of fresh flowers, and handed them to her. \"Here; there are no bees on these.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiao took the bouquet, smiled, held it, and continued walking forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See over there? I think that looks a bit like the mushroom circle you mentioned...\" Li Long suddenly pointed down the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To their right and about ten meters lower, the grass was denser than elsewhere, and the color was darker. When the wind blew, Li Long saw faint white mushrooms in the grass. He guessed there must be many mushrooms there. Gu Xiao jogged over, and as soon as she arrived, she cried out in delight:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It really is a mushroom circle! So many mushrooms... We're going to get rich!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting rich from mushrooms? How cute!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long smiled and walked over, discovering that among the dense grass there were indeed dozens, even over a hundred, mushrooms of various sizes. Some were already rotting with insect holes, while others had just sprouted, their caps not yet fully opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long picked a few fresher ones and said to Gu Xiao:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This mushroom circle must be quite large, right? Look, the diameter is about five or six meters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm, the mushroom circle, truly magical!\" Gu Xiaoxia said with a look of complete satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiaoxia opened her small shoulder bag and started filling it with mushrooms. Li Long picked up a few large leaves, rolled them into a small bundle, but it could only hold a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's leave the rest; they'll grow again later. And if no one disturbs this mushroom circle, I think it will only get bigger,\" Li Long said. \"Let's go down the mountain to the stream; we can wash the mushrooms there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiaoxia followed Li Long to the stream. After placing the mushrooms he was holding down, he said to her:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll go to the winter shelter to get a bag. You wash your hands here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiaoxia nodded and bent her head to start washing the mushrooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long strode toward the wooden cabin, glancing back from time to time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he entered the winter shelter and grabbed a cloth bag, he heard Gu Xiaoxia exclaim in surprise. Li Long was startled, leaped out, and sprinted toward her, shouting as he ran:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... I found a piece of jade!\" Gu Xiaoxia shouted loudly, holding up a fist-sized object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Long slowed his pace, his heart sinking back down. It was just a piece of jade; he had thought she had encountered a snake or some other danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly walked up to Gu Xiaoxia, looked at her excited expression, and asked with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me see the treasure you found?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I guess it's a piece of jade.\" Gu Xiaoxia held out the stone and handed it to Li Long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was indeed jade, nephrite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seed material. Li Long could tell at a glance; having been soaked in water for a long time, the jade skin was thin, making it very clear. There were many distinct sesame spots, the most typical material for Mahe nephrite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm, it is indeed jade. You are truly lucky!\" Li Long smiled, took the jade, and spun it in his hand. \"I've been here for so long and never found jade like this...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really? Then I'll give this to you!\" Gu Xiaoxia said with a smile. \"It's for you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really for me?\" Li Long asked, holding the jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really.\" Gu Xiaoxia nodded vigorously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay.\" Li Long truly accepted the piece of jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two began washing the mushrooms. Gu Xiaoxia kept glancing into the stream, but she didn't see any more jade in that area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were about two or three kilograms of mushrooms. After washing them, Gu Xiaoxia said with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Once we get back, we can have a good stir-fry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why don't we stir-fry them right here?\" Li Long suddenly had a bright idea. \"We have plenty of time, a stove, and firewood. Let's cook a meal here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just stir-fried dishes?\" Gu Xiaoxia hesitated. \"What about the staple food?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you cook rice?\" Li Long asked. \"We have rice and a pot, I just can't cook it well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... I'll try.\" Gu Xiaoxia said stiffly. \"Stir-frying mushrooms...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can stir-fry.\" Li Long smiled. \"There's some meat here too. How about stir-fried meat with mushrooms?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They got to work immediately. Li Long lit the fire in the previously set-up stove, carried two pots to the stream to wash them, then went to the spring to fetch water for use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiaoxia scooped a bowl of rice into an enamel basin, rinsed it, and then, after Li Long had built up the fire, poured it into the pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll keep the heat low for the rice. Don't rush, let it cook slowly; it's best if you can get some scorched rice crust.\" While saying this, Li Long tore the mushrooms into small pieces, took the meat he had brought, and began chopping it on a board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wild chives and wild garlic were easy to find. After washing the mushrooms, he tore them open; they were saturated with water, so Li Long specifically squeezed them to remove the moisture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiaoxia watched the rice in the pot while occasionally glancing at Li Long's movements. She hadn't expected Li Long to actually know how to cook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hot pan, cool oil. He added the wild chives to release their aroma, then stir-fried the meat, followed by the mushrooms. Soon, the fragrance wafted through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Li Long's skilled movements, Gu Xiaoxia suddenly felt a bit ashamed; she didn't seem as natural at cooking as Li Long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed she would have to practice more in the dormitory later; she couldn't let Li Long outshine her!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a plate of stir-fried meat with mushrooms was ready. Li Long served it onto a plate and placed it on a makeshift board. He said to Gu Xiaoxia, \"You cook the rice first; I'll see what else I can make.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xiaoxia acknowledged him and continued watching the fire very carefully. Li Long went to the stream, where a patch of grass grew particularly lush. He found some wild celery in the grass, picked some, and brought it back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking cured meat from the shelf in the small house, Li Long stir-fried another dish of mutton with wild celery. That felt like enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Gu Xiaoxia had only just ladled out the rice water and started to reduce the heat; the rice still needed time to steam fully. Li Long simply went back up the slope. In a patch of sparse shrubs, he picked some angelica, washed the pot, boiled water, blanched the angelica, and prepared to serve it as a cold salad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're amazing; in a short while, you've made three dishes.\" Watching Li Long busy himself and produce three dishes, Gu Xiaoxia couldn't help but praise him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's mainly because the resources in these mountains are abundant; you can easily find something.\" Li Long said modestly. He looked around, intending to continue speaking, but then saw a yellow shadow flash in the shrubs. He immediately said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's a fox! Wait for me to get the gun and shoot it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Li Long's gaze, Gu Xiaoxia also saw the fox peeking out. By then, Li Long had already turned and run toward the house to get the gun!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox didn't yet know danger was near. It had been attracted by the aroma, but seeing someone there, it wanted to flee yet couldn't bear to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of this chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2579,"2026-06-14T06:06:39.549Z",1,"Qwen3.5 122B","65e67e486b553ef18760ed9196009a5e0693ab7998596ddec90b5f659fc91907","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-170","reborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-chapter-168",180,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-in-1981-fishing-and-hunting-in-the-northw-cover.jpg"]