Chapter 584: Everyone Must Live a Good Life (Only One Chapter Tonight)

Seeing the jeep, Ha Li Mu was also momentarily stunned; only when he saw Li Long climb down from it did a smile spread across his face.

Li Long remembered that the gully between the road and Ha Li Mu's winter camp had been filled in during the summer, so the jeep should be able to drive through; after all, even a tractor had managed it.

He shifted gears, adjusted his steering, and drove toward the winter camp.

The jeep's off-road capabilities proved immensely powerful; it climbed up out of the gully and pulled up right beside Ha Li Mu.

Li Long got out of the vehicle, shook hands with Ha Li Mu, and after exchanging greetings, pointed to the two antelopes inside the car, saying:

"I hunted them on the way. I'll keep the horns; the meat is yours."

"No, no, no," Ha Li Mu said, looking at the two antelopes. "One is enough. We still have to split that one with Brother Brother Yushanjiang. There's still plenty of meat from our winter slaughter at home; you should take the other one back."

"I have plenty there too," Li Long explained. "I've shot quite a few gazelles these past two days; there's a lot of meat."

"You have more people; keep it to eat," Ha Li Mu insisted. "Come, let's have some milk tea first, then we'll skin them."

Li Long was delighted; Ha Li Mu didn't even need him to say another word before offering to help skin the hides.

"Let's unload the goods first," Li Long said. "We'll drink the milk tea after unloading; otherwise, I'll have this matter weighing on my mind."

"Alright," Ha Li Mu replied. As he spoke, his wife emerged from the earth-house, smiling shyly at Li Long as a form of greeting.

The two of them unloaded everything from the back of the jeep: grain, medicinal herbs, eggs, potatoes, onions, and other items.

Once inside the winter camp, Li Long specifically brought over the cardboard box containing the medicinal herbs, which held an oil-based pen, glue, and paper; he asked Ha Li Mu to label the names of the medicines.

This was a serious matter; Ha Li Mu tore off strips of paper with great care. Li Long would name a medicine, and he would write it down. Li Long did not recite the names of the medicines, but rather their functions.

Ha Li Mu's wife looked at that sack of potatoes and that sack of onions with great joy. Soon it would be January, when Ha Li Mu's mother and their children would return. With these supplies, plus the meat from the winter slaughter, cooking would be much more convenient then.

Indeed, there was also so much flour and rice; they could make naan, make naren, and make pilaf.

How wonderful!

After pasting labeled paper strips onto the bottle of each type of medicine and packing them back into the box, the milk tea was already brewed.

Li Long and Ha Li Mu drank the milk tea, each talking about their own affairs.

"This vehicle outside was exchanged for a tiger skin," Li Long said, hiding nothing from Ha Li Mu, though he hoped he would keep it confidential. "I told the person I traded the skin with that there were no bones, only the hide and the head."

"Good. If anyone comes to ask me, I will say the tiger head and hide were brought back, but the bones and meat were not eaten and were thrown into the mountains," Ha Li Mu said immediately, understanding Li Long's intent.

Li Long smiled; having such a friend was truly wonderful.

"Recently, I drove this car to the no-man's-land in the west. Herds of gazelles are moving south from the sand dunes in the north; they might eventually be driven to graze on your winter pastures."

"Rest assured, you left us quite a few bullets. If they dare to come over, we dare to keep their hides," Ha Li Mu said, occasionally showing a touch of humor.

After finishing the milk tea and feeling warmed up, Ha Li Mu drew his knife and prepared to skin the animals.

Li Long came out to help as well; with two antelopes, working together would be faster.

Ha Li Mu's wife also came out carrying a large basin to help. Li Long guessed her main role would be holding the offal, since they all knew that Li Long and his people ate the internal organs.

Actually, Ha Li Mu and his family ate them too, but not with the same complexity as Li Long's group.

The two antelopes had not frozen completely through, and their bodies were not entirely stiff, so skinning them proceeded quite quickly. Soon, one carcass was skinned.

Li Long was slightly slower than Ha Li Mu on his side, so Ha Li Mu offered guidance; subsequently, noticing a shortage of water, he went to fetch some.

After hauling over two buckets of water, Ha Li Mu said, panting, "I'm really thinking about that water pipe system you're planning to build. If we could truly bring water right here to the winter camp, and keep it from freezing in winter, that would be absolutely marvelous."

Although snow could be melted in winter, the snow nearby had all been trampled by cattle and sheep. In winter, their livestock were not all kept in pens; this was a winter camp, meaning there were winter pastures nearby.

The grass on the winter pastures was not cut; precisely because the altitude was lower, the snowfall was not as heavy as on the summer pastures, nor was it as cold, so cattle and sheep could graze on the winter pastures during the season. If the grass was buried by snow, the animals could kick it clear.

When the snow melted in early spring, before the new grass had grown, they could still graze here.

Therefore, in Ha Li Mu's small tribe, every household possessed three grazing grounds: a summer pasture, a winter pasture, and a hay-cutting pasture.

Li Long also finished skinning that antelope; he wiped his knife on the hide to remove some grease, then said:

"We'll come over to work as soon as spring arrives. This time, many people will come, so the work will go quickly. By then, you should call over your clansmen to watch how we operate.

At this stage, we must be extremely careful; if done properly, it will be usable in winter, but if done poorly, it will freeze solid in winter."

Actually, Li Long planned to inspect each household individually at that time; any substandard work would be fixed before they migrated, so that when they returned after migration, there would be no worries about water supply.

After all, by the time they returned from migration, snow would basically have fallen here, making construction impossible at that point.

The matter was settled with that agreement.

After the antelope hides were removed, Li Long rubbed them with salt and rolled them up; otherwise, they would freeze into flat sheets. Ha Li Mu kept only one antelope, so Li Long packed up the other one along with the offal from both antelopes and loaded them into the vehicle.

Neither of the two antelope heads had been touched. The horns on both antelopes were over thirty centimeters long, looking distinctly different from gazelle horns, which made Li Long very happy.

He planned to give one antelope head to Director Qian, and keep the remaining head for himself.

"Ha Li Mu, if you hunt antelopes like these on the winter pasture, you must keep the horns," Li Long said, thinking for a moment, before breaking off one of the horns from the antelope head he intended to keep and handing it to Ha Li Mu.

"If a child develops a fever, scrape some of this into water and let the child drink it; the fever will subside very quickly."

"Really?" Ha Li Mu asked, looking at that antelope horn with some curiosity.

"It's true," Li Long said, then remembered another matter and continued:

"In a while, I'll get some wine to soak the tiger bones in. After soaking for a month, have your mother drink a small cup of that wine every day; it will be beneficial for her health."

Elderly people who live in the mountains for long periods often suffer from problems with their waists and legs; tiger bone wine can treat this, though of course, it needs to be consumed for some time.

Although Ha Li Mu did not know that tiger bones had such effects, he trusted Li Long.

Li Long felt that upon returning, he would also need to start soaking the tiger bones.

At noon, they ate at Ha Li Mu's home; his wife stir-fried Kazakh-style potato slices, they ate naan, and drank milk tea. Knowing that Li Long was not accustomed to their naren, she had not prepared it.

The portions of food were large, and Li Long ate with great enjoyment. He was not particularly picky about food, and here at Ha Li Mu's place, he could eat very casually without deliberately minding anything, feeling very relaxed.

After resting for a while following the meal, Li Long departed. Watching Li Long drive the jeep, cutting a path through the snow and speeding away, to be honest, Ha Li Mu actually felt quite envious.

People of the horseback sometimes also hope for other ways to move forward.

Who could have imagined that in another ten or twenty years, a generation of Kazakh children would enjoy herding while riding motorcycles?

Li Long did not go to the wooden house; since he had no intention of staying there for now, he did not wish to disturb anyone.

He simply found a place with water, used an iron shovel to dig two sacks of black soil, and loaded them into the jeep, intending to take them back for planting vegetables.

He returned to the county town in the afternoon; Li Long first went to the food company and bought several large crates of liquor. Glass jars for infusing liquor were hard to find and would take time to locate.

At this time, the department store did not yet carry those specialized glass jars of sorghum liquor, nor could one find the specialized infusion jars common in later generations; he remembered that along the Wuyi Highway, small earthenware vats used for pickling vegetables were sold, each topped with a bowl-shaped lid.

Li Long bought four of them, intending to use them for infusing liquor. As for sealing, after placing the bowl-lid on top, water needed to be poured around the rim to create a seal; this water required frequent replenishment, otherwise, once it dried up, the seal would fail.

Originally, wax could have been used for sealing, but considering the liquor would be ready to drink after just one month of infusion, Li Long felt wax would be more troublesome.

He drove the liquor and jars home, finding the house empty. Li Long then butchered the antelope, placing the meat into a large basin, and heated water on the stove.

The stomach and intestines had only been simply cleaned at Ha Li Mu's place; he needed to wash them thoroughly again before cooking and eating them.

Since he was already home, there was no rush. By the time he had finished washing the stomach and intestines clean, Sister Yang had returned. Seeing Li Long preparing the meat, she hurriedly took over, effectively "chasing" Li Long out of the kitchen.

In the eyes of Sister Yang and his sister-in-law, Liang Yuemei, men were meant to earn money and should not appear in the kitchen. After leaving the kitchen and washing his hands, Li Long went to clean the jars. Once the jars were scrubbed clean, he moved them along with the liquor into the room situated between the master bedroom and the room shared by Sister Yang and Han Fang.

This room had originally been Li Long's, but after his marriage, it stood empty, though many of Li Long's belongings were still stored there. Although no fire was lit in the room currently, storing liquor there was fine, as it would not freeze.

He dropped three or four pieces of the cleaned tiger bone into each jar, then poured in liquor until they were eighty percent full, placed the bowl-lids on top, and finally poured water around the edges.

He could guarantee this liquor was grain-based, of the fifty-five degree variety.

Actually, sixty-degree liquor was also available, but Li Long felt the alcohol content was too high, and drinking it would harm one's health.

With the liquor infusion prepared, a considerable amount of tiger bone remained; Li Long thought that after some time, under the guise of it being lynx bone, he could gift some to a few close associates, keeping the rest untouched in storage.

One might only ever obtain the bones of a single tiger in a lifetime, so it was best to use them sparingly.

Then he remembered the ginseng; wild mountain ginseng was not yet that expensive at present, so perhaps he could buy some as well?

The supply and marketing cooperative in the county did not accept such items, and the medicinal materials company only took stock in without selling any out; thinking this over, Li Long put on his overcoat and headed outside.

Sister Yang was currently braising the offal and preparing dinner; seeing Li Long heading out, she hurried out of the kitchen and asked:

"Uncle, are you going out? Dinner will be ready soon."

"I'm going to the procurement station to ask about something and will be back immediately," Li Long said. "You carry on with your work; don't worry about me."

!.

Li Long went out, secured the main gate properly, and then walked toward the procurement station.

Inside the procurement station, Chen Hongjun was purchasing hides; seeing Li Long approach, he smiled and asked, "Little Li, have you brought more hides?"

"No, I came empty-handed this time; I wanted to inquire about something."

"Then wait a moment; let me finish my work before we talk."

Li Long stood aside and watched.

He had no intention of bringing out the antelope hide. Chen Hongjun was experienced and knowledgeable; upon seeing an antelope hide, he would likely recognize it eighty percent of the time. Where there is a hide, there are naturally horns, and explaining away his horns would be difficult.

Furthermore, Chen Hongjun was familiar with Xiang Qian; Li Long only had three horns, with the head bearing two horns reserved for Director Qian, and the remaining single horn intended for himself. If he managed to hunt another later, he could share the spoils; if not, he would keep the hide for now.

After finishing the purchase of the hides, Chen Hongjun beckoned Li Long to sit by the stove.

He handed Li Long a handful of melon seeds, gesturing for him to crack them while they talked.

Chen Hongjun grabbed a handful for himself as well; the shells he cracked were tossed beneath the stove door, where the ash collected, making it easy to sweep up later.

"I wanted to ask if you know where one might obtain wild mountain ginseng?"

"What do you need wild mountain ginseng for?" Chen Hongjun asked, somewhat puzzled. "Is someone in your family ill?"

"No, it's just prudent to have some in reserve," Li Long answered honestly. "I figure that thing will become scarcer in the future and its price will surely rise, so I want to buy some now to stock up."

"Wild mountain ginseng is not cheap," Chen Hongjun said. "Better quality ones cost several hundred, and some even reach over a thousand. We don't produce it here; I could inquire, as both the Autonomous Region Medicinal Materials Company and the prefecture warehouse have stock, but after passing through several hands, the price will certainly have increased significantly."

"Having it available is enough; if the price is higher, so be it. I certainly can't go to the Northeast to procure it myself, as I don't know anyone there."

Li Long felt his life was quite precious; he would not venture outside. If he happened to encounter some fool or someone ignorant of the law, he would be done for.

It was better to stay put honestly right here; at least this was his own little patch of land where no one would dare act rashly. As for traveling, he could wait another thirty years; by then, public order would have improved, and it would be time enough to go out and play.

The matter was settled thus; Li Long's requirements were not high, just to obtain one or two stalks to infuse in the liquor, which could then be replenished repeatedly, how wonderful.

He wondered if it could be infused together with the tiger bone; if tiger bone wouldn't work, what about tiger penis?

Li Long returned to the courtyard compound; Gu Gu Xiaoxia had just gotten off work and was propping up her bicycle.

Seeing Li Long enter, she said:

"I just went to ask Dad if he was coming over for dinner; he said no, mentioning that too many people have been buying agricultural supplies these past two days, he's too busy, and doesn't feel like moving."

"Then later, let's send over some of the braised offal," Li Long said. "That way, he can have something to eat tonight, drink a little wine, and get a good night's sleep."

"Alright." Although Gu Gu Xiaoxia was somewhat afraid of the cold, thinking of her father alone, having to both do business and cook, she decided to go deliver it.

"I'll go; you don't need to come," Li Long said, remembering Gu Gu Xiaoxia's fear of the cold. "I'll go keep Gu Shu company for a couple of drinks and then return; you stay home and watch TV."

"Let's go together; I'm not that delicate," Gu Gu Xiaoxia replied. While worried about her father, hearing Li Long say he would drink with him also made her worry that Li Long might drink too much and have trouble returning, so she decided to go along after all.

When Li Long and Gu Gu Xiaoxia arrived at Gu Gu Bo Yuan's courtyard carrying the braised meat, he was roasting mantou slices on the stove. On the table sat a plate of freshly sliced pickles, uncooked, and a bowl of flour paste, likely made that morning; it appeared to have been reheated and now resembled glue.

Seeing that this was all her father had for dinner, Gu Gu Xiaoxia suddenly could not hold back; her eyes turned red, and covering her mouth, she was unable to speak.

Li Long hurried over, plated the sliced braised meat, placed the liquor they brought on the table, and then said with a smile:

"Gu Shu, look, if we hadn't come, you really would have just made do. From now on, come to our place for dinner. You are busy here and have no time to cook; getting by like this simply won't do."

Gu Gu Bo Yuan had already sensed his daughter's emotions and was feeling somewhat at a loss; although Li Long's words gave him the urge to refuse, he knew that refusing would only make his daughter more sad.

Although when marrying off his daughter, Gu Gu Bo Yuan had explicitly stated she was now a member of the Li family and should not always think of him, in his subconscious, she was his only living relative; could he truly consider her as belonging to another family?

"Alright, then after things settle down here later, I'll come over for both lunch and dinner."

"Why not come for breakfast as well?" Li Long added with a smile.

"No, no, that won't do," Gu Gu Bo Yuan hurriedly said. "Why don't you just say I should move in with you?"

"That works too," Li Long said with a hearty laugh. "Our place is lively enough."

"Get out of here," Gu Gu Bo Yuan laughed. He glanced at Gu Gu Xiaoxia, who also smiled; persuading her father to eat dinner at their place was good enough, and she felt that Li Long truly knew how to handle things.

Accompanied by the freshly braised "mutton offal," both Gu Gu Bo Yuan and Li Long drank two cups, not much, just enough to feel a slight warmth.

On the way back, Gu Gu Xiaoxia said to Li Long:

"Let's give Sister Yang some wages; she has done so much for us, and it would be unreasonable not to pay her."

"As long as you can say she wants that wage, I'll pay it," Li Long said with a smile. "She won't ask for it. She feels that taking us in and giving them a courtyard to live in is already an immense kindness."

"Originally, she was waiting for a letter from her hometown telling her her husband's address so she could go find him. Actually, I think she's quite conflicted now; living here is quite nice, and she doesn't want to leave, but she wants even more to find her husband, to know where he is, so the whole family can reunite."

Li Long analyzed with his own subjective ideas.

Gu Gu Xiaoxia didn't know if he was right or not; she couldn't bear for Sister Yang to leave, but Sister Yang had her own family, and she and Han Fang would eventually have to return to their own home.

She fell silent.

Finally, when they reached the main gate, Gu Gu Xiaoxia said:

"Then let's help ask around too; it would be best if we could find Han Fang's father. It's quite pitiful for a family not to be reunited."

Li Long nodded.

In the brigade, the militia members, having finished their training, were listening to Xu Chengjun's admonition.

"Everyone listen carefully: those who can win a ranking in the upcoming township shooting competition, or those who can hit forty-nine rings or above in the final assessment, I will take hunting!"

"Captain, do you mean what you say?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"When have I ever not meant what I say?" Xu Chengjun countered. "Remember, as long as you train well and shoot well, there are benefits!"

PS: Only one chapter today. I drove from Yili to Manas County; the first part was fine, but when I reached Gurtu, the traffic police directed me off the highway. First onto a dirt road, then onto the national highway. The Wusu section had traffic police escorting vehicles to move slowly, fearing accidents.

Because the road surface was icy, many cars collided, skidded, or crashed. What should have taken over six hours ultimately took eight hours; my waist and back are aching, and I can't type anymore. Alright, no more explanations; these explanations don't count toward payment. Tomorrow my family is slaughtering a pig, so tonight there might also be only one chapter. (End of Chapter)