Chapter 754

The sun hadn't set yet when Li Long and the others returned.

From three locations and six ice holes, they scooped out a total of seven or eight kilograms of fish. The biggest one was the carp Li Long scooped out, and the rest were basically not big, with crucian carp being the majority.

But being able to eat fresh fish in the middle of winter, even if not much, everyone was quite happy.

The four families divided the fish and each took their share home, all saying they would stew a fish soup after getting back to have a taste of something fresh.

Li Long had the same idea. They had been eating a lot of meat these past few days, so eating fish was a nice change of pace, which was also quite good.

Li Long naturally carried that carp. He took the carp and over two kilograms of crucian carp back to his eldest brother's place. He planned to leave the red carp there for his father and mother to stew and eat, and just take some crucian carp back himself.

"No need for that, this carp is so beautiful, you take it back and eat it." His mother Du Chunfang spoke up. "Your father catches fish every day in the summer, we eat plenty of fish like this, we're not lacking this one bite."

Whether the fish was delicious or not aside, at least looking at the red head and red tail, it was truly festive. It was no wonder Du Chunfang would say this; her favoritism was always clear for all to see.

"I want the crucian carp, I like eating crucian carp." Li Long felt that since his father and mother were both here, it would be inappropriate for him to take the biggest fish.

"You take it, we're not lacking this." Liang Yumei spoke up. "Aren't you all going to scoop fish again tomorrow or the day after? You should be able to catch plenty more then."

With his sister-in-law speaking up, Li Long nodded.

At this moment, Du Chunfang also caught on; so it turned out her youngest son listened to his sister-in-law.

She felt a bit jealous—but thinking about it, it was also quite heartbreaking. What could she do? Xiao Long was sent to the Northern Frontier when he was very small, and he had always been raised by Li Jianguo and Liang Yumei, who raised him just like their own child. How could he not listen to his sister-in-law?

She, as his mother, was somewhat unqualified.

This further stirred up Du Chunfang's favoritism. She hadn't had the conditions to take good care of her child before, but now that she had the conditions, well, let her be biased then.

The sun was almost down, and Li Long didn't eat here either. He wrapped up the fish and drove the jeep back to the county seat. Anyway, he had to come over tomorrow, so he didn't care about this one meal of fish.

While Li Long and the others were scooping fish, Liang Yumei and the others weren't idle either; they broke down the meat Li Long had sent and started braising it.

Anyway, they were idle in winter, so they might as well finish the work ahead of time.

The Li family wasn't lacking meat. In a few days, Li Jianguo also planned to wait until Li Long was done with his work and have him bring his wife and children over; they were going to slaughter the New Year pig in the courtyard here.

By then, Gu Bo Yuan, Sister Yang, and Han Fang would all be coming over. It was mainly because they felt that Li Long's two children were being taken care of by Sister Yang, and although Li Long paid her, every time Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia brought the children over, it was obvious that the children were being taken care of very well.

The person had earned her keep.

Slaughtering a New Year pig was a big event for ordinary farmers. At this time, some farmers raising pigs really weren't doing it for themselves to eat; after raising them big, they would drive them to the township purchasing station and sell the live pigs directly.

This way, they could have a bit more for their annual expenses. In this day and age, nine-year compulsory education hadn't started yet, so students still had to pay tuition fees to go to school, and books and miscellaneous fees added up; if a family had two or three students, that was quite a lot.

Therefore, many families sold their pigs before the end of the year, most likely to scrape together enough for their children's tuition in September, and incidentally save some pocket money for the family.

The Li family didn't worry about this; slaughtering the New Year pig was just to eat meat. After all, pig slaughter stew is truly delicious.

Li Long carried the crucian carp and carp back to the large courtyard, and the sky had already darkened. Dinner was already made at Sister Yang's place, and Gu Xiaoxia and the others had already eaten. At this time, Gu Xiaoxia was watching the children, and Sister Yang was tidying up the meat Li Long had brought back these past few days. Seeing Li Long return, she hurriedly brought out the food that was still being kept warm on the stove.

Li Long put the fish in the kitchen, and while washing his hands, he said to Sister Yang:

"Sister Yang, you go do your work, I'll tidy these up after I eat."

"Does that need you to tidy up? Uncle, you've been busy all day, just go rest after you eat. I can tidy up this bit of fish in a moment."

Sister Yang really did wait until Li Long finished eating before chasing him out of the dining room, saying the two children hadn't seen him all day and missed him.

Li Long went to the main room. Gu Xiaoxia had appeared at the door when he drove the jeep into the courtyard, and then went inside, because the children were still in there.

When Li Long came in again, he discovered the two children really hadn't fallen asleep; Gu Xiaoxia was telling them a story.

The television wasn't on, because Li Long had told Gu Xiaoxia that the light from the television would have a bad effect on the children's eyesight. Although Gu Xiaoxia's education was higher than Li Long's, she still listened to Li Long in this regard.

Before the two children in the house went to sleep, the television was not turned on. And if the television was turned on after the children fell asleep, she would also use a pillow to block the light.

Gu Xiaoxia's story wasn't finished yet, but Mingming and Haohao had both fallen asleep one after the other.

Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia together arranged things around the children, blocked the curtain, and set up the pillows to block the light, only then sitting on the bed together to talk.

"Have you noticed that the time Mingming and Haohao go to sleep is getting later and later, and the time they sleep until dawn isn't as long as it used to be?"

"They've also started to be a handful." Gu Xiaoxia shook her head and said with a smile, "Before, at this time, singing a nursery rhyme could coax them to sleep, but now just singing nursery rhymes doesn't work; I have to tell stories. I feel like they don't understand, they just want to listen."

"Yeah, the older they get, the smarter they are, and the harder they are to coax." Li Long said, "How is it at your unit? Any difficulties?"

"No. The summary is finished. I wasn't rated as excellent, after all, I asked for leave in the middle. But it's okay, coming back to see Mingming and Haohao, I feel that taking good care of the children is what's best. Director Wang also said, if not this year, then strive for it well next year—by the way, how is it at the team?"

"Quite good." Li Long recounted the situation today, including the fact that he brought back a big red carp, and the matter of Liang Shuang Cheng being unconvinced by him. Gu Xiaoxia also laughed after hearing it.

"After catching the fish and sending them away in these two days, I'm going to send some venison to Professor Wu and the others, and also to Factory Director Du in Kuitun. After sending them, there basically won't be any major matters before the New Year, so I'll stay at home properly."

Gu Xiaoxia suddenly said:

"Li Long, you've changed too much in these two years. I remember before, you wouldn't think about sending things to others at all, and you even said you would only do your work well and wouldn't go to build relationships at all... now it's completely different."

Li Long himself also knew that in his previous life, he was that kind of person. One could say he was relatively upright, or one could say he was relatively rigid, and there was another saying that he was too shy to take that step.

But living a second life, Li Long shed that kind of psychological burden. In his previous life, he regarded building relationships as an improper behavior, but in this life, he didn't have that thought at all. In the coming decades, the place where he was located was still in a society of human relationships. Completing some things through connections was much easier than going through normal procedures.

He was just an ordinary member of the masses, unable to change the general environment, so he might as well adapt to it first.

"Actually, it's not that difficult." Li Long thought for a moment and said, "Look, my relationship with Section Chief Li is good. Speaking of which, it can be considered that we didn't get to know each other without a fight, and then, many big jobs in the supply and marketing cooperative can be given directly to me. When I work and make money, I can also bring income to the people in the team..."

"That's also because you have high quality requirements for the carrying poles and big brooms." Gu Xiaoxia didn't want Li Long to make it sound like he only got those jobs by relying on connections.

They all knew clearly that if those jobs only relied on connections, one year might be okay, and two years might be possible, but the possibility of three years wasn't high. Didn't you see that the Autonomous Region side was originally going to cancel the big broom jobs?

To forge iron, one must be strong oneself, and then with connections, one can have better opportunities.

"I don't know where I heard this saying, but in life, sometimes you can't just learn from the old ox. The old ox pulls the cart and plows the field, only looking down at the ground. But people are different; when people need to look down and work, they also need to look up at the road and the direction. Only by grasping the direction can one walk steadily and walk far."

Li Long had said this before, but now, comparing it to what he had done, there was really that sense of imagery.

Gu Xiaoxia thought about why Li Long was succeeding step by step. It wasn't just because his brain was active and he knew how to do things, and could discover money-making paths that others couldn't, but also because he was down-to-earth in everything he did, and he could complete the things others entrusted to him seriously and with high quality.

Most importantly, these people, these noble people for ordinary people, every time Li Long finished a task, he would give the other party feedback, and would often visit them just like visiting relatives and friends. Even if he didn't send things, just greeting them and caring about them, people would remember it.

It hadn't been many years since the Reform and Opening-up, and the vast number of farmers' awareness in this regard had just awakened. There weren't many people who could handle these things as naturally as Li Long.

After all, at this time, most farmers were a bit nervous when they went to the gate of a state-owned factory to ask the security guard for someone, let alone naturally handing over a cigarette.

Even twenty or thirty years later, there were still people who didn't know how to speak well once they left the village, were afraid of coming into contact with more people, and didn't know how to handle those things.

Even unable to communicate.

In the eyes of many normal people, there is a mouth under the nose; if you don't know, why don't you ask?

But some people just don't know how to ask.

When Li Long explained to Gu Xiaoxia, he remembered a hell-level situation of inability to communicate he heard about in his previous life. A bank clerk explained to an old lady to handle a certain business, just needing to click "confirm" on the electronic screen. The old lady hesitated repeatedly and said she didn't know how.

The bank clerk explained repeatedly that this click of "confirm" was to handle the business she needed for her, and she could also read the words on it; it was normal business.

The old lady hesitated repeatedly and said she didn't know how.

What kind of "don't know how" is this! The explanation was very clear, and the matter was just that matter; it wasn't about handling money transfers or anything, just a simple business similar to a bus card, but it was impossible to explain it clearly.

How should I put it, there are too many people who fear things outside their own cognition, don't want to understand, and don't want to try.

That's why there is an outlier like Li Long. Of course, he also has the capital to venture and try, which is why he succeeds.

The next morning, Li Long, Gu Xiaoxia, and the others drank the delicious fish soup—although it was fish from the day before made the next day, one could still feel that the soup was very fresh.

After breakfast, Han Fang went to school, Gu Xiaoxia went to work, and Li Long took care of Mingming and Haohao. When Sister Yang finished tidying up the kitchen and came over to watch them, Li Long drove the jeep to the Fourth Team.

He drove the car directly to Little Haizi, where Tao Daqiang and the others were already scooping fish on the ice.

What made Li Long a bit surprised was that on the ice, there were not only the six ice holes in the three places where Tao Daqiang and the others were, but near the reed clusters further away, there were also people smashing ice holes. It could be seen that they were people from the team, at least four or five groups of people.

Li Long smiled and walked toward where Tao Daqiang was.

Splash!

People in the team being able to think of catching fish, either it was for their own family to eat, or it was to take it to sell.

A good thing, at least they were moving around and doing something; otherwise, it would be a pity to waste this whole winter, nearly half a year.

Li Long also knew that some people were making shoes, weaving mats, knitting sweaters, etc., at home, which could also be considered finding work for themselves.

As long as people are diligent, finding a way to make money is not difficult.

Still the same saying, it depends on whether you are willing to take that step.

Tao Daqiang greeted Li Long with a smile:

"Brother Long, look, today we got a big five-striped black fish. Don't sell this one, take it home to eat later."

The taste of the five-striped black fish is very good. In later generations, it sells for more than farmed fish. At present, in everyone's eyes, it is also a good thing. Although the current price is about the same as other fish, if everyone were to choose a big fish, the first choice would still be this one.

Li Long went over to take a look. Tao Daqiang had already scooped out a dozen big fish and a pile of small crucian carp. That two or three-kilogram five-striped black fish was very eye-catching. He asked:

"Daqiang, you came early!"

"Heh, I came after breakfast. It's been a long time since I caught fish, I couldn't help it."

If it weren't for Li Long's guidance, Tao Daqiang would definitely not have been able to take that step, would not have gone to the county seat to sell fish by himself, and there wouldn't have been the things that followed.

In these two years, he had almost followed Li Long's footsteps closely and had become a steady front-line member of the Fourth Team. His life was prosperous and happy, and he was very content.

In the past, before '81, he was always an object of ridicule by others, and even children from some arrogant families could tease him a few times. And now? Many people in the village, and even some elders who were older than him in seniority, would take the initiative to greet him when they saw him.

Who would still dare to look down on this young man who was once thought to be a fool?

In the past, Tao Jian She could still put on the airs of an old father in front of Tao Daqiang, but now, he was basically just an assistant. In the past, he was biased toward his eldest son, partly because he was worried about his old-age care, and of course, there was also some sincerity in thinking that Tao Daqiang would have to rely on Tao Dayong for a living in the future.

But now, it was obvious that Tao Daqiang was living better, and he could also lead his reformed eldest brother to strive for a moderately prosperous life. So what else could he, as a father, say?

He still had some self-knowledge; let's abdicate.

I have to say, the Tao family's awareness was still quite good; if they didn't have that ability, they wouldn't force it. Li Jianguo and the others said they wouldn't plant melon seeds next year, and the price of melon seeds would drop next year. Not only did Tao Daqiang listen and follow, but even Tao Dayong didn't plan to plant melon seeds next year.

Although the money earned this year wasn't as much as Tao Daqiang's, it was still several thousand. Some people flattered him, but he didn't get carried away; instead, his relationship with his younger brother's family became even closer.

This made many people look at Tao Dayong differently.

This vain fellow, it turns out, also had substance.

After Tao Daqiang scooped two nets, he switched with Li Long.

After two nets, Tao Daqiang was surprised to discover that Li Long was still the same Li Long. As long as the scoop net was in his hands, the fish that came out of the water each time were particularly numerous.

And there were more big fish, such as five-striped black fish, carp, silver carp, etc.

Li Long was scooping fish, and Tao Daqiang wasn't idle either; he separated the big fish and small fish into two piles. Before Li Long came, there were more small fish, but after Li Long scooped five or six nets, the pile of big fish was obviously much higher.

Tao Daqiang felt this was a comprehensive reason; there was the factor of Li Long's better fish-scooping technique, and also the reason of Li Long's better luck, right?

Tao Daqiang had always felt that Li Long's luck was very good and his ability was very strong; he was always certain about this aspect.

After all, not everyone could find a money-making path in every route.

While Li Long was scooping fish, someone from the team came to find him.

Among the people who smashed ice holes in the other two places, what made him a bit surprised was that there was actually Xu Haijun.

"Xiao Long, you've scooped quite a lot of fish!" Xu Haijun was a bit surprised. He smashed the ice hole in the morning, and when Li Long came over, it was already smashed. Now, after scooping a dozen nets, he only scooped out a few small miscellaneous fish—crucian carp, northern pike, etc., with no big fish.

Although he knew very clearly that smashing an ice hole was for ventilation, unless the fish were particularly oxygen-deprived, otherwise one had to wait for a period of time for them to gather, but compared to the ice hole Li Long smashed just yesterday, it was too far off, right?

Li Long was also a bit tired. He straightened his waist, lifted this net bag out of the water and turned it over onto the ice, looked at the fish jumping inside, and said with a smile:

"It's alright, there are still quite a lot of fish in our Little Haizi. Although we caught quite a lot in the summer these past two years, to tell the truth, those crucian carp lay hundreds or thousands of eggs at a time, and they grow up in two years, which is much faster than catching them."

The tenacious vitality and reproductive ability of crucian carp were something Li Long felt amazed by in both lives. In his previous life, he had seen videos of those fish living in mud bricks in the desert, and he felt that was quite magical—he didn't know if it was true or false.

But he had seen this kind of thing with crucian carp with his own eyes. In those mud pits that seemed to have dried up, after a rain, palm-sized crucian carp could appear in the accumulated rainwater. If one said this fish fell from the sky, Li Long definitely wouldn't believe it.

Even if there were fish eggs, it's impossible for them to grow to the size of a palm in two or three days, right?

They must be hiding in the mud.

"Then if we catch too many fish and can't finish eating them, will you buy them?" Xu Haijun asked.

"I will, I definitely will." Li Long said with a smile, "But I only buy big fish weighing one kilogram or more."

"What's the price?" Another person asked.

"One yuan."

That person pursed his lips; it was a bit lower than the market price, but it was also normal.

"Okay, then the big fish I scoop in these few days, if I don't eat them, I'll sell them to you." Xu Haijun felt it was still cost-effective; after all, he didn't need to run to the county seat to sell fish himself.

Li Long naturally had no problem with this side. Getting a ton of fish a week meant more than a hundred kilograms a day. Six ice holes might not necessarily be enough.

If it were three years ago, it would be fine, but now, after Little Haizi had experienced more than two years of fishing, how many fish were left, Li Long really couldn't say for sure.

The other few people also felt that this price was okay, and they had the same idea.

Then let's scoop.

PS: A few things to say. First, I have a headache. Just one chapter today, I can't code anymore. This chapter is scheduled for release. I've checked this headache of mine, but didn't find the cause; it's just around the eye sockets and temples.

Second, the name of the book that plagiarized mine is "Reborn in '80, Starting to Make a Fortune from Hunting in the Northeast", on Tomato. If anyone has an account there, please help me report it. If anyone has an account on Longkong, please also help post a thread—I signed up on the second day, and I'll sign up for the third day tomorrow night, and then I can post. If not, then forget it, I'll come and post later.

Thank you all. (End of chapter)