Chapter 853: Look, the Li Family Is Roasting Snake!

In just over ten minutes, Li Long had caught about ten crucian carp, each weighing nearly two kilograms, and that was after leaving behind some smaller ones.

"Hey, Xiao Long's fish-catching skills are truly unmatched," Old Uncle Luo said with a smile. "This haul is already enough to stew a whole platter."

"Mm, fresh crucian carp tastes delicious," Li Qing replied casually, pulling a stalk of chi-chi grass from the roadside. He threaded the fish one by one—inserting it through the mouth and out along the gill edge, forming a string of fish—then handed it to Old Uncle Luo.

"Old Uncle Luo, you folks can stew these fish for lunch; paired with some liquor, it'll make for a good drink."

"Alright then," Old Uncle Luo said without hesitation, accepting them with a grin. "I was just thinking of checking this inlet after the water flow stops, to see if I could scoop up a couple of nets full of fish with my dip net. But you've gone ahead and caught them directly."

The Fourth Small Team had undergone significant changes over the past two years. Take eating fish, for instance: in the past, only families like the Lis, who had eaten fish before, would consume it whenever caught, regardless of winter or summer.

After all, in an era when meat was scarce, fish was also a fine thing, quite adequate for supplementing nutrition and the like.

Previously, some old Northern Frontier residents and immigrants from Gansu and Shaanxi basically did not eat fish—after all, the crucian carp and silver carp produced here had many bones, making them troublesome to eat; after getting pricked a couple of times, they simply stopped eating them altogether.

But in these past two years, Li Long's several innovative cooking methods had made those who originally avoided fish begin to enjoy it. The first method was the Shandong style of stir-frying the fish until broken into pieces; although the flesh was fragmented, it was flavorful. Especially with large fish, whose bones were also big, the pieces weren't crushed so finely that the small bones became visible and less likely to prick one.

Another method was even more convenient: when stewing the fish, add plenty of water and stew it until very soft, then use a strainer to remove the bones and spines, leaving only the broth and flesh. This was excellent whether served over rice or with noodles.

In later generations, there were those who used blenders to grind stewed crucian carp, bones and all, into a paste for consumption, but Li Long had never tried that.

With these cooking methods available, those who originally did not eat fish naturally gradually accepted it—although the Fourth Small Team was somewhat wealthier than other production teams, not every household was like the Li family, eating meat every single day.

Having fish to eat was surely better than eating vegetables every day, wasn't it?

More importantly, the Fourth Small Team possessed unique advantages: whenever water was released for irrigation, whether for fields or vegetable plots, fish would inevitably appear in the canal water; as long as one was slightly diligent, one could "pick up" fish.

However, in the eyes of those villagers who were just beginning to accept eating fish, families like the Lis were professional "fishermen"; even upon discovering news of a place where fish could be caught, those with good relations would come directly to these few households, ask to be taken along, and then follow to "pick up" some themselves.

The concept that professional matters should be left to professional people was truly implemented by them—in the eyes of Li Long, Li Qiang, and others like them, the fish were right there in the fields, in those pits that held water; there was no need to even "catch" them, just "pick them up." Those hailing from Henan and Shandong were most familiar with this.

But in the eyes of those others, this work was difficult to perform.

This reminded Li Long again of that old lady in the bank who stubbornly refused to press the confirmation button.

Confining oneself within a small circle deemed safe, resolutely refusing to accept or proactively engage with things from the outside world.

"You go back first," Li Jianguo said to Li Long after finishing building the dam in the field, shouldering his iron shovel as he reached the field head. "What are you doing staying here? It's so hot today; the sun is intense."

"What's this, Big Brother? Did you kill a snake too?" Li Long asked in surprise, noticing a native earth snake hanging from the head of Li Jianguo's iron shovel.

"Hey, just now while I was walking along the field edge, I felt something bumping against me repeatedly. After it bumped me twice, I looked and saw it was a snake, so I smacked it dead. I remember when you were little, you liked to skin these, wrap them in sunflower leaves, and roast them," Li Jianguo said with a smile. "This one is quite thick; do you want it?"

"Want it? Of course I want it!" Li Long said laughing. "It's been a long time since I've encountered one."

When Li Long first arrived in the Northern Frontier, he was also a rash youth, eager to try all sorts of strange and peculiar things; indeed, he had almost become a legend in the eyes of a certain generation in this village.

He had driven off badgers with bare hands, killed numerous venomous and non-venomous snakes, and when the few crucian carp he caught as a child weren't enough for stewing, he would simply skin them, sprinkle some salt and chili powder, wrap them in water-moistened sunflower leaves, bury them in the red-hot ashes of a fired earth stove, and dig them out to eat after ten-plus minutes.

This kind of roasted fish must be extinct by now; probably no one knows how to eat it anymore.

Li Jianguo's two sentences stirred Li Long's memories; smiling, he took the snake from his big brother's iron shovel and examined it.

The snake's head had been smashed flat, dead beyond any doubt. The snake was over a meter long, slightly thinner than a child's wrist, and quite heavy.

Li Long had once considered making a belt from snake skin, as it was said to be very cool to wear in summer, but after processing a few snake skins without knowing how to treat them properly, they all dried out and went to waste.

Thus, he had abandoned that idea; pulling out his knife, he cut a circle around the snake's neck, as if performing a circumcision. After cutting, he put away the knife, then began peeling the skin, holding the snake's head in one hand and pulling the skin downward with the other; using skillful force, with just one pull and tug, the snake skin separated from the snake's body.

"Hey, Xiao Long, you truly look like a hunter!" Old Uncle Luo, who had already returned after delivering the fish, exclaimed in admiration upon seeing this. "This skin... excellent!"

What was pulled out included not only the snake skin but also the snake's stomach and intestines. The snake gallbladder was not small, about the size of a broad bean, but Li Long did not take it.

He intended to discard the skin, but Old Uncle Luo took it instead.

"Xiao Long, this snake skin is nice; shall I process it for you?"

"Old Uncle Luo, you can handle this?" Li Long asked, somewhat surprised. "Isn't this difficult to process?"

"Hey, let's give it a try," Old Uncle Luo said with a smile, making no guarantees.

Li Long was somewhat surprised; it seemed that everyone among these people from Old Ma's Compound possessed some skill, but in this era, even having skill did not necessarily mean one could rise to prominence.

"It will take some time; if I manage to finish it, I'll give it to you then. If I can't, well, there's nothing to be done, and don't blame me."

"Of course not; I don't know how to handle this thing myself; originally, I intended to throw it away."

"If it turns out well, it would make a nice belt for Gu Xiaoxia," Old Uncle Luo said. "Properly treated snake skin is relatively fine and not suitable for men to use."

Li Long didn't mind; if one could be produced, then ten could be produced—there were plenty of snakes in the Gobi Desert's saline-alkali lands!

This was just a native earth snake; what about the plateau viper? Wouldn't its skin be even more premium?

This, in fact, was also a local specialty.

Seeing that Li Long was not leaving, Li Jianguo said nothing further and continued attending to the irrigation. Farm work was child's play for Li Jianguo; after another half hour, the twenty-plus mu of sugar beets had been thoroughly watered. Li Jianguo even released the accumulated water at the tail end of the field into the saline-alkali flat, thereby carrying away the salt and alkali leached out by the irrigation.

This was the principle of using large-volume flood irrigation to suppress salt and alkali: salt and alkali dissolve in water; once this surface layer dissolves and is carried away by the water, the salinity and alkalinity diminish.

Although the salt and alkali within the soil layers would eventually rise again after some time, this interim period was sufficient for the crops in the field to grow substantially.

Someone hurriedly arrived shouldering an iron shovel; Li Jianguo also walked from the field tail to the field head, exchanged a few words with that person, and thus completed the handover.

At this time, irrigation was measured by time, not by cubic meters—although water fees were ultimately calculated by volume, lacking precise measuring tools meant one could only rely on time.

For over twenty mu of land, the irrigation time was less than an hour, yet the water volume was substantial. The person arriving for handover opened the water inlet that Li Jianguo had previously blocked; water flowed from the branch canal to their field head. Over there, they had already prepared their own water blockage; once their own field's inlet was opened, the water entered their land.

Meanwhile, Li Jianguo blocked the water inlet at his field head, stopping the flow into the sugar beet field; soon, the water at his field head disappeared.

Occasionally, small crucian carp or puppy fish could be seen jumping, but Li Long paid them no mind.

It was the law of nature's survival: survival of the fittest—those fish that did not flow downstream but remained in the Little Little Haizi would survive longer.

Digging mud with an iron shovel to block water was also a skilled task; those unskilled might dig one shovelful only to have half of it wash away with the current.

Li Jianguo's movements were extremely fluid; with just two or three shovelfuls, he blocked most of the water inlet with mud-filled scoops, and reinforcing the remainder was a minor matter.

Li Long looked at the skinned snake in his hand; many people said wild snakes harbored parasites, and Tang Zhuan mentioned it too, but Li Long saw none; he felt the snake meat was crystal clear, with bright red blood vessels inside, quite beautiful to behold.

The snake's ribs were somewhat like the large bones of fish; overall, he wanted to give it a try.

"Big Brother, let's go; we'll ride the vehicle back."

"No," Li Jianguo replied, reaching the field head and sitting by the roadside to take off his rubber boots and change into the cloth shoes placed there. "I rode my bicycle; it's parked at Old Ma's Compound. Covered in mud like this, I won't ride in the vehicle. You hurry back to the courtyard first; I'll return shortly."

Li Long then drove the jeep back to the large courtyard.

As expected, Li Li Qing Xia was mending nets—she had gone fishing again yesterday; Li Long saw many dried fish hanging in the courtyard, swaying beneath the wire in the wind.

Du Chunfang sat under the shed cleaning fish; it seemed today's meal would be fish again.

His sister-in-law was pulling weeds in the vegetable garden; quite a pile of grass had already accumulated at the garden gate, separated into two heaps. Li Long could tell one heap was suitable for pig feed, while the other was useless weeds destined for the trash.

"Hey, Little Long is back?" Du Chunfang grinned broadly. "You haven't returned for quite a few days."

"I was a bit busy lately," Li Long explained, then smiled at Li Li Qing Xia. "Father, you've caught quite a lot of fish these past few days."

"There's less work in the fields; with nothing else to do, I might as well catch fish. Seeing so many fish in that Little Little Haizi makes my hands itch if I don't catch them." Li Li Qing Xia chuckled. "Fish aren't selling well right now, so I might as well dry them; they taste good in autumn and winter."

Riding a bicycle to Shicheng was ultimately a bit too far; occasional trips were fine, but going every day was too exhausting. Since the Li family was not short of money now, Li Li Qing Xia no longer did this; if he wanted fish or some exercise, he would simply catch fish to eat or dry them.

This year, besides growing grain, the Li family planted more safflowers on their land. Safflowers were easier to tend than seed melons, requiring less manpower, so farming would be somewhat easier for the Li family this year.

In the Northern Frontier, the plots of land were vast; if one wanted to work the fields constantly, one could be busy from the beginning of the year to the end without finishing, but if one wished to rest, resting was also possible. Tasks like weeding did not require such diligence once the safflowers had grown tall; after all, once the crops grew up, the weeds could not suppress them. Although the weeds below would compete for fertilizer, the impact was not significant.

The trouble at this time was fearing the safflower roots were not deep enough, causing the plants to lodge when watered. In the 1980s, high-quality seeds like 'Dwarf Datou,' which would later become very common and offer strong lodging resistance and high yields, had not yet appeared, so farming still required considerable caution. Having weeds on the ground could actually help stabilize the soil, preventing it from becoming too loose, making it harder for the safflowers to lodge.

Of course, one still had to look at the specific circumstances.

"Father, I made some money selling fritillaria bulbs this time and bought you a watch." Li Long took out the watch and handed it to his father. Upon seeing the watch Li Long offered, Li Li Qing Xia immediately complained:

"Why buy that? I don't need it... wasting money!"

Anyway, elderly people of this era, including Li Long's own generation when they grew old, were basically all of the same "character"; when their children bought them something, their first sentence was always, "Why waste that money?" Clearly, they were overjoyed in their hearts, but they simply would not say it, instead complaining a bit.

Sigh, it could be considered a characteristic of the times.

In any case, Li Long understood, so he held no resentment in his heart; smiling, he stuffed the watch into Li Li Qing Xia's hand:

"Take it, Father. When you go out to set nets and sell fish and such, don't you need to check the time?"

"Hehehe, my hands are still dirty, all fishy and smelly... You hold this watch for now..."

"Just wipe them off; it's something worn on the hand every day, don't think it's so precious." Li Long's concepts were very modern, which greatly displeased Li Li Qing Xia:

"How can one be so casual? This thing... is extremely precious. In our old hometown's team, only the team leader and a few others had watches, right?" Saying this, he hurriedly wiped the watch and stuffed it into his pocket, intending to put it on after washing his hands later.

Li Long paid no heed to his father's solemnity, turned to his mother, took out a bracelet, and said:

"Mother, I bought this for you; try wearing it."

"It's a bit heavy... this must have cost quite a lot, right?" The bracelet was a bit large, wobbling slightly on Du Chunfang's wrist. Touching the bracelet, Du Chunfang asked with some worry, "Spending all this money, won't Mingming's mother say anything?"

"What is there to say? She certainly won't say anything." Li Long smiled. "Just wear it with peace of mind, Mother."

"Then I shall wear it; I am happy that my son bought this." Du Chunfang knew this bracelet was far more precious than a watch; she had already made up her mind not to go out much in the future. With something so valuable, what would she do if she lost it while out?

Sister-in-law Liang Yuemei came out from the vegetable patch. Li Long opened the jeep door, lifted out the washing machine, and said to her:

"Sister-in-law, this washing machine is bought for you all. Washing large items like bed sheets and quilt covers by hand is troublesome; use this washing machine, it will save effort!"

"Hey, Little Long, why... why spend so much money? Nowadays, doesn't everyone wash clothes by hand?" Liang Yuemei had not expected Li Long to buy such a large item this time; she truly felt somewhat embarrassed.

Li Jianguo happened to ride his bicycle back just then. Seeing the washing machine, he got off, propped up the bike, put down his iron shovel, and then, unable to restrain himself, put on a stern face and said:

"It's not like I have no money; why do you need to buy this? Isn't this just wasting money? With that money, shouldn't we save it to build houses for Mingming and Haohao in the future?"

Li Long smiled and said:

"Rest assured, that money exists. Money earned is meant to be spent; if not spent, it's just a pile of paper. Besides, when I first came to the Northern Frontier, you all bought things for me; now that I have the ability, isn't it normal for me to buy things for you?"

With Father and Mother present, this topic could not be dragged out further, so Li Jianguo did not say much more and changed the subject:

"Is the fritillaria bulb harvest finished? How was this year's harvest?"

"We harvested several tons in total!" Li Long said with a smile. "Everything has been sold off now, so we can take a break. I brought Sun Jia Qiang back from the mountains to assist Uncle Gu in managing that acquisition station. They handle the purchasing, I find the sales channels; for now, it looks quite good."

"Mm, as long as the purchased goods can be sold, it's fine." Li Jianguo nodded and said. "Just don't stockpile too much inventory; since you purchase a miscellaneous variety of goods, if some items become unsellable, stop immediately and don't buy any more for now."

"Mm, understood." Li Long obediently listened. Liang Yuemei kept circling the washing machine, looking at it incessantly; hearing Li Jianguo say this, she could not help but retort:

"Isn't Little Long better at doing business than you? You should just focus on farming well; Little Long surely has a clear idea about this matter in his heart."

"Wasn't I just showing concern?" Li Jianguo's face flushed slightly. As the eldest brother, he habitually felt Li Long was still a child; an eldest brother certainly needed to offer reminders. But only after Liang Yuemei spoke did Li Jianguo realize that Li Long had already established a family and was now an adult.

Lu Yingming from the house opposite was sharpening a sickle in his courtyard; hearing the noise, he looked over. Sister Lu simply walked over, and upon seeing the washing machine placed in the courtyard, she immediately exclaimed:

"Oh, isn't this a washing machine? I've only seen one on television before; has Little Long actually bought one back?"

Living opposite the Li family was both a good thing and a torment. The Li family would occasionally produce items not found in other courtyards, things only seen in TV advertisements. One could satisfy their curiosity, but being unable to afford them oneself was rather tormenting.

Televisions were no longer novel in the Fourth Small Team; because Li Long had led everyone to work and earn money over the past two years, nearly every household now had a bicycle, and about half the households had a television.

This proportion was relatively high even by national standards.

As for washing machines, no household in the entire team had bought one yet; after all, for ordinary common people, labor was not expensive, so why use a machine to wash clothes? Wasn't washing by hand fine?

But this thing, whatever one said, was an advanced machine; being able to buy one back demonstrated the Li family's strength.

With Sister Lu, who had such a big mouth, it took no more than half a day for the news that the Li family had bought a washing machine to spread through all three residential points of the entire village. Subsequently, many people came over to see the novelty, and some aunties and sisters-in-law even egged Liang Yuemei on to demonstrate for everyone how this thing washed clothes.

When Li Long bought the washing machine, he had already thought about the power strip issue, so he had brought this long-cord power strip along. At noon, Li Jianguo had already quietly studied the washing machine's instruction manual; since everyone was curious, they might as well use it.

When the washing machine was filled with water and began to rumble as it turned, many people exclaimed in amazement; this thing looked truly excellent!

Alright, it was a single-tub semi-automatic model; although Li Long considered it backward, within the entire village, it was already a very advanced item.

Some people would complain that the Li family was showing off, but more people still felt longing, wondering when their own families could buy one to use.

Then let's just work hard to earn money! (End of Chapter)