Chapter 90

"These Mongolian gazelle horns can't be exchanged," Li Long took the Mongolian gazelle head and said to Wang Caimi, "Brother Caimi, you can exchange for Mongolian gazelle meat, but we have use for the horns."

"Exchanging for one is fine too, right?" Wang Caimi smiled and held a clip of bullets, "Ten bullets for four jin of Mongolian gazelle meat, I don't want the meat, just one horn, is that okay?"

"That won't do either," Li Long was very firm. "If I hunt Mongolian gazelles with horns next time, I can exchange them with you then."

"Alright, then give me four jin of Mongolian gazelle meat, I want the female sheep." Wang Caimi settled for the second best.

Li Long and Wang Caimi didn't break the secret, but he was clear that Wang Caimi should know the effect of these Mongolian gazelle horns.

Information wasn't that developed now, and the vast majority of people still thought that Mongolian gazelles were like wild goats and wouldn't think of them as antelopes at all.

Quite a few people came to exchange for Mongolian gazelle meat today. Xu Haijun alone exchanged for ten jin, using twenty bullets.

Most were coming to taste something new. In this era, bullets were relatively easy to get. Every year, there was live ammunition shooting during the two seasons of militia training. The bullets were loosely managed, and the bullets received from the armed forces department were usually not returned. Although the number of shots was registered, it actually depended on the individual's mood.

The price set by Li Long was ten bullets for four jin of Mongolian gazelle meat. Before dark, forty jin of Mongolian gazelle meat had been exchanged. If Li Long hadn't told his sister-in-law to cut off a Mongolian gazelle leg and half a female sheep rib in advance, his own family probably wouldn't have been able to get female sheep meat to eat.

When it was dark and no one came, Li Jianguo and Li Long hung the remaining Mongolian gazelle meat in the utility room where no fire was lit.

"When has our family ever been so wealthy?" Li Jianguo looked at the wild boar meat, two sheep, and now two Mongolian gazelles hanging on the beam, sighing.

Just this, there were more than a hundred kilograms of processed fish in the utility room, as well as two large jars of rendered sheep oil and wild boar oil, and several plates of stored sheep offal.

The utility room was almost full.

"What if we can't finish it by spring?" Liang Yuemei was also worried.

"What else can we do? Split it," Li Long said with a smile. "Besides Old Man Liang's family, doesn't sister-in-law's side have two younger sisters? Split some for each family.

If we can't split it here, sell it. Exchanging it for things is also fine. People in the team don't have money, but they have plenty of miscellaneous things. If it doesn't work, exchanging it for carpenters to make furniture is also fine. Anyway, there's plenty of wood at home."

When Li Long said this, Li Jianguo nodded with a smile; his younger brother still had many clever ideas.

"Come, let's eat, drink mutton soup."

"Mom, I don't want to drink mutton soup anymore," Li Qiang said with a bitter face, "Drinking it every day, I'm already tired of it."

"Look at you, tired of drinking mutton soup, who do you think can eat like this every day?" Liang Yuemei scolded.

"But we can't drink it every day..." Li Juan also muttered in a low voice.

"Then shall I roast some mutton for you to eat?" Li Long said with a smile. He saw that the fire in the stove was just right, the red charcoal was burned through, there was no smoke, and no open flame. Roasting meat at this time was just right.

"Really? Little Uncle, you haven't roasted anything for us for a long time!" Li Qiang cheered.

"Little Long, you just spoil them," Liang Yuemei gave Li Long a reproachful look, "How to roast this meat?"

"Simple." Li Long went to break off a few thin iron wires, used a knife to cut strips of meat from the sheep hanging in the utility room, strung them on the thin iron wires, then smeared them with salt and chili powder, lifted the stove lid, grabbed the long end of the thin iron wires, slowly probed the meat down, and started to rotate.

The thin iron wire left in his hand was relatively long, so it wasn't very hot. The meat only stayed in the stove for less than half a minute, and when the oil dripped down, it was lifted up.

"Little Uncle, is it roasted?" Li Qiang asked eagerly from the side.

"Bring the plate over." Li Long ordered.

Li Qiang hurriedly took an enamel plate over, holding it with both hands.

Li Long combed the roasted meat into the plate and said to Li Qiang:

"Go, serve it to your dad and mom, let them eat first."

Li Jianguo was drinking mutton soup at the table, listening to this movement, smiling, that feeling was indescribable.

Since the last time he ate roasted old sparrows, Li Qiang knew that what his little uncle made had to be given to his parents first, so he didn't struggle and immediately sent the plate to the table.

Li Long had already sliced the meat again, smeared it with seasoning, and started roasting.

Soon, four more skewers of meat were cooked. He combed the meat into the plate again and said to Li Qiang:

"Alright, go eat with your sister."

Li Juan carefully picked up a piece of meat from the plate and handed it to Li Long's mouth: "Uncle, you eat!"

Li Long smiled and ate that piece of meat.

Seeing this, Li Qiang hurriedly picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into Li Long's mouth:

"Uncle, you eat!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough, two pieces of meat are fine, you guys eat, I'll roast more."

Roasted meat naturally had more flavor than mutton soup, but Li Long didn't let them eat too much; it was hard to digest at night, two skewers each was enough.

The whole family, harmonious and happy.

After eating, Li Long said to Li Jianguo:

"Big Brother, it's almost New Year in a few days, let's go to the street together tomorrow to buy some things."

"Go to the street?" Hearing this, Li Qiang's eyes lit up, "I want to go!"

At this time, going to the county town to buy things was called "going to the street."

"The family has everything for the New Year, why go to the street?" Liang Yuemei was used to being frugal and didn't want to spend more money. Besides, Li Long proposed this, it was certain that he was prepared to spend money. She didn't want her brother-in-law to spend too much money.

!.

Wouldn't it be better to save that money to get married?

"Juan and Qiangqiang haven't been to the street for two or three months, right?" Li Long said, "Sister-in-law, you haven't been there for half a year, right? Let's go around, it's New Year, just right to be lively."

Liang Yuemei looked at Li Jianguo.

Li Juan also looked at her father nervously.

"Let's go," Li Jianguo said with a smile, "Just right, there's nothing to do at home."

"But there are so many things at home..." Liang Yuemei was still worried.

"Let Sister-in-law Lu help look after it. Anyway, once the door is locked, there shouldn't be anyone coming to pry the lock at this time, right?" Li Long said.

"That won't happen!" Li Jianguo waved his hand, "Daring to come and pry the lock at this time is looking for a beating."

The matter was settled.

"By the way, Little Long, why are you keeping those Mongolian gazelle horns instead of exchanging them with Wang Caimi?" Li Jianguo asked.

"Big Brother, those Mongolian gazelle horns have great effects," Li Long said, "These Mongolian gazelles aren't sheep..."

"If Mongolian gazelles aren't sheep, what are they? If they aren't sheep, why are they called Mongolian gazelles?" Li Qiang's thirst for knowledge was always strong.

"Mongolian gazelles, actually, should be called Mongolian antelopes," Li Long only explained one sentence, and Li Jianguo immediately understood.

"No wonder!" He suddenly realized, "Then they really can't be exchanged with him—this stuff is a precious medicinal material!"

Seeing his older brother understand, Li Long didn't explain too much, and he continued:

"Then Big Brother, just keep the Mongolian gazelle heads and horns well, just in case."

"Mm."

Liang Yuemei didn't know and asked:

"What effect do these horns have?"

"Clearing heat, anti-convulsion. If a child suddenly has a fever, shave some powder from the horn, put it in warm water for the child to drink, and the fever will go down," Li Jianguo said, "I really didn't expect that Mongolian gazelles... are actually antelopes!"

"Fortunately, we didn't exchange them; that Wang Caimi must have known too," Liang Yuemei also suddenly realized, "His eyes are really poisonous."

Li Long smiled; that was also from experience.

He returned to the east room and fell asleep peacefully.

It was just that the few people in the west room couldn't sleep soundly when they thought about going to the street tomorrow.

(End of chapter)