Chapter 28: Building a Sled When it was almost time for lunch, Li Long and his friends returned to the team. Tao Daqiang wanted to go back, but Li Longqiang pulled him to stay for dinner. Li Jianguo also spoke up, so Tao Daqiang stayed. He actually knew that he might not have food when he went back, and he would have to cook it himself. But he was tired after a whole morning, and he didn't want to move. Liang Yuemei had already prepared the meal - for lunch, she had rice mixed with cornmeal, fried mutton offal, stewed fish, and pickles. Li Long had suggested the pickles, and Liang Yuemei was actually quite happy. It was a good thing that her brother-in-law liked to eat the pickles she made. Everyone was hungry, even Li Qiang, after holding the big grass carp to show his mother, quickly washed his hands and prepared to eat. "You two can go in the afternoon. I'll use the saw to cut wood and make a sled." Li Jianguo said, "I'll try to have the sled ready by the time you come back in the evening." "Okay." Li Long said as he ate his meal, "I hope we can catch more this afternoon." "If we catch too much, shall we go sell the fish early tomorrow morning?" Tao Daqiang asked, looking up.
"Well, we have to leave early tomorrow, earlier than going to the mountains. Otherwise, we won't be able to sell the fish and it will be easy to get caught." Li Long said solemnly. These days, although reform and opening up have been implemented, selling things is still a bit risky. It was not until the next year, when land distribution began, that small businesses were gradually allowed to operate here. Tao Daqiang nodded, not quite understanding. At home, he basically listened to whatever Tao Jianshe said. Later, when he got together with Li Long and others, he heard more things from the outside world and finally had some knowledge. But the more knowledge he gained, the more troubles he had. He already knew that his father was partial to him and his brother and sister-in-law were not very nice to him. But his mother died early, and according to the regulations here, his brother had to move out and move out, so he could only share a residential plot with Tao Jianshe and there was no way to split the family property. He didn't agree with his father's way of education, so he was very distressed. Now hanging out with Li Long every day is a form of escape. After lunch, Li Qiang ran out to hunt old cows, while Li Juan was having fun playing with thigh stones on the kang. Li Long and Tao Daqiang got dressed and prepared to go to Xiaohaizi. "I don't know if the people who went out to the mountains to pull wood today got anything." Tao Daqiang guessed halfway along the way. "Who cares?" Li Long said, "They won't share any of their catch with us. If they don't, I guess others will borrow the carriage early. Let's just do our best and catch as many fish as possible, hoping to sell them at a good price tomorrow." The two men arrived at the ice hole, where there was only a thin layer of ice on the water. Li Long broke the ice, and Tao Daqiang immediately took the scoop net to scoop up the floating ice on top, then went down to the ice steps and waited with his legs apart. Now he had some experience. If he wanted to catch more fish, he had to wait until there were no ripples on the water surface. He also had to lower the scoop net slowly so that the fish would gather around to breathe fresh air and would not be scared away immediately. Actually, it is better to fish in the ice holes the day before. But Li Long thought that with such thick ice and such good resources, he could sell as much as he caught on the day. At worst, he could just wait until the fish were sold and then fish again. Soon, Tao Daqiang's first net came up, and this time he was not disappointed, as he caught three fish weighing more than one kilogram, including one carp, one silver carp and one grass carp, as well as a number of small crucian carp. It’s a good harvest. Tao Daqiang jumped out immediately and ran to the other ice hole to make preparations. Li Long found it a little funny. Tao Daqiang was almost meters tall, but he could move so quickly. It seemed that catching fish was really attractive to him. Since the other party wants to catch fish, let him pick up the fish. Holding the prepared urea bag, Li Long began to pick the fish into the bag one by one.
The temperature was more than 20 degrees below zero during the day, and the fish could only jump three or five times on the ice before they were frozen. Tao Daqiang didn't catch many fish in the ice hole here, just two big crucian carps, some small crucian carps and ditch fish, which are what Li Long liked more. He fished seven or eight times, but the more he fished, the fewer fish there were, so Li Long simply asked him to stop. "Take a break, I'll light a fire and you grill them, and I'll come and fish a few more times later." Tao Daqiang smiled awkwardly. He had just forgotten to ask Li Long to pick it up. "Look at your clothes, they are all wet. Let's dry them later." In this year, basically everyone has only one set of outer clothes. If they are wet, they will be difficult to wear and it will cause a lot of trouble. Tao Daqiang smiled and obediently went to warm himself by the fire, while Li Long began to run back and forth between the two ice holes. With the experience from his previous life, he fished slowly and leisurely, leaving a longer interval between each catch, so naturally he caught more. When the sun was setting, Li Long looked and saw that the two men had caught more than 20 large fish weighing more than one kilogram, and more than ten kilograms of miscellaneous fish weighing less than one kilogram. "Not as much as last time." Tao Daqiang was still a little dissatisfied. "That's enough." Li Long said with a smile. Only because there are so many resources now can he catch so many fish in half a day. After a few years, the dam on the north side of this small lake was washed away by floods, and there would no longer be so many fish. "Let's go back." Li Long looked at the sun and said, "I'll go back and check if the sled is ready." Although Tao Daqiang was still a little unsatisfied, he knew that he wouldn't get much even if he tried again, so he picked up the urea bag containing the fish, threw it on his back and walked back. Li Long followed behind with tools in hand. "It will be tiring for you to carry it on your back, so put it on the shovel head and pull it back directly to save energy." Li Long said from behind. "It's easy to fall that way." Tao Daqiang said without looking back, "I'm strong, it's okay." Well, Li Long knew that Tao Daqiang was working hard and wanted to give more. After all, he didn't use the landing net, and even the place where the ice hole was made was chosen by Li Long. If he didn't work harder, he would be ashamed to take the money. When they were almost back at Li's house, they saw a horse-drawn carriage heading back to the production team from the west. "They didn't pick up anything." Tao Daqiang said with some surprise, looking at the carriage. "Do you think anyone can find the way into the mountain and pick up pine wood?" Li Long laughed. "There are so many entrances to the mountain. It's possible to go in the wrong way or find the wrong way." Tao Daqiang then realized how much trust Li Long had in him when he took him into the mountains, and that he really had no defenses against him. He thought to himself that even if he remembered the way, he couldn't tell his father and brother. If he did, he would be sorry to Brother Long. Li Long didn't care about the coachman. He and Tao Daqiang hurried back to Li's house, put the fish in the kitchen, and then hurried to the east room. The stove in the east room was still on. Li Long used a fire hook to poke the coal to start the fire, then put a few pieces of chopped wood on it, and the fire soon became prosperous. The two men didn't care about anything. They took off their outer clothes, leaving only their autumn shirts and autumn trousers, and dried their clothes on the fire wall. Tao Daqiang asked Li Long to tell him about Wucheng. Li Long talked about some things he remembered, and Tao Daqiang looked longing. He has only been to the county town a few times since he was a child, let alone Wucheng. Li Long couldn't help but say: "When we make money in the future, I'll take you to Wucheng for a tour."
Tao Daqiang agreed with great anticipation. He is now looking forward to how much money he can get from selling the fish tomorrow! Thanks to book friend 20190328215706789 for the monthly ticket, thank you all for your recommendation votes and follow-up reading support. I hope those who continue to read will continue to follow up. This week, I almost failed to be recommended. I hope to be next week. Thank you all for your support here! (End of this chapter)