Rebirth in 1981: Hunting and Fishing in the Northwest
Rebirth in 1981: Hunting and Fishing in the Northwest Chapter 11: Winning Someone Over with a Meal

After warming up a bit, Li Qiang pushed open the door, wiped his nose, and said, “Uncle, my mom says it’s time to eat.”

“Alright, we’re coming,” Li Long replied, standing up. He and Tao Daqiang followed Li Qiang to the west room.

As soon as they entered, a strong, delicious smell hit them. On the eight-seater table, there was a large pot of potato and guagua chicken stew, with six bowls and chopsticks set out.

Li Long knew that the seat facing north belonged to Li Jianguo, the head of the family. Li Jianguo was already seated, and when they entered, he motioned for Tao Daqiang to sit on his right side.

In this household, there was no custom of women and children not eating at the table, so Liang Yuemei soon brought Li Juan and Li Qiang to sit down as well.

“You must be tired; those fish you caught looked big. Tonight, let’s make fish soup!” Liang Yuemei said with a smile. The hearty meal of chicken stew and thawed fish in the kitchen promised good food for the coming days.

What pleased her even more was that her brother-in-law had become motivated, bringing home food for the family. In these times of scarcity, it was the housewife who had it hardest. Eating chicken and fish now was an even better treat than the New Year.

“Alright, dig in,” Li Jianguo said, adding, “Daqiang, don’t be shy—eat as much as you like.”

“Exactly! Eat up, so we can go back to the pond later,” Li Long said. “We already made a hole in the ice—it’d be a waste not to make use of it.”

“What? You’re going back?” Li Jianguo asked.

“We cut the ice about half a meter deep,” Li Long replied. “The pond is full of fish, and if we give it some time, even more fish will gather near the hole. Going back this afternoon could mean an even bigger catch.”

“Then I’ll come along,” Li Jianguo said right away. “If we catch a lot, we can freeze them and have fish until the New Year!”

“I want to go too!” Hearing about the fishing trip, Li Qiang eagerly volunteered. But Liang Yuemei shot him a look. “No way! What would you do besides cause trouble?”

Li Qiang pouted in frustration, lowering his head.

“Alright, alright, let’s eat,” Li Jianguo said, putting a piece of chicken leg into Li Juan’s bowl, then placing another piece in Li Qiang’s bowl. He looked at Tao Daqiang and added, “Daqiang, help yourself. Don’t hold back.”

Li Long noticed and quickly said, “I’ll get my own,” as he picked up a piece of potato. Seeing this, Tao Daqiang did the same, picking up a potato.

The large pot was mostly potatoes with a bit of meat and some chili pepper for flavor, and it tasted great. The potatoes were home-grown and stored in the cellar for winter, so they were perfectly soft and flavorful. The guagua chicken had been stewing long enough that it practically fell off the bone, and everyone ate intently, soon piling up the bones on the table.

“Daqiang, have some meat too,” Li Long said, noticing that Tao Daqiang was only eating potatoes. “There’s plenty of meat left.”

“Yes, Daqiang, don’t be polite,” Liang Yuemei encouraged. “Eat up—you’ll need the energy for fishing later.”

“Come on, Brother Daqiang, eat some meat!” Li Qiang chimed in, copying the adults.

Li Long chuckled—Li Qiang was being quite helpful today.

Soon, the pot was almost empty, with just some broth left. Liang Yuemei took a handful of wide noodles and tossed them in, while Li Jianguo stirred the pot and said, “Alright, dig in. These noodles are packed with flavor.”

The group polished off the entire pot of noodles, finishing with a bowl of soup each to help digest it all. Li Long felt so full he didn’t want to move.

“Uncle, that was delicious. Can you catch another guagua chicken in a few days?”

Li Long replied, “We can try, but no guarantees.” He figured word about his guagua chicken catch had already spread throughout the village, thanks to Wu Shufen. There was no doubt someone would follow the trail he’d left, so he wasn’t sure if he’d be lucky enough to find another one at night.

“Well, if we don’t get another guagua chicken, fish would still be great!” Li Juan chimed in. “I saw one earlier—a big carp, as wide as both my hands and plump. I bet it’s delicious!”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke.

“Exactly. We can’t guarantee another guagua chicken, but there’ll definitely be fish,” Li Long said as he stood up to help Liang Yuemei clear the table. This simple gesture made her realize that her brother-in-law had indeed changed.

He’d never helped with this kind of task before!

After resting for about half an hour, Li Long checked his clothes in his room and saw they were mostly dry. He suggested to his older brother, Li Jianguo, that they head out now.

Li Jianguo, already prepared, bundled up and followed Li Long outside.

“Let’s bring two sacks to carry the fish,” Li Long reminded him. “The ice hole might have a thin layer over it by now, but we can break it with a shovel.”

“Got it.” Li Jianguo gathered the tools, and he, Li Long, and Tao Daqiang set off for the pond.

Watching them go, Liang Yuemei turned to Li Juan and Li Qiang to help prepare the fish they’d already caught. She placed all the fish in an oval washbasin. Li Juan began scaling them, Li Qiang scraped the gills, and Liang Yuemei used scissors to clean and gut them.

When she cut open the first big carp, she was pleased to see how plump it was. The fish’s belly was packed with fat—what a treat.

Seeing her husband’s cheerful face when he’d gone off to fish, Liang Yuemei had to laugh to herself. She knew this was what people called “boys will be boys.” For things like fishing and catching crabs, most men, whether eighteen or eighty, shared the same excitement.

Meanwhile, Tao Daqiang led the way to the pond again. After two trips, a narrow path was now cleared in the knee-deep snow, making the walk easier this time.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the ice hole. As expected, a thin layer of ice had reformed on the surface. Tao Daqiang broke it with the shovel, scooping out the fragments with a net, then got into position and began netting fish.

Li Long was also busy, gathering some reeds and lighting a fire.

The first scoop brought up three or four fish along with chunks of ice, all over a kilogram each—carp and grass carp. Li Jianguo quickly collected them in the sack, keeping a close eye on Tao Daqiang, eager to try the net himself.

In the second scoop, along with a few fish, something dark and unfamiliar flopped out onto the ice, startling Li Jianguo.

Li Long’s sharp eyes recognized it immediately, and he exclaimed, “Brother, that’s a water rat! Hit it!”

A water rat?

Li Jianguo didn’t know exactly what it was, but he didn’t hesitate, grabbing the shovel and smacking the slow-moving creature onto the ice.

It looked like an oversized rat, nearly as big as a rabbit, with a strange, hairless, stiff tail like a flat stick. Although it moved sluggishly, its two large front teeth were anything but slow, gnawing at the ice where it lay, quickly forming a pit.

Li Jianguo hit it two more times to finish it off, then looked to Li Long, curious to hear his explanation of the creature.

Dreamy Land[Translator]

Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying what I'm translating. As an unemployed adult with way too much time on my hands and a borderline unhealthy obsession with novels, I’m here to share one of my all-time favorites. So, sit back, relax, and let's dive into this story together—because I’ve got nothing better to do!

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