When the tractor arrived at the county town, Sun Jiaqiang shouted from the back of the truck:
"Boss Li, go to the bus station. I want to see if there are any tickets now."
Li Long didn't even look back. Said:
“ Do you want to stay in the county for one night? Why don’t you take a break?” I can understand..."
Well, Li Long really understood, so he drove directly to the bus station.
Sun Jiaqiang got out of the car, waved to Li Long and said:
"Boss Li, see you next year."
"Okay, see you next year." Li Long watched Sun Jiaqiang get into the car. After standing, he turned around and drove towards the big yard.
Before Gu Xiaoxia got off work, Li Long first took out the bear bile from his satchel, found a room and tied a rope to hang it to dry. Then he spread the bear skin in the side room to dry, and then burned the pot. bear meat in the kitchen.
After getting all four bear paws back, Li Long didn't separate the front and back paws, found a bag, packed one of them, and rode his bicycle to the supply and marketing cooperative.
It was almost getting off work at the supply and marketing cooperative. When Li Long passed by, some people had already started to pack their things. When they saw Li Long, someone they knew greeted him.
"Xiao Li, are you here to see Chief Li?"
"Well, is the Chief here?"
"Are you here again? What did you bring to the unit chief?" the man asked.
"The unit chief asked me to go to the mountains to help him find some medicinal materials. If I don't find them back now, I will bring them here." Li Long lied.
The man smiled and left with his colleagues.
The new colleague walked out a few steps and asked in a low voice:
"The smell of blood in there is quite strong, doesn't it look like medicinal materials?"
"You Why do you care so much? This young man is a talented person in our club. Since he said it, that’s it.”
"In our company, we don't see him working?"
"It turns out that the company wanted to hire him as a temporary worker, but he didn't want it. But there is nothing to say about his work. There are several people in the company. This honor was brought back by him, The director and deputy director of the club know him well, and it doesn't matter whether he comes or not."
"That's it..."
Li Long doesn't. He knew what these colleagues were talking about him behind his back. He carried the bag to Li Xiangqian's office. Li Xiangqian was on the phone. When he saw him coming, he pointed to the chair and motioned for him to sit down first.
"Okay, okay, as long as you pass the test. I have reported it to the leader before. Don't worry about the materials we handed over, they must be the best. Yes, yes, yes, um, okay, goodbye, leader." ! ”
After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangqian asked with a smile on his face:
"Are you back from the mountains again, or from the team? Did you hear the call just now? The leader of the state club was boasting, saying Our batch of lifters is good, they have already used it, and the workers have agreed."
Everyone carried the sedan chair, but Li Long didn't take it seriously. He pointed to the bag on his hand and said:
"I went to the mountains to hunt a bear today, and I got a bear paw to bring to you."
"Yo? I shot another bear. ? You are awesome!" Li came forward, opened the bag and looked at it, then said with a smile: "It's not bad, it's not big, but it looks good."
"Okay, section chief, I'll leave first." Li Long said: "The finishing work in the mountain has not been finished yet. I have to finish the work here this afternoon and have to go back to the mountain."
" Okay, you go about your business, come back and have a good rest after that. It's hard work in the mountains." Li stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "If you have any difficulties, just call me or come to me directly."
"Okay!"
Li. Long left the supply and marketing cooperative on his bicycle and went to the compound. Of the three remaining bear paws, he planned to keep one here and take two home. It would be better to just have a name for this thing. In fact, it is very troublesome to make, and even if it is made, it may not be delicious - after all, we are all ordinary people, and we do not have the skills of a chef.
He drove the tractor out of the compound and went straight to the team.
When I arrived in the countryside, I saw that school had finished. The water in the Mohe Canal was quite big. There were children swimming by the canal, but Li Long didn't rush him. These days were different from later generations. A group of teenagers were swimming one by one. Jumping down from the shore, laughing and joking, having a great time.
On the road, he occasionally met one or two students from the team. Li Long was not very fast, but there was no one picking up the car, so he drove directly to the team. When he was approaching Weigou, he saw Li Juan and Li Qiang and his brother were walking on the roadside. When they heard the sound of the tractor, the two siblings turned their heads and jumped up happily.
Li Long drove the tractor to a place seven or eight meters away from them and stopped, because the two children had already run towards the tractor, and Li Long was afraid of hurting them.
"Get in the car and fight." Li Long said, "Climb slowly."
It is normal for children to bump into each other these days. Taking care of children is not as squeamish as in later generations. Most children are One reason, the main one is that this is how adults come here, and it feels normal to bump into each other.
When the tractor arrived at the intersection of the residential area, Li Long saw someone riding a bicycle in the distance towards Dongzhuangzi.
Has anyone in the team bought a bicycle?
He drove the tractor to the big yard, and saw Tietou from Lu Yingming’s family next door, who was putting on his legs and learning to ride a bicycle on the road ahead. When he saw Li Long’s tractor, Tietou was a little embarrassed, and ended up losing his grip. Well, he plunged into the haystack beside the wall of their front yard.
Li Long was happy. At this time, when they first started learning to ride a bicycle, some people just wanted to find a place with a pile of wheat straw nearby. If you don't have good control or don't know how to brake and don't have time to brake, just plunge into the haystack. At least nothing will happen to you and the car.
At this time, in the eyes of some people, people are not even as valuable as the owner of a car. If someone falls and breaks his skin, the most they can do is light a ball of cotton and press the ashes on the wound. That bike is going to be broken, and strict parents will scold you.
Maybe even a beating.
The Lu family also bought bicycles.
Erba Dagang is really popular.
The tractor drove into the yard. Li Qingxia had just come back from the net and looked at Li Long with a smile.
Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei were both setting up beans in the vegetable field. Li Juan and Li Qiang got out of the car and ran into the house, wanting to put down their schoolbags first.
When Li Long came down with the bear paw bag, Du Chunfang and Chen Lirong also came from the front yard, followed by two children, Xue Qin and Xueping.
Li Qingxia asked with a smile:
"What did you take? Why did you come back after leaving just now?"
"Then why can't you come back?" Du Chunfang listened. When my wife asked this question, she immediately became unhappy, "Home is here, mom and dad are here, You can come back whenever you want."
"I don't think Xiaolong came back because of something." Li Qingxia didn't feel annoyed and explained with a smile." There must be something going on when you come back in such a hurry.”
"Hit a bear." Li Long took out the bear paws from the bag and showed them to everyone, "Bring back two bear paws and you can cook them and eat them."
"Hey, this is good stuff." Li Qingxia Looking at the bear paw, he said with excitement, "What a good thing."
"Hit the bear? Are you not injured?" Du Chunfang and Li Qingxia's attention was completely different, and she hurriedly stepped forward wear a small Feet came over and asked, "You didn't let the bear scratch you, did you?"
"No, I shot the bear three times from about thirty meters away." Li Long said easily, "Nowadays, guns are used for hunting. When you see a shot and the gun goes off, the bears and wolves will be hunted. If you can't hit them, they will be scared away."
Li Long took the gun out of the bucket of the tractor. I took it off and showed it to my wife.
The bear was already being held and played with by several children. Li Qingxia came over, took the gun, looked at it, and praised:
"Hey, this thing is really good! If only there was this guy back then, hey!"
He hadn't finished speaking, but Li Long knew exactly what he wanted to say. My family has a genealogy, and it was considered a prominent family for hundreds of years. However, by the time of my father's generation, I was already poor, and by my father's time, I felt extremely poor. I suffered a lot. I was also oppressed before liberation. Therefore, they are more sensitive to guns than their own generation.
Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei came out of the vegetable garden and looked at the bear paw. Li Jianguo frowned:
"This guy is not easy to manage."
He was a division chief in the corps, and Li Long never asked him if he had dealt with bear paws before, but what he heard meant that at least he knew how to do it.
In my last life, I watched a few videos on how to make bear paws, and I only vaguely remembered that I had to boil them vigorously, and then use various broths or braise them. Anyway, the final evaluation was that they were not very delicious.
"Brother, what's the deal with this?"
"Cook it. Boil the palm until it's mashed first, take off the hair and claws, and then stew or braise it. Anyway, you have to use aniseed. , otherwise it won’t taste good. It needs to be cooked overnight, right?” Li Jianguo wasn’t sure, “Otherwise it won’t be cooked well and it will taste like a pimp.”
Okay, again. Slow work is the key to careful work. Li Long simply ignored it and said to Li Qiang:
"Qiangqiang, be careful, don't let those claws scratch you, there are a lot of dirt on them!"
Although the brown bear is not big, its claws look very sharp. Li Long saw with his own eyes that the brown bear's claws almost scratched the deer's neck through.
"Then you have a rest, I will fix this thing later, so you can eat it at noon tomorrow." Li Jianguo said that, but when it comes to such legendary ingredients, it is wrong to say that he is not interested. possible.
"I can't wait any longer. There is another one in the county yard. Xiaoxia is busy with work. I will go back and fix that one too. Brother, please tell me in detail how to deal with it."
When Li Jianguo heard what Li Long said, he explained in detail how to eat it. In fact, he also knew a rough idea, but he knew it in much more detail than Li Long.
You need to brush and shear them, wait until they are clean, then cook them until they are very tender, and then peel off the fur...
Li Long suddenly thought that he could use a pressure cooker!
With that thing here, it should be easy to stew this bear paw to pieces.
Stewing is the first and most difficult step. The next step will be easier. So Li Long didn't listen so seriously next. After Li Jianguo finished speaking, he asked about another topic:
"Brother, I see someone in the team has bought another bicycle?"
"Hey," Li Jianguo smiled when he said this, "Do you know how many bikes have been added to the team in the past two days?"
< br>"Two?" Anyway, Li Long had two new ones when he saw them.
"Six!" Li Jianguo stretched out his hand and gestured, "They are all going to make up the team. There are not so many votes in the team. They directly take the rice noodles to the third team and the second team, and go to the third team and the second team. You are a ticket exchanger in the countryside, now you are famous."
"What does it have to do with me?" Li Long shook his head, "That's because they have the ability."
"Everyone can't say that. They all say that you brought them into the mountains to make money. Hey, the village also said that they would get you a leader in getting rich."
Li Long immediately shook his head, He didn't want to wear such a hat. Wearing this thing is equivalent to extra protection, but he must be a representative, so it will be troublesome to have meetings from time to time, and he doesn't want to go.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Li Long said:
"Brother, you can do it. I'm back to the county." He was still thinking about the pressure cooker. There is already a pressure cooker these days, but Li Long is back from get off work now. He plans to buy it early tomorrow morning and fix it, so that he can eat bear paws in his mouth by noon, and then go to the mountains in the afternoon.
Du Chunfang was a little dissatisfied. How hard it was for her younger son to come and go in such a hurry.
She wanted to say something, but Li Qingxia pulled her back and kept her silent.
Chen Lirong also wanted to say something. My brother-in-law made great efforts to bring his family here. Now I live in my brother-in-law's yard again, which is much better and more convenient than the old house. She also wanted to thank Li Long, but Li Long came and went in a hurry, and she was introverted and it was hard to say. When her lips moved, Li Long had already started shaking the tractor and was about to leave.
"Slow down, slow down!" When Li Long got on the tractor, Liang Yuemei had already gone to the vegetable garden and came out again, holding a wicker basket in her hand. She put the basket on the side of the tractor. Li said:
“Leeks, The other ones, the Chinese cabbage and the wild amaranth, haven’t grown yet. I’ll get them when you come back later. I’ll keep this vegetable in the kitchen for two days. Tell Xiaoxia, I have to eat it no matter how busy I am!” >
Okay, this familiar feeling is back. In the nearly ten years since Li Long came here, Liang Yuemei has almost always played the role of mother. She will not be polite and does everything spontaneously. Bringing food to Li Long is also the simplest act. The family does not live at home. Bring all the good things you can have at home.
As the tractor left the yard, Li Long waved to everyone, stepped on the clutch, shifted gears, and headed north and then west.
"Hey, when will the boss be?" Du Chunfang looked glum, "I don't know when I can come back next time."
"What are you talking about." Li Qingxia Complained He said, "Xiaolong has something serious to do. Besides, his wife is in the county, so she can't be guarded here by others, right? If you want to see her, tell Xiaolong then and ask you to move to his compound in the county for a few days." ”
"Then I won't go!" Du Chunfang shook his head when he heard this, "Here I can plant vegetables in the yard when I have free time, and talk to Qiangqiang's mother and Xueping's mother. There, Xiaolong goes to the mountains, and his wife What should I do alone at work?"
"That's right, you know they are busy, just take care of yourself and don't cause trouble." Li Qingxia is like having an official class now, so He really could stand and talk without any pain in his back.
Du Chunfang had no choice but to remain silent.
After dinner in the evening, Li Jianguo began to play with bear paws. The children were quite interested in it at first, but then they found it boring and ran away to play.
Li Long drove the tractor forward against the setting sun. When he arrived at the compound, it was already a little dark.
Gu Xiaoxia opened the door and smiled when she saw him and said:
"I looked at the things in the kitchen and knew you were back. I thought you were the same as last time, Come and go without a trace, now we are in the mountains.”
"How can I?" Li Long got off the tractor, closed the door and buckled it, and then the two of them entered the kitchen together. He said:
"This is a bear. I plan to make bear paws tomorrow." Once it’s done, let’s eat it and then I’ll go into the mountain.”
Hearing that Li Long was about to go into the mountain again, the smile on Gu Xiaoxia’s face faded a little.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back in three to five days at most.” Li Long promised again, “The fritillaries have begun to bloom, and they won’t be able to dig them for a few more days. I can’t dig them up now. It’s not finished until the end. Okay, okay, we’ve been tired for a long day. Have you eaten? I’ll get some food...”
“It’s been done a long time ago. I’m just waiting for you to come back. ” Gu Xiaoxia said, pointing to the food on the table.
"Then what if I don't come back?"
"Then I will eat alone." Gu Xiaoxia said.
Li Long understood a little bit. Although the words were spoken very naturally, he could understand the mood.
Waiting, how lonely.
He regretted a little, but things still had to be done, so he changed the subject:
"Should we eat this bear's paw at home tomorrow at noon, or should I go to Sister Yang's place after I finish it?"
Li Long and Sister Yang didn't have much contact with them, so they asked Gu Xiaoxia's opinion.
"Go to Sister Yang's place and let Sister Yang and Xiaofang try it. Is this the Bazhen?" Gu Xiaoxia said.
"Okay, I'll bring it over when I'm ready."
"Hmm, come on, wash your hands and eat." Gu Xiaoxia went over and took away the bowl with the food on it, and filled it with cloth chopsticks Porridge.
Li Long didn't say anything more, he was just thinking in his heart that he would go back to the mountains to keep his tail back, and then come back and stay in the yard for a while.
What do you look like running around like this?
After dinner, Li Long simply washed up. Gu Xiaoxia didn't need to work overtime tonight, so the two of them went to bed early.
I won’t go into the details.
Don’t let me talk.
After breakfast the next day, Gu Xiaoxia went to work, while Li Long went to the department store to buy a pressure cooker.
Although pressure cookers entered the mainland in the 1960s, it was already the early 1980s when they came to Ma County in northern Xinjiang. There are them on the shelves in department stores, but no one seems to be buying them.
Li Long bought the pot, but the salesperson refused to let him go. He gave him a detailed introduction to how to use it, and asked him to be careful not to block the vents to avoid an explosion.
"If this thing doesn't operate well, it will explode like a bomb. You must pay attention!" The salesperson repeatedly warned. Li Long felt that this thing had exploded before and had he contacted the seller of the building?
Taking the pot back, he carefully brushed the bear's paws clean and cut off the hair, then put it in and added water to start boiling. Anyway, Li Long's plan is to cook it twice more if it doesn't work well once, and it will eventually get cooked.
If that doesn't work, it's good to eat it like pig's trotters. Get some dipping sauce. Even if you eat it as braised pork, you can still taste it, right?
With this in mind, Li Long began to fiddle with it.
When Gu Xiaoxia went to Sister Yang's yard after get off work, Li Long was already here.
He pointed to the plate of dishes on the table and said:
"This is it. Let’s try it later. By the way, Sister Yang, leave some for Han Fang too. Son, let’s all try it.”
The bear's paws were quite big. After Li Long had trimmed them and boiled them, he just added marinade and used them as pig's trotters instead of braised.
He took a plate to try. There was a lot at home, so he planned to let Gu Xiaoxia eat it slowly. (End of this chapter)