Throughout the winter, Harimu and Jade Mountain River came to hide out at Li Long's place more than once. Sometimes they arranged to come together, and sometimes only one of them came.
They grew used to it, and so did everyone else at the Purchasing Station. Even when Li Long was out, Sun Jiaqiang or Liang Shuangcheng would pour them some water and let them spend a comfortable half day in the reception room.
Li Long had his own things to do in winter and could not always keep them company. Right now, for instance, on Sunday, December 27, he was out on Little Haizi with Tao Daqiang, Xie Yundong, and a few others, preparing for something big.
They had already drilled several holes in the ice. A few scoop nets lay beside them, along with half a sack of fish.
But that was not the main business. The main business was that they were now standing beside the largest clump of reeds in Little Haizi, looking it over.
"It's time we burned it off. Otherwise, the reeds will keep getting shorter until they can't grow through at all," Tao Daqiang said after inspecting it.
"That's right. If we don't burn off the old reeds, they'll keep pressing down on the new ones. They won't grow tall or sturdy enough, and eventually they'll turn into scrubby reeds. After that, they might stop growing altogether," Xie Yundong added.
Li Long understood all of that. The reason was actually quite simple. In the past, the reeds here and in Reed Lake downstream had belonged to the Production Team. Once the team opened them up, anyone could cut them.
Back then, plenty of buyers purchased reeds, so harvesting them became a source of extra income for the villagers. Everyone was enthusiastic. Even though