That afternoon, Li Long cleaned his rifle in the room at the stable.
He had a guaranteed supply of ammunition for this hunting trip, but the rifle still needed proper maintenance.
The Type 56 Semiautomatic Rifle was fairly easy to maintain. Li Long concentrated on cleaning the barrel and bolt, then oiling them. Winter gun oil was different from summer gun oil. In scientific terms, it probably had to do with viscosity, freezing temperature, and the like. Li Long did not really understand it; he just knew that winter naturally called for winter gun oil.
He was halfway through when someone knocked. Li Long called for them to come in, and Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang pushed open the door.
Li Long grinned.
These two were like an inseparable pair of guardian generals now-where one went, the other followed.
"Brother Long." Tao Daqiang greeted him, then squatted opposite him.
"Move over." Li Long reached out and nudged him aside. "Forgotten again? You can't sit right in front of someone cleaning a gun."
Tao Daqiang gave a sheepish chuckle, moved to one side, and squatted down to pass Li Long the cleaning cloths.
There was little room around the rifle, so Yang Yongqiang did not crowd in. He sat on the bed and asked:
"Did you get back this morning, Brother Long?"
"Yeah." Li Long kept cleaning as he asked, "You two free now?"
"Yeah, we're free." Tao Daqiang nodded. "We've sold all the fish. Brother Long, do you think there's any money in breaking holes in the ice and selling fish now?"
"Of course there is. Are many people in the team breaking fishing holes?"
"There weren't many before, but I saw quite a few heading out today," Yang Yongqiang said. "All young fellows-the two Zhao brothers, the three Liang