Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1010 The real intention is not in the wine, but in the jade (The next few days will each have one chapter)
Sun Benchuan took the tea poured by Li Long and nodded slightly, saying, "Thank you."

Li Long could tell that this man clearly disliked the brick tea in his hand, but the look of disdain was fleeting. He then lowered his head, took a sip, and said:

"Mmm, it has a rich flavor and it warms you up a lot."

Actually, Li Long quite admired Sun Benchuan, who was very polite. Underneath his wool coat was a suit, the kind that showed off his figure. These suits looked good, but they weren't very warm.

Wearing such thin clothes in this cold weather means either the person is naturally full of yang energy and not afraid of the cold, or they are just putting on a brave face and not caring about their appearance.

The assistant next to him was much more straightforward; he didn't like the brick tea and didn't drink it at all.

Li Long asked:

"Mr. Sun, you must have had a tough journey. After all, the transportation conditions in northern Xinjiang are incomparable to those in the inland areas."

“We came by plane,” said the assistant, Luo Liwei. “It’s just that the road from Wucheng to here is quite difficult to travel.”

Sun Benchuan continued:

"Actually, I really want to take a good look at the beautiful landscape here. Every place has its own scenery. The inland has its own beauty, and the northern Xinjiang has its own vastness and desolation. Each place has its own unique characteristics."

"I just had a tight schedule, so I came by plane."

Being able to travel by plane, these two are clearly of a high status. Ordinary people, or even wealthy ordinary businessmen, wouldn't qualify to fly at this point. Therefore, Li Long raised his expectations for Sun Benchuan even higher.

Regardless of one's opinion of this person, at least in terms of their air travel, they should not be taken lightly.

“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. The vastness of the northern frontier does require time to understand,” Li Long nodded and said. “Every season has different scenery, so you can come and visit often when you have time.”

"It's the middle of nowhere, whoever wants to come can come... I wouldn't come if it weren't for...." Luo Liwei muttered to himself, his voice very soft, but Li Long heard him clearly.

Why? He heard it was jade, but he wasn't sure if he misheard, or if it was sheep?
"Xiao Luo, don't talk nonsense!" Sun Benchuan turned and glared at Luo Liwei, then turned back to Li Long apologetically and said:

"Comrade Li Long, I'm sorry. Liwei is my friend's son. I've been taking him under my wing to train and educate him, and he's become a bit spoiled."

"It's alright, it's just the truth. The development in the Northwest is indeed slow, and right now, apart from the natural scenery, there's really not much to see," Li Long chuckled, unconcerned. After all, forty years from now, people from all over the country will flock here to see the natural landscapes; their feelings will be different then. Having experienced it, he didn't see anything wrong with it.

"Comrade Li Long is truly broad-minded," Sun Benchuan exclaimed. "Most young people your age are arrogant and don't easily listen to different opinions. Hmm, not bad, not bad!"

Li Long felt that speaking like this was rather awkward, so he said:
"Mr. Sun Benchuan, shall we now take a look at the mutton and beef?"

"Uh... okay." Sun Benchuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Li Long then stood up and led them into the warehouse.

"Look, this warehouse contains over 800 whole sheep and 60 whole cattle. This is our largest warehouse. There are also two medium-sized warehouses that contain a considerable number of cattle and sheep."

These cattle and sheep were mostly slaughtered within the last month, so their freshness is excellent. We've also preserved them very well. If Mr. Sun can buy some now and eat them, the taste will be almost indistinguishable from fresh beef and mutton.

There are definitely differences, but at this time, firstly, there are no cattle and sheep fed with comprehensive feed, so even if the beef and mutton are frozen for a period of time, the taste will not drop too much; secondly, people do not have high requirements for the quality of beef and mutton, and as long as it is not bad or rotten meat, they can basically accept it.

Moreover, these frozen meats will definitely be cheaper than fresh meats, and will therefore be more popular.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad." Sun Benchuan poked the rump meat of a cow with his hand and nodded. "It looks very fresh, and the meat is of very good quality."

Li Long wanted to show him the other two warehouses, but he shook his head and said no need.
"The quality of this beef and mutton is good, and I can accept it. Now let's talk about something else."

"About the jade?" Li Long had figured it out over this period of time. Sun Benchuan's real purpose was to come and see the jade. He only briefly mentioned the beef and mutton. He seemed a little absent-minded when he went into the warehouse just now.

It didn't matter, Li Long thought that as long as he could sell the beef and mutton within the conditions he could accept, that would be fine.

Don't worry about the rest.

“The jade is in my yard. If Mr. Sun would like to see it now, let’s go, I’ll take you there.”

"Okay, let's go now." Sun Benchuan was a little impatient.

Li Long thought that Jia Tianlong must have exaggerated the value of the jade, which was why Sun Benchuan was so eager.

Is this a case of desperate measures being taken without proper diagnosis?

He led Sun Benchuan back to the courtyard on foot, chatting as they walked.

Sun Benchuan was vague about the industry he was in, only saying that he ran a trading company whose main business was medicinal herbs, but due to some special reasons, he also wanted to see the situation of the beef and mutton market and give it a try.

Li Long nodded, not asking any further questions. After all, if the other person didn't want to talk about it, he couldn't very well force them to open their mouth.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, Li Long pushed open the small gate to let Sun Benchuan in, and the black dog in the yard immediately started barking.

Li Long found it strange. When his friends came over, including Jia Tianlong and Zhao Hui, the black dog usually didn't bark much, so why was it different today?
He scolded Xiao Hei, and Xiao Hei glanced at Sun Benchuan with some resentment before retreating back to its kennel and lying down, but still glaring at the man.

"Comrade Li Long has raised a fine dog." Sun Benchuan was initially startled by Xiao Hei, but now that the dog had shrunk back, he praised it with a smile.

Sister Yang brought Mingming and Haohao out of the house, and Li Long introduced them:

"This is Sister Yang, and these are my two children. Mingming and Haohao call them Uncle."

"uncle."

"uncle."

Mingming Haohao is very obedient and greets people.

Sun Benchuan responded, but his gaze towards Mingming and Haohao was a little strange—it was a mixture of affection and something else entirely.

Li Long guessed that this was probably because he didn't have a son and wanted one.

Sun Benchuan turned to look at Luo Liwei and extended his hand to him. Luo Liwei understood and took out two red envelopes from his bag.

At this time, the red envelope was truly just a red paper packet. Sun Benchuan took the red envelope, squatted down, and stuffed it into Mingming and Haohao's hands, saying with a smile:

"This is a gift from your uncle to welcome you. Take it and use it to buy candy."

Mingming Haohao looked at Li Long, and Li Long nodded and said, "If it's from your uncle, then accept it."

It's not a big deal to accept the gift as a greeting. Sun Benchuan is a man of good manners, so when he calculates the price of beef and mutton later, we can try to negotiate a lower price and give him one back.

That's what Li Long thought.

After receiving the red envelope, Sister Yang glanced at Li Long, understood what he meant, and led Mingming and Haohao into the house.

Li Long pointed to the corner of the wall and said:

"The jade is right there."

Although there have been several heavy snowfalls, the snow at the Jade Platform has been cleared. And it's clear that the snow wasn't cleared just in the last couple of days—it was cleared after each snowfall.

After all, Jia Tianlong took this so seriously, and it actually came true. Both Li Long and Sister Yang made it a habit to clean up the place after it snowed.

The jade was neatly arranged on the cement platform, and there was still incense ash in the incense burner. Sister Yang would light three incense sticks in it when she had free time, and Li Long would do the same occasionally.

Even Gu Boyuan would sometimes come over and offer him a stick of incense after he had eaten to help him digest.

When Sun Benchuan saw the jade, his expression immediately turned serious. He walked over respectfully and examined the jade carefully, not even daring to touch it.

The main thing is that this piece of jade looks completely natural. There are no traces of carving, but it looks just like a chubby boy lying on his side.

A chubby, cheerful little boy. After watching for a good ten minutes, even Luo Liwei couldn't stand it anymore, before Sun Benchuan turned around and asked Li Long:
"Comrade Li Long, is this piece of jade truly all-natural? Has it not been carved at all?"

“No.” Li Long shook his head. “It was like this when it was dug out of the river. Old Jia said you know about jade, so you should be able to tell that this piece of jade has no trace of carving. Its current shape was sculpted by flowing water. It’s no exaggeration to say that it is a masterpiece of nature.”

"It's truly amazing!" Sun Benchuan exclaimed. "I've seen quite a few pieces of jade, and I've handled many natural, well-shaped pieces. I've seen quite a few nice ones, but I've never seen anything as amazing as this before. It's truly incredible!"

After saying that, he went over to get the incense—there was a wooden box next to the jade table with an opening on the side, inside which were incense and matches.

The only incense available here right now is sanitary incense. These few boxes of different sandalwood incense were brought back by Li Long from Yanjing because Jia Tianlong complained that it was disrespectful to put sanitary incense on this spiritual jade stone.

Li Long didn't think it was a big deal, as long as he was sincere, but Jia Tianlong was particularly attentive in this regard. Since he was going to Yanjing anyway, he figured he might as well buy some things.

Sun Benchuan took out three incense sticks, and Luo Liwei hurriedly took out a match to light them. There was a flame on the incense sticks, and Luo Liwei was about to blow it out when Sun Benchuan kicked it.

Luo Liwei didn't understand what was going on, but Li Long did, though he didn't say anything.

After kicking Luo Liwei, Sun Benchuan fanned out the flame on the incense stick with his hand, raised the incense stick to his eyebrows, bowed three times respectfully, and offered the incense.

After offering incense, Sun Benchuan turned to Li Long and said:

"Comrade Li Long, could you give me this piece of jade?"

"No." Li Long had anticipated that Sun Benchuan would say such a thing, so he refused directly. "This jade was a gift from someone else, and I can't sell it."

“I’ll offer 100,000 yuan.” Sun Benchuan was skeptical and offered what he considered a high price. “100,000 yuan isn’t low these days. It can buy a villa in Yanjing, and it’s more than you could sell a few thousand sheep.”

"No, no, no, it's not about the money." Li Long shook his head and said, "Old Jia also said that he wanted to take this jade back to worship, and he offered 100,000 yuan, but I didn't agree."

I've known Lao Jia for a long time, and we're very close. Even so, I haven't agreed to this. Think about it…”

Li Long's implication was that if he wanted to make a move, he should have done so to Jia Tianlong long ago. He himself didn't believe in this thing, but he couldn't convince Jia Tianlong to.

Li Long knew that Jia Tianlong genuinely wanted to take the jade back and worship it, unlike this Sun Benchuan. Although he made a lot of effort just now, Li Long could tell that this person simply thought the jade was rare and wanted to possess it, rather than genuinely wanting to take it back and worship it.

Li Long could see that.

“So, ... twenty thousand US dollars?” Sun Benchuan still felt the price wasn’t enough. “In addition, I’m prepared to buy all your beef and mutton at market price.”

Li Long shook his head again.

This isn't about money; it's about principles. The jade was delivered by He Yuqing and Meng Hai. He hadn't sold it even when Jia Tianlong offered such a high price. Although the large amount of beef and mutton was a huge burden, Li Long didn't think he could exchange it for the jade.

He believed that even if Sun Benchuan didn't buy beef and mutton, he would eventually find a way.

We're not in a desperate situation yet, there's no need to worry.

Sun Benchuan anticipated that Li Long would refuse, and he smiled and said:

"Comrade Li Long, don't rush into a decision. You can think about it. I'm going back to the guesthouse now. Liwei, leave Comrade Li Long the guesthouse's phone number. If you change your mind, call me anytime. But I'll only stay until tomorrow. If you still haven't decided by the morning after tomorrow, then I'll leave."

"After all, Northern Xinjiang is so vast, and your place isn't the only one that sells beef and mutton."

Luo Liwei left Li Long a note with the guesthouse's front desk phone number on it. Li Long already knew the number, but he took it anyway. As Sun Benchuan left, Li Long said something to him:
“Mr. Sun, if you think I will change my mind because of this, you are wrong. Whether you accept beef or mutton or not, I will not sell this jade.”

Sun Benchuan paused for a moment before stepping out the door, but ultimately went out anyway.

Li Long turned his head and looked at the three incense sticks in front of the jade stone. The incense had burned down to one-third of its original size, and the ash had formed a complex shape.

Li Long entered the house, and Sister Yang handed him two red envelopes before going to cook.

Li Long opened the red envelope and was somewhat surprised to find that it contained a ten-dollar bill.

They're quite generous.

However, it was a fair exchange; Li Long made him worship the jade, and he gave him a red envelope, so they were even.

During lunch, Li Long relayed Sun Benchuan's words to Gu Boyuan and Gu Xiaoxia.

"Fine, then don't take it." Gu Boyuan used to keep a low profile in the village, but these past two years working at the purchasing station have toughened him up. "Want jade? No way! Don't be fooled by the fact that twenty thousand US dollars seems like a lot; it's nothing compared to this jade!"

“That’s right. Besides, this jade was given to us by the villagers of Qingshuihe Village. How can it be traded?” Gu Xiaoxia said. But then she became a little worried. “How do we deal with all that beef and mutton that’s been stockpiled? I’ll ask my workplace this afternoon if they want any, and I’ll also call the schools to ask.”

"No need, no need." Li Long waved his hand. "Don't let this affect your work. Uncle Gu and I will handle it, so you don't need to worry about it."

Li Long didn't want Gu Xiaoxia to be distracted from her work. Besides, such a large quantity of beef and mutton was beyond the capacity of the Education Bureau and its subordinate schools to handle, so it was better not to get involved.

In the afternoon, he called Jia Tianlong and brought up the matter, focusing on asking about the specifics of Sun Benchuan.

Jia Tianlong was stunned when Sun Benchuan threatened Li Long to sell jade by using the beef and mutton purchase deal. After a moment of shock, he launched into a tirade against Sun Benchuan.
"That guy! I even confided in him that the jade stone had a spirit and told him to worship it properly, but I never expected him to be so greedy and want to keep the jade stone for himself? He's a complete bastard!"

Despite his insults, Jia Tianlong then said to Li Long:
“This Sun Benchuan is really powerful. Most of the fritillaria herbs I collected have been consumed by him. As far as I know, he not only collects herbs from me, but also from many other authentic medicinal herb producing areas. Every year, he collects herbs worth several million.”

I don't know where these medicinal herbs ended up. He told me that his family's trading company processed them into finished medicines for sale.

At first, I thought it was some state-owned pharmaceutical factory, but it doesn't seem so. But this person has a rather powerful background, extensive connections, and a complex network of relationships. Li Long, you still need to be careful.”

Li Long naturally knew that Sun Benchuan was no ordinary person; someone who could fly here couldn't possibly be an ordinary person.

Is he a returned overseas Chinese? Or a middle or senior manager of a state-owned enterprise who has taken over a pharmaceutical factory and is on leave without pay? Or is he a second-generation rich kid?
Li Long didn't know the specifics and was just guessing.

However, no matter what, he couldn't very well come to me and force me to buy or sell. After all, I have the title of a national model individual and am also a representative of the National People's Congress. It's unlikely that he could use his power and wealth to pressure me.

After all, this is his own little territory, and if things really come to a head, no one will be willing to help him.

Since he couldn't find out, Li Long stopped asking.

During dinner, Gu Boyuan didn't mention the cattle and sheep harvest that day, but Li Long could tell from his furrowed brows that he probably had harvested quite a few in the afternoon.

Since the start of the new year, Li Long has calculated that there have been at least five or six heavy snowfalls since early winter, not counting light snow.

The snow on the grassland is at least a meter deep, and in some places even deeper.

The cattle and sheep can only eat the prepared hay, but the hay in the pasture is weighed down by snow and cannot be kicked away at all.

Of course, there is also good news. Because of the heavy snow, the gazelles and deer on the wasteland also have no grass to eat. Apart from a few shrubs and tall grasses that were not covered by snow and can still be eaten, these wild animals started to run towards the mountains early.

Therefore, the amount of leather received during this period is almost double that of last year.

Zhao Hui takes away far more hides each time he comes than last year. Li Long calculated that, at this rate, the profits from these hides alone will cover the cost of purchasing beef and mutton, and even exceed it.

Therefore, Li Long's worry was not about losing money, but about what to do if the beef and mutton couldn't be sold before spring.

After all, there are so many that they've almost filled up the empty warehouse.

The next morning, Li Long received an unexpected phone call, and his expression immediately brightened, as if he had suddenly realized something.

So this is ah!

P.S.: I have two things to say. One is about the air conditioner, which I didn't finish yesterday because it would have exceeded 200 words and would have required payment. To add to that, the air conditioner is under warranty, and the manufacturer is offering free repairs, but there are no spare parts available locally, so it's essentially useless.

Second: To participate in the Qidian event, you need to go to Shanghai, and you can only write one chapter per day.

　Participating in the Qidian event might take a week round trip, during which time I can only write one chapter a day, and it will be on my phone, so there will likely be many mistakes. I will try my best not to take leave, but if I really can't manage, there's nothing I can do, please understand. Because of this, I also had to ask for leave from my August 1st comrades' reunion, which is frustrating.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)