Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1013 From deserted to bustling with activity
As soon as Li Long left, Li Xiangqian immediately convened a meeting.

After everyone arrived, he read the notices from the county and the state cooperative to everyone, then looked around and asked, "You all know the task from above: fifty tons of mutton and fifty tons of beef. The timeframe is tight, one week."

Let me be clear to everyone, this is not only a test for us by the prefecture and county governments, but also an urgent and important task assigned by the autonomous region. It is a test for us by the autonomous region.

Okay, now let's talk about who has the ability to take on this task. I'm putting it out there: whoever can take on this task and complete it flawlessly will receive the year-end award for outstanding performance.

Zhou Yuan was somewhat surprised by this, since he knew that Li Long had already taken on the job. Moreover, Li Long was the only one in the entire county capable of completing this task. After the director had just met with Li Long, he was convinced that the job had definitely been assigned to Li Long. So what was the point of the director holding this meeting and saying these words?

However, he quickly realized that Director Li Xiangqian was preparing to give others a warning.

In fact, only a few people in the supply and marketing cooperative who were familiar with Li Long knew that he had been buying large quantities of beef and mutton recently, and only he and the director knew that the beef and mutton that Li Long had bought were still stored and not yet sold.

In fact, every year, the tasks that Li Long received from the supply and marketing cooperative, especially that big broom made of reeds, were bound to cause some people to have objections.

After all, this task can earn a lot of money in one or two months. In the past, such work was usually broken down and assigned to several people. Although the quality of the final product was generally average, at least everyone benefited, so no one said anything.

After Li Long took on the job, he completed it exceptionally well, catching the eye of the leaders of the autonomous region. As a result, he was assigned to complete these tasks.

Although the jobs of carrying brooms and reed bundles are no longer available, the large broom alone can bring in at least tens of thousands of yuan in profit for those who contract the task each year.

Li Long has been doing this job for the past two years, and he's not the only one who's envious.

Surely someone raised their concerns, but Li Xiangqian suppressed the complaints at the county level, and Director Qian suppressed them at the prefectural level as well.

Although these people were dissatisfied, they were not going to escalate the matter to the autonomous region level, since they were not of a high enough rank.

Suppressing these emotions will inevitably lead to some problems.

After all, it's hard to be envious when others are making big money while you can only watch. Some people's envy is hard to cure.

Li Xiangqian responded to these people's questions more than once by citing quality issues. After all, the quality of the brooms that Li Long handed in was there for all to see, and no one could voice their opinions. But the others always felt that if Li Long was capable, they could be too.

Now Li Xiangqian has announced the large-scale purchase of beef and mutton. Those who think Li Long can do it and so can do it themselves, then give it a try and see who can produce fifty tons of beef and fifty tons of mutton within a week.
As expected, after Li Xiangqian finished speaking, the people below looked at each other in bewilderment, and none of them spoke.

"Section Chief Zhang, I remember you said this fall that some tasks should be spread out among everyone, instead of being rigidly assigned. What do you think of this? You heard the prices: 2.5 yuan for mutton and 3 yuan for beef, which is much higher than the market price. Are you interested in taking it?"

I'm making this clear: the price offered by the state cooperative is being offered by our county cooperative without any discounts. If you don't have the ability, who will take it? As long as the meat is up to standard and the task is completed on time, that's all I need to do."

Section Chief Zhang hurriedly shook his head, joking. If the deadline were extended by a month, he might still be able to complete the task. After all, there was a ready-made livestock team in the county; with a little effort and some connections, he might be able to secure it within a month.

But a week? That's ridiculous! He vaguely remembered a food factory buying up large quantities of beef and mutton, about a thousand or two sheep a week, and they still hadn't finished processing them.

After all, in a situation like this, with a major snow disaster, many herders are trapped in the mountains and can't get out at all. The roads leading to the pastoral areas are covered with a meter of snow. By the time everyone is notified, it will be ages before they can get out.

Of course, some people might say that every herder family has three to five hundred sheep, and ten families would be enough.

But no herder can possibly slaughter all of their cattle and sheep. Slaughtering one-fifth or one-sixth is already a large amount.

"Director, I can't do this job. I really don't have the skills. Let whoever wants the money make it; I'm not envious at all." Section Chief Zhang naturally knew that Li Xiangqian was putting him down by saying this, so he waved his hand and said:

"I see there's a problem with the timeframe given by the higher-ups. How is it possible to complete this task within a week?"

"Don't even mention our county, even Gucheng County in a major pastoral area wouldn't do that; it's simply asking the impossible."

Li Xiangqian smiled and then asked another person:

"Old Zheng, you always say that we should let our employees enjoy the profitable businesses in our cooperative, instead of pushing them to outsiders."

The market price for mutton is 1.8 yuan per kilogram, and the state cooperative's purchase price is 2.5 yuan per kilogram. That's 0.7 yuan per kilogram, so 50 tons would be 35,000 yuan. Why don't you take this job, gather some people to work together, and then we can all split the profits?"

"I can't do it, I can't do it." Old Zheng wasn't stupid. This job did pay a lot of money, but the problem was that the time was so tight, and getting so much meat in the dead of winter would definitely be hard work. It would inevitably involve dealing with ethnic minorities, and most of the ethnic minority herders were staying in their winter shelters. If he had to go and find them one by one, when would he ever find them all?

He simply stated that he couldn't do the job himself.

"What about the others? Let's hear your opinions. Is there anyone who can step forward to help solve this problem?" you asked again.

Nobody's talking to me, this job is impossible.

"Look at you all, you always say that the lucrative jobs in our company are all taken by others. Now that we've put this lucrative job right in front of you, you're not capable of doing it." You sneered. "Others do it well, finish the job, make the money, and then you get jealous..."

“I’m not envious, I’m not envious. Whoever does this job will make money; it’s their right to earn it,” Section Chief Zhang said sincerely. “It’s not only hard work, but also a technical job, and it requires a lot of personal connections. I don’t think it’s possible to complete it.”

“Exactly, exactly. This week is too much to handle. It would be better if it were a month,” Old Zheng said. “Even if it were a month, I might not be able to finish it. If they can finish the job and complete the task, then the money should go to them.”

Li Xiangqian laughed: "Is this what you truly think?"

"Absolutely, it couldn't be more real," Minister Zhang said.

“Alright, then get the vehicles ready. If you can’t do it, someone else can, so the money should go to that person,” Li Xiangqian said. “Based on what you’re saying, the other eight counties and one city might not be able to complete it within the stipulated time, but we’re different.”

"Let's make a good impression with this job this year."

"Director, who will do this job?" Old Zheng asked doubtfully. "Fifty tons of beef and fifty tons of mutton, where are we going to find them in such a short time? The food company doesn't have that much stock, and even if they did, they wouldn't give it to us. They have to ensure the meat supply for the whole county."

“No need to go to the food company, let’s go to Li Long. Don’t you always say that Li Long makes money by taking on jobs from our supply and marketing cooperative? Well, just look at how he completed the tasks that we couldn’t finish.”

The group exchanged bewildered glances, hardly believing it. They were unaware that Li Long had been actively purchasing beef and mutton during this time. The supply and marketing cooperative had its own affairs, and everyone had their own responsibilities; not everyone was as close to Li Long as Zhou Yuan was to know about his activities.

After lunch, about ten large trucks arrived at the purchasing station. Li Xiangqian drove most of the supply and marketing cooperative's staff into the station's yard.

There was no one around at that time; the vendors had all gone to eat, and the middlemen also knew it was lunchtime, so they weren't working much here.

Li Long and Gu Boyuan arrived early, while Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng waited in the backyard.

Upon seeing Gu Boyuan, Li Xiangqian greeted him with a smile: "Old Gu, seeing how well you've managed this place, why don't you come work for us? We'll get you a permanent position and a government-subsidized food ration, how about that?"

"It's not good. You guys aren't free." Old Gu was telling the truth. "Here, I can do what I want and not do what I don't want. I'm a partner. Back here, you have to do whatever the boss tells you to do. I'm used to this freedom, and I can't stand it."

Li Xiangqian smiled and didn't bring up the topic again, instead leading his men to the backyard.

Li Long opened the warehouse door, and those who didn't know what was going on or were confused stared in astonishment when they saw several warehouses filled to the brim with cattle and sheep. They had no idea that Li Long had been collecting this beef and mutton for over a month.

"There are over thirty tons, almost forty tons, of mutton and over forty tons of beef here. Let's weigh and load the first batch onto the trucks," Li Long said. "The cattle and sheep were slaughtered no more than a month ago, so they're still quite fresh."

Some people were convinced. The notice only came today, but Li Long already had supplies in reserve, which meant that the money should be earned by him.

Some people were unconvinced, believing that Li Long must have received advance notice. But couldn't they understand? Even if Li Long did receive prior notice, he had the ability to do so; why couldn't he receive the actual information?
Moreover, Li Long's accidental discovery this time was due to a sliver of goodwill; he didn't actually have prior knowledge of the situation.

The first shipment of 30 tons of mutton and 40 tons of beef was loaded onto trucks by the afternoon. Li Xiangqian didn't let the mutton and beef stop in the county; he took two section chiefs, armed with guns, and escorted the convoy to the prefecture.

The workers who were packing the beef and mutton were all very happy. Although they wouldn't earn much money from this task, being the first to complete it gave them a sense of collective honor.

Section Chief Zhang joked with Zhou Yuan: "Old Zhou, don't rush to wash your hands. Thirty years ago, your hands were so oily you could have cooked a dish and made a soup."

“I’m not as stingy as you,” Zhou Yuan said as she took the soap from Liang Shuangcheng and washed her hands. “Back then, I didn’t use any oil when stir-frying or making soup; I just boiled it in water. By the time I had oil, I had already come to northern Xinjiang. I was very generous with oil back then; this little bit of oil wasn’t even enough to fry a slice of bread.”

“Hey, you’ve come early. I’ve only been here for less than ten years, and I’m only just now enjoying this good life.” Section Chief Zhang sighed. “Before I came, like many others, I thought this place was a harsh and cold place with nothing to offer.”

"To be honest, the prosperity here can't compare to that in Kou," Old Zheng chimed in. "But we're used to living here. If we were to go live in Kou, we might not be as good as we are here."

The others nodded in agreement, saying that made sense. Although life in Beijing was tough and the city environment wasn't as pleasant as they had imagined, the smaller population and relatively abundant resources meant that the standard of living was actually higher.

"Alright, alright, everyone's worked hard. The director told me before he left that he wanted to take everyone out for some noodles as a work meal." Zhou Yuan called out, leading the supply and marketing cooperative's staff and cadres away from the purchasing station.

The purchasing station was still in operation, but there weren't many middlemen selling beef and mutton there in the afternoon, which made Gu Boyuan a little dissatisfied.

He used to worry that he bought too much meat and couldn't sell it all, but now he complains that there aren't enough people selling meat here. It's such a dilemma.

Director Qian saw Li Xiangqian just before he was about to leave work, and he was quite surprised. Although Li Xiangqian had previously reported to him that Li Long wanted to buy up the discarded beef and mutton, he had put the matter aside after hearing it.

Seeing the long convoy of cars escorting Xiang Qian arrive here, he immediately recalled his earlier memories.

"Xiangqian, Li Long is also your lucky charm. After assigning tasks this morning, several county directors called me, complaining that the task was too rushed and that I was under too much pressure. Look how convenient you are, they have already prepared the meat for you, you just need to load it onto the truck and that's it."

"Hehe," Li Xiangqian chuckled smugly, "Director, then you'll take on these tasks, right?"

"What are you waiting for? Bring your people and use your car. We'll take this meat directly to the Wucheng train station." Director Qian didn't go home either. "There are rented warehouses at the train station. We'll unload the meat there, and they can get a railcar and transport it directly to Yanjing today."

Let's show the people in Yanjing how efficient we are here, and how enthusiastic the people from the borderlands are in supporting the capital!

"Alright, alright, let's work overtime then," Li Xiangqian said with a smile. "I can already imagine the expressions on those people's faces."

The next day, Li Xiangqian called Li Long and asked him to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to settle the account.

When Li Long arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, the cadres and employees he encountered greeted him with rather complicated expressions.

When Li Long arrived at Li Xiangqian's office, Li Xiangqian pointed to the sofa and asked him to sit down.

"Although we didn't deliver enough meat this time, we'll settle the bill for you in full today. That means we'll give you all the payment for the fifty tons of beef and fifty tons of mutton," Li Xiangqian said.
"The payment was supposed to be made on the spot yesterday. The state credit union didn't expect us to receive the payment so quickly. The funds were only transferred this morning."

"I'm not in a hurry, let's just follow the rules," Li Long said with a smile. Anyway, the rotten meat was definitely still in the pot, and it couldn't escape.

"You don't need to refuse. You have no idea. Last night, when we brought the meat to Wucheng Railway Station and handed it over to the people from the Autonomous Region's General Cooperative, the woman's eyes were shining with disbelief. They never expected that we would be able to deliver the meat on the same day we received the notice."

To be honest, our county supply and marketing cooperative really made a name for itself this time.

This was Li Xiangqian's moment of glory, while Li Long quietly listened.

Li Xiangqian then said with emotion:

"To be honest, I was under some pressure when I assigned those tasks to you before, but this time all that pressure is gone."

Regardless, you helped our team complete this task…

"Not yet, not yet. I'll try to get the rest done within a week."

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news." Li Xiangqian was also waiting for Li Long to say this. After all, the beginning was excellent, and if the ending wasn't handled well, it would be a huge embarrassment.

Fifty tons of beef and fifty tons of mutton, based on Li Long's average purchase price, would yield a profit of approximately 85,000 yuan.

This was a windfall. After settling the accounts, Li Long went to the purchasing station to leave Gu Boyuan some more cash, while also keeping an eye on the day's acquisition progress.

"We should be able to collect about seventy or eighty sheep this morning," Gu Boyuan said. "We might collect a little more this afternoon. That means we should be able to get about three or four tons of mutton today. As for beef, it's uncertain. We haven't used up our stock yet. If all else fails and time is tight, you can deal with the cattle and sheep in Lao Ma's place."

Li Long had the same plan. Anyway, the fattened cattle and sheep in Lao Ma's shop were almost ready for slaughter. If they didn't get much in the next day or two, he planned to go into the mountains and call Halimu and the others over to start the winter slaughter.

Li Long returned to the courtyard with the remaining money. Just as he put the money away, he heard a knock on the door.

He led Mingming and Haohao to open the door. Two out-of-towners stood at the door, wearing woolen coats and looking shrewd.

"Comrade Li Long, right? Hello, hello!" The man in front took off his gloves, smiled, and extended his hand. "My name is Guo Hongkui, from Yanjing, and I am the general manager of Hongfu Trading Company."

"Hello." Li Long nodded and let them in. "You've come here because..."

“Since you asked, Comrade Li Long, I’ll get straight to the point,” Guo Hongkui said with a smile. “We heard you have a large quantity of beef and mutton here, and we’d like to buy some. Don’t worry, the price will definitely be high. I’ve already inquired about the market price here: mutton is two yuan and beef is two yuan and two jiao. How about I offer you mutton for two yuan and six jiao and beef for three yuan?”

"The price is good, certainly high enough," Li Long smiled. "It's a pity you're too late."

"What do you mean? You've already sold your beef and mutton?" Guo Hongkui asked in surprise. "We asked around as soon as we got here, and we found out that the beef and mutton slaughtered by the herders in the area were all being delivered to you."

“It was just sold yesterday, to our supply and marketing cooperative,” Li Long said. “Looks like your information network isn’t very good; a lot of people know about this.”

Guo Hongkui and his assistant left looking disappointed. He clearly hadn't expected to be so late, arriving just half a day too late.

The following day, Li Long received six groups of people who came to buy beef and mutton from him. The prices they offered for mutton ranged from 2.2 to 2.8 yuan, which was indeed high.

Li Long wasn't bothered at all. Putting aside the fact that the purchase was final, he felt it was worthwhile and justified to sell the beef and mutton to the supply and marketing cooperative even if it was sold at a discounted price, given how much he had benefited from it.

(End of this chapter)