Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1021 Giving and Receiving New Year's Gifts

Before the Lunar New Year, besides preparing for the holiday, Li Long had a few other things to do.

The main tasks are sending New Year's greetings and collecting payments.

Factory Director Du has called several times to urge Li Long to come to the factory when he has time and pick up his share of benefits—by the way, in Factory Director Du's eyes, Li Long is also considered a member of the factory.

The beef and mutton that Li Long supplied to the agricultural machinery factory were picked up by trucks sent by Factory Director Du to deliver snowplows back from Wucheng. Every now and then, Factory Director Du would call Li Long to report on the accounts, mentioning the shipment volume and order quantity during that period.

Although it's almost Chinese New Year and February is just around the corner, there's still a month left before it snows. However, unusually, it snowed lightly for the next few days, making snow removal difficult for some businesses. In the end, they ordered snow removal machines.

Therefore, the orders for agricultural machinery factories have been rising. According to Director Du's optimistic estimate, their agricultural machinery factories have almost exceeded their annual production targets this winter alone—their tax and profit targets are almost achieved.

This snowplow earns much more money than a combine harvester.

While the snow disaster caused huge losses to the herders, it was a huge opportunity for Li Long and the agricultural machinery factory.

Director Du's actions made Li Long feel that he had found a very good partner, at least in terms of finance, the other party was not trying to deceive him.

He also planned to visit Beiting to offer New Year's greetings and a gift to Director Qian. He didn't intend to give anything particularly valuable, just normal venison and deer antlers. Li Long hadn't hunted anything special in the mountains this year. After his close encounter with the Tiger King, Li Long felt that life was only once, and it was better to be cautious.

Hunting is a good thing, but you should always make thorough preparations before you want to hunt in the future.

He also reflected on why he almost got torn apart by the tiger king, mainly because he wasn't careful enough in the mountains. He went hunting many times, and each time he had the upper hand. Even the worst time, he still managed to kill the bear, though it wasn't seriously injured.

So they got carried away, became arrogant, and stopped caring.

I didn't expect to encounter someone even more formidable; this is a lesson learned.

Li Long specifically chose Sunday to go to Beiting. He had called Director Qian beforehand and arranged to go in the morning. Director Qian, Sister Guan, and the children who had returned were all home. Li Long presented the gifts he had brought, and Director Qian and Sister Guan both invited him to stay for dinner.

Among the gifts was a bottle of tiger bone wine, which was the highlight.

Li Long declined, saying:
"I'm making this trip before the New Year, and I still need to go to Wucheng to visit some professors at the August 1st Agricultural College... I won't have a meal with you, but I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year in advance."

"You're so busy even during the Spring Festival, you can only come twice a year." Sister Guan complained a little. "You have a car, so you should come more often in the future." As she spoke, she took out a box of apples from the storage room. "Since you have something to do, I won't keep you. Take this box of apples back and eat them. They are genuine Yili apples, and they are well packaged. Keep them in your car so they don't freeze."

Li Long thanked Sister Guan, chatted for a few more minutes, and then left with the apple.

He then went to Director Wei's house and brought some fairly normal gifts, all local specialties—a deer penis, two packaged ginseng roots, and two bottles of Baiyang Tequ liquor.

When Director Wei saw the deer antler whip, his lips twitched. After all, he had worked in Ma County and knew that this stuff was a good thing, so he accepted it with a smile.

The return gift for Li Long was two bottles of Wuliangye liquor. According to Director Wei, he had quite a lot of liquor, all gifts from his subordinates. He couldn't drink that much himself, and many were kept in the basement. Li Long was one of his own, so he took some back to drink.

At that time, Wuliangye was not particularly famous, but it was still bigger than many liquor brands in Xinjiang. Li Long felt that Lao Wei really needed deer antler velvet.

Old Wei also invited Li Long to stay for dinner, but Li Long gave the same explanation and then left.

Wucheng has undergone new changes. Some places have seen new buildings, some courtyards have been renovated, and some roads have been widened.

Shopping malls, shops, and clothing stores have sprung up in bustling areas. Even though it's the dead of winter and the daytime temperature is nearly minus 30 degrees Celsius, there's still a lot of foot traffic in places like Tianbai Department Store.

Li Long first went to Professor Wu's house and left the things he had brought for Professor Luo there.

"Are you planning to plant watermelons again this year?" Professor Wu asked with a smile.

"I'm not going to farm anymore," Li Long said truthfully. "The land is all with my brother, and I've been busy with the purchasing station all year..."

Li Long reported his work over the past year to Professor Wu, just like a student.

Professor Wu listened with a smile, and only asked in surprise after Li Long finished speaking:

"You mean you invented that snow removal machine? That's really impressive! Many units in Wucheng are using it, and it's very efficient. I've been wondering how it was made—Li Long, you're truly amazing!"

"Not at all," Li Long said. "I just like to tinker around when I'm free." He didn't dare to say more, afraid of giving himself away, since he had essentially copied someone else's idea, which wasn't easy to explain.

Professor Wu didn't dwell too much on this topic. He mainly asked about the development of rural agriculture in the past year, the needs and thoughts of farmers, and Li Long's thoughts.

The main point is to hear Li Long's thoughts.

Li Long's idea was mechanization.

“Northern Xinjiang is vast and sparsely populated, so large-scale mechanization is essential.” Professor Wu agreed with Li Long’s idea, “However, this process may take quite a long time.”

“I don’t think it will take too long,” Li Long subconsciously retorted. “After the market economy takes effect, many things are no longer controlled by planning. To put it bluntly, as long as there is money to be made, within the legal framework, people’s enthusiasm and creativity will be greatly enhanced. I think many people will see the prospects of mechanization, and private capital will also join in, so the process will accelerate in the future…”

Li Long didn't have much time to chat with Professor Wu because she had to go out. So he left with a bag of snacks that the professor had brought back and some local specialties from her hometown.

They went to the South Railway Station Square again, where Li Long parked his car and ate some mixed noodles. After finishing his meal, he went to find Yu Sufu.

Yu Sufu wasn't there; his son was watching the stall. The young man clearly didn't recognize Li Long, so Li Long simply bought some dried fruits like red dates and raisins and left.

These things, if left for thirty or forty years, will likely be found in every household in northern Xinjiang, but they will be consumed in small quantities.

But nowadays, it's a prized possession. If a child has a handful of raisins, they instantly become the coolest kid in the group. They eat and share raisins very carefully, and they count them one by one.

Li Long bought these things to bring back some to his second brother's and sister's homes.

He suddenly felt that he wasn't a younger brother at all, but rather like an older brother taking care of each of his brothers and sisters.

Well, who told me to earn more money and that I'd get a second chance at life?
After putting the groceries in his car, Li Long glanced back as he was about to leave and saw Yu Sufu rushing over, carrying an aluminum lunchbox and heading towards his stall.

Clearly, they went home to get their food. Although there are restaurants in the square, they are not cheap, so it's cheaper to eat at home.

Li Long sighed, feeling a mix of emotions, but also a sense of relief, because he had just seen some newly displayed jade stones on Yu Sufu's stall. Although there weren't many and the pieces weren't large, at least it was a start.

I believe his business will only get better and better.

Li Long drove to the jade carving factory again. It was the weekend, and he didn't know if Liu Gong would be open, but since he was already in Wucheng, he figured he might as well come over.

To Li Long's surprise, the shop by the side entrance was open. It was just that there weren't many people there.

Li Long parked the jeep, took a bottle of wine from the car, and walked over with it.

Mr. Liu was arguing with his wife inside the house.

"I told you, how could there be anyone here if we're open on Sunday? Everyone would just think we're closed for the day."

"I was just thinking of adjusting the schedule so I could stay home an extra day for the New Year," Liu explained, his voice tinged with grievance. "Who knew no one would come? But don't worry, it's only noon, maybe someone will come by the afternoon..."

Li Long walked over with a smile and said:
"Mr. Liu, Auntie, I wish you a Happy New Year in advance!"

"Look, look, here comes Xiao Li!" Seeing Li Long approach, Engineer Liu's face immediately lit up with a happy smile. "I told you I was right. If we hadn't opened today, wouldn't Xiao Li have made a wasted trip?"

Liu's wife also had a good impression of Li Long; she said with a smile:
"You really guessed right... Little Li, come in, come in. Come in and sit down, I'll pour you some tea."

Li Long carried the wine inside and handed it to Engineer Liu, saying, "Engineer Liu, this is tiger bone wine for you. It's very good for older people. Please enjoy it." "Oh! Tiger bone wine! That's a rare treat!" Engineer Liu's wife, carrying tea, immediately exclaimed upon hearing Li Long's words, "Young Li, this is far too precious..."

"No, no, no, it's not valuable," Li Long said with a smile. "My friend has tiger bones at home. Years ago, there were tigers in the Tianshan Mountains, and these were left behind by someone. I took some after soaking them in wine. We're good friends, so you can keep them and drink them."

Liu Gong has been very good to Li Long. Over the years, Li Long has obtained a lot of good jade from him, and he has to thank him.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony." Engineer Liu didn't say much more. "Are your family members all well?"

"Okay, okay." Li Long smiled. "My parents are in good health, and my kids are doing well too."

"That's good. Nothing is better than good health," Liu sighed.

As he spoke, he opened a drawer and said, "I guessed you might come over before the New Year, so I prepared some finished carvings and some nice materials. Take what you like."

Li Long is a big customer here and never haggles. Engineer Liu also feels that without Li Long, his shop might not be able to survive, so he is generous to Li Long, letting him take whatever good stuff he wants.

Li Long didn't stand on ceremony and took all six jade pieces of varying sizes that Liu Gong had carved, from large hand-held pieces to small rings. He also took several pieces of material that looked particularly beautiful.

Although these materials were not large, they were all of high quality. There were two pieces of mutton fat jade, and to Li Long's surprise, there were also two pieces of jadeite—the kind that were very green and very translucent.

Although Li Long doesn't know much about jade, he can still tell whether it's dry or wet.

“This jadeite material just came into the factory,” Engineer Liu explained. “Our factory isn’t very good at carving jadeite. A few of us older folks can still manage, but the apprentices aren’t quite there yet, so they gave me two pieces of this material. I also have two semi-finished pieces, which I’ll save for you once they’re carved.”

"Why did the factory suddenly decide to carve jade?"

“The customers need it,” said Engineer Liu. “Actually, I think we should just stick to carving Hetian jade well, but the new leader doesn’t say that. He says we need to keep up with the times and that the current trend of jadeite has emerged. If we can keep up with this trend, the future development will be better.”

Li Long thought to himself that this was actually a good deal for him. It seemed that the price of this thing would only rise for the next forty years.

Even the kind that's dried out and turned green, which can now only be called brick material, is expensive.

But at that time, nobody wanted those things. You'd be lucky if they could be used as table cushions in the production area.
At this time, it is still very easy to obtain such high-quality materials.

Li Long laid out all the materials and jade pieces and asked Liu Gong to calculate the price. Liu Gong told Li Long to give a round number, one thousand yuan would be fine.

“Actually, everything else is fine, I’ll just give it to you at cost price,” Mr. Liu explained. “It’s just these two pieces of jadeite that are of higher quality, so they were more expensive when I bought them, and I can’t lower the price for them…”

Li Long hurriedly said, "The price should be what it is. Even close brothers keep clear accounts. Engineer Liu, you can't wrong yourself, otherwise I won't dare to buy anything from you again."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Mr. Liu said with a smile. "I remember you've been coming to buy my stuff. I'll keep the good stuff for you from now on, as long as you come."

"Of course I'll come. I'll come every few months. These kinds of good things will only become rarer and more expensive..."

The two pieces of jadeite weren't very large, and the prices of the other jade stones were predictable; the total wouldn't exceed six hundred.

Therefore, the price of jadeite is easy to calculate—it's not cheap!
After all, this was early 1987. According to what I had heard before, shouldn't jade be very cheap at this time?

There's only one possibility: the jadeite material is exceptionally good, so good that it can only be sold at a high price.

Well, you could say I struck gold.

He would hide it when he got home, and after more than 20 years, he would take it out and sell it for money.

That's what Li Long thought.

After leaving Engineer Liu's place, Li Long had basically finished his business. He then went to the department store and bought some things, mainly for the Chinese New Year, such as firecrackers and food, before heading home.

The next day he went to the agricultural machinery factory.

As we passed through the no-man's-land, we discovered that it had become a populated area. Many people were waiting at intervals, leading horse-drawn carriages, riding bicycles, or even driving tractors.

Li Long quickly realized that these people were waiting for the yellow sheep!
The price of sheepskin at the purchasing station is relatively high, so these people are here to make back the money they earned during the Chinese New Year, right?
When he arrived at the agricultural machinery factory, Director Du was on the phone, and there were people waiting at the door.

Several people, like Li Long, were waiting in the conference room to see Director Du. Li Long guessed that these people were probably there to pick up goods or place orders.

He figured if Lao Du was too busy, he would just disappear, collect the money and benefits, and go straight home.

But soon a staff member came over and said directly to Li Long:

"Engineer Li, please, the factory manager would like to see you."

Li Long was somewhat surprised, but he immediately stood up.

"Why should we? We've been waiting for so long!" someone immediately protested.

"That's right, I've been waiting for over forty minutes!" As soon as someone mentioned it, the others immediately chimed in.

"Just because he's Engineer Li, just because he's the designer of the snow removal machine, does that count?" the staff member explained, the implication being, "You think you're worthy?"

Upon hearing that Li Long was the designer of the snow removal machine, the expressions on these people's faces changed.

Why did they come all this way and wait so long? Isn't it just so they can buy the snowplow?

After all, they weren't from Wucheng, but from Ita'a, where the snow hadn't melted until March or April.

Two more months! There was a big rainstorm just two days ago!
The snowplow is extremely important to them. If they offend the designer now, wouldn't that completely ruin the purpose of their trip?
The two immediately fell silent, and the others looked at Li Long with curiosity.

Li Long smiled and followed the staff to Director Du's office.

"Old Du, you're doing well now, you're getting all the treatment of a big leader. You'd have to wait in line to see you," Li Long joked as he entered the office.

"No, it's all because of this snowplow. People come every day, talking about cooperation. I'm so annoyed." Factory Director Du looked worried.

"Keep pretending. I bet you're secretly thrilled." Li Long didn't believe he was annoyed. Other factory managers would be overjoyed about something like this.

"Haha, only you dare to say that." Director Du laughed. "Actually, I really just want to go to the workshop in peace and quiet to study how to improve the machines. That's much better than listening to these people talk about cooperation."

“You’re neither an engineer nor a worker; you have to think about the factory’s future,” Li Long said. “That’s what you should be doing. What you’re talking about is just neglecting your duties.”

"Hey, you're lecturing me now." Director Du pretended to be angry. "What, you don't want your benefits anymore? Hahahaha, alright, alright, let's stop joking. You've come at the right time. Most of our accounts have been settled before the New Year. Go to the finance department later, collect your share, and put it in the accounts. Many people are envious."

Oh, and your benefits too. You're now part of our agricultural machinery factory, so you won't be left out of this year's perks. Also, judging by the current trend, our snowplows should sell even more during the Spring Festival. Although orders will decrease after the holiday, some companies want to buy them and store them for the winter.

Although the amount won't be large, it adds up. Come again in early March, and we'll settle all the accounts from the first half of the year. How about that?

"Sure." Li Long was naturally happy to do this lucrative business.

After chatting with Director Du for a while, Li Long knew he was busy, so he didn't stay any longer.

He then realized that the benefits at the agricultural machinery factory were really good!

(End of this chapter)