Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1023 Local Specialties That Go Around
When Zhao Zongming saw Li Long come down, he smiled broadly, but his tone carried a hint of reproach as he said:
"Comrade Li Long, this is not right of you! You've come all this way, but you don't even come to our company for a visit. You should at least let us show some hospitality."

Li Long smiled and said:

"Mainly because Company Commander Wang said there were several hundred hides over there, so I came here to collect them..."

“Our company has some too,” Zhao Zongming said hurriedly. “We have two or three hundred sheep pelts. There are more sheep running around this year, and we’ve hunted some too. Do you want some?”

"Yes, I'll definitely buy it," Li Long said. "The price of winter skin is decent. But I won't be going this time; I might not have enough money..."

"We'll talk about money later! Come on, let's go to the company first. Oh, by the way, this is something our company brought for you. It's almost New Year's, so we don't have anything fancy here, just local specialties..."

Everything's hard and tough, all meat. Sheep, venison, mutton, pork, rabbit, chicken… wow, it's like a meat convention.

After loading the large and small packages onto the vehicle, Zhao Zongming and his men boarded their tractor and led the way towards the 13th Company.

The situation was slightly worse in the 13th Company. The snow inside the company was cleared quite well in all the alleys, but it was more casual outside. There were tire tracks, and as long as you could drive and there wasn't much resistance, it was fine.

When they arrived at the team headquarters, Zhao Zongming was still talking about the snowplow. He lamented the same thing as Wang Mingjun: the company was far from the regimental headquarters, so it was like being an unwanted stepchild. There was only one snowplow, and once the regimental headquarters used it, it was taken away by nearby companies. They never got a chance to use it.

Everything is the same: the closer you are, the more familiar you become with the leader, the more opportunities you will naturally have. When everyone has similar abilities and is facing the same promotion opportunity, the one who makes the deepest first impression on the leader will naturally be the most likely to be noticed.

Since it was the same whether he was herding one sheep or two, Li Long told Zhao Zongming everything he had discussed with Wang Mingjun.

"Really? You can really buy them? We contacted the factory, but they mainly do wholesale now. They won't take our small orders." Zhao Zongming was overjoyed. "Comrade Li Long, you've really helped us a lot this time!"

Then came the task of moving the hides.

The processing of the leather here was a bit more hasty—after all, Zhao Zongming, unlike Wang Mingjun and the others, had dealt with Li Long many times and knew the situation.

Therefore, when Li Long was collecting hides, he explained the precautions one by one. Zhao Zongming took it very seriously, as this was also a way to make money—after all, his three hundred hides brought in more than 20,000 yuan for the team!

Li Long only had a little over ten thousand yuan in his hand. He meant that he could pay for the remaining ten thousand yuan when Zhao Zongming and the others went to pick up the snowplow the next day.

The leather was loaded onto the truck, along with the gifts for Li Long. Li Long was invited inside for some hot tea before heading back. The road wasn't easy to travel, and the round trip was quite a distance; unloading the truck on the way back would be a hassle.

Zhao Zongming actually wanted to invite Li Long to stay for dinner, but Li Long definitely had to go back today, so he didn't press the matter further.

Li Long reiterated that he would most likely receive another large broom this year, and there would be plenty of time to deal with it.

“Then I’ll drive my tractor over there too,” Zhao Zongming said. “I’ll come find you first thing tomorrow morning, and we’ll go together to get that snowplow.”

“Okay, no problem.” Li Long smiled and got into the car.

"Comrade Li Long, you're quite popular around here," the driver said as he drove. "These two companies are vying to treat you to a meal."

"Haha, the Corps is the big brother here, so warm and welcoming." Li Long smiled, not going into too much detail.

By the time the car returned to the compound in Ma County, the sun was almost setting. Li Long went to call Sun Jiaqiang to help unload the truck. They couldn't unload all those hides at the purchasing station right now, since there was no one there, so they simply stored them in the side room of the compound.

Fortunately, there were quite a few rooms in the courtyard, so we just put them in wherever we wanted.

After unloading the truck, Li Long gave the driver a few rabbits and then told him to go back and report.

On Sun Jiaqiang's side, Li Long not only gave him a rabbit, but also two pheasants, saying that he would stew them for the New Year.

Wild game is just something to try. Although I used to be able to eat rabbits and pheasants in the mountains, after working in the county for two years, I can't eat wild game anymore, and I kind of miss it.

Sun Jiaqiang went back happily, while Li Long put away the things he had brought back again. He put the wine in the cellar and took the meat to the storage room. He planned to take some of them to Li Xiangqian the next day.

Li Long had always worked well with Li Xiangqian, and he felt that with the New Year approaching, he should at least give the director a proper thank you.

After cleaning up, Li Long felt unclean, smelling strongly of mutton. Even Mingming and Haohao covered their noses and refused to be around him.

Li Long smiled wryly, first fetching water to boil in the house, then going to the inner room to find some clothes to change into.

It's been a while since I've personally collected leather like this. Sometimes I miss the smell—it really doesn't smell good, but the money I made after reselling it was a real bargain!

The more than 1,000 hides that were brought back today will bring Li Long at least 20,000 yuan in income, enough to buy another nice courtyard house in Yanjing.

Is it worth it? Of course it is.

After heating the water, he scooped it out and poured it into a basin, then took off his clothes and began to wash himself. Taking a full bath wasn't convenient right now, so he decided to just wipe himself down first.

After washing and changing her clothes, Gu Xiaoxia soaked the clothes she wore that day in a basin with laundry detergent. It was already dark, and Gu Xiaoxia had finished get off work.

During dinner, Li Long explained the situation, which touched Gu Xiaoxia quite a bit.

"The older brothers in the Corps have really had a tough time, and they've been so good to you."

"Yes, sincerity begets sincerity." Li Long was quite proud, having made quite a few sincere partners and true friends over the years.

He made a lot of money and made more and more friends. His win-win development attitude has really won everyone's approval.

After dinner, Li Long took out some more cash from the house, which he was going to give to Zhao Zongming the next day.

"Is there nothing else going on?" Gu Xiaoxia asked as she watched Li Long put the money away, after taking care of Mingming and Haohao until they fell asleep.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll take Company Commander Wang and Company Commander Zhao to buy a snowplow. After that, in the afternoon, we'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to deliver the New Year's gift to Director Li. After that, there's nothing else to do."

"Yes, yes, we also need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative; after all, you're still one of them." Gu Xiaoxia nodded repeatedly. "So, what are you planning to bring?"

"Director Li isn't in very good health, so bring some tiger bone wine, a deer penis, and some meat—the mutton or venison that Company Commander Wang brought will do," Li Long said. "And if there's anything else..."

He originally wanted to bring Li Xiangqian a piece of jade, but then thought better of it, since the other party might not even care about it.

When Li Xiangqian's son becomes successful in the future, he should give a piece of jade to the younger generation; that would be a good thing.

Anyway, I have plenty of good materials, so I can just pick one at random. Li Xiangqian shouldn't be lacking in these.

The next day, after breakfast, before Sister Yang had finished cleaning up the kitchen, she heard the sound of a tractor and knocking on the door.

Li Long went to open the door and saw Wang Mingjun and Zhao Zongming standing one after the other outside, with the tractor still running outside. He then said:

"Would you like to come inside and have some water?"

"No, no, if you're alright, let's go get the snowplow back right now, shall we?" Wang Mingjun said urgently.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Zhao Zongming agreed. “The sooner we bring it back, the sooner we can use it. It’s cloudy today, who knows, it might snow tomorrow…”

Alright, Li Long didn't press the matter any further. He went inside and told Sister Yang to have Han Fang take good care of Mingming and Haohao. He then started the jeep, retrieved the money he had prepared the day before, and gave it to Zhao Zongming.

After Zhao Zongming roughly counted them, he carefully put them away.

“I’ll go to the Shicheng Tractor Factory first. You two know where it is, right?” Li Long asked.

"I know, I know," Wang Mingjun said with a smile. "I even went to see a high-horsepower wheeled tractor last year."

“Okay, then you can go over there later. By the time you get there, I should have everything sorted out here, and you can take the snowplow back directly,” Li Long said. “The road is quite long; it will take several hours just to get back from here.”

“Who says otherwise?” Zhao Zongming said.

The jeep sped away and quickly disappeared from sight. As Zhao Zongming got in, Wang Mingjun suddenly asked:

"Old Zhao, what kind of money is that? Did you sell things to Comrade Li Long?"

"It's not like you didn't sell any. We don't sell as many hides as you guys, but next year will be different. When winter comes, I'll organize a sheep-hunting team to get more hides and give the workers a good welfare. Your team has good benefits this year, and the workers here are all envious."

“Hehehe,” Wang Mingjun said smugly, “That’s right! Don’t you know who I am…” “Alright, alright, it’s only because Old Li was the quartermaster in your company that you have this opportunity. Let’s go, Comrade Li Long’s jeep is fast, don’t keep him waiting.”

The tractors sputtered and chugged westward one after another.

Li Long drove his Jeep to the Shicheng Tractor Factory, where the temporary sales point set up by the Kuitun Agricultural Machinery Factory was still quite crowded.

Li Long cut in line again to find a staff member. The staff member, knowing Li Long wanted to buy two snowplows, said:
"We can still get two units, but we really can't handle any more than that."

"Yes, just two. Thank you for your help," Li Long said. "He's an old friend, so I have no choice."

"I understand, I understand." The staff member smiled and said, "Perfect, this is a good excuse for me to call the factory and order some more goods. Comrade Li Long, you don't mind if I use your name, do you?"

"No, no," Li Long said with a smile. "Just tell Lao Du that I got in through connections. He'll understand and won't make things difficult for you. By the way, when the people arrive later, you'll need to train them a bit. My two friends of mine have never used this before."

"That's for sure. Training is part of our job, so it's not a hassle."

Look, isn't this wonderful?

When Wang Mingjun and Zhao Zongming arrived at the Shicheng Tractor Factory, Li Long had already completed the formalities and was just waiting for them to pay.

Li Long could give them the snowplow, but it's a bit difficult to say directly; it's more appropriate for them to buy it themselves.

Let's keep things separate.

The two men mounted the snowplow on the tractor, received a brief training from the staff, and then excitedly drove off, saying goodbye to Li Long.

With this considered a successful mission accomplished, Li Long drove his jeep back to Ma County feeling completely at ease.

He had originally planned to use the remaining time in the morning to prepare his things and go to the supply and marketing cooperative in the afternoon, but when he arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he saw a tractor parked outside and two people smoking, obviously waiting for someone—presumably him.

Li Long recognized them from afar; they were Meng Hai and He Yuqing.

"Old Meng, Captain He, why aren't you going in?" Li Long's jeep pulled up, and he got out. "Why are you freezing here?"

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. You weren't here, so it wouldn't be convenient for two grown men to go in," He Yuqing explained. "Actually, we just got here too."

The footprints on the ground and several cigarette butts indicated that this didn't look like someone who had just arrived.

"Come on, come on in." Li Long called out. Just then, Han Fang, hearing Li Long's voice, came over and opened the door. She whispered an explanation, "I told my mom to let the two uncles in, but they won't come in..."

“Yes, yes, the child and that lady both said they were sorry,” Meng Hai said.

Okay, they're all very polite and follow the rules quite well.

Li Long drove his jeep into the yard, followed by Meng Hai and He Yuqing, who were carrying large and small bags.

It was the coldest time of the year, and Li Long quickly ushered the two people inside and poured them hot tea.

“Don’t be so polite when you come here next time,” Li Long said. “If it gets any colder, you might get frostbite.”

"No, no, no," Meng Hai chuckled. "Back when we were working outside, it was much colder than this..."

Well, they're both putting on a brave face.

“It’s almost Chinese New Year,” He Yuqing immediately changed the subject. “We thought you would definitely be spending the New Year with your uncles and aunts, so we came early to wish you a Happy New Year on behalf of the village.”

"How inappropriate..." Li Long thought to himself, "I'm so much younger than you all."

"What's inappropriate about it? Everyone in our village thinks it's appropriate," Meng Hai said solemnly. "I won't even mention how many favors our village has received from you. We all know you're a good person. Besides, we didn't bring anything fancy, just local specialties..."

Li Long has heard the term "local specialty" so many times these past few days that he's almost immune to it.

"These are local specialties: a gazelle, a red deer, a gazelle or something? And a small wild boar," He Yuqing said. "Recently, too many wild animals have been running into the mountains from the north. The snow is too thick, and they can't find anything to eat if they don't go into the mountains. The village hunts a lot of them, so you can eat these without worry. There will be more if you need more."

"There are also roosters and eggs, and some river fish. The fish were caught this morning, peeled and ready, they're very fresh."

Hey, this is good stuff! Li Long really likes it!

Meng Hai and He Yuqing weren't just there to pay New Year's visits; they also wanted to buy some New Year's goods in the county. So Li Long invited them to stay for dinner, but the two insisted they had to hurry and buy the goods, worried they wouldn't be able to find them if they were late.

Ultimately, he couldn't stay, which left Li Long quite disappointed.

To his surprise, the antelope's horns were still there—meaning that Meng Hai and the others actually knew that these things were good and had specially left them for Li Long.

Looking at all those "local specialties," Sister Yang was a little worried: "The snow will melt in a month, how can we possibly eat them all?"

"It's alright, we can share what we can't finish," Li Long said with a smile. "With you guys, Sun Jiaqiang, and so many other relatives, how could we possibly not finish?"

Hearing Li Long say that, Sister Yang felt relieved.

I painstakingly categorized these "local specialties" again, and some were simply loaded into the jeep and sent away that afternoon.

I also packed another bottle of tiger bone wine and carried it in the car like loose liquor, intending to give it to Li Xiangqian later.

There was also a dried deer penis. The deer herders had collected several in the past two days, and Li Long had actually gotten a few deer penises from Old Chen as well. Old Chen assumed Li Long was using them himself, but Li Long simply said they were gifts, and Old Chen immediately understood.

Some people accept this, some don't; it all depends on the individual.

Besides wine, whips, and meat, there's nothing else to bring this afternoon; they're all local specialties.

Li Xiangqian doesn't actually lack anything; it's just a token gesture, and it can be considered as catering to his preferences.

After pouring the tiger bone wine in this way, one jar was almost empty, so Li Long simply poured in the bulk homemade wine he got from Wang Mingjun.

This liquor must be close to 60 degrees, made from pure grains, and is best used for infusing.

After lunch, Li Long accompanied Mingming and Haohao through their half-asleep nap, then handed them over to Sister Yang and drove his jeep to the supply and marketing cooperative.

When the new gatekeeper saw the jeep arrive, he immediately ran out of the gatehouse, opened the gate which was half-closed by the wind, and watched with a smile as the jeep drove in.

Li Long thought to himself, "This person should know my car. Could he be seeing things and mistaking me for some leader?"

Shouldn't it?

After he got out of the car, carrying the bag, everyone who saw him greeted him with a smile. In the past, some people, who were used to being arrogant and would only respond indifferently even when Li Long took the initiative to greet them, were unusually enthusiastic and proactive today.

Zhou Yuan wasn't there, and the office door was locked, so Li Long went directly to Li Xiangqian's office.

Li Long asked the question, and Li Xiangqian pointed to the teacup, telling him to pour it himself, and then explained:

"The year-end summary is over, and the prefecture has issued a notice that our county and commune ranked first in the year-end assessment, and the prefecture has specially approved a sum of money as a reward. The document also specifically pointed out that we ranked first in the assessment, and two things were particularly noteworthy: one was the beef and mutton at the end of the year, and the other was the large brooms made in autumn."

The beef and mutton were sent to Yanjing; ours was the fastest batch, directly relieving their urgent need. The head office in Yanjing specifically praised the prefectural branch, you can imagine. As for the brooms, half of them were sent to the region, where they've already established a good reputation and can directly compete with their bamboo brooms—understand?

Li Long then realized that he had made a great contribution, and everyone had benefited from his efforts and received bonuses. If they still had a sour face, they would really be inhuman.

Perhaps in forty years, but right now, there's really no one that shameless.

Li Long immediately smiled and said:
"Am I entitled to a share of that bonus?"

"Yes, you're in a league of your own. Also, take your New Year's bonus so people won't keep saying we're treating our meritorious employees badly!"

"Hey, I love hearing that!"

(End of this chapter)