Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1025 A person's heart cannot always be reciprocated; even kinship varies in its depth.
In Li Jianguo's east room, Du Chunfang leaned against the fireplace and muttered:

"They all came empty-handed, but left with bags and packages. They really have the nerve to do that..."

Li Qingxia said nonchalantly:
"Didn't the second brother bring you sesame cakes? Oh right, and Xia brought peanuts and vermicelli... You saw them too."

"Which one of these can I eat?" The question only made Du Chunfang angrier. "Don't they know my teeth are bad? How can I chew anything? Can't they buy me some steamed egg cakes like Xiaolong did?"

"Well...maybe they forgot." Li Qingxia didn't know how to explain. How should she put it? When the Li Anguo and Chen Xingbang families came over for the New Year, they came with smiles on their faces. They didn't bring much when they came, but they did come back with lots and lots of bags.

"What? Now that we've become city dwellers and are eating government-subsidized grain, we're all rich and powerful?" Du Chunfang was full of resentment, but she couldn't vent it on the spot during the New Year, so she could only talk to her husband in the house, "Xiaolong bought so many things for the children; the eldest son's family, Juan's mother made clothes for the children."

And what about them? Is this how they act as elders? Even if Juan and Qiangqiang are no longer needed, what about Mingming and Haohao? Such young children, and they didn't even bring anything… Have they forgotten how they became city people?”

This was the first time Li Qingxia had ever seen her husband lose his temper like this.

During the Lunar New Year holidays, we had a lot of fun with all our relatives. So why is my husband unhappy now that they've left?

"How could I lose my temper in front of them?" Du Chunfang had her own reasons. "I don't care how those two ingrates are doing, but I can't let the eldest brother and Xiaolong's families have an unhappy New Year, can I? Later I told Xiaolong that next time we come, we can't buy them so many things anymore, it's just feeding the dogs!"

"You can't say that!" Li Qingxia exclaimed, taking it seriously. "Those are all our children, how can you insult yourselves like that?"

Du Chunfang thought about it and agreed, then changed her mind and said:

"I'll take it, I'll take it!"

She got angrier and angrier the more she thought about it.

As a man, Li Qingxia actually has a very open-minded view on this matter. He said:
"Don't worry about this. Look how well Xiaolong is doing. He earns more in a year than the second brother and Xia's family do in decades. The eldest brother's family is doing well too. They cultivate a lot of land and drive a tractor. How many people from the team have come to them for help?"
The eldest and youngest sons are doing well, so the second son and Xia's family are probably feeling resentful. We live here, so naturally we're on the side of favor, and we don't know if those two families are having any difficulties. We can't help them, so let's not think too much about it…”

It would be a lie to say I can't help, but there's nothing I can do. Li Qingxia has money, but most of it was earned alongside Li Long and Li Jianguo.

If the Li Anguo and Chen Xingbang families were to go through a difficult time, his father would definitely have to help them.

Not only did he help, but he also wanted his two sons to help.

But now that both the second son and the daughter's families are receiving government-subsidized grain rations, their lives are already considered above average nationwide, and they don't need any more help.

It's just that he can't compare to the eldest and youngest brothers, so there's no reason for him to give them the money he has, nor will he.

What's the point of giving them money? Using the money from the eldest and youngest families to subsidize those two families? Those two are still living at the eldest's house!
That doesn't make sense.

So he could understand Du Chunfang's complaints, but as a father, he could also understand the feelings of his second son and daughter's family. He could only go with the flow; it wasn't a big problem, and he shouldn't take it to heart.

Du Chunfang only complained to her husband; she understood the bigger picture, and saying it in public would make her a laughing stock. Besides, she knew that neither the eldest nor the youngest family cared about these things.

In the eldest brother's eyes, he is the eldest and should take care of his younger siblings. Whether his younger siblings will repay him or not is not within his consideration.

As for Li Long, Du Chunfang felt that he was also like a leader, a leader in another sense. He was capable and could help and guide all his older brothers and sisters, but he was very clear about who was closer to him and who was closer to him, but he just didn't show it.

She was just indignant on Mingming and Haohao's behalf—they were clearly two adorable children, so why didn't those two families appreciate them? If they had used their brains a little, they would have treated Mingming and Haohao better in the future…

Forget it, some people just can't see far ahead.

In the west room, Gu Xiaoxia was helping Liang Yuemei pack up things for the New Year. Mingming and Haohao had already been taken out to play by Li Juan and Li Qiang.

“Yesterday we went to Juan’s maternal grandfather’s house, and her maternal grandfather and grandmother said they hadn’t seen Mingming and Haohao in a long time and were missing them,” Liang Yuemei said with a smile. “Her maternal grandfather said that a few years ago, Xiaolong came with us to visit for the New Year, and he even gave Xiaolong lucky money. Now they have children of their own. Time flies!”

"Huh?" Gu Xiaoxia genuinely didn't know. "His dad also received New Year's money?"

“I took it,” Liang Yuemei said with a smile. “He wasn’t very big then, only about ten years old, just a big kid. Juan’s grandfather said that he was just a child, not grown up yet, so he gave him New Year’s money… But it wasn’t much back then, just one or two yuan.”

Gu Xiaoxia genuinely didn't know that Li Long had such a past. She was very curious and continued to inquire.

Although the two families lived in the same village and grew up together after the age of twelve or thirteen, at that age both girls and boys already knew the difference between boys and girls and would not deliberately play together.

Liang Yuemei picked out some things to talk about and told them to Gu Xiaoxia, which made Gu Xiaoxia laugh out loud from time to time.

The elderly couple in the east room heard the commotion in the west room, exchanged a glance, and both smiled.

Look, these are the best sisters-in-law, they really are one family.

In the front yard, the interview was still ongoing, and Li Long spoke eloquently:

"The reason I designed and invented the snow removal machine was because the snow was too heavy this year. Our northern Xinjiang region is vast and sparsely populated, and this heavy snow has a great impact on everyone's work and life. I thought, if I could create a mechanical snow removal tool, that would be great. It would save a lot of manpower and resources, and the market would definitely need it."

"So, you designed it to make it easier for everyone to move around and save manpower and resources, right?" Jiang Zhiyu asked while taking notes.

"Of course, it's not just that." Li Long smiled. "I'm not that great. I saw that this invention design has a market. In other words, as long as it's convenient and efficient, it has potential and can make money."

Jiang Zhiyu frowned slightly. Li Long's words diminished the significance of inventing the snow removal machine.

Li Long immediately understood what Jiang Zhiyu was thinking. He sighed inwardly. This propaganda approach had been going on for decades and had become somewhat rigid, always trying to portray those exemplary figures as lofty and unreal, as if they were detached from worldly affairs.

Who doesn't know who? We're all human, we eat grains, who doesn't have flaws, who doesn't have selfish desires?

When reporting on these matters, be specific and stick to the facts, avoiding overly generalized interpretations. Acts of heroism should be treated as acts of heroism, without involving everyday incidents; donations should be treated as donations; avoid mentioning other events; inventions and creations should be discussed in terms of their benefits and advantages, without delving into grand theories.

Otherwise, it's easy to crash.

This was true decades ago, it is true now, and it will be true in twenty or thirty years.

Ugh.

Rigidity.

“Our general policy is to encourage some people to get rich first, and then let those who get rich help those who are still poor.” Li Long had to bring up this point. “I think there is a market for this, and it can fully tap the production capacity of the agricultural machinery factory.”

We've collaborated several times already, so there's a foundation of trust. I also believe in my inventions and designs; they'll give me a corresponding reward after the product becomes a hit.

Jiang Zhiyu's expression improved; clearly, Li Long's words had given her a suitable angle to write about this.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad. By the way, I heard that after you got the snowplow, you also took people to clear the roads leading into the mountains. Is that true?"

“Yes,” Li Long nodded and said, “My friends in the mountains haven’t come down for a while, and I was wondering if the heavy snow had blocked their way down the mountain.”

Although there aren't many herders in the mountains, I always felt that even if there's only one family, they should have the right to come down from the mountain. So I found some people and led them to clear the path into the mountains—”

“Your idea is really good. Now that the road is cleared, those herders should be very grateful to you, right?” Jiang Zhiyu asked again. “Yes, they are very happy because they know that I consider them true friends. Actually, we’ve promoted something similar before, haven’t we? I still remember the article, ‘For Sixty-One Class Brothers.’”

I followed in the footsteps of those predecessors, haha.

Li Long made a joke, but Jiang Zhiyu felt that this was another good perspective.

There aren't many news stories that can be written well in northern Xinjiang, but it's rare to find someone like Li Long who can provide a good idea for a story every now and then!
She was once again certain that she had made the right decision to come back.

The topic then returned to agricultural mechanization.

"Last year I heard that our corps imported high-horsepower wheeled tractors. The tractors are about the same size as 28-inch wheeled tractors, but the horsepower is much greater than that of 75-inch tracked tractors. They can do everything from plowing and sowing to leveling, harrowing and cutting the ground."

I think that the future development of mechanization in northern Xinjiang will be in this direction.

"Does that mean it's big?" Jiang Zhiyu asked. "But our tractor factory can't produce such a big tractor right now."

“It will be produced.” Li Long was very confident. “Believe me, it definitely will. Our country has never lagged behind others for too long in this regard…”

He added in his mind, "Except for that incompetent dynasty that treated Han Chinese like thieves."

"And what about you?" Jiang Zhiyu wanted to see what role Li Long could play on the path of mechanization.

"Me?" Li Long thought for a moment and said, "In the past two years, I have spent relatively little time in the countryside, but I think I occasionally work with some auxiliary agricultural equipment such as harvesters."

Because I can't design large tractors or similar things, but I sometimes let my imagination run wild and maybe one day I'll get a sudden inspiration and design something.

In general, I think that in the future, the development of large agricultural machinery will be simpler, while auxiliary machinery such as tillers and harvesters will have a brighter future.

The ultimate goal is to free farmers' hands from the land. After all, northern Xinjiang is vast. In a small team like ours, with each family owning dozens of acres, intensive farming is impossible. But to increase yield per acre and save labor, the only way is through fertilization and mechanization.

"So what are your plans?" Jiang Zhiyu's questions were getting more and more in-depth, which made Li Long a little suspicious. Was she trying to find out about him?
“Not yet,” Li Long shook his head. “But I have a direction. In the past two years, a lot of people have been growing watermelons. This side business can bring in money quickly, but harvesting watermelon seeds is quite troublesome. So, I was thinking about whether I could develop a watermelon seed harvesting machine, but I don’t have any clue yet, I only have one direction.”

“Yes, this is a very good direction.” Jiang Zhiyu was aware that many people had made money growing melon seeds in the past two years, so she thought Li Long’s idea was correct and feasible.

As for whether someone would release this information first after it's been revealed, Jiang Zhiyu didn't mention it. As for whether she has any such inclination, it's unknown.

Li Long guessed that it might exist, but he didn't care. He didn't know how to make such a machine either, so it would be a good thing if he could offer some ideas and help someone else figure it out.

This is at least a good thing for watermelon growers.

There's no need to mention more advanced machines now, because we lack the foundation for their invention and design. For example, in later generations, after harvesting wheat, Commein could also bundle the wheat straw into square bags, or there would be automatic harvesters that could harvest sunflowers and corn. Those things are not small-scale projects; ordinary people certainly couldn't make them.

Jiang Zhiyu raised some questions about the development of mechanization in their township and county. Li Long answered about 30% of what he could, and brushed off the rest with a laugh.

In Jiang Zhiyu's story, he is portrayed as a smart, clear-thinking farmer who has moved to the city, not a prophet.

After the interview, Jiang Zhiyu was generally satisfied, but she felt that Li Long still had some things she hadn't gotten out of him, and she was somewhat unwilling to give up.

But she didn't have much of an advantage over Li Long. Normally, as a township cadre, when she went to the countryside to interview farmers, they would be obsequious and answer any questions; but with Li Long, her status as a cadre, a beautiful woman, and a reporter was of no use whatsoever.

She could only write down whatever Li Long said, and even if she had anticipated the question, Li Long would not answer according to her plan, which was very frustrating.

The initiative was in Li Long's hands, and Jiang Zhiyu always had unexpected gains, but they weren't all what she wanted. For example, she came to Li Long wanting to pick two tomatoes, but Li Long didn't give her tomatoes; instead, he gave her a cucumber.

With the interview material she got from Li Long, she could write an article, a very good one, but her original framework would be completely ruined, and she would have to start from scratch, which was quite annoying.

After Jiang Zhiyu left, Li Long reviewed what he had just said, and after confirming that there was nothing he couldn't say, he put it aside.

In the afternoon, Li Long drove his Jeep, taking Gu Xiaoxia and Mingming and Haohao away from the compound. Unlike the Li Anguo and Chen Xingbang families, when Li Long left with Mingming and Haohao, Li Juan, Li Qiang, and Mingming and Haohao were all very unwilling.

Although the distance is very short and they can come back whenever they want, the children's feelings for each other are very genuine and pure. They are truly sad when they know they will not see each other for a while.

Back home, after getting out of the jeep, Li Long saw that Xiao Hei and the lambs were both fine, with uneaten food in their bowls and not frozen, which showed that Sun Jiaqiang was quite attentive.

The important thing is that Sister Yang and Han Fang have returned. Although it's only been three days since they last saw each other, it feels different after a year. Han Fang started playing with Mingming and Haohao in the yard, and Mingming and Haohao's previous sadness has disappeared without a trace. They are happily playing with Han Fang and the little lambs.

Li Long put away the things he brought back—mainly rice and flour—and then went to check on the greenhouse. Seeing that the fire in the stove was just right, he felt relieved.

Over the next period, he plans to dry some of the beef and mutton. It's already February, and given the weather in Ma County, northern Xinjiang, the snow will melt by early March, at which point the beef and mutton won't be able to be preserved.

The demand for meat in Yanjing has decreased, and the purchasing stations will still buy beef and mutton, but they need to carefully consider the sales channels.

You can use your own meat to make a refrigerator or give it away. But if the purchasing station buys large quantities, you have to find another way.

Let's make dried meat then. Whether we can sell it or not is another matter, but at least it's easier to preserve.

In addition, Li Long thought that adding some seasonings when making dried meat would improve the taste and potentially increase sales.

After all, if it tastes better, nobody would want to eat only salted meat.

The next day, Gu Xiaoxia officially started work, and life in the courtyard returned to normal.

Since the purchasing station wasn't open, Li Long practiced with the meat from his own storage room in the kitchen, thinking that once he found the right seasoning ratio, he would have experience when he started making it on a large scale later.

Then I received an unexpected phone call.

The call came from Yanjing; it was from that leader's secretary.

"The leader said you did a great job this time, you have a broad perspective and a good vision, and you didn't just focus on making money. That's very good. The leader is very happy and said that next time you come to Yanjing, you can call me and we can meet up and talk about some things in northern Xinjiang. By the way, the leader said the dried meat is delicious, and you can bring some more next time you come. That's all."

Although the secretary's phone call was short, it contained a lot of information.

The leader knew about what Li Long had done and admired him.

that's enough!
Although Li Long's initial thought was to hand over the beef and mutton to the supply and marketing cooperative to complete the task, it was also a way of returning the favor. He never expected the leaders to give him such high praise!

It would be a lie to say he wasn't excited; Li Long was truly overjoyed!

If he weren't busy right now, he would have thought he could take advantage of the free time and go to Yanjing.

It's not just because leaders are leaders, but also because their generation laid a stable foundation for the development of talent like themselves in northern Xinjiang.

That feeling is something most people really can't understand.

In short, I'm very excited!
(End of this chapter)