Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1032 Chen Hongjun's Efficiency and Reciprocity
Since Xu Chengjun had spoken, Li Long believed he could handle the matter well, so he didn't say anything more.

"Stay for lunch later," Xu Chengjun said, trying to persuade Li Long to stay.

"Not today, I haven't gone to see my parents yet. I'm staying at the team's place now, and I only come back occasionally. If I don't go to see my parents, they'll be angry."

“That’s true.” Xu Chengjun smiled and said, “You’re their little son, they love you very much. You have a car, it only takes half an hour to drive back from the county, so drive back more often when you have nothing to do.”

"Okay," Li Long replied, smiling as he left.

After seeing Li Long off, Xu Chengjun returned to his room just as the radio started broadcasting news from the state broadcasting station.

"According to reports from correspondents, a new type of machinery has recently played a significant role in clearing snow in the courtyards of various units within our district..."

Xu Chengjun hurriedly went over and sat down next to the radio, listening to the announcer's broadcast. "Isn't this a snowplow? We have one in the team too. I never imagined that this thing was designed and invented by Li Long!"
All he knew was that Li Long had created it and then left it with Li Jianguo. Whenever it snowed in the team, Li Jianguo would clear the snow from their settlement and then drive his tractor to clear the snow from the roads leading to the various settlements.

Xu Chengjun also asked, and Li Jianguo said that it was the machine that Li Long brought back. Xu Chengjun wanted to give Li Jianguo work points, since this thing was considered a public service, and it was for working for the team.

Li Jianguo refused, saying that this matter should be considered as paving the way for the children in the team to go to school.

That being said, Xu Chengjun still made a note for Li Jianguo in the work points book. It's his business if he acts righteously; as the team leader, he couldn't simply assume it was Li Jianguo's duty.

Just like the flood control at Xiaohaizi, Xu Chengjun himself understood, even without Li Long's reminder, that this year's floods were definitely different from those of previous years and that they really needed to be taken seriously.

Of course, he wasn't afraid. The fourth team had two main canals, two reed lakes, and this small lake. As long as they handled it properly, there wouldn't be any problem successfully diverting the floodwaters into the large lake downstream.

Li Long drove his jeep to his older brother's house. His parents were helping his older brother, Li Jianguo, clean the mud off the tractor and apply grease.

Li Long got out of the car and went to help. Du Chunfang said to him:

"This will be finished soon, so don't touch it anymore. Go inside and warm up."

Li Long smiled and said:
"It's alright, you two should go inside. I know how to do this kind of work, following my brother's example."

Actually, there wasn't much work involved. The main concern was preventing water from getting into the snow-melting parts and causing them to rust. So, I sealed them with oil beforehand. I did this once before winter last year, and now I'm just checking for any remaining issues.

Within ten minutes, the family wiped their hands, finished their work, and went inside. Li Juan and Li Qiang were studying inside when they saw Li Long come in. They stood up to greet him and then continued studying.

Liang Yuemei was preparing lunch in the kitchen when she saw Li Long come over and said with a smile:
"This morning I was saying that Xiaolong hadn't come over for a few days, and here he is!"

Du Chunfang was unusually a little embarrassed:
"In the dead of winter... it's convenient for him to have a car."

She herself didn't know what she was saying.

"I'm going to see the team leader," Li Long said while washing his hands. "Tell him that we need to organize people to clear the flood control channels on both sides of Xiaohaizi after spring. The floods are definitely going to be big this year. Oh, and brother..."

He looked at Li Jianguo, grabbed a towel, wiped his face, and said:

“After spring arrives, you’ll have to drive the tractor and push the flood control canal a bit more, making the opening bigger.”

The flood control channels on both sides of Xiaohaizi are connected to the upstream area of ​​Xiaohaizi. They existed originally, but their diameter has been gradually widened in the last two years. Floodwaters from upstream rush into Xiaohaizi and also into the flood control channels on both sides. The water in the flood control channels flows down into the main canal and the reed ditch, eventually flowing into Dahaizi and other reservoirs downstream.

The function of the two flood control channels is to prevent water in the small lake from flowing back into the flood control channels when the water level reaches a certain point, and then flowing out through the flood control channels. Because the flood control channels and the small lake are located on the left and right sides upstream of the small lake, the north dam of the small lake will not be washed away, and the large fish will not be swept away by the excessive water flow.

Because of its proximity to water sources, the flood control channel tends to have a lot of silt, and the reeds and other aquatic plants grow very lushly, which can also affect the speed of flood discharge.

Li Long estimated that this year's flood would be particularly large, so the flood control channel must be thoroughly cleaned and preferably dug deeper to increase its water capacity. In addition, the north dam of Xiaohaizi should be reinforced and thickened. With these two measures combined, Xiaohaizi should be able to be protected when the flood comes.

Li Jianguo understood Li Long's meaning very well, and he said:
"That's no problem. After spring arrives, the ground temperature won't rise yet, and we won't be able to start plowing or anything like that. I'll be able to drive the tractor, with a bulldozer, and get the job done then."

"Isn't that just working for nothing?" Du Chunfang muttered, somewhat dissatisfied with being paid by the public for her own work.

“Mom, the money I made in the beginning came from the small lake. Dad also made a lot of money from it a few years ago. Now let’s just consider it as spending some of our earnings on it. It’s nothing,” Li Long explained.

"Yeah, I caught so many fish and made so much money, I have to do something worthwhile with them." Li Qingxia said generously, "Boss, I'll pay for the gas!"

"You think you're so great!" Du Chunfang glared at Li Qingxia, then laughed.

She wasn't petty, but she felt that since it concerned the team, the team should at least give an explanation.

“Mother, this little lake is nominally contracted by Xiaolong.” Liang Yuemei came out of the kitchen and stood at the door, saying, “Xiaolong should be in charge of it, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

"I don't care, I don't care at all." Du Chunfang washed her hands and went straight into the inner room, leaning against the fireplace. "Isn't it comfortable for me to warm myself by the fire inside? It's just that the weather is so irritating, it's already this late and it's still snowing lightly every day..."

Indeed, although the weather forecast predicted sunny skies, snowflakes were actually falling gently from the sky.

I had lunch at my older brother's place. Liang Yuemei steamed rice and stir-fried spicy chicken with some pickled vegetables, which had a unique flavor.

Li Long noticed that Li Juan and Li Qiang were both overdoing their studies. It seemed that during the time he was there, apart from eating and occasionally going to the toilet, the two children spent all their time studying in the room, refusing to go out to play even when someone came over and invited them.

"Juan, Qiangqiang, you two need to balance work and rest. You should play when it's time to play, and you should study hard when it's time to study. You can't just study without playing. It's not good to be too stressed."

"Okay." Li Juan and Li Qiang responded in unison. Li Qiang glanced at his sister, while Li Juan's eyes remained fixed on her book.

"Alright, alright, go play." Li Long started urging the two children to get up. "Don't push yourselves so hard, don't ruin your health."

"Uncle, it's mainly Aunt Gu who sent these materials. There's so much of it that I don't understand or know. I used to think my grades at school were pretty good, but after comparing them with these materials, I realize how far behind I am..."

"Hey, that's not how you compare them." Li Long hurriedly waved his hand. "These are materials that your Aunt Gu brought back from Yanjing. Take a look at them to broaden your knowledge, not to make you obsess over these things."

When you go to school, you'll be competing with your classmates. If you have the time and energy, you can learn these things, but that doesn't mean you have to completely master them… You can learn them, but not to the point of complete mastery, understand?

Li Juan nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Li Long thought to himself, "Do I really have to be so blunt?"

“The teaching quality in our northern border region is not as good as that in Beijing, or rather, it is far inferior,” Li Long said. “So, what you are learning may be considered normal in Beijing, but here it is considered beyond the curriculum.”

You don't need to put so much pressure on yourself, right? Whether it's high school or university entrance exams, you're competing with students from your own region, not students from across the country, understand?

Li Long meant to help Li Juan relieve stress and stop putting so much pressure on herself.

Li Juan understood.

She had actually been a bit obsessed lately, after all, looking at the diverse content in those materials, she was really disheartened! She originally thought that it was good enough to learn what the school taught, and besides, she was at the top of her grade, which made her a little proud.

The information completely overwhelmed her; there was so much additional knowledge to learn! Well, that's normal, after all, the world is so big, and Ma County, or rather, this township, is just a tiny place.

When Li Juan enters high school, she will find that her grades, which she is so proud of in her hometown, are not only insignificant in the county, but may only be average. She will have to continue to work hard.

As for Li Juan and Li Qiang, Li Juan is not naturally gifted and is not particularly smart in her studies, but she is willing to work hard.

Li Qiang is quite intelligent, a natural talent. Because he was young when he started school, he was able to concentrate easily on his studies. Plus, his older sister was a role model and motivating him, so his grades were quite good.

This year, Li Juan will be taking the high school entrance exam, and Li Qiang will be starting junior high school. Both of them will be entering new areas of learning, which will make them feel nervous and uneasy.

That's normal, she just needs some encouragement. Li Juan should have no problem getting into high school, but she might need to work hard to get into a good university after entering high school.

Li Qiang is in a better position. He has a solid foundation and a good interest in learning, so he may be better than Li Juan in the future.

That was in my previous life.

Li Long persuaded Li Juan to put down her book and carefully slipped a piece of paper under her eye as a bookmark. Originally, the two of them would habitually fold the corner of their books to make marks when reading or doing homework, but Li Long told them that this was better and wouldn't damage the books.

The two children went out to play, and Liang Yuemei said while tidying up in the kitchen:

"He just listens to you. His father and I couldn't persuade him otherwise. He just reads books all day long, and we're afraid he'll ruin his eyesight."

"You know it's stressful, and you know reading is a good thing, but you have to find the right balance." Li Long smiled. "If Mingming and Haohao can be this studious in the future, that would be great."

“You know so much, and Xiaoxia is in education, so there’s definitely no problem with her.” Liang Yuemei was very certain about this.

After returning from the fourth team, Li Long wondered if he should go back into the mountains again. The several tons of meat he had painstakingly brought back had all been sold out, with only a few pieces remaining with bones for his family to eat. People still called occasionally to ask for more.

Before he could even go to the mountains, Chen Hongjun called and explained his thoughts.

"Are you really going to do it?" When Li Long made the suggestion, he wasn't really sure that Chen Hongjun would actually take a leave of absence without pay. After all, people become dependent on a stable job and are less likely to take the initiative to change anything.

"Damn, I really don't want to do this job anymore. Of course, I also want to earn some money and prove my abilities at the same time," Chen Hongjun said. "I've found a place for the property, the paperwork is easy to handle, I've inquired about the price, and I've also asked about the procedures for taking a leave of absence without pay—"

Actually, that's where things went wrong. When I asked, the leadership didn't keep a close eye on it, and some people found out. Now I'm in a difficult position. I figured I might as well just do it directly—what's the harm in doing it? But the main responsibility still lies with you, so I'm asking you for help!

To Li Long's surprise, Chen Hongjun didn't ask him to borrow money, but rather to invest in his business.

“Although I’ve worked at the acquisition station for so long, the situation is different now. You’ve done very well in the last two years, so now I have to learn from you.” Chen Hongjun gave his reason, “Now that you’ve invested, I can openly ask you for advice on anything.”

And those connections you've built, like clients and buyers in mainland China, I can use directly. If you weren't investing and were just lending me money, I'd feel awkward asking you for advice after receiving the funds.

Although Chen Hongjun's reasons were valid, Li Long realized that Chen Hongjun wanted to make money off him.

Both Li Long and Chen Hongjun knew that opening a purchasing station in Beiting was a sure way to make money, as long as they didn't drive down prices too drastically and provided good service.

Of course, now that Li Long's purchasing station is quite famous, even in parts of Beiting, Huxian, and Wucheng, middlemen know about Li Long's purchasing station and know that the prices are fair and the service is good.

However, not everyone who obtains supplies is worth buying a train ticket from afar and traveling all the way to Ma County.

Therefore, Chen Hongjun's plan to open a purchasing station in Beiting is bound to be successful and profitable. Chen Hongjun, grateful for Li Long's help at this crucial time, decided to let Li Long invest and share in the profits as a form of repayment.

"So how does the investment process work?" Li Long didn't refuse. If Chen Hongjun dared to offer it, why wouldn't he dare to accept it? This was a good thing.

“Give me 10,000 yuan, that should be enough for renting the yard and initial working capital. Then, after about half a month of collecting, you need to find me a place to sell the goods. That way, my funds will be circulating, and the purchasing station should be profitable in three months at most.” Chen Hongjun had already calculated everything, and he told Li Long directly as soon as he asked.

“Ten thousand yuan might not be enough,” Li Long thought for a moment and said. “The snow was too heavy this winter, and many people already know that sheepskin is expensive, and other hides are not cheap either. In any case, the price has increased compared to last year. So there are a lot of people hunting for this stuff.”

Zhao Hui just left, and he won't be back until at least mid-March. Here, I'll transfer you 20,000 yuan for now; you can use it if needed. As for hides and medicinal herbs, we'll buy them as long as they come; there's no way they won't sell. I'll tell you what else we can and can't buy…”

“I originally planned to give you 30% of the shares for 10,000 yuan, and you could just collect the dividends. Now you’re giving me 20,000 yuan, how am I supposed to give you shares?” Chen Hongjun was in a dilemma.

“Twenty thousand yuan is also a 30% share,” Li Long said with a smile. “Old Chen, let me tell you, you can actually earn twenty thousand yuan in less than a year on your own. With my investment, you can probably earn it back in half a year, and the rest is pure profit for me—you’ll know once you enter this industry that with an experienced person running the purchasing station, the money comes really fast!”

This was different from what Chen Hongjun had originally thought. He felt that 10,000 yuan was a lot of money—he used to handle money in units of thousands at the purchasing station, so he didn't realize how much it was.

But after the purchasing station closed down and he returned here, he slowly realized that the thousands of dollars he used to handle were all public funds, not his own. His own money was less than a hundred dollars a month; to save over a thousand dollars, he would have to save every penny for a year!
What about 10,000? At this point, it's really difficult for ordinary people to become a 10,000-yuan household.

It's especially tough for those who get a fixed salary and don't have any extra income.

Chen Hongjun asked Li Long for 10,000 yuan to invest as 30% of the shares. He had seriously considered this and taken his own abilities into account.

After all, these days, 10,000 yuan can buy many courtyards in Beiting, and if you really save it, the annual interest will be over a thousand.

Unexpectedly, Li Long valued his role even more than he valued his own.

So Chen Hongjun felt something was amiss—20,000 yuan, what had he contributed? Just himself. His own abilities, now worth 40,000 or 50,000 yuan?

I'm really worth a lot of money in Li Long's eyes!
He suddenly had a discordant feeling of "a scholar will die for one who understands him," because in his workplace, there were very few people who truly felt that he was capable, but quite a few who mocked him for coming from a small county town.

Even among those who returned together, who outwardly encouraged him to open a purchasing station and took unpaid leave, only one genuinely wanted to work with him as a partner. The others said so, but secretly they were all secretly hoping for a comeback.

Besides his wife, the only person who supported him was Li Long—and Li Long supported him with real money.

Twenty thousand yuan... Even back when I was at the purchasing station in Ma County, I had never handled so much money at once!
Chen Hongjun felt that if he didn't do it, he would really be letting Li Long down.

"How about we split it 50/50?" Chen Hongjun felt that his own abilities were still insufficient. Li Long had invested so much money, and only getting 30% was really too little.

“Brother Chen, let me tell you,” Li Long said with a laugh on the phone, “I’m telling you, the purchasing station really makes money. Once you make money and realize how easy it is to make money at the purchasing station, you’ll feel that a 50/50 split is unfair.”

After all, you're the one doing the work, and I only contributed money... So let's agree that I'll only contribute money, and you'll do the rest. Therefore, it's only fair that you take the lion's share.

Li Long's money came easily. Of course, he knew that Chen Hongjun's purchasing station wouldn't earn as much as his own, but it would definitely be profitable. His investment now was to gain an early advantage.

Once Chen Hongjun made money, he realized that the money he had invested could be a lifesaver at this time, but at that point it would be nothing more than icing on the cake.

Why do some ordinary people have opportunities but fail to make money? Isn't it simply because they lack the capital to experiment and make mistakes?

Chen Hongjun is like that, and Li Long is willing to give him the capital and opportunity to try and fail. He takes money from Li Long to let Chen Hongjun try, mainly because Chen Hongjun has a high chance of success.

This investment is practically a guaranteed win.

(End of this chapter)