Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1038 Keyum is unwilling to accept this, let's do it!
Keyumu was delighted to see Li Long in the milk tea shop.

"Give me a naan bread, a bowl of milk tea, a dish of honey, and a small plate of cream," Li Long said.

Keyum said with a smile:

"Okay, okay, coming right away!"

After saying that, he went inside and soon came out with a tray on it, which contained naan, milk tea, honey, and a small plate of dried fruit.

After putting the things down, Keyum didn't leave. Instead, he sat opposite Li Long and said:

"Haven't seen you in ages! Where have you been making your fortune?"

"I didn't go anywhere, just to Ma County. I run a purchasing station, you know, it's busy there, lots of things to do, so I don't come here much. How's business here?" Li Long tore off a piece of naan, dipped it in butter, and popped it into his mouth to eat.

Keyumna's distinctly Uyghur appearance and fluent eastern Henan dialect made Li Long feel very incongruous, so he decided to stuff his mouth and eat first to avoid laughing out loud.

"A purchasing station? It must be very profitable, right?" Keyum asked, and before Li Long could answer, he sighed and said, "Look at this place, all the customers are regulars. There are so many food stalls in the old street now. Before, when there was less food, everyone preferred to come here for a milk tea."

Now there's all sorts of food available, so who would still come? Not many people come anymore… My brother-in-law is still working here. When things were good, I could pay him a hundred a month, now it's hard to even get fifty…”

"That shouldn't be the case. There are so many people in the old street now..." Li Long looked outside. "Even if there are more food vendors and more people, your place shouldn't be doing so badly, right?"

"Some people don't like this ethnic food," Keyum said with a wry smile. "If I knew how to make it, I'd be thinking of switching careers to make hot and sour soup! There are so many people who love it!"

“You really don’t know how to make it,” Li Long laughed. “In this season, a bowl of spicy soup first thing in the morning is really refreshing. But I doubt anyone would buy it even if you made it. You should stick to making your naan.”

“That’s what I was thinking too,” Keyum said. “Luckily, this house is mine, so I don’t have to pay rent. Otherwise, it would have been another expense… How’s your recycling station doing?”

"Not bad," Li Long said. "I earn a bit more than you. By the way, do you know anyone who can deliver mutton regularly? I recently started a dried meat business, and I need a batch of beef and mutton every two weeks... Are there any people in your ethnic group who do this?"

"Yes, how much meat do you want?" Keyum asked. "How much?"

“Every two weeks, we’ll need the meat from a hundred sheep and ten cows,” Li Long said after thinking for a moment. “I want pure meat. As for the price, we’ll calculate it at the wholesale price, whatever the market price is.”

"Hey! That's a big deal!" Keyum exclaimed in surprise. "Mr. Li, your business is huge!"

“What big deal,” Li Long tore off another piece of naan, this time dipping it in honey, and waved his hand as he ate, “It’s only about 20,000 to 30,000 a month, not a big business.”

"Wow! Twenty or thirty thousand isn't a big deal? Looks like you've struck it rich, Boss Li!" Keyum's eyes lit up immediately. "This job... anyone can do it?"

“Of course not, I have to see if I have the ability to do this business,” Li Long said while eating. “What I need is stability. Actually, I can do it myself. There’s a livestock market right by the Ma River. I can get a batch of cattle and sheep there, find someone to slaughter them, butcher them, take the meat away, and find someone to remove the hides, offal, and bones.”

But I have other things to do, and this is a bit complicated, so I'd like to find a reliable person.

He could have approached the team members, but most of them were still attached to the land, and his second brother, Li Anguo, probably shared the same idea as Chen Xingbang, so Li Long didn't go to him.

If Keyum can do this, Li Long is willing to give him a chance.

As for those in the village, Li Long will go back and ask them when he has time. Now he thinks that the dried meat business can continue to grow. There is a large livestock market in Beiting, which is bigger than the one by the Mahe River.

If someone on the team is willing to do it, we can give it a shot.

But not everyone would dare to do that. After all, the initial expense, which is at least five or six thousand yuan, is for a hundred sheep and ten cows. Not everyone can afford or dare to spend that amount.

Although Li Long's side guarantees a minimum income, doing this basically means abandoning the team's land, since finding people to slaughter, butcher, and process the skin and bones is not something that can be done all at once.

This kind of thing requires careful planning; if any part goes wrong, you'll probably lose a lot of things.

Very troublesome.

If Keyum wants to do it, then let him do it; it doesn't matter who does it.

Li Long has already shown the way, how could Keyum not understand?
He sat down opposite Li Long and began to quietly calculate the accounts.

From the price of live beef and mutton to transportation costs, labor costs, and methods for processing skin, offal, and bones, etc.

These are all things that need to be carefully considered.

It's impossible to make a decision on a whim—the first investment is five or six thousand, which is almost a ten-thousand-yuan household—this is not a person's monthly salary in later generations, and it's not something you can just throw away.

At that time, some people couldn't even scrape together five or six thousand yuan by selling everything they owned, and Keyumu, who had run a milk tea shop for so many years, also couldn't come up with five or six thousand yuan in cash.

If he wants to do this, he'll have to borrow money.

The key point is that borrowing money to take out this money still carries risks.

Li Long wasn't sure if he dared to take the risk.

"Boss Li, I'll take this job! But I need to know where to find you in Ma County? Oh, by the way, I remember you working at the supply and marketing cooperative, right?"

"You're pretty smart," Li Long said with a smile, taking a sip of his milk tea. "Keyumu, I told you I worked for the supply and marketing cooperative—that was several years ago, wasn't it?"

"Hehe, we read the newspaper too! You're a nationally recognized outstanding individual, it's mentioned in the article... Otherwise, how could I trust you? After what you've done, I think you're a trustworthy person!"

So that title can actually be used to endorse oneself in this situation.

Li Long smiled.

"Okay, after I finish eating, if you're free, I'll take you to my house. The first batch of dried meat just finished, so I'll show you around. If you want to make some, send me the meat as soon as possible, no more than three days, okay? As for the price, just go with the current wholesale market price!"

"Okay!" After hearing Li Long's words, Keyum was completely relieved. What can you do if you can't get away with something? At this moment, people don't have so many tricks up their sleeves. In Keyum's view, Li Long was willing to let him go to his home, which meant he trusted him completely.

If I don't believe him, then what do I believe in?

Besides, he is a nationally recognized advanced individual. If we can't find him, we can find the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission of Ma County.
The matter was settled like that.

Keyum went in first to tell his brother-in-law, then came out untied his apron, carrying a bag in his hand.

Li Long could smell the naan in the bag, and he said with a smile:

"You're coming to my house, and you're bringing naan?"

"We can't go empty-handed, can we? I see you've already brought the meat, so I'll bring a few naan bread instead."

pretty good.

After Li Long finished eating, Keyum's brother-in-law cleared the plates and took them inside. Li Long then carried the meat to the parking lot with Keyum, putting it in a bag in the back. Keyum, sitting in the passenger seat, remarked:

"This is the first time I've ever ridden in a car like this."

The jeep started up and drove east. When it passed the Ma River, Li Long pointed to the livestock market and said:
“There are several herds of cattle and sheep waiting to be bought right now. Buying in large quantities like this can make it cheaper. Of course, the price varies depending on the quality of the cattle and sheep. You should be able to tell the difference—and let me tell you, if the beef and mutton you bring are good, then the price can be raised; if they're not good, then I don't mind lowering it.”

"Don't worry about that!" Keyum said with a smile. "Don't let my accent fool you, I'm quite the expert when it comes to beef and mutton. Actually, if you hadn't mentioned this, I was planning to open a barbecue stall in a few days. Otherwise, just selling milk tea and naan won't make any money."

"Actually, a barbecue stall should still be able to make money," Li Long said sincerely.

"That's definitely not as profitable as delivering beef and mutton to you," Keyum said with a smile. "If you could take this much beef and mutton every month, I could become a millionaire in half a year... This money is easy to make! Boss Li, you're my lucky charm!" "Cooperation, cooperation, what lucky charm?" Li Long waved his hand. "Let me put it this way, if things go well, you make money and I make money, it's a win-win situation. But I have to make this clear: I have herder friends in the mountains, I know the situation with beef and mutton, and I can find out the prices. As long as you don't cheat me, this business can continue for a long time."

I don't mind telling you this: my dried meat is sold domestically, so there's a market, and it's only going to grow bigger. As long as your quality and price are good, I'll definitely continue to trust you!

Upon hearing that Li Long's dried meat was intended for sale in Koukou, Keyoumuxin became immediately excited.

Even if he'd never been to Kou Li, he knew how huge the market there was! If Li Long's business really grew bigger and bigger, wouldn't he also make more and more money?
Even before starting, Keyum was already feeling a bit dizzy.

As the jeep drove into Ma County, Keyum looked around and quickly said:

“This Ma County… is not as good as our Shicheng.”

“That’s not as good as it is,” Li Long chuckled. “Shicheng has several times the population of Ma County, and it’s supported by a few large factories. Ma County currently has no industry and a small population.”

As they spoke, the car had already arrived at the gate of the courtyard. Li Long pointed to the courtyard and said:
"This is my home. Can you smell the dried meat?"

"I can smell it, I can smell it." Keyum nodded repeatedly. "I won't go in. Can you tell me where the bus station is? I'll take a bus back now and then borrow money to buy sheep!"

"We're practically home, we should at least go in for some tea," Li Long said, getting out of the car and opening the door. "If we don't go in now that we're here, won't people be furious with me?"

The gate was locked, and Li Long wondered if Sister Yang had taken Mingming and Haohao out. He went forward, unlocked the gate with his key, and drove the Jeep inside.

After parking the car, Li Long got out, and Keyum also got out. This time, they believed him completely.

Li Long first put the beef and mutton into the kitchen, then led Keyum to the main living room. Keyum put down the naan, sat down, and said with a smile:

“Mr. Li, your courtyard is wonderful. In the past, this was where wealthy people lived.”

"Yes, I bought this yard with the money I earned from selling fish and meat in the old street a few years ago," Li Long explained, pouring water for Keyum. "The yard is indeed quite big, but it's also convenient for making things. I make my dried meat here, so I can just bring the meat here when needed."

"Okay, okay." After drinking the water, Keyum was eager to leave. The lucrative business was right in front of him, and he couldn't wait to get started.

Just as I was leaving, I ran into Sister Yang bringing Mingming and Haohao back from outside. It looked like they had gone to the market. When Mingming and Haohao saw Li Long, they happily called out "Dad" and ran over.

Li Long introduced Keyum to Sister Yang, and then drove her to the bus station.

When Keyum got on the bus to Shicheng, his mind was initially in a mess, but he quickly came to his senses and started thinking about how to make money.

He knew that two or three thousand yuan wouldn't be enough, but he had his own solutions.

The idea of ​​borrowing money only flashed through his mind before he dismissed it. He planned to handle it himself!

His brother-in-law runs the milk tea shop, so it should be fine. He doesn't have enough money on hand, but he knows sheep farmers—either those who raise sheep in the mountains or those who raise cattle and sheep on the plains. He plans to go there and buy a batch of cattle and sheep on credit, paying a deposit first. Once the slaughtering is done and the meat is delivered, Li Long has agreed to pay in cash.

This way, the returns are quick, and you can earn your first sum of money very quickly, after which the money will grow rapidly.

Moreover, the people he knows are skilled at butchering cattle and sheep, so he can find a few people to help him, which will save him some money.

The first thing to do is hire a truck—a tractor is definitely not an option; a tractor can't handle the pure meat from a hundred sheep and ten cows.

Another thing is to plan ahead how to handle things like sheepskin and offal. Setting up a stall on the old street is an option, as there's a good demand for offal, but the quantity is too large, so you'll need to find a food processing company.

As for sheepskin, it's easier to sell. There are leather factories in Shicheng, so you can bring it over and sell it even if it's cheaper.

As for the bones, he made the lion's share of the profits. The bone glue factory also buys these things, but they might pay a lower price, but that doesn't matter.

Keyumu had been planning all the way in the car, and as soon as he got off, he went to several places to inquire.

The leather factory needs cow and sheep hides, and the bone glue factory needs bones; neither is expensive.

The problem was the wastewater; the quantity was too large, and several canteens said they couldn't handle such a large amount, so the rest could only be sold at stalls in the old street.

The most important thing is to find the cattle and sheep farmer. Because his cattle and sheep spend the winter in the plains, they produce enough hay and other feed in the fall. Moreover, since there is a shortage of fodder in the plains, it is easy to buy hay, corn stalks, and the like, so he did not lose any cattle or sheep.

This family is also a large-scale livestock farmer, with seven or eight hundred cattle and sheep. They have pastures on the mountainside and their own land.

When Keyum went to negotiate the business, things didn't go so smoothly. It wasn't until the last batch of cattle and sheep was slaughtered and the money was fully paid that the deal was considered done.

There are definitely too many cattle and sheep to slaughter in one day. Although Keyum was held up by the payment, the other party also made an effort. When the butchers came to him, Keyum even paid only two yuan per sheep to have them butcher the sheep cleanly because it was their first time working together.

So things went relatively smoothly. After the agreement was reached, Keyum went back to get the money, and both sides agreed to start slaughtering the animals tomorrow.

As for the slaughtering procedures, Keyum didn't care. He grew up in a Han Chinese community, otherwise he wouldn't speak fluent Yu-dong dialect.

Stop talking. I've even eaten pork before, it's nothing special.

That is, the reform and opening up, plus the incident involving Gao in southern Xinjiang in 1983, led to this ethnic unity. His family has a house there, and he just opened a milk tea shop.

Whether it's clear or not, true or not, is irrelevant to him.

As for the slaughtering process, he doesn't really care about it at home. But if others care, he doesn't care. He'll come over tomorrow to pay part of the money and to supervise the quality of the beef and mutton. Winter lambs and second-generation lambs are fine, but older beef and mutton are not acceptable. This is because Keyum's idea is that the first batch of meat can be priced higher, but the quality must be high!
Li Long took Keyum to the bus station and returned to the courtyard, where he mentally settled half of his calculations.

At this point, he explained to Sister Yang, who was preparing to cook, that this was a delivery of meat, and that the first batch of meat might arrive in the next day or two. He told Sister Yang to be prepared.

These past few times making meat jerky, the temporary workers have earned quite a bit—after all, it's just odd jobs, not like long-term, stable employment.

But besides Li Long, Sister Yang is the one who earns the most. As a partner, Sister Yang has earned two thousand yuan from making dried meat these past few times, which is equivalent to one or two months' income!

So now Sister Yang isn't so obsessed with opening a restaurant anymore. She just makes meat jerky twice a month, which is fine too.

If you keep doing this, you can earn 10,000 yuan a year—can you earn that much by opening a soup and rice restaurant in the market?

Most likely not.

She just took Mingming and Haohao to the farmers' market, and after buying groceries, they also went to the free market to check on her storefront.

Because it was a weekday, there weren't many people in the market. She estimated that if the store made money in a month, the profit would be at most five or six hundred yuan—and that wasn't even certain.

After all, there are only so many people. More people are buying things here, but it's hard to say who will eat.

Moreover, they have to work from dawn till dusk, and are very busy.

Making jerky here would be so convenient. You don't have to worry about the ingredients or seasonings, or the sales channels. All you have to do is make it.

Moreover, it only happens twice a month, which adds up to no more than ten days in total.

Even if sales increase later, and you do it three times a month, you still have more rest time than people who work regular jobs.

As for opening a shop in the market, where would you find time to rest?
I'm not afraid of being tired, I'm afraid of comparison. Once you start comparing, opening a shop really doesn't seem so appealing anymore.

Li Long didn't care what Sister Yang was thinking; he needed to consider the food hygiene license.

This is a big deal!

(End of this chapter)