Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1082 Secretly Moving the Huge Jade Stone Home (One chapter today)
After paying for the jade, Mr. Liu was very polite. Perhaps because he was bored, he chatted with Li Long for a while about gossip. Li Long even told him about the news that the people of Shicheng had dug up a large jade stone.

According to Engineer Liu, even if the jade quality is average, such a large piece of jade wouldn't be cheap. After all, its size means there are many things that can be made from it.

As he spoke, Mr. Liu looked on with longing and emotion. He said he was getting old now, and his hands weren't as good as they used to be. In the past, he really would have liked to get a piece of jade like this and carve something into it.

When Li Long left, the sun had already set. Actually, Engineer Liu wanted to invite Li Long to his house for dinner, but Li Long declined.

When Li Long left the jade carving factory, he felt hungry, but he didn't plan to eat in Wucheng. Instead, he drove to Beiting City to eat. By the time he finished eating, the sun had already set and night was approaching.

We'll be traveling at night tonight.

Li Long suddenly realized that he hadn't driven at night since he got into the Jeep.

I'm not used to it, and I subconsciously avoid walking at night.

The main reason was that there weren't many things to do, and there wasn't much nightlife at that time. Even though I had already gotten myself into several jobs to make money, I planned everything in advance, so I never walked alone at night.

Heading west from Beiting, the jeep plunged into the darkness. The headlights illuminated the road ahead, revealing only twenty or thirty meters of surface. There were no streetlights on either side of the road.

The road conditions were so-so at this point, with occasional potholes, so Li Long didn't dare drive fast. Fortunately, his young body had excellent eyesight; he could see clearly within the headlights' reach and drove very smoothly.

It's already mid-June, and although the temperature difference between day and night is quite large in northern Xinjiang, it's no longer cold. Occasionally, flying insects will swoop towards the lights, and you can still see them clearly.

As we approached Huxian, we encountered nothing unusual along the way except for startling a nightjar, so it was relatively safe.

At this speed, I should be home in about two hours.

Li Long could have stayed overnight in Wucheng or Beiting, but he decided to go home instead.

Along the way, many wastelands on both sides were still uncultivated, with wormwood and white thorn growing rampantly. Li Long could vaguely see green eyes among them, not knowing whether they were wild dogs or wolves, but the jeep was powerful enough that these things dared not come out to block the road.

Vehicles passed by from time to time on the Urumqi-Yining Highway, either in the opposite direction or in the same direction. Li Long's jeep was relatively faster and overtook them by quite a bit.

The number of cars at this time was much greater than when he used to pull a sled to Shicheng to sell fish. One night and one day, this can show the changes in social and economic development over the past five or six years.

Seeing faint glimmers of light ahead, Li Long knew they were almost at the county town.

You don't notice the changes while driving during the day, but you can vaguely sense them at night. Once you enter the county town, you can see lights occasionally coming from the rooms on both sides, which means you've entered civilized society.

Back in the courtyard, Li Long saw that the lights were still on. When the jeep arrived at the gate, he got out and was about to knock when someone ran out to open the door.

Han Fang opened the door. When Li Long drove into the yard, he found Gu Xiaoxia and Sister Yang standing at the door looking at him.

Han Fang closed the door, and Li Long told her and Sister Yang to go and rest. Back in the room, Gu Xiaoxia fetched water for Li Long to wash up, and then asked:
"It's so late, why don't you stay in Wucheng and come back tomorrow? It's pitch black, and those 100-plus kilometers are not an easy road to travel!"

Li Long hugged Gu Xiaoxia, who was wearing a coat, went to check on Mingming and Haohao sleeping on the east side, and then whispered when he returned:

"Now that I've finished my business, I'm thinking of driving back home; I don't want to stay there anymore."

He kissed Gu Xiaoxia and said softly, "I can't sleep well without you by my side at night."

"Hehe..." Gu Xiaoxia didn't expect Li Long to say sweet words at this time. Her face turned red, and a feeling of happiness welled up inside her.

Li Long pulled Gu Xiaoxia to the bedside, and the two sat down together. Li Long told her about his gains on the trip, and then mentioned that he would find someone to bring back the large jade stone in a couple of days.

"How big is it? Is it bigger than that jade doll?" Gu Xiaoxia asked.

"Yes, it's much bigger than that one, probably weighing a ton or two. The key point is that the jade is of excellent quality, so I thought I shouldn't let too many people know about it."

Actually, if you knew, you would know. This thing is so big, Li Long can protect it given his current status. Besides, even if he can't protect it, Li Long can find a suitable seller to sell it.

However, he is not short of money now, so he definitely doesn't want to sell.

"It's late at night, let's not talk about those things anymore." After Li Long finished speaking, he said while taking off his clothes, "Get some rest, you have to go to work tomorrow."

Gu Xiaoxia had just taken off her clothes when Li Long grabbed her and said irritably, "Are you still going to cause trouble? If you keep doing this, how will I have the energy to go to work tomorrow?"

"Haven't you heard? There are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not fields that are over-plowed," Li Long joked, reaching out to touch it. "If I'm not worried, why are you?"

"Then someone as tough as you... can't even work yourself to death..." Gu Xiaoxia changed her tone before she could finish her sentence.

When they woke up the next day, both of them were full of energy and didn't look tired at all from the night before. Mingming Haohao was also very energetic and was sleeping soundly in the living room.

As usual, after dinner, when it was time to send Mingming and Haohao to the team, Sister Yang said that the dried and packaged meat had been packed up and she would have someone deliver it to the post office later.

The jerky processing workshop now has five temporary employees, making it a small business. Tasks like getting meat delivered by Keyum and mailing meat to Huang Lei, Zhao Hui, and the people at the State Ethnic Affairs Commission's Beijing office no longer require Li Long's personal involvement.

The shipping cost is quite high, but fortunately the profit margin on the dried meat is enough to cover it, leaving a considerable amount remaining. Li Long figured that this was just how logistics were, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He took Mingming and Haohao to the fourth team, chatted with his mother for a while, and then went to Old Ma's place to see Uncle Luo and the others.

Uncle Luo and his men were herding two roe deer into a fight. The number of roe deer in the enclosure has increased compared to last year, and the once spacious enclosures of the old Ma's car are now feeling a bit cramped.

Li Long immediately figured out the crux of the problem. After these wild animals were tamed, their meat was much better than before, but it was still not as good as the beef and mutton that everyone was used to eating.

So it's okay to try it occasionally, but it's impossible to eat it often. Because the number is small, and male red deer and roe deer are used for antlers, they are not slaughtered very often.

The number naturally increased.

Li Long quickly came up with an idea. From now on, these domesticated wild animals would be used as gifts. Some would be slaughtered during festivals and given to people he was on good terms with, partly to control the numbers and partly to give them a place to go.

If you really think about it, he has quite a few connections, and if he were to give gifts during the Lunar New Year, there would be more than a few people involved.

No rush. We've slaughtered some for the Lunar New Year every year for the past two years, and we generally don't keep them for more than three years, so they don't get too old and the meat doesn't taste good.

Wild boar cubs are the most energetic. Even though they are kept in a pen, they will fight and run around all the time, never stopping for a moment.

Uncle Luo was getting impatient when he couldn't get the two roe deer to open their heads with two lashes. These two roe deer had antlers on their heads, and if those antlers were damaged, it would cost them over a hundred yuan.

Li Long took the whip and lashed it across the stronger roe deer with a sharp crack. The whip struck with tremendous force, leaving a bloody welt on the roe deer's body. It lost all fighting spirit, let out a couple of slinking cries, and ran back into its enclosure.

"Little Long, you're still the strongest," Uncle Luo laughed. "There have been quite a few fights lately. When we first went in to open the way, two of them ganged up on us..."

"Don't go in. This thing is not to be trifled with. If you want to fight, just fight it. If you really can't handle it, make a slingshot and throw stones at it. Those hits hurt."

Li Long offered the bad idea half-jokingly, and Uncle Luo agreed half-jokingly as well.

For the next two days, Li Long went back and forth between the county and the team. When the appointed time came, he dropped Mingming and Haohao off at the team and then drove his jeep into the mountains.

The road was no longer under construction, so when Li Long drove to the mountain pass, Meng Hai was waiting there in a tracked tractor and villagers were waiting in small four-wheeled tractors.

The trailer of the small four-wheel tractor has been modified. Two layers of wooden blocks have been laid in the trailer and nailed in place, so there is no problem with its load-bearing capacity.

The villagers sitting in the back of the cart were carrying crowbars, ropes, or shovels, indicating a clear division of labor.

When Meng Hai saw Li Long arrive, he got off the tractor and said:
"I haven't told them yet. There are only ten people on this trip, do you think that's enough?"

"That's enough," Li Long said with a smile. "Let's go, let's get to work and try to finish this morning. When we get back to the county, I'll treat everyone to dinner."

"About the bridge..." Meng Hai was still thinking about the road construction.

“I went to Wucheng to find experts. Someone helped me inquire. We’ll see how things go. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll invite an expert from our county or Shicheng to come and provide technical guidance. You’ll still be the ones to repair the bridge.”

"Can we do it?" Meng Hai lacked confidence in this area. Simple road repairs were manageable, but building a bridge?

"It's just a bridge for herders to cross with their tractors; if it gets damaged, it's not a big problem," Li Long said with a smile. "Consider it as gaining experience for you. Old Meng, you're in this situation now; you can't just stay in the team forever, can you?"

Meng Hai's expression changed.

"Our area is developing rapidly, and there are so many places that need road construction, canal repairs, and building works. You guys have some experience now, wouldn't it be better for you to do this kind of work in the future?" "There are construction companies, but can we compare to them?"

"Let's see what happens next; the construction company can't handle it." Li Long stopped there. "Let's go, let's go into the mountains and take care of our business first."

This time, Meng Hai didn't drive the tractor; he pointed to someone else and let them drive it. He sat in the back of the truck, his mind filled with what Li Long had said.

Working in the fields, not counting side jobs, a family can earn a few hundred yuan a year. With making large brooms and other odd jobs, they can earn an extra thousand yuan or so.

Just by working with Li Long on road repairs, I can earn more than two hundred yuan a month!
Even if there's only one quarter of this kind of work a year, that's still close to a thousand.

Qingshuihe Village has little land, with many mountains and deserts, and almost no land left to cultivate. If the able-bodied men in the village could be organized into a construction team, as long as there is work, everyone's life would definitely be better.

But the prerequisite is that there's work to be done.

Li Long drove his jeep to the location of the large jade stone and stopped. The small four-wheeled tractor followed, but before the tracked tractor arrived, Li Long got out of the jeep and called the others over.

He walked to the riverbank, where the water level had risen and the jade stones were submerged, fortunately only up to his calves.

The water was clear. Li Long looked at the stones that were used to conceal the water. Two of them had been washed away, but the rest were still there.

He removed the surface stones, revealing the jade underneath.

Walking onto the riverbank, Li Long addressed the people who had gathered around him:
"I won't hide it from you all now. I found a large piece of jade on this riverbank and I'd like your help to bring it home. With the rest of us and two tractors, we should be able to handle it."

"If you finish this job today, you'll get 100 yuan per person!"

Meng Hai informed everyone that they were selecting people to help Li Long. These people had made a lot of money from Li Long over the years, so naturally, they were willing to help.

When Li Long suddenly said it would cost 100 yuan per person, everyone was shocked!
"Of course, I also have a condition: I hope everyone will keep this a secret and not tell outsiders."

"no problem."

"Of course I won't tell. These kinds of things are better kept secret."

"Comrade Li Long, since you trust us so much, we certainly won't tell!"

One by one, the villagers expressed their opinions, and Li Long smiled.

"Alright, let's get to work," Meng Hai said. "The jade is underwater. First, we'll build a dam around it to clear out the water. Then we'll dig around the jade, trying to dig out its roots. Once the tracked tractor comes, we'll use steel cables to pull the jade out and move it onto the small four-wheeler."

When Meng Hai speaks, everyone just listens and follows along.

Several people stepped forward with their tools, unafraid of the water, and stepped directly into the water like Li Long. Some used shovels to build dams around the jade, while others didn't use shovels and just started working with their hands, showing great enthusiasm for the task.

Li Long also wanted to go forward, but he couldn't get close enough, so he could only watch from the outside. Some of the villagers turned around and saw him, and they even smiled and told him to go and rest by the car, saying that they would take care of things here!
Li Long knew that this was partly due to his own prestige and partly due to the hundred yuan. Letting him rest was out of the question, but since he couldn't help, he would just watch from the outside.

Soon, the group built a dam nearly half a meter high around the jade stone. The dam was semi-circular, keeping the river water out. Then, they used shovels to pour the water out of the dam, revealing the top of the jade stone.

Even a layman could tell that this huge jade stone, soaked in river water, was a treasure.

"Good stuff!"

"Yes, it's really beautiful!"

"It's worth quite a bit of money, isn't it?"

"We'd say it's worth at least tens of thousands of yuan, right?"

"There should be more."

"Stop with the nonsense," Meng Hai interrupted their discussion. "Let's dig out the jade first. By the way, be careful not to damage it, or the jade won't be worth as much."

Meng Hai was a worldly man, and he could tell that the quality of this jade was similar to the one he had given to Li Long; both were very beautiful.

Now he knows that the jade he gave to Li Long was worth a lot of money, but so what? When he gave the jade away, it probably wasn't even worth ten thousand.

But how much did Li Long give him? He made carrying poles, made large brooms, repaired roads, and even left a tracked tractor with him for his own use.

Which is more valuable?
Meng Hai felt that he had gotten the better deal.

Moreover, since Li Long made that suggestion today, he figured that Li Long would definitely give him advice and help with the road and canal construction work later on.

Without a doubt, that piece of jade should belong to Li Long, just like this one.

He would only feel admiration, not jealousy.

Good people like Li Long deserve good things.

Before the tracked tractor even arrived, most of the jade stone had already been dug out.

This piece of jade is small at the top and large at the bottom, quite thick. It is inserted diagonally into the mud and sand. When it is reached to the bottom, it is about a meter high, like an irregular cylinder. Or, in Li Long's eyes, it looks more like a rockery with a pointed top and a round bottom.

It looks quite nice when it's positioned correctly.

I just don't know if the surface is flat. If it's not flat, we'll need to put a platform on it.

Water seeped in when they were only halfway down the river. The villagers tried to clear the water as they dug, but being by the river, the water seeped in very quickly. All they could do was clear away the sand, using their hands and shovels to probe the bottom and clear away the sand.

Fortunately, the surrounding mud and sand were quite solid and did not sink into the gap dug in the middle; otherwise, the workload would have been much greater.

Once most of the mud and sand around the large jade stone has been cleared away and the bottom has been reached, it's about time to choose a good spot to tie the steel wire rope.

Seeing that it was about time, Li Long told the men to rest while they waited for the tracked tractor to arrive.

The small four-wheeled tractor can reach a speed of 30 in the mountains, while the tracked tractor can only reach a maximum of 10, so it took more than half an hour for the tractor to arrive.

However, there was enough time. Meng Hai and the others had rested enough, so they let the tractor driver get off and rest. They tied the jade with steel cables, then attached them to the back of the tracked tractor and began to haul it away.

Li Long told everyone to stay far away, fearing that if the steel cable taut and came loose, it could snap and cause serious injury.

That thing will either die or be maimed.

As the steel cable tightened as the tractor slowly moved forward, Li Long kept observing. The jade stones in the river didn't move much, but the steel cable was rotating and getting tighter and tighter. Seeing that this wasn't working, Li Long immediately shouted "Stop!" in front of the tractor.

“We need to dig the jade towards the riverbank to create a gentle slope so it can be easily pulled out. Right now, the jade is quite heavy; we can't just pull it out directly,” Li Long told Meng Hai. “Let the tractor slow down for now.”

Digging a gentle slope is much easier than digging for jade. Seven or eight people worked together and dug out the slope in no time.

After digging up Meng Hai, he even joked about it:
"I was too confident just now, and I embarrassed myself. If I had known, I would have dug out this slope earlier, and the jade might have been extracted by now."

Sure enough, it was much easier for the tractor to pull it. The jade moved slightly, then fell down and was slowly pulled to the riverbank along the gentle slope.

At this moment, Li Long finally saw the full picture of the jade.

It resembles a towering peak, or perhaps an enlarged version of a cannonball.

P.S.: My car got scratched by someone today. It was a company car. They wanted to settle it privately but didn't want to pay more money. They were also rude and seemed to be trying to blackmail me. In the end, I had to file an insurance claim.

I need to get my car repaired tomorrow.

Fortunately, no one was hurt.

All sorts of messy things are happening at once, so I'll only write one chapter today.

(End of this chapter)