Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1087 Team Four Doesn't Keep Idlers
After returning from Xiaohaizi, Li Junfeng went to the east room in the front yard.

Li Junfeng's wife, Dong Xiaojuan, was resting in the yard when she saw him return. Seeing no one behind him, she asked in a low voice:

"Didn't you say you were coming here to make money, that the work was great? But it doesn't look so good today. There are too few people here, it's not lively at all..."

Li Junfeng hadn't told his wife what Li Jianguo had said yet, and now, hearing her complaints, he felt resentful too, but he couldn't tell her, so he could only say:
"That's how it is in northern Xinjiang, there are fewer people. It's easier to make money when there are fewer people. If it were like our hometown, with more people and less land, how could we make money? Don't think too much about it, just stay here and take care of yourself."

To be honest, life here is definitely better than back home. The vegetable garden is bigger. Just now, Dong Xiaojuan went into the vegetable garden and secretly picked a cucumber and ate it.

delicious.

"I'm telling you, it's possible that the things we talked about before won't be able to be done. I'll have to work for Uncle." Li Junfeng thought for a moment and decided to tell him the truth. "But it's good this way. We won't have to be separated anymore. This place is nice to live in. They've prepared bedding and everything. It's even better than what we use at home."

"Why?" Dong Xiaojuan asked, puzzled.

"I just asked around, and it's too dangerous to go into the mountains. Catching fish to sell isn't an option either, since there aren't many fish left in that small lake, making it difficult to catch them. Besides, there's a certain risk involved, and I'm not sure I'll be able to make any money."

Our child's schooling costs money, and our travel expenses are also considerable. We can't expect me to take the risks. If you hadn't come, I could have easily navigated things on my own, but now that you're here, I think it's better to remain on the safe side.

Li Junfeng was good at talking. Even though he was the one who didn't dare to take the gamble, he blamed it on his wife. Dong Xiaojuan, on the other hand, felt that her husband was kind and righteous, and was quite moved.

When it was time for lunch, Li Junfeng and Dong Xiaojuan went to the backyard without Li Long having to call them. They had two large dishes: stir-fried chicken and stewed fish, plus rice—it was quite a feast.

When the Lu Yingming couple across the hall saw so many people from the Li family come over, they chatted for a while and left just before dinner, no matter how hard they tried to persuade them to stay.

They all value reason and human relationships; if someone comes from their hometown, they certainly can't disturb them.

Not only did he not disturb them, Lu Yingming even had Tie Tou bring over a portion of the side dishes he had prepared for dinner.

That evening, Li Long picked up Mingming and Haohao and took them back to the compound, where he told Gu Xiaoxia about the incident.

"With so many people, is there enough work to do at home?" Gu Xiaoxia knew beforehand that her brother-in-law's family was going to hire people from their hometown to help with the work, but she didn't expect so many to come.

“If it’s not enough, my older brother won’t have to do field work anymore; he can just work with the tractor. Anyway, the wheat harvest is coming soon, and my older brother will definitely be driving the tractor to harvest wheat for people. Dad and sister-in-law can take care of the field work then,” Li Long said. “I’ll go back to check on things from time to time.”

Although we have some understanding of this person's temperament since they are new here, it still requires long-term observation to truly assess their character and abilities.

For the next few days, Li Long went to check on the fourth team every day. Li Junfeng finally decided to stay, which was not unexpected by Li Jianguo. Going out to make a living these days is not so easy, especially since he was carrying a pregnant woman with him.

Li Junxian was quite energetic and worked diligently alongside Li Jianguo in operating the tiller. Chen Qianjin was not very talkative and took a while to adapt at first, but he was a reliable worker. Li Junfeng, on the other hand, was a bit absent-minded, but fortunately, he became well-behaved after being scolded twice by Li Qingxia.

In June and July, there wasn't much farm work to do in the fourth team area. Besides threshing the fields, the main tasks were cultivating, weeding, fertilizing, and watering.

Li Junfeng and his team weren't used to the large-scale irrigation method here. Mainly because the plots were quite large, and each irrigation session took several hours. Before watering, they also had to create ridges in the ground, which was quite strenuous work.

The trouble is that some watering takes place at night, and watering at midnight requires more endurance and skill, which Li Jianguo and his team have to do.

So at the beginning, Li Junfeng and his team weren't very good at their work, but at least they had more people, which was much better than Li Jianguo leading Li Qingxia.

Gradually, their work got on track, and as the school prepared for its holiday, Li Long stopped coming to the fourth team as often.

At this time, the main thing the purchasing station buys is black tiger paw mushrooms. People often bring over sacks of dried black tiger paw mushrooms from the mountains. Huang Lei and his team buy dried wild mushrooms, and the price hasn't increased this year because the market was good before, and the price went up. Now that demand has stabilized, the price hasn't changed.

Li Long's side followed the market trend, Huang Lei's side didn't raise prices, and naturally, the purchasing station didn't either. Ordinary people wouldn't say anything; for them, it was a buyer's market, and they could only sell at whatever price the buyers offered.

Occasionally, one or two middlemen who regularly come here to sell their goods will find this unusual, but if they don't sell here, they have nowhere else to sell their goods.

Chen Hongjun called Li Long and explained the current situation. It's currently the off-season for the purchasing station, and the monthly profit is less than half of what it would be when they were buying fritillaria bulbs. But he was quite calm, after all, he had worked at the purchasing station for so many years and knew these things quite well.

Taking advantage of his trip to Wucheng to retrieve the framed paintings, Li Long met with Chen Hongjun and explained the current situation.

That means we'll just have to wait. As a partner, Li Long also mentioned his purchasing station; those miscellaneous items were minor compared to the main ones: fritillaria bulbs, hides, and dried wild mushrooms.

Chen Hongjun also collected some dried wild mushrooms. Although the quantity was not as large as Li Long's, it was still a decent source of income.

Because he had no worries about sales, Chen Hongjun's business essentially provided the people in the nearby mountains with another way to get rich, and his reputation grew.

Li Long felt the framing technique of the twenty paintings he had previously acquired was quite good, so he brought another twenty to the same framing shop. The shop followed the usual procedures: registration, deposit collection, and signatures from both parties. However, the framing craftsman mentioned that this time, due to other commitments, the process might take longer.

Li Long didn't mind; he could take his time. He had brought the pieces that were easily damaged on the outside for framing. The pieces inside were in good condition, so there was no rush.

As he did these chores, time slipped by little by little. Li Long received a call from Factory Director Du, who said the medicine pots were ready and asked him to come and take a look when he had time.

High hopes were placed on Li Long, so as soon as Director Du made the call, Li Long went over immediately.

On an open space outside the agricultural machinery factory, a small four-wheeled tractor carrying a medicine tank slowly moved forward. As the tractor driver operated the machine, the medicine tank made a sound of inflation, the hose suddenly hardened, and then the nozzle connected to the hose began to spray water.

This was a demonstration, so we didn't use the medicine directly; we used water instead.

Li Long, Factory Director Du, and some technicians from the factory watched.

"How is it? It can spray from both top and bottom, the hose and nozzle can be moved, and the pressure is sufficient. We used the same model of sprayer for the nozzle, which has a metal diaphragm inside to keep dirt out and prevent it from clogging the nozzle."

Factory Director Du proudly introduced the pump, saying, "It's a standard model; look how much pressure it has!"

The pressure was indeed considerable. Li Long examined it carefully and realized that the medicine jar was not much different from the one he remembered.

The only difference is that the medicine container on this medicine jar is not big enough, unlike the later ones that can hold nearly a ton of water.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Even though the Production and Construction Corps has started large-scale cotton planting now, a single production company only cultivates about a thousand acres, maybe less. Larger containers aren't necessarily practical right now; those that hold a few hundred kilograms of water are sufficient.

"Very good, very good." Li Long nodded. "It's even better than I imagined, more practical. I think it can be put into production and used right now—by the way, have you asked the cotton growers to come and take a look?"

"Not yet," Factory Director Du said with a smile. "In our eyes, you are the most authoritative expert. If you approve of something you designed yourself after it's produced, then it means it's usable, so we'll definitely ask you to take a look first."

Li Long blushed slightly at these compliments, and he quickly waved his hand, saying, "I can't really say for sure, maybe I'm just making assumptions. I think it would be better to ask the cotton growers to come and take a look, or rather, bring a sprayer to the cotton field and spray it on-site, that would clarify the situation."

"This..." Director Du felt that this was indeed necessary, but he really didn't have time right now. The harvester tasks at the factory had increased again, and he was responsible for quite a lot of things.

If Li Long hadn't confidently declared that this pesticide sprayer would definitely be a flagship product in the future, he wouldn't have been so enthusiastic.

"How about this then?" Li Long guessed Director Du's predicament and said with a smile, "Give me this sprayer, I'll find a place to test it, and then I'll give you a detailed test report, how about that?"

"Sure," Factory Director Du readily agreed. Li Long received a share of the profits from the production and sales of the spraying machine, so it was normal for him to be so dedicated. Factory Director Du also wanted Li Long to share some of the workload.

“However, I didn’t bring a truck with me this time,” Li Long explained his predicament. “So I’ll have to trouble you to transport the medicine jars to Shicheng, and then I’ll use a tractor to haul them away.”

“That’s definitely no problem. We have a truckload of goods going to Shicheng today, so we’ll just take it with us.” A member of the factory’s management team chimed in.

That was settled.

Li Long didn't eat lunch at Director Du's place; he was going to his second brother's place.

Second Brother Li Anguo unilaterally arranged for his brother-in-law Chen Qianjin to go to the Fourth Team. Moreover, Chen Qianjin had clearly been instructed to do so, as he stayed at the Fourth Team as soon as he arrived, without mentioning his trip to Kuitun to find his sister and brother-in-law. Although the eldest brother in the Fourth Team had enough work for them, this was still unacceptable.

We should at least discuss it with my older brother and wait for his approval before letting him over.

Therefore, Li Long felt it was necessary to have a proper conversation with his second brother.

Li Anguo's family was having lunch when Xueping and Xueqin were happy to see Li Long arrive.

Adult matters shouldn't involve children, so Li Long, as usual, brought gifts for the two kids. Now that the children are on holiday, Li Long bought them new dolls and snacks.

Unfortunately, there are fewer toys available for girls these days, and even fewer that can be supplied to northern Xinjiang. Luckily, both children really like them.

Chen Lirong served rice to Li Long, and Li Anguo cleared space on the table, asking Li Long as he sat down:
"Why are you here at this time? Do you have something to discuss with the agricultural machinery factory again?"

"Hmm." Li Long looked at the plate of stir-fried green beans on the table, with no meat, and knew that his advance preparations had really come in handy.

He took out two aluminum lunch boxes from the black bag he carried with him. One box contained a plate of cooked mutton offal, and the other contained braised meat.

"Second Sister-in-law, let's put this on a plate and eat it," Li Long said, taking the bowl of rice that Chen Lirong handed him.

He guessed that the reason he still had his own food was probably because he planned to cook it for dinner that night.

Chen Lirong was a little embarrassed:
"I'm also planning to open a can of food and fry some eggs."

"Don't mention it, this should be enough."

Xueping and Xueqin, who were almost full and ready to get off the table, immediately decided not to leave when they saw there was meat to eat. They obediently sat at the table, slowly shoveling rice into their mouths, waiting for the meat to come.

"Second Brother, Qianjin has arrived at the team," Li Longxian announced first. "But with your situation... there's only so much land at home. Not only is Qianjin here, but Junfeng has brought his wife, and Junxian is here too. How can there be so much work to do?"

"Junxian has arrived?" Li Anguo blushed slightly. "How's Qianjin? I haven't seen him for many years..."

“We were wrong to do this,” Chen Lirong said, bringing over a plate of meat. “We received a letter from home saying that it’s hard to make money. We can’t afford to get treatment for our illnesses. After paying the grain tax, we don’t have enough fine grains left to eat for a year, so we can only grow sweet potatoes and store a cellar of them to last us for half a year…”

Chen Lirong couldn't continue speaking.

Li Long found himself unable to bring himself to say the words of accusation he had prepared.

But what needed to be said was that he didn't look at his second sister-in-law, but spoke directly to Li Anguo:
"Second brother, it's fine if the people come, but you should at least tell eldest brother before they arrive. Do the math, if four people come, even if Junfeng's wife supports them without paying, wouldn't it still cost two thousand yuan a year for three people?"

Li Anguo lowered his head.

The two children, Xueping and Xueqin, who had just reached out their chopsticks to pick up some meat, also sensed the heavy atmosphere and dared not make a move, looking at the adults timidly.

Xueping thought that she had upset the adults because she ate meat, so she whispered:

"Uncle, we're not eating anymore, please don't get angry..."

"That's right, we're not eating..."

The heavy atmosphere was broken by the child's innocent remark, and Li Long quickly smiled and said:
"We won't get angry, you two hurry up and eat. Look how thin you are, even though you were supposed to be bigger than Mingming and Haohao, you look like you weigh the same as them now, eat more!"

The two children were completely unaware that their words had significantly reduced the tension between the adults. Li Long said to Li Anguo:
"Second Brother, now that we have telephones, it's so easy to stay in touch. If anything comes up, just give us a call. We're brothers, what's there to be shy about?"

Li Anguo blushed and repeatedly said yes.

He had made that promise to his wife, but afterwards he worried that his elder brother and Li Long would not agree, so he simply acted first and informed them later.

Looking back now, it does seem a bit off.

“It’s too early to tell how things are going with Qianjin,” Li Long continued. “Don’t blame me for being blunt as his younger brother. If he does a good job, we’ll welcome him every year, and he might even be able to settle down here. But if he doesn’t do a good job, then we’ll make things clear at the end of the year.”

"Xiaolong, don't worry about that. If he doesn't do a good job, I won't have the face to let him come back," Chen Lirong said.

Let's leave this topic here. With the child present, Li Long couldn't say much, especially since this was his second brother. It wouldn't be appropriate for the younger brother to say too much, at least not at this moment.

After the meal, Li Long went back. Li Anguo wanted to get some money for Li Long to take with him, saying that he would pay part of Chen Qianjin's wages, but Li Long refused.

Since I'm working for my older brother, my wages will be paid by him and my older brother.

"Second brother, let's have some meat with the meal. The two children are growing, we can't let them go hungry." This was one of the reasons why Li Long didn't want money.

Every time Li Long came over, he would bring some things. It was what a brother should do. He was doing well, so it was no problem for him to give him some financial support from time to time. Gu Xiaoxia would never ask about it.

But sometimes it's more about his mood. His second brother's actions displeased him, so he didn't bring much with him this time.

Overall, workers' wages were not low at this time. By 1987, the average wage plus bonus had reached 100,000. Of course, those at lower levels earned less, but those at higher levels earned more with bonuses.

However, Li Anguo's family of four has a relatively heavy burden, as Chen Lirong is in poor health, earns little money from odd jobs, and also has to take care of the family.

Li Long reflected on himself and realized he hadn't considered his second brother's actual situation. Currently, among his siblings, his second brother was the worst off.

They still need to be taken care of.

Back in the county, Li Long took a tractor to Shicheng and brought back the medicine jar.

He plans to go to the North Interview tomorrow, but not to the Lü family in Liuhudi, but to Wang Mingjun's company.

Currently, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps still accounts for the majority of cotton planting. If the experiment goes well there, it's easier to promote it.

That evening, I told Gu Xiaoxia about it. Gu Xiaoxia said that spraying pesticides was quite dangerous, and the weather was quite hot, so she told me to be careful.

Li Long naturally understood.

The next day, after breakfast, Li Long drove off in his tractor. Mingming and Haohao were playing in the yard with Han Fang, and Li Long felt quite at ease.

It was two hours later when they finally arrived at Wang Mingjun's company. The tractor wasn't going fast, and it couldn't go fast even if it wanted to. Li Long, who was used to driving jeeps, was really not used to the slow speed.

But he had already made a bold promise regarding the promotion and testing of the new product, so this trip was a must.

Wang Mingjun was not present, so Lao Chen received Li Long instead.

"The company commander went to check on the crops in the fields," Old Chen explained. "The political instructor went to a meeting at the regimental headquarters. What did you drive here? Why didn't you bring your jeep?"

"A pesticide sprayer. Do you grow cotton? If so, we can let you try it out."

"What? Spraying pesticides on cotton? Hey, that's great! Several households' cotton plants have been infested with spider mites, and they can't keep up with the sprayers. Even the foreman is carrying his own to the fields!"

Old Chen was overjoyed!
(End of this chapter)