Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1109 Li Xiangqian Shows Off (Congratulations to the eleven readers of the book who became the Alliance Leader!)

Going abroad to hunt?

Li Long was truly tempted by Liu Shanmin's suggestion.

Firstly, although he has been traveling to several places recently, Li Long can clearly feel that there is much less prey here. Whether it is gazelle or wild boar, they are no longer as common as they were two years ago.

It's difficult to fight.

Secondly, having received so many hides and antelope horns from Liu Gaolou these past few times, Li Long had a general understanding of the situation there.

The area is sparsely populated, with vast grasslands and abundant wild animals. Hunting is done in off-road vehicles, chasing after prey in groups.

Even bears that are very rare here can easily be encountered and fought in the Tianshan Mountains.

Although it will take some time for the Animal Protection Law to be fully implemented in northern Xinjiang, Li Long knows that hunting wild animals here would actually be illegal.

There are no such concerns over there, and it's not a problem to have a good time.

"Were the procedures easy to handle in the past?" Li Long asked with some doubt. "Given the current environment..."

"It's not easy, but it's not as difficult as you think," Liu Shanmin said with a smile. "Besides, I have some power, so getting you an identity and handling the procedures shouldn't be a problem."

"That's definitely a good idea!" Li Long smiled. "Is it safe over there right now?"

The news Li Long heard about that place was mostly negative, so he was still somewhat worried.

"Don't worry. Although it's corrupt and a bit shady over there, it's generally okay for now. Not to mention people like us with some status, even ordinary people can be basically safe if they avoid those mixed-up places."

Brother, I'm just an ordinary person!
Li Long thought to himself that Liu Shanmin had tied him to him so quickly.

After chatting for so long, seeing that it was almost time, Liu Shanmin said:
"Let's get down to business and deliver these goods first. I also need to find some time to ask them what I need to do next, and then I'll take care of the paperwork for you. This matter won't be finished in a short time, and I'll need to stay here for a few more days."

So Li Long drove the jeep, Liu Shanmin drove the Volga that was meant to be given to Li Long, and Liu Gaolou led the convoy to the purchasing station.

This Volga is way more flashy than the one Li Long gave Li Xiangqian; it looks luxurious.

Li Long occasionally glanced at the rearview mirror in the Jeep, feeling that he might not be able to drive the car out.

Too conspicuous.

As the convoy headed towards the recycling station, it attracted considerable attention along the way, with most people's eyes still fixed on the Volga.

There's no way around it, it looks beautiful and luxurious, far superior to Li Long's Jeep that people often see.

Upon arriving at the purchasing station, Li Long parked the jeep outside, got out, and quickly went inside to tell the people who came to sell their goods to adjust their positions to make way for the Volga and the trucks.

The Volga once again attracted everyone's attention, and everyone thought that a very important person had arrived.

After all, this is the first time such a car has appeared in the county!
Even when seven cars appeared last time, it didn't have this kind of sensational effect!

Those with a bit of courage asked Li Long:

"Mr. Li, who's in that car? Which leader came to inspect?"

"No, no, it's a friend," Li Long explained, then went out to invite Liu Shanmin and Liu Gaolou in.

Besides the Volga, Liu Shanmin and his group didn't bring any other vehicles this time. They only brought two carts of medicinal herbs and one cart of hides and antelope horns, so there was enough room in the backyard.

Even the small four-wheeled tractor that was originally parked in the yard carrying a load of melon seeds needs to make room, otherwise the passage will be blocked.

Even after all the cars had been driven to the backyard, people were still talking about it.

Liu Shanmin parked his car, noticed a minivan in the backyard, got out, and asked Li Long with a smile:
"Did you not sell this one, or are you planning to use it yourself?"

“My father-in-law drives it himself,” Li Long explained. “The rest were basically distributed among relatives and friends.”

"I'll bring you some more next time. Fewer and fewer people over there can afford cars these days; many are planning to sell their cars and buy necessities instead."

"Won't the customs fees be very expensive if we go through the proper procedures?" Li Long felt that selling the car as a scrapped vehicle would be very troublesome for him.

"It will definitely be more expensive than a scrapped car, but... a used car will be much cheaper." Liu Shanmin guessed Li Long's concerns and said with a smile, "You want fewer but better ones, right?"

"That's what I mean." Li Long made no attempt to hide his thoughts.

"Okay, I'll get you some nicer cars next time, but they might be a bit more expensive."

Li Long thought, "It's fine if it's a bit pricey. As long as the procedures are proper, it will sell well on my end."

To be honest, even if it were thirty or fifty thousand, let alone ten thousand, this Volga could probably be sold.

At this time, Li Long was definitely not the only one who got rich by taking advantage of the reform. Brick and tile factories, breeding farms, and agricultural machinery processing plants gradually sprang up in the county, and the number of households with 10,000 yuan in assets also increased. Li Long wanted to keep a low profile, but some people felt that since they had become rich, it was normal for them to show off.

After unloading the licorice and astragalus herbs, weighing them, and storing them in the warehouse, Li Long jokingly said to Liu Shanmin:
"Old Liu, don't bother with these two herbs next time. I'm almost out of space to store them."

"What? Is it not selling well?" Liu Shanmin asked.

"No, that's not the case. The herbalist I work with is having a baby soon and can't get away. He probably won't be able to come until winter. When he does, he'll definitely be able to take all the herbs I've stockpiled away at once."

But for now, I need to stockpile everything.

"Haha, I see. Okay. Anyway, we won't be able to dig there for long, it's going to snow soon." Liu Shanmin nodded. "To be honest, the medicinal resources there are really abundant, they're everywhere. Just drive a tractor and plow it up, then pick them up."

Li Long truly believed this.

The antelope horns and hides are still cut in half, 1,500 pairs of antelope horns and more than 300 hides, all with a strong smell.

“The people there skin the antelope and sell the hides to tanneries, but those tanneries are actually quite backward,” Liu Shanmin said. “They still want the meat. Although antelope meat isn’t as tasty as mutton, at least it can fill their stomachs.”

Li Long nodded. Compared to the other side, the situation here was much better.

"Your hunting is so luxurious! Are you using submachine guns?" Li Long said with admiration as he examined the hides.

"Haha, think about it, looking at such a large group of animals, and so many people here who are hungry, winter is coming soon, shouldn't we stock up on more meat?" Liu Shanmin said with a laugh, "We've been firing a lot of submachine guns."

This is the truth.

With four items, Li Long eventually paid Liu Gaolou 72,000 yuan, making it a round number.

Liu Shanmin didn't handle the money. After Li Long paid his nephew, he and Li Long went into the reception room to chat. Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng, on the other hand, coordinated with Liu Gaolou, mainly on unloading and storing the goods in the warehouse.

"There are quite a lot of good stuff over there." Liu Shanmin gestured:
"A handgun, how about I get you one?"

Knowing that Li Long had a rifle, he asked about the pistol.

Li Long was tempted, but still shook his head:

"Forget it, this thing looks nice, but it's useless and illegal."

"Haha," Liu Shanmin laughed, and Li Long could tell he was laughing quite easily. "Then I won't do anything illegal for you. You must accept this car."

"I have to pay you, otherwise I can't accept something for nothing." Li Long felt that this car was really quite valuable, after all, he had made a great profit from so many previous deliveries.

“Keep it, I’m giving it to you sincerely.” Liu Shanmin said sincerely, “Let me tell you, when I first got over there, I also had a hard time. I took on several missions, and none of them were completed smoothly.”

But after meeting you, both of these tasks went exceptionally smoothly, and I felt that you had brought me good luck. I used to be an atheist; I didn't believe in anything about luck or gods.

But after I got there, I felt there were some mysterious things. You have to believe it, you must keep it to yourself. Maybe I'll need your luck to do something later.

Besides, you encouraged me to start a trading company, right? We'll be doing a lot of business together in the future. If you feel bad about it, just help me get supplies whenever I need them.

Would you consider this bribing yourself?
Li Long watched as Liu Shanmin placed the Volga's paperwork on the table, lost in thought.

He just checked the car; it looks brand new.

It's a nice car. As is customary, Li Long gave each of them a jade carving, a master craftsman's work, carved by Liu himself.

Liu Gaolou was fine, but Liu Shanmin held the small piece of gold-colored leather in his hand; he genuinely liked it and was truly excited.

"Little Li, let me tell you, nobody plays with jade over there. But jade is really useful. I had to pass through the mountains for special reasons, and I had to avoid some people. Later, when I got to Khorgos, I had a piece of jade with me."

It was a jade accessory, the kind you hang on your belt. It turned out to be the one that saved me from disaster. After I got through the checkpoint, I ran into a robbery. If it weren't for that jade, I would have been finished.

Actually, I've always wanted to find a better alternative, but over there, although there are jade mines, nobody plays with them, and nobody values ​​them.

Li Long thought to himself, "No wonder you've started to believe in luck; it's really hard to explain."

At noon, Li Long treated Liu Shanmin and his nephew, along with their driver, to lunch, while Gu Boyuan and Liang Shuangcheng joined them.

During the meal, Liu Shanmin talked about the situation in Kazakhstan, and Gu Boyuan also expressed his concerns.

Li Long felt that his father-in-law was quite talkative today, and as a college student of that era, he was still very sensitive to current affairs. He also felt that if things continued to escalate like this in the Soviet Union, things would become chaotic.

Gu Boyuan spoke much more logically than Li Long, analyzing things step by step with great clarity. Liu Shanmin and Liu Gaolou felt that what he said was much more reliable than what Li Long said.

Although the meaning is the same, ultimately it is an opportunity for Liu Shanmin, but for the people next door, it is truly a disaster.

After the meal, Liu Shanmin told Li Long that he would have to wait a few days for a reply from the other side. He planned to get Li Long's passport and other paperwork sorted out in the next few days, and whether or not Li Long went was up to him.

For Li Long, getting something done is always a good thing.

In addition, when they leave, they also take several truckloads of white sugar with them. White sugar has now become a stable reserve of goods for Liu Shanmin to earn foreign exchange over there; it's essential.

Then the uncle and nephew took the truck back to the guesthouse.

Li Long and Gu Boyuan didn't talk much on the way back, mainly because Liang Shuangcheng was there and it wasn't appropriate to say anything.

When they returned to the purchasing station, Li Long dropped off Gu Boyuan and Liang Shuangcheng, then drove the Volga back to the compound.

The jeep had already arrived at the courtyard before they went out for lunch, and now another car had come. Gu Xiaoxia, who was just about to go to work, was quite surprised.

She was still at get off work when Li Long parked the jeep, and she was a little confused at that moment.

However, considering the few cars Li Long had acquired before, she guessed something and asked:

"Newly acquired? This car is incredibly new!"

“Yes, but this time it was a gift from someone.” Li Long smiled and said, “They said I brought them good luck.”

"What kind of good luck is worth so much money? This car looks brand new. I heard that a new Santana sedan costs 200,000 yuan now..."

If it's a brand new car, the Volga isn't cheap in China.

"You don't need to worry about all that, it's ours now anyway." Li Long smiled. "Want me to drive you to work?"

"No need," Gu Xiaoxia hurriedly waved her hand. "It's too conspicuous, not good."

Li Long smiled and went back to the courtyard.

Liu Shanmin and Liu Gaolou returned to the guesthouse. Instead of resting, he sat on the sofa, smoking and pondering Li Long's words.

After settling the drivers in, Liu Gaolou knocked on the door to find Liu Shanmin.

"Second Uncle, do you think what Li Long and that guy surnamed Gu said might actually come true?"

“At first I thought he was talking nonsense, but after hearing what that guy surnamed Gu said, and considering what I’m experiencing over there now, I think it might actually be true.” Liu Shanmin knew his nephew was tight-lipped, so he didn’t hide anything and said:

"However, in any case, his method of stockpiling supplies and exchanging them for hard currency is correct."

Regardless of whether the Soviet Union splits up or not, I feel that Almaty will inevitably experience a period of chaos sooner or later.

Almaty is currently the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, and it is relatively close to Khorgos. It is also the largest city in the region.

One of the main reasons Liu Shanmin chose to live there was that it would be easier to distribute supplies.

In a small city like Panfilov, distributing those three tons of sugar would be difficult, and it would easily attract unwanted attention.

But in Almaty, it's easy, and very easy, to exchange for foreign exchange and hard currency.

After all, the rich are still rich.

Liu Gaolou nodded. Having done business back and forth several times, he knew that if he could acquire supplies while ensuring his own safety, he would have a say over there. As for whether he wanted to exchange for US dollars or gold, that was his choice.
"So I plan to go back and set up a formal trading company," Liu Shanmin said. "I'll import goods from here. We'll import regularly, and even if we can't sell them all at once, we'll stock up for unforeseen circumstances."

If things really get chaotic over there, it won't be easy to get things over there. But as long as I have supplies, I can decide what to exchange them for.

At this point, Liu Shanmin sighed:

"I didn't realize it before, but after living there, I found out that these things are really cheap in our country. And after the reform and opening up, I have money and can basically buy these things."

Unlike over there, unless you have connections, you can't buy what you want even if you have money! What's even more disgusting is that there really aren't many kinds of things; it's always the same few items!
If I hadn't gotten immigration status over there, I would have really wanted to stay here long-term. It's so much more comfortable here!

At a meeting in the state, Li Xiangqian drove the Volga that Li Long had arranged for him.

This time, Li Xiangqian has truly become famous.

Li Xiangqian was once famous, after all, he was in the newspapers every year and was commended every year. Although being recognized as an advanced individual or collective in promoting ethnic unity is not considered a formal position, it was at least an award given by the prefecture.

This time it was his own ostentatious display; he polished the Volga until it gleamed, and when he drove it to the state supply and marketing cooperative compound, all the other directors and deputy directors who came to the meeting were extremely surprised.

This is exactly the effect Li Xiangqian wanted.

He was very low-key in the county, even riding a bicycle to attend meetings there. But he didn't need to do that when he went to the prefecture. Now that the car was officially registered in his name, he could drive it however he wanted!

"Old Li, where did you get the car?" Someone immediately came over to ask.

"I bought it," Li Xiangqian said, feigning ignorance. "I can't exactly make it myself, can I?"

"This car must be expensive, right? With your salary, can you afford it?" Some people's words were a bit malicious.

"You don't know this, do you? Used cars are much cheaper than new cars." Li Xiangqian had already prepared his reasons. "It's a Soviet-made car, almost scrapped. I bought it and did a major overhaul."

That makes much more sense, even Director Qian said with a smile:

"I didn't realize this car was repaired so well; it looks quite nice and impressive. Xiangqian, you did a great job."

"Director, should I get one for you?" Li Xiangqian probed for Director Qian's opinion. "If others can't, you definitely can."

"No need," Director Qian waved his hand. "I have to be mindful of my image. If I drive a car like this to a meeting in the autonomous region, won't the leaders scold me?"

It seems unnecessary. The matter of sounding out the situation was asked to be handled by Li Xiangqian by Li Long. Li Xiangqian doesn't need to worry about the impact; all the paperwork is in order, and he's not afraid of being investigated.

But Director Qian is different; too many people are watching him.

Meanwhile, on the fourth team's side, Li Jianguo, Xie Yundong, Tao Daqiang, and Liang Dacheng, the four of them, were practicing driving on the rural roads from time to time in their four cars.

There was no other way. Before, there was no cab when driving a tractor, so you could see all around. It was so liberating to drive like that. Even if you drove into a ditch, you could just drive back up. After all, the tractor was for working, so we didn't care if it got scratched or scraped.

This is a car now, it's completely different.

Although the price was similar to that of a tractor, the body of the vehicle looked extraordinary. I would be heartbroken if it got scratched or scraped!

PS: Thank you to the reader "Spring Warmth in Eleven States" for the generous donation and becoming the book's patron. I was pleasantly surprised to see it when I woke up this morning. Thanks also to Kong Tianran, Flying Swallow's Hometown, Xie Lan'an, Wandering the World with a Sword, Dongdong, Zhang Runsheng, Wangwang, liaolai, Three Stones' Dream, usp45, Senzi Li HB, and a whole host of other readers for their donations.

The extra chapter will be postponed; there's not much time this weekend.

I'm already two chapters behind, and I'm starting to feel a bit rushed.

(End of this chapter)