Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1115 A Trip Abroad: A Little Show-Off (Bonus Chapter for Tianlang Xiaotian, the Alliance Leader)

The next day, after breakfast, Li Long went to the purchasing station and helped Liang Shuangcheng unload the goods.

A short while later, Liu Gaolou arrived with his men and joined in the unloading. After they finished, he said to Li Long:

"Mr. Li, shall we go to the sugar factory now?"

“Okay.” Li Long knew he was anxious, so he said, “I’ll take some things with me to send to Section Chief Hu.”

He then said to Liang Shuangcheng:

"Shuangcheng, move the apples to the warehouse. I'll take the rest later, so we won't leave them here for now. After you're done, tell Uncle Gu to ask if the vendors want any apples. They're very cheap, but they have to sell them by the box. A box is 20 kilograms and costs 20 yuan."

One yuan per kilogram, half a kilogram of meat is quite expensive.

But back then, fruit cultivation hadn't spread on a large scale, and ordinary people could only eat a very limited amount of fruit on a daily basis; otherwise, they wouldn't have eaten tomatoes as fruit.

Although apples are the most common fruit across the country, they are not something you can eat often. If someone has a few fruit trees in their vegetable garden, they will most likely fence them off, otherwise the fruit will be stolen and eaten by naughty boys before it even ripens.

Li Long brought in Guoguang and Red Delicious apples, which he bought for three cents a kilogram, just enough to cover the shipping costs.

He brought some horse meat and sausages, chocolate, and a few nesting dolls, and drove them to the sugar factory in a jeep. Although the Volga was more comfortable to drive than the jeep, it would be too conspicuous to go to the sugar factory; the jeep was more "common."

"How could I forget to bring them something?" Liu Gaolou whispered to Li Long after getting off the bus at the sugar factory.

Li Long knew that after he drove that Volga from Almaty, all he could think about was his car, and nothing else mattered.

So he said with a smile:

"It's alright, these things are for both of us. We'll go see Section Chief Hu together; the matter is the same."

Liu Gaolou smiled and thanked Li Long.

Carrying the things, they arrived at Section Chief Hu's office. He was on the phone, but when he saw Long and Liu Gaolou, a smile appeared on his face. He quickly said a few words, hung up the phone, and came over to shake hands with the two of them.

Li Long put down what he was carrying and said:
“We went to the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic a few days ago, and these things are from there. There are four portions of horse meat, horse sausage, chocolate, and matryoshka dolls. One portion is for you, Section Chief, and the rest are for the leaders. Please help us express our gratitude.”

"Hey, you guys even went abroad? It's not easy to go abroad these days!" Section Chief Hu asked in surprise. "How was it? Seems like you gained a lot after you got there? How was it in the Soviet Union? Was it much richer than here?"

“No way, it’s nowhere near as good as we have here,” Liu Gaolou chimed in, shaking his head. “The food and drinks are nowhere near as good as what we have here. It’s just that there are more cars in the city… How should I put it, it feels different from what I imagined.”

"The news often reports various problems over there. I thought it was exaggerated. Could it be true?" Section Chief Hu was quite interested in this. After his men poured water for Li Long and Liu Gaolou, he asked, "Are supplies running low?"

“They must be nervous, otherwise they wouldn’t be getting sugar from us.” Li Long put down his water glass and said, “Their heavy industry is stronger than ours; they can manufacture cars and things like that. But their light industry isn’t valued much. It’s still a planned economy; it hasn’t been liberalized. It’s similar to us a few years ago. The workers and farmers aren’t very motivated.”

"Sigh, this is too rigid. If it continues like this..." Liu Gaolou recalled what Li Long had said, but thankfully he didn't say it aloud.

"It's a large place with abundant resources, but the population is less than half of what we have in northern Xinjiang. It's half a size bigger than us. Think about it, it's mostly grassland and flat land. The conditions here are much better than ours, but the standard of living is not as good as ours."

To say it's inferior is not entirely true; it depends on which aspect you're comparing.

Since Section Chief Hu couldn't go anyway, Li Long and the others could go on and on about it.

"During the National Day holiday, our leader went to the Americas to visit and learn about their sugar-making experience. To be honest, he praised them so much when he came back. I thought all foreign countries were very developed."

“There are nearly two hundred countries in the world, some big, some small, some developed, and some not as developed as us,” Li Long said. “Let’s take care of ourselves first. By the way, Section Chief Hu, this time it’s still twelve tons of white sugar.”

"No problem," Section Chief Hu said with a smile. "Still the old settlement method?"

"Ah."

Both parties were satisfied.

Section Chief Hu treated them to a nice lunch in Shicheng. Liu Gaolou was in a hurry to leave, so he didn't drink any alcohol. After the meal, he drove away.

"Looks like this sugar business is really profitable. This Boss Liu is even driving a car now," Section Chief Hu and Li Long remarked as they watched Liu Gaolou leave.

"He can make a lot of money, but he also has to pay a lot of taxes when crossing the border. He has special methods," Li Long pointed out. He could tell that Section Chief Hu was interested.

"What? It can't be smuggling, can it?" Section Chief Hu was startled.

"No, no, it's through special channels. He has proper procedures, but... I can't say for sure." Li Long couldn't say too much; he just wanted to dissuade Section Chief Hu from doing it himself.

After all, if you were to sell this abroad through normal customs procedures, you probably wouldn't make much money.

"I see..." Section Chief Hu lost interest. He knew those procedures were troublesome, so he figured he should just stay here and do his job honestly.

"When the leaders went there for a visit and study tour, they brought back a lot of US dollars, which enabled them to accomplish some things that they originally wanted to do but couldn't," Section Chief Hu added. "Thanks to you."

“We’re in the same boat, it’s a win-win situation,” Li Long smiled. “This kind of thing will continue for a long time.”

"That's definitely no problem, the longer the better!" Section Chief Hu didn't quite understand Li Long's statement, but he naturally hoped to continue. "Do you still have enough sugar residue from your area? Should we haul in a couple more truckloads each week?"

"That's enough, that's enough." Li Long smiled. Now, with two truckloads a week, there's enough feed for Lao Ma's cattle and sheep.

It was time to move the sheep to new pastures again, but he didn't plan to stockpile cattle and sheep anymore. He maintained the current number, slaughtered the culled ones, and the new batch of lambs had grown up, creating a virtuous cycle, which was very good.

Moreover, beef and mutton cannot be fed with feed every day; grass is their staple food, and feed is supplementary.

After chatting for a while, Li Long drove his jeep back to the purchasing station to haul away the unloaded local specialties.

He noticed that some of the people leaving the collection station had apple crates stuck on the back of their bicycles, while others had them placed directly on their tractors, and there were more than one crate at a time.

He figured it must have been middlemen who took the apples away to sell. These days, all kinds of fruit are rare. In the fourth team alone, in the fall they could eat persimmons, jujubes, watermelons, and grapes.

If you have a vegetable garden at home, that's better; if you grow fruit trees, you can at least eat some pears, apples, or grapes.

And there's not much of this stuff; it'll be gone in no time.

So when I have extra money, I buy some fruit to eat, and I buy it along with the rest of the time.

Li Long also loaded several boxes onto the car. He wanted to take some over to the fourth team, and he also wanted to keep a few boxes for himself in the courtyard.

I was driving a Volga when I went to the fourth team. Anyway, many people already know that I got a car. It's not really showing off. To be honest, sedans are more comfortable than jeeps, but they can carry less stuff.

The car that Liu Shanmin got for Li Long was a luxury model, but Li Long didn't even put anything on the seats; he just put things in the trunk and under the footrests.

Sister Yang and Gu Xiaoxia are already planning to crochet a seat cushion for the car. In their opinion, it would be a pity to get such a nice car and such beautiful seats dirty.

Back at the fourth team, at my eldest brother's house, there was no work to be done in the fields, but my eldest brother wasn't there; he was still busy plowing.

Although this tractor wasn't from this year, it was much better than the one Wang Caimi owned. Wang Caimi was reluctant to buy a new one, thinking that a production team couldn't use two tractors. Since his own tractor couldn't handle the work in his team, he went to the neighboring third team to help plow some land.

The tractor from the third team was similar to his; both were broken and in need of repair, so they could do some work, though they wouldn't earn as much money.

My father is building the stove inside the house, and my mother and sister-in-law are helping him. The stove and fire wall need to be built before the snow, because the outdoor stove won't be usable in the winter.

Hearing the car horn, Liang Yuemei, who was playing with mud in the yard, was somewhat surprised to see the luxurious Volga. When Li Long parked the car at the gate and got out carrying his things, she smiled and said:
"Xiaolong's back. Did he get a new car again?"

"Yes, this car was a gift from my partner," Li Long said with a smug smile. "It's more comfortable to drive than a Jeep." He carried several bags into the yard. Du Chunfang heard him and came out. When she saw him, a smile spread across her face.
"They said they went abroad? And they're back already? They were only gone for a few days."

“It’s nearby, only a little over a thousand li to the northwest,” Li Long explained. “It’s the Soviet Union, the Russian side. We can just go there and go hunting.”

Du Chunfang knew about the Soviet Union, and she hurriedly asked, "Did we suffer losses in the past? We even fought against them a few years ago, and many people died..."

Li Long took the mud basin from her hands, and as he went to the mud-mixing area to get a shovel to shovel mud into the basin, he said:
"No, we're going there to see if we can do business. Life there is even harder than here, and I plan to sell some things there..."

“Suffering? Isn’t that what foreign countries are like? Aren’t they supposed to be developed countries where people live better lives than us?” Liang Yuemei asked doubtfully.

"It's different. Their system is the same as ours was seven or eight years ago. It's a planned economy, not open to the outside world, and they don't allow private business..."

Li Long explained it again, and this time everyone understood.

The planned economy did indeed have great advantages in its early stages. The country's basic industries, farmland irrigation and other infrastructure were all developed and promoted by concentrating resources on major projects during that period.

The large state-owned factories in northern Xinjiang were also established during that time, as were the foundations for things like farmland reclamation.

However, as time goes by, the planned economy inevitably exposes some shortcomings. Before people's awareness has reached a certain level, the planned economy can also hinder economic development in some aspects.

"Hey, why worry about so much? As long as we're living well, that's all that matters." Li Qingxia, who was building the stove, scooped up a shovelful of mud from the basin that Li Long had brought over and started spreading it.

After the stove is set up, the fire wall needs to be built. They use sheet metal fire walls over there, which is easy to do. The west room has a long horizontal fire wall where you can dry shoes and other things in winter, and the inner room has a vertical brick fire wall where you can dry things in winter, so sheet metal can't be used.

Li Junfeng and his wife were building a firewall in the front yard when they heard the commotion and came over.

"Uncle Xiaolong is back?" Li Junfeng said with a smile. "Is this your car? It's really beautiful! It must have cost a lot of money!"

"Someone gave it to me as a gift," Li Long said. "So, is your wife about to give birth?"

"Yes, I'll give birth in a month or so," Li Junfeng said. "I'll have to trouble you all again."

"She won't have any more children after this one, right?" Li Long asked. "I brought back some Soviet specialties; you can take some back with you later."

The main items were Soviet candies; we brought a lot of these so that each family could get some.

"Uncle Xiaolong, you went abroad? That's awesome!" Li Junfeng, who had been staring at the car, was even more amazed when he heard that Li Long had gone abroad.

"I just went to the Soviet Union, not far." Li Long didn't think much of it. In later years, there were dozens of buses a day from Khorgos to Almaty, so you could travel freely without a visa.

But now, going abroad is a big deal; you can brag about it for years!
Li Junfeng also joined in the help, and soon the stove and fire wall were set up. Then they waited for it to get a little dry, lit a fire, and checked if the smoke was flowing smoothly.

Building a fire wall is a technical job. The flue needs to be unobstructed, but not too straight, so that the smoke and fire can travel along the passage and heat up all the corners of the fire wall.

After the bricks are built, a fire test should be conducted to check for any leaks, since mud-plastered firebricks are prone to leaks.

While they were waiting for the ignition test, Xie Yundong and his group arrived in their cars. Soon, four or five cars were parked in front of the Li family's house, which was quite a sight.

"Xiaolong's back?" Xie Yundong placed a bag of sweet potatoes at the door. "They were grown by my father-in-law. They were just dug up recently. I brought them over so we can roast them and eat them in the winter."

"Come on, come on, this is the perfect opportunity to help out," Li Long said with a smile. "Now that the firewall is built, we need to remove the mud from this yard. Come on over, don't just stand around."

Tao Daqiang took the lead and started working with a shovel. Xie Yundong brought things, but he didn't bring anything and felt embarrassed.

The yard was just half a pile of dirt and a little mud left, which a few people cleaned up in no time. Jia Weidong even took a large broom and swept the yard clean afterward. He had come in Liang Dacheng's car, and seeing that the others had cars, his mind started to wander again.

I hadn't planned to buy it before, thinking it wouldn't be of much use, but now things are different.

"You guys drive pretty well, don't you?" Li Long asked with a smile. "You haven't had any accidents, have you?"

"I once opened a ditch," Liang Dacheng admitted, somewhat embarrassed. "I was running too fast and didn't turn sharply. It was near the eastern ditch. Luckily, the ditch wasn't deep, and someone working in the field helped me push it out."

"I didn't," Tao Daqiang said smugly.

"I don't have one either. I drive a minivan these past few days, and I give people a ride when they come to town. I can even make a little extra money," Xie Yundong said with a smile. "I do it secretly, without an operating permit."

"Not bad, as long as we can make back the cost of gas."

"That's more than that." Xie Yundong laughed. "Mine is nothing. Daqiang's is a sedan. He's used it to pick up several weddings in the past few days. He must have earned a hundred or two, right?"

"No, no," Tao Daqiang hurriedly waved his hand, "Eighty yuan."

“That’s fine then,” Xie Yundong said. “He’s already eighty in just a few days. Making money with a car is really fast.”

Li Long was also somewhat surprised, not expecting that selling the car to them would lead to them developing a new way to make money.

"Xiao Long, your car is beautiful," Xie Yundong said again. "Is it also one of those kinds of goods?"

“It’s different. This one was a gift from someone, so it’s practically a new car.” Li Long smiled. “We went to the Soviet Union a few days ago and brought another one back, which we’ve put at the recycling station. We plan to sell it later.”

Jia Weidong opened his mouth, and although he was envious, he still didn't plan to buy it.

Five thousand yuan.

What's the use? Xie Yundong handles hauling goods, Tao Daqiang handles weddings. Liang Dacheng hasn't even figured out a way to make money yet, what can he do?

“If you, Brother Long, use this car to pick up your bride, the price you ask for will definitely be higher. Fifty a time, and people will definitely pay it obediently.” Tao Daqiang looked at Li Long’s car and compared it with his own Lada. It was indeed different.

Li Long's is much more advanced!

“Exactly! If I get married again, I’ll pay fifty for it! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, and having a car like this for the wedding will make everyone else envious!” Xie Yundong said, touching Li Long’s car.

"It's not as amazing as you make it out to be." Li Long waved his hand. "This car only looks good these past two years. In a few years, when there are more cars in our country, it'll just look so-so."

"That's impossible. I've been to Wucheng, and there aren't many cars like this there." Liang Dacheng didn't believe it. "Let alone a car like this, you can't even see many Ladas like mine. Let me put it this way, if you drive this car out, more than 80% of the time, the authorities won't even check you."

Indeed, luxury cars are a symbol of status at this time; without a certain level of wealth, who can afford to drive one?

After all, a Santana still sells for 200,000!
Li Long cut up a large plate of horse meat and intestines he had brought and offered them to everyone. There was no need to divide the meat and intestines among them, but there were plenty of Soviet candies; each person filled a bag and took some with them.

They didn't leave, but instead asked Li Long about the situation over there. Although the Fourth Team had more land and life was better there, most people were still used to living off the land. Going to the county town was considered a long trip, and occasionally going to Wucheng was considered going to a big city. Some people were in their forties or fifties and had never taken a train, and some had never even been on a plane by the time they were sixty.

After the short-haul flights at Shicheng Airport started operating, older people would occasionally take a ride and experience it.

Besides, it's still the 1980s, and going abroad is too far away for them; they're all quite impatient.

However, what Li Long said surprised them somewhat.

Is this how it is abroad? Don't we often hear people talking about skyscrapers, luxury cars, beautiful women, dazzling lights, and decadent lifestyles?

Of course not.

Li Long explained it to them little by little, since he had nothing better to do anyway.

It wasn't until the purchasing station called him that they said a boss from the village had arrived!

(End of this chapter)