Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1118 Everyone wants to take advantage of a good deal (Bonus chapter for the leader of the Spring Warmth Eleven States Alliance)
The meal lasted until after 11 p.m. After Tao Jianshe returned, Xie Yundong and the others persuaded him to have a couple of drinks. Tao Daqiang's child had already fallen asleep before Li Long and the others finally left.

Li Long was actually quite lucid. He slowly drove back to the courtyard and saw his father and older brother still chatting at the gate. After he got out of the car, his older brother asked:

"How are you?"

"It's alright," Li Long smiled. "Let's just get a little tipsy."

"Then hurry up and go sleep in the front yard. The stove is on, and the blankets have been aired out. There's water in the kettle on the stove, remember to drink it."

Li Long responded and went to the front yard. He had drunk too much and just wanted to go to sleep.

When they opened the front gate, Li Junfeng came out of the house next door, called out "Uncle Xiaolong", and helped him into the house.

"I'm fine, you should go back quickly. Your wife is about to give birth, right?" Li Long said. "Go take care of her, I'm fine."

Seeing that he was really alright, Li Junfeng poured him a glass of water, placed it on the table, and then closed the door and left.

Li Long was really fine. He took off his coat, which was covered in the smell of alcohol, and draped it over the chair. He picked up a cup and sipped some warm water. After finishing, he pulled back the covers and lay down to sleep.

Feeling thirsty in the middle of the night, I got up without turning on the light, figuring I could see anyway. I poured myself a glass of water, and seeing the fire in the stove was almost out, I shoveled some coal in and added it back in. After covering it up, I went back to my bedroom and went back to sleep.

As dawn approached, it got so hot that I threw off the blankets. Thinking about it, it makes sense; it's not even November yet, and the stove is full of coal, how could it not be hot?

So when Li Long woke up at dawn, the room was warm and cozy.

He still had a light sweat on his face, but the effects of the alcohol had completely worn off.

He got up, turned the covers over without even touching them, and opened the window to let the smell out. A blast of cool, fresh air hit him, making him shiver, and then he felt completely awake.

After a quick wash, I went to the backyard for breakfast. Li Qiang had already finished eating and was slinging his schoolbag over the handlebars of his bicycle, ready to go to school.

Upon seeing Li Long, Li Qiang greeted him with a smile. Li Long then asked him, "What are you having for lunch?"

"I brought a steamed bun," Li Qiang said. "My mom also made me a boiled sweet potato."

Li Long felt in his pocket, pulled out a ten-yuan note, and handed it over:
"Here, buy lunch at your school cafeteria. Eat hot food. Cold food will upset your stomach."

Liang Yuemei hurriedly tried to dissuade him from the side:

"Don't give him money. He eats like this every day. He has his own money. Why would he give him so much?"

“Uncle, I have money now. They even paid me for picking cotton,” Li Qiang said.

"How many days have passed? You're at the age where you're growing. Look at me, I've grown so tall thanks to good nutrition. Don't let you stop growing at 1.7 meters."

Li Qiang originally stopped growing at a little over 1.7 meters tall, but with improved nutrition in recent years, his height is much better than before.

"No need, no need, Uncle, really no need." Li Qiang was quite polite at this point.

“Okay, I won’t give you that much,” Li Long rummaged around again and pulled out a dollar. “I remember a serving of cold noodles was 50 cents or 30 cents? Here, remember to eat something hot for lunch if you can.”

He stuffed the money into Li Qiang's hand and waved his hand, saying, "Hurry up and go to school, don't be late."

"Okay, Uncle, I'm off now." Li Qiang clutched the money in his hand, said this, then got on his bike and rode away.

Li Long also heard someone talking to Li Qiang; there must be some classmates waiting outside.

"Qiangqiang's grades are pretty good, right?" Li Long asked his sister-in-law. "I chatted with him for a bit yesterday, and he seemed quite confident."

"It's alright. They said he got first place in his class and second place in the whole grade in the midterm exams." Liang Yuemei, who was cooking, smiled broadly when she talked about it. "His sister set a good example."

"Yes."

At this point, parents often say that if the eldest child studies hard and gets good grades, they can help their younger siblings succeed, because of the power of example.

Li Qingxia, Li Jianguo, and Li Junfeng returned from outside at this moment, each carrying a bag and wearing rubber boots. Li Long asked with some surprise:
"Did they go fishing at Xiaohaizi?"

“Yes, the nets were cast yesterday. Take some fish back with you when you go back,” Li Jianguo said. “Now is the time when the fish are at their fattest. As the weather gets cooler, the fish will keep longer. After a while, they will become thinner.”

The small lake is filled with reeds, duckweed, and other plants. The water is fertile and the plants are lush, so the fish are plump and delicious when stewed.

Du Chunfang had already spread out the plastic sheet, and Li Long followed along to sort the fish, chatting as they did so.

Li Junfeng's wife is due to give birth in less than a month, and he asked Li Long how to schedule the delivery at the health center.

At that time, family planning was still quite strict, but the management here was more civilized. They wouldn't force pregnant women to have abortions or sterilizations; at most, they would conduct publicity and education and impose fines.

So after staying there for half a year, Li Junfeng understood that he wasn't so afraid.

Li Long explained to him that safety comes first, and he shouldn't always think about saving money by staying home to have a baby. If something really happens, it will be too late to regret it.

The six nets caught more than 20 kilograms of fish, mainly crucian carp, with some grass carp and small black carp fry. The largest carp weighed more than a kilogram and looked very beautiful.

"I'll just take some crucian carp back with me," Li Long said. "Crucian carp is delicious."

"We can't just think about what you like to eat," Li Jianguo said with a smile. "If Mingming and Haohao want to eat fish, then it has to be a big one, with the big bones on the belly that can be easily removed. These small crucian carp have so many bones, how are they supposed to eat them with all those thorns stuck in them?"

Li Long thought about it and agreed. He decided to take the big one back and stew it with some tofu.

Liang Yuemei had already cooked the dishes and urged them to wash their hands and eat quickly, and then continue cooking.

This is basically how it is in families with school-aged children: they cook for the kids first, then they feed the adults. Anyway, it's the off-season for farming now, so it's not a big deal for the adults to eat a little later.

In a while, the days will get shorter, and it will still be dark when students go to school. Some families will simply let their children make their own breakfast so that the adults can sleep in.

This is where stir-fried noodles with red tofu come in handy.

After finishing his meal, Li Long drove his jeep home with the cleaned crucian carp and carp. They had already arranged for Xie Yundong to treat them next week; since it was winter and they had nothing else to do, they just ate and drank.

Why is our leisure and cultural life so monotonous these days?

The next few days were uneventful. Bai Xiuming didn't come over, and Li Long wasn't in a hurry either. Anyway, Liu Gaolou didn't come over, so even if he brought the shoes over, he couldn't take them away.

Bai Xiuming didn't not want to come; he just had some trouble on his end.

After deciding to buy the car and signing the contract, he transported the melon seeds to Wucheng, found a railcar to transport them, and then it was time to deal with the shoes and the money.

The money was wired over quickly, but the shoes were a bit of a problem. The first train missed the shipment, and it wasn't convenient to ship those shoes in a separate train car, so they had to wait for the next batch of goods to be shipped together.

The main reason was to save on shipping costs. He spent the money on shoes and still had 25,000 yuan left. He didn't dare to run around, so he stayed in Wucheng waiting for the shoes to arrive.

They said it would take three days, and the goods would be shipped after three days. It would take another three days for the goods to arrive, so almost a week would have passed.

But we can't just wait.

While waiting, I contacted Lao Wei twice more. Lao Wei knew that he was getting these shoes to buy a new car, so I started thinking about it.

Old Wei is different from Bai Xiuming. He works in real estate and isn't afraid of being in the spotlight. He might not have the funds to buy a Santana, but he still wants a sedan to drive, to save face, and for others to recognize his capabilities through the car.

So as soon as Bai Xiuming revealed this, he immediately had an idea.

However, Lao Wei was also cautious. After clarifying the origin of the car that Bai Xiuming wanted to buy, he did not make a decision immediately. He simply asked Bai Xiuming to help inquire whether the car was still available and what the price was.

Bai Xiuming didn't tell him the actual price, only that it would be less than 100,000, but he would still get at least 70,000 or 80,000. Since he had a good reputation, they allowed him to owe a portion of the money.

Bai Xiuming was thinking that if he could really sell the car for 70,000 or 80,000 yuan, he would sell it on the spot. Anyway, he had a good relationship with Li Long, and he could just buy another car from him.

Earning 20,000 to 30,000 yuan on this trip is much better than doing sales.

Of course, the prerequisite is to get the car back first, so that people can see it before making any decisions. That's Old Wei's idea; all talk is meaningless until he sees the car and that's when he can be sure.

In fact, Bai Xiuming was also anxious. He was afraid that someone else might buy the car from Li Long, so he called Li Long every other day to reassure him that he would definitely buy the car.

When the first light snow fell, Liu Gaolou arrived with his car.

There were still three carts, but this time they weren't carrying medicinal herbs. One cart was carrying hides, another was carrying antelope horns, and the last cart was carrying something that even Li Long found somewhat unexpected.

Sidecar motorcycle!

It's green, and it looks like it was retired from the military.

This motorcycle even has a spare tire!
"How is it? Isn't it beautiful?" Liu Gaolou said with a smile after getting out of the car. "I saw it at first sight, but unfortunately it's useless to me. Besides, my uncle said it's for you."

"Why is your uncle so good to me?" Li Long had really fallen in love with the motorcycle; he had never ridden one like this in either of his two lifetimes.

“My uncle said that when he went back this time, he got the job he was looking for sorted out, and he also delivered the goods he brought over to his supplier. Moreover, he exceeded his target. He’s never had things go so smoothly before. He thinks it’s all because of the good luck you brought him,” Liu Gaolou said. “So he said he must get along well with you.”

Li Long thought to himself, "Could this be considered borrowing my luck?"
Of course it doesn't matter, I've already benefited from it, it wasn't borrowed for nothing.

“And this car, it looks similar to mine, a Volga, but slightly worse than yours, costs a thousand dollars. So for this sugar haul, I'll deduct a thousand dollars, giving you five thousand,” Liu Gaolou said.

“No problem.” Li Long glanced at the car Liu Gaolou had driven over and asked, “Has it already snowed in Guozigou? You must have been much safer driving here this time.”

“That’s true,” Liu Gaolou said with a sigh. “When I drove here this time, I wasn’t so scared anymore. I felt like I was an old driver now. I think when I go back to my hometown, I’ll definitely be able to drive it around freely. By the way, I’ll make two more trips before the Chinese New Year and then take a break. My uncle also said that we’ll all go back for the Chinese New Year this year. We can’t stay outside all the time.”

"Yes, yes, making money isn't everything. We should spend some quality time with our families." Li Long nodded, acknowledging Liu Gaolou's hard work.

This trip yielded even more antelope horns, five thousand pairs. According to Liu Gaolou, this is the only trip they'll take this year; it's unlikely they'll hunt again. There's a meat shortage there right now, so many people are hunting these animals, but others only want the meat and hides, discarding the horns and other parts.

Liu Shanmin's network of connections is limited and cannot be expanded further. He cannot attract too much attention, so many of his connections have been wasted.

But there is nothing we can do.

Li Long thought that having so many horns was not bad. Just these horns alone would cost him 150,000 yuan. Even if he took out all the money he had earned before, it wouldn't be enough, and he would have to take out some more.

There are a thousand hides, mostly broken pieces, all of them antelope and gazelle hides, and these hides will cost about 50,000 yuan.

Two hundred thousand dollars were gone. The car was deducted directly from the US dollar account, and the sidecar motorcycle was a gift from Liu Shanmin to Li Long, so he didn't have to pay for it.

Li Long told Liu Gaolou to sit at the purchasing station while he went to get the money.

"Then what should I sit on? Let's unload the stuff first." Liu Gaolou trusted Li Long completely. "We're just sitting around anyway."

Li Long thought to himself, "You're quite bold." But it didn't matter. His partnership with Liu Shanmin was a bit unconventional. He was always the one taking advantage, but in Liu Shanmin's eyes, Liu Shanmin was the one taking advantage of Li Long.

Both sides trust each other implicitly and provide each other with conveniences in different ways, which is quite good.

When he retrieved the money, Liu Gaolou had already unloaded the sidecar motorcycle, put the hides into the warehouse, and piled the antelope horns to one side. Seeing Li Long approach, Liu Gaolou asked:
"Why don't you put these ram horns here?"

"Well, I think it will be more expensive in the future, so I'll move it to a different place and not sell it for now."

"Really? The price will go up later? Should I stock up on some?"

"It's best to stock up on some," Li Long said. "Now that the animal protection law is in effect, we can't hunt many things in our country anymore. They're short of meat and hides over there, so hunting antelopes is like slaughtering them. I guess they won't be able to keep doing that for many more years, and then their horns will be expensive."

Liu Gaolou nodded, indicating that he understood.

Li Long handed him the money, told him to count it carefully, and also told him that he had prepared some shoes and asked if he wanted to take them over.

“Okay,” Liu Gaolou knew about the agreement between Li Long and his uncle, so since Li Long had said so, he would do it. Anyway, once the goods were transported to the port, his uncle would handle the rest.

Since the shoes hadn't arrived yet, Liu Gaolou went to stay at the guesthouse, waiting for Li Long to get the shoes before setting off to get the sugar.

After Li Long brought the antelope horns to the courtyard, he went to the purchasing station to look at the sidecar motorcycle.

Liang Shuangcheng, who was tidying up leather goods in the backyard, also looked at the sidecar motorcycle with great envy. He had seen this kind of motorcycle more often in movies, but he had never seen one in real life, let alone driven one.

Li Long got on the motorcycle and tried it out, finding it pretty cool. He unscrewed the fuel tank cap and found there wasn't much gasoline left, so he found a gasoline can at the recycling station, added some, started the engine, and slowly drove off.

The people in the front yard of the recycling station watched the motorcycles drive out, and they were all amazed:

"Hey, here comes something new again! Did you salvage this from the military?"

"It's definitely not from our country. Didn't you see the letters on it? That's foreign language! English, right?"

"That's bullshit English! That convoluted language is Russian!" another person who knew a little retorted.

Li Long had already driven his motorcycle out and circled the streets. On his way back, he passed the police station, where Guo Tiebing was on duty. Seeing him approach, Guo quickly stopped him and asked:

"Comrade Li Long, is this your motorcycle?"

"Yeah, it just came in, the license plate hasn't been changed yet, just testing it out first," Li Long said hurriedly. The motorcycle still had a Soviet license plate on it, and it was unclear whether it was a military or civilian plate; he had to explain.

"Where did this car come from? It's not a domestic car, is it?" Guo Tiebing asked with some envy. The police station doesn't have a single car yet, so they all ride bicycles when they go out to handle cases. It's fine in the city, but it's inconvenient when they go to the nearby villages.

“The Soviet Union, the Kazakhstani Soviet Socialist Republic,” Li Long said. “A friend of mine who does business there brought it over for me.”

"Not cheap, right? It looks pretty new." Guo Tiebing walked up to the motorcycle and asked, "Is this military-grade?"

"I don't know either. They gave it to me as a thank you for helping me. I don't know how much it costs." Li Long didn't plan to sell it, so he didn't mention the price. These things are extremely rare here, not only now, but also in the future.

Few people play it, and there are few ways to find it, so it's good to keep it as a souvenir.

"You're doing quite well now, all your connections have gone overseas," Guo Tiebing remarked.

While they were talking, other police officers came out and looked around the motorcycle. After a while, the phone inside rang, and they dispersed.

Li Long hurriedly drove back; he couldn't stand the excessive enthusiasm.

After driving the motorcycle back to the courtyard, Li Long went straight into the backyard, turned off the engine, and covered it with a plastic sheet to avoid being watched.

At lunchtime, Gu Boyuan asked:
"That truckload of antelope horns today must have cost a lot of money, right? You must have tens of thousands of pairs of antelope horns stockpiled here, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Li Long said. "These things cost 200,000 today, but if we keep them for seven or eight years, we can probably sell them for over a million."

Gu Xiaoxia ate while sighing:

"Is our family that powerful? We're already discussing deals worth millions over dinner... I remember seven or eight years ago, we couldn't even eat white flour buns every day."

“That’s because Xiaolong is capable.” Gu Boyuan made no attempt to hide his admiration for Li Long. “If it were us, we’d probably only be able to get enough to eat by now.”

Li Long hurriedly and modestly said, "We only have a good life because everyone works hard together."

After dinner, Gu Xiaoxia and Sister Yang carried the finished seat cushions to the Volga car. The seat cushions were made of wool, which would keep them warm in winter.

"I'll get a steering wheel cover when I have time," Li Long said. "The steering wheel gets quite cold when driving in winter."

“Okay, I’ll measure it.” Gu Xiaoxia went to get the measuring tape. “Circles are easy to knit.”

Two days later, when Liu Gaolou was getting impatient, Bai Xiuming finally returned with the goods.

PS: Three chapters today, the extra one is for the Alliance Leader, finally making up for the one I owe.

(End of this chapter)