Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1127 With goods available, there's no worry about selling; the car already has an owner.

When a plate of spicy stir-fried lamb offal was served, Zhong Guoqiang said with a smile:

"Come on, have a taste! This is lamb offal imported from abroad, and it costs 50 cents more per plate than a plate of it in China!"

A plate of lamb offal costs two yuan, but imported offal costs an extra fifty cents.

"What's different about the ones from abroad?" Chen Hongjun asked, still not quite sure, as he picked up some food with his chopsticks.

“It doesn’t taste as good as the ones in China,” Li Long chimed in. “It’s just a bit rarer. Actually, the ingredients are cheaper than what’s sold in China.”

"Don't expose it yet," Zhong Guoqiang complained to Li Long. "Let Old Chen try it first."

Chen Hongjun picked up a piece of sausage, put it in his mouth, chewed it, swallowed it, and said:
"It's just so-so, why should it cost a dollar more?"

“Because it’s from overseas,” Zhong Guoqiang laughed. “Didn’t you notice when you came in? It’s written on the blackboard in the lobby: regular lamb offal is two yuan, imported lamb offal is two yuan and fifty cents. The imported lamb offal sells out faster.”

Chen Hongjun shook his head, picked up another bite with his chopsticks, and tasted it. He felt it was just like that, nothing special.

"You've almost finished that bag of offal you took, haven't you?" Li Long picked up a piece with his chopsticks, tasted it, and asked Zhong Guoqiang.

"Hmm, not much left. How much do you have?"

"There are about seven or eight bags left. They say it's imported waste, and it sells out quickly."

"Then I'll go and get two more bags later. This stuff will keep well in winter, and I have some stored here. A few of my regular customers always order a plate when they come over; this stuff sells out quickly."

"What? Li Long, you brought this sewage here?" Chen Hongjun immediately understood after hearing the conversation between the two.

“Yes,” Li Long said with a smile. “Old Chen, you’ve seen the cars I have there, right? They’re all from the Soviet Union, including this cargo and those cars. The cargo is cheaper there, and after paying the taxes at customs, we can still make a profit.”

"I never expected that in just a few short years, you'd already be able to import things from abroad," Chen Hongjun exclaimed. "You're a force to be reckoned with!"

“Indeed,” Zhong Guoqiang felt the same way. “How should I put it? Now everyone in the county knows that Director Li of the supply and marketing cooperative has gotten a luxury foreign car. Li Long, you got that for me too, didn’t you?”

“Well, that car is quite old, so it will be cheaper to sell it to Director Li,” Li Long said. “Cars like that are hard to find now. After all, after getting them from the Soviet Union, they have to be driven all the way here, and they’re in such bad condition that they can’t be driven here.”

The cars that can be driven here are all high-quality, so they're not cheap.

The car he sold to Li Xiangqian for five thousand yuan was an absolute steal. Although he didn't know if the price would be leaked, it was best to be prepared.

"Yes, that makes sense." Zhong Guoqiang nodded. Anyway, he wasn't thinking about getting a car, and he couldn't afford it. Besides, that thing was too conspicuous. He'd better just stick to riding his bicycle.

"Is your sewage a one-time purchase, or will you supply it regularly in the future?" Chen Hongjun asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think we can supply it long-term. It's just that this stuff is only good in winter; it's hard to store in summer, which is a hassle," Li Long said. "The partner over there is quite capricious; he can make whatever he wants."

Liu Shanmin's behavior seemed quite casual. At first, he was quite proper in transporting medicinal herbs and antelope horns, but later he just let loose.

But it's not bad. Everything we bring over can be sold here, and we can make a profit, more or less. Plus, we get a car every time, which is a big part of the income.

After the meal, Zhong Guoqiang took his men to the purchasing station to buy waste water, while Li Long drove Chen Hongjun to the bus station, handing him a small package just before he boarded the bus.
"Old Chen, this is an antelope horn. Keep it at home for future reference."

Anyway, there are many such items, so they're not bad to give as gifts.

As Chen Hongjun was getting into the car, he said:
“Li Long, if you can’t sell everything when the water comes down next time, send some to me, or I can find a truck to come and haul it away. The purchasing station doesn’t get much in winter, so why don’t I do what you do and sell some things? I’ll also think about what else I can sell, so I can at least make some money.”

Chen Hongjun is quite quick-witted. Most businesses at this time of year just wait and see during the off-season until the peak season arrives.

Chen Hongjun's initiative in seeking income is a good step forward.

After seeing Chen Hongjun off, Li Long returned to the purchasing station and saw that people would often leave with a bag of offal on their backs, or on horse-drawn carts, tractors, or bicycles after selling their goods.

Clearly, for them, both buying and selling make money—how wonderful!

It looks like most of the waste will be sold today. Li Long wondered if Liu Gaolou, who hadn't been around for a while, would be coming soon.

Next time he comes, let him know what he's bringing. Make a call from Khorgos to let him know so we can be prepared.

With nothing much going on at the purchasing station, Liang Shuangcheng and Sun Jiaqiang were both free, so Li Long simply went back to the yard and planned to tidy up the greenhouse.

However, after he returned and changed his clothes, Gu Boyuan called and said that Director Li from the supply and marketing cooperative was looking for him.

Li Long had no choice but to drive to the supply and marketing cooperative again. On the way, he saw several small four-wheeled tractors pulling snowplows northward, which must have just been bought from Shicheng.

The snow removal machine business is still booming, which makes Li Long quite happy.

When they arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, the gatekeeper recognized Li Long and even joked with him:

"Why don't you drive your sedan? Isn't that more comfortable than the Jeep?"

"I'll keep driving this way," Li Long replied, and went into the yard.

The snow in the supply and marketing cooperative's courtyard had been cleared very cleanly. The snowplow was parked next to the carport. Li Long parked his car, got out, and walked inside.

As he entered the corridor, he saw a blanket spread on the cement floor. He thought to himself, "That's not bad." He stomped his feet on the blanket to shake off the snow before walking inside.

Zhou Yuan had just come out of Li Xiangqian's office when she saw Li Long and said with a smile:

"I heard you've started selling Soviet-made wastewater where you are? Is that true?"

“It’s definitely true.” Li Long smiled. “It has all the necessary paperwork. But to be honest, the taste is about the same. The Big Meat Cafeteria has stir-fried lamb offal, you can go and try it.”

“Okay, I’ll give it a try when I have time.” Zhou Yuan pointed inside. “That’s a good thing.”

Li Long smiled, knocked on the door, and went inside.

Li Xiangqian was pouring himself some water when he saw Li Long come in, so he poured him a glass as well and said:

How have you been lately? Busy?

"Not bad, just busy with nothing," Li Long said. "What does the director need me for? If it's within my power, I'll do it!"

"Get lost, you didn't even finish junior high, yet you act all high and mighty," Li Xiangqian handed him a water glass. "I have good news for you, do you still have any cars left?"

"Yes, but there aren't any like yours anymore." Li Long took the water, took a sip with relish, and said with a smile, "Cars these days are more expensive and newer. They are expensive, but worth it."

“I drove to the prefecture for a meeting last time, and someone has been eyeing it ever since.” Li Xiangqian sat back in his seat, blew on the tea leaves in his teacup, and said, “So today they asked someone to call me and ask if you have any cars left over.”

"It was recently brought back, practically brand new," Li Long said. "It's a Volga, black."

"What do you mean by 'almost new car'? A new car is a new car, and an old car is an old car. What does 'almost new car' mean?" Li Xiangqian was a little confused.

"It's a brand new car that I just bought three months ago, and I haven't driven it for more than a few days," Li Long said. "Everything is fine, but of course, this car is expensive."

"How much more expensive can it be? More expensive than a new Santana?" Li Xiangqian asked. "The person who called me said they didn't like the Santana, saying it was too ugly, and preferred the style I drive. They wanted the new one."

"Then tell me, this is the condition of the car."

"This time it's not a scrap car, is it?" Li Xiangqian joked. "If such a new car is a scrap car, then there's something to talk about."

“Of course not this time,” Li Long said. “All the paperwork is in order, and we can get the license plate as soon as we get it.”

“Alright, then I’ll tell them that. You’re not busy in winter, are you? Have you thought about going hunting?” Li Xiangqian asked with a smile. “If there’s a good place, I’ll invite Director Qian to join us.”

"The animal protection law is in effect now, so is it still safe to hunt?" Li Long asked. "Does this not apply here?"

"What animal protection law?" Li Xiangqian asked in confusion, "How come I didn't know there was a law against hunting?" He was also thinking of inviting Director Qian over to reconnect.

After all, the last time I went hunting in the no-man's-land was a long time ago.

“Our country’s Wildlife Protection Law,” Li Long said, “was implemented this year. A few days ago, a merchant from the region who came to my purchasing station to buy hides said that it has already been implemented in the region this year, and many animals are no longer allowed to be hunted, so the price of wild animal hides has gone up.”

"Then you can't accept it there either? Won't that result in a huge loss of money?" Li Xiangqian's thoughts kept wandering.

“Not really. I imported a batch of leather,” Li Long said. “I don’t care about imports, so I make a little profit.”

"Imported ones aren't subject to regulations, so does that mean we can go abroad to hunt?" Li Xiangqian wondered, "But the procedures are difficult."

“I went abroad to hunt once a while ago,” Li Long couldn’t help but boast. “Abroad, I went to the Soviet Union, specifically the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. There were definitely a lot of game there, and those guys were using submachine guns! I shot a bear with a sniper rifle!”

"You really went abroad hunting? I was just saying!" Li Xiangqian felt more and more that Li Long had developed a bit too fast in the past two years, and he couldn't keep up with what he was doing.

"Yeah, I went out to do some scouting and then went hunting while I was at it." Li Long casually showed off his nonchalant attitude.

"Why don't you just take us along sometime?" Li Xiangqian asked. "Do you even have the ability to do that?"

"That's hard to say." Li Long thought to himself that if Liu Shanmin's trading company were to open and send out an invitation to China, it might actually be possible to take Director Qian and Li Xiangqian and the others on a trip. "Let me ask."

However, this kind of thing definitely needs to be done as soon as possible. We have to go there before things get chaotic. Otherwise, if we wait until things get chaotic before going there, it's not playing around, it's asking for trouble, or even suicide.

Li Xiangqian was joking, but unexpectedly, Li Long actually gave a somewhat inaccurate answer, which was much more interesting than responding to the hunting request.

Going abroad? It's really not easy to go abroad at this time!

"Okay, it's settled then. If you're really capable, give me a definite answer, and I'll talk to Director Qian about whether I can bring my family."

"Let me find out first, it's not certain yet." Li Long smiled. "This is the Soviet Union, not the United States. Some people there have a harder life than we do, so don't have too high expectations. Even if we go, we won't see much of the glitz and glamour."

“No matter what, it’s still overseas. I could talk about it for half my life if I could go there!” Li Xiangqian said, raising his head.

Li Long thought to himself, "Only you think like that now. In twenty or thirty years, when you can go abroad for a hundred or so yuan, you'll be demystified."

The topic returned to cars, and Li Xiangqian asked Li Long about the price.

Li Long thought to himself that although the Volga did look more luxurious than the Santana at this time, it was, after all, from the Soviet Union. For those who admired Europe and America, this car couldn't be much more expensive.

So he simply priced it at 100,000.

Li Xiangqian said he would reply to the other party and see how they responded.

For those who made money by taking advantage of the reforms, 100,000 is really not expensive.

For ordinary people, 100,000 is an astronomical figure in this era; it all depends on how you look at it.

After returning from Li Xiangqian's place, Li Long went to the purchasing station to clean his car, and then went back to the yard to cook dinner. However, when he entered the yard, Sister Yang was already busy in the kitchen.

"You're back quite early today," Li Long greeted Sister Yang.

“Our helpers over there are already quite skilled, and Lan Hua is also capable; she knows how to operate the machines, so I came over to cook,” Sister Yang said while chopping vegetables. “She said there are few people in her family, so she can just eat the leftovers from lunch, and I didn’t interfere much.”

At the jerky processing workshop, Sister Yang is increasingly showing the demeanor of a manager, but back in the courtyard, she is still the same happy sister who cooks for everyone.

I cooked rice porridge for dinner, stir-fried celery, and ate vegetarian rice.

Because Keyum sends meat every now and then, the family never lacks meat to eat. On the contrary, they have a better appetite for light dishes in the evening.

The next day, Li Xiangqian called and said that the other party was willing to look at the car and could arrive in the county that day. When the person arrived, Li Xiangqian would take him to the purchasing station and ask him to wait there.

It's a two-hour drive from Wucheng to Ma County. Li Long figured it would be almost noon by the time he arrived, so he went to tidy up the greenhouse first. The celery he ate yesterday came from the greenhouse, so he couldn't be careless about it, since it was a vegetable that would last all winter.

Around 12 o'clock, he went to the purchasing station.

Although the writing on the blackboard had been erased, some people still asked the old consultant if there were any overseas dives. Old Gu was not bothered and answered them one by one.

Li Long simply didn't stay in the front yard and went straight to the back yard.

It wasn't raining, so the clean car was parked there. He thought for a moment, then went over to tidy it up, started it, and drove it around the yard a couple of times to warm it up.

After all, if someone wants to buy it, they'll definitely want to drive it back, and it's easier to start the car after it's warmed up.

At 12:30, a car sounded outside. When Li Long came out of the meeting room, he saw that Li Xiangqian had driven a Volkswagen with one person in it to the backyard.

Li Xiangqian got off the bus with a rather burly middle-aged man. The man smiled and nodded at Li Long, but his gaze quickly fell on the nearly new Volga.

Then I went over there.

Li Xiangqian had originally planned to bring some people over to greet Li Long and introduce them, but since Li Long was looking at the car directly, it wasn't appropriate to say anything. So he left it to Li Long and whispered to him:
"He was urging me to come over as soon as he arrived; it seems he really loves cars."

The man inspected the car from top to bottom, then turned to Li Long and asked:
"Mr. Li, right? Could you start it up so I can hear the sound?"

“Sure, the keys are in the car.” Li Long pointed and said, “Try driving it. You can drive it, right? You can take it for a couple of laps.”

"I can drive, I can drive!" the man said with a smile. "I have a license, don't worry." He then opened the car door and got in. He closed the door quietly, indicating that he had a good habit.

The man didn't start the engine immediately. He looked down and studied the gear shift, brake position, and other settings, and even adjusted the seat before starting the engine and slowly driving off.

He drove quite steadily; he seemed like an experienced driver.

Li Long and Li Xiangqian watched the driver drive. After he circled around twice and stopped, Li Long could tell through the car window that he was genuinely satisfied, and the smile on his face revealed his emotions.

After getting off the bus, the man's expression returned to normal, and Li Long felt that this round was probably won.

"Hello, hello, I'm so sorry, I really like cars, and I'm quite stubborn. I only like the cars I set my sights on. I got a little obsessed when I saw one just now, I'm so sorry." The man shook hands with Li Long after getting out of the car and explained repeatedly.

"It's alright, it's alright. Are you satisfied with the car?" Li Long asked.

“Satisfied, quite satisfied,” the man said. “Shall we discuss the price?”

"Alright, come inside, it's quite cold outside." Li Longyi gestured, "I haven't asked your name yet?"

"My name is Liu Jianhua, you can just call me Lao Liu," the man said with a smile. "I'm in the building materials business, let's see if there's an opportunity to cooperate in the future."

"Building materials? Do you have cement?" Li Long was immediately delighted. Cement, this was exactly what he needed.

"Of course we have it. What's up, Mr. Li? You want to buy cement?"

"I'm thinking of buying a batch. What's the wholesale price of cement now? If it's possible, could you use some cement to offset part of the truck payment? How about that?"

"Hey, is there really such a good thing?" Liu Jianhua couldn't help but laugh. "This is amazing!"

Following Li Long's approach, he not only shipped the goods and bought the truck, but also saved money—a truly wonderful thing!

"By the way, what's the wholesale price of a ton of cement now?" Li Xiangqian asked, seeing that Liu Jianhua was too excited to ask.

"Two hundred retail price per ton, one hundred and eighty wholesale price." Liu Jianhua, familiar with the business, spoke naturally. "But since Boss Li is being so generous, I can't be stingy. One hundred and seventy per ton, how about that?"

He bought it for 150 and sold it for 170, so he still made a profit.

"How about a lower price?" Li Long said. "I need a lot."

(End of this chapter)