Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1133 The cars are selling quite well (Just one chapter today)
This time, Liu Shanmin, along with Li Long and the others, crossed the border. After arriving at Liu Gaolou's place and having dinner, Liu Shanmin called Li Long to his room and said to him:
"How was the reception this time? I think both of you leaders are quite satisfied."

"Satisfied? Very satisfied!" Li Long said with a smile. "Thank you so much, and I've gone to so much trouble for you. I'll leave half of the profit from this trip's sugar delivery to you; consider it as payment for the hospitality."

"No need, no need," Liu Shanmin waved his hand and said, "To tell you the truth, you have your gains on this trip, and I have mine. As I told you before, I paid the Commerce Department of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic to endorse me, which was also to show them my strength."

Your two leaders—they can be verified. Director Qian is of a high rank; they can confirm the presence of leaders of that level. The fact that I was able to invite them here shows that I have official backing. This will also make it easier for me to start working here.

Actually, you're helping me out. After all, Director Qian and Director Li have such great backgrounds, which makes it convenient for what I'm doing now. In fact, you're also providing cover for my real activities.

Li Long thought about it and realized it made sense. Director Qian and Li Xiangqian were both from the supply and marketing cooperatives. These days, you could buy almost anything at the supply and marketing cooperatives, which could really provide cover for Liu Shanmin's trading activities.

Li Long didn't inquire about the specifics of what Liu Shanmin was going to do, but he knew a thing or two. Those matters were the most important compared to the things the supply and marketing cooperative was selling.

Now that Director Qian has gone to the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic for inspection, this will solidify this connection.

That way, if Liu Shanmin sets up a trading company and deals in some sensitive items, they won't be too suspicious.

"So, I'm planning to give the car I drove here to Director Qian. Do you think he'll accept it?"

Li Long shook his head and said, "He might not be able to accept it. First, Director Qian has his own car. The cars assigned to people at his level aren't much different from their own, and they can use them normally. Second, the car you drove this time is a bit too luxurious; it would be too conspicuous for someone of his rank to use it."

Liu Shanmin thought about it and agreed. He had been in Almaty for a long time and hadn't paid much attention to these kinds of things back home. Now that he thought about it, his luxury Volga was indeed quite conspicuous.

"Then what should we do?" Liu Shanmin asked. "What cars do you have left?"

“One Lada and one 69,” Li Long said. “Director Qian’s official car is a 212, he definitely wouldn’t want the 69, and the Lada is too low-level. How about this, you just tell him and see what he says.”

Liu Shanmin nodded and said:

“That’s right. I’ve already driven here. Let’s talk about it first. If he wants it, great. If not, then you can drive it back.”

"I brought the one you gave me," Li Long said with a smile. "It's not like I have four hands."

"It's best if he wants it. If he doesn't, then let Gaolou drive it back for you. Anyway, I've had quite a haul this time. After you all came to visit, I originally wanted to buy things that they wouldn't sell, but now they've given them to me. You've seen what I brought back this time; these are the most important things here."

Li Long hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He half-jokingly said, "So, can we hold more events like this later? The leaders at the sugar factory are really envious when they hear that our supply and marketing system leaders are here."

“A sugar factory? That works too,” Liu Shanmin said with a smile. “White sugar is a strategic resource, and we’ve always been in short supply here, extremely short. If the leaders of the sugar factory come, and the people in the local commerce department know about it, they’ll come out to receive us even if I don’t organize it.”

"Such a good thing?" Li Long was a little surprised. "Really? Then I'll go back and give them my answer."

“Give me a reply. The more people like this come, the better it will be for my business,” Liu Shanmin said with a smile. “Before, we had to be secretive, but now that I’ve opened a trading company, the things I sell need a reason, and I need official people to endorse me. The people you mentioned are just right.”

Liu Shanmin and Li Long made an appointment with the leaders at the sugar factory. He would send them an invitation letter at the end of January, and then he went out to find Director Qian.

After finishing their meal, Director Qian and Li Xiangqian were outside taking a walk to digest their food, looking out over the land of Horgos.

Actually, there wasn't much to do in the evening, and there weren't many entertainment options here. Since we were already here, we decided to take a look around so we could talk about it when we got back.

After Liu Shanmin found Director Qian and told him about the car, Director Qian indeed refused to take it.

"I am already very grateful for the hospitality you have gone to so much trouble for this time. How could I possibly accept your car? Besides, I already have my own car. The one provided by the government is just right for me. I don't need another car. Even if I had a car, I wouldn't be able to drive it, and it would make a bad impression."

There's no room for negotiation on this. People of Director Qian's rank are very mindful of their image. Even if someone knows it's a privately arranged visit abroad, with an official letter, it's hard for others to say anything.

But if someone suddenly gets a luxury car, there's a lot more to say about it.

These statements might not normally affect Director Qian, but if someone exposes them at a crucial moment, the impact can be significant.

After all, Director Qian's rank is what it is, unlike Li Xiangqian, who bought a scrapped car anyway. Although it can be driven, at least it's not a new car, and the paperwork is fine.

Imagine ten or twenty years from now, some leaders might still be driving old Santanas or similar cars, but the interiors might be upgraded with imported parts.

Even years from now, we'll still have to be mindful of the potential impact, let alone now.

When that didn't work, Liu Shanmin stopped worrying about it and went directly to Liu Gaolou, asking him to drive the car to Ma County.

Liu Gaolou had no choice but to agree with a long face. The car was practically new, so he had to drive it very carefully. Fortunately, it wasn't his first time, so he had some experience and could drive slowly, which was more comfortable than riding in a truck.

That evening, when Li Long was resting, he heard noises outside. When he got up to check, Liu Shanmin heard him open the door and said from outside that it was nothing and that he should go back to rest.

Li Long then stopped paying attention.

When it got light the next day, they found that the tarpaulins covering the convoy had been removed and taken away, leaving only empty trucks.

The convoy of eight trucks, two cars, and ten vehicles was quite a grand procession heading back.

Liu Shanmin didn't come along. After having breakfast and seeing Li Long and the others off, he went to YN City.

Li Longdu suspected that he might also have a home in YN City.

After driving for a while, Li Long asked Director Qian and the others if they wanted to go to YN City to shop around and buy some local specialties, but Director Qian declined.

He could tell that Director Qian was in a hurry to go home.

Let's head back then.

Two days later, when the convoy arrived in Ma County, it was already afternoon. Director Qian's driver, Xiao Si, was waiting at the supply and marketing cooperative.

After loading the things that Director Qian brought back from Kazakhstan into the car, Director Qian didn't stop. Li Xiangqian had originally planned to invite Director Qian to dinner there, but that was also declined, and then they hurriedly drove away.

"You think the director is in such a hurry to leave because something happened?" Li Xiangqian asked Li Long.

"I don't think it's anything serious. Maybe he's afraid I'll force him to drive the car that Lao Liu brought back?" Li Long smiled. "It's alright. He had a great time on the trip. I can tell that Director Qian was happy overall, so that's fine."

"Yes, yes, that's great." Li Xiangqian was also very happy. "Okay, unload my things, I'll load them into the car, and then we'll go get some food?"

Li Long wanted to refuse, but Li Xiangqian wouldn't let him. He said that if Liu Gaolou refused, he wouldn't go. "You said your uncle's side is considered a landlord, and I can't invite him to dinner to thank him. You've come all this way, and we've had some dealings, so I have to do something to show my appreciation." Li Xiangqian grabbed Liu Gaolou's arm, not letting him leave. Liu Gaolou had no choice but to follow Li Xiangqian to the state-run canteen.

Li Long naturally accompanied him. He hadn't had a proper meal in China lately, and even a quick bowl of noodles wasn't enough. This was his way of making up for it.

Li Xiangqian naturally invited not only Li Long and Liu Gaolou, but also the eight drivers, setting up two tables for everyone to eat together.

This time, it was Li Xiangqian's turn to take charge. He fully demonstrated his fighting spirit at the dinner table and his eloquence as a leader, and in the end, he managed to get Liu Gaolou drunk.

In the end, he drank quite a bit, and Li Long had to take them home.

Those drivers were alright; they were mostly sober and ate a lot. Then, they were all put up in a guesthouse with Liu Gaolou; Li Long booked a room for them.

The eight trucks and the Volga that Liu Shanmin had given them were left at the supply and marketing cooperative, and Li Long drove his own Volga home.

Gu Xiaoxia was coaxing Mingming and Haohao to sleep when she heard the noise and rushed out to see what was going on. She was quite excited to see Li Long return.

Sister Yang and Han Fang also came out, but it was too late. After exchanging greetings, Han Fang went over to lock the door and then went inside.

After Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia entered the house together, they took off their coats.

"You're finally back. Was the trip safe? It took you a day longer than last time," Gu Xiaoxia said as she fetched water for Li Long to wash up.

She first added hot water to the washbasin, then added cold water, constantly testing the water temperature. Once the temperature was about right, she draped a towel over the edge of the basin, made room, and said:

"Come on, wash up first, you smell like alcohol."

"Yes, after I got back, Director Li treated us to dinner, and there were other guests too, so we drank some alcohol," Li Long explained. "Are they all asleep?"

"I just fell asleep. I was asking you before I went to sleep," Gu Xiaoxia said, watching Li Long wash his face. "Your beard has grown a bit. Did you not shave over there?"

"Yeah, the schedule was pretty tight, so I was in a rush to wash up," Li Long said while washing up. "I was in such a hurry that I didn't bring a razor."

"Oh, right, a guy surnamed Bai came looking for you. He said he brought shoes and some guests. He's been here for two days, waiting for you to come back." Gu Xiaoxia suddenly remembered something her father had mentioned and quickly told Li Long, "He comes to the purchasing station to wait for you every day."

"Old Bai," Li Long laughed. Bai Xiuming's car was sold cheaply, and it looks like someone else wants it.

He rubbed his face haphazardly a few times, then grabbed a towel to dry it. Gu Xiaoxia took the towel from his hand and said:
"You didn't even wash properly..." he said, then soaked the towel in the basin, wrung it out, and began to wipe Li Long's face and neck.

"It tickles..." Li Long flinched slightly, then hugged Gu Xiaoxia and whispered, "Did you miss me?"

Gu Xiaoxia blushed instantly, but she still insisted on wiping Li Long's face, saying as she did so, "Stop fooling around, it's not clean yet, you haven't washed properly these past few days..."

"I'll wash her tomorrow..." Li Long had been feeling quite stifled these past few days in the Kazakhstan Soviet Socialist Republic, and now that he was back, he didn't want to hold back any longer. He picked up Gu Xiaoxia and went into the inner room.

"The outside lights aren't off yet..." Gu Xiaoxia said softly, blushing, "The child just fell asleep..."

"It's okay, I'll be gentle, don't scream." Li Long put Gu Xiaoxia on the bed, then pressed down on her, whispering in her ear, "I missed you so much..." and then kissed her.

Sure enough, it wasn't very loud; this old bed is really good quality.

The next day, Mingming and Haohao woke up early and found that the lights in the central hall were still on. Mingming then shouted loudly:

"Mom, why didn't you turn off the light?"

Actually, it was still dark at this time, and his shout woke up Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia in the inner room.

Gu Xiaoxia quickly pushed Li Long aside, muttered a complaint under her breath, and then hurriedly got dressed.

We went at it several times last night, but in the end we were both too lazy to move and just went to sleep, forgetting to turn off the lights.

When Mingming and Haohao entered the room, the two children hurriedly put on their thermal underwear. Seeing Li Long on the bed, they rushed over excitedly.
"Dad, Dad, you're back? When did you get back?"

After the children started kindergarten, their speech became much more fluent. The two of them jumped onto the bed together, which startled Li Long.

It feels like only a few days have passed, but they've grown so much.

Holding her two sons and chatting, Gu Xiaoxia smiled as she got dressed and got out of bed to wash up and prepare breakfast.

Fortunately, the child is young and doesn't care about what he sees. We just need to be more careful in the future, as such young children are most likely to say things they shouldn't when they're out.

After breakfast, Li Long went to the guesthouse to find Liu Gaolou and the driver, intending to have them drive the vehicle from the supply and marketing cooperative to the purchasing station to unload the goods.

This shipment mainly consisted of antelope horns, hides, and offal, as well as the new Volga tank.

Liu Gaolou and the others were eating when Li Long went over and saw Bai Xiuming and another person there as well.

That's quite a coincidence.

That's really how it is. After all, the county town is only so big now, and there are only a few government-run guesthouses, so it's normal for them to run into each other.

Bai Xiuming was also quite pleased to see Li Long. He stood up to greet him and introduced his companions to him:

"Mr. Li, this is my friend Wei Mancang; Mancang, this is the Mr. Li I told you about. What do you think, young and promising?"

Wei Mancang, the same Wei who had spoken to Bai Xiuming on the phone earlier, smiled and shook hands with Li Long:
"I never expected Mr. Li to be so young. I'm truly impressed!"

Li Long guessed that this person was probably looking to buy a car, so he smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you. I won't disturb your meal any longer. Let's talk after dinner."

"well."

Li Longde needed to get those things from the supply and marketing cooperative back first, lest the news get out and cause trouble.

After all, there are still two thousand pairs of antelope horns.

(This is the only chapter today)
(End of this chapter)