Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1136 Planning to go to Yanjing, this time with many people.

After the sugar was taken away, payment was settled, and the invitation was confirmed, Section Chief Hu didn't let Li Long leave yet. He carefully inquired about things Li Long needed to be aware of when going to the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic before letting Li Long go.

It wasn't that Section Chief Hu was particularly cautious; it was mainly because he had never been abroad before. Although the itinerary on the invitation letter was very clear, and there was official endorsement from the other side, and the translation was supposed to be prepared by them, it was actually quite detailed.

Of course, Section Chief Hu didn't completely trust them just based on this invitation letter. During the time they were waiting for it, their sugar factory had also made inquiries indirectly, and even directly contacted Director Qian to learn more about their past.

Otherwise, how could I dare to go there rashly?

In fact, Section Chief Hu was prepared for Li Long to take up one of the invitation slots. After all, Li Long had handled the matter, and if he really wanted to go abroad, taking up one slot wouldn't be a big deal.

That makes sense.

But Li Long didn't mention it; he was naturally happy to have an extra spot on his side. Even if the Soviet Union's Kazakhstan wasn't one of those developed countries in Europe and America, it was still a foreign country, and a Soviet Union no less!

Even a dead tiger doesn't fall from grace. Although there haven't been many good news reports about the Soviet Union in China in recent years, it was at least the big brother at one time, so its foundation is still there, right?

With the sugar factory matter settled, Li Long drove back to Ma County. Halfway there, he realized he hadn't asked Section Chief Hu if he wanted that Lada.
After all, that car is just sitting there anyway. Even if Wei Mancang doesn't like it, it doesn't mean others won't.

But since he's already back, let's wait and see. Section Chief Hu is probably busy dealing with his preparations for going abroad, so there's no need to bother him further.

Back in the county, Li Long called Zhao Hui, wanting him to come over and collect the hides as soon as possible.

Previously, it was a case of large sums coming in and small sums going out, but now that a lot of money has been spent at once, Li Long feels it's necessary to get the money back as soon as possible.

The old farmer had a strange idea in mind: he had a lot of money, but he always wanted to save it and see what use it might be in the future.

When Zhao Hui received the call and heard from Li Long that they had acquired another three or four thousand hides from overseas, he immediately said he would come over.

Li Long couldn't be idle either. These hides were all collected together. He needed to work with Liang Shuangcheng and the others to sort the hides, separating whole hides from damaged ones, otherwise it would be difficult to tally and sell them later.

Mingming and Haohao got tired of staying in the yard for two days and insisted on going to the team, so Li Long simply sent them both to his parents' place. Actually, he wanted to send Hanfang there for a few days as well, but Sister Yang wouldn't allow it, saying that Hanfang should finish her homework first.

Han Fang didn't seem unhappy at all; she even said she wanted to go to a classmate's house to play after she finished her homework. Now that she's in junior high, she has classmates nearby, which is great.

Then Li Long wouldn't worry about it anymore. At lunch, Li Long told Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Boyuan about his plan to go to Yanjing, and Gu Xiaoxia said:
“It would be good to go and see Xiaoyu. I haven’t sent her any jade for a while. She said she didn’t need it for the time being, and she didn’t say anything on the phone. It would be best if you went and saw her.”

When Gu Xiaoxia mentioned her sister, Gu Boyuan took it to heart. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask but hesitant to speak. Li Long then said:
"Okay, I'll go take a look. After I'm done, I'll take care of anything I can. I'll call you later to let you know."

Li Long didn't plan to go to Yanjing alone. He intended to wait for Zhao Hui to come, sell the hides, and then go to the mountains.

I had previously promised Halim and Yushanjiang that I would take their children or elderly relatives to Yanjing when I had some free time.

Now that he has some free time, Li Long is thinking of going into the mountains to see who among them is planning to go.

Another thing is that it's been a long time since I've been to the mountains, and it's snowed twice recently, so I don't know how they are doing now.

Li Long bought some daily necessities and drove his GAZ-69 into the mountains.

The snow in the mountains was quite heavy, but the roads all the way from Qingshuihe into the mountains had been tamped down. Li Long guessed that Halimu and his men should be driving their tractors out from time to time, but it was hard to say whether they were going to the township or to the place where the herding team was staying.

When the GAZ-69 truck arrived at Halim's winter pen, Halim was clearing grass in the sheepfold.

The winter pastures are all covered with snow, so even if the cattle and sheep come out, they can't graze on the grass. So they simply eat grass and feed in the pen.

The first to spot Li Long was still their dog. The black dog, which had been lying in front of the doghouse, stood up and barked fiercely at the GAZ truck. Halim turned his head, saw the truck, smiled, put down the wooden fork, and walked forward to greet Li Long.

Li Long got out of the car, hugged Halimu, greeted him, and then invited him to help unload the goods.

“We went down the mountain to the village to buy it,” Halim said as he carried rice, flour, oil, and other things. “We have everything at home.”

"There's some for you, I brought it. How is everyone at home?"

"Okay, okay," Halim said with a smile. "The children are all talking about you, saying they miss you."

Nathan and Sasken came out of the house and were pleasantly surprised to see Li Long. Li Long took two apples out of the car, handed them to them, and smiled as he patted the two children on the shoulder, saying:

"You've grown taller and bigger! Come on, shake hands, guys, have a happy holiday!"

The two children shook hands with Li Long very solemnly, their eyes sparkling with surprise.

Kazakh children don't want to be treated like children; they are very happy when others treat them formally.

Li Long only realized this when he saw children shaking hands and greeting each other just like adults while traveling in his later years.

After entering the house, Li Long greeted the old lady and Halim's sheep. They were busy around the stove, and the milk tea had already boiled. After Li Long got onto the wooden kang (heated brick bed), the milk tea was already served and brought over. He hurriedly took it and put it down, then chatted with Halim, who had sat down with him.

"We're doing very well here. We harvest plenty of hay and have small four-wheeled tractors to haul things, so life is very good. The other herders in the pastoral team are all very envious," Halim said, his face beaming.

The old lady listened to them talking with a smile by the kang (a heated brick bed). Li Long didn't say much and told them about his trip to Yanjing, asking Halim if he wanted to bring his family with him.

Halim naturally wanted to go, but he hesitated for a moment and asked:
"We definitely can't bring too many people, right?"

"Pretty much." Li Long nodded. "There are more people on the train in winter, and tickets are hard to buy at this time. Also, if you go there too often, you might get lost since you're not familiar with the area."

Besides, we might go every year, so we can take turns.

“What I mean is to call Yushanjiang, and we two can discuss it,” Halim said. “Our two families will send someone over to take a look first.”

It's impossible not to want to go out. That's Yanjing, the capital! Although the people in their tribe haven't gone out much for many years, they have radios and can hear what's happening outside. The elders instill in the younger generation things like Tiananmen Square and Chairman Mao.

How could one not yearn for it?
Not to mention them, even Li Long himself, when he went to Yanjing for the first time, it was like a pilgrimage.

Since we're going to discuss this with Yushanjiang, let's go. Anyway, the road is now open, so even in winter, it's just a short drive from here to Yushanjiang's house.

So when Halim got into Li Long's GAZ truck and drove towards the Jiang family in Yushan, he was filled with emotion:
"Hey, this road is so much more convenient now. Before, it would take half an hour to get to their house by horse, but now, with your car, you can get there in no time."

Less than ten minutes later, the GAZ truck stopped in front of Yushanjiang's house. Yushanjiang was slaughtering a sheep outside the yard. When he saw the truck, he stood up, wiped his face with his shoulder (it was unclear whether it was wool or oil), and smiled as he watched Li Long and the others get out of the truck.

Li Long unloaded the remaining supplies from the vehicle and said with a smile:

"I'm so lucky, there's something delicious to eat today."

"Exactly, you've always been lucky," Yushan Jiang joked. "Haven't been here in a while, have you been busy?"

“It’s certainly busy.” Li Long unloaded the things and handed them to Yushanjiang’s son, then stood aside and watched Halimu help him.

"We're better off. We're cozy in our winter shelters all winter long," Yushanjiang joked with Li Long. "How about we get a flock of sheep in the mountains?"

“That won’t do,” Li Long said, feigning concern. “I’m going to Yanjing soon. How am I supposed to get a flock of sheep with me? I’ll have to tie them up.”

"You're going to Yanjing?" Yu Shanjiang was immediately flustered, stopping his knife strike. "When are you leaving?"

"In the next few days. I have a batch of leather to ship, and I plan to leave after that," Li Long said. "I came here to discuss something with you, to see if any of you would like to go to Beijing and visit Tiananmen Square?"

"Great!" Yu Shanjiang nodded immediately. "How many people can go?"

“This is the first time I’m taking you there, so we can’t have too many people,” Li Long said. “There will be other opportunities in the future. I’ll go there almost every year.” Yushanjiang and Halim exchanged a glance and then began to discuss in Kazakh.

Speaking Kazakh isn't disrespectful to Li Long; it's just their habit of communicating that way, as it's faster and easier for them to understand each other.

After talking for a while, Yushanjiang said to Li Long:
“How about this, Harim will go with you this time, along with Nathan and Sasken, and his mother, and my two children too. I won’t go; I’ll stay here to look after our two families’ cattle and sheep.”

This was exactly what Li Long had expected; there would definitely need to be an adult present, making it easier to take care of the child.

After all, no matter how long or short the time is, their living habits will change to some extent. Without an adult to accompany them, Li Long definitely won't be able to take care of them all by himself.

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll buy the tickets when I get back, and I'll come pick you up when it's time."

"Okay." Yushanjiang nodded.

They ate hand-pulled mutton at Jiang's house in Yushan at noon. After the meal, Li Long and Halimu went back together.

Back at Harim's house, Nathan and Sasken were overjoyed when Harim told his family, but the old lady shook her head, indicating that she wouldn't be going this time.

When Li Longdu got into the car and was about to leave, Halim stopped him and told him that the old lady wasn't going this time, so he should buy one less ticket.

Li Long didn't force him, nor did he think about the reason, and drove his GAZ truck back.

The next morning, Li Long drove to Wucheng and bought six hard sleeper tickets at the train station.

The order was for a week later. By then, Zhao Hui would definitely come over, and even if he didn't, Li Long wouldn't wait any longer.

In fact, Zhao Hui rushed over on the third day after he bought the train ticket.

In the reception room of the purchasing station, Zhao Hui said with a smile:

"The beef cubes you gave me were very popular, even more so than the beef jerky. They're small, cheap, and less wasteful."

The target market for beef jerky is mainly women and children, but a bag is too expensive for the average person. The beef chunks are just the right amount, and the children eat them like candy, sucking on them until they're completely melted in their mouths.

"It's good that it's popular. You can buy more beef cubes to take back this time." Li Long said with a smile, feeling quite happy that the 500 yuan bonus he gave to Sister Yang was worthwhile.

"Let's talk about the hides first, three thousand five hundred hides?"

“A little more. We imported 3,500 hides, and the purchasing station also brought in some, so it's about 4,000 hides in total,” Li Long said. “There are more than 1,000 whole hides, and the rest are scraps, about 500 or 600 of which are scraps with several bullet holes on them.”

The main hides are deer and antelope, all roughly the same size, with a small number of wolf pelts.

"Yes, this quantity is more than enough. I really need all these hides. Let's go with the average price." Zhao Hui was also quite happy. "As for the price, full hides are 200 each, damaged hides are 150 each, and you said there are hides with quite a few bullet holes, as long as they're not rotten, 100 each, how about that?"

“Sure.” Li Long readily agreed.

In the end, the leather alone was worth around 650,000 yuan.

Li Long hadn't expected these hides to be so expensive. He bought them for an average price of eighty and sold them for an average price of one hundred and fifty, making almost double the profit.

Of course, this might just be a final act of madness, since animal protection laws need to be implemented gradually, and the big empire next door is already on the verge of collapse.

When that country is about to collapse, chaos will begin, and it will be difficult to manage in a short time.

In addition to the four thousand pieces of leather, Zhao Hui also bought five hundred kilograms of beef jerky and one hundred kilograms of beef cubes.

He actually wanted to buy more beef cubes, which are relatively cheaper at eight yuan per kilogram, but production hasn't picked up yet. It's not that production is insufficient, but Sister Yang's side doesn't dare to produce too much, fearing they won't be able to sell it all.

This time, Zhao Hui took the initiative to ask for this, so he can expand production.

After finalizing the leather matter, Li Long informed Halim a day in advance, telling them to come pick them up the next day and to be prepared.

To make their trip to Yanjing more comfortable, Li Long also took everyone who was going down with him to the Shicheng Department Store and bought each of them a set of clothes.

The clothes were a complete set, brand new, and the children took them off immediately after changing into the appropriate clothes; they were reluctant to wear them.

Down jackets hadn't appeared in Shicheng yet, so they could only buy standard cotton-padded coats for the children. Even so, the children's faces showed unexpected surprise.

Halim wanted to pay, but Li Long insisted on paying instead. Although Li Long had mainly made money from the purchasing station in the past two years, he would never forget that the capital he started with came from the mountains, from Halim and Yushanjiang.

After sending Halim and the children back to the mountains, Li Long was about to leave when Halim stopped him and asked him in detail about the trip.

"We'll be taking the train tomorrow, and it'll take more than three days," Li Long explained to him as he stood in front of the train. "Once we arrive at Yanjing Railway Station, we'll stay at my courtyard over there, and then I'll show you around."

"Where can it turn?"

"Tiananmen Square, the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, museums, and so on are all worth visiting."

"Great, it's good to be able to see Tiananmen Square." Halim himself was quite excited.

“You can actually take a stroll around Wucheng on your way back,” Li Long said. “Buy some things to bring back.”

"Okay." Halim nodded again. "I need to bring some money so I can buy things."

Li Long responded and then went back.

That evening, Gu Xiaoxia packed Li Long's things, saying as she did so:

"It's cold there, so bring an extra jacket, extra underwear, gloves, and a scarf. I heard it's windy there, so you should wear a hat..."

"Alright, alright," Li Long said with a smile, pressing her hand down. "You don't need to bring so much stuff. If you need anything, you can just buy it. They have a wider variety of things over there than we do here, so don't worry about it. I'll be back in less than two weeks."

It would take seven or eight days to go back and forth, so half a month is actually quite tight. But considering I'm bringing so many people, I definitely can't stay too long.

"I can't bear to see you go." Gu Xiaoxia's eyes were red. "You'll be gone for more than ten days..."

"Then you take leave, and we'll go together, okay? Anyway, we feel more at ease with Mingming and Haohao with their older brother."

"You're just trying to upset me, aren't you? We're so busy right now, we can't get any time off at all." Gu Xiaoxia's voice was trembling with tears as she tugged at Li Long's clothes. "It's all because you've taken such good care of me, I feel like I can't live without you..."

Li Long smiled. Yes, in his previous life, he ended up living with someone else, and that life was dull and tasteless. In this life, he has a wife and children, and Li Long cherishes them all the more, so he does everything he can to take care of Gu Xiaoxia, treating her like a daughter and spoiling her rotten.

It would be normal 30 or 40 years from now, but in this era where women are expected to play a significant role, what Li Long is doing seems out of place, yet he is completely unaware of it.

Gu Xiaoxia enjoyed this kind of life. At first, she was a little apprehensive, but she got used to it over time. In fact, she understood that her treatment was quite unusual in this era, but she just liked it.

Now that Li Long is gone, she feels a void in her heart. Li Long going to Kazakhstan is better, as it's not for long, but going to Yanjing feels like it's too long and too far for Gu Xiaoxia.

Li Long spent the whole night trying to calm Gu Xiaoxia down, and it took several attempts before he finally managed to soothe her.

Of course, he was also quite comfortable, since it was a matter for both parties. Perhaps because she was about to leave, Gu Xiaoxia was very proactive, which gave Li Long an unprecedented feeling.

Well, pretty good.

(End of this chapter)