Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1145 Liu Gaolou Speaks the Truth After Drinking
Spicy chicken pieces, braised carp, spicy lamb trotters, a large plate of lamb, plus a cold bean sprout salad and a cold cabbage heart salad.

It's a bit extravagant to have such a large table for just the two of us.

Li Long was holding a bottle of Wuliangye liquor that he had stored for several years. Liu Gaolou knew that drinking this liquor in this setting was a way of giving him face.

"Mr. Li, let me tell you, I've been wanting to have a good drink with you for a while now." He took the bottle, poured himself and Li Long a glass, and said with a smile:

"I'll cross the line this time and drink a little more. Anyway, you'll take me home tomorrow, so I'm not worried. You have a family to support, so how about you drink less today?"

"Hey, Manager Liu, I didn't realize you were into this kind of thing," Li Long said with a smile. "That shouldn't be the case, right? The Yili Laojiao liquor in Khorgos should be pretty good too."

"Well," Liu Gaolou said, filling his and Li Long's glasses with fifty grams of liquor and putting down the bottle, "you can't drink alone, you'll get drunk quickly if you're alone."

I don't know many friends there. Buick and Murati can drink a lot when they come back, but those two always act crazy when they drink, causing trouble and making things difficult for others.

My second uncle strictly forbids drinking with someone else, so I have to drink alone, which is really annoying.

“Alright, I brought two bottles of this wine today, that should be enough for the two of us.” Li Long pointed to the dishes on the table and said, “Let’s not talk about the wine yet, let’s eat something first. It’s not anything fancy, but the cooking at Tuanfenglou in the county is pretty good, so let’s eat.”

Liu Gaolou had no intention of drinking cold wine. He picked up his chopsticks and said as he ate:

"The taste is not bad... To be honest, the food in Khorgos is really not that great."

Khorgos is not yet a city; the port is located in a regiment of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The area is small, and the population is small, so it's naturally difficult to find good food.

"After this trip back, Manager Liu, you should take a good rest," Li Long said. "These past two years have been tough enough."

“It is indeed hard work.” Liu Gaolou agreed wholeheartedly. “Of course, I also make a lot of money. I know that without my second uncle’s connections, I would not have been able to earn this much money at all, but running back and forth is quite exhausting.”

After eating for a while, Li Long raised his wine glass and clinked it against Liu Gaolou's:
"We've made quite a bit of money during this collaboration. It's all thanks to you for showing me how to expand our business. Here, let me toast you!"

"Okay, I'll drink this." After clinking glasses, Liu Gaolou downed his drink in one gulp, wiped his mouth, poured himself another, and seeing Li Long finish his in one go, he praised him and poured him a drink as well. He then put down the bottle and said:

“Mr. Li, you make your money much more easily than I do. There was a time when I couldn’t stand it.”

"I understand, I understand." Li Long smiled. "I'm a local here, I don't work as hard to make money as you do, it's normal for you to have your own ideas."

In fact, logically speaking, since Liu Shanmin and Liu Gaolou control the supply of goods, they hold the initiative. It would be very easy for them to replace someone else.

The goods they've brought from the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic are now best-selling and in high demand here, and there are plenty of people eager to connect with them and help them sell their products.

Therefore, Li Long was always mentally prepared that if Liu Shanmin or Liu Gaolou stopped cooperating with him, then he would give up.

Now that Liu Gaolou had brought up the topic, he continued, "If you could find people to buy and sell goods in Yili or other places, you wouldn't have to work so hard."

"Actually, I did look for you." Liu Gaolou took another drink, this time not pouring one for Li Long, but rather drinking it by himself. "I looked for you behind my second uncle's back. My second uncle was convinced you were the one. Last year, I was still a bit skeptical, so I found a sugar factory in Yili to prepare to import sugar."

Li Long nodded. He knew that in Yili, places like Zhaosu could also grow sugar beets and had sugar factories.

However, it is not large in scale, much smaller than the Shicheng Sugar Factory.

"In the end, they only gave me five tons at most, and at a high price." Liu Gaolou picked up a chicken leg and said while eating, "I was so angry that I said it's so much cheaper to buy sugar from Shicheng. They called me a fool, saying that if I could buy cheaper sugar, why would I go to them for sugar? It made me so angry..."

“The sugar factories over there have limited production capacity and have to supply the entire Ili River Valley, so it’s normal for them to be temperamental,” Li Long nodded.

“I wanted to sell the hides to them, but they said they had their own breeding farms and purchasing stations, and they couldn’t use up all the hides they collected, so they didn’t need any hides at all.”

“There are fewer people there, and because the Ili River Valley is relatively isolated, there are few private individuals doing this kind of business,” Li Long explained further.

“You’re right, I did all that research before I understood. Also, my uncle told me that doing business with you is easier; you can get whatever I want, so there’s no need to take the risk of finding someone else.”

Li Long nodded. Liu Shanmin had more faith in himself, which was the foundation for the two companies to continue their cooperation.

Otherwise, with their current profits so high, wouldn't they know they could earn even more?

Liu Gaolou ate a few pieces of chicken, then gnawed on a lamb's trotter, before picking up his cup, clinking it against Li Long's, drinking it all in one gulp, wiping his mouth as he put down the cup, and continuing:
“I also tried to persuade my second uncle, but he said, ‘Can I make all the money by myself? Impossible. This whole process, from the moment the goods are brought over by the Kazakh side, to when they are transferred to you, then to a third party, and finally to the processing plant, requires that each point on the line make money so that the line can continue.’”

He said my idea was rather risky—that I wanted to eliminate all the online points and go directly to the factory, or save on a few points and earn more money myself. He said, "Uh—"

Perhaps he drank a little too fast, Liu Gaolou let out a burp, picked up a piece of cold cabbage heart with his chopsticks, ate it in a big bite, and then continued:

“He said I was too greedy and that I would easily mess things up. At first, I was not convinced, so I went to another cement factory. The result was similar. Let alone a hundred tons, even ten tons were treated like treasures by them, and you couldn’t buy them without paying a high price.”

Liu Gaolou sighed, poured himself another glass of wine, drank it all in one gulp, and then said to Li Long:
"Now I understand, anyone who can get their hands on so much cement and sugar is no ordinary person. This kind of thing looks easy, but it's really hard to do."

So later on, I obediently acted as the middleman, listened to my second uncle, and did business with you. At least you had enough goods and sufficient quantities, which could meet my second uncle's requirements.

Otherwise, if my second uncle doesn't complete his task, my money-making business won't last long.

He poured himself another glass of wine and sighed, saying:

"This money is simply not something one person can earn. I've come to understand that this is all I'm capable of, so I shouldn't be thinking about anything shady. My second uncle left me here because I'm honest and obedient."

He just didn't expect that I would still be greedy when faced with money. Luckily, I know when to back down and know my own limitations; if I couldn't succeed, I wouldn't do it. If it were my brother in the other place, he probably would have been in deep trouble long ago.

Li Long remembered that Liu Shanmin had mentioned he had a nephew named Liu something-or-other, who was quite clever. He figured that if that nephew were to come and act as a middleman, he would definitely be even more restless.

If that person had come over, I probably wouldn't have been able to continue this business.

Soon, Liu Gaolou finished most of the bottle of wine by himself, and he began to stammer when he spoke.

This time, he stopped talking about business and started talking about how he and his second uncle were not well-liked in their hometown, how his second uncle got into trouble and ran to the Northwest, and how he unexpectedly found a new opportunity.

"When I go back this time, I'm going to show those people who look down on my second uncle and our family that our branch of the family is capable and competent! We... are no worse than anyone else!"

Liu Gaolou's eyes widened, and he gestured with his index finger.

Humans fight for a breath of air, Buddhas fight for a stick of incense.

Li Long could understand and comprehend Liu Gaolou's thoughts.

However, his alcohol tolerance was a bit low. Seeing that he still wanted to drink, Li Long couldn't let him drink anymore, and he couldn't eat either, but he didn't dare to make him stop drinking now. In his current state, if he were exposed to a cold breeze, he would probably vomit immediately.

The private room was very warm, with a roaring fire in the fireplace. Li Long poured Liu Gaolou some hot tea and offered him some. Liu Gaolou looked at Li Long for a while, and only after recognizing him did he smile and say:

“Mr. Li, my second uncle said you’re his lucky star, I don’t believe it… I think I am too. But he said he wants to do business with you properly… next year… next year…”

Before he could finish speaking, Li Long shoved the cup into his hand and told him to drink the water.

After finishing his water, Liu Gaolou had forgotten what he had just said. He mumbled something under his breath and soon slumped onto the table, snoring loudly.

Li Long wasn't in a hurry; he had only listened to Liu Gaolou talking and hadn't even eaten yet.

Li Long doesn't drink when he's not busy. Just like Liu Gaolou said, drinking alone is bad for your health, and even if you're happy, there's no need to drink.

He then thoroughly examined all the dishes on the table.

As his strength increased, so did his appetite. To be full, he would add at least three noodles to his noodles, and he could easily eat several kilograms of cooked hand-pulled meat. So, although the dishes he ordered looked like a lot, he devoured them in one sitting, leaving only bones and fish bones in no time.

After all, with things like spicy lamb trotters, the only edible part is the skin.

After Li Long finished eating, seeing that Liu Gaolou was already fast asleep, he stuffed the remaining bottle of wine into his coat pocket, helped him put on his clothes, and then helped him out.

They escorted Liu Gaolou back to the guesthouse, had a waiter open the door, let him in, covered him with a blanket, and then left.

He hurried home, where Sister Yang was still busy in the kitchen. Li Long went over to take a look; Sister Yang was smoking fish. Seeing Li Long approach, she said:
"It'll be done in a little while. Put it in the fumigation room, and it will definitely be dry by tomorrow morning, making it easy to carry."

Li Long said "Thank you for your help" and then went inside.

Gu Xiaoxia had already seen the fish. When she saw Li Long come in, she poured him hot water to wash his face, and honey water had also been prepared in advance.

"Was that fish brought by Manager Liu? It's huge!"

"Yes, it's from Yili. He originally planned to take it back for the New Year himself. But it's too big, and he has to take the train, so he left it with me," Li Long explained, then drank the honey water.

He hadn't drunk much to begin with. After finishing the honey water, he brushed his teeth and washed his face, then told Gu Xiaoxia what he needed to do the next day.

"Yes, it's a gift. Director Qian has been so good to you, and so has Brother Chen. If it weren't for them, our family wouldn't be where we are today." Gu Xiaoxia knew bits and pieces of how Li Long had earned his money, so she still respected those leaders and older brothers.

"You can bring some other things, like dried meat, wine, and the snacks you brought from Yanjing. It's the New Year, so the New Year's goods can't be too simple."

"Okay." Li Long nodded. "I'll bring more tomorrow."

They've been married for a long time, and they have a great understanding of each other. When Li Long touched Gu Xiaoxia's waist, she already knew what her husband was going to do.

Since Minghao had already gone to the village, there was no need to worry about being disturbed, so the two of them were very gentle this time. Li Long remembered what the children had been talking about regarding foreign guns and screws, and combined this with his own experience, the system at home was becoming more and more compatible.

Yes, they are familiar with both depth and length, so it's easy for them to turn the car engine up to maximum, and more than once.

When Gu Xiaoxia woke up the next morning, she held her back, her face flushed, and scolded him playfully:

"Like a donkey..."

Li Long smiled and said, "You weren't like this last night when you said not to stop."

"You still dare to say that?" Gu Xiaoxia glanced guiltily out the window, her voice low. "Don't let Sister Yang and the others hear!"

“After breakfast, I’ll pack my things and go pick them up. I won’t be back for lunch, but I’ll definitely be back in the afternoon,” Li Long said, changing the subject. “You can also cook some fish for yourselves.”

I was originally planning to take one to your dad, but he went home early yesterday. So I'll bring it back with me when I take the big fish back tomorrow.

“Okay.” Gu Xiaoxia said while washing her face and getting ready, “I’ll do whatever you say. We still have a few days of work left, but we can leave early these days. Everyone has family matters to attend to, and Director Wang isn’t so strict anymore. If there’s anything, just say so and we can leave.”

At that time, things weren't as complicated as they would be in later years. With the year drawing to a close, leaders knew they had worked hard all year and couldn't be too demanding at this point, so they mostly turned a blind eye.

Leaders are human too; they also need to prepare for the New Year. It's already quite good that they can still go to work every day as the New Year approaches.

To Li Long's surprise, Liu Gaolou had already sobered up when they arrived at the guesthouse. Although he still looked unwell, he was truly sober.

"Mr. Li, I'm sorry to have troubled you." Liu Gaolou said while packing his things in the room, "I didn't control myself a bit last night and drank too much. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Hey, don't be so formal," Li Long said, waving his hand. "Have you had breakfast yet? If so, let's get in the car and leave now?"

"We've eaten. Let's go, move the things."

"it is good."

The two men carried Liu Gaolou's two large bags into the car. After checking out, Liu Gaolou also got into the car.

Li Long took the bag containing the smoked fish from the back seat and handed it over:

"This was smoked last night, it was done in a hurry, so it's not very flavorful. Just take it home and eat it as is."

"This is...that fish?" Liu Gaolou asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yes. You caught two big fish, how can you not eat them yourself? Fish are hard to handle after thawing, so after smoking and drying them, they can be put on the train.” Li Long said as he started the car. “Time is tight, so this is the only thing we can do.”

"Thank you so much!" Liu Gaolou said with a smile when he saw that the piece of smoked fish Li Long was carrying weighed at least five or six kilograms and included the best meat from the middle of the fish's belly. "With this, you can easily make a good dish by taking it back and processing it a little."

"That's good. This thing is not easy to handle; its bony plates are very hard, so this fish must be quite old."

“Yes, that’s right. We’ve eaten there before. This fish has quite a few bones, and the older it is, the harder the bones become,” Liu Gaolou said from the passenger seat. “When spring comes and the ice thaws, if you have time, let’s go to the Ili River and catch some big fish. That’s the best way to eat them!”

After hearing what he said, Li Long was actually a little tempted.

He made his fortune from the fish of Xiaohaizi, but in reality, Li Long knew very well that the fish of Xiaohaizi were nothing special in the northern border region.

The grey-spotted pike of Altay, the big red fish of Kanas, the sturgeon of the Ili River, the bighead carp of the Tarim River, the old man fish of Fuhai, the grilled fish of the Lobu people...

Although many people now see northern and southern Xinjiang as arid deserts, there are actually many oases, rivers, lakes, and fish.

If you have the time, DJI can take a trip around the north and south and catch fish in all sorts of places; that would be a great experience.

Having stayed in Khorgos for so long, Liu Gaolou had absorbed the spirit of the northern frontier. Although he didn't look very well, he spoke about the things there with great knowledge.

Li Long was quite knowledgeable, and the two chatted all the way. More than two hours later, they went to Wucheng Railway Station to buy tickets. Fortunately, there were still sleeper tickets available. Since they had some time before boarding, they went to have a meal. After that, Li Long saw Liu Gaolou off on the train and then hurriedly drove to Beiting City.

After delivering the gifts to Director Qian, Chen Hongjun, and Director Wei, the sun had already set. By the time Li Long returned to Ma County, it was completely dark.

It's alright, at least they're back.

The next day, after delivering the fish to Li Xiangqian, I went to the team.

Even though Li Qingxia and Li Jianguo were quite knowledgeable, they were still taken aback when they saw the big fish.

On the one hand, the fish is big, and on the other hand, the fish looks strange. It is completely different from the fish in the Ma County Reservoir, which is quite scary.

Fortunately, after listening to Li Long's explanation, we knew how to handle it. According to Li Qingxia, the method was the same as Li Long's: saw off a few pieces, keep one piece for Li Xia and Li An's family, give one piece to Juan and Qiangqiang's maternal grandfather's family, and cook the rest.

It's a good opportunity to try something new.

Li Jianguo naturally had no objections, and then went to find a handsaw.

When Li Long drove to deliver fish to Gu Boyuan, he found him happily preparing for the New Year in the kitchen.

Although he only returned the day before yesterday, Gu Boyuan had already bought a lot of ingredients in the county before he left. Sister Yang and Gu Xiaoxia also prepared some things for Gu Boyuan, which he could eat after a little processing.

Upon seeing the fish that Li Long brought, Gu Boyuan naturally accepted it with a smile. After knowing what to do, he chased Li Long away.

Stepping out of the courtyard, I heard the sporadic sounds of firecrackers from the village; the Spring Festival of 1988 had arrived.

(End of this chapter)