Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1149 Going to Ili for Nowruz?
Neither Lao Chen nor Wang Mingjun stayed for a meal, saying they were in a hurry to complete the formalities and then drive back.

Their hurried arrival and departure made Li Long feel a little embarrassed. After all, every time he returned to the company, Wang Mingjun and Lao Chen would warmly welcome him, but their visit was always a rushed affair.

However, all the cars were sold smoothly, which made Li Long quite happy.

There's a new Lada and a slightly used Volga left here, so dealing with them should be relatively easy.

It was early spring, and the roads were difficult to travel, so there weren't many people coming to the purchasing station these past few days, making Gu Boyuan a little less busy. Liang Shuangcheng and Sun Jiaqiang were busy organizing the things in the warehouse, mainly the hides.

Although Zhao Hui doesn't have high requirements for the finer details of the leather now, Li Long still asks the two of them to scrape off the grease on the leather whenever they have free time, and to comb the fur if they can.

Fortunately, the hair on sheepskin and deer skin is not long, making it easier to comb, unlike sheep skin, which has long and fine hair that is difficult to comb.

Li Long was also busy. He was mainly assessing some odds and ends in the warehouse, and if they weren't valuable, he would simply clear them out.

The sound of a car came from ahead, followed by Gu Boyuan's greeting.

When Li Long and his two companions dropped what they were doing and rushed over, they found a truck already parked in the front yard, loaded with fertilizer, plastic film and other agricultural supplies.

"Hey, Uncle Gu, you've got some foresight," Li Long laughed. He'd completely forgotten to remind Old Gu to stock up on these things.

His family planned to cultivate 100 mu (approximately 6.7 hectares) of land, and many others in the team were also cultivating this crop, which would definitely require a large amount of agricultural supplies. However, Li Long was preoccupied with the purchasing station and had neglected the issue of agricultural supplies.

Unexpectedly, Old Gu took care of the matter quietly.

Spicy is still the old-fashioned kind!
“After you left during the New Year, when I went to drink with your older brother, he mentioned planting cotton. I thought that since you said you would definitely plant a lot of cotton, we should buy more.”
That day, when you picked up Mingming and Haohao, I met up with a supplier of agricultural supplies I'd been in contact with before for dinner, and we discussed this matter there.

Gu Boyuan's words carried a hint of smugness: "This spring, there's less work at the purchasing station, so let's sell more agricultural supplies."

"Yes, yes, that's a good thing." Li Long nodded.

That's definitely a good thing; Lao Gu has also learned to expand his business.

Old Gu handled the agricultural supplies himself; Li Long had no intention of getting involved. After they unloaded the fertilizer, plastic film, and other supplies, Old Gu settled the bill and said to Li Long:
"Another truckload of pesticides and seeds will arrive in a couple of days. After unloading, we'll put up a blackboard with the available agricultural supplies and their prices on it. When the dealers need them, they'll naturally go and buy them."

Li Long thought to himself, "Let's see if I can find some time to go to places in various towns and villages where people gather and where people must pass through, and put up some slogans and advertisements so that more people will know that there are agricultural supplies here."

He thought about it and went to discuss it with Gu Boyuan, but Gu Boyuan opposed doing it.

"Putting aside whether it's illegal or not, doing it this way is too ostentatious. I'm still thinking of letting these vendors spread the word. When they come to line up to sell their goods, they'll definitely notice, and maybe the news will spread when they're buying up their stuff."

Li Long felt somewhat helpless. Old Gu and his elder brother still held onto the old-fashioned mindset, believing that "good wine needs no bush" and that as long as the product was good and the price was cheap, people would definitely know about it.

Let's leave it at that for now. We'll see how it goes in a while. If the agricultural supplies don't sell well, then Li Long will take matters into his own hands, find a few major cotton-growing villages, put up advertisements, and simply put it: pay them a little money to use their property walls. They'll definitely be willing.

In another year or two, the county TV station should be up and running. At the beginning, there will be no one and no programs. They will broadcast the county news and martial arts films every day. Li Long thinks that then they can directly advertise on the county TV station.

The next day, Liu Gaolou arrived carrying a large bag.

He went directly to the purchasing station, where Li Long was tidying up crop stalks in the greenhouse. After receiving Lao Gu's call, he rushed over there.

Upon seeing Liu Gaolou, Li Long complained:

"Why don't you just make a call from Wucheng? I can come pick you up directly. It's inconvenient for you to be carrying all that stuff back, isn't it?"

"Not bad," Liu Gaolou said with a smile. "I noticed that you don't have any of your 69 trucks anymore. Did you sell them all?"

"Yes, this vehicle is quite popular. It works well in remote areas of the farms below, so it sells out quickly."

"Do you need more?" Liu Gaolou asked. "If you do, I'll ask my second uncle to bring over another batch when I get back."

"Yes, you definitely need it. Come in, there are still people who need it right now."

Xu Chengjun asked someone to come over and said he wanted one, but Li Long replied that there weren't any available at the moment and told him to wait.

Xu Chengjun knew there was no use in rushing, so he told Li Long that once he brought it over, he should let him know so he could come and try it.

“Okay, I’ll call my second uncle when I get back.” Liu Gaolou took a sip of tea and said, “It’s still a bit cold in the northern Xinjiang. I put on more clothes as soon as I got off the train. We can already wear just a single layer of clothing back home.”

"How was your trip back home for the New Year?" Li Long asked with a smile. "How is everyone at home?"

“Sigh.” When Li Long asked this, Liu Gaolou shook his head and said, “I’ve seen what it means to be cold-hearted. No wonder my second uncle didn’t want to come back and started a family over there.”

"What's wrong?" Li Long asked. "Is something wrong at home?"

"There's nothing wrong at home, but there's something going on within the family," Liu Gaolou said, treating Li Long as an insider.
“My second uncle asked me to go into this line of work last year. At that time, I didn’t have much capital. In our village, our Liu family is considered a large family, with twenty or thirty households across several generations.”

When I left, I had to beg my family to lend me some money as capital. Why did I send a lot of the money back after I made a profit? Part of it went to my own family, and part of it was to pay back the borrowed money. To be honest, I didn't borrow much, but as soon as they saw that I was making money, they said that the money wasn't borrowed, but was equity, and that I should receive dividends.

"Alright, let's split it up then. They're still relatives after all. Helping them get rich is in line with our country's policy of letting the rich get rich first and then helping the poor get rich later."

At this point, Liu Gaolou spat and said angrily, "And what happened? Some people are insatiable. When I went back, they actually wanted to go to Khorgos in my place and act as the middleman."

I immediately lost my temper. I said, "You don't even know where Khorgos is, and you want to do this job? Do you think this money is easy to make?"

"So you've fallen out with your family?" Li Long asked, pouring him some tea.

"Well, before the New Year was even over, I asked someone to buy a house in the provincial capital, and then I brought my wife and kids there. From now on, apart from those few families who still have a conscience, I think I'll just cut ties with the others."

At this point, he sighed:

“My second uncle is smart; he just stopped going back. Out of sight, out of mind. I had no choice. My wife and kids are there; I can’t just abandon my family. That would be inhuman.”

Li Long didn't have much to say about this, so he simply replied, "Anyway, you've already brought your wife and kids out, which has saved you a lot of trouble. Has the kid started school yet?"

"Not yet, I spent money and used connections to get my child into a kindergarten for now. Fortunately, the policies in our area have loosened up quite a bit recently. Although my wife and child don't have urban residency, I've set aside some money for them, which should be enough. I've also installed a phone at their house there, so I can let them know if anything happens."

"Then why don't you let us know you've arrived safely?" Li Long stood up and said, "There's a phone up ahead, let's make a call first."

Liu Gaolou smiled and said, "You know what, I had a lot of things to do over there. After getting on the train and getting off here, my mind was completely blank. I didn't even think to make a phone call."

After making a phone call to let Li Long know he was safe, Li Long took him out to eat.

According to Liu Gaolou's plan, after arriving here, he should drive back immediately. Li Long wouldn't let him leave no matter what, insisting that they finish their meal first.

Liu Gaolou didn't have a good New Year. Although his family was wealthy, his wife and children went to the provincial capital, which saved them trouble, but there were bound to be a lot of problems.

So he wasn't in a good mood. Fortunately, he earned a lot of money, which would allow his family to live a good life no matter what.

As for bringing his wife and children to northern Xinjiang, he had considered it, but the living standards and educational conditions in the provincial capital were better than here, and for the sake of the children, he didn't want them to come.

Li Long took Liu Gaolou out to eat, and after the meal, he took him to a guesthouse and booked a room for him to rest.

"Your eyes are red, you must not have rested well these past few days. Take a day off first. Making money is not urgent. Anyway, you have already called to let us know you are safe, so there is no need to rush."

“That’s true.” Liu Gaolou has come to terms with it now. “There’s no use in rushing things. Making more money is the most important thing. Fortunately, my wife is educated and knowledgeable, so taking care of the child shouldn’t be a problem. Next, we’ll see if she can find a job and settle down.”

Seeing that Liu Gaolou had come to his senses, Li Long felt somewhat relieved. He valued this business partner quite a bit and didn't want anything to go wrong.

The next day, when Liu Gaolou came to the purchasing station to find Li Long, he looked much better. "I'm leaving today. Don't worry, I've recovered," Liu Gaolou said to Li Long with a smile. "I was in a hurry to come back this time, and I had a lot of things to do, so I didn't bring you any local specialties. When I come back next time, I'll bring you some good things from our area to try."

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news." Seeing that he had indeed recovered a lot, Li Long didn't keep him any longer.

“Beke and the others said that they have Nowruz around the spring equinox, which is quite lively. The river over there is almost thawed, so you can catch fish. Are you free? If you are, we can go and visit together.”

Nawruza Festival?
Li Long had heard of it. The county had held some events related to it in his previous life. However, in the past, especially among the ethnic minorities, this festival was not as important as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

After all, this festival is not actually an Islamic festival. It originated in ancient Iran before people converted to Islam. At that time, they worshipped nature and, like the ancestors of the Chinese, they could observe that day and night were equal on the spring equinox, which heralded the arrival of spring. Therefore, this festival is also called the Spring Festival.

Halim and his people don't really pay much attention to this festival. Not only in Ma County, but also in many other ethnic minorities, people know about this festival, but it won't be celebrated on a large scale for at least another thirty years.

It's possible that the ethnic group itself is practicing it, but without publicizing it, so outsiders are unaware of it.

There wasn't much to do around the Spring Equinox, and the fields hadn't been planted yet, so Li Long didn't immediately agree, even though he actually wanted to go.

All year round I've been busy making money, going to the Ili River to catch fish, watching other people celebrate the holidays, it's not so bad.

The main reason is that I now have my own car, which is convenient to drive. Although the road conditions are not very good, it is at least better than taking a large bus.

“Okay, I’ll see how things go and call you when it’s time to leave,” Li Long said.

"Hmm, no rush. They celebrate that festival for several days. I mainly want to get a fish. The smoked fish you brought back for me, I ate with my family when I got home, and it tasted really good. I was thinking of getting a fresh one to try when spring comes."

Li Long hadn't expected that Liu Gaolou, who had finally resolved his inner conflict, was also a foodie, and said with a smile:

"Hey, I had the same idea. Okay, I'll go check it out if I don't have anything else to do."

Liu Gaolou didn't linger; he started the car and drove away.

Li Long calculated the time. It was the spring equinox, and although the snow had melted in the county town, it hadn't melted in the mountains yet, so Meng Hai and the others couldn't repair the road.

Although there's no more snow on the ground in the village, the soil temperature hasn't risen yet, so we can't plant anything. There's not much work to do at home, just building houses and preparing agricultural supplies, waiting for people from our hometown to come.

As for the purchasing stations, they are currently collecting the last batch of winter hides. After that, when the busy farming season begins, they will only be collecting spring hides sporadically.

Li Long thought that after he left, he would see if Zhao Hui could come over. If he did, he could take the hides away, which would save him some trouble.

Zhao Hui arrived on March 10th. The first month of the lunar calendar was almost over. Li Long looked at him and saw that he was ruddy-faced and seemed to have gained some weight. He remembered a saying he had once heard: "Every holiday season brings weight gain." But Zhao Hui had gained more than just three pounds; he had gained at least three kilograms.

He used to look like a shrewd businessman, but now his face is much rounder, and with his glasses on, he looks like a kind teacher.

Li Long didn't waste any more words with him. The hides that Liu Gaolou brought, the hides that the purchasing station collected sporadically, as well as the hides that Wang Mingjun, Lao Chen, and Zhao Zongming and the others brought, all added up to nearly four thousand hides.

The two spent most of the day calculating, and the total came to 680,000 yuan. Because they were charged according to the general price from Liu Gaolou, the final comprehensive cost was less than half. Even after paying taxes, they would still have a net profit of about 300,000 yuan.

Very good.

Zhao Hui left happily, and before leaving, he took most of the beef jerky and beef cubes that the meat processing workshop had produced in the past few days with him.

After Zhao Hui left, Li Long gave Gu Boyuan 10,000 yuan, and Liang Shuangcheng and Sun Jiaqiang each received a 100 yuan bonus. It wasn't that he didn't want to give them more; the main source of the hides came from Liu Gaolou, and according to Gu Boyuan, they couldn't be counted in the purchasing station's profits—this was Li Long's own business.

So Li Long didn't make a fuss, and besides, he couldn't give too much money, otherwise it would easily foster greed. Another reason Li Long gave bonuses was that they worked quite hard every day scraping the grease off the hides and combing the fur.

This job is not easy, and the two of them haven't developed any bad habits, so it's not bad.

Since there was nothing else to do, Li Long called Liu Gaolou and told him that he was going to come over.

Liu Gaolou was naturally very welcoming. He said he had already called his second uncle to discuss the need for GAZ trucks, and Liu Shanmin replied that they were already collecting them. If Li Long went over there, he could receive the goods just after the holiday was over.

At the dinner table, Li Long mentioned the matter. Gu Boyuan and Gu Xiaoxia had no objections, but simply told him to be careful.

Li Long is habitually opinionated, a fact known to everyone else.

Li Long didn't have much to do, and he planned to go back to the team the next day.

This time he drove back in his 212. He usually has to start and drive all the cars regularly, otherwise they are prone to breaking down.

When Li Long arrived home, he was somewhat surprised. He had thought that the construction of the bungalow should have started by now, but when he drove his car into his yard, he found that the bungalow had already been built.

The old man, along with his eldest brother, cousin Li Junfeng, and Xie Yundong, were clearing away the broken bricks, dried mud and concrete, and some unused building materials in front of the bungalow.

A row of four single-story houses, facing west and backing east, with wooden doors already installed and painted a dark green, a common color at that time.

A layer of cement was applied to the outside of the brick wall, and it was almost completely dry by now, so it seems that it has been built for more than a day or two.

Li Long's yard was much larger than other people's, almost two acres in size not counting the house. So although the four single-story houses were very large, they actually didn't even take up half the length of the yard.

As for its area, it's less than a quarter of the entire yard.

But it's already quite large; Li Long estimates that the total floor area of ​​the four rooms must be around 200 square meters.

With just a partition, it can be used as an inner and outer room.

Upon seeing Li Long's car drive in, everyone stopped what they were doing.

After getting off the bus, Li Long greeted everyone and asked with a smile:

"Brother, when did construction start? How come it's being built so fast?"

“There were a lot of people,” Li Jianguo said with a smile. “After the snow melted, the ground underneath wasn’t frozen, so we just got to work. At first, it was just my family, but as soon as someone saw it, Yun Dong and a few others came over that afternoon. The men did the work, and the women boiled water and helped with cooking. The foundation was laid in one day, and the house was up in three days.”

That's really fast!

"It will take some effort to put in beds, stoves, and other things inside," Li Long said.

"Everything is ordered. We've spoken with the carpenter in the village and asked him to make the wooden beds for us first. I was originally thinking of getting a few steel pipe beds, but I'm not sure how many people will be coming, so I'll get a few large canopy beds, move them in, and then we'll talk about the rest."

"What else?" Li Long felt rather superfluous here, not knowing what to do.

"Bedding." Li Jianguo actually found Li Long a task. "They probably didn't bring any bedding or anything when they came, so we need to prepare some bedding, at least something for the bed."

"That's easy. I'll find a netting processing shop and buy some ready-made."

Although cotton has not yet been widely distributed, there are several cotton quilt processing points in the countryside and nearby counties. Some of these processing points have been operating for a long time and have grown into large-scale businesses. After 30 or 40 years, they open online stores and can sell 100,000 cotton quilt sets a year!
I drove to three netting stores and bought ten netting covers: seven 1.5-meter ones and three 2-meter ones.

There was no other way; these were the only available stock, so Li Long simply bought them all.

He also went to the department store and bought a quilt cover and tore off the quilt lining, bringing them back together.

He's just too lazy to wait.

Back home, Li Long found some work for the women. At that time, duvet covers weren't common yet; these net covers were made by sewing the outer and inner quilt together.

Then Li Long told his older brother that he was going to Yili to take a look, and his father and older brother naturally had no objections.

(End of this chapter)