Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1174 In Yili, it turns out there's someone with powerful backing too.
After Lao Gu returned, he sorted out the things at the purchasing station and basically left completely, handing the place over to Li Qingxia.

Since they were all on the same side, there was nothing to settle. All Li Long needed to do was transfer 500,000 yuan to Lao Gu's account in Yili as start-up capital the next day. The rest was up to Lao Gu to handle.

"When are you leaving?" Li Qingxia asked. "You've been busy for several days now, you should at least rest for a while, right?"

“That won’t do.” Old Gu shook his head. “The trip went smoothly. I’ve made arrangements with quite a few people. Tomorrow, Boss Liu and the others will have a day off, and I’ll take a break too. I’ll go to the fourth team in the morning, come back for lunch, see Mingming and Haohao in the afternoon, and then leave with them the day after tomorrow.”

"Why the rush?" Li Long was also surprised. "Everything's all set up over there. Once it's done, you can rest for a couple more days. Anyway, you've already traveled from here to Yili, so you know the route well. You can rest for a couple of days and then go by yourself."

Whether you drive or take the shuttle bus, it's fine.

“That’s different.” Old Gu shook his head. “I’ve already made arrangements with Revolutionary Buick and the others. Their wolf hunting operation will start soon in the spring, and they can collect the pelts after they’re done. I’ve already bought the yard here, but the renovation needs to be expedited; we can’t wait.”

Li Long could tell that Lao Gu truly treated what he did there as a career, and therefore took it very seriously.

He didn't stop him anymore, and after thinking for a moment, he said:
"Okay, but it takes two or three days to make a round trip now, which is not easy."

"It's alright, it's better than going back to the mouth of the river." Old Gu smiled. "I'll just be busy at the beginning. Once the stalls over there are set up, I'll find a manager to sit in. I'll be like you, coming back whenever I feel like it. Then I'll be free."

"Haha, that's a good idea," Li Qingxia said with a laugh. "With your skills, this is very easy."

The three chatted for a while, then Li Long got up and went back.

Even though Hao Hao was already asleep, Li Long told Gu Xiaoxia about his father-in-law's plan to leave the day after tomorrow. Gu Xiaoxia was only stunned for a moment before she remained relatively calm.

"Since he's decided to do it, he must want to do it well. My dad may seem like nothing special, but he's actually quite ambitious. Now that he's going out on his own and has a chance to shine, he definitely doesn't want to do a bad job."

Li Long nodded, thinking that his father-in-law, having a stage to showcase his talents, was probably eager to make the most of it.

The next day, Gu Boyuan drove back to Team Four, intending to talk to someone, but the people in Team Four were busy farming.

Li Jianguo and his group were planting cotton when Gu Boyuan drove his car into the cotton field, which attracted a lot of attention.

Because Li Long got cars for Li Jianguo, Xie Yundong, and the others, even though they were secondhand, they were still sedans, so the people in Team Four weren't as sensitive about cars as the people in other teams.

However, this has also triggered a habitual reaction: whenever a car arrives, people subconsciously assume that the owner of the car is related to the Li family.

When Gu Boyuan got out of the car, some people didn't recognize him, while those who did realized who he was, which made sense. Li Jianguo and Li Long both had cars, and Xie Yundong and the other three had also bought cheap cars, so it was normal for Gu Boyuan to have one too.

Although he drove a minivan during the Chinese New Year, he has now switched to a sedan. But considering how much money he makes, it's normal for him to change cars.

Gu Boyuan watched as Li Jianguo drove a small four-wheeled tractor with a seeding machine to plant cotton.

This piece of land was reclaimed by Li Jianguo. Two small four-wheeled tractors were put into operation together, one driven by Li Jianguo and the other by Li Junfeng. Each tractor was accompanied by two people who followed the machine with shovels. As soon as the plastic film was laid down, they would shovel a shovel of soil every one or two meters to press the film down.

Because many young and middle-aged people are working, Liang Yuemei didn't come today; she stayed home to provide support.

When the machine turned around and came back to this side, Li Jianguo had already spotted Gu Boyuan. He got out of the car, signaled Chen Qianjin, who was working on the field, to drive, and told another person to follow. He smiled and asked:

"What brings you here? Did you come back from Yili?"

"You're back, looking all dusty and dirty." Gu Boyuan chuckled. "With so many young men, why not just let them do the work? Didn't they eat enough dirt when they were young?"

“I’m their elder, so I’m worried the young man might not be thorough enough and might lay the membrane incorrectly, which would be a problem.” Li Jianguo took a towel from the GAZ truck to wipe his face, then poured himself a cup of water, drank it all in one gulp, and looked at Gu Boyuan:
"Are you drinking?"

"I won't drink it." Gu Boyuan shook his head and asked, "Is this cotton? It covers quite a large area."

“This is nothing. Xiaolong said he wanted to plant 100 mu, and we only have 40 mu here. The other 60 mu over the dam have already been planted.” Li Jianguo said proudly, “Even if each mu of cotton yields 100 kilograms of seed cotton, it’s still much better than planting wheat.”

Gu Boyuan silently calculated that with 100 mu of land, the yield of seed cotton would be 100 kilograms per mu, which would be at most 10,000 kilograms. The current price of cotton is two yuan, which would amount to 20,000 yuan. After deducting labor and other expenses, the profit would be less than 10,000 yuan.

It's not even as good as the net income of Li Long's purchasing station in two days.

He couldn't understand why Li Jianguo didn't go out and work with Li Long. With Li Long's support, setting up a purchasing station in any county would be better than farming here, right?

He suddenly realized that he had come to look down on farming.

Has he become more discerning after making so much money at the purchasing station in recent years, or has he simply never respected the identity of a farmer?

For a moment, Gu Boyuan felt a little confused.

"How's it going in Yili?" Li Jianguo asked. "Are you sure you want to open a purchasing station there?"

"Yeah, the yard's all bought. How about coming over with me?" Gu Boyuan joked. "I'm confident I'll make a lot of money!"

“I wouldn’t go even if it makes money.” Li Jianguo shook his head. “You were the one who said this place has rice and fish, it’s a land of plenty, and staying here wouldn’t be a loss.”

Now that you've run away and are making more money out there, I'm not envious. I increasingly feel that staying here is better; I don't want to go through any more trouble. I'll just focus on farming, send Juan and Qiangqiang to university, and I'll be content."

Thinking of Li Juan and Li Qiang, Gu Boyuan sighed:
"You've raised those two kids so well! Juan is almost in high school and will be taking the college entrance exam soon, and so is Qiangqiang. You're the only one in the entire team to have raised two college students!"

Li Jianguo accepted the praise with a smile. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, took out a match, gave one to himself, and handed one to Gu Boyuan.

Gu Boyuan wasn't addicted to smoking, but he still took the match and lit it himself after Li Jianguo lit his cigarette.

We're all on the same side, so we don't have the habit of offering each other cigarettes.

"Everyone else is using lighters, why are you still using matches?" Gu Boyuan asked with disdain after lighting his cigarette.

“We have one at home. I find it troublesome to fill a lighter with oil and attach a flint,” Li Jianguo said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

Yes, this is someone who dislikes trouble. It's not that they're content with just getting by, but they feel that a simpler life is better.

That's probably why they don't go out and work.

Gu Boyuan then started talking about other things, such as the culture of Yili and the farming practices of the local farmers.

Li Jianguo listened with interest, until Li Junfeng drove up in his tractor and said that the cotton planting was finished. Only then did he stand up, look around, and say:
"Then let's pack up and head back. It might be windy these next few days, so we need to be careful. If the weather changes, we'll have to come back and press down the plastic film as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned to Gu Boyuan and said:
When are you going to Yili again?

"tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Then I'll cook you some good food when we get back today, and we'll have a drink..."

"I'm not drinking anymore." Gu Boyuan waved his hand. "It's only just begun. I need to go back at noon and take a good look at Mingming and Haohao. I've missed them quite a bit after being away for a few days. Let's talk about it when I come back next time."

“Okay, I have some good wine. We’ll wait for you to come back and drink it.” Li Jianguo was also carefree. “You’ll be alone over there, so be careful.”

Gu Boyuan nodded, stubbed out his cigarette and threw it away, turned around, opened the car door, got in, started the engine, rolled down the window, waved to Li Jianguo, and drove off.

"What a waste." Li Jianguo chuckled as he looked at the half-smoked cigarette butt that Gu Boyuan had thrown away. "It's not like he's not coming back. It's like a farewell."

As he spoke, he addressed the able-bodied men who were working:

"We're heading back once we're done packing. Who's going to ride in the jeep? Hurry up! We'll have fried chicken for lunch to reward everyone after we finish sowing. We'll rest for half the afternoon and get back to work tomorrow!"

"Great!" The young men all laughed happily. These past few days, they've been planting not only cotton, but also corn, sunflowers, and other crops. They come over early in the morning after breakfast, and after lunch, they go out again without resting for long, only returning home after sunset.

After several days of strenuous physical exertion, I'm happy to finally have a break now that the planting is finished. There are no complaints, mainly because the food is excellent and no one is gossiping. Back home, the work wasn't this physically demanding, but the food was terrible. It's nothing like here, where every meal is white steamed buns, rice, and meat.

Many families in the team were still working in the fields. With fewer people, the work was slower, especially for those who planted cotton. The row seeders and spot seeders they used were small, driven by small four-wheeled tractors, unlike those who planted sunflowers and corn, who could be driven by large tractors.

Some families haven't bought cotton planters and are planning to borrow others' machines after they've finished planting, which makes things even slower.

Xie Yundong, Tao Daqiang, and several other families bought seeders, sprayers, and cultivators. In the eyes of the other members of the team, they were already tied to the Li family's war machine and would advance and retreat together.

Those who didn't buy machines are basically speculating, trying it out for a year. If it works, they'll expand next year; if not, they'll switch to something else. So, they're thinking it's not worth buying a machine this year, and if it doesn't work, won't the machine be stuck with them?

Therefore, most of those who haven't finished planting are just a few speculators.

After the cotton planting was completed, there was a short break. The Li family gave the helpers half a day off as a reward.

When Gu Boyuan returned to the courtyard, Gu Xiaoxia had not yet come back. Li Long had gone to the kindergarten to pick up Mingming and Haohao. The kindergarten provided lunch, and Li Long had asked for leave because Gu Boyuan was leaving the next day and he missed his grandsons.

The two children missed their grandfather and kept pestering Gu Boyuan to ask about the situation in Yili.

Li Long then recalled the two phone calls he received that morning and wondered when would be a good time to talk to Gu Boyuan about it.

The call was made by Zhang Haiyang, the leader's secretary.

Zhang Haiyang called to inquire about Li Long's recent progress, mainly regarding the road construction. Li Long replied that half of the work was already completed and he estimated it would be finished next year.

Zhang Haiyang said that the leaders already knew he had ventured into a new field and praised him for his active tax payment. They said that he was a responsible young man and a model for private enterprises. They encouraged Li Long to boldly expand his business, as long as it was legal and reasonable, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Then they asked Li Long what his plans were, and Li Long readily replied that he was planning to open a purchasing station in Yili, mainly to buy medicinal herbs.

He didn't dare mention the hides, because although the enforcement of the Animal Protection Law in Yili was somewhat weak after its enactment, it would gradually strengthen. He could still receive hides now, but the supply would decrease over time.

Li Long's main focus was on fritillaria. As for medicinal herbs, as long as he consumed enough fritillaria during the current season, that would be sufficient.

Zhang Haiyang was somewhat surprised to hear Li Long say this, and said he would report it to his superiors. He also said that if there were any difficulties with the road construction, Li Long could call him.

After hanging up the phone, Li Long knew that Zhang Haiyang was probably keeping an eye on him from another angle, such as through tax revenue, which was likely data obtained from official channels. As for whether it was from higher-ups, he guessed it probably wasn't.

Not long after hanging up, the phone rang again. Li Long answered and heard Zhang Haiyang's voice again. This time, Zhang only told him one thing: if he encountered any trouble opening a branch of the purchasing station in Yili, he could contact a certain leader.

Zhang Haiyang also revealed that the comrade was once the company commander of the leader's guard company and is currently working in Yili.

Of course, he believed that Li Long would know under what circumstances he would go to that leader, and he also hoped that Li Long would understand the meaning of his call.

Li Long understood, of course, that unless absolutely necessary, he couldn't resort to hiring someone. As long as the normal acquisitions at the purchasing station weren't affected, there was no need for ordinary business competition.

Zhang Haiyang's final words were actually a reminder to Li Long that giving him this information showed trust in his character and morality, and that he believed that even if Li Long knew he could establish a relationship with that comrade, he wouldn't use that relationship to do anything that violated principles or even the law.

Of course, it's also possible that it's impossible to do, and that comrade wouldn't know how to do it.

After lunch, Mingming and Haohao took their usual afternoon nap. Gu Xiaoxia chatted with her father for a while before going to work. It was then that Li Long told Gu Boyuan about the phone call.

"Hey, we've got a powerful backer now, huh?" Gu Boyuan smiled, not particularly surprised.

Li Long told him about the contents of both phone calls, and he naturally understood that this was only one possibility.

If someone is competing with him normally, regardless of whether he wins or loses, he should not make this call, as long as the other party does not break the law or do anything illegal.

In a normal competition, Gu Boyuan is confident that he is not afraid of his opponent.

So the meaning of this phone call is very clear: within the legal scope there, you can do whatever you want with confidence, because someone is backing you up.

With this, Gu Boyuan felt even more confident. He also understood Li Long's meaning: avoid looking for them if possible.

The two reached an understanding on this matter.

In the afternoon, Li Long transferred 500,000 yuan to Gu Boyuan's account.

He has a lot of money in his bank account now, but if you do the math, two high-horsepower wheeled tractors would cost nearly 200,000 yuan at the official exchange rate and about 500,000 yuan at the black market rate.

Modern cotton harvesters are even more expensive, costing between $100,000 and $150,000 each, with black market prices reaching millions of RMB!

In other words, the money he earns in a year is only enough to buy one cotton harvester...

Yes, the road to mechanized large-scale agriculture is long and arduous, and I still need to work harder!

After transferring the money to Gu Boyuan, Li Long withdrew another 500,000 yuan for future use.

The main problem is that we don't know what price Liu Shanmin will pay for the high-horsepower wheeled tractor, so let's try to estimate the maximum price.

Not long after we returned to the courtyard, Meng Hai arrived in his GAZ truck.

"Are you all back?" Li Long asked after Meng Hai got out of the car. "Isn't it time to sow the seeds?"

"Well, we planted a little later over there. Everyone came back early this morning. The Dongfanghong 75 tractor came back yesterday afternoon. There's nothing left there now."

Initially, I was thinking of leaving the Dongfanghong 75 there so that it would save time next time I went back, but these past few days, with the road construction, I've been running into people going into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs, so I'm not willing to take the risk.

Frankly speaking, people who go into the mountains to collect herbs and pan for gold are more likely to lower their moral standards because they are unrestrained. When they encounter unpleasant things and see a tractor, they might cause damage or do things that harm others without benefiting themselves.

"It's good that you're back. Was no one hurt?" Li Long asked. "How did the next two days go?"

"Everything went smoothly," Meng Hai said with a smile. "After that big rock was blasted away, the road construction went quite smoothly from there. Although the altitude is getting higher and higher, there are fewer trees and fewer steep slopes, so the technical requirements for road construction are much lower."

"Well, hopefully it will stay like this from now on, then the speed will pick up. By the way, do we still have enough money?"

"That's enough, that's enough." After saying that, Meng Hai opened the back door of the GAZ truck, picked up a basket of eggs and a basket of peeled river fish, and placed them at the kitchen door, saying, "The eggs are from our savings. We've raised dozens of chickens now, and we can't finish all the eggs."

Old He prepared the small fish this morning and brought it over to me. I kept some for myself, and I'm bringing you the rest.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony," Li Long said with a smile. "Didn't Lao He borrow your car?"

"Why didn't he lend it to me? After delivering the fish, he said he needed to use the car tomorrow and told me to use it quickly so he could get it repaired and maintained, and then he would drive it to the county for a meeting tomorrow."

"Haha, tell him to work hard and buy himself a car as soon as possible."

“He wanted to too, but said he didn’t have the money. Anyway, we’re good friends, so it’s the same if he drives mine.” Meng Hai didn’t seem to mind. “I’m starting to plant tomorrow, and I’ll be driving the tractor for a few days. It’ll be a good way to earn some extra money.”

"Hey, my new tractor! Lots of people in the village are waiting for me to plant their seeds. Comrade Li Long, after we finish the spring planting, I'll give you a share of the profits too."

"No need, no need," Li Long waved his hand, "Just focus on repairing the road."

“That won’t do.” Meng Hai shook his head. “I’m using your tractor for free and I’m making money, so I should at least share some of it.”

Li Long didn't dwell on that issue; he was thinking about something else. If they bought two high-horsepower wheeled tractors, should they give one to his older brother to drive, or should they train one of the able-bodied young men from their hometown, like Li Junfeng?
Anyway, Junfeng had already decided to stay in the Northern Frontier. He hadn't noticed it when he first arrived last year, but after a year, he found that Li Junfeng had become much more reliable and managed the young and strong quite effectively.

Why not him?

(End of this chapter)