Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1179 Ma Xiaoyan's Generosity, Jiang Zhiyu's Envy

Wang, the money-grubber, left in disappointment, while the Li family didn't leave until lunchtime, when the people surrounding the high-powered tractor finally departed.

Some of the able-bodied men from the Li family wanted to test drive the car, but Li Junfeng, who was bringing Li Long back, stopped them. He simply said, "This thing costs hundreds of thousands of yuan. If you break it, even if you sold all these people together, you still couldn't afford to pay for it."

That one sentence dispelled everyone's idea.

By this time, Li Junfeng had already grasped some management principles. He said that as long as everyone worked hard, Uncle Jianguo would operate one of the two machines, and if he operated the other one, whoever performed well would not only receive a larger bonus from Uncle Jianguo's family at the end of the year, but would also be able to go up and operate it as an assistant.

Hey, I have to say, this thing really got everyone excited.

What man isn't interested in such a big thing?

almost none!

When Li Long returned, Liu Gaolou was no longer at the purchasing station. The cement had been almost fully loaded, so the truck was simply left inside the station.

After lunch, Li Long was about to go to the transportation company to finalize the matter after having someone load the last bit of cement when Ma Xiaoyan called.

Knowing that Li Long was there, she told him to wait, and she immediately rode her bicycle over.

“Officer Ma, let me tell you, this morning when I was driving my high-powered tractor to the fourth team, I ran into Officer Jiang. She had already interviewed her once.”

"What? She did an interview this morning? What questions did she ask?" Ma Xiaoyan asked immediately. "What were they?"

Li Long then went over those issues again, omitting irrelevant details and focusing mainly on concepts and processes related to modern agriculture.

Ma Xiaoyan quickly took notes, and after finishing, she exclaimed, "Hey, she's pretty good at grasping the key points. But no matter how fast she is, she can't outrun me!"

"Why do you have to compete to see who's better?" Li Long asked. "Can't you split up? One of you can submit to the state newspaper, and the other to the autonomous region newspaper, or even to the national agricultural newspaper."

Ma Xiaoyan glanced at Li Long, her expression complex. Li Long's words made some sense, but would she be seen as bowing down if she took the initiative to make peace?

But if the other party submits the article first, will the editorial department of the daily newspaper consider it plagiarism if I write the same thing?

On the one hand, she regretted not chasing after the fourth team that morning, and on the other hand, she hesitated, wondering if Li Long's suggestion made sense.

Li Long simply stated the questions that came to mind, and seeing that Ma Xiaoyan remained silent, he asked again:

"Do you need to take two photos?"

Considering that Ma Xiaoyan had reported on him several times before and had helped him a lot, directly or indirectly, Li Long thought that if she wanted to take photos, he would drive her to the fourth team.

"We absolutely have to take pictures." Ma Xiaoyan had brought a camera with her, and upon hearing Li Long's words, she immediately said, "Can you drive me there? I haven't been able to get a car for the publicity yet."

“Okay, it’s only an hour or so anyway.” Li Long nodded. “Get in the car, I’ll drive you there now.”

When Li Long arrived at the fourth team, he asked Ma Xiaoyan to take a picture. Li Jianguo pulled him aside and told him about Wang Caimi's desire to buy a tractor.

“Don’t sell it to him. If we don’t need it, we can put it with Wen Yu,” Li Long said. “We don’t like the price he offered, and we don’t need the money. Why not put it with Wen Yu? Their team’s tractor is an old machine, right? It’s a good opportunity for him to replace it and make some money.”

“Okay, that’s what I think too.” Li Jianguo smiled. “Although their team doesn’t have much land, several nearby teams are in the same area with adjacent plots of land. Our tractors are easy to break in and can make money right away. Let him pay it back slowly.”

Li Long didn't dwell on that issue anymore, but instead started telling his older brother about the use of the other farm implements that came with the high-horsepower tractor.

In fact, a high-horsepower tractor is just a machine head. Apart from the reversible plow and other matching farm implements that come with it, other local 75-liter tractors can also be used to pull farm implements.

Therefore, even if the farm implements it comes with break and are difficult to repair, local farm implements can still be used, and it can still take advantage of its high horsepower and speed.

While Ma Xiaoyan was taking photos, Li Long saw someone riding a bicycle over and immediately recognized Jiang Zhiyu.

Hey, now that the two of them are together, Li Long is a little smug, wondering how they'll handle it.

Is it a fight, or a facade of harmony masking underlying insults?

As Jiang Zhiyu rode her bicycle closer, she saw Ma Xiaoyan looking at her with a camera. She panicked for a moment, then realized, "Why am I panicking?"
She adjusted her mindset, confidently rode up to the tractor, dismounted, set up the kickstand, and smiled as she offered her hand:

"Hello, Officer Ma, welcome to our township to inspect our work."

“Hey, I’m not here to inspect the work.” Ma Xiaoyan smiled as well. “I heard you interviewed Li Long this morning? I didn’t come with you this morning, but I heard you interviewed him when I came this afternoon. Our goals are similar, huh…”

“Yes.” Jiang Zhiyu didn’t expect Ma Xiaoyan to bring up the topic so directly. She felt a little uneasy. To be frank, Ma Xiaoyan was someone from her superior department, a leader.

If both sides pretend to be confused and compete for the news material based on their own abilities, then whoever gets it can publish it.

But if Ma Xiaoyan brings this matter to the forefront and directly uses the power of the higher authorities to pressure her, then she might not be able to withstand it.

Ma Xiaoyan glanced at Li Long, who was talking to Li Jianguo in the distance. She also noticed that Li Long would occasionally look over here with an unfriendly look in his eyes, probably laughing at them.

I had originally thought about talking to Jiang Zhiyu about something like co-authoring the article, but I was a little reluctant. I didn't want Li Long to laugh at me, and as a member of a higher-level department, I had to be more magnanimous.

Although Ma Xiaoyan was quite ambitious and eager to achieve results, at this moment, she had a stronger sense of the bigger picture than Jiang Zhiyu. After thinking for a moment, she whispered to Jiang Zhiyu:
"We both know Li Long's situation. As long as we get along well with him, we'll definitely have plenty of news material in the future."

But if we two fight amongst ourselves, that guy might laugh at us, and it won't be good for our propaganda efforts. After all, we've both attended training; if we really start arguing, it'll be internal strife, and if it's out in the open, neither of us will benefit.”

Jiang Zhiyu was surprised by Ma Xiaoyan's words. She had to admit that the perspectives of people in higher-level organizations were indeed different from her own.

But she didn't want to back down, after all, it concerned her own career advancement. Ma Xiaoyan was already working in the county government, while she was still in the township.

If we gather enough material from Li Long's side and create some big news, it's not impossible for him to be transferred to the county or even the prefecture level.

So she wanted to hear Ma Xiaoyan's specific thoughts.

"My idea is that we send them to different media outlets. Since our perspectives on the issues are not entirely the same, we can send them to them separately and more precisely."

That way, we won't fight amongst ourselves. Whoever gets promoted will be an honor for our county. As the saying goes, "the meat stays in the pot," meaning we can use the raw materials ourselves. No matter how we submit them, it will benefit the county. If we submit them separately, the county will approve... It will be good for both of our futures.”

Jiang Zhiyu naturally knew that this was best for both parties, but she knew that her connections and writing skills were weaker than Ma Xiaoyan's, so she still had some doubts and asked:

"Then how do we divide it?"

“No specifics. For example, this time, I want to submit it to the Farmers' Daily, so I'll leave the Autonomous Region's side to you, and you can also submit it to the Prefecture Daily. I also want to send it to the Autonomous Region TV station. If you have no objections, then we'll separate them like this.”

"Great!" Jiang Zhiyu couldn't be happier. She believed that this time, there was a 60-70% chance that what she wrote would be published in the Autonomous Region Daily and more than 80% in the State Daily.

Although she envied Ma Xiaoyan's ability to submit her work to television stations, she didn't have the connections or resources, and didn't even know how to submit her work there, so there was no point in being envious.

“Alright, if we run into the same material again next time, we can discuss how to divide it. We’ll see how things go each time, okay? This time I picked first, next time you pick first, how about that?” Ma Xiaoyan seemed very generous.

She has this advantage.

"Okay, thank you then." Ma Xiaoyan had already put it this way, so if Jiang Zhiyu were still so wary, she would truly be acting like a petty person.

After the two finished discussing, Jiang Zhiyu took a few more photos, then came over and asked Li Long about some technical parameters of the high-horsepower tractor before leaving.

Although Li Long was far away, he could hear the conversation between the two very clearly.

He didn't expect Ma Xiaoyan to reach an agreement with Jiang Zhiyu so quickly. He didn't know if it was his suggestion that worked, or if she had originally planned this, but his suggestion gave her a way out, and Jiang Zhiyu's visit today just provided that opportunity.

It's a good thing overall.

After Ma Xiaoyan finished taking the photos, Li Long took her to the car and returned to the county.

Li Jianguo felt that he had too many tractors, and since Li Long had also spoken up, he simply drove his GAZ truck to Liang Donglou's house.

Liang Wenyu's family was planting scallions in the field when Li Jianguo, seeing no one at home, came to the field. After hearing what Li Jianguo said, Liang Wenyu glanced at Liang Donglou but didn't dare to make a decision.

With his father in charge, he didn't dare to agree immediately.

"What do you think?" Liang Donglou asked his son. His son was all grown up now, and he must have his own ideas.

"Of course I want it. The tractor in our team is over twenty years old, and some parts are rusted into lumps of iron. My brother-in-law's tractor is practically new, so it would definitely be more convenient to drive over for plowing and sowing."

Also, a lot of people in our team grow scallions, so there isn't as much plowing and sowing work, which doesn't interfere with my other tasks.

Liang Donglou's team doesn't have a lot of arable land, and nearly a third of it is used to grow cash crops such as scallions. Scallions are very labor-intensive to grow, so few people use tractors.

Therefore, as a tractor driver, I am not as busy as the fourth team.

Liang Wenyu is now the team's Youth League Secretary, and he still has many things to do in his spare time, so he can't be tied to the farm machinery all the time.

But farm machinery operators definitely make money, that's beyond doubt. Liang Wenyu has the means to do both, which would definitely be impossible in the fourth team.

"If you want it, then go and drive it back. But driving a tractor to plow the fields isn't as simple as you think. Ask your brother-in-law for advice whenever you have time. Also, pay back the money you make for the tractor first."

Liang Wenyu nodded repeatedly.

Driving a tractor isn't easy, but it's not too difficult either, so Li Jianguo took Liang Wenyu directly to the fourth team and taught him how to drive the Dongfanghong 75 tractor on the spot.

This thing is a joystick, not a steering wheel. Liang Wenyu, who was used to driving small four-wheelers, preferred the high-horsepower engine next to him. Unfortunately, when he asked about the price of that machine, which was hundreds of thousands, he immediately gave up on the idea.

I can't afford it!

After returning home, Li Long confirmed the number of trucks and rental fees with the transportation company and paid half upfront. He received more money from the sugar company, in US dollars, so he simply paid the full rental fee for the trucks.

The next day, they first went to the guesthouse to find Liu Gaolou, then went to the transportation company to pick up the convoy and went to the sugar factory.

Although Liu Gaolou didn't pay for the sugar this time, the money he gave for the cement was enough to cover the sugar factory's expenses.

Fifty tons of white sugar were loaded. While loading the sugar, Li Long called the purchasing station from Section Chief Hu's office and asked the cement truck to wait on National Highway 312.

Liu Gaolou didn't plan to stay long. After all, Ma County was a small county town with not much to see. Although it was better than Khorgos, there was Yining there, and Liu Gaolou preferred to stay there.

After Liu Gaolou loaded up the sugar and cement and said goodbye to Li Long, the convoy stretched out for a long time and headed west.

Li Long then turned his car around and drove back.

With the high-horsepower tractor in hand, he will now focus his energy equally on both the purchasing station and the fourth team for the foreseeable future.

After all, this was the first time the fourth team had planted cotton, and it was also the first time the eldest brother had managed such a large area of ​​cotton. Li Long had to help out more at this time.

Fortunately, the cold snap only lasted a short while and then left, and the strong winds only lasted for two days.

When the wind was strong, Li Jianguo and his men stayed in the cotton field. Because Li Long had repeatedly reminded them, they covered the cotton mulch with a shovel of soil every few tens of centimeters so that the wind could not blow it away, and then they left.

Having a large number of people gives you this advantage.

Unlike some people in later generations who contract thousands or tens of thousands of acres of land and can't possibly oversee it all, on windy days, some seeds that weren't properly pressed down, or where the wind was too strong, would have their plastic film blown directly into the sky, swaying like white ribbons in the wind.

Back then, I felt like dying while farming.

Once the windy day passed, the cotton seedlings sprouted quickly. At this point, the task is to replant and thin out the seedlings. Modern spot seeders and row seeders aren't very precise; they can typically place two or three or more seeds in one eye.

If all the seeds grow to maturity, then the strongest one must be kept; if none of them sprout, then more seeds must be planted.

Actually, this is the time that people who do the work hate the most.

One mu (approximately 0.16 acres) can have 8,000 to 10,000 cotton plants, or even more than 10,000. One hundred mu of land has one million cotton plants.

Because the seedlings have just sprouted, thinning and replanting require squatting down by the plastic film and slowly moving forward step by step, thinning out seedlings where there are any and replanting where there aren't.

In late April, the weather in Ma County was similar to that in most parts of northern Xinjiang along the Tianshan Mountains. You had to wear a thick coat in the morning and a shirt when you were in the fields at noon—but you couldn't wear a shirt because it was windy, and sometimes the wind carried sand and dust.

The sun wasn't very bright at this time, looking a bit hazy. Working in the fields all day like that must be uncomfortable.

Or, to put it another way, after a day of working in the fields, you're so tired that you just want to lie in bed and not get up.

These able-bodied young men were summoned by word of mouth; otherwise, the work simply couldn't have been done.

The problem is that once cotton seedlings sprout, they are extremely tough, unlike sunflowers which can be easily pulled up. If you don't pull them up carefully, they will most likely break. And broken cotton seedlings don't die; they will continue to grow, and if they don't grow well, they will compete for nutrients.

It's very troublesome.

Li Long came twice when thinning and replanting seedlings, and reminded his older brother that when replanting, it's not necessary to replant cotton; you can also replant mung beans, chili peppers, pumpkins, watermelons, or cantaloupes, etc.

These things ripen earlier than cotton and can be harvested before cotton is picked. Of course, things like watermelons can be left in the ground so you can eat one while picking cotton. That's fine.

Li Jianguo thought the suggestion was good and adopted it.

Because the work was so strenuous, Li Long simply brought them some mutton offal and meat every two days to help them recover. Every day, he watched them leave clean and tidy, only to return covered in dust and dirt.

Although the Li family has a washing machine and Li Long has prepared work clothes for several younger relatives, they still can't keep up with the laundry every day.

it is really hard.

Li Junfeng told Li Long in private that farming back home was never this hard. Each family only had a few acres of land, and no matter how meticulous the work was, they would be exhausted from head to toe in a day or two.

But once you go inside and squat down, it feels like you can't see the end of the tunnel.

There were some complaints, to be honest.

But when Li Junfeng casually mentioned that this year's salary would be at least 30% higher than last year's, not a single person complained.

Although the work is tough, you actually get paid.

Moreover, the food was good; there was meat at almost every meal, and the food consisted mainly of refined grains.

Going to work in the south, you can earn a lot of money by the end of the year. Regardless of whether the money is as much, at least in terms of food, it's definitely not as good as here.

These relatives were excellent at their work, and with the lure of high wages, the thinning and replanting of 100 acres of cotton was completed in less than a week.

Everyone was at least one shade darker, and they all had a lot of grime coming out of their noses.

After all, squatting and interacting with the ground all the time, it's inevitable that you'll inhale quite a bit of it.

Li Long had originally planned to prepare some masks for them. At that time, the masks were made of gauze and were quite thick. The young men found them uncomfortable and too hot, so they didn't wear them.

So, a few days of coughing is the price to pay.

With thinning finished, the cotton began to grow faster, and field management entered a brief lull. Li Long then turned his attention to the purchasing station.

After all, fritillaria bulbs are starting to be sold in large quantities, and since my father lacks experience, Li Long has to be here to keep things under control.

Under these circumstances, Chen Hongjun quietly arrived at the purchasing station and found Li Long.

He wants to buy a car.

(End of this chapter)