Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1194 Harim's Hunting Career
Li Long wanted 60% because he hoped to maintain his say when the construction team made major decisions.

If they were to cooperate, his investment would be substantial. The machinery alone might not seem like much in the future, but right now it would be a huge sum. Otherwise, Meng Hai wouldn't have only wanted 20%.

In his view, the people he brought with him were not worth much; they were just strong men. The connections and machinery that Li Long had found were the real value.

"Old Meng, to be honest with you, I'm perfectly willing to agree to take 70% or even 80% right now, and do it your way. But if it really grows and expands in the future, can you guarantee you won't have other ideas?"

"I definitely didn't!" Meng Hai immediately assured him.

"You can guarantee it, and I believe you, but what about your people? Right now, a project only earns a few thousand yuan, which works out to less than a hundred yuan per person. That's not much, but what about in the future?"

If a project earns tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, in the future, won't you and your subordinates think about it? They'll think, "They did the work, why should I get a bigger share?"

"No, they..." Meng Hai wanted to defend his brothers, but thinking about how those people behaved when the road was being built, he wasn't sure anymore.

"There's another reason why I don't take that much: I have a lot of things to do and don't have time to manage your mess. So you're the one doing all the work, and whether you make money depends on your ability to control the quality."

When we were building the road, I saw that you did a good job, so I trusted you. But now that you can do it, you have to promise to keep doing it like this in the future in order to make money.

I can't manage everything. At most, I can help you connect with some projects at the beginning, but after that, it'll be up to you, and I'll just get a share of the profits. So I don't want too much; I'm not greedy. That way, our cooperation can last.

"I understand." Meng Hai nodded, then solemnly assured Li Long:
"Let's do the profit sharing this way, I have no objections. Let's write it down, and I'll have all my brothers sign and put their fingerprints on it. If anyone dares to object or cause trouble, I'll be the first to kick them out!"

Li Long smiled.

At least at this moment, he believed that Meng Hai was sincere.

Human hearts are fickle, but since getting to know Meng Hai, he has found him to be a reliable person, which is why Li Long is willing to invest in him.

After discussing the matter with Li Long, Meng Hai left. He needed to go back and tell the construction team about it.

These people were currently shopping in the county and had agreed to meet at the market entrance. Once everyone had arrived, Meng Hai explained the construction team's situation.

"From now on, our construction team will mainly consist of the current group of people. If the workload becomes too large in the future, then we will recruit more people. However, we are considered one of the very first batch of people, so we can be regarded as veterans."

Meng Hai found an open space at the market entrance and gave his opening speech:
“From now on, we’ll mainly focus on construction projects. Fortunately, there’s not much work to do at home. We’ll work during the busy farming season when we have free time, and if not, we’ll work on construction projects. Anyway, we can make money from construction projects, so it’s okay if we don’t harvest as much from the fields.”

These people, buying so many things, clearly understand that if they actually have money in their hands, they might not even care about the meager income from the land.

"Of course, if anyone thinks this is unreliable, they can quit," Meng Hai emphasized, highlighting the current freedom of choice. "But once you decide to join, you'll be a worker on the construction team, on call, and ready to work immediately whenever there's a project..."

These people began to think.

Working with Meng Hai is a good option, since there's money to be made, which is better than staying at home tending to the small amount of land.

But some people are reluctant to be bound by these constraints.

"...Of course, this isn't just empty talk; it requires fingerprints. You need to think this through carefully. Once you've done it, don't go back on your word, or you'll face legal consequences later."

Meng Hai had at least served as a militia company commander for several years, and he was quite eloquent.

"Of course, as you all know, Comrade Li Long and I have a good relationship, so we can still find projects. Even if things don't go well, the roads in the mountains still need to be repaired. In the future, our engineering team will be the main force in road repairs, and the whole village won't necessarily have to participate."

Having said both sides, Meng Hai told these people to consider it, and then drove them home.

There were too many people for the GAZ truck to fit them all, so we also had a small four-wheeled tractor.

Meng Hai's idea was that by tomorrow night, anyone willing to join could come to his house, put their fingerprint on the document, and they would be considered part of the construction team.

Of course, he will discuss the profit-sharing arrangements in detail when people are willing to join; now is not the time.

Deep in the Tianshan Mountains, on a high-altitude meadow, Halim, carrying two sheepskins and a rifle, walked briskly along a mountain path.

He spent a day and a half tracking a herd of ibex and shot two of them.

The main reason is that Li Long said the best quality leather is a whole hide, as whole hides are more valuable. A whole hide is tens of yuan more expensive than a damaged hide.

In the past, if I encountered Harim, I would have just attacked him and hit him first.

Things are different now. He tracked it so far just to get the whole hide, and of course, he did.

The two pieces of leather cost over three hundred yuan, bringing them one step closer to repaying Li Long for the money he needed to buy the yard.

He knew Yushanjiang was also hunting. The two didn't meet, and their pastures weren't even in the same direction.

Last year, Yushanjiang went hunting to raise money for road construction. At that time, Halimu wasn't very enthusiastic; he would hunt if he encountered an opportunity, and if not, he would just let it go.

This year is different; he genuinely likes that courtyard. Halim is the one in the tribe who interacts with Li Long the most and has the most understanding of the outside world, so he isn't particularly attached to this tribal life.

Of course, the most important thing is for the next generation. After Nathan and Sasken went to Yanjing, they longed for life in the big city. Even if it's just for the sake of the two little ones having a better life in the future, he has to make good preparations.

The yard is secondary; what about the future? It's impossible to not spend money. Tuition and living expenses both require money.

In the past, a flock of sheep and a dozen or so cows were enough for the tribe; they had no worries about food and drink. But now? Beef and mutton are not worth much. If you want to save up some money, you have to get more things in the mountains.

So his wife herded sheep while he went hunting, and also looked for good jade along the way.

Having spent a lot of time with Li Long, Halim also learned which jade stones were valuable and which were ordinary. Of course, it would be even better if he could get his hands on those gold nuggets, or even raw gemstones.

Over time, Halim learned which things in the mountains could be exchanged for more money, and these became his main targets.

Not only him, but also Yushanjiang.

He peeled off the skin, but didn't want the meat; it was inconvenient to carry.

On his way back, Halim made a special trip to the valley where there were jade stones in the stream—there was a jade vein nearby, so it was easy to find jade stones in the stream. However, most of them had black spots and weren't very valuable.

Halim came across several pieces but didn't pick them up. He hoped to find the prettier kind, green but without any black spots.

According to Li Long, a piece the size of a football is equivalent to a whole yard!

If Halim can find a few pieces of grass before going back to cut it, he feels that he has already exceeded his target for this year.

By this month, the snowmelt in the mountains has a large volume of water. Halim thinks it's better to arrive when the water level is low and when it's almost time to move to another area, as the water is easier to find then.

He already has two such jade stones in his yurt, but unfortunately they are both relatively small, probably only worth a courtyard at most.

I heard that Talihar's grandmother found a pretty big piece of land. I'm so envious!

As Halim walked forward with his head down, his eyes were fixed on the water's edge and the shallow water. Now his eye for jade was very sharp, and he could spot it at a glance.

After all, the jade's texture is more easily revealed and examined after being washed by water.

"Huh?" Halimu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A different color appeared in the field of vision.

This is a remote mountainous area, rarely visited by people. Those who come here are mostly members of their own tribe.

Kazakh herders still love nature in this era and don't litter, so the streamside is mostly green, gray, and white, with few other colors—at least not the colors of human garbage.

Therefore, some colors are easily noticed, even if it's just a swipe.

Halim crouched down, put the gun aside, looked at the golden yellow color, then found a branch and started digging.

He hoped it was a surprise, but wasn't sure. The last time he saw something of a similar color, he thought it was gold, but it turned out to be the yellow color on a piece of coal—Li Long had said that this stuff was either sulfur or pyrite or something, not gold.

Gold, on the other hand, usually exists independently and does not stick to coal.

Moreover, the thing he was looking for was very light, while gold was very heavy; they were indeed different.

They quickly pulled out the piece, which was about half the size of a palm, and this time Halim was truly pleasantly surprised!
It really is gold!
It was very heavy in his hand. He had found gold nuggets before, so he had experience with it. That's it!
This piece, weighing over a hundred grams? Even if it's not completely pure, it should still be worth a thousand yuan, right?

That's great, buying a yard is enough!

Halim laughed, thinking to himself, "Hey, I'm really lucky."

Come to think of it, I've had pretty good luck ever since I met Li Long a few years ago.

He rinsed the gold in the water; though the stream was icy cold, his heart was burning with joy. He thought, "When I get back to gather grass, I'll give this to Li Long. He'll surely be happy, won't he?"

He examined the gold dog head thoroughly from all angles before carefully putting it in his pocket, picking up his gun and continuing on his way.

"Ow—!"

Suddenly, a wolf howled from the ridgeline on the right.

The joy on Halim's face vanished instantly. He put down the ibex hide, raised his gun, and aimed at the wolf, which was about 70 or 80 meters away.

When the wolf saw that Harim had spotted it and sensed danger, it immediately retreated and disappeared into the bushes.

Another wolf howl rang out not far away, clearly indicating that the guy had been calling for his accomplices.

Harim's expression turned serious.

He put away his gun and began loading bullets into it.

He had just finished shooting the ibex and still had four bullets left in his gun. He thought the return trip should be fine, so he didn't bother with it. Now it seemed he needed to reload the gun quickly.

The wolves were probably attracted by the smell of blood on the ibex hide he was carrying. Regardless of whether they would attack him, Halim would not put himself in danger.

Of course, he wouldn't mind bringing back a couple more wolf pelts.

He can chase ibex with ease, trying to keep his pelt intact. But against wolves, all he needs to do is hit them.

When the third wolf appeared, Halim knew he had to take the initiative, otherwise more wolves would be summoned, and he would definitely be in danger.

Now there are fewer wolves in the outer mountains; many have moved to the inner mountains. In spring and summer, the inner mountains are lush with grass and water, and ibex, roe deer, and other animals reproduce in large numbers. The cubs are the favorite food of wolves and snow leopards.

Therefore, most of these carnivores will move deeper into the mountains from here.

No one to bother you, and there's delicious food too.

Harim raised his gun and aimed at a bush. There had been wolves nearby, and he believed they would come out again.

Sure enough, a wolf soon emerged from the other side of the bushes, its body half-exposed. Harim made a quick decision, slightly adjusted the muzzle of his gun, and with a "bang," pulled the trigger.

"Awooo—!"

A wolf howled in pain. It had been hit in the stomach and collapsed under a bush. The howl startled the other two wolves, who ran away immediately. They didn't stop until they were more than a hundred meters away.

Halim picked up the goatskin and slowly walked uphill with his gun in hand.

He's determined to have that wolf pelt!

Meng Hai found Li Long on the third day and showed him the contract covered with handprints.

The words on it were written quite nicely, clearly stating that an engineering and construction company would be established, with Li Long as the boss, holding 65% of the shares, and Meng Hai and others holding the remaining 35%.

Meng Hai, as the manager, received 10% of the 35% share, while the remaining 23 people shared the rest equally.

If anyone joins later, they will receive a salary unless they make a significant contribution.

There are also some details, such as bonuses for good performance, a portion of the profits being deducted upfront to cover equipment costs, and Li Longren offering a truck and a forklift as a basis for investment, etc.

Li Long remembered telling Meng Hai that he would provide a truck, a loader, and a cement mixer.

"We think these two trucks are enough. Getting a cement mixer on top of that, and taking 35% of the profit, would be going too far. Even a used cement mixer costs tens of thousands of yuan," Meng Hai said.

“Comrade Li Long, you can’t pay so much money. If you pay so much and we pay so much more, we’ll really feel guilty.”

The same logic applies: they feel their skills and strength aren't worth that much money.

Since it was too much to explain in a short time, Li Long said:

"Alright, let's set up the company first, then hire technical staff. Technical staff will be paid more. When we have some free time, we can discuss the details of the company. I'll also contact some workers; if there's work, I'll contact you directly. If there isn't any work, don't worry for now..."

“It’s alright, we’ll be repairing the road if we have the time,” Meng Hai said. “We think the most important thing is to fix the road first.”

"That works too." Li Long nodded. Road construction was at least a major undertaking for the time being.

Meng Hai was very clear-headed, which put Li Long at ease. Li Long had actually prepared a contract long ago; even close brothers keep clear accounts, and this was something that needed to be agreed upon beforehand.

Li Long hadn't thought of a name for the company, so Meng Hai suggested one:
"How about Hongyuan? Hongyuan Construction Company?"

"No way!" Li Long refused instinctively.

It seems like every city in northern Xinjiang has a Hongyuan Construction Company, and they don't all seem to be branches of the same company, just with the same name.

I have no idea how much those construction companies like this word.

Hearing Li Long's strong opposition, Meng Hai scratched his head and said with a smile:

"I only remembered it because I saw this name in other places, hehe."

Li Long didn't explain; he himself was terrible at naming things. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Call it Zhongjian Construction?" It's too tacky, but he couldn't think of anything more suitable.

“Sure,” Meng Hai naturally agreed.

"Next, we mainly need to get the company's paperwork done." At this time, it was easier to get the paperwork done for a construction company than in later years. Taking on official projects and getting payment for the projects was not so troublesome, at least in the Ma County area.

Therefore, this is a viable option at this stage.

As for when things get tougher later on, they'll probably have already switched careers by then.

Li Long simply made a move casually out of boredom; he didn't expect the company to last a century.

Meng Hai handled the paperwork, while Li Long simply called Li Xiangqian in front of him to ask about some details, and then told Meng Hai to find someone.

He was already considered the boss, so he didn't have to do everything himself, although sometimes Li Long felt that it wouldn't hurt to do it himself.

Those millionaires at that time, even if not billionaires in later generations, would at least be in the tens of millions.

In the previous life, there were people in the village with tens of millions in wealth. They were no different from ordinary people. Everyone lived in the same village. Although they would often discuss how much money each other had in private, they would not treat each other specially.

Therefore, Li Long didn't think he was that great.

No matter what, he's just an ordinary person; at most, he's just cheated.

Meng Hai was quite enthusiastic about running this business, since Li Long didn't manage the company; he just provided the money and took a share of the profits behind the scenes, while Meng Hai was the one in charge.

How could I not be excited to be my own boss?
Li Long has promised to get the trucks and bulldozers in place within half a month, and he's already thinking about setting up a yard. Otherwise, if they really have to set up the base in Qingshuihe Village, wouldn't that cause delays?

Running the paperwork is not something that can be done in a day or two. First, you need to know what you need, and then prepare it little by little.

Of course, he also needed to find suitable technicians. Ever since he repaired the bridge and sluice gates, Meng Hai had realized the importance of technicians, but unfortunately, he had no connections and didn't know anyone.

However, he didn't complain to Li Long. He couldn't ask Li Long for help with everything; otherwise, what use would he be?

Surprisingly, he actually found a technician among those odd jobs.

He came from the region, graduated from a vocational school specializing in civil engineering and construction; in this day and age, he would definitely be considered a technician.

At least when it comes to construction projects with Meng Hai, he speaks fluently and eloquently.

As for why he didn't continue doing his job in the field of oral medicine, he didn't say.

Meng Hai didn't ask any questions in detail; he just wanted to get the person to the company first!

Anyway, the time when Yan was beaten is over. If he had really committed any crimes, he probably wouldn't have survived until now.

P.S.: How about giving away beef jerky in this monthly pass giveaway?
(End of this chapter)