Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

The morning after Yushanjiang and Lilong received their dividends, Lilong was watching the newly recruited employees brushing sheepskin at the purchasing station when he heard his father, Li Qingxia, calling him to answer the phone from the counter.

Li Long quickly ran over. When his father handed him the microphone, he whispered, "From the Forestry Police Station."

Li Long immediately understood what was going on.

"Hello, this is Li Long."

"Hello Comrade Li Long, this is Zhao Tianhe, deputy director of the Forestry Police Station. I am calling to express my gratitude once again for your support of our work. The situation of the two suspects you handed over to us has been investigated and clarified."

The older of the two had entered Nanshan four times to illegally dig for medicinal herbs. Two years ago, he had already robbed someone in the mountains, accidentally killing them. We have found the remains of the person he buried based on his identification…”

He really is a murderer!
Li Long was somewhat surprised, but then quite pleased with himself.

"...Thank you so much for helping us catch this criminal. Otherwise, as you know, Nanshan is so big, he could easily hide in any ravine and it would be really hard to find him."

Deputy Director Zhao Tianhe was very talkative and chatted with Li Long for a while, partly to express his gratitude and partly to build a relationship. After all, Li Long had also worked part-time as a forest ranger, and Li Long understood what he meant. He wasn't saying that Li Long couldn't do business with fritillaria, but rather that if Li Long encountered similar situations again when he went into the mountains, he should communicate with them promptly.

The call lasted about ten minutes, and neither of them mentioned Li Long firing the gun. Both sides were very tacit, which Li Long was quite satisfied with.

Finally, Zhao Tianhe said that the case was still under investigation to see if they could delve deeper into other aspects of the issue. He would recommend Li Long to his superiors when the case was closed and handed over. Li Long politely declined a few words and then hung up the phone.

"What, did we run into a murderer?" Old Man Li Qingxia was originally looking at the fritillaria bulbs that the customer brought over, but he was listening to the conversation while multitasking.

"Well, yesterday when I went into the mountains to find Harim, I encountered two people robbing another one. I shot one of them. The one I shot had killed people in the mountains before," Li Long explained briefly, emphasizing that he had shot someone.

Sure enough, Li Qingxia felt relieved after hearing what Li Long said, and smiled and said, "We still need to bring a gun when we go into the mountains, but try not to cause trouble. The situation in the mountains is complicated, and no one knows what might happen."

Li Long nodded to indicate that he understood.

The next day, Li Long took several more boxes of canned goods to Beiting. He first went to the State Supply and Marketing Cooperative and gave one box to Director Qian.

"Why give me so much? Just take two cans to try." Director Qian was quite pleased to hear that the canned goods were produced in Li Long's own factory. "Try them now."

He then called someone over to open the can and put some on a plate so he could taste it.

When the staff went to handle this matter, Director Qian said to Li Long:

“Now that you have your own cannery, you won’t need to import meat from China anymore, right? In fact, we could even sell canned meat directly to China. After all, beef and mutton are still a major industry advantage for us here.”

"We no longer need to import canned meat, but we still need canned fruit. Currently, our products are mainly sold to the Soviet Union and the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, where they are sold at a higher price."

"The situation over there is a bit complicated." Director Qian, being in his current position, still has access to some of the real information. "If you're doing business over there, you need to be vigilant as things could change at any time."

“I understand. I’ve been keeping an eye on the situation over there,” Li Long couldn’t help but reveal, “I feel… the alliance might not be able to hold on, it’s too chaotic!”

"Don't talk nonsense!" Director Qian glared at him. "Just wait and see. No matter what, people still need to eat. Their disaster situation is severe, and their grain production has been declining for years. In addition, there are some political factors. Selling canned goods there is a good option for you."

See, there are still many clear-headed people in China, but some are limited by their status and cannot tell the public certain things.

It's not that we're trying to fool the people, it's just that it's unnecessary.

I didn't talk much with Director Qian, but after tasting the braised beef canned food, he was very satisfied. He said that it was definitely worth buying a batch and putting it in the mouth. Such an affordable canned food would surely be loved by the people of the mouth.

Li Long just smiled, since the current production capacity is still insufficient and other sales channels are not being considered for the time being.

After leaving the state supply and marketing cooperative, Li Long went to Chen Hongjun's purchasing station. He was quite busy there, as buying fritillaria bulbs was still his main business, and he also sold agricultural supplies.

Therefore, Li Long did not stay there for long, and left after putting down the cans.

He also brought something for Director Wei. Director Wei was drinking tea in his office when he saw Li Long and was quite happy. He asked him a lot about the situation in Ma County and said that he still missed life in Ma County.

Li Long smiled and said he was doing pretty well as he was.

"Sigh, when I retire," Director Wei said with emotion. "The organization has been very good to me. In the end, they assigned me to this place. It's close to home, and there's not much work. I'm also sensible enough to let go when it's time to let go. There are many young people in the unit, so let them show their talents."

Director Wei has a very open-minded attitude, which Li Long admires. Not everyone can be so magnanimous at the end of their term. He has heard of the "59-year-old phenomenon," where some people are greedy for power and cling to it until retirement, ultimately ending up in prison and suffering a miserable end.

It was almost noon when Li Long left Director Wei's place. Director Wei had invited him to his home for lunch, but Li Long declined, saying he had business to attend to in Wucheng, so Director Wei didn't ask him to stay.

Li Long was really going to Wucheng. He planned to deliver the canned food to Professor Wu and Professor Luo in the afternoon while they were at the school.

Li Long had lunch near Wucheng Agricultural College, and then drove there when they opened for business.

The security guard registered Li Long's identification and, knowing he was going to see Professor Wu, let him through.

Professor Wu was talking to two students in his office when Li Long came in carrying a box. Professor Wu saw him and said with a smile, "Little Li, what are you carrying?"

"Canned food? I run my own factory and produce braised beef in cans. I'd like to invite Professor Wu to try some," Li Long said with a smile.

He put the box on the floor next to the table, and seeing that Professor Wu was still busy, he said, "Professor, you're busy. I'll go find Professor Luo."

"Old Luo, he's not here. His writer classmate came over, but he took leave to go out and accompany him on a field trip."

"Well..." Li Long thought for a moment and said, "I also brought him a case of canned food. Could you leave it in your office?"

“Okay.” Professor Wu smiled. “You can keep it. I’ll tell him when he gets back.”

Professor Wu was a bit busy and didn't ask Li Long to stay. Li Long was also going to see Engineer Liu anyway, so he left.

It was quite lively at Liu Gong's place. A group of people were gathered in front of the glass window, picking things out. Li Long guessed that the jade market might be booming now. The people's expressions, clothes, and tone of voice were a bit like tourists. Were they here to go on a shopping spree?
Li Long patiently waited for those people to finish buying his goods, each of them saying things like "Really cheap" and "Good stuff" before leaving, before he carried the box over.

Inside, Liu was sitting at a table, wearing a headlamp and carving jade. He hadn't paid any attention to the noise outside. It was all being handled by a young apprentice. Li Long glanced at him and realized that this apprentice was not the original one; someone else had taken his place.
The new apprentice was a little surprised to see Li Long carrying the box. Li Long smiled at him and then called out to Engineer Liu inside:
"Engineer Liu, I'm here."

Engineer Liu looked up, smiled when he saw Li Long, put down his tools, straightened up, turned off his headlamp, and said to Li Long with a smile:
"What brings you here? Come in quickly, what are you holding?"

"I own a cannery and make braised beef in cans. I'll bring you a case to try."

"Hey, your business is getting bigger and bigger! Running a cannery isn't easy, is it? It must have taken a lot of money, right? Why are you asking for so much? Just give me a couple of cans to try..."

"It's alright, we produce a lot. You always take care of me, and I don't have anything good to offer." Li Long smiled, picked up the canned goods and placed them against the wall, saying it wouldn't get in the way.

Engineer Liu was quite happy. Actually, he didn't make a complete loss from his deal with Li Long. He essentially gave Li Long a wholesale price, which was even cheaper. He didn't make a huge profit, but he still made some, which allowed him to explain things to the factory.

When the apprentice saw that Li Long and Engineer Liu knew each other, he went over to pour water for Li Long. Just then, some guests came in, so he went over to greet them.

This apprentice is quite diligent.

"Come, come, Xiao Li, have a seat," Engineer Liu said with a smile. "When did the cannery open? How's it doing?"

"It's alright. We mainly do foreign trade. We know people in the Soviet republics of Kazakhstan who have sales channels, so we don't have to worry about selling," Li Long said. "The factory has only been established for a short time, so we'll take it slow."

"Yes, yes, take it easy, don't rush." ​​Engineer Liu nodded. "As long as there are sales channels, there will be money to be made."

As he spoke, he remarked with emotion: "The current policies are good, the conditions are good, and you young people are also daring and enterprising—a cannery, such a big enterprise, most people really wouldn't dare to take action."

He quickly added, "Of course, most people don't have the ability or funds to do this, you're really amazing!"

Li Long smiled and changed the subject: "Engineer Liu, what are you carving?"

"I got a nice piece of material yesterday, with its own skin. One look at it and I was immediately reminded of a scene of fishing under the moon. Today I'm thinking of carving it." When talking about his area of ​​expertise, Liu immediately became interested and showed Li Long the half-carved piece of material:

"Look at this hide, it's just the right size for a person sitting by a tree fishing. And look at this pale yellow spot, you could carve a crescent moon out of it..."

Based on Liu's description, Li Long actually managed to make some progress—of course, Liu had already carved half of it and could get a rough outline.

Artists really are different. Li Long felt that if the raw stone were here, he probably wouldn't be able to see anything. He liked the ones with natural patterns, but he really didn't have the artistic talent for these kinds of stones that needed processing.

After Liu finished speaking with great enthusiasm, he said, "It will be finished in a few more days. I will save it for you when it is finished. Such raw materials are rare."

The apprentice had just returned from a job and handed the money to Engineer Liu. He was somewhat surprised by what Engineer Liu said; he hadn't expected this person to have such a good relationship with Engineer Liu.

The material was obtained by Engineer Liu from the factory. At the beginning of the carving process, someone came to Engineer Liu to place an order for it, but he refused. Now, Engineer Liu is offering it to this young man.

He was quite curious.

After chatting with Engineer Liu for a while, Li Long took a few rough stones from him, along with two pairs of bracelets and two peace and safety pendants, and then left.

He went to the train station again, hoping to see if Yu Sufu had any good stock. Li Long is now very picky about jade; he won't accept anything less than top-quality, and only the finest white jade.

Even a whole yard full of valuable Qinghai jadeite is not as valuable as a few pieces of genuine mutton fat jadeite.

My own space isn't big, so I'm hoarding valuable items. When the right opportunity arises, I'll sell a batch and achieve financial freedom.

When Yu Sufu saw Li Long, he smiled broadly, shook hands, and quickly took out a cloth pouch from under the stall and placed it on the stall. Then he started taking things out of it.

A piece of mutton fat white jade with a very good appearance, but it's not very big, about half the size of Li Long's fist. Because of its irregular shape, it can barely be made into a bracelet, and the size may not be very large.

A large piece of jade, about the size of a football, is a pebble. It looks like a seed jade, and the jade inside looks good on the surface, but no one knows what it's like inside until it's cut open.

There were also seven or eight pieces of jade, ranging in size from chicken eggs to quail eggs, all of good quality. The jade's texture was quite obvious in such pieces.

“I’ll take this whole bunch,” Li Long said, pointing to the piece of mutton fat jade and the smaller pieces. “This big one isn’t safe.”

He shouldn't gamble on jade that's impossible to discern at a glance. Without X-ray vision, it's hard to judge the quality of a piece of jade, and if the price is too high, he'll lose money.

Yu Sufu had originally planned to sell that large piece of material for money, but now that Li Long said he didn't want it, he was at a loss.

Ignoring him, Li Long pointed to the fine material and said, "Let's calculate how much these cost."

In his opinion, all these materials together probably wouldn't cost more than 500 yuan. After all, they're priced by kilogram now, not by gram.

Although the price of mutton fat white jade has increased, it is still less than 500 yuan per kilogram. Moreover, this piece of material is not large and is irregular. At most, it can only make one bracelet. Then, add a pendant and consider other materials. If we calculate based on one kilogram of material, it will be about this price.

"Adashi, this piece of jade is quite good." Yu Sufu was eager to sell the large piece of jade and said somewhat anxiously, "Look how good the skin is, and the jade itself is excellent..."

“This material is different from the previous ones. It’s a whole piece. The outside looks different from the inside—it’s different. My eyes can’t tell.” Li Long patted the jade stone and said, “The skin is too thick and too much, it’s not safe.”

"Don't worry, the material is definitely top-notch, I'll give it to you cheaply." Yu Sufu had been trying to sell to more than one person, and others shared the same opinion as Li Long. These days, it's relatively easy to buy jade at the source; there's no need to gamble.

He was reluctant to cut it open, fearing that the jade would be of poor quality and he would lose money if he couldn't keep it.

Li Long was the biggest buyer of jade from him. The bigger buyers wouldn't bother with him as a middleman; they would usually go directly to the source to find the raw materials.

Small buyers usually buy finished products, not such large pieces, so he did buy this jade material, but unexpectedly, no one bought it after he acquired it.

Li Long was his big customer. He originally thought Li Long would buy everything, but unexpectedly, Li Long has started to be picky now.

He was just a businessman and didn't want to hoard jade. Seeing that Li Long was determined not to take the piece, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Alright, I didn't expect nobody to want this piece of material when I bought it. I won't make a profit. I'll give you 130 yuan, the cost price is yours, how about that?"

This piece of material weighs six or seven kilograms. If we're talking about 130 yuan, that's 20 yuan per kilogram, so it's not that expensive.

Seeing that Yu Sufu was about to ask for his help, Li Long's heart softened. He remembered how Yu Sufu had saved such a fine piece of material for him when he first started his stall at the train station. He decided to consider the past favor and said:

"Okay, let's include this one."

Yu Sufu immediately became happy and said, "This piece, plus these small pieces of material, is two hundred and eighty yuan in total. Add this one hundred and thirty yuan, and it's four hundred and ten yuan. I won't round it down for you; it's not much profit."

Li Long smiled, paid the money, put the jade into his bag, bought some dried fruit as a way of supporting Yu Sufu's business, and then left.

Yu Sufu breathed a sigh of relief. This deal didn't earn much; after deducting the cost, he made a little over a hundred yuan, which he considered a small reward for his hard work.

After all, it takes him quite a bit of effort to carry the jade materials back from Hotan each time.

By this time, the sun was already starting to set. However, the days were long in May, and it would be quite a while before it got dark after sunset. Li Long didn't plan to stay in Wucheng. After finishing his business, he hurried back. He stopped in Beiting for a meal and then continued on his way, arriving back in Ma County shortly after dark.

The day's schedule was very tight, but Li Long managed to get everything done efficiently, which made him quite satisfied.

Back home, Gu Xiaoxia told him that during dinner that evening, her father-in-law, Li Qingxia, said that someone from the Agricultural College was calling, and it should be Professor Luo.

"I left the canned food for Professor Luo with Professor Wu. I guess he'll find out when he gets back and call me to let me know," Li Long guessed. "It's nothing."

"Professor Luo isn't here?" Gu Xiaoxia asked. "Is he on business?"

"Professor Wu said his writer classmate is here. Professor Luo is taking him on a field trip or something," Li Long said, lying on the bed, a little tired. "I didn't expect Professor Luo to have writer friends."

He was half right. The next day, when Professor Luo went to the purchasing station, he called Li Long, partly to thank him for the canned goods, and partly to tell him that his writer classmate was going to interview Li Long in Ma County.

"Interview me?" Li Long was a little surprised. "Why would you interview me? I haven't done anything."

“I told my classmate about the road you built and that incident. He said it was a very important thing. Although it wasn’t as urgent or pressing as ‘For Sixty Class Brothers,’ it still changed the fate of more than a dozen herding families, so it was very worthwhile to write about.”

"Several newspapers have already reported on this," Li Long thought to himself. "Is this writer a bit slow on the uptake? This is already old news."

“That’s different,” Professor Luo said with a smile. “My classmate has already set off from Wucheng and will arrive in Ma County today. You don’t need to worry about him. People from your local literary federation will take care of him. He’s a member of the Autonomous Region Writers Association. He’ll come to find you after he’s settled in.”

Li Long agreed, saying it wasn't a bad thing.

Seeing that he still had time to do his work, he drove out, picked up two boxes of canned goods from the cannery, and drove to the Agricultural Broadcasting School.

Professor Yang was assigning today's tasks to the students when Li Long arrived. He immediately said:
"Comrade Li Long, you've come at the right time. Come with us later to check on the seedlings in the drip irrigation experimental field..."

"I'm sorry," Li Long hurriedly apologized, "Professor Yang, it's not possible today. A writer from Professor Luo's side is coming to do research and wants me to talk about the road construction in the mountains. I'm here today to bring you two boxes of canned food produced by our cannery. I'll come over after that is over."

"Alright, that guy Luo..." Professor Yang was a little dissatisfied, but there was nothing he could do. He had his students take the canned food. He only glanced at it and listened to Li Long's explanation before taking his students to the drip irrigation experimental field.

A typical workaholic, worthy of respect.

Li Long returned to the purchasing station and waited there.

Now that he didn't need to do any work, Li Long was bored, so he picked up a book to read—it was the Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain.

Now there are more books to read, but less time to read. He hasn't bought many books, just picking up old ones and flipping through them randomly, wherever he happens to be.

It's just for entertainment.

The writer didn't arrive until noon, but Li Long didn't pay much attention. He went back to eat and continued to stay in the reception room in the afternoon.

Around 5 o'clock, besides the vendors selling fritillaria bulbs, there was other noise ahead, so Li Long took his book and went over.

"Looking for Li Long? He's behind us... Oh, here he comes, this is Li Long." Old Man Li Qingxia was speaking when he saw Li Long come out and said with a smile.

"Hello, Comrade Li Long. I am He Zhiwei from the county's Federation of Literary and Art Circles. This is Mo Ye, a writer from Wucheng. He came here specifically to interview you about your story, hoping to include it in his book."

He Zhiwei is around forty years old, not very tall, with a little thinning hair, and a big smile. Mo Ye has a lot of hair, and it's not short, but not long enough to be shoulder-length. He has a bit of a short, thin look, like Gao Xiaosong, but he's not as fat.

"Please, let's talk in the reception room inside." Li Long shook hands with the two men and then led them to the back.

The two sat down, and Li Long poured water for them. Before he could speak, Mo Ye asked:
"Li Long, right? Lao Luo told me about you. What you did is truly great. I've even thought of a name for it: 'Sky Road'! Over a hundred kilometers... Hey! The main canal of the Red Flag Canal is seventy kilometers long, but it's not even as long as your road..."

Before he could finish speaking, He Zhiwei whispered a reminder: "Comrade Mo Ye, the Red Flag Canal should be over 4,000 kilometers long, right? There's also a saying that it's 1,500 kilometers long. It can't be only 70 kilometers long, can it?"

"No, no, no, you're talking about the total length, the entire irrigation system. I'm referring to the main canal, the main channel." Mo Ye clearly had some understanding of this, and he gave an example:

“Just like the road that Comrade Li Long built, the main road leads to the summer pasture, right? There must be many side roads that lead to the herders’ homes, right? If you add up all the side roads, it will be even longer.”

“Yes, yes, that analogy is correct.” He Zhiwei said with complete admiration.

Li Long smiled and said modestly, "I am far inferior to the Red Flag Canal. That canal benefits millions of people, while I only built a road into the mountains for a small tribe... It's nothing to mention."

"No, no, no, it's the same in nature. It's all for ordinary people, and you're doing it for ethnic minority comrades. That's truly commendable."

Mo Ye greatly admired Li Long's actions, but he also noticed that Li Long was reluctant to discuss the significance of the matter. So, he picked up his cup, took a sip, pointed to the book in Li Long's hand, and said:
What book are you reading?

"I watched 'The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shushan' just for fun."

"This book is great," Mo Ye said with a smile.

Just when Li Long and He Zhiwei thought Mo Ye was about to launch into a long speech, he suddenly gave a slightly lewd smile and said:
"The color descriptions in that are fucking awesome! The villains are really good at this, especially those monks in the temple, hey!"

Li Long almost spat out his drink. This guy is just an ordinary person too. Who says writers aren't down-to-earth? Isn't this guy down-to-earth?

His words made He Zhiwei very embarrassed.

After all, those who work at the Federation of Literary and Art Circles are considered government employees. They usually read a lot of high-sounding articles and write a lot of official documents. When writers attend meetings in the county, they usually speak very elegantly or formally. Why is this person not playing by the rules?

But he couldn't say anything, since the other person was a member of the Autonomous Region Writers Association, and their level was different from his own.

At that time, writers were still highly regarded, or rather, held a high position in the hearts of ordinary people. This applied not only to writers, but also to poets and other literary and artistic workers. Otherwise, how could people like Gao Xiaosong have managed to travel from north to south, eating, drinking, and chasing girls all the way from university?
However, Mo Ye's words did bring him closer to Li Long psychologically. At least it showed that he wasn't the type to put on airs. If this is a way of interacting, then Mo Ye really has some skill.

Mo Ye had also read "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shushan" and had his own insights into the characters and plot. Moreover, he spoke from the author's perspective, discussing the plot setting, character personalities, novel background, and the author's writing intentions, among other things.

After hearing this explanation, Li Long felt refreshed and inspired.

The conversation then went much more smoothly when we started talking about road repairs.

He Zhiwei read it from beginning to end and now he understands the difference between himself and the members of the Autonomous Region Writers Association.

When I go out to gather material, I encounter people who aren't very good at talking. I try to find ways to open their minds, but it usually ends up being me asking questions and them answering.

Unlike Mo Ye, who used a rather crude joke to shorten the distance between him and Li Long, making their conversation much smoother.

After listening to Li Long's account of his interactions with Halimu Yushanjiang and the others, from the initial construction of the road to the winter pasture, the construction of the winter pasture, the installation of water pipes, and the subsequent construction of the road to the summer pasture, Mo Ye's expression changed from a playful smile to a serious one.

He quickly took out a pen and notebook from his bag and started taking notes.

He Zhiwei peeked over and found that he couldn't make out what he had written at all; it looked like random scribbles.

This wasn't the first time Li Long had talked about these things, but he always adhered to one principle: to be truthful and to say what he thought at the time.

Moreover, it mainly focuses on narrative, including the help given by Director Li of the supply and marketing cooperative.

"You mean the funds for road construction were actually supplies that the herders obtained from the mountains, which they gave to you, and then you exchanged them for cash and used that cash to build the road?" Mo Ye couldn't help but ask as he listened. "You didn't pay for the road construction yourself?"

"Of course not. I have never said that I paid for the road myself. Actually, I did think that at first, but of course, I didn't think I paid for it myself."

Much of the money I've earned comes from them. We weren't allowed to talk about it before, but now we can. I'm essentially a middleman; I buy local mountain produce from them, sell it for money, and then send them some daily necessities.

Li Long has never hidden his businessman nature; he would never portray himself as a saint, he simply cannot do such a thing.

Nowadays, propaganda portrays exemplary figures as lofty and noble, so He Zhiwei was extremely anxious after hearing Li Long's words. He wanted to make amends, but he couldn't get a word in edgewise about their affair!

The county leaders' original intention was to have him say more good things, since it's not easy for the county to produce such a role model, after all, he's someone who can be written into a book.

Now it seems troublesome; Li Long may have ruined all the good things.

“That’s right.” Mo Ye suddenly laughed. “That’s exactly it. That’s more realistic and relatable. Our heroes are all flesh and blood, not the kind who don’t eat grains.”

So, you're right to think that way. Those who are completely selfless are, after all, a minority… Okay, okay, let's continue.”

Huh? What's going on?
He Zhiwei originally thought that Mo Ye would lose interest in continuing to write after Li Long said that, but he didn't expect that Mo Ye would not care about that and would continue the interview.

Li Long had no objections and continued recounting the events surrounding the road construction. He mentioned how they later helped the herders cut hay, bought tractors, and even imported secondhand construction machinery from the Soviet Union for road repairs, which led to the establishment of an engineering company.

After Li Long finished speaking, Mo Ye began to ask specific questions, such as the specific time period of the road construction, the difficulties encountered, the wages of the workers who built the road, some details of the road construction, such as the dangers encountered, and the real reactions of the herders to the road.

When Mo Ye learned that some of the older herders weren't entirely willing to build the road at first, he asked more detailed questions: how many people disagreed, why they disagreed, and how the road was ultimately built.

Fortunately, Li Long has a good memory and was able to recount these details because he was personally involved in them.

After finishing his story, Li Long suddenly realized that he could write a book about everything he had said.

Unfortunately, I could never have imagined it before.

Indeed, everyone has their own expertise; someone who can be a writer is truly different.

After asking about the road, Mo Ye began to inquire about Li Long's entrepreneurial endeavors. His questions broadened, and his thinking seemed to become increasingly divergent.

Li Long was a little confused, so he asked:

"Writer Mo, what you're asking has nothing to do with the road, does it?"

"It has nothing to do with the road. Actually, I think you're a very interesting person. It feels like you've hit the right spot every time you take a step. And then, it's like you have a premonition. You have a very thorough understanding of the country's policies, and you're not the kind of person who's only after profit. You're quite interesting."

Li Long thought to himself, "Please don't try to study me, I'm a little scared."

"Maybe one day I'll write a book and include your story in it. Don't mind if that happens," Mo Ye said half-jokingly.

"I don't mind, I don't mind at all." Li Long waved his hand. "Just don't write my name."

Mo Ye chatted until almost the end of the workday before leaving. Li Long wanted to treat him to dinner, but he declined, saying he needed to sort out the materials properly when he got back.

Li Long then stopped insisting.

When I got home that evening, I told Gu Xiaoxia about it after dinner. Gu Xiaoxia was quite happy, saying that it was a good thing that someone was publicizing the fact that Li Long had done such a big thing.

It's not a good tradition to do good deeds anonymously. In ancient times, when people bought back their own country's slaves, Confucius said they should be rewarded, mainly to set an example for others.

Li Long didn't think too much about it. He felt that they had talked enough today, so he planned to go to the Agricultural Broadcasting School tomorrow.

He's also in charge of the drip irrigation experimental field; it wouldn't be right for him not to go.

However, just to be on the safe side, I went to the purchasing station the next day before leaving and told my father that if the writer came again, he should call the agricultural broadcasting school and ask me to come back.

He drove to the Agricultural Broadcasting School, where Principal Yang and the others had just finished eating and hadn't had a meeting yet.

Professor Yang was quite pleased to see Li Long arrive so early, and said with a smile that he was not a very competent person in charge and needed to reflect on his actions. Li Long humbly accepted the criticism.

After the meeting at the Agricultural Broadcasting School was over, Li Long and Professor Yang went to the drip irrigation experimental field together.

Now it's clear that the two plots are completely different. While the cotton leaves in the regular planting area are green, the cotton leaves in the drip irrigation experimental field are dark green, making the contrast between the two areas very obvious.

Moreover, cotton plants in drip-irrigated fields need to be tall and robust, and have many more branches.

"Look, drip irrigation is really different. It uses the same amount of fertilizer and waters the same number of times, but because of the precise watering and fertilization, the plants grow differently."

Professor Yang was deeply moved.

Li Long, however, was not surprised. He said, "Actually, if the drip-irrigated fields could be watered more often, the changes might be even greater."

In later generations, drip irrigation fields required more frequent watering and, incidentally, more fertilization.

The growth rate and the final cotton yield are different. (End of Chapter)