Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

In the dormitory, Li Juan tidied up her bunk, then picked up a cloth bag, put on her cotton-padded coat, and prepared to go out.

Dong Yuping, her roommate from the south, asked enviously:

"Li Juan, are you going to your aunt's house again this weekend?"

"Yes, that's right," Li Juan replied, then opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her.

In winter, even though there is heating in the house, opening the door will still let the heat out.

After Li Juan left, another student in the dormitory, Ma Xuemei, said, "Li Juan has it so easy. She can go to her relatives' houses on weekends, unlike us, who can only stay at school..."

"You could go out for a stroll. I heard several big shopping malls are quite crowded right now," someone else said. "But to be honest, Li Juan's aunt is really good to her. She often buys her things. Even when Li Juan doesn't go, she calls her."

"Do you think Li Juan's family is quite wealthy? I once passed by the dormitory manager and overheard her on the phone. It seemed like the person on the other end was asking her if she had enough money, and she said she had plenty."

"Probably. Although her family lives in a small county in the Northwest, she seems to have plenty of food and other necessities, so her family must be quite well-off."

"I don't know, I don't usually notice anything, right? She eats the same food as us, and her clothes aren't particularly flashy. She doesn't seem to go shopping much either," said another student who seemed a bit carefree.

"Her family must be well-off. Look at what they send to their family. Dried fruits from northern Xinjiang are one thing, but those canned goods and stuff, pure meat, they send a whole box at a time! Who in an ordinary family would send that? The postage alone would be a lot!"

Li Juan was unaware that her roommates were discussing her situation. She carried her cloth bag to the bicycle shed, found her bicycle, unlocked it, slung the bag over the handlebars, and rode off towards the school gate.

As Li Juan passed the stadium, several boys were carrying soccer balls and preparing to kick them. She didn't pay them any attention, but one of the boys called out to her:
"Li Juan, are you going out?"

Hearing the voice, Li Juan slowed down, turned her head to look, and then replied, "Yes, do you play football?"

Before the boy could respond, she had already ridden away.

The boy who was speaking wanted to say something more, but Li Juan probably couldn't hear him anymore.

"Alright, Li Wenze, they've all run far away, stop looking and hurry up, there are people waiting on the field." The other classmates gave Li Wenze a push, and he followed them to the field.

Li Juan knew that her senior, Li Wenze, had feelings for her, but she didn't reciprocate. Li Wenze was a junior. At the beginning of the semester, the Asian Games were about to start, and volunteers were needed at the last minute. Li Juan signed up, and Li Wenze led them there.

At the time, Li Wenze cared a lot about Li Juan, but Li Juan only participated because she wanted to get some experience and was mainly curious about such a big event.

Influenced by Li Long, the Li family did not object to Li Juan dating at school, but Li Juan herself had not yet met anyone she was interested in.

Li Wenze would come to see her from time to time, often saying that they were one family five hundred years ago and that it was only right for him to take care of her, but Li Juan didn't feel that she needed any special care.

After all, she has teachers to teach her studies at school, and she is capable of taking care of herself. She can understand Li Wenze's thoughts, so she will intentionally or unintentionally avoid him, just like just now.

She rode her bicycle with a whoosh, quickly leaving the school gate. It was a 28-inch bicycle, a secondhand one she'd bought from a third-year student. Gu Xiaoyu had advised her to buy a new 26-inch or 24-inch bicycle, since it didn't look good for a girl to ride such a large model.

Li Juan didn't feel anything was wrong. The school wasn't close to her house, and riding the bicycle didn't bother her at all; she even felt energetic.

A light snow fell a couple of days ago, and winter is here. Li Juan was thinking of hurrying to her yard to shovel snow, so she rode her bike very fast.

Although it was windy, she wasn't cold. The wool hat on her head, though a bit old-fashioned, was knitted by her grandmother at home and sent to her. The scarf was knitted by her mother; although not very pretty, it was very warm. The gloves were bought by her Aunt Gu Xiaoyu, and she couldn't refuse them.

Her uncle would send her some local specialties from northern Xinjiang every now and then, so much so that she could only share them with her roommates from time to time.

Cars pass by on the road from time to time, but bicycles are even more common, which explains why this place is known as the bicycle kingdom.

Li Juan recalled a time when she called home and her uncle was there. She mentioned that she had bought a second-hand bicycle, and her uncle overheard her and jokingly suggested that he should buy her a car. Li Juan quickly refused.

Are you kidding me? I'm just a student. Even if I have a driver's license, how could I possibly drive a car? That would be too conspicuous!

Although she didn't want to, she felt confident, so when she saw which classmate was picked up by their family in a car on the weekend and her roommates looked on with envy, Li Juan didn't feel anything at all.

Riding her bicycle with the wind at her back, Li Juan arrived at the gate of the courtyard. After setting up the bike, she took the key to open the gate—in fact, she had already seen that the snow at the gate had been swept clean.

I glanced at the sign on the wall; the logo of the Ethnic Affairs Commission was still very prominent and had not faded over time.

Li Juan sighed; she had indeed arrived too late again.

Opening the gate, the thin layer of snow inside had indeed been cleared away. It was clear that the person who swept the snow had left, as there were no footprints left at the doorway.

Since she was already there, Li Juan pushed her bicycle inside, closed the gate, and then unlocked the door to go inside.

She comes almost every week, so there's no unpleasant smell in the main house. The other rooms are also well-ventilated, so overall it's fine.

Although the house has central heating, Li Juan still kept the stove lit. Today is the weekend, so she didn't go to the library to study or go shopping at the mall; she just wanted to stay quietly in her own little courtyard.

Although I'm all alone in the courtyard right now, staying there makes me feel much better, just like being at home.

The storage room contained cabbage, potatoes, radishes, and some dried vegetables. Some dried meat hung from the beam. She and Gu Xiaoyu had prepared all of this together, thinking that if they wanted to cook here, they would always have ingredients to use.

There are several boxes of canned goods on the shelves in the storage room. These were all transported from the Ethnic Affairs Commission. My uncle specifically told the Ethnic Affairs Commission to put some of the canned goods here for backup.

These canned goods have a long shelf life, so they're basically just for backup. She can usually buy fresh meat, but sometimes Li Juan doesn't want to go out, so she uses the meat from these cans to cook instead.

Although she only spends half a day here on weekends, Li Juan is like a rechargeable battery during those half days. Every time she returns to her dormitory after spending half a day here, she is full of confidence and energy again.

University courses are quite demanding. Li Juan's academic performance improved from mediocre at first to gradually catching up, largely due to this period of recharging and relaxation.

At least that's how she sees it.

There were some rumors circulating at school about Li Juan's change, but she didn't care. Right now, her main task was to study hard. Four years of university life were certainly worth taking seriously, but she only needed to remember the people she should remember.

……

Li Qiang packed his backpack and strode out. Only one person remained in the dormitory; he wasn't particularly close to that person, so Li Qiang didn't greet him.

Initially, students from the same class were assigned to the same dormitory. However, there weren't enough male students living on campus in Li Qiang's class, and since the other dormitory was full, this dormitory had three empty beds.

Then someone called over a classmate from the next class, and the relationship in the dormitory became strained.

The management of the boys' dormitory is quite chaotic; unlike the girls' dormitory where the big iron gate is closed at night, there isn't a big iron gate here at all. If the gate isn't closed at night, you never know what might happen if something gets stolen.

Since the start of the school year, Li Qiang has already lost three washbasins. At the shop near the school gate, a thick plastic basin that looks a bit like an earthenware basin costs three and a half yuan. He has spent more than ten yuan on basins alone. He even engraved his name on the last one he bought, but it was still stolen.

But you can't keep an eye on it all the time, since boarding students have to participate in morning exercises—it's mandatory. When they returned from exercises, the basin was gone. Furious, he and his classmates searched every dormitory, but couldn't find it. Finally, someone guessed that a student renting a room nearby had stolen it.

There was no other way, so Li Qiang had to buy another washbasin and then ask everyone to keep an eye on it—there were eight people in the dormitory, but only four basins. Some people didn't buy one at all and borrowed others' basins, so they were naturally willing to help watch it.

The backpack was brought back to him by Li Long when he went to Wucheng. It was originally intended to be his schoolbag, but after he started living at school, he basically didn't need a schoolbag anymore, so it became his travel bag.

Li Qiang had a bicycle in the bike shed, but he didn't go to get it. Instead, he walked towards the west gate of the school—every weekend evening, his grandfather would drive there to wait for him.

After getting into the car, Li Qingxia asked, "Qiangqiang, has anyone bullied you at school?"

This was a question his grandfather habitually asked. Li Qiang took off his backpack and said, "No, we're all doing well at school."

He's not young anymore, and he doesn't want to ask his family for help with some small things. Every week, Li Jianguo gives him money for food, his grandfather gives him money, his uncle occasionally slips him money, and even his grandmother sometimes secretly gives him money.

After school started, Li Qiang went to pick cotton and earned more than 30 yuan. He had quite a bit of money.

"It's good that no one is bullying us. We won't bully others, but we can't let others bully us either." Li Qingxia said the same old thing. "Your uncle and I are both in the county. If anything happens, you have to tell us."

"Yes, Grandpa, I understand." Li Qiang replied with a smile, and then asked about the purchasing station.

Li Qingxia enjoys chatting with the younger generation. While driving, he talked about the recent situation at the purchasing station, such as buying and selling hides, how the newly recruited people were doing their jobs, and how the heating had been upgraded at the station, making the place much more comfortable.

Li Qiang's school dormitory also has central heating, but because the dormitory is relatively old, the door does not close tightly, and people often come and go, the room is usually quite cold.

But there are advantages too, as it saves us from having to burn a stove. After all, it would be too much trouble for students living on campus to also have to do the work of burning a stove.

When Li Qingxia drove Li Qiang back to the Fourth Team, it was already dark. Liang Yuemei rushed out as soon as she heard the car.

Li Qingxia drove the car directly into the yard, where a space had already been made for his car—the whole family knew that the grandfather and grandson would be coming back for the weekend, so even Du Chunfang came out to see them.

"Come inside quickly, come inside quickly." As soon as Li Qingxia and Li Qiang got out of the car, Li Jianguo called out, "It's cold outside, but it's hot inside the car. Don't make yourself sick."

After seeing the car, Liang Yuemei turned into the house. When Li Qingxia and Li Qiang entered the house, they saw her putting dumplings into a pot.

"Qiangqiang, your uncle sent over some fresh chives. We've already eaten the chive and egg dumplings we made today. Since you're not back yet, just leave the ones you made—it's best to eat them while they're hot."

Being able to eat fresh chives in the dead of winter was a real treat in the 1990s, so both Li Qingxia and Li Qiang were quite happy.

Chive and egg dumplings cook quickly, and soon two large plates of dumplings were on the table. Li Qiang, while mixing chili vinegar in a small bowl, said to Liang Yuemei:
"Our school doesn't have dumplings. There are several contracted canteens, and for lunch it's either noodles or rice. The only vegetables are cabbage, potatoes, and radishes. You can't get anything else to eat."

"Then I'll pick you up for lunch at your uncle's house?" Li Qingxia said, picking up a dumpling and eating it. "We have a car, so it won't take much time."

"No need," Li Qiang hurriedly waved his hand. "It's only for a few days. If everyone can eat, we can eat too. Occasionally the school will treat us to something special, like a big pot of beef noodles. I even got a new lunchbox—last time the school did that, the head of student affairs told me my lunchbox was too small..."

Li Qiang has now grown to 1.7 meters tall, a few centimeters taller than his father, Li Jianguo, but his weight hasn't kept up, and he still looks a bit thin.

Two large plates of dumplings were quickly devoured by Li Qingxia and Li Qiang, leaving only three or four dumpling wrappers with filling that had leaked out.

Liang Yuemei, who had been sitting on the side watching, suddenly smiled and said:

"Qiangqiang, do you remember when we made dumplings for Chinese New Year when you were little? You only liked to eat the dumpling wrappers and wouldn't eat any of the filling. So we had to make some wrappers for you and you would dip them in chili vinegar."

"How could I not remember?" Li Qiang wiped his mouth and said with a smile, "Back then, my sister laughed at me, saying that I didn't know anything and would leave the best food uneaten."

“That’s right, you wouldn’t eat back then even if I tried to persuade you,” Liang Yuemei said with a smile. “Now look at you, you eat as much as two of me.”

"Is that enough?" Li Jianguo asked.

"That's enough, that's enough." Li Qiang burped. "I'm stuffed!"

Seeing that Grandpa had also put down his chopsticks, Li Qiang stood up to clear the table. Liang Yuemei also came over, and the two of them cleaned up the table together and took it back to the kitchen. Li Jianguo then took a rag to wipe the table clean and started chatting with Li Qingxia.

“That guy who hauls hides and carts across the border is here.” Li Qingxia lit a cigarette and said as he smoked, “He brought several carts this time, all good ones. There’s also a cartload of hides and a whole cartload of antelope horns. He told Xiaolong that things are chaotic over there. Xiaolong seems to know a little about it, but there were too many people around, so he didn’t say anything.”

"Shall I call and ask?" Li Jianguo went to the telephone in front of the desk, lifted the cloth covering the telephone and said, "Xiaolong's business still relies mostly on that person, right?"

"Who says otherwise? That guy brings in a batch of goods every two weeks or every twenty days. These goods are worth at least several hundred thousand... Xiaolong can resell them for several hundred thousand. If these goods stop coming in, Xiaolong's business will be in trouble."

"What about the hundreds of tons of canned goods a month? Everything else is manageable, we can make a little less profit, but if we stop canning, what will happen to all those workers in the factory…"

Li Jianguo then made the phone call.

Gu Xiaoxia answered the phone. Upon hearing her brother-in-law's voice, Gu Xiaoxia quickly said:

“Mingming’s dad hasn’t come back yet. He said he’s drinking with that Boss Liu at Tuanfenglou. Brother, should I have him call him back when he gets back?” “No need. I’m not in any big trouble. I heard from my dad today that that guy surnamed Liu came over again. Things might be a bit complicated over there, so I just wanted to ask.” Li Jianguo said, “It’s okay. He’s drinking today, so I won’t say anything. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

After hanging up the phone, Li Jianguo knew that there was no use in worrying about it. However, his younger brother Li Long's business was large, and even if he stopped dealing in cars and leather goods, he should still be able to make a living. At worst, he would just stop making money from those businesses.

At this moment, Li Long and Liu Gaolou were in a private room at Tuanfenglou, talking about the situation in the Soviet Union.

In fact, the Soviet Union was in turmoil throughout 1990. Although the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic was not at the center of the turmoil, it was inevitably affected.

In March, Lithuania in Europe announced its direct secession from the Soviet Union. Prior to this, Poland, Hungary, and other countries had already broken away from Soviet control the previous year. This is what is referred to as the "Eastern European upheavals." Therefore, the traditional collapse of the Soviet Union was completed within at least two years.

In May and June of 1990, the Russian Federation adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty, Yeltsin was elected as the Supreme Chairman of the Soviet Union, and Russia confronted the Soviet Union.

In the following year, several constituent republics successively declared their secession from the Soviet Union. The Kazakhstan constituent republic, where Liu Shanmin served, issued a "Declaration of Sovereignty" on October 25, 1990, legally asserting the supremacy of national sovereignty, effectively making it independent.

Although the actual declaration of independence took place in December 1991, Kazakhstan considers October 25th, the day the Declaration of Sovereignty was issued, as Independence Day.

Actually, this time Li Long wasn't just talking about Liu Gaolou, but also about Liu Shanmin, who had secretly run back.

The commotion over there was quite significant, and Liu Shanmin was worried about being implicated, so he came over while he had no immediate tasks. He had actually been staying in Khorgos and Yining for a while, but when Liu Gaolou brought the goods over, he simply followed along.

Although Liu Shanmin has come over, his business is still continuing. The trading company has networked with some locals, so even when Liu Shanmin isn't there, he can remotely control the transactions by phone.

“You’re not being chased, you could just hide at any farm in Kazakhstan.” Li Long felt that Liu Shanmin didn’t really need to hide back—of course, if he deliberately wanted to go back to China, then he could pretend he hadn’t said anything.

"I was a bit careless, or rather, I got a bit carried away." Liu Shanmin looked ashamed. "You told me through Gaolou to borrow money to exchange for US dollars, and I did it, and on a big scale."

"You made a fortune, didn't you?" Li Long chuckled.

"Indeed. During that period, the ruble's exchange rate against the dollar fluctuated daily. I borrowed a large amount of rubles, exchanged them for dollars on the black market, and deposited them. This couldn't be kept secret. Later, someone used this to blackmail me, forcing me to help them get loans..."

"Why didn't he take out the loan himself?" Li Long asked, somewhat surprised. "The person who can coerce you must have some powerful connections, right?"

“Loans require paperwork and collateral. Prices are skyrocketing there, and banks are tightening their lending policies, not giving loans to ordinary people. The person who coerced me, although in a high position, has to be careful about his image, which is why he approached me,” Liu Shanmin explained.

"But it will be fine in a while. The Declaration of Sovereignty has already been issued over there, and the upper echelons are currently engaged in a power struggle. It should calm down after a while—that guy is a Soviet faction member, and he'll probably be out of office before the end of the year."

Li Long understood immediately after he said that.

"Come on, come on, eat first," Li Long urged. "You've been over there for so long, you must be used to the food now, right?"

"What can I do if I'm not used to it?" Liu Shanmin smiled bitterly. "I chose this path myself, and now that I've come this far, there's no turning back. Let's just leave it at that for now. I'm just hoping that the situation over there will stabilize soon so I can get back and take charge."

Li Long listened to Liu Shanmin's words, figuring that since the person was here, their safety was guaranteed. Li Long then curiously inquired about gossip:

"So how much did you actually borrow?"

"To be honest, it's not that much." Liu Shanmin smiled with a hint of reserve, extending his right index and middle fingers.

"Twenty million US dollars?" Li Long was shocked. "So much! That's ruthless!"

If that's really the case, Liu Shanmin is definitely a billionaire now! After all, once the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic becomes Kazakhstan, the value of the ruble will plummet, and the inflation rate will reach an astonishing 2900%.

This year, the exchange rate between the US dollar and the ruble was 1 to 22, but in two years, it will be 1 to 1,000. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan was about to issue the tenge in 1993, with one US dollar exchanging for about four tenge. However, in less than a month, the exchange rate jumped to 1 to 54 tenge – a devaluation that was faster than anyone could have imagined.

Anyway, the economy didn't fully recover until the beginning of the next century, and continued to decline.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for a place that is nearly a million square kilometers larger than northern Xinjiang, and that possesses various mineral resources, fertile land, and a good climate, to have a lower level of development than northern Xinjiang.

Kazakhstan had a large demand for light industrial products, including sugar and cement, for the next twenty years.

That's why Li Long was so amazed when he heard that Liu Shanmin had exchanged so much money—he only needed to give up one percent of his wealth to pay off the bank loan and then retire as a billionaire.

"Haha, I got a little carried away and couldn't control myself." Liu Shanmin smiled modestly. "But to be honest, it's a bit difficult to do it now. First, there are too many people doing this. Second, although there are still people working there, people don't trust my people if I want to get a loan through the channels."

“That’s good enough.” Li Long nodded. “It’s more than enough. Either hold onto these dollars, or wait until things stabilize and go back to exchange them for hard assets. In any case, you’ve made a fortune.”

Li Long sighed with admiration, but he couldn't do it. Those people were risking their lives working there; the situation was far more complex. If it were him, he probably wouldn't have been able to persevere.

“Right now, because the situation over there is complicated, I don’t have any missions for the time being, so I’m taking this opportunity to wander around here,” Liu Shanmin said. “At least until after the New Year. I plan to stay here for a while before going back to the valley.”

"Aren't you going back to your hometown?" Li Long asked, somewhat surprised. "Aren't you going back to visit?"

“I’m not going back. Gao Lou told me a few things, and I’m a little upset.” Liu Shanmin shook his head. “Over the years, through Gao Lou, I’ve helped people back home earn a lot, but they…”

They've become a bit greedy. They think the money they can get from me is endless, and they've gone so far as to push their luck that even an honest person like Gao Lou can't stand it anymore. So, I'll just let it go.

Tonight, Li Long and Liu Shanmin were catching up, so Liu Gaolou remained silent the whole time. When his second uncle got to this part, Liu Gaolou nodded vigorously but still didn't say anything.

Liu Shanmin was willing to talk about other people's family affairs, but Li Long was not in a position to comment. He said with a smile, "Since you can't go back for so long, why don't you go to the south for a trip?"

"What's the point of staying out in this freezing winter? Why not go to Hainan, or some coastal areas, soak up the sun, go beachcombing, or something? Wouldn't that be more comfortable? Besides, you didn't bring your wife and kids, so it's convenient for you to travel alone."

“Who said I didn’t bring it? I did, but it didn’t come here. I left it over in the valley,” Liu Shanmin said, then, after considering Li Long’s suggestion, nodded and said:
"To be honest, your idea is pretty good. My wife and kids have never seen the sea before, so this is a good opportunity to show them."

"That's more like it!" Li Long said, raising his glass. "With money, free time, and family around, wouldn't it be a waste not to take this opportunity to properly explore the beautiful landscapes of our motherland?"

The three men clinked glasses, and after Li Long finished his drink, he poured more for the other two. He continued, "So, in the short term, can this business continue? I mean, cars, leather, antelope horns, and the like."

"Yes, that's fine." Liu Shanmin gave an affirmative answer.

"Let me put it this way, Almaty has about 500,000 cars. After this major event, I estimate that at least a third of them will no longer be able to afford a car. These cars will be scattered to various places, and some will be abandoned."

Right now, I've collected about two or three hundred cars from several farms near the city—and that's not many! Of course, I've only collected the more durable and reliable cars that are less than five years old.

Liu Shanmin said rather proudly:
"This is still a car. As for the hides and antelope horns, think about it. Things are like that over there now, with prices skyrocketing. Those people want to make money but have no way to do so. My people have given them a way: they can exchange hides and horns for canned meat, grain, sugar, and so on. They're overjoyed."

Soaring prices were the perfect time for foreign capital to plunder the Soviet Union, this behemoth.

At that time, the prices of goods in these member states were extremely low, or rather, extremely low when measured in US dollars. Therefore, one could obtain goods worth many times more by paying only a small amount of US dollars.

As for the cars, leather goods, and other necessities that Li Long needed, those were minor matters.

If Li Long wanted, he could even rent large tracts of fertile land there. After a while, Kazakhstan's policies changed. Although foreigners could not buy their land, they could rent it, and the lease term once lasted as long as ninety-nine years.

However, Li Long wasn't interested in life there—he hadn't even lived in the courtyard he bought in Yanjing for more than a few days.

Li Long chatted with the Liu family uncle and nephew until late, but he didn't actually drink much. After seeing them back to the guesthouse, Li Long returned to the courtyard, washed up quickly, drank the honey water that Gu Xiaoxia brought him, and prepared to go to sleep.

Despite Li Long's smell of alcohol, Gu Xiaoxia told him about her older brother's phone call while they were in bed.

"It's nothing. I guess Dad was a little worried after hearing what Liu Gaolou and the others said when they arrived, so he went back and told my older brother, which is why he called," Li Long said with a smile. "It's alright. The unrest over there is their problem, but we're fine here. Business is going on as usual, and we're still making money."

“That’s true. No matter what, people still need to eat,” Gu Xiaoxia said. “The situation over there is so bad, they can’t just not let people eat.”

That makes sense.

The next day, after breakfast, Li Long let Mingming and Haohao play in the yard by themselves. He then called his older brother and briefly explained the situation. Li Jianguo was relieved to know that everything was alright.

That same day, Liu Gaolou was to load supplies back to the valley. Li Long guessed that Liu Shanmin was in a hurry to return, so he didn't say anything. Anyway, the cannery had plenty of canned goods in stock, so they could just load them onto the trucks. And the sugar was currently in peak production season, so they could just go there with US dollars and load them onto the trucks directly.

Before leaving, Liu Shanmin met with Li Long one last time. He told Li Long that a large part of the dollars he had earned was thanks to Li Long. So he told Li Long to think about what he needed, and although he wasn't there, he could help him find it.

"Don't worry, I remember your kindness. I definitely don't want the money, but I'll definitely send you plenty of things."

Li Long was quite happy to hear Liu Shanmin's words—at least he had helped Liu Shanmin, and it was a worthwhile help.

After seeing Liu Shanmin off, Li Long received an invitation from Halimu and others to go to Qingshuihezi to participate in the winter slaughter.

Yes, this year, Halim and his group put their winter hay in Qingshuihezi. When they harvested hay in the fall, Halim and his group took the collected hay directly to the yard that the township had built for them.

Therefore, after returning from the summer pastures, the winter slaughter was carried out by each household this year.

Halim told Li Long that he had also invited Yushanjiang, since Yushanjiang was his closest friend.

"He must be busy right now," Li Long asked doubtfully. "He set up several large enclosures in October and bought up a lot of cattle and sheep that had migrated from their pastures. How can he possibly have time to relax now?"

“Yes, he can.” Halim smiled. “After all, he has people under him. He’s currently managing more than twenty people, so he has people to do the work.”

"Okay, I'll go then." Li Long nodded. "Are you doing well on the mountain?"

“Okay, okay,” Halim said. “By the way, there’s something else I need to do on this trip. I need to buy a car from you, you know, a GAZ truck.”

Halim finally got a car, but Li Long was also worried because he didn't have a new GAZ truck on hand.

"Do you want any other cars?" Li Long asked, pointing to the Mercedes and Volga cars outside. "We don't have any new GAZs right now, just the one in my yard that I've driven before."

He sold his GAZ truck to Talihar, and then got another one to drive himself, since sometimes when transporting goods, the GAZ is more durable than the Land Cruiser.

"Then take yours," Halim said with a smile. "I don't have much money left."

As he spoke, he went out the door and took a sack of things out of the tractor's trailer.

Halim moved the things into the reception room and took things out one by one.

Two deer antlers, the kind that weigh over a kilogram.

A lynx pelt, a snow leopard pelt.

A flat piece of jade, about the size of Li Jiasheng's large fish plate—only a small piece of stone skin the size of a palm, the jade was emerald green and crystal clear, of very high quality.

Three ordinary-quality emerald rough stones.

"That's all, is that enough?"

"That's enough, that's enough!" Li Long said hurriedly, "We don't need that much..."

"Haha, don't lie to me." Halim waved his hand. "You always say you've had enough, and at first we really thought we had. But then we found out you were lying to us."

"Take it. I'll get more if it's not enough. I was thinking of bringing my mom to stay in the yard for a few days before bringing her back. This tractor is too uncomfortable to ride in. With a car, we can come back more often."

Li Long nodded, packed his things, and then took Harim to drive the GAZ truck.

He was just leaving that GAZ truck lying around anyway, so giving it to Harim would be perfect. (End of Chapter)