Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1319 Halim Has New Han Chinese Friends: Annual Meeting

This was Li Long's first time visiting Harim's house (after Harim moved there), so according to custom, one should bring gifts when visiting someone's new house.

Of course, this rule didn't come from his hometown; he brought it with him from later generations. He didn't know when it came about, but since it existed, he just carried it along.

Li Long went to the market and bought a whole set of tableware—including pots and pans, a kitchen knife, a cutting board, a beautiful glass fruit plate, and a set of six spice jars.

Although Halim and his group didn't use many seasonings for cooking, Li Long thought that if he prepared some, they would definitely need them later.

When Li Long arrived at Halim's compound in his Land Cruiser, Halim was already slaughtering sheep in the yard.

There were three cars parked across the street outside the courtyard. Li Long could tell that one belonged to Halim, one to Yushanjiang, and one to Talihar.

The courtyards of these settled herders were built in a separate row south of the original village, and a gravel road was built on the west side of the courtyards.

The roadside is a wasteland, which is now perfect for a parking lot.

After parking the car, Li Long got out and carried a large cardboard box into the yard. The yard had no gate, and at a glance, Halim and Talihar were slaughtering sheep, while Yushanjiang was setting up a barbecue grill nearby.

Beside the Yushan River, there was a stove that looked like it had been set up temporarily, with a pot on it and water boiling inside.

When they saw Li Long enter the courtyard, Halim and the others stopped what they were doing and greeted him.

"You guys go about your business, don't worry about me," Li Long said. "Sure, we have barbecue today too."

“It was Yushanjiang who did it. He said he learned it from the county. He beat several of them and gave them to our families,” Halim said while peeling a sheepskin. “I said I didn’t want it, but he said it’s a new courtyard, so he had to have it.”

“Yes, yes, we have that saying too. You have a new yard now, and you need to cook, so we’re here to deliver some things.” Before Li Long even reached the door with the box, Gulimire had already opened it and quickly ushered him in.

The old lady and her children weren't there. The two children need to go to school, and the old lady needs to take care of them, so it's normal that she didn't come.

Gulimire was kneading dough when she let Li Long in, smiling as she said, "You don't need to buy anything!"

"Yes, yes." Li Long put down the box, opened it and showed it to her: "Look, pots and pans, kitchen knife, cutting board, all of these are things you can use."

Gulimire was overjoyed at the sight of it. The kitchen knife she was using had been worn down to the point that the steel was almost completely worn away.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Gulimire genuinely liked these things. To be honest, they were incredibly useful to her.

When guests bring things over, they're mostly household items, but there are a lot of consumables. Nobody seems to think to bring kitchen tools like these.

So she was quite touched.

Li Long was able to recall it because, firstly, later generations of Han Chinese usually sent tea sets, kitchen utensils, and the like, which was a habit.

Secondly, he remembered watching the movie "My Altay," where the woman had been asking for a washboard for many years but never got one, which was quite heartbreaking.

So Li Long thought that buying this set of items would probably be well-received.

It looks good now.

After putting down his things, Li Long said, "I won't bother you anymore. You go ahead with your work. The hot naan you made is delicious. I'm waiting."

After saying that, he went out, closing the door behind him—it was cold outside, and he didn't want the warmth inside to escape.

After the door closed, Gulimire squatted down, looking at the brand-new things in the box, a happy expression on her face.

She picked up the pot and looked at it. Hmm, it's pretty good.

Then I picked up the cutting board again—it was very flat and meticulously crafted, much better than the pine stump I was currently using, which I had cut down from the mountain.

And then there's that kitchen knife; it came already sharpened when I bought it.

Gulimire picked up the cleaver and went to the cutting board. She then picked up a carrot that she had washed and was going to use later and cut it—it was really sharp, cutting through it with a light stroke.

It works really well!
Hearing footsteps outside the door, Gulimire was startled and quickly turned around, took two steps, and put the kitchen knife back in the box. Then she smiled.

What's there to be afraid of? Li Long clearly said that this kitchen knife is for his own use, so what's there to be afraid of? He'll use it today!
Outside the door, Li Long went over to help Halim and Talihar hold the lamb legs so that he could skin the sheep.

He was standing between two people, holding a leg of lamb in one hand, just right.

"We're not slaughtering cattle this year, are we? There are fewer people now, and we won't be able to finish eating too many, will we?" Li Long asked.

“I’m not slaughtering any more. I originally planned to slaughter a horse, but the process of slaughtering and preparing a horse takes too long, and I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to wait. So today I’ll slaughter two sheep. After we finish eating, I’ll slaughter the horse later, smoke the horse meat, and stuff the horse intestines. I’ll send you some then,” Harim said while skinning the sheep.

Li Long nodded in understanding.

He then turned to Yushanjiang, who was still fanning the fire and tidying up the barbecue grill, and asked, "Yushanjiang, how's things going on your end?"

“Great.” Yushanjiang said with a smile, “I’ve already contacted quite a few herders in the eastern border region, and I’ll be going there every day to haul sheep. By the way, sell me two trucks from your yard; I don’t have enough vehicles to transport sheep.”

“Okay.” Although the two are cooperating, the investment in these fixed assets still needs to be calculated clearly, and Yu Shanjiang already understands this point.

“After you get the truck over there, modify it a bit,” Li Long reminded him. “Add a shelf on top, so you can put two layers on it if you’re carrying sheep. If you’re carrying cattle or horses, then just put one layer.”

“Okay, okay.” Yushanjiang always readily accepts helpful suggestions.

“Li Long, another person is coming over later, one of your Han Chinese,” Halim said suddenly as he finished skinning the sheep and was about to cut it open. “He’s someone I know in this village.”

“Sure,” Li Long said with a smile, “You’ve made some new friends.”

“Yes, he’s a very nice person,” Halim said sincerely. “Like you, he came to help me when I first arrived.”

I didn't know many things, so he took me to the village committee to register, and then helped me collect my things. A few days ago, my sheep escaped from the pen, and he was the one who ran over to remind me.

“That’s good.” Li Long nodded. “You live in the village, so you need someone who knows about this to help you. Otherwise, it’s very troublesome to figure things out on your own.”

“That’s right, that’s right. I’ve thought about it. These things are only possible if someone guides you. Otherwise, if I try to do them myself, there are some things I simply can’t manage.” Halim said with deep feeling.

"That's why there are good people everywhere," Li Long said with a smile. "The more friends the better. You Kazakhs like to make friends, which is a good thing."

“However, you are my best Han Chinese friend,” Halim suddenly emphasized.

“I know,” Li Long said with a smile.

After skinning and gutting both sheep, Halim called Gulimire to bring out the large basin to collect the entrails, and then they prepared to clean up.

Just then, a person carrying a basket walked into the courtyard. Li Long glanced at him and realized that this must be the Han Chinese friend that Halim had mentioned.

The man was in his forties, with slightly unkempt hair, dark skin, and only about 1.65 meters tall. His most striking feature was his large nose, though his eyes weren't very big. He had been grinning the whole time he came in, whether it was because he was having trouble breathing or it was just a habit.

"Tang Lao Er, you're here?" Halimu stood up and greeted the man. "Come, come, let me introduce you."

Li Long saw that the person's basket was covered with a cotton cloth, but he could see wheat stalks through the gaps in the side of the basket, so he guessed that it was probably a basket of eggs.

“This is Li Long, the one I told you about. He’s my friend, and now he’s a big boss in the county. He runs a very large business. Look at those cars outside; they used to belong to him,” Halim said half-jokingly.

Then he said to Li Long, "Li Long, this person is called Tang Lao Er, the one I told you about, the one who helped me in the team, he's a really good guy!"

"Hello, Brother Tang Er." Li Long greeted him, then rubbed his hands together and said, "My hands are covered in mutton fat, so I won't shake your hand."

"No need, no need, hello Mr. Li!" Tang Lao Er was a little at a loss, or rather, a little reserved.

Li Long understood this feeling. In Tang Lao Er's eyes, someone like Li Long, who drove a car, was a big boss. And according to Halim, all these cars belonged to Li Long, which meant he had a very large business.
For an honest and simple farmer like Tang Lao Er, the level of a "big boss" was a bit too high for him to accept. Or rather, he had never encountered such a person before and didn't know how to communicate with them.

Moreover, Li Long even took the initiative to call him Brother Tang, how could he dare to accept that?

"No, no, I wouldn't dare!" Tang Lao Er hurriedly waved his hand. "Just call me Tang Lao Er, that's what everyone in the team calls me."

Not knowing what to say next, he uncovered the cloth covering the basket and said, "There's nothing good at home, so I just brought a basket of eggs. You can keep them at home."

"Alright, alright, just put it there." Halim didn't stand on ceremony and replied, then called out into the house, "Gulimire, come out here! Tang Lao Er is here!"

Gulimire opened the door and smiled when she saw Tang Lao Er. Tang Lao Er then handed her the basket.

“I’ll put the eggs away and then I’ll give you this basket,” Gulimire said.

"No rush, no rush." ​​Tang Lao Er hurriedly waved his hand, "No rush, I'm not in a hurry to use it either."

After saying that, he went to help turn the intestines inside out.

Li Long watched Tang Lao Er work and thought, "Hey, he's really good at it." Whether it was washing the stomach or turning over the intestines, he did it very skillfully, clearly he had done it often before.

Perhaps because he had done some work, Tang Lao Er half-jokingly said while Li Long was helping pour water and Tang Lao Er was turning over the pig's intestines: "In the past, when pigs were slaughtered, the butcher would kill them and the wife would turn over the intestines. So there's a saying: 'Marry an official and become his wife; marry a pig butcher and turn over the intestines.'"

Our neighbor used to be a pig butcher, and I would often help him turn over pig intestines. He wouldn't ask me to come over, I just wanted to help, and if he was kind enough, he might give me a piece of intestine or offal, so I could have some meat to eat.

At this point, Tang Lao Er looked up at Li Long and explained:

"Mr. Li, you may not know this, but when I was a child, I didn't have enough to eat. The first time I ate my fill was after I went to northern Xinjiang. In my family, it was rare to eat meat all year round, and it was extremely rare to have any offal to eat."

“I understand,” Li Long said. “It’s the same in my hometown. It’s hard to get meat. Luckily, my hometown is near a river. Even if we can’t catch meat, we can still eat fish and shrimp.”

"So when I got to northern Xinjiang, I never expected that my skills would come in handy. At first, in the production team, when it came to slaughtering pigs, I would go up and help. People saw that I was quite skilled, so they let me help slaughter pigs. After I finished, they would even give me some... Actually, when I was a kid, most of the time I was working for free when I helped the butcher turn inside out the intestines. They would never give me anything."

"Why did you do that?" Li Long asked, somewhat puzzled.

"What can I do? I'm so hungry." Tang Lao Er shook his head with a wry smile. "I know I'm useless, but I'm really hungry."

Li Long couldn't understand; he had never encountered anything like this before. As the youngest son of his parents, he was naturally showered with love.

I always eat the best food at home first, so I'm not always hungry.

When they got older, they went to northern Xinjiang. The older brother treated them even better than he treated Juan and Qiangqiang, so they basically didn't suffer any hardship.

Although we ate less meat, we ate plenty of fish, both in our hometown and in the fourth team.

Because they worked together, Tang Lao Er became more talkative. His hometown was not in the same place as Li Long's hometown. It was in the south, in the mountains, with little land and a large population. It was a poor and remote place with low output. It wouldn't be accurate to say that most of the year people went hungry, but what people remember most vividly is often the suffering.

Tang Lao Er arrived in northern Xinjiang at a similar age to Li Jianguo, around ten years old, a boy who was at the age where he could eat a lot, so it was normal for him to feel that he was never full.

He chatted with Li Long about their childhood, and Li Long was somewhat surprised. Li Long felt that his hometown was already relatively poor, but he didn't expect it to be even worse.

"You might not believe it, but even now that the household responsibility system has been implemented, there are still many times of the year when people in my hometown rely on wild vegetables from the mountains to fill their stomachs. Even someone as big as me when I first came here still goes hungry."

In the 1990s, there were still people who couldn't get enough to eat. Li Long really couldn't imagine that.

“We live a pretty good life here, so we send money home every year. At first, we sent money, but then we found that sending money wasn’t enough. Sometimes even if you have money, you can’t buy good things in the mountains, so we send grain and ask people to bring oil back. These are things that are relatively cheap and available here, and we can use them when we get back home.”

Li Long shook his head with a sigh. Thinking about how big the country is, and how each place is different, he realized that Tang Lao Er's expression didn't seem like he was lying.

Over there, Yushanjiang had already set up the stove. Gulimire had started making naan, while Halim and Talihar were butchering the mutton and bones. Yushanjiang then went over and picked out some mutton for himself. He found a clean basin in the box that Li Long had brought, rinsed it with water, then cut the meat into small pieces, cracked two eggs into it, added some salt and chopped onions, and marinated it.

While the meat was marinating, Yushanjiang nudged Halim's arm, pointed towards Li Long's side, and smiled, gesturing for Halim to see. "I knew it! They could definitely become friends," Halim said smugly after looking at the meat. "They're all good people."

"Yes, yes, they're all good people," Yushanjiang said with a smile. "Didn't you call the others in the tribe?"

“No.” Halim shook his head. “I went to see them when they moved down the mountain. They had their own plans. I think, well, I can see, they each have their own production teams now, and they’re all thinking about their own things. Now that the situation is like this, we also need to change. We can’t do things the way we used to.”

Yushanjiang wanted to refute, but he couldn't find a way to do so.

"Yushanjiang, you wanted to contribute to the development of the tribe, so you went down the mountain to do business, thinking that if your business grew big, you would have money to make sure everyone could afford medical treatment."

But things are different now. Tribes are a thing of the past. Now everything is organized into production teams, and everyone has their own ideas.

Some people think, "Why should we all listen to you?" Others think, "Why can you afford to drive a car? I want to drive one too."

Of course, many people still see you as the tribal chief and want to listen to you. But now that we've separated, things can't be like they used to be.

As Halim broke the sheep bones apart piece by piece, he talked to Yushanjiang about reality.

“I’ve also been thinking about whether I made a mistake by going down the mountain in the first place,” Yushanjiang said.

"No, no, no, you're right. Your thinking is correct. You've seen it too, without money, it'll be difficult to cure Buick's father. To put it more bluntly, without money, we can't afford a car either. Without money, it would take us more than a week to move to a new location, which is so troublesome!"

Halim's words were very honest, and Yushanjiang could understand them perfectly. He had only come out because he was forced by money. Now he had made the money, but the tribe had fallen apart.

He was feeling quite unwell.

But there was nothing he could do about it; he knew that perfectly well. Even if he didn't go down the mountain, the township had said they would be dispersed and assigned to production teams according to the ownership of the pastures, and there was nothing he could do about it.

After all, the authorities didn't reduce or take away their pastures; they kept the original amount. They even built them courtyards. To do that is already more than enough.

What more could I ask for?

Therefore, we can only say that it is an inevitable trend.

After all, moving down from the mountains means the herders no longer have to winter in their traditional dens, which brings many benefits. Access to medical care becomes easier, shopping becomes more convenient, and they have more opportunities to interact with people in the village and township.

"Don't think too much about it. This is the situation now. Just focus on your business. If you do well, you can still help us if we have any trouble," Halim comforted Yushanjiang. "Maybe I'll come looking for you someday."

"Haha, bring it on." Halim's words cheered Yushanjiang up a bit. He took out the iron skewers he had brought and started skewering the meat.

Halim was just saying that; he hadn't intended to ask Yushanjiang for help. After all, he now owned a car, and his family lived in a courtyard house.

His current plan is to raise more cattle and sheep, become a large-scale livestock farmer, and then sell them for a lot of money. If he really needs money, he can simply sell some cattle and sheep and have some cash.

He felt he wasn't cut out for business and decided to stick to his original profession.

Yushanjiang skewered more than thirty skewers of mutton, then retrieved the spice jars that Li Long had brought, asked Gulimire for salt, chili powder, and cumin powder, found a stool and placed it next to the barbecue grill, put the three spice jars on it, and then started grilling.

Meanwhile, Halim and his group had almost finished breaking down the mutton. Some of it was thrown into a pot to cook for today's meal, while most of it was to be dried.

Tang Lao Er and Li Long had finished cleaning up the wastewater and had become acquainted. Tang Lao Er was speaking very casually, and Li Long realized that after getting to know him, Tang Lao Er was quite talkative. He had traveled to many places and was rambling on about all sorts of things, including boasting.

"Harim, do you have a pot in your house? How do you cook your offal? Do you want me to braise it for you?"

"Sure, if you know how to braise, you can help with that." Halim had no objections. People at this time weren't too particular.

Tang Lao Er then told Li Long and quickly ran outside to go home and get the braising spices.

Halim hurriedly called him to a stop, then picked up a leg of lamb, ran over and stuffed it into his hand, telling him to take it back to his family to eat.

"No, no, really no need..." Tang Lao Er refused, blushing. "Really no need. We have meat at home, we're eating big chunks of meat, so we didn't bring any for you..."

"Take it," Li Long said with a smile. "Don't be polite with him. You've helped him so much; he'll be unhappy if you don't take it."

In the end, Tang Lao Er still took the meat.

After Tang Lao Er left, Harim went into the house, took out the cardboard box that Li Long had been using to store his things, and put two lamb legs and two lamb stomachs inside. He knew that Li Long liked to eat lamb stomachs.

"I'll send it to you after I've slaughtered the horse, smoked the meat, and stuffed the intestines," Halim said.

He put the box containing the meat into the trunk of Li Long's car.

When they returned to the courtyard, Gulimire's naan bread was already baked, and she took one and handed it to Li Long.

Li Long smiled and took the food, giving a piece to each of Yushanjiang, Halim, and Talihar, and then started eating as well.

When Tang Lao Er came over with the braising sauce, Li Long gave him a piece of naan bread as well.

While eating naan, Tang Lao Er explained to Harim what the various spices he had brought were.

Li Long and Halim both knew what he meant, but they didn't say anything. Then they told him to go to the stove inside the house to boil some brine.

"Come on, come on, the barbecue is ready!" Yushanjiang called out from the barbecue grill.

Li Long then went over and took the handful of roasted meat that he handed over, and distributed it among themselves.

Although it was quite cold outside, the people felt pretty good because there was a stove emitting the aroma of mutton, a barbecue grill, and a pit for baking naan.

Li Long stayed at Halim's house quite late, until Tang Lao Er finished braising the meat. After Li Long ate some and took some more with him, he finally went home.

Tang Lao Er and Li Long were already quite familiar with each other, and Tang Lao Er asked Li Long what kind of business he did. After learning that picking mushrooms and digging for fritillaria bulbs in the mountains could make a lot of money, he said that he definitely wanted to go to the mountains next year to take a good look around.

He also told Li Long that he used to dig for medicinal herbs in the mountains and knew about the conditions there.

Li Long simply reminded him to be careful when going into the mountains, since there were not only wild animals in the mountains, but also some dangerous people.

Tang Lao Er wasn't worried about that, saying he had a small-caliber one.

After returning home, Li Long hung the mutton in the storage room and put the braised meat in the kitchen. Sister Yang was cooking dinner, so Li Long asked her to cut it into a plate.

"Uncle, I was thinking of closing our cannery around the Lunar New Year, around the time of the Little New Year, before the Lunar New Year?" Sister Yang said while cutting the food.

“Sure.” Li Long naturally had no objections. The management of the cannery had always been handled by Sister Yang, and Li Long thought she was doing a good job, so he hadn’t interfered much.

"Also, I'm thinking of leaving someone to watch over the factory, since there's a lot of canned goods in stock besides the equipment," Sister Yang said. "Then the people who stay should be paid more."

“Okay, first ask who’s staying,” Li Long said. “Tell them that those on duty during the factory holiday will get double pay. During the three days of the Spring Festival, they’ll get triple pay. Arrange the shifts for those staying, and get them some cooked food.”

"Hmm, that's good." Sister Yang always felt that no matter what problem she raised, Li Long could immediately think of a solution. "Shouldn't we also give some benefits to the employees before the New Year? I see that other companies do that."

“Okay, let’s do it.” Li Long thought for a moment and said, “Two days before the Lunar New Year, we’ll have an annual meeting. Tell everyone to prepare a performance, and by the way, include the purchasing station. We’ll have a raffle with first, second, and third prizes.”

"How are they distributed? Are they given to outstanding individuals?" Sister Yang asked.

"No, those 'advanced individual' bonuses and such, you guys got them in advance, that's different from this. This is a kind of benefit for everyone." Li Long said, thinking of the various annual parties in later generations:

"It all depends on luck. We'll draw lots. First prize... a bicycle, second prize a radio, third prize... a ten-yuan red envelope. One first prize, two second prizes, five third prizes, that's it."

Sister Yang still couldn't quite understand. In her view, only those who performed well would receive awards, and she had already decided on the award for outstanding individuals: a bonus of one hundred yuan.

But now, the first prize at Li Long's annual party is a bicycle, which costs over a hundred yuan, almost two hundred yuan!

How can it be acceptable to be ranked higher than advanced individuals?
But seeing that Li Long had made that decision, Sister Yang couldn't really object, since Li Long was the actual owner of the factory.

After thinking about it, she decided to raise the bonus for outstanding individuals to two hundred yuan! That would be at least higher than the bonus at the annual meeting!
Labor is the most glorious thing, and an advanced individual is someone who is better than others!

Li Long had no idea what Sister Yang was thinking. He was thinking that when his father came back, he would tell him about it and ask his father to give him a beating.

Whether you win or not is another matter; the point is to participate.

After returning from the purchasing station, Li Qingxia listened to Li Long's story about the New Year's duty roster and the annual meeting at the dinner table. He remained noncommittal about the annual meeting, but highly praised the New Year's duty roster.

"Yes, that's how we should do it! In previous years, there weren't many people in this yard during the Spring Festival, so I was really worried about petty theft. Now that we have people here, we're not afraid anymore. If you say double or triple wages, I'm sure someone will be willing to do it!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sister Yang mentioned the outstanding individuals, and her father, Li Qingxia, immediately decided that the purchasing station should also have outstanding individuals evaluated, or rather, that the young men should be given some bonuses.

"These young men are truly hardworking," said Li Qingxia, the old man. "They work with all their might, scrubbing hides and tidying up the warehouse—they're really dedicated. I feel like they treat this recycling station like their own home. People like them deserve an award!"

After dinner, Li Qingxia was about to leave when Sister Yang hurriedly caught up with her and discussed the bonus with her father.

After all, people from both sides eat together, and if the bonuses are different, and the difference is too big, some people will definitely have opinions, which will affect their enthusiasm for work.

Li Qingxia hadn't thought of that, but after hearing what Sister Yang said, it really made sense.

So one person was selected as an outstanding individual and received a bonus of two hundred yuan. The others also received a year-end bonus, fifty yuan each as a token gesture.

The money needs to be distributed before the annual meeting. When it's distributed, we talk about the annual meeting, so people won't be so resistant to preparing the performances and such.

Furthermore, Li Long also mentioned a raffle. Those who didn't participate definitely won't be entered into the raffle; how could someone who didn't perform even bother with a raffle?

It's sure to be a lively and exciting event.

Sister Yang approved of Li Long's idea of ​​organizing this annual meeting. Although she had not studied management, she instinctively felt that it was a good thing to unite people and bring everyone together as a team.

Li Long was only responsible for coming up with ideas; he left the rest to Sister Yang. He also needed to discuss the construction company with Meng Hai.

Meng Hai has done a lot of work and earned a lot of money this year. The key is that he took over a highway project. After doing this job, he will have more experience and more people will ask him to do this kind of work.

So now the path has basically been laid out.

After the snowfall, the construction company's work had actually stopped. All the machinery was left in the yard, and one person was left to watch the gate.

The engineering company kept the team's single men, who received a monthly salary. They had a place to live in the courtyard, with coal and a stove, and it was relatively close to the county town, so he thought it was quite good.

Meng Hai's main reason for asking Li Long to come over was about the profit sharing.

Of course, as per custom, Li Long was allowed to review the accounts before the dividends were distributed. All the work done this year was transparent. Li Long had invested so much, so he naturally received the lion's share. He didn't stand on ceremony; after glancing at the accounts, he collected the money—he received over 70,000 yuan this year.

Although it's still a long way from recouping the costs, Li Long believes that things are currently laying the foundation, and things will only get better in the future.

Meng Hai also told Li Long that some members of the construction team had given up on farming. They had earned a lot of money that year, much more than they would have made from farming, so they were going to lease out their land to others to farm, and they could focus on their work.

"Make sure they use the money for legitimate purposes. Many people are eyeing their money in winter; don't let it get gambled away by someone using it as bait," Li Long emphasized.

"Keep a close eye on them. If anyone gambles, fire them immediately and return their shares. I'll take them. By the way, make sure to tell them this clearly. It's in the original contract, so remind them."

"Okay, I understand." Although Meng Hai didn't know why Li Long was so hostile to the bet, he was definitely supportive of this matter.

If someone inside gambles, they might lose all their savings and then try to take advantage of the construction team's machinery. So it's best to take precautions beforehand.

(End of this chapter)