Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Long was unaware that his casual reminder and suggestion had led his second brother's family to immediately consider moving.

After hanging up the phone, Li Long went to his car to get his gun holster.

The Type 56 semi-automatic rifle that Yushanjiang and Halimu gave him is still in his holster.

The Land Cruiser has a large interior space, so when Li Long drives out, especially to the mountains or on long journeys, he usually keeps his gun holster in the car.

It's not that I deliberately avoid danger, but rather that I feel it's okay to hunt sometimes; it's a habit.

Now that his second brother has said this, he feels that his habit is actually quite good.

In a few years, guns will be banned nationwide, and these guns won't be used for many more years.

At that time, not only will semi-automatic rifles be confiscated, but even hunting rifles and air rifles will be included in the confiscation list.

Police stations have now begun confiscating more powerful firearms. Militia training no longer involves issuing weapons to individuals; instead, weapons are used uniformly in winter, and are immediately returned to the armory after training.

Bullets are no longer managed as casually as before; they are only issued during live-fire exercises.

Li Long also heard that the township armed forces department would no longer store firearms, and the militia's weapons would be stored in the county armed forces department's armory.

Management will become increasingly strict, and all previously issued gun licenses will be invalidated, including his.

However, there were still two years left, so after taking out the gun, Li Long found a gun cloth and carefully wiped it clean. The chances of this thing being useful in the future were getting smaller and smaller. Once the country stopped allowing private ownership of firearms, keeping it in his own hands would only be a disaster. When that time came, he would have to hand it over.

Li Long was confident in his ability to withstand attacks from ordinary people. He was strong, quick-witted, and had a better sense of hearing and smell than others. He was confident that he could react in time if he were attacked.

Of course, a wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall, so Li Long certainly wouldn't run into dangerous places. If he encountered anything that seemed amiss, he definitely wouldn't approach it.

After cleaning the gun, he loaded the bullets, did not chamber a round, locked the safety, put it in his gun bag, and put it in his car.

Li Long was still a little worried. After thinking it over, he went over and made a phone call to Director Du.

After the call connected, Factory Director Du said, "Hey, I was just about to call you. Our technicians have finally got that machine that you mentioned last time—the one that beats rods and collects broken film— figured out."

However, after making some inquiries, I learned that the market prospects for this thing aren't very good because the cost is relatively high. If it's sold at a markup, I estimate there won't be many buyers. After all, you can get a battering machine for two or three hundred yuan, and not many people care if the thin film breaks into pieces on the ground.

So I didn't include this in the production plan. If you need it, I'll have the workers make two for you to use yourself.

Li Long, of course, wouldn't refuse. He smiled and said, "That's definitely good. You can consider the market issues, but I definitely want this machine."

Excessive accumulation of plastic film in the fields will definitely affect farming. We lease this land for over ten or twenty years, and we'll be farming it ourselves from now on, so we'll optimize the process if possible.

Using plastic film for cotton cultivation is a technology that has emerged in the last two years and will continue to be used in the future. Although seed companies and research institutes have been researching technologies for growing upland cotton without plastic film, the vast majority of cotton plants still use plastic film.

The plastic film used year after year mostly ends up broken and falling into the ground. Although a few are recycled, the amount is negligible.

Over time, this stuff will definitely affect the effectiveness of farming, so Li Long thinks it's better to recycle it. Besides, once recycled, it can be used as raw material for drip irrigation tape, killing two birds with one stone.

Li Long said he would bring the two machines over in a while, but Factory Director Du said it wasn't necessary. They still had a dealership at the Shicheng Tractor Factory, and they could just bring them over when they shipped the goods there later.

Li Long didn't refuse. After all, he was one of the original shareholders of the machinery factory, so enjoying such a small benefit was nothing.

After finishing the business, Director Du asked Li Long what he wanted to talk about on the phone. Li Long replied, "You know my second brother, right? He runs an oil refinery in the oil city."

"I know, I know. That Ajinbek went to your second brother's factory, right? Now it seems he's been transferred to the oil city management bureau," said Director Du. "We can't retain talent. Aren't you planning to find another expert for your second brother?"

“Let’s stop looking. I’m afraid the people we find will end up like Akinbek. Anyway, my second brother has mastered most of the technology at the oil refinery, and Akinbek still goes over to give us some guidance from time to time. It’s good to keep this connection.”

"Okay. What happened to your second brother?"

"He came over today to deliver something. On his way back, he was stopped by two men on the road near the Kuitun military post. It turned out they were trying to rob him. My second brother is quite quick-witted; he didn't stop and sped off. The two men threw stones at him. I think this kind of situation is probably not an isolated incident."

The situation in your city of Kuytun is quite complicated. There are many people from various places migrating there, especially from the Golden Triangle region. Some people see a car and assume it means someone is wealthy and might try to rob them. A leader like you needs to be careful; the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow. Be mindful of your safety.”

Li Long didn't bring it up directly, as he didn't know how influential Director Du was. But it wouldn't hurt to offer a heads-up, since Director Du's activities were mostly concentrated in the vicinity of Kui City, and he also owned a car. Sometimes a driver drove him, and sometimes he drove himself.

So in this situation, it's good to give a heads-up and be prepared.

Upon hearing Li Long's words, Director Du indeed took it to heart. He said with some surprise, "Have these people become this arrogant? Now that you mention it, I remember hearing that a taxi driver was robbed a while ago."

"This bad reputation has even reached you! This absolutely cannot happen again! I'll mention it to the Public Security Bureau later. How can this be allowed? Kui City is still hoping to vigorously develop its investment attraction efforts. If the security environment is like this, what's the point of attracting investment? Who would dare to come?"

Previously, Director Du was a nobody, and his words might go unheard. But things are different now. Kui City Machinery Factory is now considered a key enterprise at the autonomous region level. City leaders treat Director Du with great courtesy, and he also has a long-standing relationship with the Public Security Bureau, so making a phone call is definitely not a problem.

Li Long didn't know how deep their relationship was, but he figured he could just make a phone call to remind them, and the police might take some action.

Even if you don't move, it will be better to pay more attention during routine patrols.

After hanging up the phone, Director Du didn't stop; he immediately dialed the police station, exchanged a few pleasantries, and explained the situation.

The Public Security Bureau also took it very seriously, mainly because Director Du emphasized the importance of the matter. After all, attracting investment is a major decision for the city right now, and news of this robbery had even reached another place two counties away, which made the Public Security Bureau look bad.

The important thing is that these people target wealthy people with their robberies. If they were to rob someone who came to invest, the resulting embarrassment would be enormous.

So the police immediately said that they would carry out a crackdown in the next two days.

The Public Security Bureau acted swiftly, immediately organizing personnel to conduct investigations of people in the urban-rural fringe areas and along the Urumqi-Yining Highway, with a focus on those without ID cards and migrant workers.

And sure enough, this investigation uncovered some transient criminals, even though there's no big data comparison or network yet. But in the eyes of veteran police officers, some people with criminal records are easy to spot at a glance.

This investigation also made some idle and restless people in the city lie low. Although they are greedy, they are not stupid. At this time, they would definitely not get away with committing crimes.

The two men who were planning to rob Li Anguo were also among those being investigated, but since they were locals, they weren't considered a priority. Nothing was found wrong, and after a warning, they were released.

Although the two were released, they were still a little frightened. After discussing it, they left Kui City and went to other places.

Li Anguo had been in the oil city for the past two days and heard about this commotion after returning. He found it quite strange and even called Li Long to tell him about it.

Although Li Long knew that Director Du would talk to the Public Security Bureau about this, he didn't expect it to cause such a big commotion, so he didn't tell his second brother that he was the one who brought it up.

However, Li Anguo told Li Long that his whole family was planning to move to the oil city as Li Long had suggested, which surprised Li Long.

Then Li Long happily said, "Great news! The people in the oil city are relatively simpler, and the management is stricter than here. The teaching and work are better, and it's also closer to the factory, so it's easier for my wife to take care of me."

Li Long asked his second brother about the household registration issue again. Li Anguo said that since there was a factory there, it wouldn't be too difficult to get a household registration, which surprised Li Long.

He guessed that Akinbek might also be a factor, but since his second brother didn't mention it, Li Long didn't say anything either. Li Long also agreed with the idea of ​​moving during the summer vacation. He reminded his second brother to go to the local education department now to inquire about the transfer, so that he could transfer directly after the summer vacation and when school started.

By this point, making money is no longer a problem, so the children's education becomes a major concern.

Li Anguo said that he would contact them about this matter after he went there, because he was quite emotional about moving there.

In the past few years since I came to northern Xinjiang, I first lived in Ma County, and then settled in Kuytun City. With the help of my younger brother, I was able to get a grain ration, buy a yard, and get a car.

Now I've started my own factory and am moving it to the prosperous oil city—something I never would have dared to dream of before.

Li Long also told him that if he was going to move, it would be best to keep the yard for now. That way, he would have a place to stay when he came back.

I also have quite a few acquaintances around the factory; I'll see if I can treat them to a meal before I leave.

Li Anguo said that this matter definitely needs to be done. Not only Li Junshan and Yang Yongqiang, but also the leaders and colleagues of Jian'an Company, with whom they had previously had good relationships, can't just leave.

Li Long stopped worrying about these things. He had already reminded his brother, and he was sure his second brother would handle things himself now.

On June 12th, Li Xiangqian called Li Long, saying that Director Qian had a guest coming over. Director Qian asked Li Xiangqian to ask Li Long if they could arrange for the guest to go to the hot spring resort for a hot spring bath and a barbecue.

Li Long naturally had no objections, and asked Li Xiangqian whether this guest was treated the same way as the previous Director She.

Li Xiangqian said to Li Long, "It's different, it's different. That other person is a leader from the district, so we'll just treat him politely. This person is Director Qian's honored guest, so we definitely have to treat him seriously."

Of course, you don't need to worry about that. As long as your hot spring resort is usable, I'll take care of the hospitality arrangements with the people from the company.

We used your meat last time, so this time we'll bring the meat along. You can go over and open the door to introduce it.

To be honest, since you're a temporary worker at the supply and marketing cooperative, we often benefit from your position.

When Li Xiangqian said this, Li Long felt embarrassed and hurriedly said, "Director, it's not like that. Without our supply and marketing cooperative, I wouldn't be able to get rich. Although I have some money now, I still remember the days when you helped me carry brooms and reeds."

Seeing that Li Long still remembered his kindness, Li Xiangqian chuckled and said that mutual benefit wasn't just empty talk. The county supply and marketing cooperative now had a great reputation, largely because of its partnership with Li Long, helping herders build winter shelters, lay water pipes, and repair roads.

Although it has stopped in the last two years, the reputation it had at the time remains, and Li Xiangqian still visits and comforts some impoverished ethnic minority people every year during the National Unity Education Month.

So every year, whether it's the county or the prefecture, there will always be an advanced unit that gets the award.

This thing is quite valuable and its effect is obvious. At the end of each year, it is almost always one of the top advanced units in the supply and marketing system of the whole prefecture.

Occasionally, he can even be recognized as an advanced unit at the autonomous region level. With these accolades in hand, Li Xiangqian is quite content, as they give him more confidence when speaking to others.

He told Li Long that the guests would be coming on Sunday, and that he should pick them up early and then go into the mountains so they could return as soon as possible.

Li Xiangqian also subtly suggested that the guests might like to see if they could go hunting.

Li Long told him that the forestry system personnel would definitely be patrolling the mountains, and if he wanted to hunt, it would be best to drive directly to the summer pasture and see if he could encounter any wild animals, but that was hard to say.

Hearing this, Li Xiangqian dropped the subject. There was only one day left; he couldn't afford to make a fuss.

Li Long didn't mind having to entertain one or two guests so occasionally.

Family members can only visit on weekends or during summer vacation. It's nice to have people strolling around the yard, adding some life to the place. After all, any man-made structure is prone to collapse and decay if it's left unused for a long time.

Since Li Xiangqian had already said that he didn't need to prepare anything, Li Long didn't bother to worry about it.

Seeing that there were still a few days until the weekend, he drove around Urumqi, bringing back a pair of antelope horns for Engineer Liu and some candy from Kazakhstan. He also brought back the same things for several professors at the Agricultural College.

On these last few occasions when Liu Gaolou came, besides bringing regular goods, he also brought some miscellaneous local specialties, such as candy, chocolate, Russian nesting dolls, and wood carvings. He said Liu Shanming had prepared them in advance, and each time he brought a large box containing basically all sorts of random things.

Every time Li Long received this thing, it was like opening a blind box; he was always quite surprised when he opened it.

Li Long guessed that some of the items were probably given to Liu Shanmin by others, or that Liu Shanmin bought too many things for the children and then packed them up to send some to himself.

Mr. Liu's son has a child now, and these snacks will definitely be very tempting for the child.

Engineer Liu complained that Li Long hadn't come for a long time, then opened a drawer and said he had prepared a lot of things for him, including raw materials and finished carvings.

"Sigh, as I get older, the factory leadership has changed, and the good materials I can get are becoming increasingly scarce," sighed Engineer Liu. "After I retire, I'm afraid I won't be able to carve anything anymore."

"If you want to carve something, isn't that simple?" Li Long said with a smile, "I have plenty of materials. As long as you don't mind the trouble, and you want to find something to do after retirement, just get a set of tools, I'll provide the raw materials, and you can carve it."

"I'll buy anything you've carved right away. With your skill, it would be such a waste if you retired."

When Li Long said that, Engineer Liu was overjoyed. He had stopped working at the factory because of a problem with his hand, which affected his efficiency.

The factory is still relatively benevolent, supporting him until retirement. He's worked there for a long time and has gained some prestige, so he can occasionally take some materials to carve and sell.

However, it is almost impossible to be rehired after retirement.

Engineer Liu has dedicated his entire life to this; he wouldn't know how to do anything else.

Although I have accumulated some materials, the quantity is really not much. After retirement, I will have a long time ahead of me, and the materials I have on hand are definitely not enough to pass the time.

Upon hearing Li Long's words, Engineer Liu was delighted. He immediately replied, "We've got a deal. Once I retire, I'll open a small shop. If I need materials then, I'll come to you. You can't go back on your word. If you don't, I'll come all the way to Ma County to find you."

Li Long smiled and said, "Don't worry, don't worry, I'll definitely accept it. With your excellent carving skills, I'd be more than happy to offer you materials, how could I not accept it? I have plenty of materials, but the quality is definitely not as good as those in the factory. You'll have to make do with them."

"It's fine as long as it's available, why would I be picky?" Engineer Liu said with a smile. "Let's not complain about each other, it's settled then."

After finalizing the agreement with Engineer Liu, paying the money, and taking away the materials he had collected over the past six months, along with the finished bracelets and jade pieces, Li Long went to the train station again.

Since he had promised Engineer Liu that he would provide him with materials, Li Long would try his best to get as much as possible.

Yusufu has some good stuff here. The South Railway Station is quite crowded in June. Besides the dried fruit street there, there are also many people selling dried fruit and fresh fruit from carts.

Li Long found a parking spot, parked his car, and then went to Dried Fruit Street to find Yu Sufu.

He noticed that Yu Sufu's stall had grown larger, and two stylishly dressed girls were picking out jade items.

He couldn't tell whether the two girls were from abroad or from ethnic minorities in their own country, as they spoke a rather broken Mandarin.

After the two girls had haggled and bought a jade bracelet and a jade necklace from Yu Sufu, Li Long went over to greet him.

"Hey friend, it's been a long time!" Yu Sufu had already seen Li Long, but he couldn't interrupt his business while he was busy with other customers. So after finishing his business, he quickly greeted Li Long, walked out of his stall, and hugged him.

Smelling the strong stench of mutton emanating from the other person, Li Long smiled and said, "Friend, business is booming!"

"Not bad, not bad." Yu Sufu's face beamed with joy as he asked Li Long, "Do you need more jade?"

"Yes, yes, I want it all, as long as it's good material," Li Long said. "Bring out all your good materials."

Yu Sufu bent down to take something from under the counter. Li Long glanced at the jade pieces on his counter. The carving was average, but the two pairs of bracelets near the back were made of good material. One pair was pure white jade. Although it did not reach the mutton fat jade grade, it looked very beautiful.

The other pair is Hetian jade, with a beautiful color, a spinach green, and a very translucent feel.

So when Yu Sufu stood up with a bag of jade, Li Long pointed to the two pairs of bracelets and asked, "How much are these?"

"Two pairs for 1,600, do you want them? We're friends, 1,500 will do!" Yu Sufu quoted a price with practiced ease.

This price is much higher than what Engineer Liu offered, but Li Long didn't try to negotiate.

He pointed to the bag again and said, "Let's pour it out and see."

“I had a lot of raw materials stored up, waiting for you to come, but you never came,” Yu Sufu said as he took out the materials. “In the end, I had no choice but to sell some of them and use the rest to carve things. You know what? I had too much material tied up in money.”

Li Long didn't reply, but looked at the material he had taken out, and picked it up to examine it without comment.

Yu Sufu took out a total of fourteen pieces of material. Li Long looked at them one by one and finally took a liking to four of them.

One palm-sized piece of mutton fat jade, and three pieces of white jade, all of which are basically first-grade white. The three pieces together weigh about seven or eight kilograms.

“Good materials are getting harder and harder to find these days.” Yu Sufu sighed as he saw that Li Long had only picked out these four pieces, and then praised, “Friend, your eye for quality is getting better and better. You’ve picked out the best stuff.”

Li Long gathered the items together and pointed to the two pairs of bracelets, saying, "It costs three thousand yuan in total."

Yu Sufu did the math in his head, then said somewhat reluctantly, "Add a little more, my friend. At this price, I won't make any money."

“Add another hundred,” Li Long said. “That’s all.”

"Alright, alright, that's what happens when we're friends!" Yu Sufu immediately smiled as she packed things for Li Long, saying, "There are fewer and fewer people who buy things as readily as you."

Li Long paid for the items, packed them up, and was about to leave when Yu Sufu packed some dried fruit for him, saying, "Take this back for the children to eat."

The relationship between the two can never go back to what it used to be, but it's still better than the relationship between a typical boss and customer.

Li Long could tell that Yu Sufu wanted to repair their relationship. He remained noncommittal, saying that some things, once broken, are broken, and even if they are repaired, there will still be traces.

As he walked out of the street, he heard someone behind him say to Yusufu, "Are you sure you can do it? A big customer came today, you must have made a lot of money this time."

Yu Sufu replied, "Friend, it wasn't really a business deal, I didn't make much money, but we have a very good relationship!"

Li Long carried the bag and walked through the bustling crowd to the parking lot. He saw a young man pushing a board of daggers and short knives along the side of the passageway.

Passengers who had just gotten off the train gathered around and looked at the knives. The knives were exquisitely made, and there were all kinds of them. Li Long couldn't help but take a look.

But he had no intention of buying it. Buying a knife here would be nothing more than giving money away to someone else.

This passage was his only way to the parking lot. Just as he walked through it, he heard someone say, "Your price of 100 yuan per stick is too expensive, isn't it? I just heard someone say 30 yuan. If it's 30 yuan per stick, I'll take it. But if it's 100 yuan, forget it."

"Who told you thirty? Who told you thirty? Find him!" The knife seller, Balangzi, brandished his short knife and snarled at the man who had spoken.
"You've seen this knife, and it's already in your hands. Once you have it, I won't be able to sell it anymore. You have to buy it today! One hundred dollars, give it to me!"

Li Long frowned. "The train station? Are these people really that arrogant?"
He looked around and found that the stall's location was quite clever, because a large number of people were entering and leaving the station, and the security personnel were all at the station entrance, which was quite far away from here.

Moreover, the stall was surrounded by several young men. The people outside were confused. Some didn't care because it was none of their business, while others kept their distance when they heard the fierce voice.

The passageway immediately became less crowded.

Li Long didn't care about anything else; he had to get out of this spot. As he approached, two thugs faced him, holding knives in reverse, their eyes gleaming with menacing intent. As Li Long drew nearer, they shouted, "What are you looking at? Get out of here!"

The man who bought the knife also realized something was wrong. He put down the knife and tried to get out of the crowd, but found himself stuck and unable to get out.

The others who weren't carrying knives quickly pushed them aside, indicating that it wasn't their business.

Li Long was furious. Weren't these the same group of kids who went to the mainland to become thieves?
He glared at the two guys. One of them, perhaps because he was used to being fierce or because he had accomplices around him, was emboldened and shoved Li Long.

Li Long, carrying the jade bag in one hand, grabbed the wrist of the man who was pushing him with the other, twisted it behind his back, causing the young man to turn around in pain. Then, Li Long kicked him in the buttocks, sending him flying towards his accomplices.

The group of outsiders who were surrounding the knife-wielding man and demanding money were suddenly bumped into. Their bodies swayed, creating an opening. The outsider reacted quickly, darting out and running away without looking back.

These people were furious when they saw their prize slip away and were about to confront Li Long.

Before they could react, Li Long kicked over the stall with the knife hanging on it, and swung the bag of jade in his hand fiercely. The two young men who were about to pounce on him immediately covered their heads and screamed in pain.

It's a matter of striking a stone with your head; let's see who's harder. Anyway, jade is definitely not afraid of pain.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Li Long kicked the fallen knives away, sending them flying into the crowd.

These knives all came with sheaths, and most were unsharpened, so they weren't likely to hurt anyone. Some, however, reacted quickly, grabbing the knives and running away, leaving the group of young men cursing and unsure whether to surround Li Long or try to snatch the knives back.

With the chaos already underway, Li Long was able to calmly knock down the two young men who surrounded him, then walk through the passage to the car.

When he looked over the windshield, he saw that people in uniform had already gone to maintain order, and the lads didn't dare to linger and quickly ran away.

These people don't dare to openly provoke the law enforcement personnel, and they haven't gained much power yet, so they're not actually that scary.

Li Long opened the bag containing the jade with some apprehension. He wasn't worried about the pieces of jade themselves, but he was mainly concerned about the bracelet.

Fortunately, the bracelet was in a box wrapped in Atlas silk, so it was not damaged.

Li Long was relieved.

Although he felt a small sense of satisfaction, he knew that such situations would happen from time to time in the future.

It's not just in this place; it's bound to happen elsewhere as well.

Local bullies exist all over the country; they can't be eradicated.

He could only try to stop them when he encountered them, and then go back to continue with his business.

Fortunately, today was a fruitful day.

P! Here are a few photos.
I went to Biyu Garden today. This is a large piece of jade. Doesn't it look quite ordinary?
This is the finished tea table. It looks nicer, and you can see the black spots (fly droppings), right?

This is cotton that has already been sown. Look how tightly the soil has been compacted! People in the distance are connecting cotton bollards.

This is undeveloped saline-alkali land. In the dusty distance, tractors are leveling and harrowing the land in preparation for sowing.

PS: Thank you to readers Lao Jian Ge and Xi Xi for their donations, and thank you to readers 20230825002507540, 20260301170928463, and 20250526210241480 for their donations as well. Thank you all for your support. I'd also like to ask for your monthly votes. (End of Chapter)