Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

(Only one chapter today)
Bai Xiuming called at a calculated time. He actually did have the raw materials for melon seeds, but the flat-mouthed ones were more popular among consumers, so he wanted to buy more from Li Long.

Bai Xiuming's food company had its own fixed raw material supplier, but after taking dozens of tons of flat-mouthed melon seeds from Li Long, the market share suddenly increased, and the distributors often called to urge for delivery.

But to be honest, their raw material suppliers said that they could not provide the flattened melon seeds. It was not that they could not flatten them, but they thought it was too troublesome. They could take out the seeds from the melons, dry them, and sell them directly. Why bother with an extra step? And there might be risks. If the seeds were not flattened properly, the large melon seeds would be crushed. Who would be responsible for the loss?

Although the food company also told the raw material suppliers that as long as they can flatten the melon seeds, the price can be negotiated, even a few cents is fine.

But those raw material suppliers were not like Li Long, who had seen similar things in his later life, so they dared to do it. They thought it was unnecessary, so they refused.

Therefore, Bai Xiuming thought it would be better to start with Li Long.

"Manager Bai, let me tell you, it will take at least half a month for us to harvest the melons. But the sunflowers are almost ready, would you like some? The sunflower seeds in our northern Xinjiang are big and full, they get a lot of sunshine, and the seeds are especially fragrant."

The price of sunflower seeds is not comparable to that of melon seeds. The local grain and oil company and grain bureau charge about 70 to 80 cents per kilogram for sunflower seeds. The second-hand dealers charge a little more, but not more than one yuan, about 80 to 90 cents.

One mu of sunflower yields 170 to 80 kilograms, which translates to a gross income of 150 yuan, far less than last year's sunflower seed harvest.

Li Long used the example of sunflower seeds and thought that the market for sunflower seeds in northern Xinjiang was too small, so the price could not go up. The inland market was large, so the price should be higher.

"Sunflower?" Bai Xiuming thought for a moment and said, "Sunflower seeds are not valuable. We have a large production here, so one kilogram costs at most one dollar. If the quality is particularly good, it costs at most two dollars."

"Don't worry, the quality will be excellent!" The price given by Bai Xiuming surprised Li Long. If it could reach one dollar and fifty cents, it would be worth growing the sunflower.

In fact, according to Li Long's idea, even one dollar is better than selling it locally.

Bai Xiuming actually didn't really want the flowerless sunflower seeds. In his opinion, Li Long was able to flatten the seeds, which was quite unique. After all, the food company he worked for didn't have any of them in the raw material production area. What's the point of these flowered sunflower seeds? They were flat by themselves, nothing special.

"Okay, then I'll go over and take a look when I collect the melon seeds." Bai Xiuming, "There shouldn't be a small amount of melon seeds this year, right?"

"Don't worry, there will definitely be a lot of them." Li Long could tell that Bai Xiuming was still focusing on picking melon seeds, so he said, "But we have to wait for a while, the melons in the field are not ripe yet."

"Okay, I'll go there in half a month. As I said, our last cooperation was good, so I hope it will be better this time. I'm sure you'll be satisfied with the price, but you must give me priority for this product."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely keep it for you first." Li Long said with a smile.

Bai Xiuming's worries were not unfounded. A few days after he made the call, Dong Zhichao and Ye Lanlan set off again.

This year, due to the initial misjudgment by the roasted nuts factory and the concealment of the situation by the sales side, the market that had originally been occupied was snatched away by Bai Xiuming and his food company.

After analyzing this incident, the leaders of the snack factory were very angry. The situation was obviously very good, but it was ruined by the beating of their subordinates. This was obviously intolerable.

So when the melons were about to be harvested, they asked Dong Zhichao to bring Ye Lanlan to Beijiang to find Li Long to purchase another batch of flattened melon seeds. If possible, it would be best to buy out all the goods here.

Dong Zhichao was actually still a little embarrassed, so after arriving here he first found the state cooperative.

Unlike Bai Xiuming, Dong Zhichao had been to Northern Xinjiang before and knew the social structure and organization here. Li Long was using the name of the county supply and marketing cooperative at the time. So in his opinion, it was wise for him to find Li Long's leader instead of Li Long. As long as he could get through the relationship with the leader, Li Long would definitely listen to the leader as long as he was inside the organization.

After going through several levels of connections, Dong Zhichao actually found a deputy director of the provincial cooperative.

When he heard that Dong Zhichao wanted to buy some melon seeds, the deputy director directly said that it was not the season yet.

Dong Zhichao knew, of course, that it was not the season, so he explained that he bought ten tons of the dozens of tons of large melon seeds sold by the state cooperative in the summer.

Now we just hope to sign a long-term sales contract with the supply and marketing cooperative.

The deputy director was naturally happy. Isn’t this a performance that comes right to his door?

The melon seeds harvested last year were unsaleable and were not sold until this year.

If the contract can be signed early this year, the supply and marketing cooperative can just assign tasks to the branches below, and there will be no need to worry about purchasing the melon seeds.

The deputy director agreed readily. After all, Dong Zhichao had offered a contract for 50 tons.

However, he specifically specified in the contract that all melon seeds must be flattened and not dropped.

The deputy director was also an expert in the field. After reading the contract, he hurriedly shook his head:

"How is this possible? When the melon seeds are taken out of the melon, some are flat and some are thin. How can all of them be flat?"

"This summer, all the melon seeds we bought from Li Long, a man in the supply and marketing cooperative in Ma County, were flat," Dong Zhichao said. "His melon seeds came from your warehouse, including the 40 tons of melon seeds he sold to others later, which were also flat."

The deputy director thought, or did I remember it wrong?
He immediately called the person who was in charge of purchasing the melon seeds to ask about it.

"No, no, we have all the flat ones we collected."

Dong Zhichao was a little confused, it was not what he thought. He confirmed again that the goods he and another food company received were all large flat melon seeds.

The deputy director was also a little surprised. What was going on?
Only Director Qian knew that Li Long had disposed of the dozens of tons of melon seeds. Dozens of tons of melon seeds were not a big deal for Director Qian, so there was no need to mention it at the meeting. Therefore, the deputy director did not know how the melon seeds were flattened.

The contract was ultimately not signed.

It was a pity for the deputy director of the state association. But he didn't have the ability to flatten dozens of tons of melon seeds. And Li Long was obviously Director Qian's man, so he couldn't take the initiative to ask.

After Dong Zhichao and Ye Lanlan came out of the state cooperative, they were still unwilling to give up. They ran directly to the farmers who grew melons, hoping to buy the flat melon seeds from them.

Except for the fourth team, no one else who grows melons in other places knows or has the awareness or experience to flatten the melon seeds.

So Dong Zhichao and Ye Lanlan hit a wall again.

In desperation, they could only run to Ma County to find Li Long.

When they arrived at the purchasing station, Dong Zhichao asked Gu Boyuan with a smile where Li Long was. Gu Boyuan told him that Li Long was not there.

Dong Zhichao thought that Li Long was avoiding him and hiding from him.

But he didn't know where Li Long's home was, so he could only wait with a thick face.

Li Long is really not here. He is now at the Kuitun Agricultural Machinery Factory, discussing the ordering of two machines with Director Du.

"We have already produced the cultivator you mentioned. To be honest, it doesn't sell as well as this harvester." Director Du was a little dissatisfied.

"It's definitely not as good as a harvester." Li Long said as a matter of course, "Cultivators are used in May and June. If you produce them in July and August, it would be strange if they can sell well.

We have to wait until next year for this thing to be available, and you have to market it. You can’t just leave it in the factory after it’s produced, waiting for someone to come to you to buy it.”

"We also promoted our products." Director Du blushed. "In the nearby rural areas, we drove a small four-wheel tractor with a cultivator to show it to people. We also promoted our harvesters to those who came to buy them."

"You should directly take this cultivator to the Shicheng Agricultural Machinery Factory or the Autonomous Region's Agricultural Machinery Factory for sale." Li Long clearly felt that Du Changchang's so-called sales promotion would not work. He said casually, "You can set up a permanent representative there and give the factory a certain amount of rebate, such as ten yuan for each cultivator. Then, people who buy tractors may buy your cultivator for one yuan."

To be honest, the bundling marketing of later generations is considered a new sales method nowadays.

Director Du thought that this was a feasible solution. Although their factory was somewhat famous, it was still far behind those large factories that produced and sold tractors. Besides, other people came here mainly to buy harvesters in order to make some money during the harvest season. It was really difficult for them to buy cultivators.

"Let's give it a try." Director Du is impeccable when it comes to listening to advice.

"Produce me three or five more of the machine that flattens melon seeds that I asked you to develop last time." After providing Director Du with a very good feasibility suggestion, Li Long immediately put forward his own request.

"Three or five machines? Is that one working well?" Director Du asked curiously.

Although the factory's production capacity is tight now, to be honest, it is no problem to make some time to produce three or five of those small machines for Li Long.

After all, Li Long solved a big problem for him, so he must give him some face.

"Very good." Li Long gave a positive evaluation, "It's very efficient and convenient to use." "Okay, I'll spare some people to do it for you. It will take about a week. You can come and pick up the goods in a week."

"Okay, then I'll come over in a week." Li Long could actually just make a phone call to tell him about this. He also came over to give some gifts to his second brother Li Angguo's home.

If you live a good life at home, you will naturally want to make your family members live a good life too.

Since Li Anguo's family moved to a larger house, they have become happier. Although they still have some debts, they can save money quickly because they have no other expenses. According to Li Anguo's idea, he can save enough money to pay back Li Long within two or three years.

After that, you will be debt-free because you don’t have to spend much on supporting the elderly, so the pressure is very little.

In fact, among brothers and sisters, the eldest one has the most difficulty, followed by the youngest one. The middle one, like the Li family, has the easiest life.

The eldest child has to take the responsibility of raising his brothers and sisters on behalf of his parents. The youngest child carries the hope of the family, while the middle child like Li Anguo does not have to bear the responsibility of supporting his parents and has no hope for the family.

Although you don't get much attention, you don't have to bear too much responsibility either.

In the previous life, Li Jianguo was very concerned about the living conditions of Li Anguo's family. He would rather eat less fine food at home than support his brother.

In this life, Li Long also thought that since his family had become wealthy, he could not let his second brother live in poverty.

Overall, Li Anguo's family is doing okay no matter what.

After all, they belong to the working class and eat commercial grain, so they are much better off than ordinary old farmers.

Having lived two lives, Li Long did not have particularly deep feelings for his second brother's family, so after delivering supplies to his second brother's family, he had a meal and then returned to Ma County.

Li Long didn't expect Dong Zhichao to come to find him.

But now that I'm here, I can't really hide away.

So when Dong Zhichao brought Ye Lanlan to the purchasing station again, Li Long met them in the reception room.

"Comrade Xiao Li, we had a big misunderstanding before. To be honest, although your acquisition station is small, it is still well run." Although Dong Zhichao needed help from Li Long, he still had an air of superiority in his tone. Even if he was asking for help, he still had a condescending tone:

"I'm telling you, if you want to go the boutique route, you can't just buy everything."

Seeing that Dong Zhichao couldn't help talking, Ye Lanlan pulled him.

Dong Zhichao was still a little unconscious and wanted to say more.

Sun Jiaqiang brought in tea and served it to everyone, interrupting Dong Zhichao's words.

Li Long smiled and said:
"Manager Dong, Assistant Ye, what are you doing here?"

Although he knew that Li Long was asking the question knowing the answer, Dong Zhichao also realized that he was asking for help from others and if he continued to act in a condescending manner, he might not be able to do the deal.

After decades of immersion in the business world, he may not be flexible, but at least he can save time and assess the situation, and he can still distinguish between these two words.

After hearing what Li Long said, Dong Zhichao's mind raced until he realized that it was impossible to suppress this young man, so he immediately changed his strategy and said with a smile:

"Comrade Xiao Li, we are old partners. The last cooperation was very pleasant, so this time we came here to renew our relationship and deepen our cooperation."

"Manager Dong, I'm very busy here. Let's talk about something real." Li Long didn't give any face at all and said, "What do you want?"

Such a straightforward question made Dong Zhichao a little unsure of how to answer.

He turned his head and looked at Ye Lanlan.

Ye Lanlan had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"We want to buy 50 tons of flattened melon seeds. I wonder if Mr. Li can provide such a large quantity? And the price this year can be negotiated."

Li Long smiled. This was exactly what he expected. Good wine needs no bush. He flattened the melon seeds and sold them to Dong Zhichao and Bai Xiuming's factories. After they processed them and sold them to the market, they would definitely be accepted by the public.

Otherwise, Bai Xiuming and Dong Zhichao would not have come to ask for raw materials.

It seems that it was a wise move to ask Director Du to order a melon seed flattening machine.

Of course, he had already promised Bai Xiuming, so he could only say sorry to Dong Zhichao.

"Manager Dong, I'm sorry. I've already signed a contract with another factory. We have to give them priority in supplying melon seeds. The price they offered is relatively high, so I can't refuse. So I'm really sorry. We can cooperate again if we have the chance in the future."

Just these few words made Dong Shichao so angry that he wanted to curse.

Isn't it just that the price they offered is high? Why do you have to say such high-sounding words?

In fact, he had some psychological preparation before coming to Li Long. Before, Li Long begged him to help collect these sunflower seeds, and the price he offered was really not high. He didn't fancy these things either. After all, as the manager of the purchasing department at that time, he could not say that he could call the shots and take whatever he wanted, but at least he could be said to have great power and control the life and death of many people.

Therefore, the contemptuous attitude towards Li Long at that time was understandable.

However, he did not expect that times have changed and now it is his turn to ask Li Longtou for help.

But what can he do? From a buyer's market to a seller's market, he used to be the grandfather and others were the grandsons, but now the positions have been reversed, and he can't stand it.

"I'm sorry, Manager Dong, Assistant Ye." Li Long spread his hands and waved, "Let's not talk about the fact that the melon seeds haven't been pressed out yet. Even if they are pressed out, we already have priority customers.

They have already booked it long ago, and it is also for 50 tons. Even if we add up the production of several nearby counties, it would only be this much. So I am really sorry, I can only tell you that I regret it."

"We can raise the price!" Ye Lanlan knew that Dong Zhichao would never compromise, but this time, the factory had already said that they must make this deal, so she couldn't help but interrupt and said, "Boss Li, one kilogram of flattened melon seeds is three yuan, how about that?"

Li Long smiled.

He didn't say anything, but Ye Lanlan knew that the price she offered was too low.

But if the price was higher, she would not have the authority to do so. Ye Lanlan turned her head and looked at Dong Zhichao.

Dong Zhichao is not a fool. He knows that even if the price is slightly higher, he still needs to support his deployment. Even if Li Long is blackmailing him at this time, he has to admit it.

"How about three dollars and fifty cents?" Dong Zhichao's words were loud and clear.

"Manager Dong, I am not afraid to tell you that the price others offered me is 3.5 yuan. But for the same 3.5 yuan, I can sell it to him and not to you. He supported me at the critical moment, so I will definitely support him first at this time."

Li Long's words made Dong Zhichao feel his face burning.

Although it was clearly his misjudgment and wrong decision at the time, Dong Zhichao felt a little angry and embarrassed when Li Long really said it out loud.

He really wanted to slam the table and walk away.

Worst case, I won’t buy it!

However, his visits to several counties and cities in the past few days made him realize that if he wanted to buy such melon seeds, he could only find Li Long.

There's really no other way.

If I get the chance in the future, I will definitely teach this boy a lesson!

But now I can only swallow my anger and beg him.

"Comrade Xiao Li, how much did the company you mentioned purchase? We will buy the rest at 3.5 yuan. How many tons do you think we can have left? If not, I will raise the price!" Dong Zhichao knew that if he didn't bring something back from this trip, his job as purchasing manager would be in jeopardy.

Li Long was happy.

It is not easy to seize the initiative. (End of this chapter)