Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 948 The supply and marketing cooperative also wants to get involved!
The three-day Spring Festival holiday flew by. Before the villagers even realized it, Li Long and his family of four had already driven their jeep back to the county.

Gu Boyuan didn't reply; he planned to stay in the village until the Lantern Festival before returning to work. The purchasing station was also on a long holiday. After all, the purchasing station had been incredibly busy this year, much busier than Li Long.

Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia were actually a little reluctant to leave. Staying in the village was so lively; the young people from before would come over to play in turn, and the whole family would be in the house, with even Mingming and Haohao constantly laughing and joking.

As Du Chunfang left, she complained, "What kind of New Year is this? I've only been back for a few days and I'm already leaving!" Li Long comforted her, saying she'd be back in a couple of days, and it wasn't that far anyway. Du Chunfang's mood improved somewhat. The old lady liked being surrounded by people, having her children and grandchildren around her, and fearing loneliness—something Li Long, who had lived two lives, understood very well.

The second brother, Li Anguo, and his family, along with the older sister, Li Xia, and her family, arrived on the first day of the Lunar New Year. They hadn't seen each other for six months to a year, and the adults were overjoyed to see each other, while the children were even more excited. Especially Hongqin, Xueqin, and Xueping—the envy on their faces was palpable after hearing that Li Juan and Li Qiang had gone to Yanjing.

Last year, Chen Xingbang was promoted to team leader in the food factory because of his hard work. He and Li Anguo were considered to have made some progress. He originally planned to come and brag about it, but when he heard that Li Long and the others had gone to Yanjing, his bragging spirit disappeared.

The funniest part was when Hongqin complained to Li Long in front of Chen Xingbang, saying that Chen Xingbang had slaughtered and sold her lamb. She said that the lamb was given to her by Li Long, and she had been taking good care of it, but she never expected it to be slaughtered before the Lunar New Year.

This incident embarrassed Chen Xingbang, who loudly exclaimed that the girl had no respect for elders and even knew how to tattle.

Li Long had no choice but to pull Hongqin aside and say that he would give her another lamb so that they could take it with them when they left.

Li Long bought quite a few cattle and sheep last October, but also slaughtered many before the Lunar New Year, so the numbers are basically balanced. Therefore, the number of cattle and sheep in Lao Ma's shop is actually not small now, and Li Long has the idea of ​​breeding them into a large herd.

As people's lives improve, the demand for beef and mutton will increase, and prices will rise.

With his own sugar residue supply, raising cattle and sheep wouldn't be a problem, so Li Long was thinking of expanding the herd.

The lambs have mostly been born now. The earliest lambs are already two months old and can graze.

With these two things happening, Li Long was very happy during the three days of the Lunar New Year. When he left, his second brother and sister each brought back a box of pastries from Yanjing, so he had given away almost all the pastries.

When they returned to the courtyard on the afternoon of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Sister Yang and the others had already returned. The fire was already lit in the kitchen. Since Li Long and the others hadn't left their room keys, Gu Xiaoxia asked Han Fang to take Mingming and Haohao to play in the east room while she and Li Long set up the stove to boil water.

That evening, looking at the sleeping Mingming and Haohao, Gu Xiaoxia said to Li Long with some apology:
"It's all because of my job that we didn't have a good New Year."

"What's wrong with that? Isn't this how everyone works in this county government office?" Li Long said as he sat down at his desk to write his proposal. "You like this job, don't you?"

"Yes, I like it." Gu Xiaoxia nodded.

"That's settled then. Life is all about gains and losses. You got this job with difficulty, and your boss values ​​you a lot, so just do your best. As for the New Year, it gets less and less interesting as the holiday progresses."

Going back is all about bragging and drinking. Look at all those people coming to our house; aside from the ones we're close to, most of the rest are just trying to get on our good side, hoping to find out what to plant this year to make money. So, don't overthink it. A balance of work and rest is essential. A few days of rest during the New Year holiday is fine. The team is relaxed now, but wait until summer and see how busy they get.”

Gu Xiaoxia smiled. Actually, she was genuinely worried that Li Long would stop her from working, since the little money she earned from her job was far less than what Li Long made from running the recycling station and doing other things.

But she really loved the job. After working there for a while, she didn't want to stay home all day taking care of the dolls anymore. She was also worried that Li Long would make her quit—although she knew Li Long wouldn't do that based on his personality, she couldn't help but have some thoughts about it when she occasionally heard gossip.

"How's your proposal coming along?" Gu Xiaoxia asked again.

“This is simple, just an idea,” Li Long said, putting down his pen. “After I finish writing it, I’ll have to go and talk to Director Li about it in the next couple of days. I’m a representative of the industry and commerce sector, but this proposal is about the development of animal husbandry. Although the director said I could bring it up freely, I still have to report it to him once it’s written down.”

Gu Xiaoxia greatly admired Li Long's work ethic. While he wasn't perfect in every aspect, he at least managed to handle the general details, leaving others with little to criticize.

According to Gu Xiaoxia's understanding, people who can do this are usually those who have been in officialdom and business for a long time and have enough life experience. But how old is Li Long? How much experience does he have?

It's almost fair to say that Gu Xiaoxia grew up alongside Li Long, and the only thing she didn't know much about was the few months Li Long spent at the Wucheng Food Factory.

The changes occurred a few months later.

Can a person undergo a complete transformation in just a few months?
Gu Xiaoxia also asked Li Long why he left the food factory back then, but Li Long didn't say, so Gu Xiaoxia didn't ask again.

Regardless, this is the Li Long that Gu Xiaoxia likes; she didn't like the previous Li Long.

“Mingming’s dad, my sister and sister-in-law both told me this time that you seem to have not changed much throughout the year, and you are still the same as when they came to Northern Xinjiang... They said you still look like you are twenty years old.”

Gu Xiaoxia suddenly thought of something and said it to Li Long.

Li Long paused, holding his pen, and said, "I've heard it from others too, but as for my face, it looks about the same whether I'm twenty or thirty. It's mainly because I haven't suffered much. Look at my older brother and your dad, they've both suffered a lot, so they look older."

"To be honest, I haven't suffered as much as you have, so I don't look much different. Of course, there's also the fact that you women have to give birth, and your bodies naturally change after childbirth; men don't have this experience. When I'm thirty, you'll see the changes in me."

More than one person had mentioned this to Li Long in casual conversation. Li Long wondered if it was a benefit of his "rebirth"? Could he end up living like an old monster?
It shouldn't be possible, right?

He changed the subject:
"Did you send the photos to Xiaoyu?"

"I've sent them. Xiaoyu will be so happy to see those photos. By the way, I've been thinking, when you're free during summer vacation, how about we go again? Summer in Yanjing is definitely different from winter!"

"We'll see how things go then. If I'm free, we can go. It'll just be tougher on the road than in winter." Li Long didn't seem to have any objections. Going would be fine, but of course, we'd still need to have the time.

The next day, Gu Xiaoxia went to work, while Sister Yang and Han Fang looked after the children and managed the household. Li Long took his proposal to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Happy New Year! Happy New Year!

Upon entering the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Long greeted his "colleagues" who were already busy at work, and then made a point of sitting in Zhou Yuan's office. Theoretically, Li Long was still Zhou Yuan's subordinate, so he naturally had to come and clock in.

"Hey, Comrade Li Long, Happy New Year." Zhou Yuan, who had already tidied up the office, greeted Li Long with a smile. "Coming to see the director? The director is here."

He then whispered, "Comrade Li Long, there's a meeting these next few days, right? Don't worry, it's just a formality. Whether you submit a proposal or not, it's fine. Just go with the flow."

In Zhou Yuan's eyes, meetings were simply about reviewing materials and then applauding in agreement.

Li Long naturally didn't think so, but he didn't argue with Zhou Yuan about it. Everyone has different ideas, and there's no need to force your own onto others.

After chatting with Zhou Yuan for a few minutes, Li Xiangqian over there heard Li Long's voice and called out twice in the corridor, summoning Li Long over.

After Li Long left, Zhou Yuan sighed inwardly, thinking how different the director's favorite was. While others had to ask if the director was available before seeing him, this guy was simply summoned.

But he only admired, not envied. Li Long had the ability to bring honor to the supply and marketing cooperative, while he did not, so naturally he would not have any thoughts about capable people.

"Why didn't you come here? What were you talking about at Zhou Garden?" Li Xiangqian gestured for Li Long to pour himself some water. He took out a packet of tea leaves, placed it on the table, pointed at it, and said, "A friend gave it to me for the New Year. He said this stuff isn't cheap. You should try it."

“Okay.” Li Long said with a smile, “I’m an employee of the purchasing department, after all. I should at least chat with Section Chief Zhou for a bit and report my thoughts.”

"Report my ass! I bet you just went over there to gossip." Li Xiangqian waved his hand. "How was the New Year?" "Pretty good, but the holiday was too short. I didn't enjoy it. My parents are still complaining."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. It's the same all over the country. We can't complain even if we want to." Li Xiangqian was in the same boat. He hadn't even been scheduled to drink with everyone else.

Fortunately, it's still winter, so there's not much work to do. I can still organize gatherings after get off work in the evenings.

"How's it going? Are you all prepared for the meeting?" Li Xiangqian asked habitually.

“I’m ready,” Li Long said. “I’ve prepared a proposal and would like to ask you, Director, to take a look.”

"What about it?" Li Xiangqian asked, looking at the two letters Li Long handed him.

At that time, letter paper was used for writing letters and official documents. It was readily available in most stores and was very common. Of course, the quality varied. High-quality letter paper was very smooth, allowing for clear, legible strokes when writing with a fountain pen.

If you write on a poor-quality pen, the ink will bleed and leave an unsightly blot.

"In the livestock industry," Li Long mentioned.

"What nonsense are you going to show me about animal husbandry? I don't know anything about it!" Li Xiangqian said with a laugh, but still started looking at it.

"A proposal to disband pastoral teams and allow herders to settle down and graze their livestock."

Upon seeing the topic, Li Xiangqian asked with some surprise, "You're proposing this?"

“Yes,” Li Long said. “In rural areas, farming has been contracted out to individual households for several years now, but this herding team is still operating on a communal basis. Isn’t that a bit unfair? There aren’t many herding people in our county, so this herding team doesn’t really have much of a purpose.”

Anyway, those cattle and sheep basically belong to the herders, and the pastures were passed down from their ancestors. They'll just get a grassland permit and be able to graze their livestock on their own pastures—it'll be so convenient.

"If farmers have to pay grain taxes to the state, what about the herders? Without the herding teams, who will take care of them?"

“Manage it yourself. Herdsmen pay wool and cattle and sheep every year, it’s the same. There’s a livestock bureau in the county, you can get guidance from that bureau.”

In fact, Li Long's proposal seemed grand, but in practice, it simply meant eliminating the middle management level of the livestock team.

“You’re going to offend people by making this proposal,” Li Xiangqian said. “Don’t the people in the livestock team hate you?”

“They should know that this is the general trend, right?” Li Long smiled and said, “I’m a newcomer, and this proposal is actually to let them know in advance that there is no need for this herding team to continue. If they were smart, they would have thought about their way out long ago.”

If someone isn't smart enough to think I'm behind this, then they're incredibly stupid—anyway, we're not really connected to them, so even if they hate me, there's nothing they can do about it.”

Li Long's meaning was very clear: he was just a newcomer, and his proposals would only be glanced at at most; it was impossible for them to actually implement them. Opening up the animal husbandry industry was a major policy decision, not something a new representative like him could come up with.

Therefore, Li Long wrote this proposal very casually.

"Then submit it." Li Xiangqian glanced at it, saw that there were no problems with the wording of the proposal, and said with a smile, "Okay, it seems you've put in the effort."

After saying that, he handed the two pieces of paper back to Li Long and said, "Then let's talk about other things. The year is over, do you have any plans for this year?"

"Which aspect are you referring to, Director?" Li Long finished brewing the tea, took a sip, and said, "This tea is quite good. I'll take some with me when I leave later."

“Take them all, I have more,” Li Xiangqian said. “I was referring to your work, your plans for the whole year.”

"What else can we do? We're not going to make handbags anymore, but we should have big brooms, right? We'll definitely have to do that job. My main job is still that purchasing station. Last year, the station collected a lot of things, and most of them were sold. We'll see if we can get rid of the small amount that wasn't sold this year."

“I didn’t mean your purchasing station, I was asking about the mountains,” Li Xiangqian said. “The annual work conference of the autonomous region’s supply and marketing system has already been held, and the prefecture’s conference will be held soon. Each county needs to report its work plan, and I need to have something to show for it.”

"I don't know anything about the supply and marketing system," Li Long hurriedly waved his hand. "I can't give you any advice on this, but Director, you're a veteran in supply and marketing, this shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

“I didn’t mention any specific jobs, I know those in my mind. I was talking about other things, things that can bring honor to our supply and marketing cooperative. Last year we were recognized as an advanced unit for ethnic unity, shouldn’t we give it a shot? What else can we do in the mountains?” Li Xiangqian finally revealed his thoughts.

This one?
Seeing Li Xiangqian's eager eyes, Li Long revealed his plans.

"My original plan was to repair the road to the winter huts. That is, to repair the road leading from the winter huts to the outside of the mountains first. Director, you have been there and know that only a few winter huts have roads leading to the outside, and the others can only be crossed by horseback."

My plan is to first repair the road leading from the winter pasture to the outside of the mountains, and then, when I have time, repair the road leading from the outside of the mountains to the summer pastures.

“This is no small project!” Li Xiangqian said after thinking for a moment. “We’ll need bulldozers, maybe even excavators, and we’ll have to cut down trees… Especially the road to Xiacaochang, it must be dozens or even hundreds of kilometers long, right? That will be a huge challenge to build. It might not be finished in a year or two.”

“Yes, I know that.” Li Long nodded and said, “So my plan is to first build the road to the winter pasture, and not only will I build it, but the herders will also join in, so that they can at least help with things like cutting down trees.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea. If we just let them eat what they’ve been given, they’ll develop bad habits.” Li Xiangqian nodded, then generously said, “How about this, our supply and marketing cooperative will participate in this project. Since you’ve thought about it, tell us how you plan to do it, and we’ll fully cooperate!”

“It’s not certain that it will be done.” Li Long shook his head and said, “Some elderly herders may feel that our road construction is disrupting their traditions and may not agree. My friends are still working on it, and we don’t know if they can get through to us, so we have to wait.”

"This is great news! How could they possibly disagree? Surely their thinking isn't that rigid?" Li Xiangqian said. "Are you confident?"

“There are some. I’ll go into the mountains again in the next couple of days to take a look. Anyway, the road construction won’t start until April, so there’s no rush.”

“You’re not in a hurry, but I am. Since you’re confident, I’ll make the decision first. If it really doesn’t work out, and someone’s family doesn’t want it, then we just won’t build the road to that family’s house.” Li Xiangqian was always decisive. “I’ll send you a driver, a bulldozer driver?”

“No,” Li Long waved his hand, “This is a long-term job, I’ll find the driver myself. I can say whatever I want about drivers I hire, if they’re paid to do a bad job I can criticize. But if the drivers sent by our supply and marketing cooperative don’t do a good job, I can’t say anything.”

"After all, I'm just a temporary worker... Director, if our supply and marketing cooperative really wants to participate, we should do it the same way as before: send a few vehicles and a lot of people to hold a groundbreaking ceremony at the beginning, and then provide money or supplies."

"You're overthinking things!" Li Xiangqian glared at him. "You didn't want to officially join the supply and marketing cooperative. If you were officially in, you could easily be an acting section chief, let alone a section chief. You could command people like that. And now you're bringing this up?"

"If I joined the supply and marketing cooperative, where would I find such an opportunity?" Li Long said with a smile, taking a sip of tea. "You can't have your cake and eat it too."

“That makes sense.” Li Xiangqian nodded. “Then let’s do as you say and provide money and supplies. Let’s discuss how much money would be appropriate.”

"Let's not talk about it for now. I'll go into the mountains in the next couple of days to see how things are going. If we've reached an agreement, I'll walk the road and check the scope of the project."

Although Li Long didn't understand construction, he could still tell where bulldozers were needed to work for several days and where only felling trees and transporting stones were required.

"Okay, then come over and discuss it when you've finished."

(End of this chapter)