Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 953 Such scenes of labor are too rare to see.

On the morning of April 5th, after breakfast, Li Long drove his jeep to the gate of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Inside the courtyard, two trucks were ready. Some people had already climbed onto the truck beds, while others were smoking and chatting below.

To Li Long's surprise, among the nearly twenty people, there were five or six women, including older women in their forties and fifties, as well as new comrades in their twenties.

Even those who worked in the city knew what to do when they went to work in the mountains or countryside; many had been sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution and had experience. They traded their leather shoes for cloth shoes, and their everyday clothes for work uniforms.

The supply and marketing cooperative also provided gloves for everyone, and some people even wore straw hats. Dressed like this, they really didn't look like city people anymore.

Li Xiangqian was talking to Zhou Yuan and several other section chiefs when Li Long looked over and saw that, apart from a deputy director and a security section chief, almost all the other leaders of the supply and marketing cooperative were there.

"Little Li is here?" someone greeted him with a smile. After Li Long responded, he went over to see Li Xiangqian.

Upon seeing Li Long, Li Xiangqian took two deep drags on his cigarette, threw away the butt, stomped it out twice, and said:
"Get in the car, get ready to depart!"

Actually, one car should have been enough for these people; Li Long thought that two cars were definitely too many.

“That truck is loaded with some supplies. We’re going to help out in the mountains, and we’re only going to work for a few days, so we should at least bring some things up with us.” Li Xiangqian got into Li Long’s jeep, explained, and said, “Shall we go pick up Officer Ma now?”

"Yes, I'll be the lead car, heading towards the county committee on Guangming Road. I'll pick them up when we pass by, and then we'll go straight into the mountains."

"Okay, sure," Li Xiangqian replied. "Is everything arranged?"

“It’s all arranged,” Li Long said. “Once we get there, not only will we be doing the work, but the herders will also have to work.”

"That's right, let's not get into the formalities. With so many people here today, we have to get something done." Li Xiangqian was quite confident.

"Definitely, at least we can get a road to the two winter settlements," Li Long said. "I'm confident about that."

"Hey, that's good."

When we arrived at the entrance of the county government compound, Ma Xiaoyan was already waiting there with her camera and handbag.

The jeep pulled over, and Ma Xiaoyan got into the back seat. Li Long waited until she was settled before starting the car. Ma Xiaoyan greeted Li Xiangqian, and then they started chatting about the details of their upcoming interview with the team.

Some things were things Li Long should say, and some things were things Li Xiangqian should say—such as how many people from the supply and marketing cooperative came, how much material and financial resources were invested, what extent the road was planned to be repaired, and what activities would follow up, etc.

Li Long remained silent on these issues, leaving them for Li Xiangqian to address.

Ma Xiaoyan asked questions and took notes along the way, and by the time they reached Qingshuihe, she had asked almost all her questions.

Meng Hai was waiting by the roadside with a bag in his hand. Li Long stopped the car and offered him a ride, but Meng Hai smiled sheepishly and said, "No, no, I'll just ride in the truck behind." With that, he walked to the back of the truck with his bag and, with the help of the people inside, climbed into the truck bed.

Continuing onward, as they entered the mountains and approached Halimu's wintering grounds, Li Long saw someone riding a horse standing in the distance, watching them. Upon seeing Li Long and his companions, the person turned their horse around and headed into the mountains.

Li Long recognized the figure as resembling Talihar; he must be waiting for the people here and was now going to deliver the message.

When the convoy of jeeps and trucks arrived at Talihar's winter camp, there were twenty or thirty people gathered there. When they saw the convoy, some of the young men cheered.

“They are welcoming us,” Li Long said to Li Xiangqian and Ma Xiaoyan. “The herdsmen will also join the road construction team.”

The car stopped in an open space, and everyone got out. Yushanjiang, Halim, and several elders from the tribe came over to greet and shake hands with Li Xiangqian and the others.

Some people had been here before, and it felt good to meet them again. Others were newcomers, and it felt very novel.

"Director, would you like to say a few words?" After exchanging greetings, the two people stood side by side, and Li Long said to Li Xiangqian, "Let's boost morale."

"You always have so many tricks up your sleeve!" Li Xiangqian laughed and scolded. "Fine, I'll say a few words."

Li Xiangqian stood in front of this small team promoting ethnic unity and said a few words. There was nothing profound about it, but he said that the supply and marketing cooperative, as a unit serving the people and jointly built with the herders, had come to help the herders solve their difficulties and also to train the team.

He also said that the supply and marketing cooperative sends people to work on the road every week to try to open up the road from the winter pasture to the outside world as soon as possible. They will increase investment as needed and will definitely enable the herders to live a better life.

"Alright, let's get started." Li Xiangqian didn't say much, and his entire speech lasted no more than three minutes. The employees of the supply and marketing cooperative applauded, and the herdsmen joined in with smiles and applause. Some young men even whistled, which wasn't a joke; it was a genuine expression of excitement.

“Comrade Li Long, you know the situation on both sides best, so you assign tasks!” Li Xiangqian pointed to Li Long. “Go ahead and assign tasks; at this point, I’m just an ordinary soldier!”

“Alright, then I’ll assign the tasks.” Li Long naturally stepped forward without hesitation; he already had a plan in mind:

"Meng Hai!"

"Here!" Meng Hai hurriedly stood up, standing ramrod straight, almost ready to salute.

"You drive the bulldozer, see where I'm pointing? That ditch head, that's your main target for today. You need to push that ditch head to create a path so that the small four-wheeled tractor can get up there, okay?"

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Meng Hai snapped to attention, then excitedly drove off in his tractor.

"Comrade Li Xiangqian!"

"I'm here." Li Xiangqian smiled, then his face hardened.

"Take eight comrades from the supply and marketing cooperative and head from here to that area at the head of the ditch. Take sickles and shovels, cut down the bushes and shrubs that are blocking the way, and drag them aside. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Li Xiangqian replied involuntarily, then smiled and whispered to Zhou Yuan beside him, "Hey, this kid is interesting."

"Comrade Zhou Yuan!" Li Long spoke again.

"Here!" Zhou Yuan was about to respond to Li Xiangqian when he heard Li Long call out, so he immediately stood up and answered.

"Take eight comrades from the supply and marketing cooperative and go down to the ditch to move stones. Then move them to the top of the slope. Do you understand?"

"Understood, understood!" Zhou Yuan naturally had no objections; he would wait until Li Xiangqian had finished selecting people before making his own selection.

"Sister Liu!" Li Long called out again.

"Yes, yes, is there anything else for me?" Sister Liu from the unit's logistics department was a little confused, but then she stepped forward.

"You take a female comrade and work with our herdsmen to provide logistical support, mainly by supplying tea, preparing lunch, and so on."

"Huh? We're here to do this?" Sister Liu was actually prepared for heavy work, it's not like she's never done it before... But this job is much easier than she thought.

"Revolutionary work is important in all aspects, regardless of its importance," Li Long said with a smile.

"Okay, okay." Sister Liu naturally had no objections.

"Yushanjiang, you take half of the herdsmen and are mainly responsible for clearing the thicker trees along the road from the hilltop to Bekedongwozi." After assigning the work to the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Long started giving orders to the herdsmen.

Ma Xiaoyan had taken several photos beforehand and also vividly described the situation when Li Long issued the tasks. Now, seeing Li Long assigning tasks to the herders, she was a little worried about whether the herders would listen.

"Understood!" Yu Shanjiang, who had also received militia training, immediately stood at attention and responded before going to count the men.

"Harim!"

"Here!" Halim replied even more clearly.

"How about you take three herdsmen comrades, slaughter sheep, and be responsible for providing lunch today? The sheep will be taken from Yushan Jiang's family, and the money will be paid with public funds."

"I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Although Harim was somewhat dissatisfied, he couldn't afford to undermine Li Long at this moment. "Talihar!" Li Long called out one last time.

"Here I am!" Talihar replied excitedly, he hadn't expected Li Long to call on him.

"Take the remaining herdsmen and their shovels and start from here all the way to the head of the gully. Dig down the slopes on both sides of the gully and fill the bottom of the gully with the excavated soil to widen the roadbed."

"Understood!" Talihar's voice was the loudest.

Yes, that's good. They've all received militia training, and they really have no problems with this.

"Start the operation!" he shouted, and the men immediately scattered, grabbing their tools and heading to their assigned positions.

Meng Hai had already started the tractor. The tractor with bulldozer blades rushed to the head of the ditch and began pushing the loose soil down.

Taking the opportunity, Ma Xiaoyan came over to Li Long, holding a small notebook, and began interviewing him. Her first question was half-jokingly:
"Comrade Li Long, everyone has their own work, what are you doing?"

"I'm in charge of overall coordination. We allocate manpower to areas with surpluses and shortages. We also make adjustments when resources are insufficient, and we identify and address any difficulties that arise."

Li Long was certainly capable, and his answer was full of confidence. As the mediator between the two sides, only he could do this job.

"When you launched this activity, did you think about what the final result would be?" Ma Xiaoyan's interview began to become more formal.

"The initial effect was that the roads leading to the tribe's dozen or so wintering grounds were built before their migration. This way, their wool could be sold smoothly outside, and their travel would be more convenient during the migration."

"Since there are initial effects, what about the long-term effects?" Ma Xiaoyan continued to ask.

"The key is to build a road connecting the winter pastures to the summer pastures, all the way into the Tianshan Mountains. This way, they won't have to endure such hardship during the two annual migrations," Li Long said with emotion.
“We say outside the mountains, if you want to get rich, build roads first. Our government is now mainly building main roads to various townships and villages. There are many people there, so naturally we have to take care of them first.”

I became good friends with the herders here. Thanks to the favorable policies of reform and opening up and the help of my herder friends, I made some money and wanted to give back to them so that they could have a better life.

Fortunately, the leaders of our supply and marketing cooperative were very supportive after they learned about this. My abilities are limited on my own, but with the support of the cooperative, this task became much easier. Look, in just one day, we were able to connect two winter huts with roads accessible by tractor.”

If these words were spoken in later generations, many people would surely think they were just a show, empty talk, but in the context of what Li Long is doing now, they seem very real.

Ma Xiaoyan thought Li Long's words were excellent and could be used directly in her own writing. She estimated that her article would definitely be published in the Northern Xinjiang Daily.

It might even cause a sensation!
After Ma Xiaoyan finished her interview, Li Long got to work. After the bulldozer removed some of the loose soil from the top of the ditch, the tractor couldn't get any power because the slope below was too steep.

Li Long then told Ma Xiaoyan to hurry over and check, and then reported to Li Xiangqian, deciding to use "advanced technology," namely blasting.

At that time, the security section of the supply and marketing cooperative had explosives, specifically the ammonia nitrate explosive that looked like a relay baton. Some skilled people could even make this stuff by hand.

Li Long could certainly do it too, but it's too dangerous, so he wouldn't.

Li Xiangqian sent someone over, and Li Long told Meng Hai to come down first, while the others stayed away. Then he watched as the man, with a cigarette in his mouth, skillfully tied the fuse with pliers, connected the explosives, and then went to the slope, dug a hole with a short shovel, stuffed the explosives in, and buried it.

"Just one, isn't that powerful enough?" Ma Xiaoyan asked, standing next to Li Long.

“We should test it first,” Li Long said. “Test its power, and then determine how much to use later.”

Sure enough, after the explosive detonated, the man quickly made five or six more, and tied them together in pairs or in groups of three, then dug a hole and buried them.

Li Long was worried that there might be some duds, but thankfully, after listening to the noise, they all exploded in the end. The soil at the head of the gully was also blown up, and it was obvious that the slope was no longer as steep.

"Alright, Meng Hai, drive over there and give it a try!" Li Long shouted.

Meng Hai pushed the control lever and drove the tractor up, while everyone else watched.

The bulldozer roared louder, billowing black smoke as it pushed the soil up the slope, instantly removing a large section of the ditch that had been blocked by a wall.

"Hey, that's great, we passed!" many people said excitedly.

"That's right. Once this embankment is pushed over, the main job is done, and everything else is minor."

Li Long was also quite pleased. It was Li Xiang who had suggested preparing these explosives; Li Long had initially thought they weren't necessary, but it seemed the old fox was right.

The enormous roar lingered in the mountains for a long time before dissipating, and some birds and beasts were frightened and scattered.

While the work was in full swing here, Halim and his men quickly slaughtered the sheep over there. The stove had been prepared in advance, as they knew there would be many people, so they set up a three-burner stove outside.

Besides supplies for workers, Li Xiangqian and his team also brought a considerable amount of food: fifty naan breads, a sack of potatoes, a sack of onions, and other items.

All that's left are ten bags of rice and ten bags of flour. The purchasing agent knows the herders' lifestyle, and they don't lack things like brick tea, sugar cubes, and salt. These things have already been unloaded at the entrance of Talihar's winter hut, waiting to be distributed by the tribe after the work is finished.

Ma Xiaoyan took photos of these supplies when they were unloaded. Whether or not they made it into the newspapers, they could be kept as historical records.

Sister Liu and another woman assisted her by preparing onions and potatoes. Knowing that the herders were used to making hand-pulled mutton, they planned to make braised mutton and stir-fry two proper dishes.

Soon, various aromas filled the air around the winter village.

Li Long wasn't idle either. The bulldozers were working smoothly at the top of the slope, so he kept an eye on things and helped out wherever needed. Now, whether it was piling up stones, cutting shrubs, or widening the road in the ditch, everyone was working hard and no one was slacking off; everyone was eager to get started.

Around noon, Sister Liu called out to Li Long, saying that the food was ready, the dishes were stir-fried, and the hand-pulled mutton was so tender it was almost falling off the bone, and that he should call everyone over to eat.

"Are we going to eat in batches?" Li Long asked. "Are there enough enamel bowls?"

“That’s enough, that’s more than enough,” Sister Liu said. “We’re well prepared this time. We brought fifty enamel bowls. After we’re done using them, everyone can take their own back. The herders’ bowls can stay here—they won’t need them if we leave them, right?”

“Yes, yes, that’s more than enough,” Li Long said with a smile. “Alright, I’ll go and invite them to eat.”

After saying that, Li Long ran up the hillside and shouted, "Lunch is served! Everyone, line up in your original groups to get your food and get ready to eat!"

After being called three times, some people put down their work to prepare for lunch, while others planned to finish their small tasks before eating.

Li Long ignored it. He saw that Meng Hai's tractor was still roaring. The slope had been cleared, and a small four-wheeled tractor could pass through without any problem. He was pressing the tractor flat. Li Long quickly walked over to the tractor and called to Meng Hai to turn off the engine and get out to eat.

He called out from this side, and then another group from the other side of the slope called out. Seeing that the road over there had been basically widened, Li Long called out again, and the people there moved quickly, one after another putting down their tools and walking over.

Each person received a meat bone, and the enamel bowls also contained braised mutton and stir-fried mutton offal, plus half a naan bread.

Those who had already gotten their food found a place to sit down and prepare to eat, while those who hadn't gotten any were queuing up and discussing today's meal. After a morning of getting to know each other, the herders and the staff of the supply and marketing cooperative had become familiar with each other, chatting and laughing. Ma Xiaoyan had already gotten her food, but she couldn't resist putting it down and taking a few more photos of the scene.

That's so fitting for the occasion.

Li Long was the last to eat after everyone else had finished getting their food.

He was truly hungry. He might not have done as much work as others today, but he ran much more uphill and downhill roads. Fortunately, he had basically completed the planned work in the morning, with some to spare. The road to Buick's winter camp was basically finished; next up was the next place.

Li Long had already looked at the road to the next company; the workload would be less, and it should be finished before sunset that afternoon.

After finishing their work, no one sang or danced today—to be honest, everyone was a bit tired. Li Long announced a one-hour break, and some people simply leaned against the trees and dozed off.

So tired!

(End of this chapter)