Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 956 Gu Boyuan's Unexplained Temperament and "Political News"

The notification was given to Li Long by Li Xiangqian himself. He told Li Long to drive to the supply and marketing cooperative to pick him up, and then take him to the county party committee compound, where the county's top two leaders wanted to see them.

Li Long was at home playing with Mingming and Haohao. The two children are almost two years old. At this age, they can walk quite steadily, but they still wobble a little when they run around occasionally, which is a very fun time.

Upon receiving the call, Li Long didn't dare to delay. He quickly handed the child over to Sister Yang and drove his jeep to the supply and marketing cooperative.

"Hey, this time I really owe it to you. The leader gave me a good compliment." Li Xiangqian said with a smile in the jeep. "I should be able to get an award this year. The county level is the most basic. If I can get one from the prefecture level, that would be even better."

"Why didn't you ever think about getting a spot in the autonomous region, Director?" Li Long asked with a smile as he drove.

“Hey, you dare to think that, but I wouldn’t. All the things we’ve done these past few years, if it were in the newspapers, people might think the supply and marketing cooperative has done a lot, but if you really investigate, the leaders will definitely know I’ve only benefited from your influence.” Li Xiangqian’s mind was very clear at this moment:
“We’re doing superficial projects, while you’re doing things for the long term. So I’m already quite happy to have received a commendation from the state.”

The journey was relatively short, and the two arrived at the county government compound after exchanging only a few words.

At the main gate, after the armed police officers verified and registered them, they let Li Long and his group in. As soon as they entered, Li Long saw Ma Xiaoyan and another staff member waiting outside.

When Li Long parked the car and got out with Li Xiangqian, Ma Xiaoyan and another male staff member wearing a polyester shirt walked over with smiles.

"Hello Director Li, hello Comrade Li Long! I am Cao Jiangang from the County Party Committee Office. The leaders are currently waiting for you two." The male staff member introduced himself and shook hands.

Ma Xiaoyan chimed in, "The leaders attached great importance to this, saying that Li Long has brought great honor to our county..."

Cao Jiangang glanced at Ma Xiaoyan but didn't say anything. Ma Xiaoyan smiled and continued, "Shall we go in?"

Li Long felt the atmosphere was rather subtle at this moment, and he looked at Li Xiangqian.

"Let's go, don't keep the boss waiting," Li Xiangqian said with a smile. "Hurry up."

The four people walked quickly forward, with Li Long following behind. However, Ma Xiaoyan and Cao Jianguo flanked them, clearly making them the central figures.

Let's go in then.

In the conference room, the county's top two officials were talking about the matter with smiles on their faces. A document was placed on the table, which was clearly the notice.

Li Long and Li Xiangqian were led into the conference room, where Ma Xiaoyan and Cao Jianguo poured them water and then left.

"Comrade Li Long, is that right? You're truly a remarkable man. To be honest, we haven't done our job well enough. You've accomplished so much these past few years, but we haven't paid enough attention..." the top official said with a smile. "This is a great occasion. It's not easy for our county to produce such an outstanding role model. After the conference in Yanjing, you should give a proper report to everyone in our county, sharing your advanced experiences..."

"Li Long is also a representative of the People's Congress in our county. His proposal has already been sent to the autonomous region, and the leaders attach great importance to it." The county head said with a smile, "What a talent! It seems that he will be able to make even greater contributions in the future."

"Comrade Xiangqian is also quite good. As a talent scout, he discovered such a talent, and our supply and marketing cooperative has also made a name for itself this time."

"That's right. Our supply and marketing cooperative has done a good job in building its workforce. Even after Lao Wei left, the workforce development hasn't fallen behind, which is great."

Hearing the praise from the top two leaders, Li Xiangqian's face beamed with joy. He first modestly expressed that he would continue to work hard, then pointed to the documents on the table and said:
"Is this the notice? Sirs, may I take a look?"

"Look, this is what you should see." The county magistrate pushed the document in front of him.

At this point, the top leader had already asked Li Long about his relationship with the herdsmen in the mountains.

Li Long briefly recounted the story from when they first met until now, about the road construction.

The top leader said with great emotion:
"We became friends when we were poor, but we never forgot each other when we became well-off. You helped them improve their living standards, and they trusted you and entrusted you with the supplies they obtained from the mountains. You are truly a close friend."

What's remarkable is that you could easily leverage your relationship with them to act as an intermediary and profit from both sides, but by building the road and letting them see the outside world, you've essentially cut off your own source of income... This is truly commendable.

Li Long smiled and said:

“Making money can make life better, but people can’t just focus on making money. I have a good relationship with the herders, and I feel that as their Dorsen, I have an obligation and responsibility to make their lives better and broaden their horizons.”

"That's right. Nowadays, many people say that everything is about money, but you can still keep a clear head. You don't forget your hometown people after you get rich. I saw in the materials that after you got the job from the supply and marketing cooperative, you led several villages and the production and construction corps to produce and get rich together. It's the same with the purchasing station. Not bad, not bad. It conforms to the characteristic of our Party that the rich lead the poor. You have a lot of awareness!"

Li Long's face turned red. He did these things entirely on a whim, without ever considering any conscious effort.

"Hey, young man, you're still embarrassed?" The leader laughed heartily. "Not bad, not bad at all. You can still maintain a childlike heart. Not bad at all."

Li Xiangqian had already finished reading the document, put it back to his superior, and said with a smile:

"Don't be fooled by his appearance, leader. Li is shrewd when it comes to business. He's mastered the art of small profits and quick turnover. Of course, Li Long has always been strict about quality and has even brought honor to our autonomous region!"

Then he recounted the story of the big broom.

The top two leaders are not in the supply and marketing sector, so they really don't know much about this kind of thing. After hearing this, they became even more interested in Li Long.

"Good job, young man!" The county head praised repeatedly after hearing the story. "How come we didn't know about this? Now, our work safety needs Comrade Li Long's strict standards!"
Comrade Li Long, after you return from Yanjing, I will have someone from the government office compile materials on your deeds in this regard and distribute them to those engaged in production so they can study them carefully!

The top two leaders chatted with Li Long and Li Xiangqian for forty or fifty minutes. Cao Jiangang outside urged them twice that there was a meeting to attend before they got up and left.

"Hey, I really benefited from your success this time." As soon as the leader left, Li Xiangqian said to Li Long with a beaming smile, "Our supply and marketing cooperative is an advanced collective at the prefecture level, and I'm an advanced individual at the prefecture level! Hey, I've hit the jackpot this time!"

This notice was a forwarding of the autonomous region's notification from the state, and it was also a notification to the state-level advanced units and collectives in promoting ethnic unity. Li Xiangqian thought to himself that this was another opportunity for him to show off.

I recently attended a meeting in the prefecture and reported my thoughts and plans on this matter to the leaders. Now the results are in, how can I not be happy?
After leaving the county compound, Ma Xiaoyan told Li Long about some related preparations.

The notice stated that Li Long had to assemble at the autonomous region's headquarters before May 10th to go to Yanjing with the staff from the autonomous region to participate in the commendation ceremony.

"You need to prepare a speech before you go. It doesn't have to be long, just a few hundred words. It should mainly talk about your feelings and how you plan to continue contributing to ethnic unity, etc." Ma Xiaoyan, based on her work experience, gave Li Long some pointers.

"You'll need to prepare a set of clothes. Luckily, we're Han Chinese, so we don't need to prepare ethnic costumes. Accommodation and food will be provided by the government there; just follow the staff's instructions. You'll definitely need to write a report when you get back. You'll have to ask the staff whether you prepare the report yourself or they will prepare it for you..."

Ma Xiaoyan explained things in great detail, listing many points. Li Long was truly grateful to this female cadre, as she genuinely cared about him.

"Little Ma, I think you've thought this through very well. It would be great if you could come with Little Li this time," Li Xiangqian joked. "Or, could you help Li Long prepare some materials these next few days? You know all about his situation anyway, and I'll have Li Long thank you properly later..."

Li Long thought to himself that he shouldn't bother two people with the same task. If Ma Xiaoyan really had the time, it wouldn't be bad to help him prepare.

His wife, Gu Xiaoxia, should be able to handle it too, but in this area, everyone has their own expertise, and the materials Gu Xiaoxia writes will definitely not be as good as those produced by the propaganda officer.

"Let me see... Hmm, it should be ready before the 10th." Ma Xiaoyan actually agreed. "How about this, we both have things to do on Labor Day (the 1st) and Youth Day (the 4th). After those things are over, I'll work overtime, and it should be ready by the 7th or 8th. However, I can't guarantee the quality of the materials, after all, we're going to a national conference..."

"Don't worry, no matter what you do, it'll be better than what I can do," Li Long said with a smile. "Thank you in advance, I'll treat you to dinner later!"

"Forget about the meal. If you have the intention, just send me a fish or a leg of lamb later." Ma Xiaoyan's words were quite practical. "How about it?"

"Hey, deal!" Li Long laughed. Wasn't that easy?

After driving out of the county government compound and dropping Li Xiangqian off at the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Long drove back to his own home. He took two dried lamb legs from the storage room and went out again. Since he'd asked for help, he wanted to show his sincerity. He wasn't in the habit of owing money; these two lamb legs would be his advance payment to Ma Xiaoyan.

At the entrance of the county government compound, Ma Xiaoyan, carrying a bag of lamb legs, was somewhat surprised and embarrassed. She could only say to Li Long:
"Don't worry, I'll definitely write it well for you!"

Li Long smiled. He was relieved; after all, it was better than what he had written.

When they returned home, the meal was almost ready. Mingming and Haohao, who couldn't stand being hungry, had already started eating. When they saw Li Long, they danced around excitedly, calling out "Dad" as they ate.

Sister Yang chased after the two children, wiping the rice grains off their faces. Today's lunch consisted of rice, stir-fried leeks and eggs, spicy pork, and rice porridge.

Two dishes, generous portions, plenty to go.

Gu Boyuan and Gu Xiaoxia then returned to the courtyard. During dinner, Li Long told them about his trip to Yanjing to attend the commendation conference.

"That's it?" Gu Boyuan was the most surprised. "Aren't you just a road repairman? And this is it...?"

"The road will definitely need to be repaired, but it was made possible by what we've done over the years." Li Long was quite proud; all the things he had done had been recorded by his superiors, and the accumulated amount was substantial.

“Hey, now we can finally go over there openly,” Gu Boyuan sighed. “I’ll take this opportunity to tidy up your yard. Don’t make Xiaoyu do it every day. You, as her brother-in-law, are the one in charge of the yard. I think Xiaoyu is more enthusiastic than you are now.”

“Then I have to go over there.” Li Long knew that Gu Boyuan was worried about his youngest daughter, so he said with a smile, “I’ll do it myself after I get there. Don’t worry, Uncle Gu, I will definitely thank Xiaoyu and make up for what I owe her.”

During this period, Gu Boyuan received many calls from Gu Xiaoyu at the purchasing station. However, what displeased him was that after Gu Xiaoyu called to greet him, she mostly talked about how many things she had bought from the entrusted store and brought back to the courtyard.

Moreover, he could tell that his youngest daughter was quite interested in buying things for the courtyard house and decorating it, which made him a little wary.

I hope it's not what I think!

Damn it, that's why Gu Boyuan's gaze towards Li Long is now different; there's a sense of resentment in it.

"Uncle Gu, I'll be going to a meeting, which will probably take a week to ten days. The purchasing station will be entirely in your hands." Li Long said while eating, seemingly oblivious to the situation. "This time I'm going to Yanjing, and I'll bring back some local specialties. Is there anything you'd like?"

Sister Yang and Han Fang were the first to say they didn't want anything, and Gu Xiaoxia thought for a moment and shook her head as well. Life is comfortable now; she can basically buy anything she wants here. Last time she went to Yanjing, the clothes there were very fashionable, but as a government official, she still had to be mindful of her appearance when dressing.

So I stopped thinking about anything.

Gu Boyuan didn't think he needed anything. He was busy at the purchasing station every day and couldn't think of anything else he could ask for.

Li Long thought he'd wait until he got there and see what was available before buying anything.

“Now, people at the purchasing stations are starting to sell large quantities of fritillaria bulbs,” Gu Boyuan said. “Most of them are processed, and a small portion are those dug up directly from the mountains and sold directly.”

“Then we’ll lower the price of the unclean ones.” Li Long was now showing a bit of capitalist ruthlessness. “We’re short-handed and don’t have much time to clean them, so we’ll try to collect the clean ones. As long as we lower the price of the unclean ones, they’ll clean the fritillaria bulbs themselves.”

There is nothing we can do about this.

"The hides stored in the warehouse need to be sold. The hides we're collecting now are spring hides; the winter hides are all stored separately. We need to sell them as soon as possible to prevent them from getting infested with insects," Gu Boyuan added.

"Yes, I'll call Boss Zhao today," Li Long said, "and urge him to come and take the hides away as soon as possible. To be honest, with the hides piled up together, the collection station won't smell good, will it?"

"You even know that?" Gu Boyuan glared at him.

Li Long chuckled.

Li Long's father-in-law was in a bad mood today, so he didn't provoke him.

Gu Xiaoxia also felt that her father was a little different today. After dinner, before going to work, Gu Xiaoxia quietly asked him a few questions.

"It's nothing, it's just summer, all sorts of people come to sell things, so they're a bit short-tempered." Gu Boyuan naturally couldn't reveal his own guess, so he could only attribute it to the weather and the people selling things.

Gu Xiaoxia couldn't figure it out, but seeing that Gu Boyuan's mood had returned to normal, she didn't say anything more.

Although Li Long entrusted the materials to Ma Xiaoyan, he still made some preparations himself. His clothes were just a normal Dacron shirt and black pants, and his hair was also cut, a common mix of a buzz cut and a crew cut. Although the barber said that the most popular style now was a three-seven part, if all else failed, he could get a slicked-back haircut, like Xu Wenqiang in the TV series "Shanghai Bund".

Li Long didn't want it, he thought it wasn't pretty.

Before leaving, Li Long went back to the Fourth Production Team one last time. Everyone there was still busy working—the busiest this year was the eldest brother, Li Jianguo. Although they no longer made hand-pulled tractors, with the new tractor, he had to sow seeds on more than 60% of the village's land, plus his own.

Although Li Long had said that the price of watermelons should be pretty good this year, Li Jianguo still planted sunflowers. The main reason was that sunflowers were less picky about the land compared to watermelons, and they were easier to manage in the middle. Watermelons, on the other hand, not only required choosing the land, but also had to be ridged, and there were many pests and diseases that required multiple applications of pesticides, and harvesting was also troublesome.

The Li family cultivates the most land in the village, and cultivating so much land is a huge undertaking. So, the fact that there's no work weaving and carrying loads this year is actually a good thing for Li Jianguo, since he wouldn't be able to do it anyway.

After all, the income from weaving a stilt house is less than one-tenth of what one earns from sowing seeds.

When Li Long arrived at his elder brother's house, Lu Yingming was also there; the Li family had not yet gone to the fields.

Li Long learned from their casual conversation that Li Jianguo had driven his small four-wheeled tractor with a cultivator to clear all the weeds from the fields over the past two days, so he was now taking a two-day break.

When Li Long entered the house, Lu Yingming was praising the benefits of the tiller to Li Jianguo. His family didn't have that much land, so he was borrowing Li Jianguo's tiller.

"Hey, it's really convenient to use. Some of the weeds in the field are just pulled up by the seed drill, and some are covered with soil. By the time they can be dug out, the corn and sunflowers will have grown tall."

Li Jianguo chuckled as he listened, took out a pack of Baixuelian cigarettes, offered one to Lu Yingming, who shook his head, and took out a flat iron box from his pocket, along with a stack of cut newspapers.

He raised his hand and said:

"I smoke this. The Mohe cigarette is flavorful enough, and with the newspaper containing political news, it's even better."

"Haha, what political news? That's Reference News." Li Jianguo laughed. "You've been to a literacy class, how come you can't read?"

"That's clearly news about political participation!" Lu Yingming stubbornly believed he was right. He flipped through the two-finger-wide strip of paper he was cutting, but couldn't find the newspaper headline, so he turned to Li Long:

"Xiaolong, are you referring to Reference News or Political Affairs News?"

“It’s a test,” Li Long said with a smile. “The writing style is different from our usual style. You can tell it’s a test just by looking at the title page, which is political, and by looking at the subheadings.”

There's nothing we can do about it. At this point, it's already a miracle if literacy classes can teach many people to read. Besides, the headline of this news report itself sounds political, and Lu Yingming isn't the only one who's admitted his mistake.

In other words, everyone felt that only this newspaper tasted better when smoked—a point that Li Long, who didn't smoke Mohe cigarettes, couldn't understand.

But you should still laugh when you should.

After Lu Yingming left, Li Long told him about his trip to Yanjing to receive an award, which made the Li family extremely happy.

A national outstanding individual—there are only a handful of them nationwide each year. What an honor that is!
(End of this chapter)