Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 959 Facing the shameless gossip-loving man from Yanjing: Draw your knife!
After locking the door and coming out of the yard, Li Long waited for a short while at the agreed spot before seeing Gu Xiaoyu hurrying over with a cloth bag slung over her shoulder.

When Gu Xiaoyu saw Li Long, she smiled, quickly walked a few steps to Li Long, and said:
"Brother-in-law, congratulations! This is a national honor, that's really amazing!"

As she spoke, she extended her hands. Li Long was a little slow to realize what was happening, and then he shook hands with Gu Xiaoyu before quickly letting go.

"Haven't eaten yet? Come on, let me treat you to a meal, and we can chat about what's been going on lately," Li Long said. "You're familiar with this area, where do you think we should eat?"

"There's a Wang Family Dumpling Restaurant over there," Gu Xiaoyu said. "They have Shandong dumplings, and they taste really good. My colleagues and I often eat there."

“Okay.” Li Long walked in that direction, but after a few quick steps he realized that Gu Xiaoyu, being a girl, walked slowly, so he slowed down. After Gu Xiaoyu caught up, he kept a meter's distance from her and asked her about everyday things.

"It's alright, quite fulfilling. There's not much to do at school, so I just go to the courtyard whenever I have free time... Don't worry, brother-in-law, it's not just these three courtyards, but also my own little courtyard. To be honest, since I have my own little courtyard, I really want to buy everything I see."

Gu Xiaoyu probably doesn't talk much with her colleagues at work, and she has even less to say to at home, so once she met Li Long, she didn't stop talking. From buying the yard to purchasing things and arranging the items in the house, she was very attentive in everything she did.

"You've already moved into your courtyard?" Li Long looked up and saw the sign for Wang's Dumpling Restaurant, less than fifty meters away. People were coming and going, so the business seemed to be doing well. He continued to ask.

“Well, I don’t live here every day. If I’m busy at work, I’ll stay in the company dormitory. Anyway, they’ve reserved the dormitory for me,” Gu Xiaoyu said. “I originally thought about buying a house in our company, but after inquiring, I found out that no one is selling it. So I decided to sell it outside. Fortunately, it’s not too far away.”

Li Long also told Gu Xiaoyu about Gu Boyuan and Gu Xiaoxia's situation, and Gu Xiaoyu listened very attentively.

As they approached the dumpling restaurant, Li Long stopped, took an envelope from his bag, handed it to Gu Xiaoyu, and said:

"I'll find a renovation team to renovate all three courtyards in the next day or two. Why don't you renovate that small courtyard too? Here's the money. After the renovations are finished, I'll need your help to tidy it up and see if anything needs filling..."

"No need, no need, brother-in-law, I haven't even used up the money you sent me last time. The things in this yard are all from the consignment shops, it won't cost much..."

The two men started arguing over the price when two young men walked out of the dumpling restaurant. One of them paused for a moment when he saw Gu Xiaoyu, then glanced at Li Long, a look of realization dawning on his face. He then sneered twice and walked over with his companion.

Just as they were about to meet Li Long and his group, the young man snorted and said to Gu Xiaoyu:

"Gu Xiaoyu, so this is the kind of person you are! Hmph! I was blind!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaoyu knew that the man had misunderstood. She pursed her lips tightly, her face turned pale, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back.

Li Long sighed inwardly. It seemed that growing up in that kind of family environment, Gu Xiaoyu had only learned to be tolerant—or had become accustomed to it—and was nothing like her older sister. Gu Xiaoxia looked weak, but if she really encountered something like this, she would definitely fight back!
"Did he pursue you?" Li Long asked.

The young man and his colleague had already started walking forward.

Li Long could tell that the two were whispering, and it wasn't anything nice.

"Yeah, he also found out I bought a courtyard house. I don't know how he found out, but he contacted me saying he wanted to buy those courtyard houses. I didn't agree, so he..."

Gu Xiaoyu couldn't continue speaking.

"You go in and order some dumplings first, I'll go 'explain' to him." Li Long smiled, "The misunderstanding was caused by me, I'll explain."

“No need, brother-in-law, he won’t listen to reason…” Gu Xiaoyu shook her head. “This person is stubborn… no, a bit obsessive.”

"Don't worry, I'm good at dealing with people like this. I've had my fair share of 'explaining' to them in Ma County these past two days..." Li Long smiled.

In that moment of confusion, Gu Xiaoyu felt a chill, as if there was a murderous aura!
Li Long shoved the envelope into Gu Xiaoyu's hand and then strode after her.

The young man had just parted ways with his friend. He turned his head and glanced at Gu Xiaoyu again, thinking about how to spread the word about this tomorrow—Gu Xiaoyu had only been working for a year, how could she possibly have the money to buy a courtyard, let alone several courtyards?
The most likely explanation is that she was kept by someone and became a mistress!
Once this gossip gets out, let's see who dares to pursue her or marry her in the future.
Then they saw Li Long catching up with them.

The man was startled. What was going on? What did this person want to do?
When he tried to dodge, Li Long had already walked up to him, stretched out his arm, and hugged him.

Before even entering the room, Gu Xiaoyu turned her head and saw Li Long embracing her colleague.

However, because Li Long was so tall and the young man was rather thin, the hug looked like a gorilla hugging a jackal—more like a threat.
Gu Xiaoyu felt a sudden sense of relief for no reason. She put the envelope into her cloth bag and went inside to order dumplings.

"What do you want to do?" the young man shouted, his voice trembling with fear. "There's a police station over there. They'll come as soon as I call them!"

"Call them over and say you slandered your female colleague?" Li Long glanced at him contemptuously. "Do you want me to repeat what you just said? If we just call your friends aside and interrogate them now, it'll be easy to get the information you just said. What do you think will happen if we tell your boss about it tomorrow?"

The young man's face turned pale in patches; he naturally knew what the outcome would be.

Gu Xiaoyu is a conscientious and responsible worker, and is almost universally praised in the teaching and research office. Although she is not a key member, she is being groomed to be one. If the leadership finds out that he has slandered Gu Xiaoyu, he will be the only one who suffers.

These words can be spread privately, but if the leaders find out the source, it will cause big trouble.

"You...what do you want?"

“I don’t want anything. Although I really want to treat scum like you like trash and humanely destroy you…” Li Long deliberately showed the hilt of the short knife he had just taken out of his bag, “I’m not afraid to tell you, I come from the Northern Frontier, where we have quotas for killing people!”
Even here, killing one or two people means nothing to me... I'm only letting you go because of Xiaoyu, but if I find out you dare to harass him again, or if there are rumors about her circulating in your workplace, then you can expect to be executed by me!"

As he spoke, Li Long pulled out the knife and slashed the young man's neck with the back of the blade.

The cold blade pressed against his neck, and the young man was so frightened that he wet himself on the spot!

"Did you hear me? Tomorrow morning, go apologize to Gu Xiaoyu, and then keep your mouth shut! Understand?"

Li Long hadn't expected this guy to be so easily intimidated. He sheathed his knife, gave him a couple more warnings, and only after the young man nodded repeatedly in agreement did he turn and leave.

The quota for killing people came from anecdotes heard in later generations, including riding horses, riding camels to school, learning to make naan bread in class, learning to roast a whole lamb, and so on.

It's quite fun to use it now.

Walking back to the dumpling restaurant, Li Long saw Gu Xiaoyu already sitting at a table, wiping it with a paper towel.

"Alright, this matter is resolved," Li Long said to her. "I've explained it to her clearly."

"Okay, that's good." Gu Xiaoyu knew perfectly well that Li Long had used some unconventional explanation, but she didn't ask what it was. Instead, she said:

"Brother-in-law, I ordered seventy pork and cabbage dumplings. Fifty are for you, and twenty are for me."

People tend to eat more at this time of year, and Li Long barely managed to fill up on fifty dumplings. But for dinner, this was fine. He asked Gu Xiaoyu, "Would twenty dumplings be enough for you?"

"That's enough," Gu Xiaoyu smiled. "There's still dumpling soup."

Alright, I'll go with whatever the host says.

Soon, two large plates of dumplings were served. Li Long had already prepared the dipping sauce, so he didn't stand on ceremony, picked up a dumpling, dipped it in the sauce, and ate it.

It's good, with a thin skin, generous filling, and juicy filling; it tastes great.

Watching Li Long eat continuously, Gu Xiaoyu smiled and also began to eat politely. The two finished their meal almost simultaneously, then drank their soup, and finally left—the money had been paid from the beginning.

“I’ll start preparing for the renovations tomorrow. You go to work. I’ll just be staying in these three courtyards. If you need anything, just look for me here. If you can’t find me, then go to the Beijing office of the Ethnic Affairs Commission of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Here’s the address,” Li Long said. “Also, I brought a few knives with me this time. I’ll leave a few for you as a gift.”

He gave Gu Xiaoyu three short knives, but only after giving them to her did he realize that it was a bit inappropriate. What kind of business is it to give a knife to a girl?
Unexpectedly, Gu Xiaoyu quite liked it. It was still quite bright, and Gu Xiaoyu didn't let Li Long see her off; the two went back to their respective residences.

The next day, after breakfast, Chen Xiangdong went about his business. Director Dai approached Li Long and said that a renovation team would be arriving that morning. He told Li Long to discuss the renovation with them himself.

"I'm leaving Xiao Wang with you. If you need anything coordinated, just contact him," Director Dai said. "I have other things to attend to..."

"Director, you go ahead with your work. I'm already very grateful!" Li Long knew he had truly received a great favor this time.

Xiao Wang led Li Long to the conference room, saying that someone would be coming over in a little while.

Li Long then took out a knife and a jade carving from his backpack and handed them over: "Comrade Wang, I'll be troubling you these next few days. This knife was brought from the northern frontier, and so was this jade. Thank you."

He could tell that Xiao Wang was a local, not from northern Xinjiang, and figured he would like these two things more.

"How could I possibly accept that..." Xiao Wang took the knife and, clearly liking it, said, "Hey, this knife is really exquisite—is it made of Hetian jade? It's quite heavy!"

Li Long chuckled and said, "They're nothing valuable, just keep them for fun. By the way, can the renovation team we hired today do antique-style renovations?"

"It should be fine," Xiao Wang said after putting the two items away. "This renovation team has some experienced workers who supposedly used to renovate the Prince's Mansion. I don't know if that's true, but their skills are excellent, though their prices aren't low..."

"As long as they have real skills, that's fine. The main thing is that I won't be staying in Yanjing for long, and I'm afraid they'll cut corners."

"Don't worry about that," Xiao Wang said, patting his chest loudly as he put away his things. "The director told me I'd be overseeing this from the very beginning. I've been running back and forth between the three courtyards, to be honest..."

He lowered his voice a little: "This is a good job. Anyway, I'm always running around outside, so I don't get involved in the things inside. So, Comrade Li, don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on things!"

Li Long could only feel half relieved. But considering it was a renovation company the Beijing office regularly contacted, it should be fine.

Soon, the foreman and a technician arrived. After a brief chat, the technician, upon learning of Li Long's requirements, smiled and said, "We're experts at this! It's just a matter of keeping the exterior as an old Ming and Qing dynasty courtyard house, but turning the interior into a modern residence with electricity, gas, and water! We've done this many times, we have experience!"

It's hard to say without evidence, so Li Long and Xiao Wang took the two men to Li Long's largest two-courtyard house.

"The bricks on this wall need to be removed and it needs to be repainted..."

"The tiles here need to be replaced. Those imitation glazed tiles are being produced now; they're inexpensive and look nice..."

"The wiring here must be concealed, not exposed. It must be insulated; there can't be any electrical leakage..."

"The drain pipes here need to be thicker, and we need to add a strainer to prevent dirt from getting in and clogging..."

At each location they visited, the technician would explain the details of the renovation, and Li Long completely agreed.

You're really an expert!

"The renovation of this yard, including costs and labor, will cost a total of three thousand yuan," the team leader said. "How about it, it should be completed within a month and a half?"

"So expensive?" Xiao Wang clicked his tongue in surprise.

“There are two more courtyards,” Li Long smiled, “How about we look at them all together?”

"Okay." The renovation costs for the other two courtyards were much lower, totaling just over two thousand yuan, but the renovation team insisted on a round number, five thousand yuan.

If all three courtyards are combined, it will take three months to complete.

Because it was a unit contacted by the Beijing Liaison Office, Li Long gave a deposit of three thousand yuan, mainly for purchasing materials initially. The other party issued a formal invoice—they were a unit with a parent company, and the parent company was a fairly large state-owned enterprise.

It's unclear whether it's an affiliation, someone who's taken a leave of absence to work elsewhere, or a subsidiary established by the parent company.

In short, it has a solid political background and is flexible.

Li Long was quite convinced.

When Gu Xiaoyu was at work, the young man came over and apologized to her. He was so sincere that she had no choice but to accept it—otherwise, people would think she was bullying others!
She didn't know that the young man had initially hesitated, but when he passed by a courtyard this morning, he noticed a sign nailed to the gate that read "Second Section of the Beijing Office of the Ethnic Affairs Commission of Northern Xinjiang," and he immediately understood.

I've really messed up this time!
We absolutely have to admit defeat and apologize right away! They might actually have a spot available!
Gu Xiaoyu felt really good—seeing the people who used to harass her now humbly apologizing and saying they would never do it again, and even slapping themselves in the face, how could she not feel good?
I don't know what others think of Gu Xiaoyu, but she knows it must be her brother-in-law's doing.

I wasn't particularly curious about how Li Long managed to get this colleague to "repent," but the result was quite good.

Her colleagues started looking at Gu Xiaoyu differently.

Some even speculate that she must have a powerful background, but she just didn't reveal it before, and now she couldn't help but teach this person a lesson.

Unwittingly, the misunderstanding caused by Li Long gave Gu Xiaoyu a hazy protective shield, making some people think twice before trying to deal with her.

Li Long was naturally unaware of these matters. After settling things with the renovation team, he returned to the Beijing office and, while Director Dai was resting, he went over to express his gratitude and presented him with a plaque personally carved by Engineer Liu, inscribed with "Peace and Safety."

"Wow, this is Hetian mutton fat jade, this is a master craftsman's work!" Director Dai recognized its value as soon as he touched it.

"Director Dai has a good eye," Li Long laughed. "Indeed, I have a good relationship with Engineer Liu, and I got it from him."

"Then I'll have to accept your offer," Director Dai said with a smile. "Comrade Li, let me tell you, these things might be easier to get in Wucheng. Here, although I've handled many of them, I can't keep the ones I like. Thank you for your help."

"No, no, no, Director, you've helped me a lot this time and solved my big problem, so I'm really grateful."

"Alright, alright, we're all family here, no need for formalities. By the way, has the renovation been settled?"

"It's settled. Because it will take a long time, we'll go back while the renovations are being done here."

"It's alright, I'll have Xiao Wang keep an eye on it, the quality will definitely be fine," Director Dai said. "Come visit often when you have time. Our Beijing office is like your home, you can come to us if you need anything in Yanjing."

"Hahaha, then I might have to trouble Director Dai quite often in the future," Li Long said with a laugh.

Over the next two days, Li Long bought some more local specialties. Because the three courtyards needed renovation, the matter of commissioning the store to buy goods was put on hold. Li Long also told the renovation team about the repairs to Gu Xiaoyu's small courtyard.

For the renovation team, this was a simple task, and they didn't even charge them.

Gu Xiaoyu finally learned how Li Long "explained" to that male colleague, and then she smiled happily—that male colleague wouldn't really believe it, would he?
She was, of course, unaware that Li Long had missed a crucial detail—no one would consider it a joke if someone told them they had a murder quota when a knife was pressed against their carotid artery.

With this important matter settled, Li Long took a stroll around Yanjing, then bid farewell to Gu Xiaoyu and boarded the train back to northern Xinjiang with Chen Xiangdong.

See you in three months.

Next, we need to get down to business in northern Xinjiang.

(End of this chapter)