Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 973 Li Long and Meng Hai: One Plays the Good Cop, the Other the Bad Cop
When Li Long arrived at the road repair site, Zhang Xingwang had already been tied up by Meng Hai and strapped to the tractor.

Meng Hai was pointing his finger at him and cursing him out. He also told the others that if they were in this team building roads, they should just do it properly. If they wanted to do something else, then they shouldn't come. He wouldn't force them.

But if you disobey orders during road construction and try to show off by doing it alone, then don't blame Meng Hai for being impolite!
After Li Long learned the whole story, he announced directly to the road construction workers:

“When it’s time to make big brooms in the fall, I won’t accept the broom from Zhang Xingwang’s family.”

These words immediately changed the expressions of everyone present.

Meng Hai was also somewhat surprised, not expecting Li Long to go to such extremes.

No matter how Meng Hai scolded Zhang Xingwang, he didn't say a word, but there was still a hint of resentment in his expression.

But Li Long's words broke his defenses. Hearing Li Long's words, he hurriedly begged for mercy:

"Comrade Li Long, I won't do it again! I must have been out of my mind just now, I only saw that deer—I'm a really good swimmer, I won't do it again—please let me off this time, I'm really good at cleaning, and my family is very good at it—please don't refuse me!"

In the past two years, especially last year, making big brooms has earned each family hundreds or thousands of yuan, which is incomparable to the eight yuan a day for road repairs now!
With just one sentence from Li Long, it was as if he had wiped out more than half of Zhang Xingwang's family's annual income!

"No way!" Li Long wouldn't budge an inch. "Do you know what? If something happens to you in the water, it won't just be your family who will be heartbroken; my reputation will be ruined too!"
That's bad enough, but this road will definitely be ordered to stop by the authorities. I invested fifty or sixty thousand yuan in this road, and it's all gone because of a damn deer. What kind of nonsense is this?

Li Long was very angry. He pointed not only at Zhang Xingwang, but also at those who were sitting or standing:

"Do you even have brains? Have you ever thought about this? I've treated your villagers quite well these past two years, haven't I? Whenever there's work to be done, I always think of you. Why is it that every time someone tries to take advantage of me?"
What happened with Su Qiangqiang has already happened once, so why is this Zhang guy here today? Is he out of his mind? Or was he kicked by a donkey? Are you happy to make me look foolish?

Don't you think about this? If you can't fix this road because of me, and we create a grudge, will you still have any work to do in the future? I'm telling you this right now: I have plenty of work to do! Plenty of people who can do the work! And even more people who want to make money!
Old Meng and Captain He are good people, we have a good relationship. I put the work on your team because of our relationship. If you cheat me, you're cheating them too. If you don't give the work to you, let's see who's in a hurry then.
"Zhang Xingwang, isn't he? Use your brain! If I say this right here, because of you, your team won't be making big brooms anymore this year. Do you think someone will set your house on fire tonight?!"

These words are very strong and resonate deeply with people.

Li Long was furious. These people either didn't understand or didn't want to understand when he tried to reason with them, but they would definitely listen when he talked about their practical interests.

Those who were repairing the road were all thinking, if they were Zhang Xingwang, and if they lost a job that almost every family in the village earned several hundred yuan a year because of them, burning down their houses would be the least of their worries!
Zhang Xingwang's face was now deathly pale with fear. If Li Long were to tell outsiders that it was because he had stopped assigning work to Qingshuihe Village, then forget about burning down the houses; these guys would be ready to kill him!

That village is definitely not a place we can stay!

Now he realizes he regrets it, and he's so anxious he's almost in tears.

Li Long ignored him and spoke directly to Meng Hai:

"Old Meng, you were right to tie this guy up. I've realized that some people's vision is like that of a fighting cock; they can only see the tiny, insignificant profit in front of them. It's a real loss to let people like that make money."

Old Meng, thanks to you for everything today. We hadn't discussed this road repair project in advance, but I'll make it clear here today: you did a good job, so I can't let you down. Here's a 100 yuan bonus plus 200 yuan for management fees, paid to you right now!

As for Zhang Xingwang, he's no longer welcome to do road construction work. I can't afford someone like him, and I can't take that kind of risk—if anyone else shows any similar signs, you can fire them too!

Li Long's outburst left the road construction workers dumbfounded.

Li Long used to be very kind to them, and he was always smiling when he spoke and did things. He would even help them hunt wild boars so they could have meat for lunch.

He looks like a kind and gentle young man.

Why did your expression suddenly change? That change was quite startling!
What they said was even more frightening; they kept threatening to stop us from working and earning money.

Is this still going to work?
At this moment, everyone's gaze towards Li Long became more complex, with a hint of awe.

Meng Hai's feelings were also somewhat complicated; he hadn't expected Li Long to take the initiative to play the villain.

He tied up Zhang Xingwang out of momentary anger. As for how to clean up the mess, he planned to release him around lunchtime, or after someone persuaded him. This man definitely couldn't continue working for him; as for what to do next, he'd figure that out when they got back.

Now that Li Long has said this, the rules have been completely established. He wasn't thinking about money; he was thinking that Li Long's words would definitely make the work easier and reduce his management difficulties.

After all, everyone knows that making money from farming is difficult right now. Qingshuihe Village doesn't have enough land, so some cash crops can't be grown. Right now, the only way to make money is by making large brooms—which they then sell to Li Long.

Some people did try to make large brooms to sell at the market, but they couldn't sell them. Many city dwellers today used to live in the countryside, so they know how to make them, not to mention the local rural people.

Li Long only made money selling the brooms when he received orders from the supply and marketing cooperative to other places or to other regions.

So Li Long actually held their lifeline in his hands. Threatening these villagers with their lifeline at this point, although somewhat immoral, was really effective.

The atmosphere became a little tense for a moment, but Li Long ignored it and Zhang Xingwang's pleas. He turned around, grabbed a naan from the jeep, put it in his backpack, and then left with his gun.

He didn't even plan to eat lunch with anyone else.

In the past, when I was working, I thought I could get to know the villagers and build relationships. Now I realize that apart from people like Meng Hai who are clear-headed, I can only build relationships with others based on interests.

It doesn't make sense.

After Li Long left, the atmosphere improved somewhat. Some people exclaimed that the floodwaters had risen even higher, while others said that they shouldn't have offended Li Long. Still others looked at the deer that had disappeared into the distance and said that it was all the deer's fault.

Most people were still looking at Meng Hai, waiting for him to speak.

"Alright, alright, stop talking. The floodwaters haven't receded yet. Since we can't work, let's just scatter in the woods. Those who want to pick mushrooms can pick some, and those who want to eat dry rations can eat some. Hey you, Sanpao, you guys gather some firewood and let's start a fire. Let's take the pot off the little four-wheeled vehicle and boil some water."

With the floodwaters still rising, Meng Hai had to find something to do, so he quickly arranged for people to go out and pick mushrooms in groups of three to five to prevent them from being eaten by wild animals.

He untied the ropes binding Zhang Xingwang, who had been woken up by Li Long's scolding. Of course, Li Long's words about not letting him tie the big broom still had some effect.

"I won't say anything more. When you're making the big brooms, I'll talk to Comrade Li Long and make sure you make them well. If you can close them up, then close them up." Meng Hai said to Zhang Xingwang, "You did make a mistake today. But we won't condemn you outright. Li Long didn't say anything definitive; he just told you the situation. Understand?"

"I understand, I understand!" Seeing that Meng Hai was still willing to speak up for him, Zhang Xingwang's expression softened, and he said with shame, "Old Meng, I really was just now... sigh."

"Alright, alright, stop talking, go gather firewood," Meng Hai instructed, and Zhang Xingwang hurriedly went over.

Meng Hai then urged the others not to get too close to the floodwaters, lest they accidentally fall in—the floodwaters had actually stabilized and should recede in about half an hour.

He glanced again in the direction where Li Long had disappeared, sighed, and turned to boil water.

He guessed that Li Long must have gone upstream to check the situation again, and would handle any trouble he encountered himself. Maybe he would hear the sound of blasting soon.

Although Li Long looked very angry just now, Meng Hai felt that it was more of a venting of anger than anything else; in fact, Li Long wasn't particularly angry.

He only thought this way, but he wouldn't tell anyone. The workers were getting a little lazy, and Li Long's shouts would just be the perfect way to rouse them.

That's a good thing. After leaving the crowd with his gun, Li Long's expression returned to calm. He wasn't really angry, just a little annoyed. Of course, he was much better now. He could tell that when he "threatened" these people with money, they all listened.

Contrary to Meng Hai's expectations, he did not intend to go upstream. Instead, he entered the mountains, changed direction, and headed towards Wenquangou.

There were no clouds upstream of the hot spring gully, so it shouldn't have rained and there shouldn't be any floods. Therefore, Li Long planned to go there to take a bath in the hot spring and see if he could hunt some wild game.

Carrying his bag, Li Long trekked over mountains and valleys until he reached Wenquangou. He found that the water level had risen considerably, but the water was very clear. He guessed that the groundwater level had risen, but the groundwater had been filtered by the silt, so it was clear.

The soaking pools were still there, though the boundaries were a bit blurry. Li Long took off his clothes, went into the water, and rebuilt the pools. Then he soaked comfortably in the water, feeling a ticklish sensation on his skin.

After soaking in the hot springs, Li Long didn't see any animals coming, so the planned hunting trip was out of the question. After getting dressed, Li Long ate some naan bread and walked towards the cabin with his gun.

Since he planned to relax today, he strode through the mountains and forests. Occasionally, he would see rabbits or foxes flash by, but Li Long had no intention of attacking them and continued walking.

When we arrived at the cabin, it was past lunchtime, and we only had a third of the naan bread left.

He put the remaining naan into his backpack and looked at the door of the cabin from afar—sure enough, it had been pried open again.

The clothes were still hanging on the table by the door, which meant the person was still alive.

Li Long, gun in hand, strode toward the wooden house.

Although he didn't live here this year, this wooden house was built for him by Yushanjiang, Halim and others with great effort. He allowed Sun Jiaqiang to live here because he was helping him with the work. It's not allowed for others to live here without permission!

Before Li Long even reached the wooden house, a man emerged from it, shirtless and pulling on a vest. He paused for a moment upon seeing Li Long, then asked with a stern face:
What do you do?

Even though Li Long had a gun, he wasn't afraid!
"I'm here to beat you up!" Li Long stepped forward with his gun and kicked the guy over. He kicked him a few more times before looking up and, sure enough, the lock had been pried open again.

"You...do you know that hitting someone is illegal? How can you just hit someone like that?"

"I can just hit people? Tell me who you are and why you live here."

Seeing that Li Long had stopped fighting, the man started questioning him. His eyes darted around as he said, "I'm a herb gatherer from the mountains. The forest ranger gave me permission to stay here. Who are you? Let me tell you, don't be fooled by your gun; the forest ranger who promised me also has a gun—"

Li Long thought to himself, "This guy is such a fool! He saw I had a gun, he saw me coming over to ask him questions, and he just blurted it out!"

“This cabin is mine,” Li Long kicked him again. “I saw the lock had been pried open last time, so I came over to fix it. You were the one who pried it open last time, weren’t you? You’ve got a taste for it now…”

Li Long got angry and kicked the guy again, making his nose bleed.

"What makes you think this is your house? Do you have any proof?" Even as he faced certain death, the man remained defiant.

Li Long was amused and annoyed. He searched the ground and found two locks with the keyholes pried off. He took out a key from his backpack, inserted it, and turned it to open the lock, showing it to the guy: "See that?"

This guy was speechless.

Li Long entered the house and found that the guy had already settled in. Bedding was laid out on the wooden kang (a heated brick bed), and there was an extra tattered quilt and a few ragged clothes on the kang. The stove was also burning, and a piece of meat of unknown origin was cooking in the pot, which smelled rather unpleasant.

He went to check on the small house next door. It was alright; although the door had been pried open, at least no one had defecated inside.

(Don't think this kind of thing is impossible. I saw a video today of people traveling in northern Xinjiang. They parked their cars in front of someone's house at night, the door was locked, and then three cars of people climbed in through the window to sleep without the owner's permission. When the owner found out at dawn, he asked them to take their trash with them, but they turned around and threw the trash down the cliff behind the house, and even left a pile of excrement between two houses. The homeowner clearly said there was a toilet nearby. The car was a Xinjiang N license plate—I don't know if they're from that area, but you really can't judge people's character.)
Emerging from the small house, Li Long discovered that the guy he had kicked down had already run more than ten meters away. He immediately shouted:
"Where do you think you're going? Run again and we'll shoot!"

The person obediently stopped, showing they valued their life.

"Get back here!" Li Long cursed. "Hurry up if you don't want to die!" He even pretended to pull the bolt of his gun.

The man ran very fast, returned to the house, squatted down, buried his head between his legs, and said nothing, seemingly resigned to whatever punishment he was given.

Li Long kicked him over, this time simply because he didn't like the person.

Inside the house were the man's remaining stock from the mountains, two large bags. Li Long looked through them; one bag contained fritillaria bulbs, and the other bag contained miscellaneous items, including ginseng, dried meat, and some metal artifacts he had collected.

He realized what was happening, pointed his gun at the guy, and searched him. The guy had a small knife in his pocket.

This thing can be used as a murder weapon in the right situation; keep it.

I searched around the house again and found a sheathed short knife, a common item from the market, and that was it.

What to do with this guy is a problem, since he didn't come in a Jeep. Li Long thought he could only walk around more.

There were no hoofprints on the ground nearby, so Polati must have been away for a few days. Li Long guessed that Polati knew he wouldn't be able to come to the cabin while he was repairing the road, so he didn't come, which is why this guy was able to sneak in.

After nailing the lock back on, Li Long led the guy eastward. He planned to hand the guy over to any forest rangers he encountered along the way, and if he couldn't find any, he would drive to the road construction site, get in the jeep, and take the guy to the forestry team.

They walked eastward for several kilometers. The man kept complaining of being tired. Li Long would beat him up so he could walk a bit more, then he would complain again and be beaten up again. This went on for a while until they were almost at the gully of Halimudongwozi. Finally, Li Long saw someone riding a horse ahead.

He immediately shouted, and the man on horseback, who had been trotting, sped up and ran towards them when he heard Li Long shout.

Li Long was a little disappointed that it wasn't Bolati, but the young man looked familiar. Li Long didn't know if his name was Mijiti or Haimiti, but he had seen him in the forestry team before.

"Li Long, Adasi, hello!" The young man recognized Li Long, smiled, dismounted, and shook hands with him.

Shaking hands is a common practice, from eighty-year-old men to two- or three-year-old children.

“Our Captain Ellie was talking about you. He told us to let you know when we run into you, saying that we’ve stocked up on some more stuff in our warehouse and you can go and pick it up when you have time.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll be over in the next couple of days. Let me tell you, this guy broke into my house and has been in the mountains for quite a while. Let’s take him back.” Li Long pointed at the man. “He’s really something. He said he knows someone in your forestry team and even claimed that my wooden house is his. I’m furious…”

"I understand." The young man immediately took a rope from the horse's back, tied the man tightly, and then tied the other end of the rope to the saddle. After saying goodbye to Li Long, he took the man and left.

At first, the man shouted that he couldn't keep up, but after the young man helped him along for a while, he calmed down and obediently followed.

Li Long returned to the road construction site with peace of mind. That's more like it—if that guy had been a little nicer, shown weakness, or apologized, Li Long wouldn't have sent him to the forestry team.

In this state, the only option is to send it away, otherwise Li Long is worried that this guy will set the house on fire.

We shouldn't underestimate the vengeful mentality of these people; living deep in the mountains and forests, their moral bottom line is truly hard to predict.

Well, it wasn't a complete loss. I'll drive the jeep back to the cabin later and take those two bags back with me. That'll be some compensation—after all, I suffered some losses for breaking into the cabin twice.

(End of this chapter)