Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 974 Let professionals handle professional matters: Old Meng, do a good job! (One chapter today)
(My daughter is vomiting and has diarrhea, so I don't have time to write more. Just one chapter today.)
When Li Long returned to the road repair site, the work for the day was almost finished.

Upon seeing Li Long return, Meng Hai, who was discussing matters with the villagers, hurriedly gave a few instructions and rushed over.

"Why did it take you so long? Did you come from over there?" Meng Hai asked with concern.

"We went for a spin in the mountains and caught a lock-picking thief," Li Long said. "I just handed him over to the forest ranger. It's about time, let's head back."

"We're getting ready to pack up," Meng Hai said. "Is everything alright over there?" He knew that Li Long had a small wooden cabin in the mountains.

"It's alright. By the way, I'm busy these next few days and might not be able to come. You can keep an eye on the work here. I'll give you the money first." Li Long took out some money from his backpack and counted it out for Meng Hai.

"This 300 is your bonus and management fee, and this 1000 is your wages for the past few days. You can decide how to distribute it. Also, please pay attention to safety, and keep a close eye on the road construction progress. There are a few areas that need special attention; let me tell you..."

Li Long reiterated the precautions to Meng Hai. The forest ranger mentioned today that the forestry team needed to haul something, so Li Long decided to leave the road repair work to Meng Hai, who could come over every few days.

“If you can’t work on a busy day, just stop. I’ll go into the mountains every few days and pass through your village on my way there, so I’ll know in advance if you haven’t started working.”

"Okay, okay." Meng Hai grinned from ear to ear.

Li Long drove the jeep to the cabin, put the two bags inside, and then wrapped the guy's clothes and other things in a ball and threw them into the nearby shed.

If someone comes and wants to rest here, the thatched hut next to it is usable, and these things can be used as well. But if someone tries to pick the lock again, Li Long will have no choice but to use the same method.

Meng Hai drove the tractor back to his yard and gave everyone money, including Zhang Xingwang, who received four yuan. Zhang Xingwang hadn't done nothing today, but he definitely wouldn't be able to do anything later.

Zhang Xingwang was about to plead for mercy again, but Meng Hai glared at him and said that if he kept bothering him, he wouldn't help when they were making the big broom. Zhang Xingwang hurriedly ran away.

"What's wrong?" Meng Hai's wife, Wang Cailing, asked as she placed the food on the small table. "What did Zhang Xingwang say?"

"When the flood came today, a deer was swept down from upstream. He tried to pick it up, but I stopped him. Just then, Comrade Li Long came over and saw it, and scolded him, saying he wouldn't let him do any more work down there, and he wouldn't be hired to make big brooms this year either. He was really upset. I told him I'd talk to Li Long and he could still make big brooms, but he wouldn't be doing that kind of work anymore. He's acting like this trying to get me to loosen up my grip... Damn it, Su Qiangqiang is there, he can't let me down even if he wants to die!"

"Su Qiangqiang is feeling better today," Wang Cailing said. "He's still coughing, but he can walk around the team area to get some exercise. By the way, Zhang Xingwang doesn't hate you, does he?"

"Hate me? He should be thanking me! Comrade Li Long said that it's only because of me that he stopped all the work in our team because of Zhang Xingwang—wouldn't everyone have burned his house down then?"

"Is it that serious?" Wang Cailing hadn't initially thought it was a big deal, but now that she heard it, it seemed quite serious indeed.

She was well aware that if Li Long stopped all the work in the village, including the broom business, the team's standard of living would immediately regress by three years!

Now, which of the nearby villages doesn't envy them? But there's nothing they can do; their village was lucky enough to get in touch with Li Long.

Although reform and opening up have revitalized the market and everyone is showing their unique abilities, only a very small number of people are truly able to find their own way.

Most people still live off the land, and all they can do all day long is make a living from it.

“That can’t be… If they don’t want him to do it, they don’t want him to do it. We can’t let him ruin all the work in the village by himself.” Wang Cailing also understood the bigger picture.

“So I let him go,” Meng Hai said. “Go get a bottle of wine; we’re going to have a couple of drinks today.”

"What's wrong? Is there something good to tell you?" Wang Cailing knew from her husband's expression that there must be something happy.

"Bang!" Meng Hai slammed a stack of ten-yuan notes on the table. "This is my pay for today!"

"So many? How is that possible?" Wang Cailing asked in surprise, looking at the thick stack of ten-yuan notes.

"One hundred yuan is my reward for stopping Zhang Xingwang from going into the water, and two hundred yuan is my management fee," Meng Hai said. "Comrade Li Long is fair in rewarding and punishing. He rewards those who deserve it and punishes those who deserve it. You can keep these two hundred yuan. I'll take fifty yuan of the one hundred yuan for pocket money, and you can keep fifty yuan in your hand. Buy whatever you need."

These past few days, Meng Hai has been working for the same amount of money as the other villagers—eight yuan a day. Wang Cailing has complained about it—after all, he's both in charge of the work and does the labor, yet he gets paid the same. Meng Hai said that Li Long wouldn't treat him unfairly, and now look what's happened!
"Okay, okay, I'll get you the wine. Wait a minute, I'll fry you some eggs to go with the wine!"

Wang Cailing was very happy to receive a large sum of money. She put the money away and hurriedly went inside to get some wine.

When the wine arrived, Meng Hai poured himself a glass. Looking at the glass, he asked, "Why is it only one glass? Aren't you going to drink it?"

At this moment, my son finished his homework and came out, and sat down at the dining table.

"Dad, why have you been drinking?"

"Dad's happy today! Didn't you say your classmate has that really cool pencil case with a magnet? How much does it cost? Dad will buy it for you!"

"Really? That's great!"

"I'm not drinking, I'm going to fry some eggs!" Wang Cailing waved her hand and went to get the eggs.

Meng Hai then drank a cup himself, took a sip, and thought, "This taste, hey, it's really delicious!"

Li Long drove back to the courtyard, where dinner was still waiting for him. He had returned a little earlier than usual today. Gu Boyuan had just entered the courtyard and was playing with Mingming and Haohao. When he saw Li Long return, he led Mingming and Haohao aside.

"Nothing happened today, right?" Li Long asked after getting out of the car.

“The wooden hut in the mountains has been broken into again,” Li Long said. “I caught the thief and had the forest ranger take him away. These thieves are always causing trouble; they’ve dug up all the fritillaria bulbs, I wonder what they’re doing in the mountains.”

"Are you alright?" Gu Xiaoxia was quite worried about him.

"It's alright, I have a gun. I'll point it at him, and that guy won't dare utter a sound." Li Long deliberately exaggerated; in reality, that guy was quite fierce when faced with a gun.

“Yes, you need a gun to deal with people like that,” Gu Boyuan said. “By the way, Jia Tianlong came over today. When he saw you weren’t there, he went back to the guesthouse. He said he’ll be coming over again tomorrow and asked you to wait for him.”

"They've come to collect medicinal herbs?" Li Long smiled. "Uncle Gu, how many fritillaria bulbs have they bought at the purchasing station so far?"

"There are over two tons of dried fritillaria that meet the highest grade. There's still a lot that hasn't been cleaned or dried properly," Gu Boyuan said. "My wife has been a huge help these past few days, washing and drying the fritillaria every day. Otherwise, a lot of the fritillaria we collected would have had to be graded below grade two. Of course, some people are also selling good stuff; some have fritillaria that have been carefully selected for their large size—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them top grade!"

"You've collected so many already?" Li Long thought to himself, it hadn't been long since he sold all the fritillaria bulbs last time.

“Yes, every day there are a dozen or twenty people coming to sell fritillaria bulbs, not only from our Beiting Prefecture, but also from far away. As your reputation grows, the business of this purchasing station will be better. Being in the newspaper makes a difference.”

"Then we must be very polite," Li Long said, leading Mingming and Haohao to the dining table.

"Don't worry, with this kind of service, people have said we're one of a kind. When it comes to making money, it's not shameful to smile more. Those who put on airs deserve to not make any money."

Gu Boyuan gets a substantial share of every profit he makes, and he's come to realize that money in his own hands is what truly matters. When we greet customers with a smile, they're happy, and when they praise us, don't we feel happy too?

That's where the value lies.

In the old days, merchants were ranked last among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Now that the market is thriving, we also need to establish our own status. We don't produce anything; we act as middlemen to earn the price difference. If we maintain good relationships with both sides, everyone will naturally be willing to come.

This is the money we're making; there's no need to put on airs.

Gu Boyuan's ability to figure this out is one of the key reasons why this purchasing station can be run well—of course, he also knows that this was proposed by Li Long, and Li Long's fame is the foundation for the success of this purchasing station.

People came because of his reputation, and once they arrived, they saw that his purchase price was good and his attitude was also good. Who wouldn't want to come? After eating, Gu Boyuan returned to the purchasing station. According to him, there were still many goods stored there, and he was worried about them.

Li Long had already handed over his small-caliber gun to Gu Boyuan and left it at the purchasing station. The courtyard and the purchasing station were not far from the police station, so the police would be able to respond quickly in case of any incident.

The next day, after breakfast, Li Long didn't rush out. He looked at Mingming and Haohao and asked Sister Yang to go to the market to buy vegetables. After taking care of Mingming and Haohao, he went to the purchasing station.

Less than an hour after the start of the workday, there were already ten people standing in the purchasing station.

The usual setup: a large bucket of tea was placed under the window in the courtyard, with a basin and bowls beside it. However, there weren't many trees in front of the courtyard, and Li Long wondered if he could find someone to build a shed in the courtyard, so that at least people could find some shade while waiting, especially when it was hot at noon.

Of course, trees also need to be planted outside, but these trees grow relatively slowly, and it will take at least three to five years to provide shade.

Because it was close by, Li Long didn't drive his jeep. When he arrived at the yard, he found that there were few familiar faces, and those middlemen couldn't possibly come every day.

It was fine since no one recognized him, saving him the trouble of greeting them. He slipped away towards the backyard, when someone called out:

"Hey, hey? Why are you walking towards the backyard?"

Li Long turned his head and saw that the enthusiastic person in the crowd was a middle-aged man who was queuing up. He was carrying a half-full bag of heavy things, but he didn't know what they were.

“I work at this purchasing station,” Li Long said with a smile. “Old Gu and Little Sun both know me. I handle things in the back.”

"Oh..." Upon hearing Li Long's words, the man smiled, looking a little embarrassed.

"Not bad, not bad," Li Long said happily, waving his hand as he continued walking to the back.

The fact that people who come here to sell their goods are willing to protect the interests of the purchasing station shows that the station has a good reputation among them; otherwise, why would anyone care so much?
Upon entering the backyard, Li Long saw Tielan Hua washing fritillaria bulbs and asked, "Sister-in-law, are you busy? Has that Boss Jia arrived yet?"

Although he calls Sun Jiaqiang "Little Sun," to be honest, Sun Jiaqiang is older than him, so calling him "sister-in-law" is no problem—at least he has to give Sun Jiaqiang some face.

"Boss Jia hasn't arrived yet." Tie Lanhua stood up and said with a smile, "Please come in and sit down. I'll call you when he arrives."

"Then you go ahead with your work." Tielanhua was pregnant, though not very obviously, but it was noticeable. Li Long didn't want to tell her to rest—if she rested, she definitely wouldn't earn any money.

So Li Long smiled and went inside.

The door to the reception room was open. It was very clean, with water sprinkled on it, and the air felt damp.

At that time, cement was not widely used. Ordinary homes could lay bricks on the floor, but most of the time they were laid directly, with the bricks joined together without cement, at most a little mud.

So when the ground gets dirty, the usual method is to sprinkle water and sweep. First, sprinkle water on the ground, and then sweep after the water has soaked into the soil and bricks. This way, it is not easy to stir up dust.

So back then there was a word called "洒扫" (sǎ sǎo), which meant to sprinkle water and sweep the floor. Decades later, this word has basically disappeared from use.

This place must have been cleaned this morning; there's a teapot and several teacups on the table in the middle.

Li Long sat for a while but Jia Tianlong didn't arrive, so he walked forward, thinking he might as well go and help Gu Boyuan and Sun Jiaqiang.

Just as I walked over, before I even reached the spot, I heard Jia Tianlong's voice from ahead:

"Has Mr. Li arrived yet? Oh, he's here? Oh, I'm late today, Uncle Gu, I'll go to the back first..."

Then Li Long looked at Jia Tianlong, who was rushing over.

Jia Tianlong, carrying a black bag, smiled even more broadly upon seeing Li Long, and hurriedly reached out his hand:

"Mr. Li, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm late..."

“No, no,” Li Long said, shaking his hand. “I went into the mountains to repair the road yesterday…”

"Understood, understood." After entering the reception room with Li Long, Jia Tianlong said with a smile, "National model worker, I've read about your deeds. Building roads in the mountains is a major undertaking, it can't be delayed—how's the road construction going?"

“That road is probably a hundred kilometers long. They’ve only just started building it, so it’ll take several years to finish,” Li Long said. “There’s been flooding in the mountains. I’ve been keeping an eye on things there these past few days, just in case the road builders accidentally fall into the water.” Li Long poured water for Jia Tianlong as he spoke. “One of them fell in ahead of us, and I saved him. I gave him a warning yesterday, and when I heard you were coming, I didn’t go today.”

"They really need to be warned. Some people just don't value their lives," Jia Tianlong said with deep feeling. "Sigh, it's all about money. By the way, when I come over this time, do you have enough goods to fill a truck?"

"More than two tons, is that enough? Let me tell you, I collected a significant portion of the fritillaria bulbs from northern Xinjiang and then sold them to you."

"That's enough, that's enough. A big client contacted me, and my order schedule was all set up. This sudden need for goods is something I can't help but come to you ahead of time... But to be honest, you've done well this year, you've collected quite a lot of fritillaria."

"It's alright. With more fame, more people come," Li Long said with a smile. "Well, having this fame has its advantages. At least most people trust me."

“That’s right, nationwide!” Jia Tianlong said with obvious envy. “If I had that title, my ancestral graves back home would have been repaired, and maybe the family genealogy would have started from my place.”

Li Longxin thought to himself that his family's genealogy hadn't been revised for forty years since the last revision. If his relatives knew that this branch in northern Xinjiang had produced a nationally renowned figure like himself, wouldn't they also consider revising it when they had some free time?
After all, there is such a celebrity. Not only is there a record of him in my county, but there must also be a record of him in my hometown county. As a national celebrity, his information must have already been published in the newspapers, and his place of origin is still listed as his hometown.

The county authorities will definitely include it in their list of notable figures if they see it.

Anyway, that's what the county annals he saw said: anyone who had received provincial commendations and whose rank reached the department (or division) level or above was considered a celebrity in the county.

"The fritillaria bulbs are all in the warehouse, what are you going to do? Are you going to hire a car now?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you and then go find a car. I brought a few people with me, and they're still at the guesthouse watching the money. That's the downside these days; when you're doing a big deal, it's hard to move the money around," Jia Tianlong complained.

"Don't worry, next year they'll issue big bills, the kind that come in 100 and 51 yuan notes. Then, with our small business, we can just grab a bag of cash and be done with it." Li Long vaguely remembered that the fourth set of RMB was released in 1987. Next year, when Jia Tianlong comes to collect things, it will be a little safer—after all, a stack of 10 yuan notes and a stack of 100 yuan notes are not the same amount.

"Really?" Jia Tianlong asked, somewhat incredulous. "Can he really get out?"

"Don't worry, you'll get out. Now that our country has reformed and opened up, and has a commodity economy, money is practically worthless. Ten yuan was a big deal when we were kids, but what's it now?"

“Don’t even mention when we were kids, ten yuan was a big deal five or six years ago!” Jia Tianlong, who only started making his fortune in the last few years, sighed, “Sigh, things have changed so fast. Now I can’t even stand ten yuan anymore… Let’s go to your house first. I’ll pay my respects to that jade, and then I’ll go find a car to get the money.”

"Okay." Seeing Jia Tianlong's persistence, Li Long didn't refuse. It's just a matter of worshipping the jade, right? He said, "Shall we go now?"

"Let's go." Jia Tianlong seemed more eager to worship the jade than to buy the mother-of-pearl. Li Long, who was eighty years old in total across two lifetimes, actually saw things very clearly. Of course, he had two sons who couldn't understand Jia Tianlong's feelings.

Back in the compound, Jia Tianlong respectfully and earnestly bowed to the jade, then hurriedly went to the guesthouse to find someone to hire a car.

"This Mr. Jia is surprisingly sincere," Sister Yang exclaimed. "I wonder what he's thinking..."

"He's alright, at least he treats his wife well." Li Long said as he walked out. "His family has a strong preference for sons over daughters. He had a daughter as his first child, but he didn't blame his wife. He just hoped that the second child would be a son, which is good."

Even twenty or thirty years from now, there will still be women who blame their wives for not being able to have sons. What Jia Tianlong is doing now is indeed quite good.

Li Long felt at ease doing business with someone like that.

(End of this chapter)