Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 979 Arrival in Yanjing: The courtyard is beautiful and comfortable! I wish I could stay there every day.
Seeing that Li Long had slowed down, the two men walked to the side of the road and looked at Li Long in the driver's seat with smiles.

As Li Long approached, one of them shouted:
"Comrade Li Long, right? I'm Zhao Zongming, the company commander of the 13th Company next to Wang Mingjun's. I have some things I'd like to discuss with you."

When Li Long learned that the two men knew his name and were even the company commander, he relaxed most of his guard. He could also tell that they hadn't taken anything. Considering his own fighting skills, he felt confident and pulled over to the side of the road before getting out of the car.

"Hello, Company Commander Zhao." Li Long shook hands with Zhao Zongming, who then pointed to the man next to him and said, "This is our Deputy Company Commander, He Manhua."

"Hello, Deputy Company Commander He." Li Long shook hands with the deputy company commander.

Zhao Zongming was not tall and looked older than his age, even older than Li Jianguo. He Manhua, on the other hand, was quite young, not even thirty, but a bit simple-minded, just smiling and not saying a word.

"We heard you were coming, so we're a bit presumptuous of stopping you here. We mainly wanted to ask about the big broom-making project," Zhao Zongming said, getting straight to the point. "We were hoping to invite you to our company for a visit, but we didn't know if you'd have time..."

“No, I didn’t even stay for dinner when Company Commander Wang invited me,” Li Long shook his head. “I’ve been quite busy lately…”

"I understand, I understand." Zhao Zongming nodded. "Then let's just say it directly. Our company also wants to take on the broom-making job. Don't worry, we're definitely no worse at making brooms than Wang Mingjun's company..."

"Yes, we can definitely guarantee that!" the deputy company commander next to him repeated.

Li Long shook his head and said, "Company Commander Zhao, I don't doubt that. But the reason I came to see Company Commander Wang is that the job of making large brooms hasn't come through yet. I've told them to get started, but I'll be back in about two weeks. If the job hasn't come by then, I'll just take the brooms myself and stop making them. If the job comes through, then that's another story..."

“So that’s how it is…” Zhao Zongming’s expression turned serious. “In that case, if we want to give you the injection, we can’t force you to.”

“If this year’s tasks are more than last year’s, then I can certainly allocate more to you, since time is tight, and it would be fine if more units joined in. But right now, I don’t know if there are any tasks or how many there are,” Li Long said sincerely. “So I can’t give you an answer right now.”

"The price of that big broom..."

"If the price given above remains the same, then it'll be three yuan and fifty cents each. We'll discuss it further if there are any changes," Li Long said, echoing Wang Mingjun's statement.

"Three yuan and fifty cents, that's quite a lot. If you make five or six bundles a day, that's ten or twenty yuan." Zhao Zongming had obviously heard the price before, but he was still pleasantly surprised to hear the real person in Li Long's words.

“But the quality requirements are very strict,” Li Long reiterated. “I will not accept anything that does not meet the standards.”

"What standard?" Zhao Zongming asked immediately. "Tell me, and I'll write it down."

Li Long then explained the standards for the large broom, and Zhao Zongming's expression relaxed upon hearing this. He smiled and said:

"It's easy. We make big brooms this way all the time."

"Don't think like that," Li Long said solemnly, shaking his head. "In the past, the brooms that our supply and marketing cooperative collected were tied according to the usual standards, but what happened? After they were collected, they were often criticized by the leaders because after sweeping for ten days or half a month, the reeds would fall off. We don't accept those kinds of brooms here—I'm very strict in my inspections, and we don't want brooms that don't meet the standards."

Also, the reeds shouldn't be too brittle; the kind that breaks easily with a few sweeps is fine.

Only after Li Long said that did Zhao Zongming take it seriously.

"Manhua, did you write it down?"

"Write it down."

“Alright, let’s go back and make a few samples first.” Zhao Zongming then said to Li Long, “Comrade Li Long, you’re coming over in ten days or half a month, right? Can you contact us in advance? We’ll let you see the samples then. If they’re okay, if we can make them, we’ll do it. If not, it won’t delay anything.”

"Okay, leave your company's phone number." Li Long thought it was good to have more competition, so they could select the best and complete the task ahead of time. Of course, if there were more tasks this year, it would also be good to have a plan.

Zhao Zongming left the company headquarters' phone number, and then he also asked for Li Long's phone number. Li Long gave them the purchasing station's phone number.

"Come on, Manhua, pack the chicken for Comrade Li Long," Zhao Zongming said finally.

He Manhua pulled a burlap sack from the ditch by the roadside. The sack was moving, and it contained live creatures.

"These four roosters are a small token of our appreciation. Comrade Li Long, you must take them with you," Zhao Zongming said sincerely.

"No, no, no need," Li Long hurriedly refused. He couldn't possibly owe someone a favor before doing anything.

But Li Long couldn't refuse in the end, so he told He Manhua to throw the sack directly onto the back seat, where it was piled up with watermelons.

Li Long had no choice but to wave goodbye to the two men and then drive away, as he needed to get home quickly.

Back in the courtyard, even someone as healthy as Li Long felt a bit tired.

After all, traveling back and forth all day and dealing with so many people is exhausting, both physically and mentally.

Fortunately, all his expectations were met, and now he could focus on preparing for his trip to Yanjing.

Since I'm going again, I should bring some gifts for Director Dai, Xiao Wang who's helping me supervise the work, and my sister-in-law Gu Xiaoyu.

Gu Xiaoyu and Xiao Wang had it relatively easy; they just needed to bring practical items. Li Long, however, wanted to bring more dried meat. Even well-off families couldn't afford to eat meat every meal at this time. Dried meat was easy to store, convenient to bring, and easy to eat.

As for Director Dai, he certainly wouldn't lack meat. After thinking for a moment, Li Long planned to bring over two deer antlers and a deer penis. These things weren't very expensive, costing around two or three hundred yuan, but they were good quality items, and Director Dai knew their value.

We have deer antler and deer penis at home, as well as dried meat, but we don't have much stock. If we want to take 20 or 30 kilograms with us, we'll have to make more for our own consumption.

Thinking back to his past, it would take at least ten days to go back and forth, so Li Long decided that it would be better to go to Lao Ma's place tomorrow to kill another sheep and bring it back to his home to make dried meat.

That evening, I told Gu Xiaoxia about it, and Gu Xiaoxia said, "Then we should bring a few jade pieces over to Xiaoyu. We've been doing this kind of work lately, and jade pieces like this are quite popular over there."

I handle the shipping, she handles the delivery, and we split the profits 50/50. In just over two months, we've earned two or three thousand yuan!

“That’s great!” Li Long said with a smile. “That’s perfect. When I get to Wucheng, I’ll buy some more jade from the factory and take them with me.”

"What if they don't open over there? You should bring a few things from home to keep on hand." Gu Xiaoxia was a little worried. "That way I won't have to mail them from the post office. It's not safe to mail things anyway. Xiaoyu said one of them was cracked."

Li Long thought about it and agreed. Parcel transportation couldn't be as secure as carrying it himself; there were many stops along the way, and you'd encounter all sorts of people. Some would be very kind and careful, while others would be rather rude—that was inevitable. He'd even heard of people at some stops who, seeing that the parcels were labeled as containing food, would casually open them and take the food out to eat.

That's unavoidable; it's impossible for everyone to have high moral character.

So there's one more thing to prepare.

The two discussed in detail their trip to Yanjing with Li Long, as well as the arrangements for household matters after Li Long left.

Because Mingming and Haohao's two children didn't sleep well at night, Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia didn't do anything for the two nights.

After all, the child is older and knows how to speak, so it would be quite embarrassing if he said something inappropriate.

The next day, Li Long began packing his bags. He could wrap the deer antlers and deer penis in cloth first, but there was no need to rush with the dried meat; he could pack it the day before he left. Anyway, one large backpack could hold everything he needed.

This backpack is a bit too big for an average person, but its original owner was a tall and strong man, and Li Long is also very tall, so it fits him perfectly.

Li Long only needed to bring two changes of clothes. Gu Xiaoxia suggested that he bring more money and a few pieces of jade.

When Li Long was packing his bags, he thought for a moment and took out two thousand dollars from the remaining dollars to pack as a preparation. As for whether he could buy anything, he would have to see how things went.

He made preparations so early because he called the Beijing Liaison Office a couple of days ago, and they said the renovations were nearing completion and would be finished in no more than a week.

So Li Long decided to prepare to go now, and with three or four days on the road, the renovation would be completed by the time he arrived.

He plans to take the train on July 30th. It's neither the busy farming season nor the time when students return to school, so the train should be readily available and not crowded.

The day before he left, Li Xiangqian called to inform Li Long that the guy who made the big broom had survived!

Upon receiving the news, Li Long rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative, eager to hear the details.

"Director Qian still values ​​you highly," Li Xiangqian said with emotion. "Our prefecture's sweeping task this time is 60,000, and Director Qian approved 40,000 for you. He called me and specifically asked you to do it, saying he felt at ease with you doing it. I also told the director that I wouldn't feel at ease handing it over to anyone else, so it's definitely going to be you."

Forty thousand, that's a bit of a challenge.

"I have good news for you. The price of brooms has gone up. They'll cost you six yuan a broom." Li Xiangqian continued, "I'll say it again, we're not short of money. You can have all the money. All you need to do is improve the quality."

"Don't worry about the quality. Although the number of tasks has increased, I've found new partners, so it should be fine within a month."

Last year's work was completed ahead of schedule, and Li Long thought that if Zhao Zongming's company was added this year, it should be completed before the end of August.

"You don't need to rush. Since the number of tasks has increased, the state stipulates that all the large brooms this year should be completed before September 10th. They can be sent over in batches. I trust you, so when the time comes, you just tie up the large brooms, and our supply and marketing cooperative will send a truck to pick them up and send them over in one go."

"Okay, I'll notify everyone when I get back. Actually, they've already started setting up at all the locations since I came last time, and now it's time for them to go all out. Of course, don't worry, Director, I'll definitely emphasize quality; I don't want to ruin my reputation!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, I trust you to handle things," Li Xiangqian said with a smile. "Alright, I have other things to do. Now that you've said that, get lost!"

Li Long smiled, said goodbye, and left the supply and marketing cooperative.

A large broom costs six yuan, and there are 40,000 of them. The extra price difference alone is 40,000 yuan—this money is not easy to earn.

Li Long thought that he only had four work points. Wang Mingjun's work was easier; he could make more than 10,000 sticks a month, which was barely enough for the team. Meng Hai's work was a bit less. If Zhao Zongming's work could also make more than 10,000 sticks like Wang Mingjun's, then this job would be easier.

Fortunately, we have an extra ten days, which is quite ample. As long as we explain the details to these locations clearly now, there is hope that the job can be completed.

Li Long was also anxious to go back and tell everyone about this, so after rushing home, he first called Zhao Zongming.

"Hello!" came an unfamiliar voice from the other end of the phone. "This is the 13th Company Headquarters. Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Company Commander Zhao Zongming." Li Long breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the phone number was correct. "Is he in?"

"The company commander is here. Who are you?"

"I am Li Long."

The man called for Company Commander Zhao to go, and Zhao Zongming quickly came over to answer the phone, speaking very warmly:

"Comrade Li Long, I didn't expect you to call so soon."

"Hello, Company Commander Zhao, I have some good news for you. The broom-making team survived. This year's workload is more than last year, and your company can participate."

"Really? That's great!" Zhao Zongming said with delight. "The price isn't settled yet, is it? A lower price is fine too."

"Nothing has changed, except the quality requirements are extremely high. I think you should be fine. Last year, the operations performed by Company Commander Wang Mingjun showed me the efficiency of our Production and Construction Corps. Assembly line work! They did a really impressive job of making large brooms like this. I was truly amazed..."

"Oh, don't worry, our efficiency will definitely not be worse than his!" Zhao Zongming's spirits were immediately roused. "Is there a limit to the number of missions?"

“No, it’s in August. I’ll take as many as you need, as long as they meet the standards,” Li Long said generously.

In the Corps, except for some special units, the number of employees in a normally numbered company is roughly the same, so he dares to say that.

"Hey, with that in mind, I can finally focus on my work!"

Zhao Zongming hung up the phone and shouted in his loud voice, "Someone come here!"

After hanging up the phone, Li Long immediately called Wang Mingjun again, conveying the same message: urging them to hurry up and start making the large brooms.

Li Long had to make the trip to Meng Hai's place himself, because after the programmable radio was upgraded, the production team headquarters no longer had a public telephone. Neither Meng Hai nor He Yuqing had one installed at home, as they felt it was unnecessary.

This is quite common in rural areas. It will take two years before the village stores install telephones, and at that time, you will have to pay to make a call.

Li Long called his older brother and asked him to announce over the team's loudspeaker that it was time to collect the brooms.

Then he drove his jeep to Qingshuihe Village.

After all that was done, the next day, July 30th, Li Long finally felt relieved enough to take a bus to Wucheng. He'd been so busy lately that he hadn't had a chance to buy a house in Wucheng yet.

After arriving in Wucheng, seeing that it was almost lunchtime, we decided to eat first and then go to the jade factory to buy jade.

Liu Gong was still there, and he specially left a few jade pieces for Li Long, which Li Long bought for more than four hundred yuan. He also bought a few pieces made by his apprentices.

Engineer Liu told him that there weren't as many riverbed jade stones as before, and he was receiving more mountain jade stones. Fortunately, these mountain jade stones were of good quality; although the pieces weren't large, they were still fine for carving a small piece of jewelry.

Li Long carefully wrapped each piece of jade he had bought in newspaper, then wrapped them in cloth and put them in his backpack. He then bid farewell to Engineer Liu and headed to the train station.

Four days later, Li Long arrived in Yanjing. Despite being covered in dust from the journey, he went straight to the two-courtyard house he had bought.

The yard was indeed renovated, and it exceeded his expectations.

From the outside, the courtyard wall is painted white and decorated with paintings. The wall is 1.8 meters high, with a 20-30 centimeter gable roof, making it more than 2 meters high. You can't see inside.

The main gate is also in an antique style, with painted tiles and carved beams and painted rafters. Although there are no stone lions at the entrance, the tin sign hanging by the gate makes it clear that this is no ordinary place.

Compared to other walls that have been in disrepair for years, this place is truly unique.

Just openly tell others that this place is not to be trifled with, and not to come here.

Li Long checked that the lock hadn't been changed, then found the key, opened the door, and went inside.

A faint smell of paint, wood glue, and sawn wood filled the air.

It's not strong, but you can still smell it; there's also a hint of floral fragrance and the unique scent of plants.

The bricks on the ground have been cleaned, and the blue bricks are joined together so that the gaps are almost invisible. It feels very solid underfoot, with no hollow or unstable areas.

The walls inside had been repainted, and the wood in the corridor had been painted. Li Long went up and knocked on it, and could tell that it wasn't rotten wood.

As you walk further in, you see that the roof tiles have been replaced, and at a glance, you can't see any exposed electrical wires. That's quite well done.

Some of the original plants in the yard have been moved, while some of the better ones have remained; overall, it looks just like a newly built yard, giving a very comfortable feeling. Before, probably in winter, and with the house unrepaired, it felt quite dilapidated.

The season may be different now, but the most important thing is that after the renovation, the yard is spacious and vibrant, and the color scheme is not so dark anymore, making it more comfortable to look at.

Li Long immediately liked it—it was much more comfortable and pleasant to look at than his own big courtyard.

It's a pity we can't live there every day.

Then I went inside to take a look. The kitchen and other things had been renovated. It must have been ventilated during the renovation, because the smell wasn't unpleasant when I entered.

After a cursory glance, Li Long was quite satisfied.

Then he left the courtyard, locked the door, and went to find Gu Xiaoyu first.

Later, Xiao Wang will definitely lead him to inspect each yard one by one, so now he doesn't have to inspect them individually anymore.

You can only see a part of the whole picture from a small part, and what I saw was far more than just a small part. I'm satisfied with this level of decoration.

　It's said to be a very good book. I used to read a lot about American fishing, entertainment, and gangsters, but this time I'm reading about hunting, which is also quite good.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)