Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 987 Li Long, what makes you so arrogant even though you can't sell anything?

When Li Long received a call from Gu Boyuan saying that someone named Qiao Xing was looking for him, he was drying small crucian carp in the yard.

When Li Long returned from the team this morning, he brought back quite a few small crucian carp. The old man, Li Qingxia, had gone to set the net again the night before, and he retrieved the net early this morning. When Li Long went to the front yard for breakfast, his father, Li Qingxia, his mother, Du Chunfang, and his elder brother, Li Jianguo, had already cleaned the fish.

When Li Long returned, he was carrying several kilograms of crucian carp, as well as two black carp. There were also carp and grass carp, but he didn't take them.

Besides the small crucian carp he planned to stew at noon, he intended to salt the rest and dry them in the sun. Eating salted dried fish around the stove in winter would be quite nice.

It's for snacking.

While they were drying fish, the phone rang. Li Long answered and was somewhat surprised to learn that Qiao Xing had arrived.

He had to think for a while before he remembered who this Qiao Xing was.

Since they've come all this way, we should definitely meet them.

Li Long handed the remaining fish to Sister Yang, asking her to work with Mingming and Haohao on this, while he walked to the purchasing station.

Qiao Xing didn't sit in the reception room; he watched with great interest as Gu Boyuan and Sun Jiaqiang packed up various supplies.

The season for harvesting melon seeds is over, and it's currently the off-season for the purchasing station. But even in the off-season, there are still seven or eight people queuing in the yard. They mainly buy ginseng, bark, and miscellaneous items.

Li Long learned some time ago that some people had started collecting jade and selling it to the purchasing station.

Gu Boyuan asked Li Long if he would accept it, and Li Long agreed after thinking about it, but the price he offered was not high.

The main problem is that the jade these people collect is the most common Mahe jade, the kind with black fly droppings. This kind of jade won't fetch a high price even 20 or 30 years from now, let alone now.

So, if we're talking about by the kilogram, it's a few yuan per kilogram. To Li Long's surprise, after collecting for a while and accumulating hundreds of kilograms of jade pebbles of various sizes, he actually acquired a few pieces of relatively high-quality material.

After all, the Ma River is so big that some high-quality materials are always washed down and mixed in with the pebbles, where they are then picked up by people.

"Hello, Mr. Qiao." After arriving at the purchasing station, Li Long spotted Qiao Xing, who was relatively short in the crowd. He went up to greet him, "Want to chat in the back?"

"Okay, okay." Qiao Xing knew that business was important, so he followed Li Long to the reception room at the back.

The hydrangea is no longer working in the backyard; she's quite far along in her pregnancy, and Sun Jiaqiang can handle the current chores, so she doesn't need to be here anymore.

After Li Long poured water for Qiao Xing, he asked:

"Mr. Qiao, did you come here to take a look around, or to buy something?"

"I must be buying something," Qiao Xing said with a smile. "I heard you have watermelon seeds here, so I wanted to come and take a look."

Li Longcai didn't believe Qiao Xing's explanation. He guessed that Qiao Xing probably knew that the melon seeds he had picked hadn't been collected, or that he might know about Dong Zhichao and Bai Xiuming's situation.

However, Li Long didn't spell it out, and asked instead:
"The quality of the watermelon seeds will definitely be the same as last year. How many do you want?"

"If it's the same quality level as last year, then it depends on how much you have." Qiao Xing, who came specifically to see Li Long's melon seed harvesting, said with a smile, "Am I also wrapping things up this year?"

"I have fifty tons here, do you want them all?"

Li Long interrupted him, saying, "They're all pressed."

"So much left?" Qiao Xing asked, feigning surprise. "Is there something wrong with the quality?"

Li Long looked at him and said seriously:
"Of course the quality is fine, Mr. Qiao, you don't need to say that. We both know what's going on. Of course, I can also tell you clearly that these melon seeds are here now because I haven't contacted anyone yet."

Although some people may not have come for various reasons, it doesn't mean I can't sell these watermelon seeds. With such a large market, I believe many roasting factories or food companies will be willing to buy my watermelon seeds.

Qiao Xing didn't expect Li Long to be so blunt, and he smiled awkwardly.

"To be honest, Mr. Qiao, even if you hadn't come, I was actually planning to make a trip to Koukou after the National Day holiday. As far as I know, well-known roasted nut factories in China all have a demand for these roasted melon seeds, such as Shazi Melon Seeds."

"Silly Melon Seeds" was too famous. This year, they even launched a prize-winning sales campaign, which instantly raised their reputation to a new level. However, the government subsequently banned prize-winning sales, and the investigation into Nian Guangjiu began the following year, 1987. But for now, they can still use that brand as a shield.

Qiao Xing hadn't expected Li Long to have such a plan. His expression changed, and then he smiled and said:

"Yes, yes, these sunflower seeds are very popular. Shall we take a look at the goods first?"

Li Long stood up and pointed outside. Having already been to Yanjing, and with his experience from his previous life, Li Long wasn't really worried about the sales of these melon seeds. He had simply been too lazy to go before, plus there were other miscellaneous things to do. If no one came to collect them by the National Day holiday, he was genuinely planning to go to the border region.

The two men entered the warehouse. Li Long turned on the light and pointed to the bags inside.

The sheer number of bags stacked up in the large warehouse was quite a sight. Qiao Xing was taken aback at first, then smiled.

"Just look at any bag you like," Li Long said, pointing to the bags. "They're all here."

Qiao Xing stepped forward, casually untied a bag of watermelon seeds on the outside, grabbed a handful and spread them out to look at them. Sure enough, they were all flattened, and the seeds were plump, without any impurities, shriveled or white seeds.

He put down the handful of melon seeds, reached into the bag, grabbed a handful from the bottom, and looked at the seeds; they were all the same quality.

He went to untie the other bags, and Li Long stepped forward to tie the opening of this bag.

Qiao Xing looked at a few more bags of watermelon seeds, which all looked very good. Then he and Li Long tied the bags together. Li Long saw that he hadn't tied them securely enough, so he tied them again, making Qiao Xing feel embarrassed once more.

"If it's not tied tightly, it will spill when you move it out," Li Long explained seriously. "This stuff is heavier than sunflower seeds, and the bag opening can easily come undone when you move it."

It would have been better if Li Long hadn't explained; he could have just given an awkward smile and let it pass. But his explanation only made Qiao Xing more embarrassed.

The two returned to the reception room. Qiao Xing took a sip of water and asked:
How is the price calculated?

"That depends on how much you want." Although Li Long hadn't sold a single bag of watermelon seeds this year, he wasn't intimidated at all. He definitely wouldn't sell them at a low price or even at a loss.

"What if I have to lose all of these?" Qiao Xing asked tentatively.

"That's how things are this year. If you want to buy them all, I can give you a discount..." Li Long thought for a moment and said, "Then it'll be three yuan."

He stopped mentioning 3.5 yuan. Actually, if he went to Kou Li himself, he could definitely sell it for 3.5 yuan, and the price might even be higher. But the problem is that it would be troublesome for him to make the trip.

Although Li Long is young, his mentality is not so young. If he can avoid running, or run next year, wouldn't he be able to be lazy?

"What if I want ten tons?"

"If you don't want to finish it, then it's three yuan and fifty cents, no bargaining." Li Long had gotten used to doing large-scale business this year and was impatient with small amounts.

Of course, he's selling things, not buying them. The recycling station buys things in small, scattered pieces, but he doesn't handle those himself.

Qiao Xing wanted to bargain, but Li Long waved his hand: "There's no room for negotiation."

He truly hadn't expected Li Long to be so stubborn.

"You don't need to persuade me. I've already said I've anticipated this situation. It's just opening up a market in Koukou, it's nothing. Anyway, if I want to go, I can get there in three to five days. I'll go and ask around at a few factories. I don't believe these people won't want this kind of melon seed."

After he said that, Qiao Xing fell silent.

He was calculating the profit.

Actually, Qiao Xing's factory doesn't need that many melon seeds; the annual sales volume isn't that large.

But Qiao Xing wanted such a large quantity—even if he couldn't use it all, he could resell it to other factories at a higher price.

If you get three yuan, you can resell it to other factories for three yuan and fifty or even three yuan and eighty. It's pure profit!
I just don't have that much money on hand.

Moreover, excess items are difficult to store.

He thought for a moment, then tentatively said to Li Long:
"How about this? I'll pay part of the money first, and then we'll pick up the rest after the factory transfers the payment?"

“No, either buy it all at once (I don’t use this place as a warehouse), or you pay only for the quantity you actually want to buy.” Li Longcai was unwilling to be the one left holding the bag. In the early 21st century, when cooking oil prices rose, some people, knowing in advance, did this: they went directly to the oil press, bought the oil, paid, and didn’t take it away. They would then sell it back to the oil press after the price rose.

He would never do such a thing.

Qiao Xing felt like scratching his head in frustration.

Neither left nor right works, Li Long is very stubborn, there's no room for negotiation!
What else could he do? He could only go back to the guesthouse and call the factory to see if he could get the money. If the factory couldn't provide it, Qiao Xing was even thinking of getting some money himself to collect the melon seeds first.

This thing is definitely going to be popular—although Li Long is located in a remote area, his judgment is correct. Qiao Xing also knows a little bit about it; those factories want to put Li Long's business in check.

It's a good deal for me.

After Qiao Xing left, Li Long went to help. Gu Boyuan looked a little worried, thinking that the business deal had failed.

After all, having tens of tons of watermelon seeds sitting there is really a problem.

Li Long, however, didn't seem to care at all. He smiled and said:

"Uncle Gu, it's alright. I guess Qiao Xing will definitely buy these melon seeds; he's unwilling to not make money from them."

"Of course, it's fine if they don't buy. I told him that if no one comes to buy after the National Day holiday, I'll go to the market in the village and see if I can sell them."

After hearing Li Long's words, Gu Boyuan knew that this was the only way.

But he still hopes to be able to receive and ship goods right on his own turf, which would save him a lot of trouble.

However, Li Long knew that not everything could go as he wished.

So we still need to work hard. Now that we've collected the goods, we need to find a way to sell them and not let them occupy the warehouse.

After all, several small warehouses have already been occupied, containing a pile of broken antiques and a pile of jade.

Li Long wasn't in a hurry, and Gu Boyuan couldn't do anything about it; after all, he was the boss.

Li Long wasn't in a hurry. He took some time to go to Qingshuihezi and visit Meng Hai.

Meng Hai has harvested everything else in his field, but the team only has one tractor, so plowing is quite slow.

When Li Long found Meng Hai, he was at home tidying up his small four-wheeled vehicle. The Dongfanghong 75 tractor used for road repairs was parked in the yard, clearly untouched.

"Old Meng, have you finished working in your fields?" Li Long asked, taking a sip of the tea that Wang Cailing handed him.

"No, the land hasn't been plowed yet. Many people in the team haven't finished plowing their land. Once it's finished, we'll plant winter wheat and then we can go into the mountains." Meng Hai naturally knew Li Long's purpose and directly explained the plan.

“Then you can use this tractor to plow the land. It comes with a five-furrow plow anyway,” Li Long said, pointing to the Dongfanghong tractor he bought specifically for road repairs. “It’s just sitting there anyway, and you can earn some money for road repairs.”

"Can it be used?" Meng Hai had wanted to use it for a long time, but he was too embarrassed to ask.

"Why can't we use it? The oil comes from the oil used for road repairs. But the money earned from plowing the land, after deducting the hundred-dollar driving fee you receive, will be used for road repairs."

"Hey, that's definitely great!" Meng Hai was so happy his eyes almost disappeared. "Great, great, great! Our team's tracked tractors need major repairs every two hundred acres of land, it's such a hassle."

“Then you can do it,” Li Long said. “After you finish plowing and finishing the work in the fields, if I’m there, I’ll come over. If I’m not there, you can lead the people to repair the road yourself.”

Li Long also left 5,000 yuan with Meng Hai as a reserve fund. If Li Long was not around when the road construction started, the money would be deducted from this fund.

Meng Hai was very grateful that Li Long trusted him so much, but Li Long smiled and said:

"You're responsible for organizing so many people to repair the road; you've shouldered a much greater burden than I have. I'm only responsible for providing the money; you also have to coordinate the personnel, organize the road repairs, and ensure their safety. You're the one who's really working hard. Don't worry, once the road is finished, you'll definitely receive your due management fees!"

Hearing this, Wang Cailing laughed even more happily than Meng Hai. In the past two years, she had witnessed Li Long's generosity firsthand. When he said he would give money, he really meant it. Her husband earned more from these part-time jobs than many people working in the city.

As for organizing and coordinating these things, didn't he, as a militia company commander, often do these kinds of things before? That's his job.

Meng Hai invited Li Long to stay for dinner, and this time Li Long accepted; he couldn't always refuse other people's kindness.

In his excitement, Meng Hai called He Yuqing over and told her that Li Long said they could use the new tractor to plow the fields.

"Really? Comrade Li Long, thank you so much!" He Yuqing was genuinely excited upon hearing this.

At this time, the team leader still retained the characteristics of the team leader during the Great Production Campaign, and was genuinely concerned about the team's agricultural production.

"Well, your team helped me make big brooms and repair roads, so this tractor is just sitting there anyway. It's only right that it works for you. Of course, we still need to collect the money, consider it payment for the road repairs."

"It's time to collect, it's time to collect! We're already very grateful that we can use the tractor! We have to have a drink today..."

Li Long said he still had to drive, but He Yuqing suggested that they rest there at noon, so he could sober up before driving back.

Qingshuihezi is located near mountains, but to be honest, if they hadn't worked with Li Long for the past two years, they wouldn't have been able to utilize any of the mountain's resources to get rich.

Don't even talk about living off the mountains; it's really not possible. The main reason is that there were no traditional forest farms or hunters here. The people living near the mountains were originally herders, and most of the Han Chinese moved here later; they are basically farmers.

Although the earliest Han Chinese settlements in northern Xinjiang were established during the Han Dynasty, earlier than any other ethnic minority group, their settlements were intermittent and failed to form a continuous city, town, or village.

The Han Chinese in these towns and villages of Ma County are mostly people who came from recent dynasties, or even after the liberation. Those who are educated either became teachers or cadres after the reform and opening up; those who are not educated mostly stayed in their villages to farm.

Unlike the Northeast, this place doesn't have traditional forest farms or traditional hunters—though it seems that some ethnic minorities in southern Xinjiang still do.

So don't assume that just because there's a mountain range nearby, everyone can live off it and be good at everything. Consider how long these villages have been established, how long the locals have lived here, and what the actual population is.
How long ago was it that we had to carry a stick with us when we went out?
The days of having guns didn't last long either.

Li Long couldn't refuse, so he agreed to have a few drinks, but he promised not to drink too much, just a token amount.

He Yuqing and Meng Hai mainly expressed their gratitude to Li Long and didn't try to get them to drink. Wang Cailing killed a chicken, went out again, brought back some fish, prepared two main dishes, and also made two cold dishes to go with their drinks.

The best thing about farm-style cuisine is the fresh ingredients. You don't need great cooking skills; as long as you're skilled, it's bound to taste delicious.

When the dishes were served, Li Long tasted a few bites and praised Wang Cailing's cooking skills, which pleased her greatly.

"Comrade Li Long, if you like the food, then come often. Winter will come after the road is finished, so there will be plenty of time to eat and drink. You can't just stop coming here in winter."

"Don't worry, they'll definitely come," Li Long said with a smile. "There will be times when I need your help."

"Then please come and bother us as much as possible," He Yuqing said with a smile. "We're afraid you won't bother us."

Meng Hai asked Li Long a question: the people from the neighboring team also wanted to work on the road construction, and he asked if Li Long could help them.

"We can bring them, but as I said before, first, we must ensure quality, and second, we must ensure safety." Li Long put down his wine glass and said, "Although the water is lower in autumn, if we encounter rocks that could blast, we must be careful. Also, we must pay attention to safety when using various tools and vehicles."

He didn't want to risk someone's life while building a road; that would be a huge loss.

Meng Hai stated that he would definitely pay attention to safety.

Although this didn't benefit the village much, the villagers could earn more money through it, which made He Yuqing, the team leader, very happy. He clinked glasses with Li Long twice.

After drinking alcohol at noon, Li Long didn't drive. He rested at Meng Hai's house for two hours, drank honey water, and only went home after he was sober.

Then they found two slaughtered chickens, a basket of eggs, and a bowl of peeled fish in the jeep.

Hey, this is so enthusiastic!

Although Li Long felt a little embarrassed, he was also quite happy when he thought about it.

After all, this is something that benefits both parties.

He ate and drank well here, while Qiao Xing was getting impatient waiting at the purchasing station.

(End of this chapter)