Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 998 It's time to put the snow removal machine on the agenda: With so much snow, why are there no wild animals?

This winter, it snowed quite frequently. Less than ten days after the first heavy snowfall, an even heavier snowfall followed, which lasted for a day and a night and was at least 50 centimeters thick.

No one came to the purchasing station. Gu Boyuan, Liang Shuangcheng, and Sun Jiaqiang from next door spent a whole day cleaning up the snow at the purchasing station.

Li Long and Sister Yang spent most of the day clearing the snow from the front yard of the courtyard and dumping it outside.

The snow in the backyard was more troublesome. Li Long first cleared a large area of ​​road, and then piled some of the snow into a snow wall, making it look like the crenellations of the Great Wall, and even added two oddly shaped warriors.

Although it looked a bit odd, Mingming and Haohao were overjoyed. They used to build those silly-looking snowmen after snowfalls, but this time, with this new style, the two kids were excited to join in and build one together.

Some of the snow was brought directly into the greenhouse, but only a small portion, otherwise the stoves in the greenhouse would be wasted.

Winter days are short, so Gu Xiaoxia leaves early and returns late. When she comes back, she wants to help clean the yard, but Li Long stops her. He knows that Gu Xiaoxia has to shovel snow and do other work at her workplace, so she can handle the housework herself.

"Sigh, I wish that snow-clearing machine you mentioned earlier could be made available." As soon as the snow-clearing season arrived, Gu Xiaoxia remembered what Li Long had said earlier, "This year, the two snowfalls were so heavy, and we spent most of the day clearing snow without doing any work. All the units in the county are like this, even the artillery regiment and the supply depot have people out, and it's still not enough."

The troops stationed in Ma County were not regular field troops and did not have enough personnel, so in addition to clearing snow from their own units, each unit also had to go out and clear snow from the streets.

Students are the main force, but other units also need to send people. At this moment, Gu Xiaoxia remembered that Li Long had mentioned researching a snow-clearing machine. She thought that if they had such a thing, snow clearing would be incredibly fast.
However, it's a bit too late to say anything right now. After all, there's a process from research and development to design and production of snow sweepers. Once they're produced, they still need to be tested. By the time all of this is done, it should be January, right?

But this thing can only be made in winter; if it's made in other seasons, there's no way to debug it.

Li Long wondered if he should call Director Du to discuss this matter.

After all, this will be a huge market in the future, a very large market.

If we can really develop this, then things like pesticide sprayers will be a piece of cake.

However, if I were to talk to Director Du, I would at least have to wait until I had a basically complete design. Otherwise, even if I told Director Du my ideas, the final design would have nothing to do with me.

So he's been staying home these past two days, researching snowplows.

Li Long plans to research two types. One is a push-type snowplow equipped with a gasoline engine. Once gasoline is added, pulling the rope will start it up. Then, like a handcart, it can be pushed forward, and the rollers will spin rapidly. The rollers have brushes that directly pick up and throw the snow under the snowplow, mainly in the upper right direction.

This snowplow is perfect for clearing large snow squares in the office; it just sweeps back and forth. Plus, one person can operate it, and it only needs gasoline. Gasoline is probably the cheapest it's ever been in our country right now, so you shouldn't feel bad using it.

Another type is the snowplow mounted on a small four-wheeled tractor, which is like a harvester. It is powered by a small four-wheeled diesel engine and driven by a belt pulley. It also has a large drum with many iron brushes. When in use, the large drum is lowered to pick up and blow away the snow. When not in use, the large drum is lifted up.

This is more suitable for clearing snow from roads.

The principle is relatively simple, but it's not easy to implement. The main problem is that the roller uses many steel wires as brushes, but the bristles on these brushes only last a couple of days before they're worn out. Iron wire also doesn't work because it lacks flexibility; after a couple of rotations, the wire will fall to one side, failing to provide a continuous brushing effect.

Only steel wire can be used. Steel wire is very tough. The roller keeps turning and brushing the ground continuously. The steel wire will bend when it comes into contact with something particularly hard, but it will immediately return to its original shape.

Besides that, gasoline engines are also hard to come by. These days, engines are in high demand and definitely not cheap.

In comparison, the small four-wheeled tractor is simpler because it doesn't need an engine; it uses the power from the tractor itself and only requires a belt to drive it, making it simpler.

Li Long guessed that the idea was to get this design to Factory Director Du, who would then focus more on the second design. This was mainly because tractors were becoming increasingly common, and Li Long felt that Factory Director Du's vision was still too limited; his current focus was primarily on designing auxiliary machinery and agricultural equipment, and he wouldn't be thinking about groundbreaking research like engines or electric motors.

Of course, Li Long himself had these concerns. He had used or studied these auxiliary machines before and knew their principles. He had also used the electric three-wheeled vehicles that were popular all over the world in later years, but he didn't know how to design them, since he understood nothing about motors and batteries.

Just like drivers from the 1980s and 1990s who drive cars 20 years later, some system problems can't be fixed and require a computer.

Mechanical principles are easy to understand, easy to design, easy to implement, and easy to repair. But computer components require code. If you just tell people the problem, they might understand, but if you turn it into code, most people will be completely lost.

Li Long spent three days designing both types of snow removal machines, and then called Director Du.

Director Du was quite surprised to receive Li Long's call.

"You said you designed a snowplow? Really? Let me tell you, we're working on this too. This year's snowfall is just too much, excessive! We've got the same idea—"

"So how's your design coming along? If it's done, then I won't come over." Li Long thought to himself that this Factory Director Du was quite capable; clearly, all those years of hard work hadn't been in vain, as he immediately saw a business opportunity in the snow.

"No, no, no, the things we designed aren't good enough for him."

Li Long suddenly remembered something and asked:

"You guys didn't design it like a tractor with a bulldozer blade attached to the front, did you?"

"Well... that's about it," Factory Director Du said somewhat embarrassedly.

Li Long was speechless.

It shouldn't be.

"Didn't you check any foreign literature on the design of snow removal machines?" Li Long asked.

"We don't have anything like that," Factory Director Du said, shaking his head. "We've looked, but we really couldn't find it."

Li Long vaguely remembered reading a Japanese detective novel in the 1990s of his previous life. It was about a middle-aged man who died mysteriously, his upper body stuck in a snowdrift, with only his two legs sticking out. There were no human footprints, no animal scratches, and no traces at all.

The final deduction was that the snowplow on the nearby railway tracks lifted the man up and then plunged him upside down into the snowdrift.

This kind of thing would be easy to understand in later generations, but back then it was all interconnected, and there wasn't as much information as the internet in modern times, so it was quite novel to Li Long, and that's why he remembered it.

The record clearly states that the railway snowplow uses a winch principle, not a direct push. If it were pushed directly, the snow would remain on the tracks, but with a winch, the snow would be cleared to the sides without affecting the tracks.

Of course, Li Long didn't know the specific structure of the snowplow. He only got the information from the detective novel that the snowplow could be equipped with a winch, which would clear the snow more cleanly and reduce transportation links, saving time and effort.

Factory Director Du then asked:

"Comrade Li Long, your design... isn't it like a bulldozer? Could you explain it in more detail?"

"No, this time, we have to cooperate," Li Long said with a smile. "My design should be well-developed. With the snowplows, if you're too high off the ground, the snow won't be cleared properly; if you're too low, you might damage the road and even the machine when you encounter uneven terrain, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's it."

"The rigid are easily broken," Li Long said with a smile.

"But we used soft rubber, like tires, to make snowplows, which created another problem. It doesn't affect the road, but if we push a lot of snow, the rubber boards tend to leak..."

"Hahaha, don't worry, Director Du, I have a different approach." Li Long knew that Director Du was reminding him that changing materials wouldn't work either, as they had already tried both.

"Alright, bring your design over, and we'll discuss it in detail. We have a foundation of cooperation on harvesters, and as for this snowplow, let me assure you, I'll definitely give you a suitable patent licensing price. Our country's patent law has also been enacted, so don't worry, you can apply for patents directly."

Factory Director Du had great confidence in Li Long. With harvesters and tillers, Director Du believed that anything Li Long could make would be successful.

After all, they come from the grassroots level, so their focus is definitely on the basics and what ordinary people want.

Li Long wondered if he should go to the patent office to file a patent application.
But to be honest, firstly, it's hard to say whether the Urumqi Patent Office even exists now, and secondly, even if we report it to the Patent Office, it probably won't do much good, since counterfeiting and imitation are the mainstream now, and this mainstream will continue for at least twenty years.

Ordinary people and businesses really don't have the concept of patents. Even if they apply for a patent, if no one uses it, it's basically useless. So let's just go to Kuitun.

After telling his family, Li Long drove his jeep to Kuitun on November 22nd, the day Sun Jiaqiang's wife was still in her postpartum confinement period.

When Li Long went there, he brought a bag of rice, a bag of flour, and a leg of lamb, which were for his second brother's family. The rice and flour were from his eldest brother, and the leg of lamb was brought by Li Long himself.

The second brother's family should be financially secure. After Li Anguo became the team leader, his salary increased, and Chen Lirong also found a temporary job. She didn't earn as much as Li Anguo, but it was enough to supplement their household income.

Li Long didn't intend for his second brother to pay back the money for the courtyard, so his second brother's family should be financially secure.

Li Long drove his jeep out of Ma County, past Shicheng, and soon entered the no-man's land.

The snow on both sides of the road was very thick. In this uninhabited area, there were no trees on either side of the road, and the wind was blowing the snow flying around on the road.

Although the sun was shining brightly, you could feel the biting cold wind when you got off the bus. It wasn't even December yet, and the temperature in the morning was already below minus twenty degrees Celsius.

When Li Long got out of the car to urinate, he looked around, trying to see if there were any gazelles or anything like that.

The snow on the roadside looked to be nearly a meter thick, which was quite terrifying.

Both sides were a vast expanse of white, with no animals in sight and very few hoof prints, just a few scattered ones.

Li Long continued driving forward, and the jeep went straight to Kuitun without finding any tracks of wild animals.

It was only 1 p.m., not lunchtime yet, so Li Long went to his second brother's house first.

Second sister-in-law Chen Lirong was preparing a meal at home when she heard the sound of a jeep. She ran out with a spatula in her hand and smiled when she saw Li Long getting out of the car.

"Xiaolong's here! Your second brother hasn't gotten off work yet... Come in quickly."

"Second sister-in-law, let me unload the things first." Li Long opened the back door of the jeep and unloaded the rice, flour, and lamb leg he had brought, putting them into the kitchen.

"You've already come all this way, why bring so much stuff?" Chen Lirong said politely. "Is everything alright at home?"

"Everything's fine, everything's fine." Li Long clapped his hands. "Xueping and Xueqin haven't finished school yet?"

The two children are already in school. When they went back home last National Day, the two little girls were speaking Mandarin, which surprised Li Juan, Li Qiang, Mingming, and Haohao.

The ordinary people in Kuitun come from all over the country, but most of them speak the Central Plains dialect. However, the schools all use Mandarin, which is the language that children learn the fastest.

"They'll be back soon, both of them. They'll be back just in time for dinner. Your two kids should be in daycare by now, right?"

"Next year, next year I'll be in daycare," Li Long said, sitting in the living room and drinking water. "Is my second brother still busy with work?"

“It’s winter already, so it’s definitely not busy. But he’s the team leader, so he has to be there every day. Otherwise, what will happen if all the workers run away?” Chen Lirong was cooking rice. Fortunately, the rice had been washed but hadn’t been cooked yet. She quickly added a bowl of rice, and considering Li Long’s size and appetite, she added another half bowl.

As for stir-frying vegetables, there's not much you can do with pre-cut vegetables. Luckily, we have pickled vegetables at home, so we can just stir-fry some pickled vegetables and mix some bean sprouts. Before greenhouse vegetables became popular, every household would sprout bean sprouts in winter, which was at least considered a fresh vegetable.

Soybean sprouts are usually stir-fried, while mung bean sprouts are more often served cold in salads.

Li Anguo returned first. Seeing the jeep in the distance, he knew his younger brother had arrived and was quite excited. Upon entering the house and seeing Li Long, he smiled and said:

"Xiaolong, what brings you here? Something on your mind?"

"Yes, I went to the agricultural machinery factory to discuss cooperation," Li Long said. "I just happened to come and see you guys."

"Hey, you're so convenient. With this little car, you can go wherever you want with just a tap on the gas." Li Anguo said with some envy, "Going to run errands this afternoon? Then we can have a couple of drinks tonight. I'll invite Junshan and Yongqiang along."

Li Junshan got married here and settled down. According to Li Anguo, he's not pregnant yet. Yang Yongqiang is also a full-time employee and lives in the dormitory. He's said to have a girlfriend, but we don't know how things are going.

In the past two years, Li Long has been busy with the acquisition station and has come to Kuitun less often. He has also gradually drifted apart from Yang Yongqiang and Li Junshan, and they don't have much contact anymore.

Li Long thought it was a good idea. It had been a long time since he had seen them, and he wondered how they were doing. Let's catch up.

After all, including my second brother, they were all brought here by me, so I should at least inquire about their current situation.

Xueping and Xueqin returned from school together. When they saw the jeep, they immediately realized that their uncle had arrived. The two children excitedly ran into the yard and called out "Uncle!" when they saw Li Long.

Li Long didn't bring any gifts for the two children, but instead took out two ten-yuan bills and gave one to each of them as a greeting gift.

He didn't have to give it to them, but seeing the two adorable children blinking their big eyes at him, Li Long felt a little embarrassed not to.

Li Anguo and Chen Lirong wouldn't let the children accept the money, but Li Long simply stuffed it into their pockets and then asked about their school situation—not their academic performance.

The two children speak fluent Mandarin and chat about interesting things that happened at school, such as having a snowball fight or how the older sister chased after the younger brother who bullied him.

After the meal, Li Long said he would go to the agricultural machinery factory to finish his business first, and then come back.

After seeing Li Long off, Li Anguo and Chen Lirong discussed what to do that night.

“Xiaolong brought over a leg of lamb, so we just cut the meat out, stir-fry some lamb, boil some bones, make a few cold dishes, and open a can of meat,” Li Anguo said. “I’ll leave work early this afternoon, go to the market to buy a chicken, bring it back, and cook it.”

Chen Lirong thought it was acceptable.

Li Long went to the agricultural machinery factory. Director Du was in the workshop studying the machinery with the workers. When Li Long got out of the jeep, what he saw was a snowplow that looked like a bulldozer.

It's clear that Director Du and the workers at the agricultural machinery factory are not entirely satisfied and want to make further improvements to see if they can make it even more usable.

When Li Long arrived, Director Du quickly wiped the oil off his hands, came out of the workshop, met with Li Long, and then led him to the conference room.

"Have some water first, I'm going to wash my hands, we'll talk again when I get back." Director Du led Li Long in, had someone pour him some water, and then hurried off to the water room.

When Director Du returned a few minutes later, the oil on his hands had been washed off, but he still smelled of machine oil on his body, which meant he had been marinated.

"Comrade Li Long, you're quite efficient. It's so convenient to have this little car; you can get here in no time with just a step on the gas." This was the same sentiment expressed by Li Anguo, along with the same envy.

"Director Du, given your factory's profits, you should have been able to afford a car by now, right? Cars aren't that expensive these days, are they?" Li Long said with a smile.

"That's different. I'm not high enough level. Besides, what's the use of having a car? It's better to give the workers more benefits to motivate them."

Okay, let's put aside everything else and get down to business. What were your thoughts on this design? On my end, it's patented production. I've consulted relevant personnel and reviewed international practices. If we approve your design, there are two ways to collaborate.

The first option is for us to buy out your patent outright. The second option is for us to take a percentage of the profits from each machine we produce. Of course, this all depends on whether we approve your design.

Director Du looked at Li Long as he finished speaking:

"So, what do you think of your design now?"

(End of this chapter)