Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Long came out of Li Xiangqian's office and went to Director Wei's office.

Sure enough, Director Wei smiled throughout the whole process and took the initiative to pour water for Li Long:

"Xiao Li, your colleagues from the state commune praised you so much this time. To put it simply, it's because our county commune has done a good job in the past two years. To put it more generally, it has boosted the ambition of our autonomous region's local industries!"

Li Long didn't expect Director Wei to raise this matter to such a high level. He was really surprised. He took the water but still couldn't believe it:

"Director, that's not the case, is it?"

"Why not? Think about it, our northern border has a lot of snow, and it's snowy for nearly half a year every year. Snow removal is the top priority for all units.

If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools. If the broom for sweeping snow is not good, how good can the snow sweeping be?
In the first two years, we used large brooms made of Sedge Grass. To be honest, it’s hard to say about the quality. A good broom can last for two years, while a bad one can only last for two days.

Since you started to manage the quality of the big broom two years ago, the big broom we use has never dropped a single sponge when we sweep the snow in winter... To be honest, the handle of the big broom is so easy to hold, while the bamboo broom is full of ridges and it hurts to hold it..."

Director Wei became so excited that he even lifted up his book bag as he spoke.

"Why don't the leaders of the autonomous region want to use big brooms? Aren't they angry? Leaders have to sweep snow these days, too. If they use a poor quality broom and the snow falls all over the floor, who wouldn't be angry? Right?"

This is indeed the case.

"So you see, if you ensure the quality of the broom, not only will our company be famous, but the autonomous region leaders will also be proud of it if they use a good broom, right? We have good stuff, after all, and you still need a big broom to sweep the snow..."

This thing also has a regional concept.

Bamboo brooms are cheap because bamboo grows fast. Like trees, it is also an herb, so it grows in large patches. It is a close relative of reeds.

The same goes for Stipa acuta. It's everywhere on wastelands. If used properly, it can be a good thing to increase everyone's income.

Li Long controlled the quality with the intention of raising a flag for himself, but he did not expect the side effects to be so serious.

"Do a good job. I find that Lao Li has a sharp eye for talent. He found a good candidate like you. By the way, Xiao Li, are you really not going to join the team? If you change your mind and want to join, I will report it to you right now!"

"Thank you, Director. It wasn't so easy for me to be recruited - this is good enough now." Li Long waved his hands hurriedly.

"Okay, that's right. You should do the sweeping job seriously this time. If you need any coordination, just talk to Lao Li or me."

Director Wei chatted with Li Long for a while before letting him go.

I'm proud of myself again.

Director Wei has plenty of money and power in this position, but to be honest, he has lost face more in the past two years than in the past few years—and they are basically all related to Li Long.

This is my lucky general.

Li Long came out of the supply and marketing cooperative and returned to the big yard.

Sister Yang was taking Mingming and Haohao to bask in the sun - the sunlight was still a little strong at this time, but there was a tree in the yard, so Sister Yang placed the small wooden beds for the two children under the tree, and the sunlight that filtered through the leaves was just right.

Seeing Li Long coming back, Sister Yang, who was picking vegetables and watching the child, said with a smile:

"Her uncle is back. The child is so well behaved—her diaper was just changed, and she's not crying or making a fuss."

Li Long knew that Sister Yang was very dedicated in taking care of the two children. Gu Xiaoxia also had to persuade Sister Yang to accept the 50 yuan per month.

Sister Yang's original intention was to offer fifty yuan, which also included the money for food, but Li Long refused of course. It was not like the family was short of money, and Sister Yang was kind to the children, and she made clothes and toys for them, so it would be no problem to give her more money.

But she didn't accept it.

Li Long played with the two children for a while, then drove out in his jeep. When he left, he told Sister Yang that he would not be home for lunch.

The two children were very well behaved, and with Sister Yang taking care of them, Li Long was really relieved. Gu Xiaoxia would come back at noon to feed the children, and Li Long ordered milk from a village in the east of the city, which would be delivered every morning. There was plenty of milk, and not only the three children drank it, but the adults drank it too.

For this reason, Sister Yang feels even stronger towards this family.

I also do my best to take care of the two children.

Gu Xiaoxia also told her that after the market is built, Li Long will buy a few storefronts. When the children can go to school or nursery, Sister Yang will open a shop and do cooking or other business.

Sister Yang thinks this is a really good idea - although you can make money by cooking in the market and pushing a cart, it is not as good as having a fixed store.

When Li Long drove the jeep to his eldest brother's yard, Li Jianguo and his friends had not returned from work on the tractor to pick melons.

Du Chunfang was lighting a fire in front of the stove, preparing to cook.

Unlike in the previous life, the Li family now has two stoves, one for cooking rice and the other for frying vegetables.

When Li Long got out of the car and saw this, he hurried over to help.

There were two dishes prepared on the table, a large plate of peeled and processed crucian carp, and a plate of chopped spicy tomatoes and eggplants. This dish was the most popular one.

The eggplants we grow at home are long eggplants. No one in the family likes to eat the round and fleshy ones.

"You come, I'll light the fire." Du Chunfang immediately gave up the position of chef when she saw her youngest son coming back. She knew she was good at cooking, but her cooking skills were not as good as Li Long's.

Although Du Chunfang and Liang Yuemei have the same idea that men should not enter the kitchen, after living in northern Xinjiang for two years, Du Chunfang has changed a little and now believes that it is better to eat better.

She can stew this fish well, but she feels that she is not good at stir-frying this dish.

Then give way to the wise.

Li Long was happy, took the shovel and started to operate it.

Stir-fried spicy eggplant and tomatoes. This dish can be eaten with noodles or rice. It is usually fried until very soft, especially the eggplant, which is almost mushy.

When frying, we add the oil that is stewed in the summer, which also contains chunks of meat, making the flavor more fragrant.

"Oh, Xiaolong is cooking? The food tastes so delicious!" The couple from the Lu family next door came back from the fields. Li Long clearly saw two bundles of Stipa sphenanthera on the carriage.

Sure enough, everyone knows that it is better to strike first.

Mrs. Lu's words made Du Chunfang feel proud. After all, her youngest son could do anything. All those words in later generations were prepared for her youngest son.

After saying this, Mrs. Lu led the carriage back to the yard. Lu Yingming originally planned to chat for a while, but seeing that Li Long was busy cooking, he hesitated and went back.

When Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei came back driving the tractor, Li Long's meal was already ready.

It's only been a few days since I last saw you, and Li Jianguo has become a little darker.

Everything else about northern Xinjiang is easy to deal with except that the ultraviolet rays from the sun are extremely strong, especially in midsummer and early autumn. There are no sunscreen products at this time, so it is inevitable to become charred-headed if you work outside.

Even if men wear straw hats and women wear headscarves, it is the same. Only when autumn turns to winter, staying indoors every day for almost a whole winter can you get a little whiter.

Not only that, the wind is quite strong in the southern edge of the Junggar Basin, and people here look a little old due to the wind and sun.

The increasingly popular mechanization can save everyone's appearance, otherwise it would be really ugly in the summer.

Seeing Li Long there and the food on the table covered with gauze plates, Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei both laughed. They knew that the food must have been cooked by Li Long.

The family was eating and talking in a lively atmosphere.

Li Long also told the story of how the man who made the big broom came to life.

"Our team can tie at least 3,000 to 4,000." Li Long didn't tell the full number. "The team definitely doesn't have enough poles. I think you should go cut poles when you have time these two days. You can earn more money that way."

It takes a lot of time and effort to make a broom. It takes five or six poles to make one broom. If there are many suitable trees nearby, cutting ten or so will be enough.

Making a big broom also requires preparing raw materials, cutting Sedge grass, brushing grass leaves, etc.

Sphagnum splendens is indispensable, and so are the poles.

"Okay." Li Jianguo said, "Then I'll drive the tractor into the mountains to cut poles tomorrow."

Before we finished our meal, Lu Yingming came over.

In fact, everyone in the team understands that if there is no change during this period, the job of making the big broom will come.

The job of weaving the handles is done by a small number of people. Even if others envy them, they can only stare blankly, because after all, they will definitely take care of their own people first.

But everyone can make a big broom. For example, the Lu family has already started cutting sedge.

After all, there is only so much Achnatherum splendens. If you cut more, others will cut less. Lu Yingming chatted about family matters and the matter of picking melons, and then they finished eating.

Liang Yuemei took over the cleaning work, and Li Long and the others sat under the shed and chatted.

"The job of making big brooms has come." Li Long knew what Lu Yingming wanted to say, so he said it directly, "There is more work this year than last year, and the time is about the same. Anyway, the more you make, the more money you will make."

"That's great." Lu Yingming knew it was a sure thing when he heard it. "With this big broom, plus the time to harvest the melons, I think my family will have to buy a tractor after that."

Those in the team who had tractors made a lot of money during this wheat season, and they also made a lot by cutting grass for the herdsmen later.

Many people are jealous of this.

So Lu Yingming also wanted to buy a tractor, so that he could get a harvester next year and make some quick money.

The idea is good, and the path is clear now. Even if the price of melon seeds drops, the profit from 20 mu of land is still more than what the Li family made from 10 mu of land last year, right?
Add to that the big brooms and the reeds from autumn, the money is quite a lot.

As they were talking, Xu Haijun also came over.

He heard that Li Long's jeep had returned, so he came over to find out what was going on.

Seeing that everyone was sitting here, Xu Haijun lowered his attitude, took out a box of Bai Xue Lian cigarettes and distributed them to everyone, then sat down and asked Li Long:
"I heard that every year at this time you can get the team to do the job of tying big brooms?"

"Yeah, there are some this year too." Li Long admired Xu Haijun very much. This guy was the kind of person who thought "How can a real man be depressed and inferior to others for long?" But he was also proud and knew how to recognize himself.

Smart people are worth making friends with.

"Hey, that's great. The price is three dollars?" Xu Haijun asked again.

"The price is a little higher this year, three dollars and fifty cents." Li Long said with a smile.

When the cooperative raised prices, he also raised them, but only a little.

"Hey, that's not cheap." Xu Haijun laughed, "This is a benefit for everyone. The money is earned... But I heard in the army that this big broom is not as good as bamboo. The big brooms in our army have all been changed to bamboo."

"A bamboo broom? How can it be as useful as our Stipa sphenanthera broom?" Lu Yingming said with disdain, "It's scratchy, can't sweep clean, and doesn't work hard. You just take advantage of it, but it won't last long."

"They didn't listen. Half of the large Achnatherum splendens brooms our army purchased at the time lost their splendor after just a few days of use. Some fell off one by one, while others fell off in bunches. Who would dare to use them in the future?"

This is the truth.

Li Jianguo and Lu Yingming looked at Li Long worriedly.

Even Liang Yuemei spoke at the door:

"Then, Sphagnum Spinosa Broom, there won't be so much work to do?"

Although the family has a lot of profitable businesses, Liang Yuemei knows that Li Long has intermediary fees in this regard. A broom can also make a lot of money. If this is done now, will this income be gone in the future?

"No." Li Long smiled, "Do you know why I have such strict requirements on the quality of brooms every year? It's just to prevent this.

The big broom made of sedge is better to use than bamboo if it is tied well. If it is not tied well, it will cause trouble. We all know this. I am so cautious because I am afraid that this big broom will be used outside, especially in government agencies and places where people and things are managed. If I say that, my job will be ruined. "

"So...you mean, you're going to keep doing this in the future?" Li Jianguo heard the hint in the words.

"Yes, my leader also said that when I received the work today. In fact, there may be no work this year. A leader of the autonomous region used those Achnatherum splendens brooms that were of poor quality and said that they were not good.

Then, our leaders have used our brooms before and said they are very good. After using our brooms, they found that our quality has been guaranteed in recent years, so this year we not only have work, but also a lot of it.”

When Li Long said this, Li Jianguo and Lu Yingming both laughed. This was a good thing.

Sometimes people may not think about it, but when they suddenly realize that they may lose their job and earn less money, the feeling becomes clear all of a sudden.

"Hey, so there is such a thing." Xu Haijun originally came here to get information, but he didn't expect that the news he heard surprised him.

"You had already started planning this? I didn't realize that!" Xu Haijun was extremely impressed with Li Longzhen at this time.

He basically didn't admire any young men from the same village, especially Li Long in the past.

But he noticed some changes in Li Long later on, and when he returned from military service this time, he found that Li Long had become even more powerful.

He came to inquire about the news with the intention of reminding Li Long, and he might also have the idea of ​​making Li Long owe him a favor.

Maybe it's subconscious too.

But I didn't expect that Li Long had already set up a plan and avoided this problem perfectly.

Deep down, Xu Haijun was a little skeptical that he could find out about the situation of the leaders of the autonomous region.

But Li Long said that the number of brooms this year is more than last year, so it is probably true. Otherwise, would Li Long be so shameless as to take on more tasks and lose money on procurement?

Not so much.

So Xu Haijun believed it.

"Then I'll get ready to cut the Sphagnum Splendens." Xu Haijun stood up and said, "There are quite a lot of Sphagnum Splendens on the alkali beach around this team, but if you really count them, it may not be enough."

"The reeds in our team are definitely not enough. I have to assign some tasks to other village teams." Li Long also said clearly, "Otherwise, I won't be able to complete this work."

After what happened last year, Li Long is now telling others clearly not to think of cutting in like a fool like Zhang Qiang, because there are people out there who are willing to work and make money.

Xu Haijun rode away on his bicycle.

Lu Yingming also left. After he left, Li Jianguo said to Li Long:
"Xiaolong, what do you think about me calling Lao Lu to help chop the poles?"

"Okay. Our team is at least short of two to three thousand poles, and you definitely can't cut enough by yourself." Li Long smiled and said, "It's no problem to find more people." He meant to let the eldest brother do this himself.

"The price of a pole was 50 cents last year. This year you can get it down to 70 to 80 cents. A big broom here costs 3.5 yuan, so I'm sure you will be willing to buy a pole. After all, you have to cut the trees yourself, and there aren't many places around here where you can cut trees."

Li Jianguo nodded in agreement. Bringing a group of people into the mountains would ensure safety and also allow others to owe him a favor.

"I have to go to the captain and talk about this." Li Long also stood up and said, "Starting tomorrow, I will collect the brooms every day."

When Li Long went there, the team leader Xu Chengjun was about to go out. Although the melons were not yet ripe in the past two days, it was still a critical period. No matter if there was any work in the field, he would go to check it out every day.

These twenty acres of land carry his hopes for his tractor.

Of course Xu Chengjun couldn't be without money to buy a tractor, but he had to have a way to spend the money, and picking melon seeds was the best way to do it.

Seeing Li Long coming over, Xu Chengjun joked:

"Xiaolong, you haven't come to my place for a long time. Is this because you don't come to me for no reason?"

"Captain, I really have something to do. The big broom job is here, let me tell everyone."

"Okay, you go and tell them yourself. Hi, let me turn on the machine for you."

Although the team has grown, the old-fashioned microphone has not changed much.

Xu Chengjun turned on the microphone for Li Long. After the speaker was powered on, he tapped it first. Li Long heard a "puff puff puff" sound coming from the big speaker on the pole outside the door and knew that it was connected.

"What's the price of brooms this year? Are they more expensive or cheaper? Are there more or less?"

"It's more expensive." Li Long responded, then pointed at the microphone and said:

"You all know about my notice."

So Li Long began to notify.

"Hey? Three dollars and fifty cents? That's a really good price!" After hearing Li Long's notification three times, Xu Chengjun immediately changed his mind. "Then I won't say any more to you. Go and do your thing. I'm going to the field to cut some Sphagnum Reticulata. There's a patch of Sphagnum Reticulata to the north of my wheat stubble field. It's growing well. I can't let others cut it!"

Watching Xu Chengjun hurriedly leaving with the horse-drawn carriage, Li Long also got on the jeep with a smile.

After a brief period of calm, the village seemed to have suddenly woken up. Families who had originally planned to take a break at home and hide from the hot autumn weather came out of their homes one after another, running in all directions like ants leaving their nests.

Thanks to the big brooms of the past two years, every household has a piece of prime Sphagnum splendens land in their hearts, and some places to cut poles.

Now that things are clear, everyone is trying not to let others get ahead. (End of this chapter)