Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1212 Can a Purchasing Station Be Changed into a Trading Company?

During the township party committee meeting, the deputy township head brought out several land contract letters of intent for discussion and study.

"All of them are from Team Four?" the township head wondered. "And all of them are large plots of land? Are there that many cultivable wastelands over there?"

"How could that be?" the deputy township head said with a smile. "It's all saline-alkali land. I don't know why, but these guys from Team Four are all eyeing saline-alkali land now. Do they have too much money to burn?"

"I know something about this matter," said Jiang Zhiyu, who had already become the deputy secretary of the township, putting down his pen.

"This year, the fourth team planted a lot of cotton. Li Long, the one from our township who was recognized as a national advanced individual in ethnic unity, his family planted 100 mu of cotton."

"One hundred mu? There's no cotton growing anywhere else in our township, is there?" the Party Secretary asked.

"No, this is their first batch. By the way, of his hundred acres of cotton, thirty or forty acres were saline-alkali land reclaimed last year. A few years ago, he invited a professor from an agricultural college to conduct soil testing to improve the soil and adjust its salinity..."

"I know, I know, that Professor Luo, who mentored a few college students. I think Comrade Zhiyu even did a report on it back then," the secretary said with a smile.

"Yes, that was it. From then on, large tracts of wasteland were reclaimed in the fourth team area. Not only the Li family, but also the Wang family. The Wang family mainly reclaimed non-saline-alkali land for growing wheat. The Li family's reclaimed land was mostly planted with cotton this year, and a small portion with sugar beets..."

"I see. How's the cotton yield?" The township head seemed quite interested. "I know that a lot of cotton is grown in Beiwucha and Liuhudi, and I've heard it's quite good."

"There are about ten cotton-growing households in their team. I did a quick look, and the yield per mu is over 150 kilograms. I heard that Li Long visited six households last year and also consulted professors at the agricultural college, so their team does a good job in the scientific management of cotton cultivation."

"What's the price of cotton now?" Since the village hardly grows cotton, the Party Secretary didn't know the price of cotton and asked.

"Around two yuan, and the price can go up a bit for better quality, while the price for lower quality is around one yuan and seven or eight yuan." Jiang Zhiyu knew very well, "The gross income per mu is about three or four hundred yuan."

"That's very high! The county cotton and linen company is buying this cotton, right?" The secretary immediately became interested.

"Yes, it's purchased by cotton and linen companies. And the price is relatively stable."

"Then can we promote this? By the way, do any of the teachers at our township's agricultural extension school know how to grow cotton? We could send those junior high school graduates to the agricultural extension school to learn, even if it's just for a short period of three months or six months. Scientific farming is the way to go; the old methods won't increase yields anymore." The township head said this. Since someone had already discovered that cotton could be grown in the township, it was necessary to promote it.

"Should we approve these contracts or not?" The deputy township head brought up the initial agenda, "The land prices set by the Fourth Team for these plots are relatively low."

"How high can saline-alkali land be? No one in the other teams has cultivated saline-alkali land, right?" Jiang Zhiyu was bound to help Team Four, even if she didn't care about the monks.

"Approve it. It's their skill to be able to clear saline-alkali land and grow crops." The township head said with a smile, "It's only because it's the fourth team that they can get hundreds or thousands of acres of wasteland approved in one go. It would be impossible in other places."

"That's true, they only have a lot of land there," the secretary said with a smile. "The location is nice, but it's a bit remote."

Yes, the area around Team Four is indeed a bit remote. The ring road hasn't been built yet, making it the furthest point east of the township.

None of them are reliable.

The township government quickly approved the contracts for these land reclamation applications.

The township agricultural technology extension school also has an additional task: the scientific management of cotton planting and the prevention and control of pests and diseases.

In the fourth team, Li Longzheng was discussing the planting structure for next year with his elder brother.

They haven't had a moment's rest yet; there are still quite a few plots of land that need plowing and sowing. Although the application for land reclamation has only just been submitted to the township, the people in the team have already started reclaiming the land.

After all, at that time, almost no land reclamation was refused – if farmers voluntarily requested to cultivate saline-alkali land, the township would definitely agree; this was everyone's understanding.

However, Chen Qianjin and Li Junfeng could handle the land reclamation work, so Li Jianguo rarely had any free time.

“The newly opened 280 mu will definitely be planted with cotton,” Li Jianguo said. “However, because we have to pay grain taxes, we have to pay not only wheat but also sunflowers and corn, so we have to plant these on the remaining land.”

“What I mean is, let’s just plant the rest of the land with wheat,” Li Long said. “We have wheat, so it’ll be easier. As for the sunflowers and corn we need to pay the grain tax, we can just buy some from other people. We can just pay the tax.”

“That… is too much trouble…” Although Li Jianguo has experienced a lot, he still hasn’t shaken off the small-farmer mentality. He always feels that the things his family needs should be grown by his own family, and he hasn’t developed the mindset of buying things with money.

It's not troublesome at all; it's very convenient.

“Brother, farming is almost mechanized now. Mechanization has the advantage of making planting and harvesting very convenient. Look at wheat, we sow it this year, water and fertilize it next year, and when we harvest it, we just need to plow the field.”

Li Jianguo nodded with a smile. Li Long was right. Among the crops grown in northern Xinjiang, wheat was the simplest.

"Cotton, unfortunately, is the most troublesome. Next year, we will plant cotton on all 280 mu of saline-alkali land. Even with a large family, we may not be able to manage it all. If we also plant sunflowers and corn, we will be extremely busy. It is better to plant two crops: wheat and cotton."

That way, the busy periods are roughly the same, and there are breaks in between. Also, with so many machines at home, someone has to operate them when harvesting wheat or plowing the fields. If we grow too many different kinds of crops, there will be conflicts in the work.

"It's not like we're short of money. We can just pay for the sunflowers and corn; it's enough for our own consumption. The team grows some; we can just buy some."

Li Jianguo's sister-in-law, Liang Yuemei, also agreed to this farming model, and after thinking about it, he also agreed.

However, the cotton planting area still needs to be expanded, not only on the 280 mu of saline-alkali land, but also on some land that was planted with other crops this year. In addition, most of the land planted with cotton this year will be planted with wheat, as a crop rotation.

Before the snow in November, the Li family flooded the saline-alkali land again. The water volume was so large that it soaked the saline-alkali land completely. You could see the alkaline hairs dissolve into the water and then be carried away by the water flow into the drainage ditch. Li Long was quite happy.

There's too much alkali in the soil, but we can wash away as much as we can.

At least the surface salinity will be much lower. Next year, after planting, some targeted fertilization should be done, and the germination rate should be good.

Even if the results aren't good, you can just replant.

Many people in later generations came to contract hundreds or thousands of acres of land for mechanized planting. If the germination rate was not good, they would rather replant than reseed.

With limited land and a large population, replanting is a relatively economical and effective method.

After the matter was settled, Li Long returned to the county to take care of his important business.

The purchasing station could no longer cover its own business, so Li Long wanted to go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to turn the purchasing station under his name into a trading company, whose main business would include purchasing various medicinal materials and leather goods, and selling automobiles, agricultural materials, etc.

At that time, business licenses weren't divided into such detailed categories, and Li Long actually managed to get one.

The trading company was named Tengjiao. Li Long came up with the name casually when he was reading "Seven Swordsmen of Mount Tian". It was the name of a sword, which was described in the book as being tied to the waist of a golden Buddha statue.

These days, people name their businesses things like Hongyuan, Hongtu, and Dafa. Li Long's unusual name for his trading company piqued the curiosity of the staff at the Industry and Commerce Bureau.

After listening to Li Long's explanation, he laughed. Li Long wondered if the other person thought that he hadn't even graduated from junior high school and was trying to act like a cultured person.

He didn't care; it was just a name anyway.

After establishing his company, he recently took up the business of selling agricultural supplies. This is mainly because the harvests have been good in the past two years, leading to increased use of chemical fertilizers and mechanized farming. Many large-scale farmers have benefited from this and are naturally buying more chemical fertilizers.

Several more agricultural supply companies have opened in the county, but few have the connections of someone like Li Long. Winter is approaching, and fewer people are coming to sell their goods. After all, the government has started promoting wildlife protection; if fewer pelts are collected in winter, what else can they do?
The middlemen started to change their business, and some even set their sights on Li Long's cars, helping him find buyers and earning a commission in the process.

Li Long sold three cars in this way.

not bad.

Of course, many more people switched to buying fertilizers, pesticides, and plastic film from Li Long and reselling them to farmers who couldn't easily come over.

Li Long got in touch with agricultural input manufacturers through Gu Boyuan. The purchase price was relatively cheap, and since Li Long was quite well-known, they were happy to deliver the goods directly to his door.

So even though winter is approaching, the purchasing station is still quite lively, with people coming and going from time to time to load up a truckload of fertilizer and pesticides and leave.

At the end of October, Li Long received a truckload of leather goods from Hongguang Leather Factory. Hongguang Leather Factory was very efficient; production started as soon as the contract was signed. The arrival of this first batch of two hundred leather coats and one hundred leather vests relieved Li Long.

Because Liu Gaolou is coming over.

Before Liu Gaolou came, he told Li Long that he hoped to take a batch of leather goods with him when he left, and Li Long naturally had no objection.

They took away money.

On October 22nd, Liu Gaolou arrived with a convoy. Not only Liu Gaolou, but also Gu Boyuan came, which surprised Li Long.

Gu Boyuan didn't call Li Long before returning, so it was like a surprise attack.

Gu Boyuan stayed in the county for a day, met with his daughter Gu Xiaoxia and grandsons Mingming and Haohao, chatted for a while, and then returned to his team.

He told Li Long that it was currently the off-season for purchasing stations in Yili, and that it would probably be busier in winter. So he took this opportunity to come back and rest for a couple of days.

Li Long naturally had no objections. He was relieved to hear from Gu Boyuan that the manager named Zhu Wanjiang over there was doing quite well.

Gu Boyuan's return to the Fourth Team caused a small sensation. After all, everyone knew that he had gone to Yili to do business, and now that he had suddenly returned, some people were curious about how he was doing there.

However, seeing him driving his car and carrying large and small bags home, most people could guess that he was doing quite well over there.

The next day, Gu Boyuan went to the Li family's house to have a drink with Li Jianguo.

"Let me tell you, the climate over there is better than here. Look, they grow a lot of fruits and vegetables. Dates, mulberries, and things like that don't need pruning, and especially apricots—they still bear fruit the following year." At the dinner table, Gu Boyuan talked about the scenery of Yili, "Especially the apples—there are so many varieties, and they're delicious..."

He brought Li Jianguo and the others several boxes of apples, which he had driven back himself.

There was also horse meat and horse intestines, which was a novelty for the Li family. In fact, Li Long had taken some before, and most of the Li family members were just trying something new, since the meat was too coarse and they weren't used to it.

"Sigh, it's really nice over there, but to be honest, I still want to stay in Team Four. I'm used to it here." Gu Boyuan said while drinking. If Li Long were here, he would call this a complaint, or a Versailles-like scene.

Li Long would respect him, but Li Jianguo would never. He laughed and scolded, "I'll send you to the fields to work for three days, thinning and topping the cotton seedlings, and you still say you like it here? Isn't it just because you don't have to work here? We're the ones who cultivate your little plot of land. How dare you say that... You should punish yourself with three cups of wine!"

"Three cups? One cup will do," Gu Boyuan immediately backed down upon hearing the self-punishment of three cups. Although he was considered a good drinker outside, he was still inferior to Li Jianguo. He hurriedly begged for mercy, "One cup at a time, I admit I misspoke..."

How could he not know? He still had the identity of a farmer. Li Jianguo was farming the land at home and paying the grain tax for him, so naturally he could travel around freely.

Gu Boyuan was drinking with Li Jianguo, while Li Long was making a deal with Liu Gaolou at the purchasing station. Liu Gaolou brought ten more vehicles this time, and it seemed like he was planning to bring in even more.

There's no other way; the only valuable things we can get from there besides hides, antelope horns, and cars are...

Moreover, Liu Gaolou didn't linger. After unloading the goods, he hurriedly left the next day after loading up the sugar, leather coat, and other items.

According to him, some parts of the Kazakh republics have already entered winter and are very cold. Leather coats and cotton-padded leather shoes are selling very well right now, so he needs to send this batch of goods over as soon as possible.

So he is very busy.

Li Long didn't try to stop him; he needed to sort through the hides quickly. Zhao Hui was already planning to come this way; he had a lot of hides piling up, and this trip would likely bring Li Long a considerable amount of income.

Therefore, Li Long had to find many people from the odd jobs market to help clean and sort the hides in the backyard of the purchasing station.

Li Long is a well-known figure in the casual labor market, frequently coming to hire people. Some seasoned workers are quite familiar with him, knowing that this boss is generous with wages and provides excellent meals at lunchtime, so they are all eager to come.

The weather was getting cooler, and the mornings were still a bit chilly, so Liang Shuangcheng had already boiled water before these odd jobs arrived.

The main tools used for cleaning leather are iron combs and scrapers. Li Long bought a lot of these at the hardware store, and they're perfect for use now.

So after the backyard was cleaned up, the day laborers set up their work. Since there was water in the front yard, Li Long asked Liang Shuangcheng to get a large teapot in the backyard, fill it with brewed tea, and put several enamel mugs in it for everyone to drink.

The sun rose, and the backyard warmed up. The people were a little reserved at first, since sheepskins were paid by the piece, and two cents for each one cleaned—it was hard work, but they were making real money.

It's a bit harder to earn money than picking cotton, but the season is different, and it's not easy to find a job that makes money these days.

The inspection was handed over to Liang Shuangcheng and Sun Jiaqiang, while Li Long had his own business to attend to—Meng Hai had arrived.

The water conservancy bureau finished the work on that irrigation canal, and it's been inspected and approved. Looking at Meng Hai's tanned face, Li Long smiled and said:

"You said you'd come to my house when you have time, will your sister-in-law complain that I've made you look terrible?"

"How could that be? Your sister-in-law is thanking you profusely." Meng Hai's voice was as loud as ever. "Let me tell you, she's incredibly happy about having this construction company."

Our team doesn't have much land to begin with, and everyone's thinking about how to make money. Making brooms and repairing roads are lucrative jobs, but they're not stable. Now that we have this construction company, I can work under their name without putting in any money; I just need to do the work.

"You're a celebrity, you have credibility, and my wife trusts you too. You've only been established a short time and you've already secured two jobs. Not only her, but all of us workers are full of confidence."

That makes sense. The biggest fear for any engineering company is having no projects. Now they have road construction as a safety net, plus two irrigation canal projects they've secured in the second half of the year. What does that mean? It means Li Long really does have connections to help them find projects.

If you can make money as long as you have projects, what's a little hard work?
Everyone else in the team was incredibly envious, and many tried to use their connections to get Meng Hai to join the construction team. Meng Hai was now more popular than He Yuqing—but Meng Hai had also told Li Long that the construction team already had enough people.

"With trucks and bulldozers, it's very convenient to work. It's just that when we're repairing roads, we need to hire more people to speed up the work. Otherwise, I don't plan to hire anyone. We'll wait until we get a big job."

Li Long felt that Meng Hai was becoming more and more like a professional manager. Clearly, he wasn't resting on his laurels; he was learning and summarizing as he worked, showing promise. Li Long's judgment was good.

"Besides telling you about the irrigation canal, I also plan to go back and rest for a day or two, then take some people into the mountains to repair the road further in before the snow, and then try to finish repairing it next spring." Meng Hai's plan was clear:
"If I'm taking more people into the mountains, I plan to hire more. There are plenty of idle people around these days; it's just a matter of buying another tent. That way, the work will be faster. Oh, and here's the money I'll earn from this trip..."

"No need to give it to me, just take it as money to continue road repairs." Li Long waved his hand. "Anyway, since you gave it to me, I'll give it back to you. Just remember that."

Meng Hai plans to complete the road by next year, which exceeds the original expectations—Li Long is quite happy about this.

He doesn't have time to look at it right now; he has a ton of things to do.

(End of this chapter)