Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1234 More about the children of herders going to school

After inspecting the high-powered tractor, Commander Qi and Wang Mingjun did not linger at the purchasing station. They drove away, saying they had business to attend to at the division headquarters.

Seeing that they were driving Wang Mingjun's GAZ-69, Li Long wondered if the regimental commander's 212 was not as new as the GAZ-69, and the regimental commander wanted to test the performance of the GAZ-69.

Of course, this is just a guess.

"Mr. Li, did you not sell that high-powered tractor?" A dealer asked, watching Li Long watch the GAZ truck leave. "Which regiment commander was that?"

"Why ask so many questions? Are you trying to gather intelligence? Be careful, or they might arrest you as a spy," Li Long said half-jokingly. "Something worth hundreds of thousands, they'll definitely want to see it before making a decision. It's not that easy to sell it all at once. Is this all the goods you brought today? Not even enough for travel expenses, is it?"

Li Long changed the subject, and the man immediately understood, following Li Long's lead and complaining:

"It's the dead of winter, and people aren't going out at all. I've called out to some houses, but no one opens the door. They're hibernating. It's good enough to receive these things... Right now, people aren't that short of money, so they're keeping the good stuff to themselves and don't want to sell it."

Li Long thought about it and agreed. After all, prices are rising rapidly these days, and bank deposit interest rates are frighteningly high. Although ordinary people don't have easy access to information, they can still sense the changes in the market.

Therefore, when money is not a major concern, some people prefer to hold onto good items and wait and see how the market develops, rather than sell them immediately.

Therefore, it's quite difficult for middlemen now, as they harvest less in winter than in the other three seasons.

Another reason is that some people who hunt prey and get the pelts still want to sell them themselves for a higher price.

Li Long joked with them in the front yard for a while before going inside. He went to the storeroom to organize the items and sort the hides. Zhao Hui said he would come over before New Year's Day and take all the hides away then.

Li Long roughly estimated that Liu Gaolou might come again before New Year's Day. If he did, then he would have accumulated more than 10,000 hides. If Zhao Hui wanted to take them all away, he would have to come up with a check for at least a million.

I roughly calculated that if this deal can be completed before New Year's Day, the profit this year could exceed four million.

It's more than the total of the previous few years combined.

Although buying the high-horsepower tractor cost some money and I paid a lot of taxes, I still have more than two million left. Adding what I had saved in previous years, I still have more than three million in savings.

As for US dollars, he already has over two hundred thousand, but that's still not enough.

Li Long and Sun Jiaqiang chatted about everyday things while sorting the hides.

Recently, Tielanhua's mother has been coming to visit her granddaughter from time to time. Li Long occasionally runs into her and sees the old lady carrying a basket.

Li Long guessed that this must have been partly the intention of Tielanhua's father.

Otherwise, given the old lady's personality, she most likely wouldn't dare to bring the things to her door herself—she can come and look, but bringing the things is difficult.

Of course, it's hard to say how much of this is based on familial affection, and how much is simply a desire to repair the old relationship because Sun Jiaqiang and Tie Lanhua are doing well.

Li Long didn't get too involved; he just asked a few questions.

Sun Jiaqiang didn't say much. He wasn't as tough as Tie Lanhua. Most men, if they feel it's acceptable, then it's fine.

Before crossing the line, we can tolerate it or let it pass. Anyway, life is good now, so we don't care about a few pennies.

Sun Jiaqiang was already skilled at brushing leather; his movements were fast and steady. As he brushed, he said:
"The child's maternal grandmother misses her and comes to visit occasionally. I think maybe they want to ease the tension between them. To be honest, Hui cuisine is just delicious..."

"If we really improve our relationship, will they make you do something like get your intestines cleaned?" Li Long joked.

"No way," Sun Jiaqiang shook his head. "Don't even mention me, even Lan Hua wouldn't agree. We're doing fine now, and if they want to ease tensions, then let them come over, I won't refuse. But if they want to make demands, no way!"

Yes, Sun Jiaqiang is quite opinionated. Of course, Li Long thinks it must have been a mutual agreement between the couple.

After chatting with Sun Jiaqiang for a while, the two of them sorted out several hundred pieces of leather, and it was almost noon when they were ready to eat.

Li Qingxia and Li Long chatted as they walked back. Li Qingxia also inquired about the sale of the high-horsepower tractor.

“Commander Qi wants to buy it, but it’s too expensive, and they have to go back for a meeting,” Li Long said. “I think there’s an 80% chance they can sell it.”

"It would be good if we could sell them. These things are too expensive, and it's not good to keep them tied up in cash." Li Qingxia was also quite worried about this, and said, "I think it would be better to buy cars and leather goods later. They're easier to sell and won't tie up money."

Li Long nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. It's not easy to find good high-horsepower tractors later on. After all, the farms over there will definitely need them for farming. Those that are superfluous and not very useful can probably be sold, but those that have been in use all along will definitely be kept by the farmers."

Li Qingxia nodded. He didn't know much about foreign trade, but after the last inspection, the old man knew that his youngest son was running a legitimate business, so that was fine.

Back in the courtyard for dinner, Li Long thought about how the winter solstice was approaching and wondered if he should remind Sister Yang to make some dumplings, but then decided against it.

Although the tradition of eating dumplings on the Winter Solstice has been passed down for over a thousand years, it wasn't actually a widely discussed topic in northern Xinjiang at that time.

Many customs before festivals in the past only gradually emerged after people became more affluent. At this time, the food eaten during the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival is more special, and everyone thinks about it. At other times, people don't really pay much attention to it.

Forget it, let nature take its course.

After the rumors died down, Gu Xiaoxia kept up her habit of listening to the radio and gossip, and sharing it at the dinner table. She talked about trivial things in various parts of the county every day, which made things quite lively.

There was no television during the day, and not many radio stations. It was also inconvenient to go out in winter. The things Gu Xiaoxia mentioned became one of the few sources of enjoyment for everyone during the winter.

“There are still people coming from the mainland to buy jade,” Gu Xiaoxia told Li Long today, and a piece of news that caught his attention: “A teacher from Lanzhou Bay Middle School said that a student at their school had a piece of jade weighing more than 20 kilograms stored at home, which was bought by a merchant from the mainland for more than 1,000 yuan.”

The other students at their school were so envious that some even secretly planned to go to the Ma River to collect jade when spring came.

“Hey, then those jade stones in our yard are worth a lot of money,” Li Qingxia said with a smile.

"Yes, that's right," Gu Xiaoxia said. "I heard that jade prices have gone up in the second half of this year."

Gu Xiaoxia knew that her family had a lot of jade, including not only jasper but also Hetian jade.

"Isn't our yard prone to thieves?" Sister Yang reminded her, "There are so many good things stored in here..."

“That’s true, they’re usually not around.” Li Qingxia was also a little worried.

“Don’t worry,” Li Long shook his head. “The police station is right across the street. It’s not like 1983 anymore. Even those petty thugs would have to think twice before coming here. We have a dog in our yard. If there’s any noise, Xiao Hei will bark, and it will scare away any thieves.”

"That's true." Li Qingxia thought about it and agreed.

“I’ll go into the mountains in a few days. If Halim and his group have any puppies, I’ll bring a few back and put some in this yard and the yard of the purchasing station.”

"Okay, okay, that dog is fierce, it can keep them in check." Li Qingxia was very satisfied with this. Hiring someone specifically would be a bit uneconomical, having a dog is relatively safer.

"Won't the dogs fight if there are too many of them?" Sister Yang asked with some concern.

"Just keep it on a leash and don't let it run around the yard, then nothing will happen," Li Qingxia said. "A leashed dog is also fierce; it barks at the slightest noise."

"Yes, we have enough food at home, we can afford to feed them," Gu Xiaoxia said. "There are times when no one is home, so having a few more dogs would be good."

The matter was settled like that.

Li Long thought he should take some time in the next couple of days to go into the mountains and see Halim and the others.

They now have a tractor and a yard in the county, so they often come down to work. Under normal circumstances, they don't lack supplies at home, unlike before.

However, Li Long thought that since they were going into the mountains, he should buy them some things to take with them, as it was a matter of courtesy.

In the afternoon, Li Long went to the department store and market and bought some daily necessities. Originally, Li Long was thinking about whether to buy a small TV that could be fitted with batteries, but after looking around, he found that there wasn't one yet.

Even if we bought it, there probably wouldn't be any TV signal in the mountains where Halim and his group live, so let's not bother.

Onions and potatoes are a must-buy; it's great that they still have them in the market and vegetable shops.

Buy some Chinese cabbage too; you can't get enough vitamins in the mountains during winter just by drinking brick tea.

Li Long is considered a big customer, so the vegetable shop owner was quite happy—nowadays, they don't need to use ration coupons anymore. Although it's a bit more expensive, Li Long paid readily, and the owner was also very hospitable, helping Li Long pack the vegetables into sacks and put them in his car.

After putting everything away, Li Long returned to the courtyard. Cabbage wasn't too afraid of freezing, nor were onions, but potatoes were. Li Long simply moved all the vegetables to the kitchen, planning to load them onto the truck when he left the next day.

The next day, after breakfast, Li Long loaded the vegetables onto the truck and drove off into the mountains. Although it had snowed several times, after passing Qingshuihe Village, Li Long found that the road into the mountains had been worn smooth by tractors and cars.

You can still see footprints from time to time.

Although it's not as smooth as the roads outside, there are tire tracks, making it much easier to drive in.

As they drove all the way to Halim and his men's winter camp, Li Long could see the faint black smoke rising from the camp from afar, occasionally swaying.

The pasture in front of the winter pasture was already covered with thick snow, and the grass was all weighed down.

There are large hoof prints of cattle and sheep around the pool and on both sides where the water flows down, indicating that the cattle and sheep came out to drink.

Upon hearing the car, the dogs at the entrance of the winter hut immediately darted out and barked. By the time the car arrived, Halim had already come out of the winter hut.

Upon seeing Li Long's car, he smiled and whistled at the dog. The dog ran back to the entrance of its winter kennel, turned around, and continued barking at the car until Li Long got out—clearly, the dog recognized Li Long.

After exchanging greetings, Li Long led Halim down to carry things, and Halim's wife also came out of the winter shelter to help.

After moving all the things and entering the winter shelter, it felt much quieter and more deserted.

After all, when they first came, it was a lively family gathering, but now it's just the couple left, which is different.

The radio on the wooden kang (heated brick bed) was playing Kazakh music, the kind with an instrumental accompaniment.

Li Long took off his shoes and climbed onto the wooden kang (heated brick bed), asking about the current situation.

Li Long's inquiry was merely a polite formality, given that the lives of the tribal herders had improved considerably. The roads in and out of the mountains were open, and they had tractors; if they needed supplies, they could simply drive out and buy them.

Although starting a tractor in winter is a bit troublesome, it's just troublesome, not impossible.

The cattle and sheep in the hands of the herders are now worth more than before, and Li Long has also returned a lot of cash to them for the supplies they brought back when they moved their herds in the winter.

Therefore, spending money to buy things is not difficult for them.

“Some people see that my family and Yushan Jiang’s family have courtyards in the county, and they’re thinking about it too,” Halim said. “They also want their children to go to school in the county.”

Previously, Li Long only paid attention to the children of Halimu and Yushanjiang, since he had the closest relationship with these two families.

Other herders also have children. Some are willing to send their children to school at the herding team, while others hope that their children will stay in the winter pastures to help the family herd sheep.

Although nine-year compulsory education has been implemented for two years, it is difficult for herders to get their children to participate in compulsory education because they graze their livestock in the mountains.

Even in the 21st century, some herders are still reluctant to send their children to school.

In addition, the nine-year compulsory education is divided into the "5-4" system and the "6-3" system. Li Long vaguely remembered that in later generations, some people argued with others about which system they attended, and some of the arguments were quite heated.

He just wanted to laugh.

Spoon? The national system has two educational systems, which are implemented according to the different situations in various places. In the northern Xinjiang region, the two educational systems are inherited. That is, the five-four system was initially implemented, and later it was changed to the six-three system.

So what's there to argue about for people born in the late 1970s and 1980s who might have been enrolled in the 6-3 system or the 5-4 system?

Those who are still arguing online are either stupid, malicious, or just trying to gain traffic by creating accounts. They have the nerve to say, "We 80s kids went to five-year primary school. If anyone doesn't believe me, come out in the comments section and tell me if anyone actually went to it to vouch for me."

Pooh.

"So what do they want?" Li Long thought it was a good thing that the herdsmen had such awareness.

The more children go to school, the more deeply the descendants of herders integrate into modern society, and the greater the changes in their lives will be.

He didn't need to worry about the fourth team at all. If any child missed school on time, Xu Chengjun didn't even need to say anything; the village's women's director would rush to their home and give the parents a scolding.

The parents in Team Four understood this very well, and it was the same for those minority families.

“They also want to buy a yard in the county, but they’re worried they don’t have enough money,” Halim said. “Also, some families have too few people to spare. When they move to the mountains, they still need to leave people behind for the summer pasture.”

Li Long thought for a moment and said:
"Should we call Yushanjiang over to discuss this together?"

“Okay.” Halim stood up and said, “Let’s go, let’s go see their house.”

Yushanjiang is currently living alone at home, and I doubt he's doing very well.

Li Long still had some supplies left in his car to deliver to their home.

Sure enough, when Halim and Li Long arrived at Yushanjiang's winter nest, Yushanjiang was at home eating naan bread.

"Didn't you have breakfast?" Halim asked.

"I'm alone, so I'll just have to make do." Yu Shanjiang said somewhat awkwardly.

“Come on, come on, let’s go to our house.” Halim pulled him along. “We’ll have lunch at our house.”

"No, no, what about my cattle and sheep? Wolves came last night. I'm afraid if I leave, the wolves will come and cause trouble." Yu Shanjiang hurriedly shook his head. "Those wolves are very cunning!"

Whether the wolf thief was thief or not, Li Long knew that Yu Shanjiang was afraid of being embarrassed and losing face.

"Let's cook here then," Li Long said. "I brought some groceries; shall I cook something for you today?"

"Okay," Halim and Yushanjiang both agreed. They knew Li Long's cooking skills; while it might not perfectly suit Kazakh tastes, it certainly tasted good.

While cooking, the three of them discussed the situation of other people in the tribe who wanted their children to go to school.

"I think Yushanjiang, you should take some time to do a survey and determine the number of people needed. It would be best to identify how many families can spare some people. That way, I can help you buy the yard and settle in."

“Actually, there’s another way,” Yu Shanjiang said, thinking for a moment. “They can stay in our courtyard. Anyway, it’s spacious there, and there are plenty of rooms. My husband can cook too…”

This is one possible solution, but Li Long felt it was not quite appropriate:

"That's not a good idea. How should we discipline the children? It's best if their own families do it. If others are too strict, the children might tell their parents, which could lead to misunderstandings. If they're too lenient, the children might not behave well, which would be even more troublesome."

It's hard to strike the right balance.

Yushanjiang nodded, agreeing.

"Let's do the statistics first, then we'll talk. If several families can send people to manage it together, that would be fine too," Halim said. "It might be better if several families manage it together, rather than just one. Of course, if you're buying a yard, it's better to buy one that's close by."

That's settled for now.

During the meal, Li Long brought up the topic of dogs.

"Dogs? Yes, we do. I remember Buick's dog had puppies in the fall, and now there are four?" Yushanjiang thought for a moment and said, "They're half-grown puppies, we can take them home and train them for a while and they'll be fine."

Li Long thought it was a good idea. Puppies that are two or three months old are more resilient in winter. If they are kept in the yard, they can be used after the winter.

After lunch, Li Long drove back, but Meng Hai stopped him on the way.

“I heard someone say that a GAZ truck went into the mountains, and I guess it was you.” Meng Hai stood by the roadside and said with a smile after Li Long got out of the car. “I have something to discuss with you. Come on, come on, let’s go to my house for a while.”

Li Long didn't refuse. It was still early, so sitting down for a cup of tea would be nice, a good way to take a midday break.

Upon arriving at Meng Hai's home, it was immediately noticeable that it was more comfortable than the winter quarters. This must be why those herders wanted to have a courtyard in the county.

Although living in winter shelters is a tradition, they would not refuse a better life if offered.

We've already taken several steps to break with tradition, so taking a few more steps won't hurt.

(End of this chapter)