Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1242 There's no more good deal to be had in Yanjing.
Li Long didn't refuse the raisins that Aunt Liu mentioned, since she didn't want many, just fifty yuan's worth.

"Helping others is helping yourself," Li Long agreed and said to Aunt Liu.

“Aunt Liu, our unit doesn’t come here often, so could you please keep an eye on this yard when it’s not busy?”

"Okay, okay, no problem," Aunt Liu readily agreed. Under normal circumstances, no one dared to touch the territory of a government unit.

She walks around this street every day anyway, checking in every now and then, so it's not a hassle at all.

Li Long refused the fifty yuan that Aunt Liu gave him, but asked for the address of the neighborhood office, saying he would make a call on his way out and get it done.

"Then why bother going out? Just make the call from our neighborhood. It'll save you the phone bill." Aunt Liu thought to herself, "You're helping us out, how can we let you pay for the call?"

Li Long wanted to refuse, but Aunt Liu grabbed his sleeve and pulled him away, so Li Long didn't refuse anymore and followed her to the neighborhood office.

On the way, Aunt Liu asked how many kilograms she could buy for fifty yuan. She had previously thought the raisins looked good, large, sweet, clean, and crystal clear, but she was too embarrassed to ask the price.

“Fifty kilograms, I’ll pay you one yuan per kilogram,” Li Long said. “But this can’t be done many times. Raisins aren’t produced everywhere in our area, so we have to get them from Turpan.”

"I understand," Aunt Liu said, instantly grasping Li Long's meaning. "It's just about getting some New Year's goods before the New Year... Fifty kilograms is quite a lot!"

Li Long smiled but didn't say anything.

When they arrived at the neighborhood office, seeing that Aunt Liu was bringing a young man, people immediately surrounded her and started asking her all sorts of questions.

"Everyone, make way! This Comrade Li is in charge of that courtyard. He's doing us a good deed by buying fifty kilograms of raisins for us. He's calling over there to have them sent over. Come on, everyone, make way!" Aunt Liu knew that they needed to take care of business first. Comrade Li had clearly been about to leave, so he must have something to do.

After she said that, everyone else gave up their seats, as they had more important business to attend to.

Li Long called the purchasing station, and Li Qingxia got up. After answering the phone, she wrote down the address Li Long gave her and asked him how things were going. Li Long said everything was fine, and since it was a government phone, he didn't say much more.

Just as Li Long was about to hang up, someone next to him suddenly said:

"I've heard that the dates from northern Xinjiang are quite good. Should we ask Comrade Li to get us some? Raisins are too sweet and sticky. I think dates are much better!"

Li Long turned his head and glanced at the woman in her fifties, then at Aunt Liu. At this moment, the scene became a little awkward.

Aunt Liu, quick-witted as ever, hurriedly said to Li Long:
"Don't listen to his nonsense. The raisins are fine. Comrade Li, you have other things to do, so go ahead and do yours. Once the raisins arrive, I'll send you the money."

"I'm not making this up. I don't know if you've tried it or not, but back in the day, my family was a bannerman, and we ate a lot of good things. Raisins just aren't as good as dates, especially the dates from northern Xinjiang. The taste is just different..."

Hearing the smug look on the old lady's face, Li Long laughed, hung up the phone, said goodbye to Aunt Liu, and turned to leave.

"What are you laughing at?" The woman was a little annoyed that Li Long hadn't responded and had hung up the phone directly. "Young man, didn't you hear what I said?"

“I don’t know you. Who are you? Why should I listen to you?” Li Long stood up, replied a couple of times, and then looked at Aunt Liu. “Aunt Liu, your workplace… hey, I’ve learned something new.”

"Little Li, you don't need to worry about her, go and do your work." Aunt Liu thought that as soon as possible, she could get Li Long away and get the matter over with.

Li Long walked out; he didn't want to cause any trouble. However, he hadn't expected that only a few years after the reform and opening up, those who used to be in the banner system could now openly say such things, and even with such pride.

What does this mean? It means that things weren't truly cleaned up before.

It even started shaking.

Li Long left the neighborhood office, shook his head, and went to take care of his business.

He then realized the inconvenience of not having a car—he was used to driving a car, and now that he went out without one, he always felt something was missing.

The streets of Yanjing are many times larger than those of Ma County; if you wanted to walk there, it would take forever.

In Yanjing, taking a taxi has become a habit for Li Long.

Next, he was going to visit the universities in Yenching University, partly to satisfy his curiosity and partly to pave the way for his future.

Li Juan wanted to get into Yenching University. Li Long's first choice would definitely be Tsinghua or Peking University, but frankly, the chances of getting in were slim. Given the current educational level in Ma County, getting into any university in Yenching would be considered incredibly lucky.

But Li Long still wanted to go and see Tsinghua and Peking Universities.

Taxi drivers didn't look down on people from other places. There were more taxis now than when they first appeared. They weren't just there to earn foreign exchange anymore; they were also picking up ordinary people.

And he's quite talkative, really talkative.

Li Long arrived at one place, but didn't go in. He looked around from the outside and then went to another place, just to check off his list.

Having not even graduated from junior high school, I never considered high school or university, so naturally, this visit didn't evoke any strong feelings in me.

I think it's just so-so.

He mainly wanted to see the students' condition; he was quite curious.

However, he couldn't tell much from the school gate. Some students were rushing by with books in their hands, while others were chatting and laughing in small groups. There was also a lone student walking intently, muttering to himself.

They all looked so energetic and vibrant; it was a wonderful sight.

Is there anything seriously wrong?

Or perhaps you only see the surface.

When Li Long arrived at the Agricultural University, he stopped to take a look. He thought it was good that Li Juan was able to get into this university.

It's better than getting into a junior college—actually, getting into a junior college isn't bad either.

Lost in thought, Li Long visited several different places, wandering around Yanjing City in a big circle. By the time he returned to the courtyard, it was already afternoon.

He ate something quick at a street stall at noon; he was in a hurry to get things done and didn't care much about food.

Just as he opened the door, he heard Meng Yuchao rushing over and urgently saying to Li Long:
"Mr. Li, I sold it for nine yuan and sixty cents for a little over a kilogram!"

"So many?" Li Long was also a little surprised. How could that be?
"I folded some paper cups and went to sell them at the movie theater. At first, there weren't many people, and sales were slow. Each cup weighed less than a handful, less than forty or fifty grams."

Later, as more people came to watch the movie, mostly in couples and groups, I couldn't keep up with the paper cups, so I had to grab handfuls at a time. I made sure to grab small handfuls for people, charging two cents per handful. They didn't haggle, mainly because the raisins looked so good..."

"So they only caught forty or fifty people?" Li Long was a little surprised. Meng Yuchao was quite clever.

"I guessed you gave me more than a kilogram of raisins, so I grabbed a lot more, and ended up selling them for nine yuan and sixty cents! Actually, it didn't take long, less than a morning!"

If the cost is two yuan as Li Long said, even if it's three yuan, with a gross profit of nine yuan and sixty cents, the net profit would still be more than six yuan!
Make big!
Even if Li Long raises the price later, he can afford it! These raisins are much more popular than sunflower seeds!
At this time, some families were willing to eat raisins in large quantities as snacks, and they weren't expensive!
Li Long opened the courtyard gate and walked in, saying as he went:

"That's fine then. Now that the road test is successful, you can start working on it, but I won't be offering such a cheap price after that. We're doing business together, so I can't just give you whatever price they're selling at over there, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Meng Yuchao was in high spirits, so he naturally agreed to whatever Li Long said.

"Then just wait. The raisins will arrive in a few days. In the meantime, you can fold some extra paper cups for later use. These are consumables, so I think you should get a bigger shoulder bag; this one is too small."

Li Long's occasional suggestions and advice were common business tactics in later generations, but for Meng Yuchao at this time, they were invaluable words of wisdom, absolutely worth learning.

"Mr. Li, is there anything you need me to do these next few days? I'm pretty free anyway."

"Tomorrow I plan to go to antique shops and consignment shops to see if they have any antiques for sale, and if so, I want to buy some."

"This..." Meng Yuchao looked troubled. "The consignment shop does have some, but I don't think there are any good ones left right now. In the past two years, cultural relics have become valuable, and foreigners and people from Hong Kong and Macau like them. All the good ones have been bought and sent out."

Antique shops are for foreigners; ordinary people like us can't go there. Besides, they use foreign exchange certificates..."

"How about US dollars?" Li Long smiled and said, "I have some US dollars and I'd like to go and take a look."

“Dollar should be fine, but we don’t have that kind of status,” Meng Yuchao said. “How about we go to Liulichang? That’s alright. Panjiayuan sells handicrafts, that’s pretty good too…”

"I'll go check it out tomorrow. If it's okay, I'll buy it. If they won't let me in, I'll just buy some jadeite. Do you know where I can buy jadeite?" "Department stores? They sell jade, but not many sell jadeite." Meng Yuchao wasn't too sure either.

Li Long thought that it was already the end of 1988, and there should be private jewelry and jade shops appearing by now, right?
It seems like in my previous life I watched "The Funeral of a Muslim," where the protagonist's family's jade artifacts were first confiscated by the state, then confiscated again, and then returned.

That must have been in the early 1980s, right?

Li Long had a considerable amount of Hetian jade, but not much jadeite. Twenty years later, both of these items had seen significant price increases. Moreover, according to unofficial historical records Li Long had read online, it seemed that in the past, color was the primary factor in jadeite selection, while texture and clarity were secondary.

So he thought he should get some high-quality jadeite first and stock up on it.

Having received Li Long's confirmation, Meng Yuchao hurriedly left, presumably to inquire about the news.

Li Long didn't want to go out to eat anymore and planned to cook a simple meal in the kitchen to make do.

He looked at the ingredients and didn't seem to have much. Just as he was about to go out to buy some, Gu Xiaoyu came over after get off work. Seeing that Li Long was also going out, she took him to eat.

During the meal, Li Long said:

"I've almost finished taking care of things here, and I should head back in a couple of days."

"Are you taking a plane back?" Gu Xiaoyu asked. "Is flying fun?"

“It’s not fun at all,” Li Long shook his head. “It’s better if we don’t encounter air currents, but how can we not encounter air currents on such a long journey? Once we do, the bumps are extremely uncomfortable.”

As Li Long ate, he recounted some details, and other diners nearby listened in.

After dinner, Li Long drove Gu Xiaoyu home and casually asked about her family. Gu Xiaoyu didn't answer, and Li Long didn't ask any further questions.

"I've asked the neighborhood committee and Meng Yuchao to keep an eye on this compound, so you don't need to come over so often. Let it snow, no one's living here anyway, it'll melt in the spring," Li Long added.

He could no longer persuade Gu Xiaoyu about her marriage; he would leave it to fate.

The next day, Li Long set up the stove and was about to go out for dinner when he found Meng Yuchao waiting outside.

"Why didn't you knock?" Li Long asked, somewhat surprised.

"I was just thinking you weren't awake yet," Meng Yuchao said with a smile.

"Did you find out the news?" Li Long asked. "Why are you here so early?"

"Yes, I found out. There are old shops outside Qianmen and Chongwenmen that sell jade and jadeite, both old and new. Most of the goods in these shops should be good... There are also some stalls, but it's hard to tell if they're genuine."

"Then let's go inside the store," Li Long said. "My eyesight isn't very good either."

However, he first went to have breakfast, and after that, Li Long planned to go to the antique shop.

Meng Yuchao rode in a taxi with Li Long, feeling a bit curious, and looked around.

When Li Long arrived at the antique shop, he was refused entry because the staff had changed.

He wanted someone to call the manager out, saying he had US dollars, but the manager completely ignored him and wouldn't let him in.

There was no other way but to give up.

Li Long also felt it was bad luck; the Chinese people's tendency to worship foreign things and fawn over foreigners was probably at its peak at this time.
Or did it start from this time? After all, many people go abroad to Europe and America and find that they are much more advanced than us. The gap is huge. Some people will think about catching up, while others will just kneel down and convert.

Li Long went to the consignment shop again, but found that there were no decent goods. Most of them were second-hand items, such as bicycles and watches, none of which he liked.

"Let's go take a look outside Qianmen," Li Long said. "Let's buy some proper things to take back as gifts."

When Li Long came out, he was carrying a bag. Meng Yuchao couldn't tell how much money he had, so he reminded him:
"This stuff isn't cheap; several hundred yuan is common, and some can cost thousands or even tens of thousands..."

"Hmm, let's see," Li Long said indifferently.

Meng Yuchao was also clueless, so he went along with them.

Actually, it's fine if he doesn't go. Taxis follow the rules and won't take people recklessly. They earn a lot of money, so there's no need for him to go.

Upon arriving at the destination, Li Long, led by Meng Yuchao, saw established brands such as Baoquanhao and Deyuanhao.

Li Long went inside and didn't waste any time. If he felt it was suitable, he would buy it. The shopkeeper recommended Hetian jade, so Li Long took out a jade Buddha from his pocket and waved it around. The shopkeeper then fell silent.

Meng Yuchao, on the other hand, looked smug: "Boss Li came from the northern frontier. No matter how good your Hetian jade is, can it be as good as his?"

The shopkeeper muttered "not necessarily," but stopped offering Hetian jade and instead brought out jadeite as Li Long had requested.

As expected, most of the jadeite is colored, including both bean-type and glutinous-type jadeite with green hues. There is less icy jadeite and some glassy jadeite, but not much green.

Li Long went on a shopping spree... Since he'd stumbled upon this place, and he couldn't possibly go all the way to Yunnan, he might as well just shop around here.

To paraphrase what I said in my previous life, it's like buying blindfolded and holding it for years or even decades – you'll still make a profit.

He also bought some things for each member of his family, such as bracelets, small ornaments, and accessories.

It's inconvenient and inappropriate to give it to Gu Xiaoyu directly. I'll give it to my wife and have her pass it on to her sister. That way, it'll be more legitimate.

After visiting all three stores, Li Long left with a sense of unfinished business, leaving Meng Yuchao dumbfounded.

Li Long spent at least five or six thousand yuan today!
He still has US dollars!
Big boss?
If it weren't for the endorsement of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission's Beijing office, Meng Yuchao might have thought that Li Long was not a decent person.

After all, he's so young and doesn't seem to have any special abilities, so how come he's so rich?

On the way back, he couldn't help but ask:
"Mr. Li, do you make this much money in northern Xinjiang?"

“It’s easier to make money from the Russians,” Li Long said. “That’s what I do. They’re suffering from a disaster right now and they’re short of food and clothing.”

"How could that be?" the driver in front scoffed. "The Soviet Union was so powerful, how could people there lack food or clothing?"

Meng Yuchao was about to argue with the driver, but Li Long stopped him, saying:

"Oh, whatever you say."

It's meaningless.

What good would winning the argument do? Anyway, Li Long wasn't angry at such words. You can't talk about ice with a summer insect; he wouldn't understand anyway.

He stopped talking, which made the driver feel stifled. The driver, who claimed to know about national affairs and international situations, had prepared some arguments to debate with Li Long, but Li Long wouldn't take the bait, leaving him extremely frustrated.

Upon arrival, Li Long paid the fare. After getting off the bus, Meng Yuchao asked Li Long:
"Mr. Li, why didn't you argue with him? Even Buddha would argue over a stick of incense."

"You said it yourself, even Buddhas fight over a stick of incense. If I win the argument with him, will he waive my fare?"

"Well... it's good to win, right?" Meng Yuchao said after thinking for a moment.

“I’m in a good mood right now. This shows that I’m on the right track. Most people don’t know what it’s like over there, so they can’t make this money. Now that everyone knows, there are plenty of people who can go and make this money, so what’s left for me? Understand?” Li Long smiled and said, “Let’s go, I’m going back.”

Meng Yuchao then realized that Boss Li was giving him some pointers!

They do business in ways that no one else does, and they make money no matter what they do. It's like selling raisins as sunflower seeds. Is there anyone else in the whole city besides them?

This is one of a kind!
Even if someone realizes this and starts imitating it later, they still need resources!
Meng Yuchao was trembling with excitement at this moment; it was his destiny to become rich!
No matter what, we have to stick close to Boss Li!

He thought for a moment, then quickly turned around and went out. It was almost noon, so he had to get something good for Boss Li!

Roast Duck!

(End of this chapter)