Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

When Li Long drove to Qingshuihe in the afternoon, Meng Hai was wiping his GAZ car in the yard.

"Have you finished all the work in the fields?" Li Long asked as he got out of the car. "Now you have some free time?"

"Well, our team has little land, so there's not much work to begin with. My wife is capable; she finished the work a long time ago," Meng Hai said with some pride. "Boss, you've come all this way, why did you bring anything?"

Before arriving, Li Long stopped at the dried meat processing workshop, put it on the tab, and took a few kilograms of dried meat. Hearing Meng Hai say this, he smiled and said:

“This is from my own meat jerky processing workshop. Bring this over so my sister-in-law and the baby can have a taste.”

Meng Hai smiled and took the bag from Li Long, handing it to his wife and telling her to prepare some food. Li Long hurriedly interrupted, saying, "We ate lunch in the village. The road from our village to the team was finally opened, so we had a meal after the ceremony. I came to tell you some good news..."

"What good news?" Meng Hai asked hurriedly.

“I chatted with Deputy Director Guan of the Transportation Bureau for a bit, and he said there was a project at Letu Station to repair asphalt roads, which I felt was perfect for our company. None of our employees have ever done this kind of work before, so it's not realistic to take on a new road project directly, but repairing it would be a good opportunity for them to practice.”

“Okay.” Meng Hai and Li Long thought the same thing. Although they really wanted to make a lot of money, they knew they had to take things one step at a time. If you suddenly gave them a big job on a first-class highway, they wouldn’t dare to take it.

Meng Hai wasn't very familiar with the area, but Li Long knew the location, though he hadn't been there many times and had mostly just passed by. So he took a twig and marked the approximate location on the ground for Meng Hai.

"Go to the Transportation Bureau on Monday and see Deputy Director Guan. He'll explain the details to you. We can actually tell everyone tomorrow that we're preparing to start work. How have you been resting these past few days?"

"It's good, but when you suddenly have nothing to do, the first two days are fine. Then groups of three or five people come to me saying they have nothing to do and are bored. Yesterday and the day before, some people came to ask me for work, and there were some this morning too."

"That's good. As long as we're thinking about work, we'll all stay motivated. Go ask Deputy Director Guan the day after tomorrow. If there are any difficulties, tell my dad at the purchasing station. I'm going into the mountains on Monday, and we'll talk about it in detail when I get back."

"Okay, okay." Meng Hai nodded repeatedly. As the manager of the company, he was always afraid of not having any work. Now that there was work, he felt relieved—especially since it was the kind of work that he himself had thought of that could train the team, which made him quite happy.

After chatting for a while and drinking tea, Li Long went into the mountains to Bolati and picked up two bags of fritillaria bulbs before returning to the purchasing station.

When Li Qingxia saw Li Long return, she handed the counter to him, then got into a Volga, tidied up, and drove to No. 1 Middle School to pick up Li Juan.

Dad knew the road was open today and couldn't wait to experience it—when he went back earlier, the road was still under construction, and the car had to drive off the dirt road to Shutianzi, which made him a little unhappy.

Now that the new road has been paved right to our doorstep, it is certainly a temptation for drivers—who would want to drive on a road full of potholes when they can drive on a smooth road?
After the last crackdown, the thugs near the gates of the middle schools were almost nowhere to be seen, and the safety of the students greatly improved. Guo Tiebing and his team not only received praise from the bureau, but were also highly praised by the students' parents. It is said that at some meetings, county leaders specifically mentioned this matter.

So for now, Li Juan and her classmates are safe going to and from school, and there's no need to worry.

Now that the days are getting longer, when Li Qingxia left the purchasing station, the sun hadn't set yet, and the daylight was still bright. Li Long could imagine his father's eagerness.

Li Long then resumed his role as shopkeeper at the counter, grading fritillaria and pricing licorice amidst the good-natured laughter of some veteran vendors.

"Don't laugh, Lao Fan. If you keep laughing, I'll deduct two yuan from your fritillaria later." Li Long knew what these vendors were laughing about. He had been a hands-off manager for several years, but in the end, he had returned. Even if it was only for an hour or two, the vendors felt a sense of familiarity.

"No way!" Fan Mingcheng quickly waved his hand. "I'm happy because Mr. Li, you're finally back! I've been wanting to see if you can show us fritillaria again. Back then, when you stood behind the counter, we felt at ease, knowing we could get a good price for fritillaria. When we came here and saw the purchasing station closed, we were upset all day. You guys, don't you think?"

"Yes, yes, Lao Fan made himself clear. Although fritillaria wasn't as expensive as it is now in those years, we felt at ease selling it to you. Now that we see you back at the counter, we're happy, aren't we?"

Okay, although I know these guys are trying to elevate themselves and are probably also trying to make fun of me, there's still a bit of sincerity in what they're saying, so I'll let it go.

After collecting the last few medicinal herbs from these dealers, Li Long said to Liang Shuangcheng:
"Old Jia, who collects medicinal herbs, and Boss Zhao, who collects hides, are coming over tomorrow. You can go back a little later today. Let's gather up the dried fritillaria bulbs in the backyard. We don't want them to get mixed up and end up taking the undried ones. That would be a real problem."

"Okay, okay." Liang Shuangcheng immediately became excited when he heard that Boss Jia and Boss Zhao were coming. The main reason was that Li Long would give them bonuses every time they sold a large quantity of goods. Although the amount of hides and fritillaria bulbs on this trip wasn't much, they should still be able to sell two or three hundred thousand worth of goods, so they should be able to get a bonus, right?

Sun Jiaqiang, who had finished locking up the shop at the agricultural supply store, came over to help. The agricultural supply store is still thriving. Seeds and plastic film are no longer sold, but pesticides and fertilizers are still selling well, especially fertilizers. Even the most oblivious farmers now know that this stuff can increase crop yields, so buying fertilizer and spreading it on the ground has become a habit.

Of course, the mainstream ones are still the same few: urea, diammonium phosphate, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are truly the three treasures of crops.

So agricultural supply stores are always busy—although their profits are less than one-tenth of those of purchasing stations, they are still a steady stream of income and an industry that can be passed down through generations.

The prospects are very good.

Even some rural agricultural supply stores come here to buy wholesale goods, mainly because it's convenient and has a wide variety of products.

The three of them worked together and quickly sorted the fritillaria bulbs, neatly bundled the skins, and waited for delivery the next day.

Liang Shuangcheng originally planned to go home, but since he had to deliver the goods tomorrow, he decided not to go back. Anyway, it's the turn of spring and summer, and it's much more convenient to go home now. He can get home by bicycle in 30 or 40 minutes on the new road, unlike before when it would take at least an hour.

The next morning, Jia Tianlong and Zhao Hui arrived together.

Both of them brought their own cars, which saved Li Long a lot of trouble.

The purchasing station was closed for business today, so Li Long first took Zhao Hui to the meeting room, where Liang Shuangcheng accompanied him, as he was going to stay with Jia Tianlong.

As usual, Jia Tianlong wanted to pay his respects to the jade stone, and Li Long didn't refuse, since it was a tradition. While leading him to the courtyard, Li Long asked:

"Why didn't you bring your wife and kids along? The scenery here is really nice now. I've repaired the road leading into the mountains, and I took my wife and kids for a trip there a few days ago. The scenery in the mountains is truly beautiful."

"Really?" Jia Tianlong seemed intrigued. "Did you take any photos? It's a pity I brought my car this time; I had to find a car at the last minute. Otherwise, I would have stayed here for two days before leaving."

Li Long smiled but didn't say anything.

"Did you take any photos?" Jia Tianlong asked. "Any photos?"

"Yes, there are." Li Long remembered that his wife had taken a lot of photos, which seemed to have been developed after May Day, so he said, "You go and do your prayers later, I'll look for them."

After opening the gate and entering the courtyard, Li Long explained to Jia Tianlong:

"The new road from the township to the team has been opened, so my wife drove the kids to the village to play. There's no one home now."

Li Long didn't mention Han Fang, but she went to the village with Mingming and Haohao, mainly to meet Li Juan and ask her for advice on things before the high school entrance exam.

"You go about your business, I'll do it myself." Jia Tianlong carried his bag to the jade. The jade was covered with a canvas in winter and left outdoors in summer. Sister Yang would wipe it with a towel from time to time, so it was in pretty good condition.

The bronze incense burner was still there; Jia Tianlong could see the remaining incense ash, indicating it had been lit a few days ago.

I only light this up occasionally, just to keep it going.

Li Long entered the room, went to the desk, opened a drawer, and saw a stack of photos.

By this time, the county had already started printing color photos, although the price was a bit higher. But for people who rarely take photos, it was still better to use color photos for the occasional family photo.

Point-and-shoot cameras have already been released. Fujifilm and Lucky film are currently the two most commonly sold films in the county's department stores. Kodak is also available, but not in large quantities.

Lucky Film was cheaper, while Fujifilm was more upscale, but most people still bought Lucky Film. At that time, there was no concept of supporting domestic products; everyone focused on cost-effectiveness and decided based on their own economic level.

When Li Long took out the photos, Jia Tianlong had already completed the process of worshipping the jade, and his originally bulging black bag had now returned to normal.

Li Long glanced over and saw several opened cans of fish and luncheon meat on the cement platform. He thought to himself that the cats in the yard would have a good feast now.

"Come on, take a look." Li Long walked down the steps and waved the photo in his hand to Jia Tianlong.

Jia Tianlong took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his hands, and then took the photos and looked at them one by one.

Li Long thought to himself, "Old Jia is quite particular, not bad, not bad."

"Hey, it's really beautiful!" Jia Tianlong looked at the photos. "Is this the mountains of Ma County? I really didn't realize it. I usually look south and the mountains there are just bare, like there's nothing there."

Li Long said with a smile, "This is inner beauty. After all, the Tianshan Mountains are not the Loess Plateau, they are not so heavy. They are just mountain ranges formed by the compression of tectonic plates and the wonders of nature."

"Hey, Lao Li, I feel like you've gotten quite a few cultured words coming out of your mouth since you married Teacher Gu." Jia Tianlong and Li Long had known each other since they were both struggling, and Jia Tianlong knew about Li Long's situation, so he couldn't help but tease him after hearing what Li Long said.

We're all semi-literate, why are you pretending to be cultured?

Li Long laughed.

"Sigh, maybe next time." After flipping through the photos once, he looked at them again. "Next time I'll bring my wife and kids over to play. Look at your two sons, they're so young, yet they look so energetic!"
I need to bring my daughter over so the children can meet her. Our friendship from this generation needs to be strengthened now; we can't let it end with the next generation.

Li Long knew Jia Tianlong's intentions, but he didn't refuse. It's normal for a child to make more friends at this age. After all, not every family has two sons like theirs. With only one child becoming the norm, many children will grow up to be more lonely than the previous generation.

Humans are social beings after all, and interacting with others is generally more beneficial than harmful—in most cases.

After Li Long took the photo back and confirmed that there were no oil fingerprints on it, he took it back inside and put it away. Then he came out and said to Jia Tianlong, "Sit down for a while?"

"No, I'll go back and chat with Lao Zhao. It's been a while since I last saw him. When was the last time? Is Lao Chen still around?" Jia Tianlong tried hard to recall:

"I heard he's making a killing lately. Right now, his leather goods business is booming, while other companies' supply chains are shrinking due to animal protection laws—is it because of you?"

"Pretty much. Anyway, I can provide him with several thousand hides every month, enough for him to develop properly." Li Long was not modest at all, and there was no need to be modest in front of Lao Jia. "Right now, the Soviet Union is short of food and sugar, so I exchange supplies for some hides every now and then, and the price is not bad."

"Yes, yes, I remember you brought back quite a lot of licorice and astragalus last time. But it seems like that's about all the medicinal herbs over there... Do you still have a lot of antelope horn here?"

"Yes, that's true, but let's keep it for now. I think the current price is still a bit too low."

"It's already four hundred yuan per kilogram." Jia Tianlong's real intention was to say that he coveted Li Long's antelope horns, but Li Long wasn't selling them, so there was nothing he could do.

If Li Long hadn't said last time that he really needed antelope horns to open up sales channels and solve his problems, he probably wouldn't have given them those horns at all.

However, he himself is also aware that since China began protecting wild animals, antelope horns will inevitably become more and more valuable.

Moreover, there is very little of this stuff produced domestically; most of it is still imported from abroad. Li Long has a supply, but he can't ship it out, so he can only wait.

Fortunately, given the relationship between the two parties, Li Long would eventually ship the goods through me, so making a profit from the price difference wouldn't be a problem.

The two went out together, and after Li Long locked the door, they walked together toward the purchasing station.

When they arrived at the purchasing station, Zhao Hui was already getting impatient.

"You two need to hurry up," Zhao Hui couldn't help but complain. "Today we're dealing with both fritillaria and hides, and there aren't many people here at Boss Li's place. Won't we be working until dark?"

"It's not that bad," Li Long said with a smile. "As long as you have someone here to inspect the goods, I can be quick on my end—we can do both at the same time. You've already brought the truck, why would I waste your time?"

As they were talking, Liang Shuangcheng had already driven back the day laborers and was in charge of loading them onto the truck.

Li Long followed Zhao Hui, and Liang Shuangcheng followed Jia Tianlong, inspecting, counting, and loading the goods onto the truck.

Jia Tianlong was more casual; he could tell the quality of the fritillaria bulbs at a glance. The two companies had been cooperating for more than a year or two, and Li Long's reputation was top-notch among his partners. He would do a quick, thorough inspection before weighing and loading the goods onto the truck.

So Liang Shuangcheng's job was quite easy.

Zhao Hui's situation was different. Although Li Long had already packed the hides into whole hides and damaged hides, Zhao Hui still randomly checked each bundle.

These hides weren't just brought back by Liu Gaolou; there were also a small amount collected by the purchasing station.

The leather goods had a strong smell, but Zhao Hui didn't notice it at all. He was very thorough during the random inspection, and after checking, he re-tied them up and loaded them onto the truck.

Li Long didn't mind the trouble; that's the shrewdness of a businessman.

Fortunately, the shipment wasn't too large this time. By around 3 PM, all the goods were loaded onto the truck, inspected, and counted. The next step was to calculate the payment.

The dried scallops, weighing over a ton, were of very good quality, and Li Long received 200,000 yuan and a few hundred dollars.

More than a thousand hides, worth more than 170,000 yuan, totaling less than 400,000 yuan, were received by Li Long without any surprise.

Jia Tianlong and Zhao Hui both breathed a sigh of relief; they had finally made a good profit this time.

"Let's go, driver, let's go to Tuanfenglou for lunch," Li Long said. "All you can eat for lunch—spicy chicken and big plates of mutton!"

After receiving the money, Li Long was generous. After paying the odd jobs, he invited Jia Tianlong, Zhao Hui, and the driver to go out for a meal.

Jia Tianlong and Zhao Hui didn't stand on ceremony. After finishing their work and relaxing, they naturally felt hungry. They didn't stand on ceremony with Li Long either, and the group headed towards Tuanfeng Tower, talking about when they would come back next time.

Because it's fritillaria season, Jia Tianlong meant he would come back in half a month, and then see if he could bring his family along. He was unsure whether he could take good care of his family since he was going to be collecting fritillaria along the entire northern Tianshan Mountains.

Zhao Hui was different. By this time, he came here almost always for Li Long. Others could only get a few pieces of fur, but Li Long would buy thousands at a time.

So he offered Li Long a good price, otherwise he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep the hides—someone had already inquired about the source of the hides. These days, raw materials are king!
Everyone was hungry after a tiring morning, so two large plates of hand-pulled mutton were quickly devoured. The next two plates of spicy chicken were eaten more slowly.

According to Li Long, the waiter brought out two plates of belt noodles, which was well received by everyone. Finally, noodle soup and mutton soup were served, and everyone could choose which one to drink.

Jia Tianlong, being from the Northwest, was used to this kind of food. Zhao Hui frequently traveled to northern Xinjiang and was also accustomed to it, though he didn't have the same uninhibited attitude as the others. Today, he also ate to his heart's content and even shared his thoughts after finishing:

"I've eaten quite a bit of mutton from northern Xinjiang, but the mutton from Ma County really doesn't have a gamey taste."

"They eat alkaline grass," Li Long explained. "Mutton from sheep that have eaten alkaline grass in the Northwest is not very gamey." Even grass-fed sheep in later generations still have a gamey smell due to breed differences, but mutton from sheep that have eaten alkaline grass has a lighter, almost non-gamey smell.

Because they were in a hurry, no one drank alcohol, and Li Long himself didn't drink either, as he had other things to do in the afternoon.

He was going into the mountains tomorrow, and he didn't know how well Zhou Yuan was preparing supplies, so he planned to go to the supply and marketing cooperative after sending Jia Tianlong and the others away.

Without further ado, Jia Tianlong and Zhao Hui, after finishing their meal, left Ma County with their driver and car, each proceeding to their next step according to their plans.

Since it was the weekend and the tax department was closed, Li Long gave Liang Shuangcheng and Sun Jiaqiang each a 200 yuan red envelope as their bonus for the month. Next, he would tidy up the warehouse and wait to restock tomorrow.

Li Long returned to the compound with more than 200,000 yuan in cash. After putting the money away, he went to the supply and marketing cooperative.

There weren't many people in the supply and marketing cooperative's courtyard on the weekend. Zhou Yuan was in her office taking inventory of supplies when she heard the car. She looked out the window and saw Li Long coming over, and smiled.

Li Long entered the office and saw Zhou Yuan arranging things. There were several bags on the floor of the office, obviously supplies to be taken to the mountains.

"You're here, just in time. The others went shopping, could you help me sort and put these things away... never mind, just read them to me and I'll arrange them."

The items were purchased by people in our own group. If we let Li Long arrange them, he might not even know what's in each bag. It's more convenient to let him say what to put them.

There were quite a few things to bring back for the herders, and according to Li Xiangqian's idea, each family would receive a portion. The supplies purchased in bulk would be distributed directly in the county, and once they arrived at the summer pastures, they would be delivered to each family, or placed directly at Yushanjiang or Halim, making it convenient for them to retrieve them.

Li Long did not refuse and began distributing the supplies as Zhou Yuan had instructed.

A family has two bricks of tea, two packets of sugar cubes, two bags of iodized salt, a bag of rice, and a bag of flour, which together make up a large bag.

Although the flour is only 85% of the standard grade, it's still quite good, which is excellent for a herder.

Li Long and his family ate 75% wheat bran, but occasionally Li Long would buy some 85% wheat bran to mix in, telling his family that eating some bran was good for their health.

These strange and outlandish theories are not widely accepted by people today, but Li Long's family has gotten used to his unusual ways, so they listen to him.

After dividing the dozen or so items, the other members of the purchasing department returned one after another. They had bought items for the supply and marketing cooperative's staff to use the next day.

After greeting and joking with Li Long, these people quickly joined the work.

They envied Li Long, but everyone has their own place. Working at the supply and marketing cooperative was something others envied, so when these people saw Li Long, they greeted him and then quickly got to work, thinking that they could rest for half a day after they finished.

Many hands make light work. After finishing the work, it was only a little past five o'clock. Li Long said goodbye to Zhou Yuan and the others and left. He also needed to go back and make some preparations.

To get into the mountains, you can only drive a GAZ truck, and you might have to carry a few people in it.

Although Zhou Yuan had already prepared some supplies, Li Long still planned to bring some dried meat. He would bring some meat from Keyumu's place early tomorrow morning, cut it up at home, and bring the barbecue grill with him.

It feels like a trip to the grasslands for fun and a picnic isn't complete without grilling some meat or something.

Of course, all of this was on the premise that, as Li Xiangqian said, the herders would not offer any hospitality. However, Li Long felt that if he really went to visit the herders, it was hard to say whether they would treat him or not; most likely, they would just slaughter a sheep and make mutton.

Based on Li Long's understanding of Halim and Yushanjiang, this was almost a certainty.

However, Li Long still needed to make preparations. In any case, it was impossible for everyone to rush to offer condolences. What would the rest do? Let them have free time? That could easily lead to danger. So, he decided to let them go barbecue or prepare for a picnic, or have group activities in small groups. That way, any situation would be easier to handle.

In the afternoon, Gu Xiaoxia returned with Mingming, Haohao, and Han Fang. Sister Yang got off work early today, and dinner was already prepared when Gu Xiaoxia and the others arrived. During dinner, Li Long told Gu Xiaoxia about tomorrow's activities.

"Dad, you're going out to play without us, humph!" Mingming still remembered the wonderful memories of playing in the mountains, and when she heard that Li Long was going to the mountains again without them, she complained.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. You have to go to kindergarten, so you can’t go. If it were a holiday, you could go,” Li Long explained patiently. “Besides, I’m going there for work, not for fun.”

Mingming accepted Li Long's explanation, but sighed and said that she and her brother could not go.

He acts like a little adult.

Li Qingxia wanted to explain, because this kind of thing felt like spoiling the child a bit. Back in Li Jianguo's family, Li Qiang would never have asked Li Jianguo such a question; it seemed his younger son and daughter-in-law were spoiling the child too much.

But with outsiders present, Li Qingxia ultimately held back, intending to speak with Li Long privately. He felt that this way of educating children wasn't quite right.

After the meal, Li Qingxia, with his hands behind his back and looking somewhat preoccupied, was about to return to the purchasing station when Li Long called out to his father, led him into the house, and then took out 10,000 yuan and gave it to him.

"Dad, we sold some hides and fritillaria today, this is your share of the profits."

"Where are you going to get that much? We already said we wouldn't give me any of the leather, you got that yourself. If we're going to give you any, it'll be the fritillaria—that ton of fritillaria, the profit should be around 50,000 or 60,000. Just give me 5,000."

Li Qingxia calculated it very clearly.

If Li Long weren't married, it wouldn't be a problem for Li Qingxia to get a larger share. But now that he has a daughter-in-law, Li Qingxia doesn't want this to cause conflict between Li Long and his wife—although he suspects that Gu Xiaoxia doesn't manage the money, it's still better to keep things separate.

"Five thousand is your share of the profits, and the remaining five thousand is for you and your mother as a token of our filial piety. Just take it," Li Long said with a smile. "Don't worry, Xiaoxia knows everything, and she agrees."

Li Qingxia then accepted the money.

He opened his mouth, wanting to talk about what had just happened with Mingming and Haohao, but in the end he didn't say anything.

The next morning, after breakfast, Li Long first took Mingming and Haohao to kindergarten, then went to the courtyard to load the barbecue grill and other things onto the car, and then went to the meat processing workshop to get meat and dried meat.

Since Zhou Yuan had already prepared naan bread, Li Long didn't buy any more and instead drove to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Li Xiangqian has finished the morning meeting and is now in the courtyard mobilizing those who are going to participate in this operation.

To Li Long's surprise, the TV station staff had already arrived. Some were carrying cameras, and a host was holding a microphone, listening to Li Xiangqian's mobilization speech.

When Li Long drove in and saw the scene, he parked his car at the entrance and waited until Li Xiangqian finished his mobilization and began to be interviewed by the host before slowly driving in.

Zhou Yuan walked over and said to Li Long with a smile:
"Comrade Li Long, is there any space in your car? We need to arrange for a few people to ride in your car. By the way, before you arrived, the director wanted to ask if sedans could drive in."

Li Long thought for a moment and said:

"You can drive in; the road is relatively flat, without any particularly steep slopes, but sedans will have to drive a bit slower."

The road is built all the way uphill, a hundred kilometers long, with the altitude rising from six or seven hundred meters to over two thousand or nearly three thousand meters. The steepest slope is at the very end, up the Xiacaochang slope, a section of road where you can drive without even going uphill.

“The TV station will provide a van, our director’s sedan, plus the company’s Lada and your Jeep, that should be enough to take everyone,” Zhou Yuan said. “It’s best not to ride in a truck to transport supplies, it’s very bumpy.”

“Sure, I can fit a few more people in the back of my car,” Li Long said. “With all the stuff piled up in the middle, there should be enough room for seven or eight people.”

"That's enough. I'll bring the vehicles in the truck, and the others can sit separately."

After being seated, Zhou Yuan was noticeably more relaxed.

After finishing his interview, Li Xiangqian came over and said a few words to Li Long. Then everyone went their separate ways to get into their cars and prepare to leave.

Li Long took the lead in the car without hesitation, with the other vehicles following behind, and the large trucks carrying supplies at the very back.

Although this convoy wasn't as impressive as Liu Gaolou's, it was still quite something, traveling in a grand procession along the Urumqi-Yining Highway, and it looked rather imposing.

As the car turned onto the road towards Qingshuihe, Li Long's colleagues started chatting:
"Luckily, we're not going to use a large sedan chair this year. Otherwise, those 100-plus kilometers would have been quite an ordeal, and I might even have peed myself. It's much better to ride in a car."

Then these people started talking all at once about the price and performance of cars, comparing which car was better.

Ultimately, the evaluation authority was given to Li Long—among these people, Li Long was the one who controlled the cars and sold them, making him the most authoritative.

Li Long was happy to have someone to chat with along the way, so he talked about the pros and cons of various cars. He not only reviewed the cars he sold, but also commented on cars like the Santana and Daihatsu that were currently on the market, which made the passengers nod in agreement.

Once the car entered the mountains, the people became lively again. Some of them had participated in the first few road-building activities in the mountains and began to talk about the old days.

Those who didn't participate listened with great interest.

Occasionally you can see people walking along the roadside; these people are rather strange.

Li Long explained that those carrying bags were probably herb gatherers from the mountains, and it was the peak harvesting season; they were going into the mountains to earn money.

"Comrade Li Long, how much does one kilogram of fritillaria cost now?" someone asked curiously.

Many people in the supply and marketing cooperative knew that Li Long ran a purchasing station to buy medicinal herbs such as fritillaria.

"A kilogram of good quality costs around 150 yuan," Li Long said. "It's the premium kind, cleaned, dried, and free of mold and small particles."

"So expensive? One kilogram costs more than my monthly salary!" someone exclaimed.

"How much can they dig in a day? Can they dig half a kilogram?" someone asked again.

This is clearly a measure of a herb gatherer's daily income.

"A skilled person can dig up six or seven kilograms of fresh fritillaria a day. If dried, it can yield about one kilogram of ordinary grade fritillaria, which is worth one hundred to one hundred and twenty yuan."

For beginners, some might be lucky to dig up one kilogram of fresh produce a day, while others might not even manage to dig up one kilogram.

"That's good enough." Someone quietly did the calculations. "Even if we only dig up a kilogram of fresh fritillaria, it's worth ten or twenty yuan, right? A week's work is equivalent to a month's salary for us!"

Li Long smiled but didn't say anything.

These people only see the thief eating meat but not the thief getting beaten.

Midway through, Li Long stopped at a scenic spot with a small pine forest, partly to rest and partly to make it easier for the people in the car.

Sure enough, as soon as the car was parked, the staff members went to relieve themselves in groups of three or five in the woods on both sides of the road. Then someone exclaimed that there were mushrooms, which attracted the attention of many people.

Li Long thought that the morel mushrooms in the pine forest should be appearing by now, and wondered if he could pick some today.

Although some people were reluctant to leave, they only rested for twenty minutes before setting off again. After all, the journey was not short, and the road was gravel, which would take nearly two hours to reach the destination.

By the time they arrived at the summer pasture, the passengers were getting impatient—but all their impatience vanished when they saw the scenery to the south through the windows.

"Hey, it's so beautiful! It's just like the fairyland in Journey to the West!" a female colleague exclaimed.

"The summer pasture is up the slope, let's go straight up." Li Long had already seen the flocks of sheep and the herders grazing on the slope. They should have also seen the convoy coming from the other side, and herders on horseback were now heading this way.

Li Long could vaguely tell that the river coming from was Yushan River.

As the convoy slowly drove up the hillside, Yu Shanjiang arrived on horseback. He dismounted, shook hands with Li Long, and learned from Li Long the purpose of Li Xiangqian and his group's visit.

"Welcome, welcome!" Yushanjiang's Mandarin is becoming more and more fluent and standard. As the host, he welcomed Li Xiangqian and the reporters, and then led everyone towards the yurt.

The guide led us to Halim's yurt—Yushanjiang's wife was in the county taking care of their children's schooling, and his yurt was not suitable for entertaining guests.

The cameramen and reporters quickly followed, capturing the hospitality of the herders – these were all excellent materials.

Halim and his wife welcomed everyone's arrival. Li Xiangqian shook their hands and said some polite words. The cameraman filmed all of this. Next, they distributed the supplies.

Since every family had one, but the yurts were too far apart, after discussion, they decided to hold the ceremony in front of Halim's yurt.

After the ceremony, Li Long and his group set up the barbecue grill, while Halimu began slaughtering sheep.

Li Xiangqian tried his best to stop him, but how could he possibly stop him? In the midst of the arguing, Halim had already knocked the sheep down.

Then let's eat—ah, the warm-hearted Kazakhs! (End of Chapter)