Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1291 Li Jianguo's hatred of the Japanese and Secretary Zhang's arrangements
After dividing the money, Li Jianguo told Li Junhai and the others to keep the money safe, and then think about what they wanted to take back. He told them to have Li Junfeng drive them to the county to buy their own things.

By this time, the flow of goods was relatively fast, and most of the special products from northern Xinjiang that Urumqi had were also available in Ma County.

So they can actually buy it in advance in Ma County, and then be taken directly to the train station, without having to run around in Wucheng to buy it.

However, Li Daocheng, a grandson, asked Li Long somewhat embarrassedly:
"Grandpa Xiaolong, I want to buy a few pieces of jade to take back with me. I know you know about this stuff. Could you tell us where we can buy them to make sure they're genuine? We have this stuff back home, but the jade there isn't worth much. Hetian jade from northern Xinjiang is valuable, so that's fine too."

Nanyang has the largest jade market in the country, so there is naturally a lot of jade there. However, the quality of the jade there varies greatly, so Li Daoming wants to buy two pieces of jade from there.

“Okay, before you leave, let’s go to Wucheng, tomorrow or the day after is fine. I’ll take you shopping, and we can get the real stuff at a cheaper price.” Li Long readily agreed.

Li Jianguo then asked them if they needed anything or any help from their families, and the relatives gave a rather varied and incoherent answer.

As Li Long expected, some people would bring two quilts because the cotton in northern Xinjiang is better, while the netting in their hometown is too thick and not warm enough.

Actually, this isn't a geographical issue, it's a weather issue. In my hometown, winters are damp and chilly, and since we don't have stoves, the dampness combined with the cold makes it impossible for blankets to stay warm.

Then there's sunflower seed oil—rapeseed oil. According to Li Juntian, the oil from his hometown isn't as fragrant as the oil here—except for sesame oil made with local stone mills.

In addition, you should bring some bulk liquor, preferably liquor produced directly from a distillery, because they say that liquor tastes good.

Li Long thought to himself, "They really know their stuff."

Anyway, I'm satisfied. I've worked hard for half a year, and these things aren't worth much money.

So they divided the work: Li Long would take those who wanted to buy jade to Wucheng tomorrow and buy it. Li Junfeng would take those who wanted to buy netting and sunflower seed oil to make netting and press oil.

After Li Junfeng and his men left, Li Jianguo asked, "What was the situation on the phone? I heard them mention Japanese people?"

He paused for a moment and then said, "Japan... has no good people."

Li Long looked at his elder brother with some doubt. His brother was born after the war had already ended; how could he have come to such a conclusion?
“Back in our village, the Japanese devils killed a lot of people when they came. Luckily, my parents ran fast, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.” Li Jianguo picked up a cigarette case from the table, took out a cigarette, and held a lighter, but didn’t light it, and continued:
“Our second grandfather, and several of our old relatives, are all gone. When I was little, I saw a few people in the village whose faces and bodies had been stabbed with knives; they were unrecognizable. Our village, our Li family, has a blood feud with the Japanese devils.”

Li Long nodded.

“I have no problem with you buying a Japanese car. I know it came from the Soviet Union, so it’s fine. But remember, you can’t do business with the Japanese. You can’t let them make money off us… those people are dishonest.”

Li Jianguo picked up the lighter, ready to light a cigarette, then put it down, turned to look directly at Li Long, and said seriously:

"Xiaolong, remember this well. We can make money, but there are some things we can't forget!"

Li Long was stunned for a moment, feeling a little uncomfortable. He nodded seriously and agreed, then asked in confusion, "Brother, when you were born, the Japanese had already been driven away. Why are you still so preoccupied with this?"

He genuinely couldn't understand it, after all, his older brother hadn't experienced the period when the Japanese were there. —It wasn't to whitewash the Japanese, he just found it somewhat perplexing.

“When I was little, there was an older brother in the village who was very kind to me.” Li Jianguo picked up his lighter again, slowly lit his cigarette, and said, “My family was poor and had nothing. That older brother’s family used to be landlords. He had studied abroad and knew a lot. Whenever I had free time, I would go to his house to listen to his stories.”

I have no recollection of Li Long.

“He has no fingers, a scar on his face from a knife cut, and half of his right foot is missing, so he’s disabled,” Li Jianguo continued. “He knows a lot, and other children are afraid to go near him, but I’m not afraid. I borrow his books to read and listen to his stories.”

Li Long remained silent and continued listening. In the kitchen, Liang Yuemei was also listening, her movements becoming much lighter.

He said that when the Japanese devils came, he was a landlord and thought he could just give them some money to get rid of them. Besides, he had thugs with guns at home at the time, so he wasn't completely helpless.

As a result, when the Japanese came, they attacked his house first. After breaking down the door, they killed the men and raped the women. If it weren't for one of his loyal henchmen who helped him escape through the back door, he would have been dead too.

He encountered the Japanese soldiers on the way and was stabbed with a bayonet, barely surviving... After the victory, his family was destitute, and his entire family was dead. He said he watched as his family was ravaged by the Japanese devils..."

Li Jianguo took a drag of his cigarette and said, "He told me this at least ten times. Around 1954, this older brother died with his eyes wide open in regret—he regretted it so much. If he had run away with his family earlier, things wouldn't have turned out so badly."

Li Long understood. Li Jianguo, influenced by his elder brother, inherited this hatred.

That's normal. After all, Li Jianguo and his generation really witnessed the tunnel warfare and landmine warfare, and were prepared for being invaded by other countries.

Moreover, he was educated and knew history—the history of the 1950s and 60s was different from now. History books from that time, well, let's not talk about it now, it would affect unity.

"Don't worry, brother, we won't deal with them," Li Long smiled. "What we're working on now is in competition with them."

They want to buy our technology, a buyout, so they won't let us produce it anymore. That's ridiculous! If they buy the technology, we'll have to buy things from them at higher prices later, which is definitely not acceptable.

"Alright, as long as you know what I mean." Li Jianguo's tone softened. Li Long rarely saw his older brother so excited, and he was quite curious.

But I think it's better not to ask anymore, for fear of getting beaten up by my older brother.

The eldest brother usually treats Li Juan and Li Qiang like a kind father, and he mostly speaks reasonably to the people in the team.

But if reasoning doesn't work, Comrade Li Jianguo is also skilled in martial arts—although he's probably no match for Li Long at this point, the question is, would Li Long dare to retaliate?

impossible.

So, it's best to listen to him. Besides, Li Long knows his older brother's thoughts, which align with his family's simple sense of right and wrong.

I remember my older brother saying that our country's teachers didn't want reparations because the war wasn't over yet; paying reparations would be like turning the page.

This claim isn't necessarily true, since Chiang Kai-shek was still the legitimate ruler at the time. But why would ordinary people believe it? Why should we be left to die in vain when you've killed so many people and then just declare a ceasefire?
Shunliu's words are quite correct.

Far away.

Lunch was rice and stewed fish. The fish was caught yesterday afternoon by Li Junfeng and a few others who went to the canal to rummage through the ice. There are many branch canals and irrigation ditches in the fourth team. After the cotton fields were plowed, they were flooded with water from the small pond, and the flowing water went into the drainage ditch.

However, there was still standing water in the canal leading to Xiaohaizi. There was a section that was neglected because the grass on both sides of the canal was too tall. Li Junfeng kept a close eye on it.

The water had almost completely seeped out in the last couple of days, so he took a few people to the canal, flipped over the ice cover, and brought back the fish from underneath. They caught about ten kilograms of large crucian carp.

It's perfect to stew it and eat it.

After finishing his meal, Li Long didn't leave, but went to his mother's room.

My mother, Du Chunfang, doesn't eat much at lunchtime, which is normal. She keeps snacks in her room and occasionally has a snack, so it's understandable that she doesn't eat much.

Li Long just wanted to chat with his mother.

As Du Chunfang, who was leaning against the mud-fired wall, saw Li Long enter the room, she pointed to the sofa next to her and said, "Sit down. Have you eaten? I have some snacks here, would you like some?"

Li Long said while looking at the stove, "I'm full. Mother, I think you didn't eat much."

"I don't eat much, I'm afraid I'll get stuffed if I eat too much," Du Chunfang explained, then said with emotion, "With fish and meat every day, this life is like that of an immortal. I'm truly enjoying a life of luxury."

“I heard from my older brother that before liberation, when the Japanese came, if it weren’t for Dad taking you to escape, our family would have been gone.”

“That’s right,” Old Lady Du Chunfang shook her head and said, “Your father has traveled a lot and seen a lot. He knows those Japanese devils are heartless. When they heard they were coming, they quickly led us away. When they secretly came back some time later, the houses in the village had burned down, and many people had died… The wild dogs’ eyes were all red. Your father said they had been gnawing on the dead…”

Factory Director Du flatly rejected Inoue Corporation's purchase offer.
The people from Inoue Corporation eventually raised the price to 6.5 million, and to be honest, even Director Du was a little tempted.

Fortunately, he held on in the end, mainly because of the sentence he discussed with Li Long.

Are we really going to hand over this market to the Japanese?

He actually has quite a bit of money now. When you have enough to eat and wear, a person should have some backbone and ambition, right?

After seeing the person off, Director Du went to see Engineer Deng and asked him to speed up the research and get the production equipment ready as soon as possible.

Of course, the investigation into the leak was ongoing. After conducting background checks on seventeen factory officials, nine technicians, and more than one hundred workers, the situation was uncovered.

Indeed, a technician leaked the information while chatting with his wife at home. His wife was unemployed and liked to play cards, which led to her being targeted and someone paying 100 yuan for the intelligence.

It's that simple.

Upon hearing the survey results, Director Du was both amused and exasperated.

The outcome was simple: the technician was demoted to a regular worker. The entire factory began a thorough review, studying confidentiality regulations and using this incident as a negative example to strengthen confidentiality management and raise awareness.

Factory Director Du even wrote a report to the city about this incident, reflecting on his own actions while hoping that all enterprises in the city would learn from this lesson and avoid similar incidents.

As a result, the city forwarded the report to various enterprises and institutions, but not many units paid attention to it. Some people even called Director Du to tease him, saying that he had finally made it big, as people from Japan were coming to buy their technology.

Factory Director Du could only laugh and cry at the same time. In everyone's eyes, Japanese technology was simply more advanced and better than ours. Why would they even consider our technology?

Director Du was getting a bit angry. Why couldn't he develop world-class technology here? Right now, only two countries have slightly mature technology, but it's hard to say how much more advanced it is.

The concept proposed by Li Long is truly advanced. This was derived from the analysis of some international data on this technology that Director Du obtained after developing this complete set of drip irrigation equipment.

He was, after all, a technical cadre; he'd figure it out after some research.

Now his ambitions have grown. If he really makes this happen, it could really make him famous both at home and abroad!
Even if we don't say it will be recorded in history books, it will at least be a part of the history of technology in China.

Because of this, he made up his mind these past few days and spent his time in the technical department, working with Engineer Deng and the others to study how to improve the material processing.

Then he felt uncomfortable carrying the burden alone, so he called Li Long.

Li Long was at the purchasing station at this moment. In the past two years, the purchasing station has become quieter in winter, with fewer people coming to sell their goods. After all, with the animal protection law in place, at least the people here are more cautious when hunting.

Li Long was still in the back room, working with Liang Shuangcheng and the others to scavenge hides. There was no other way; although they hadn't collected much, Liu Gaolou had delivered a lot of hides.

Li Long took Li Daoming and the others to Wucheng, where they bought some jade artifacts from Liu Gong and some fine materials from Yu Sufu before returning.

Yu Sufu and Yu Sufu were still chatting and laughing, but both of them knew that their relationship could never be as good as before.

Li Long didn't mind, and it was clear that Yu Sufu didn't mind either.

When it comes to making money, it doesn't matter whose money you make, right?
Li Long could be friends with Halimu and Yushanjiang, like brothers, because they had gone through thick and thin together, because they were the ones who gave him his first pot of gold, and because both sides felt indebted to each other and were eager to give each other benefits.

What about Yusufu? He hasn't reached that stage yet, and Yusufu is a typical businessman.

It's not that I look down on businessmen, but once you become a businessman, your first consideration is profit and loss, not things like morality or ethics.

When the standards for weighing things change, the way we conduct ourselves in society also changes.

So Li Long didn't mind.

Of course, that's all.

After receiving Director Du's call, Li Long laughed after hearing his explanation: "So you're planning something big? To make a name for yourself?"

"What do you mean by 'holding back a big one'? That sounds awful... I just want to show them that if foreigners can do it, so can we!"

Director Du spoke generously, but then lowered his voice, "Actually, Comrade Li Long, I know that the reason they were able to come and buy the technology is simply because the concept you provided is really advanced. This is our strength."

"So what do you want?" Li Long asked.

"Of course we should preserve this strength and carry it forward. Once this equipment is developed, we'll apply for a patent—Li Long, give me a heads-up, I bet these ideas didn't come from the Soviet Union or Kazakhstan at all; you came up with them yourself, didn't you?"

"Hey, you're really something!" Li Long said with a smile, using a phrase without insulting him. "Actually, it was my idea, but I was afraid you wouldn't believe me. How did you figure it out?"

"After dismantling the machine you sent, we discovered that the technology we had previously simulated was far more advanced than the Soviet machine. They were from completely different systems, so Engineer Deng and I made that guess."

"Will it work?"

"It's not just usable, it's far more efficient," Factory Director Du said with a smile. "Once we succeed, we can apply for a patent without any worries. It's completely different from others, so the application won't be rejected, and it will also help us strengthen our persuasiveness."

"The raw materials are just too expensive," Li Long sighed. "Otherwise, if the cost could be reduced, it would be possible to use it on a large scale."

"I heard that a petrochemical plant is going to be built in Dushanzi. If it is built, the raw materials will definitely be cheaper."

Old Du is right. After the Dushi Petrochemical Plant is completed and put into operation in a few years, polyethylene raw materials will indeed become cheaper, and people in northern Xinjiang will use more plastic products.

Indeed, to achieve success in innovation, the right timing, location, and people are all indispensable.

Li Long didn't need to think too much about it. He had already said what he needed to say. Now that Lao Du had said so, Li Long went along with it and said, "Then I'll wait for you guys to finish up the rest of the work, and then I'll wait to collect my share of the profits."

"Hehe, you're so easy to deal with... But to be honest, without your novel ideas and designs, I wouldn't have even thought of this. It was only after Inoue came over that Engineer Deng mentioned this to me, and that's when I realized it."

"I've done everything I was supposed to do, so there's nothing more for me to do."

"Yes, there is. You have to sign it when you apply for the patent." Old Du was quite humorous. "If you don't sign it, you won't get your share of the profits."

"Yes, yes, don't worry, I'll definitely sign it." Li Long "suddenly realized" "It's fine if you're still here, but what if you get promoted and the next person doesn't recognize you? I think the profit from this equipment might be the biggest profit I can get from our machinery factory, so I can't refuse it!"

“I’m relieved that you’re so confident. To be honest, I don’t think you’re a farmer at all. Based on your cooperation with our factory over the years, I think you should be a mechanical engineering professor.”

"Alright, alright, no matter how much you praise me, I can't lower my profit share. You don't need to flatter me. I've said everything I needed to say, I've emptied my pockets, there's really nothing left."

"I don't believe it. If Engineer Deng has any doubts, he'll definitely call you again," Old Du said. "If you're planning to get your share of the profits, don't think it's too much trouble!"

The two chatted for a while longer, and after hanging up the phone, Li Long went back to his work.

It's clear that Lao Du is very confident and ambitious, which is good.

Just wait to receive your dividends.

Old Du is resourceful and has ideas. He applied for a patent and got himself to sign it. Once this was brought up, his future profit sharing was a sure thing—even if someone else took over, with these two things, he would definitely have more money.

Old Du, Old Du, it's no wonder I always think of him when I have something good!
He's so much better than that Yusufu!

Hmph, they can't be tamed...

Seeing Li Long humming a song, Liang Shuangcheng asked while working, "Brother Long, you seem to be in a good mood."

"Hehe, not bad," Li Long said with a smile. "I just got some good news on the phone. The complete set of equipment I wanted to order is making progress."

"What equipment? What's it used for?"

"It's used in cotton fields, a drip irrigation production line. Using this, cotton yields can increase by more than 100 kilograms per acre," Li Long explained briefly.

"So many?" Liang Shuangcheng exclaimed in surprise. "They can produce so many? That's amazing!"

His elder brother and Li Long partnered to grow cotton, so he knew that the best cotton-growing families in the team could only achieve a yield of 200 kilograms per mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 0.165 acres), and that was on fertile, well-cultivated land. The cooperative had contracted a thousand mu of saline-alkali land, and despite all the effort put into improving it, the yield was only about 150 kilograms per mu, and even that was cotton fields with costs far exceeding those of others.

The main reason they can make a profit is because they cultivate a lot of land.

If cotton production could be increased by 100 kilograms, reaching 250 to 300 kilograms, at the current market price, that would be 500 to 600 yuan per mu. Even if the cost doubled to 300 yuan, the profit per mu would still reach 200 to 300 yuan.

A thousand acres of land... Hey! Hey!

I don’t dare to think about it.

Li Long smiled and continued working.

It's a life of constant toil. Even though I'm quite well-off now, I still have to keep doing this work. I could hire a few people to work together, but once it snows, the temporary jobs market collapses, and it's hard to find people. Besides, there's only so much work, and the recycling station itself is quite relaxed now, so I'll just have to take it slow.

Once it snows, Zhao Hui only comes once every twenty days or a month, giving them plenty of time to dispose of the hides.

"Xiao Long, someone's here to buy a car, come and take a look." Li Qingxia called out from the front. Li Long put down his tools, clapped his hands, and said to Liang Shuangcheng, "You go ahead and do your work, I'm going over."

"Okay, okay," Liang Shuangcheng said hurriedly.

The other party was there to buy a Mercedes-Benz; they were a wealthy family from Wucheng.

Of course, it's not about buying a Mercedes-Benz W140 (Tiger Head Mercedes), which costs 1.2 million yuan and is unaffordable for ordinary people; only the extremely wealthy can afford it. But even buying a regular Mercedes-Benz can still make you look impressive.

Three hundred thousand isn't cheap, but this person could afford it. After the other party drove his Mercedes around the backyard once, he readily handed over the money.

cash.

Li Long felt that these people were all sick, just like him—with so much money, why did they have to deal with cash?

However, since they are customers, it's impossible to say anything.

He readily signed the contract, and after the other party drove the car away, he continued to complete the formalities.

Li Long earns a lot from each car, so he has more and more money now and is confident enough to think about launching the drip irrigation improvement project.

Of course, his current financial resources aren't enough to completely transform the entire village, nor is it necessary. He's waiting for the right opportunity. If he secures the project from the township agricultural extension school next year, and the experimental field project succeeds, then if the autonomous region has any major projects, he can jump on the bandwagon.

To Li Long's surprise, the next morning, not long after he arrived at the purchasing station, he received a call from Secretary Zhang.

Yes, it's Secretary Zhang from Yanjing.

"Comrade Li Long, the leaders met with several comrades who came from the autonomous region yesterday, and asked about you early this morning, saying that they don't know if your cooperative has been established yet, and what the specific situation is."

Li Long immediately understood. He said, "Secretary Zhang, should I give a brief report now, or should I write a document and send it over?"

"I have ten minutes right now, please speak," Secretary Zhang said. "The leader hasn't been paying much attention to other matters lately, but occasionally wants to hear about the situation in the autonomous region. After all, the northern and southern Xinjiang regions are too vast, and it's inevitable that some comrades' reports won't be covered."

Li Long understood immediately and began to explain the specific situation of the cooperative this year.

Although Xie Yundong was the manager of the cooperative, Li Long was actually involved in all the major events, so he was clear about the process and spoke very logically, explaining each point in five minutes.

"So what are your plans next? Does the cooperative intend to expand its planting area and include more people?"

"Not for now." Li Long briefly explained that some people in the village wanted to set up a cooperative, and others wanted to join but he hadn't agreed to it. Then he mentioned that it was possible to participate in the autonomous region's drip irrigation experimental field project.

When Li Long said this, he boldly speculated that this would be the future direction of cotton cultivation, and even agricultural cultivation in general: water conservation, mechanization, and large-scale production, among other things.

After noting down these keywords, Secretary Zhang said to Li Long, "The boss said the beef jerky you sent is good. Okay, I'll go report to the boss now, goodbye."

Then he hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Li Long felt a little flattered. His boss was so old and had so many things to pay attention to, yet he still remembered him.

I really need to work harder in this area; I can't let my boss down, can I?
He was worried that Secretary Zhang would call him again after reporting to the leaders, so he stayed at the purchasing station for the next few days. However, Secretary Zhang did not call, so Li Long thought that the matter might be put aside.

On November 6th, Li Junfeng drove a minivan and Li Long drove a Land Cruiser, and the two of them took the relatives from Kou to Wucheng.

The main reason is that they brought a lot of things, so we had to deliver them – even if it's just a few hundred meters from the bus station to the train station, it would be a difficult walk if they took the shuttle bus.

The control measures at Wucheng South Station are relatively relaxed now, so cars can drive directly to the square and let several people get off carrying large and small bags.

The day Li Long drove them to buy jade, he had already bought the train tickets.

This time, the group of us splurged a bit and traveled in hard sleeper berths. The main reason was that we had a lot of luggage and money on us. If we had traveled in hard seats, although we could look after each other as a group of friends, in reality, who would take care of whom in the middle of the night if something really happened? Everyone would be fast asleep.

Therefore, sleeper berths are safer. There are train attendants patrolling at night, and you can rest in a sleeper berth. Even if someone comes to steal something, you can wrap yourself tightly in a blanket, which will at least make you much safer.

Li Long and Li Junfeng parked the car, helped them carry their luggage to the waiting room, and then went out to buy them some food, bread, naan, and instant noodles.

Although there were no instant noodles at that time, Li Junhai and the others each brought their own enamel bowls, and hot water was readily available in the sleeper car, so eating was still easy.

It was only a few days' journey, which was already quite an achievement for them.

Li Long and Li Junfeng didn't see them off at the platform; there was no need. After buying them food, they told them to call and let them know they arrived safely, and then they left.

The two of them found a restaurant at the station and had lunch, then drove back separately.

It was already afternoon when they returned to the purchasing station. As Li Long drove in and got out at the counter, he heard Li Qingxia say that Secretary Zhang from Yanjing had called again.

Li Long was quite annoyed. What bad luck! He had been waiting for the call but hadn't received it. He had just gone out to see someone off when the call came.

Looking at the time, it wasn't even 6 PM Beijing time yet, so he immediately went over and made a phone call.

The phone rang three times before I answered it.

"Hello, Secretary Zhang, this is Li Long," Li Long said. "I went to see someone off this morning."

"Oh, I see. I called you mainly about the drip irrigation technology you reported on last time, right? You mentioned that a Japanese company wanted to buy the technology for the equipment you were involved in?"

“Yes,” Li Long said. “Inoue Corporation invested five million. Later, the machinery factory said that because our technology is more advanced than the international standards, the production equipment is not yet fully up to standard due to material issues and still needs further improvement, but the technology itself is not a problem…”

"I understand. Are these kinds of things common in northern Xinjiang right now?"

Secretary Zhang didn't say what it was about, but he believed Li Long understood.

"Not much in terms of technology, but plenty in other aspects." Li Long didn't care at this point whether the source of the information was somewhat vague or questionable. "It's mainly surveying and mapping."

As you, Secretary Zhang, know, although our northern border region is vast and sparsely populated, there are some sensitive areas that can easily attract the attention of foreign parties.

Leaving aside Lop Nur, foreigners frequently take photos at the uranium mines in the valley; it's not an isolated incident. But our people here really aren't sensitive to this kind of thing…”

Li Long's words were rather bold at this time. After all, the whole country was vigorously attracting investment and selling land, factories, and goods. In order to bring in foreign companies, people were willing to do anything, from showing their expertise to even bowing and scraping to serving their superiors.

That's why those people from Singapore make empty promises, don't contribute a penny, take the benefits and enjoy the privileges, and then suddenly occupy one or two hundred state-owned enterprises, using domestic loans to seize land...

Of course, there are advantages as well. Although the companies we introduced brought only second- or third-rate technology, at least the foundation was laid. Then, through the efforts of our workers and technicians, we can thoroughly understand these technologies, then copy them, and then surpass them.

The cost was high, but there was no other way. After all, at that time, almost the entire world was trying to contain us. How could we industrialize without paying a price?
Enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens is truly difficult.

Not to mention leaks.

At this time, secrecy was mainly limited to defense and military industries; there were practically no secrets left in the commercial sphere.

Li Long only knew about this in his later life. If he hadn't lived two lives, he would have been just like most people, completely oblivious to this, and would never have known that so many things were happening beneath this peaceful life.

That's why he spoke so frankly—he's made enough money, and sometimes he really should contribute to society.

Even raising questions that can slightly change the social situation counts as a change.

"I understand." Secretary Zhang's tone was slightly somber. "If you discover any actual issues, don't handle them yourself. Remember to call the police. Some people... are not easy to deal with."

Whether it was a directive from the leader or Secretary Zhang's personal opinion, Li Long thanked him anyway.

The call ended again. Before hanging up, Li Long asked about his boss's health, and Secretary Zhang vaguely replied that it wasn't very good.

After making this call, I doubt I'll make another one anytime soon.

It must have snowed in Yanjing too, right?
Li Long wondered if he should call the State Ethnic Affairs Commission's Beijing office to try and build a closer relationship.

I really should make a call.

Looking at the time, it seems like they should be closing time by now, which isn't good. I'll call tomorrow then.

The next day, Li Long first called Xiao Wang, exchanged a few pleasantries, and when he learned that Director Dai was currently free in his office, Li Long called Director Dai directly.

"Comrade Li Long, haha, it's been a long time since we chatted. How have you been lately?" Director Dai was as enthusiastic as ever, which surprised Li Long. He thought that Director Dai was so busy that it was already a good thing that he could answer the phone and listen to him.

"The harvest season has just ended, and my purchasing station is currently quite quiet; we're mainly selling cars," Li Long said honestly. "Director, you must be quite busy over there, right?"

"It's alright. Winter is busier than summer. It's the end of the year, and many people want to come here, so we're busier, but we're used to it," Director Dai said casually.

"By the way, Secretary Zhang called yesterday to ask about the situation of your courtyards and asked us to take care of them when we have time."

I was just joking with Secretary Zhang, saying, "Do I need any special treatment? There's still a sign for our Ethnic Affairs Commission's Beijing office hanging in that courtyard. Xiao Wang goes there to check on it every two days."

It snowed in Yanjing recently, and I even had someone clear the snow from your courtyards.

"Thank you so much, Director." Li Long was sincerely grateful. Of course, he didn't expect that Secretary Zhang would call Director Dai yesterday specifically to talk about this matter... This was beyond the level of a normal relationship.

"No need to thank me. The beef jerky and other stuff you sent are very popular here. Liaison offices from other provinces in Beijing come over from time to time to ask for some and exchange some local specialties."

To be honest, some people even joked that this was a form of "dried meat diplomacy." After all, some foreign diplomats stationed in China are quite interested, and it's not bad for us to handle certain matters under the guise of "dried meat."

Director Dai wasn't entirely trying to curry favor with Li Long; there was no need for that. He was just telling the truth. Through Li Long, he strengthened his relationship with Secretary Zhang, and then at least seven or eight provincial-level government offices in Beijing came to ask for dried meat under the guise of exchanging local specialties. With that, getting things done became a piece of cake.

It's really that simple.

Li Long chatted with him for a while longer before hanging up, finally feeling relieved.

It seems I don't need to go to Beijing this year, and there's nothing much going on.

The situation in Yanjing was quite complicated that year, and he really didn't want to go.

Since someone over there was looking out for him, Li Long stopped worrying about it. When he got home that evening, he ate some bread baked by Gu Xiaoxia while telling her about it, and asked her to call Gu Xiaoyu when she had some free time, so she didn't have to rush to check on the yard.

If someone is looking after you, and the days are short in winter, don't go out every day, since it's not very safe to go out late at night.

Safety first, no matter what.

Gu Xiaoxia naturally had no objection and said she would call tomorrow at noon.

The main problem is that Gu Xiaoyu's courtyard doesn't have a telephone installed. Gu Xiaoxia has mentioned this to her sister several times, but Gu Xiaoyu just won't install one, saying she doesn't want to waste the money.

Even Gu Xiaoxia said she had paid for it, but Gu Xiaoyu wouldn't pretend, saying she would wait until she had saved enough money.

Stubborn girl!
"The bread is baked quite well," Li Long said, noticing his wife's low mood. "What did you put in it?"

"Eggs, milk, sugar, honey, and oh yes, flour." Gu Xiaoxia perked up at the mention of this, "I've tried it several times."

Although I had a mold, I couldn't get the ingredients right at the beginning, and I couldn't get the timing right either. So the food either burned, didn't rise, or turned out the wrong color.

In the end, after discussing it with Sister Yang, we decided to take them out when they were almost done baking, brush them with honey, and then bake them for a few more minutes. That way, they would be perfect.

"delicious."

"I kept some for myself. If you're going to the fourth team tomorrow, take some with you to Mom, my older brother, and my sister-in-law," Gu Xiaoxia said with a hint of pride. "Let them try my cooking too."

"Alright, alright, let them praise you too." Li Long smiled.

"That's because—I can't just do nothing and know nothing, can I? Today, Hao Hao ate and even praised me." Gu Xiaoxia was indeed being taken care of too much. Just think, at this time, which ordinary family's wife didn't have to cook or do housework?

He even spends his salary on himself and doesn't have to give any money to his family.
Gu Xiaoxia felt happy and wanted to do something for her family. Apart from doing some housework on the weekend, there wasn't much else she could do.

So I thought of baking bread and the like, which is also a way of making a contribution.

“Juan will be taking the college entrance exam next year, and Qiangqiang will be taking the high school entrance exam. Mingming and Haohao will be starting first grade.” Lying on the bed, turning around and leaning against Li Long’s chest, Gu Xiaoxia sighed, “Time really flies.”

“Yes, it’s only in the blink of an eye that our Li family’s next generation is about to graduate from university,” Li Long said. “Juan’s grades are really good too.”

"By the way, if Juan gets into university, she'll be the first college student to go out of the village since the Fourth Team was established, right?" Gu Xiaoxia suddenly realized. "Hey, I wonder if she'll be the first in the township... If she is, she might be able to study history?"

"Not necessarily." Li Long shook his head. "Of course, if you get into a top school, you might be included in the county annals."

"Included in the county annals? That's impressive!" Gu Xiaoxia didn't know much about county annals.

“The county annals must record major events every year, including those related to science, education, culture, and health. In education, college entrance exams will definitely be included. If someone gets into a top-ranked university in the country, it will certainly be recorded.”

Li Long was certain, and Gu Xiaoxia sighed in admiration.

"I wonder if Mingming and Haohao will be able to get into university in the future..." Gu Xiaoxia said.

"Don't worry, they'll definitely pass the college entrance exam," Li Long said. "There will be many more people taking the exam then."

"How can you know?" Gu Xiaoxia herself dared not guarantee it.

"Don't worry, Mingming Haohao is so smart, and with his older brothers and sisters guiding him, he'll definitely pass the exam," Li Long emphasized again.

"That's right, with two people leading the way, Hao Hao will definitely follow along and learn." Gu Xiaoxia finally felt relieved.

Li Long wanted to laugh; this was what mothers did. The child wasn't even in elementary school yet, and they were already worrying about going to university.

As the two chatted, their voices grew softer and more intermittent, and then they fell silent and asleep.

(End of this chapter)