Chapter 1337
The cadres at this time were all quite serious.
When Zhao Shijie got on the bus, Li Yuhe reminded him, "This Li Long really wants to get his hands on drip irrigation farming. You've read my report, and he's made very thorough preparations."
Of all the applications we received this year, his side was the most dedicated. So when you go there, just talk to him directly. Let me tell you, dealing with these things with him will save you a lot of trouble.
Oh, by the way, there's a reservoir there, teeming with fish, shrimp, and crabs. Let me tell you, the crabs are incredibly fresh! Hey, I never imagined I could eat crabs in northern Xinjiang before I went!"
Zhao Shijie wasn't particularly interested in fishing, but when Li Yuhe mentioned crabs, he became interested. After all, the crabs in Xiaohaizi were unique in northern Xinjiang; currently, no one in either northern or southern Xinjiang farms crabs.
This stuff is difficult to transport; dead or frozen ones are inedible, so it can't be brought over, at least not for now.
Therefore, most people in northern and southern Xinjiang have never seen a live crab; it is truly a rare sight.
Because Li Yuhe had paved the way, Zhao Shijie went directly to the purchasing station after arriving in Ma County.
Li Long happened to be at the purchasing station at that moment. Before Zhao Shijie arrived, he was receiving comrades from the Forestry Bureau.
The forestry bureau officials came to find Li Long on a mission. They had received a report that Li Long was illegally purchasing products made from protected animals, such as fur and horns, so they came to investigate.
Wang Yongqiang, an officer from the Forestry Bureau, smiled and said to Li Long in the meeting room, "Mr. Li, please don't mind. Since we received the report, we naturally had to come and take a look. But this matter is nothing serious."
Although our country has promulgated a wildlife protection law, it doesn't mean that animal products can't be bought and sold. Of course, as you know, since the country has already promulgated the wildlife protection law, the issue of buying and selling these products may be implemented soon. We're just here to remind you.
Another officer, Luo Daming, also laughed and said, "That's right, we used to be on the same side. I remember you were even a part-time forest ranger for us, Mr. Li, so our coming here is just a formality."
Since someone reported us, we definitely have to come. You understand that, right?
Li Long laughed and said, "Yes, yes, don't worry, I definitely understand. I'll also be honest with you, I do buy some wild animal skins, horns, and other products here."
However, please rest assured that I will definitely abide by the law. If the government issues regulations stating that these things cannot be bought or sold, I will certainly not accept them.
However, I should also tell you that I am collecting goods in our county, and at the same time, I am also engaged in import and export trade.
I receive several thousand hides every month from Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. These are export goods and not subject to our country's regulations.
Wang Yongqiang quickly replied, "I understand, I understand. Don't worry, as long as there are proper procedures, we definitely won't interfere."
Luo Daming took a cigarette from the cigarette pack on the table, lit it with a match, and said while smoking, "Some people are just bored out of their minds. They're jealous of how much money you're making, so they resort to this kind of reporting."
Wang Yongqiang picked up the thread, also expressing his incomprehension: "A whistleblower letter costs 8 cents, but the higher-ups investigate for half a year. Some things are at a critical juncture, and a whistleblower letter can ruin everything. These people are truly disgusting."
This kind of thing has happened in several eras, so when he said that, the people present all felt quite empathetic.
As the two were leaving, Li Long offered them two packs of cigarettes, but they both declined. Li Long said, "I'm not bribing you. As you said, we were colleagues before. You came here and gave me a heads-up. How could I let you leave empty-handed?"
It's not a very good cigarette, but I'll keep it and smoke it.
The cigarettes were in a black bag, so the two men accepted them. As they left, they told Li Long that they would keep him informed of any further news.
The purchase of fritillaria bulbs is nearing its end. There isn't much work to be done in the village now, so Li Long is here mainly watching the workers sort the fritillaria bulbs and clean the skins, occasionally giving them a reminder.
Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng have both been promoted to team leaders, no longer needing to do the work themselves, but existing as technical instructors.
Their wages also increased, with their fixed salary rising to 200 yuan. Every time Li Long sold hides or fritillaria bulbs, he would still give them red envelopes.
Not only them, but ordinary workers also have it. Of course, ordinary workers receive less; 10 or 20 yuan is just a token amount. And even with just 10 or 20 yuan, the workers are very happy.
When Zhao Shijie arrived at the purchasing station, he saw some tractors parked at the entrance and people queuing in the yard, selling fritillaria bulbs, morel mushrooms, and other supplies.
He stood there for a moment, when someone greeted him: "Comrade, are you here to see Li Long?"
Zhao Shijie nodded subconsciously.
The man immediately shouted inside, "Boss Li, someone's looking for you!"
The man noticed that Zhao Shijie's clothes were unusual and that he was carrying a briefcase, which is why he took the initiative to greet him.
Li Long hurriedly came out from inside, and upon seeing Zhao Shijie, he stepped forward and shook hands with him: "Hello, I'm Li Long. May I ask what brings you here...?"
Zhao Shijie smiled and said, "My name is Zhao Shijie. I'm from the Department of Agriculture. I'll be in charge of supervising the completion of the project you applied for."
Li Long laughed and shook his hand vigorously, saying, "Welcome, welcome! Come in, let's sit inside."
Following Li Long into the purchasing station, Zhao Shijie looked around as he walked. He could smell a strong medicinal odor, as well as other mixed fishy and foul smells.
Li Long led Zhao Shijie to the reception room, pouring him water as he asked, "Did you just arrive, Leader Zhao? Didn't you go to the Agriculture Bureau?"
Zhao Shijie sat down, put his bag on the table, and said, "No. I came from Wucheng, and came straight here after getting off the bus. As you know, this project is jointly promoted by the state and the autonomous region, and the funds are to be used for this purpose only."
"Your traditions in Ma County aren't very good, so we didn't bother them."
Li Long placed the water in front of Zhao Shijie and smiled. He knew what Zhao Shijie meant.
Ma County is an agricultural county and has never had a notable industry. In terms of wealth, it was decent for a few years, but for most of the time it was not so good, and it got worse and worse over time.
The tradition Zhao Shijie mentioned refers to the practice of counties withholding special funds allocated by the autonomous region and prefecture. Later, there was a case where a county used funds allocated by the state for a wetland park to build a park, which caused quite a stir.
Of course, some things couldn't be discussed in detail, so Li Long could only smile.
Zhao Shijie took a couple of sips of water, put down his cup, and said, "Originally, the autonomous region's intention was to advance and renovate the entire project, including the construction team, which we would recruit from the autonomous region."
However, this project will take a long time and the work is quite scattered, so they asked me to come here first. If we can find a suitable construction team locally, then we can start immediately. If not, we'll go back to Wucheng and recruit engineering and technical personnel from there.”
Li Long nodded to indicate that he understood.
He thought for a moment and said to Zhao Shijie, "I won't hide it from you, Leader Zhao, I own a construction engineering company. You should know that our county is developing a drip irrigation experimental field, and I'm one of the people in charge."
The pump house, filter bed, and main pipeline of this drip irrigation experimental field were all built by people I hired—to be precise, by my own people. If you think it's acceptable, then continue to have these people build pump houses and filter beds for us.
They also have experience in canal construction. Of course, if you disagree, we can also put out a tender to hire someone else.
Zhao Shijie smiled and asked, "You're quite something, you even know about bidding. Let's not make a decision yet, I'll go take a look at the pump house and filter pond in your experimental field. If the quality is up to standard and the cost is reasonable, then we'll use your people."
The implication is that if the quality is substandard or the cost is too high, then they will replace the contractor.
Li Long understood and nodded in agreement. Since the money was in their hands, they could spend it however they wanted.
Zhao Shijie took out a project plan from his bag, glanced at it, and then said to Li Long, "Since your land is currently still planted with cotton, the only thing we can do right now is to build the pump house, filter pond, and branch canals. Of course, if the branch canals are to be built using the old canals, then we can't build them right now."
As for the largest project, land leveling, that will take until the end of this year or the beginning of next year. This will require a large number of bulldozers, so it's best to find them locally.
Li Long naturally had no objection to this. Currently, apart from their own village, all other villages are using the Dongfanghong 75 tractor, which is equipped with a bulldozer blade and can be used as a bulldozer.
After finishing their business, Zhao Shijie put the project proposal into his bag and then said to Li Long, "I heard from Lao Li that you guys can get crabs?"
Although they're called "Old Li," Zhao Shijie and Li Yuhe are actually around 40 years old, not considered old at all. Moreover, they both have thick hair and look quite young, especially Zhao Shijie, who has a baby face; some people would believe he's 35.
Li Long smiled and said, "Yes, I contracted a reservoir in the village. When I had nothing to do, I asked some friends from the mainland to get some shrimp and crab seedlings to release into it. I released several batches in a row, and I didn't expect them to survive."
Having received confirmation from Li Long, Zhao Shijie was quite pleased. He thought for a moment and then asked, "Is hunting allowed here? There should be wild animals in the mountains, right?"
Li Long shook his head and said, "Forget about hunting. Two years ago, our country enacted the Animal Protection Law, and now almost all wild animals are protected animals."
Today, people from the forestry department came to see me, saying someone reported me for buying products made from protected animals. I used to hunt, but I can't anymore.
Hearing Li Long say that, Zhao Shijie felt quite sorry. But if he couldn't fight, he couldn't fight. His main task here was to supervise the completion of those projects.
Zhao Shijie was quite dedicated; after meeting with Li Long, he was about to head to the village. Li Long even offered to treat him to a meal in the county before going there, but Zhao Shijie meant to go to his lodgings first. As for the meal, he figured that anyone in the countryside could get food, and if there wasn't a place to eat, he could cook for himself.
Li Long said, "That won't do." Although he was driven directly to Team 4 as requested, the food inside Lao Ma's place was definitely prepared.
Zhao Shijie brought his luggage with him and was quite satisfied with the dormitory arranged by Li Long.
After settling into the dormitory, Li Long took him to Old Ma's place to meet Uncle Luo.
After introducing the two parties, Li Long said to Zhao Shijie, "From now on, you'll eat here for all three meals a day. Uncle Luo and his family cook very well. Of course, you can also make any requests you may have."
We had hand-pulled noodles for lunch today. When Zhao Shijie arrived, he saw that Yang Laoliu and the others were already getting ready to eat.
The hand-pulled noodles are coming out of the pot, and the stir-fried pork with chives and pork with celery are already cooked and placed on the table covered with a lid.
Zhao Shijie had no objections to these three things. He swallowed and said, "No objections, no objections. Even our canteen might not be able to provide this kind of food. Oh, and I still have to pay for my meals."
Before Li Long could speak, Uncle Luo hurriedly waved his hand: "Don't mention food expenses. You're here to help with the construction of our team's cooperative, which means you represent the higher-ups. If you eat here and don't pay for your meals, wouldn't it be a slap in our face if you did?"
We are all recipients of the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans), enjoying the benefits of the country's policies. The country has been so good to us, we haven't offered any thanks. You were sent by your superiors, and we're happy to sit at the same table with us for a meal. Don't mention the cost of the food; it's just simple home-cooked food, and we won't miss your meal. We're happy as long as you don't mind.
Zhao Shijie hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no, how could I possibly mind? This food is so good, I'd love it."
Lao Luo said they wanted Li Long to sit down and eat too, but Li Long waved his hand and said he needed to go see his brother. He told Zhao Shijie to stay here for the time being and that he would take him to the experimental field in the afternoon.
Li Long left because he didn't tell Lao Luo in advance. They said that Lao Luo and his team usually don't have too much leftover food.
This is generally the case in rural areas at this time. If guests don't give advance notice, the cooking will be done by at most half a person to one person.
So if Zhao Shijie eats here, it should be enough for a few people. If Li Long eats here, then someone will definitely not get enough to eat.
Unlike other dishes, noodles for hand-pulled noodles need to be prepared in advance, so there's no time to add them on the spot.
Therefore, Li Long decided to go to his elder brother's place.
Uncle Luo and the others understood and didn't stop Li Long. After all, they didn't know how much this Leader Zhao could eat, and they preferred to leave some food rather than let him go hungry.
When Li Long arrived at his elder brother's house, Li Jianguo was also preparing to eat.
Both are hand-pulled noodles, and the vegetables at the Li family's place are similar to those at Lao Ma's place. At this time, the only vegetables readily available in the rural vegetable gardens are chives and celery planted in advance; the other vegetables haven't grown yet.
Du Chunfang was quite happy to see Li Long come over. She grinned and took small steps to prepare noodles for him.
During the meal, Li Long told his elder brother about the people from the autonomous region coming to supervise the construction. When Li Jianguo heard that the land would be leveled by the end of the year, he asked Li Long if Liang Wenyu could be included in the project.
While eating his noodles, Li Long said, "Let's try. If we follow what Leader Zhao said and organize the machinery, then we can definitely get it added."
After he said that, Li Jianguo felt relieved.
Li Long was planning to visit the experimental field in the afternoon. If everything went well, he would send Zhao Shijie back to the cooperative, and then he would go find Meng Hai.
I didn't expect things to move so fast. I was originally wondering if we could get the project done before the end of the century, but now we're ready to start construction.
That's progressing so fast! (End of Chapter)