Chapter 1338
Liu Shanmin is getting anxious
Chapter 1338 Liu Shanmin is getting anxious
After having lunch at his older brother's house and chatting with his mother for a while, Li Long drove to Lao Ma Hao's place.
Zhao Shijie was sitting on a small stool in the shade, chatting with Uncle Luo and the others.
It's hot and sunny now, so Yang Laoliu isn't planning to take the sheep out to graze. He intends to wait a bit longer. If it's too hot, even if he drives the sheep out, they won't eat grass. Staying in the pen now is a good way to cool off and rest.
There were only the three of them outside, and Li Long guessed that the other elderly people must have gone inside to rest. Some elderly people still want to take a nap at noon when they get old, after all, they are getting old and their energy is not as good as that of young people.
Seeing Li Long's car arrive, Zhao Shijie stood up, greeted Uncle Luo and Yang Laoliu, and walked towards the car.
Li Long didn't get out of the car. After Zhao Shijie got in, he put the car in gear and drove towards the village.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhao Shijie remarked with emotion, "I never expected that this village would be full of hidden talents, including veterans, retired cadres, and people who defected from the Kuomintang."
Li Long smiled but didn't reply. He'd heard that even twenty or thirty years from now, such incidents would still be commonplace.
Many veterans and Party members who participated in the War of Liberation, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Sino-Indian War, and the Sino-Vietnamese War retired after their service and returned to their hometowns. They never mentioned their heroic deeds back then. In their minds, many of their comrades had sacrificed their lives, and the fact that they were still alive was the greatest happiness.
When the car arrived in the township, Li Long didn't head towards the agricultural extension school; instead, he drove straight into the experimental field.
The wooden frame where the on-site meeting was held is still there, but the banner on it has been removed. For some reason, the newly paved road in Shutianzi has not been restored and remains there.
Li Long drove smoothly into the field, and upon getting out of the car, he could see the pump house and filter pool.
After getting out of the car, Zhao Shijie walked towards the pumping station and asked, "Is this the experimental field you mentioned? The cotton is growing well."
Li Long nodded, but his gaze fell on the pump room. He noticed that the door was open, and there was someone inside.
Looking at the cotton field again, water was seeping out from the ground; it turned out they were watering it.
Li Long walked up to the pump room, and a person came out. Seeing Li Long, the person smiled and said, "Teacher Li, what brings you here?"
Li Long recognized this man as Zheng Xiangdong, an unofficial teacher at the Agricultural Broadcasting School. Zheng was a high school graduate in his early twenties who had missed the civil service exam but got a job at the Agricultural Broadcasting School through connections.
Generally, if such externally hired personnel work long enough and are qualified enough, they will eventually be recruited into the permanent staff.
Li Long smiled and said, "Teacher Zheng, I brought leaders from the autonomous region to visit the facilities of our experimental field."
Zhao Shijie happened to walk over, and Long introduced him to Zheng Xiangdong.
Upon hearing that the person was a leader from the autonomous region, Zheng Xiangdong's expression immediately changed. After shaking hands with Zhao Shijie very seriously, he began to introduce the various facilities of the experimental field according to the agenda of the on-site meeting.
Li Long was too lazy to explain, so he let him do the introduction. He then walked to the edge of the cotton field to observe the growth of the cotton.
Because of sufficient water and fertilizer, the cotton plants are growing very vigorously and have covered the entire plot. At this point, cultivating the soil could damage the cotton.
Fortunately, the plastic film is quite effective, and Li Long guessed that the agricultural extension school often came to organize manual weeding, so looking around, there weren't many weeds in the field. Occasionally, some seedlings would be pulled, but it wouldn't be a big deal.
As Zheng Xiangdong was explaining, Li Long glanced into the pump room, where several bags of fertilizer were placed. It seemed that Zheng Xiangdong was adding fertilizer while watering the pumps.
Seven or eight minutes later, after Zheng Xiangdong finished his introduction, Zhao Shijie began to ask questions, mainly about the construction and use of facilities such as pump rooms, filter pools, and main pipelines.
"There are absolutely no problems using them." Zheng Xiangdong knew that these things were all made by Li Long's team, so he didn't hold back his praise: "We've been using them for two years now, and the facilities are excellent and very convenient to use."
Zhao Shijie not only asked questions but also looked at each item carefully.
He was very satisfied after the shoot. Both the pump house and the filter tank used high-quality bricks, and upon closer inspection, the concrete and cement on top were of sufficient grade.
The exposed portions of the main pipeline have also been protected and marked to prevent collisions and damage when machinery passes over them.
Although purified water is used, there is still wire mesh in the filter tank for protection and filtration to prevent impurities from entering the water pump.
After inspecting the facilities, Zhao Shijie nodded and said, "If they are all built to this standard, then these facilities are quite well constructed."
Li Long understood his implication: if Li Long were to find someone, then the construction should be carried out according to this standard.
Li Long naturally had no problem with it. The things he built were for his own cooperative. If the standards were too low, he would be the one who would suffer in the end. He wasn't stupid.
After the visit, Li Long greeted Zheng Xiangdong and told him to continue with his work, then took Zhao Shijie back to the cooperative.
On the way, Zhao Shijie had already told Li Long that if they followed this standard, then Li Long should find someone. Li Long would provide the materials himself, while Zhao Shijie would be responsible for supervision and settling accounts.
Li Long said it was no problem and that he would arrange for someone to help him shortly.
Zhao Shijie had no objection to Li Long's efficiency, saying, "Let's wait and see."
Li Long returned to the county and went to find Meng Hai. Meng Hai and his team had finished repairing the road they had built and were currently planning to build a canal allocated by the Water Conservancy Bureau.
Meng Hai's company has now hired a lot of employees, so they are not worried that diverting people to work will affect the progress of the project.
After Li Long explained his idea, Meng Hai immediately assigned two work teams, 14 people in total, to drive trucks with materials to the village to prepare for construction.
Before leaving, Li Long asked Meng Hai if he needed any further investment. Meng Hai waved his hand and said, "No need, no need. Our company has money in its accounts and is already in a virtuous cycle."
Li Long was relieved.
Next, Zhao Shijie followed the construction workers to build a pump house and filter pool on the cooperative's land. Li Long only stayed for a day before returning to the county, and then Liu Gaolou arrived.
This time, Liu Gaolou didn't bring a motorcade; he just drove himself with an assistant.
In the reception room, Liang Shuangcheng poured them water and then left.
Li Long looked at Liu Gaolou across the street and asked, "Has something happened?"
Liu Gaolou said with a wry smile, "Yes. I didn't take good care of this stall that my uncle left behind. Now it's a complete mess over there. They can't get the goods over here, but they keep asking me to move the supplies over."
Li Long said, "Then call your uncle. He's the one who decides these things. You can't manage this situation. The main channels are all over there, and you can't go there either."
Liu Gaolou shook his head and said, "Someone from over there is coming and waiting in Khorgos. They want me to quickly transport the canned goods and sugar over there, saying they are in dire need of them."
Li Long waved his hand and said, "Even if there's an urgent need, I can't go. Haven't you settled the payment from last time?"
Liu Gaolou shook his head with a wry smile.
"Isn't that it? They keep demanding supplies but don't pay or send anything over. They're clearly just trying to take advantage. Don't make any decisions about this; just wait for your uncle's call."
Liu Gaolou asked, "You mean you want me to go back, back to Khorgos?"
“You can just wait here. Do you think you can handle the people over there when you get back?” Li Long smiled. “Your uncle can’t really just sit back and do nothing. He’ll definitely have to call if anything happens.” Liu Gaolong was a little anxious. “But he’ll call Horgos. I can’t answer the phone here.”
“Don’t worry, if no one takes over when we get to Khorgos, your uncle will come here.” Li Long explained, “That’s my idea. Your personality dictates that you can’t argue with the people coming from over there. After all, they are still your uncle’s men.”
"Then you might as well just hide here and wait for your uncle's call. If they can't reach you, they might contact your uncle. At this point, it's better to do nothing; the more you do, the more you might lose. Of course, this is just my suggestion; the final decision is yours."
Liu Gaolou thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll wait here for my uncle's call. We lost a lot of money last time, so I can't lose money again by shipping goods over there. Even if I lose money, I have to wait for my uncle to say something."
At this moment, Liu Shanmin was on a train from Shanghai to Yanjing, planning to pay homage to Tiananmen Square, the Great Hall of the People, the Monument to the People's Heroes, and the great man.
He traveled from winter to summer, from the southern coast all the way to the north, and his family had a great time.
"Come, come, everyone, take a look. This bag is full of Shanghai specialties. If you're visiting relatives and friends in Beijing and forgot to buy any, come and take a look."
I have great quality products at low prices that will definitely satisfy you! White Rabbit milk candy, Chenghuangmiao pear syrup and spiced beans, and Gaoqiao pine nut cakes are all pre-packaged.
I also have Hero fountain pens, all in boxes. If you think these are too inexpensive, I also have Shanghai brand watches, which would be excellent gifts for relatives and elders!
The young man hawking his wares had a loud but penetrating voice that caught Liu Shanmin's attention.
The young man chose a good time; the train attendant had just finished her rounds and gone to rest. The vendors with their carts had also passed by a while ago, so there was a little noise in the carriage, but not much.
The young man's voice wasn't loud either; he was probably deliberately keeping it at that volume so it wouldn't carry too far.
He has the makings of a businessman.
The young man's cries attracted the attention of nearby passengers. Some of them were indeed going to Yanjing to visit relatives and friends, and didn't bring many suitable gifts. As soon as the young man called out, they immediately asked about the prices. People like to join in the fun, and those who were a little further away came over and surrounded the young man.
Liu Shanmin and his group sat just one seat away from the young man. Following the young man's quote, some locals from Shanghai realized that although the price was slightly higher than in shopping malls, it was understandable on a train.
Some people started taking out their money.
Back then, White Rabbit milk candy was a real treat, and Liu Shanmin, with his child in tow, naturally had to buy some.
He had money, so he simply bought some of those snacks.
The young man was quick at calculating and knew how to do business. Seeing that Liu Shanmin had bought so much, he was very generous and gave him a bag of spiced beans as a gift.
By the time the train attendant came out, the young man had already seized the opportunity to carry the remaining less than one-third of the bag to another carriage.
Judging from his smiling face as he left, Liu Shanmin knew that this guy probably made a lot of money on this trip.
This was just an interlude in the journey, and Liu Shanmin quickly forgot about it.
After arriving in Yanjing, Liu Shanmin hailed a taxi and asked the driver to recommend a place to stay that was close to the square.
After settling in, Liu Shanmin told his family to rest at the hotel while he went out to make a phone call.
He'd been away for quite a while now, from the Soviet Union, huh? How was things back in the constituent republics? He'd been keeping an eye on it, but since he wasn't there in person, he planned to call and find out.
At the post office, Liu Shanmin paid the fee to make an international call. After dialing, it took quite a while for someone to answer.
Liu Shanmin chatted with them in Russian for a while and learned that things were still chaotic there, so he decided not to go back for a while.
Then I made a domestic long-distance call to Liu Gaolou's courtyard.
No one answered the phone.
Liu Shanmin thought to himself, "This nephew is quite honest. Where did he go to play?"
While he was still hesitating whether to call Li Long again, someone suddenly rushed in from outside, paid the money, and was also about to make a call.
Liu Shanmin was delighted when he saw this; wasn't this the young man he had met on the train?
The young man didn't notice Liu Shanmin. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. After the call connected, he whispered, "Old Bai, this is Hu Moren. Yes, yes, I've arrived in Yanjing now. All the goods have been shipped out on the train. I plan to go to Xiushui Street today."
Okay, if I can get some good clothes, I'll pack them up and send them over... but I don't think I have enough money right now... Alright, alright, I'll go check it out first..."
After listening for a couple of sentences, Liu Shanmin lost interest and simply dialed Li Long's number again.
Li Long was at the purchasing station, discussing the next steps with Liu Gaolou, when he received a call from Liu Shanmin. He thought to himself, "What a coincidence. I really guessed right."
After exchanging a few words with Liu Shanmin, Li Long told him about Liu Gaolou's situation and then asked Liu Gaolou to answer the phone.
Liu Shanmin was quite surprised; he hadn't expected Liu Gaolou to be with Li Long now.
Liu Gaolou said aggrievedly, "Second Uncle, let me tell you, when you weren't here, the people over there were really arrogant. The last time I delivered some canned goods and sugar, they didn't pay me, and they didn't even deliver the goods back."
This time, they want me to hurry up and deliver the canned goods and sugar. I can't keep borrowing from Boss Li; I don't have enough money on hand!
Upon hearing this, Liu Shanmin's face darkened, and he asked, "How much money did they owe you last time? How much cargo are they planning to ship this time?"
Liu Gaolou said, "Last time it was $10 worth of goods, but this time they have a much bigger appetite and want $20 worth of goods in total."
Liu Shanmin sneered, "It really is! $30! They really dare to do that! I just called them, and they said everything was normal. It seems they're planning to take my share!"
Don't send anything over there yet, wait for my notification! Let me figure things out first, then we'll decide whether or not to proceed!
After hanging up the phone, Liu Shanmin stroked his chin. He believed that something must have happened on the other side of the republic, but there were several groups of people there, and it was impossible for them all to betray him. He was confident of that.
So there must be a problem in one of the links, and Liu Shanmin felt he had to go back and take a look.
Just as he was about to pay the bill, he noticed the young man next to him staring blankly at him. He paused for a moment, then asked, "What's wrong, young man?"
Hu Moren smiled awkwardly after being reminded. He couldn't very well say that he was startled when the other party asked for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Hu Moren recognized Liu Shanmin as the one who bought his things on the train, and on a whim said, "What a coincidence, comrade! We met on the train, and you even bought a few packs of my local specialties."
Liu Shanmin nodded and said, "Yes, your packages of local specialties are quite good."
Hu Moren was still thinking about how to get on Liu Shanmin's good side when Liu Shanmin had already paid the bill and was about to leave.
Hu Moren hurriedly followed; this was an opportunity.
(End of this chapter)