Chapter 1339
I heard there are tigers in the mountains again
Zhao Shijie, wearing a straw hat, watched the workers digging the foundation for the pump house in the field. Li Long was beside him, accompanying him as he inspected the project.
A truck drove by, carrying bricks and cement.
Two other workers were drawing lines with lime next to the pump house. Li Long, it's clear that a filtration pond is going to be built here.
Zhao Shijie watched the truck drive past and stop beside the foundation, and said, "The cost of these three pump houses is lower than I expected. As long as the quality is guaranteed, there won't be any problems. I suggest using the money saved to repair this road."
The road the truck travels on is a farm road, a dirt road made by tractors when farmers go to work in the fields. It's passable when the weather is sunny, the road is compacted, and the good thing is that there's no muddy soil.
However, if it rains, the road will inevitably become muddy. When tractors or other vehicles pass by, they will leave deep tracks, and the road will become uneven when the weather clears up.
Because this piece of land covers more than 1000 acres and the road is quite long, Li Long asked him, "How does the leader plan to build it?"
Zhao Shijie said, "The money saved is not much, so if we want to repair the road, we will just haul some sand and gravel onto the existing farm road and use bulldozers to level it. This way, at least it won't affect walking when it rains."
Li Long nodded, agreeing that this was acceptable.
Zhao Shijie added, "Several filters need to be added to this filtration pool, with very fine mesh. The water flows down from the reservoir, so there's bound to be a lot of dirt in it."
This water is pumped into the pipes from the pump station. The main and branch pipes are relatively better, but the drip irrigation tape is thinner, and dirt can easily get in and clog it, affecting the irrigation effect.
Li Long gave a thumbs up, saying, "This guy is a real expert."
Something like this happened in my previous life. For a period of time, the small lake was teeming with those tiny black loaches, about the size of a pencil. These loaches were usually used as food for carnivorous fish like arowanas, but somehow they ended up in the small lake and multiplied rapidly.
These little loaches are extremely small, less than half a centimeter in diameter, and the larger ones are about the size of a pencil.
The filter screen in the pump house has a minimum diameter of one centimeter, so a large number of loaches darted out of the small lake, came to the filter, flowed into the main pipe with the water, and finally entered the drip irrigation belt. Because there were so many of them, they completely blocked the drip irrigation belt.
The cotton plants weren't watered enough, which caused problems with the year's yield.
Moreover, these loaches eventually die in the drip irrigation tape, creating a foul stench that is difficult to clean and has a significant impact.
Fortunately, this loach only stayed in the small lake for two or three years. It suddenly appeared, suddenly reproduced, and then suddenly disappeared.
After the previous generation of Xiaohaizi experienced the devastation of floods and the disruption of its original self-circulation system, this situation would occur every few years.
Snails appeared for a few years and then disappeared, as did frogs. Then came the five-striped blackfish, then the yellow catfish, and then this black loach.
When Li Long was reborn, only crucian carp remained in the small lake; even carp were rarely seen.
It was because he had experienced the disaster of the black loach that Li Long felt that Zhao Shijie was still very capable.
Seeing Li Long nod earnestly, Zhao Shijie was quite satisfied. This richest man in Ma County was easy to deal with; he rarely refuted what Zhao Shijie had said, and even if he had objections, he would reason with him point by point.
That's good.
Before he arrived, he was most afraid of encountering farmers who didn't know much. There's a saying that goes, "When a scholar meets a soldier, reason is useless."
Although he was the supervisor and in charge of the funds, the project was already finalized, and Li Long couldn't really argue with him if he wanted to.
It's fine as it is now.
Watching the workers dig the foundation and start pouring concrete and stones into it, Zhao Shijie went over to check the cement grade. He picked up a stick, stirred it in the mixed concrete, and then nodded.
Zhao Shijie walked over to the bricks being unloaded from the truck, picked up two bricks and tapped them together. The bricks were very sturdy; even after such a collision, they didn't crack.
He then took two bricks and banged them against the ground, but the bricks remained sturdy.
Zhao Shijie was very satisfied; at least in terms of the materials, these people hadn't fooled him.
He didn't participate in the construction. Watching the workers operate skillfully, Zhao Shijie retreated to the shade of a tree, put the brick he had picked up on the ground, and sat down as a stool.
Li Long followed him over and stood beside him, asking, "How's it going, boss? Any problems? If there are, just say so and I'll have them fix it immediately."
Zhao Shijie took out cigarettes and matches from his jacket pocket, lit one, and said, "Not yet. Everything is going well. They didn't try to fool me and they're working very diligently."
Upon receiving this compliment, Li Long smiled and then asked, "So, boss, shall we take a stroll around Xiaohai Lake tonight? It's been sunny and hot these past few days; the crabs will come out to find food at night..."
Zhao Shijie laughed: "Okay. But don't call me boss anymore, just call me Lao Zhao. Otherwise I'll have to call you Boss Li, which I don't want, and you might feel uncomfortable."
Li Long readily agreed with a smile, and that's how the matter was settled.
Outside the Post and Telecommunications Building in Yanjing.
Hu Moren chased after him, while Liu Shanmin was already outside, preparing to call a taxi.
In a moment of panic, Hu Moren shouted, "Hey, boss, wait a minute!"
Liu Shanmin lowered his outstretched hand and turned to look at Hu Moren with some confusion.
Hu Moren was also a little embarrassed. He had called the person to a stop, but suddenly realized that he didn't seem to have any reason to keep the person there.
In a moment of urgency, Hu Moren had a sudden inspiration. He stepped forward and said with a smile, "Comrade, we met on the train, do you remember me?"
Liu Shanmin nodded and said, "I remember, when I bought your stuff, you even gave me a bag of snacks as a gift. Little boss, is there anything I can help you with?"
Hu Moren said with embarrassment, "I dare not call myself a boss in front of you. I just run a small business, doing nothing. By the way, are you here in Yanjing for tourism? I often come here to buy goods, so I know this place quite well. Would you like me to be your guide?"
Liu Shanmin shook his head and said, "No. We originally planned to take a good look around, but things have changed. We'll just walk around Tiananmen Square, see the Forbidden City, and then leave."
Hu Moren immediately said enthusiastically, "Is there some difficulty? I have some connections here. If you don't mind, tell me and see if I can help?"
Liu Shanmin didn't speak, but looked at Hu Moren with a half-smile.
Hu Moren immediately realized that his thoughts had been seen through.
He couldn't help but explain, "I really didn't mean any harm, I was just thinking..." He paused here, unsure how to express his thoughts.
Liu Shanmin smiled and added for him, "It's just about making friends and expanding your network?"
Hu Moren nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean." Liu Shanmin felt that this young man had a good business sense and knew how to seize opportunities. The conversation on the train also made him feel that this young man was promising. Otherwise, he would have taken a taxi and left long ago instead of wasting his breath here.
He thought for a moment and said, "I do foreign trade in the Northwest, and you can't help me there. Besides, you often travel between Beijing and Shanghai, which you consider a harsh and cold place, and you wouldn't be used to it."
Hu Moren hesitated. Indeed, as Liu Shanmin had said, Hu Moren immediately backed down upon hearing that he did business in the Northwest. After all, the prevailing opinion here was that doing business there was more primitive and uncivilized.
Liu Shanmin smiled. He turned around and raised his hand, ready to hit him.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Hu Moren couldn't help but take two steps forward, but then didn't know what to say.
A taxi pulled up, and as Liu Shanmin opened the door to get in, he turned to Hu Moren and said, "The Soviet Union is going to disintegrate this year."
If you want to make money and aren't afraid of risks, you can try producing more light industrial products and try your luck in the area bordering Russia to the north. As long as you're bold and willing to explore new channels, money is easy to make.
Of course, things will definitely be chaotic then; it all depends on your ability.
After saying that, Liu Shanmin got into a taxi, gave the driver the address, and the car drove away.
Hu Moren stood by the roadside, still thinking about what Liu Shanmin had said when he left.
He wasn't sure if these words were just empty words or genuinely pointing him in the right direction.
But judging from the current situation, even Hu Moren himself is unsure whether the Soviet Union will collapse this year. It seems unlikely.
But I'm really torn about this.
In the taxi, the driver asked Liu Shanmin with some doubt, "Comrade, how can you be so sure that the Soviet Union will collapse? It's the big brother, such a big country. Even if it has some problems, it can't just fall apart, can it?"
In fact, these days, whether the Soviet Union collapses or not doesn't matter much to ordinary people.
However, the taxi drivers in Yanjing were used to paying attention to national affairs, and they took this matter very seriously. Before Liu Shanmin could explain, they had already laid out their reasons why the Soviet Union could not possibly disintegrate.
Liu Shanmin didn't argue with him, but just listened with a smile and nodded repeatedly, which made the taxi driver very satisfied. He even rounded down the fare after dropping him off.
Liu Shanmin returned to the hotel and told his wife about the situation he had learned over the phone and his plans. His wife was definitely supportive.
After all, something happened at home, so he definitely wasn't in the mood for traveling.
Moreover, they had already visited enough places in the past six months and had been traveling for so long that they were getting a little tired of it. After discussing it, the two of them decided to spend two days in Yanjing and then go straight back to Northern Xinjiang.
Although the child still wanted to play, children have no human rights these days and were ignored.
That evening, Li Long took Zhao Shijie to Xiaohaizi and caught four or five kilograms of crabs.
Zhao Shijie and Li Yuhe were alike; at first, they ignored the crabs, but once they actually saw them, they started shouting and catching them with great enthusiasm.
His loud and boisterous demeanor is completely different from his composed and steady manner in the fields during the day.
Li Longxin thought to himself, "Even the oldest person can still have a childlike heart."
The next day, the crabs were cooked with spicy sauce and steamed. Some were also taken to the eldest brother's house. Li Long also took some back to the county that night. Everyone got to eat them and was quite happy.
Next, Zhao Shijie was in charge of overseeing the construction, and Li Long didn't come every day.
The fritillaria harvest season is coming to an end, and Li Long still needs to go to the mountains to hand over the harvest to Bolati.
Now, the small wooden house in the mountains is basically under the management of Bolati. Li Long delivers more supplies each time, and the intervals between deliveries are longer, but Bolati doesn't complain.
After all, he's already quite content that he can earn several thousand yuan more each year by using this little wooden house.
When Li Long went there this time, Polati brought him two small roe deer, about the size of sheep.
Li Long thought that Bolati had traded it with the herb gatherers in the mountains, but when he asked, he found out that Bolati had caught it himself.
He wanted to give Polati money, but Polati refused, saying that he should just settle the payment for the fritillaria normally, and he would give him the two baby roe deer.
Li Long didn't stand on ceremony and took the two little ones in, intending to take them back as big toys for Mingming and Haohao.
Li Long collected over 200 kilograms of fritillaria bulbs during this trip to Bolati. After paying for the goods and unloading them, he returned home.
Back at the purchasing station, Li Long found a crowd gathered outside listening to a man carrying a bag talking. As he drove into the yard, the crowd dispersed to make way. Li Long drove to the backyard and had the workers unload the fritillaria bulbs. Just as he was about to drive back to the main yard, Liang Shuangcheng came over and excitedly told Li Long, "Brother Long, someone in the mountains has seen a tiger!"
Li Long immediately recalled the scene of people gathered around and talking in the front yard, and asked, "Was it those people selling fritillaria bulbs in front who said it?"
Liang Shuangcheng nodded and said, "Yes, there was a herb gatherer who, while digging for fritillaria bulbs, said he saw a tiger pin down a deer and eat it."
He said he was terrified. Luckily, the tiger had food and only glanced at him. He was so scared he almost wet his pants when he ran away.
Li Long walked forward and found some people in the front yard still surrounding the man, asking, "How do you know that's a tiger? We have lynxes, wolves, and bears in these mountains, but we haven't heard of tigers for decades."
Another person said, "You must be mistaken. Tigers in our northern Xinjiang have been extinct for decades. How could one suddenly appear?"
"If there really were a tiger, would it let you go? It would definitely eat you up!"
Generally speaking, most people around him didn't believe it.
The man vehemently argued, "I was almost 100 meters away from it. It was eating a deer. Of course it wouldn't bother me if it had something to eat. Besides, I'm not blind. I can tell the difference between a lynx and a tiger."
Before the others could object, Li Long strode forward and asked the man, "In which ditch did you find that tiger?"
As soon as Li Long appeared, everyone else fell silent. The man immediately said, "Up the Qingshui River, there are about six layers of mountains. Head southeast and follow two ravines; there are plenty of fritillaria bulbs in those ravines..."
Li Long nodded and said, "Our Tianshan Mountains are so vast, no one can say for sure what's inside. No one has ever explored the entire Tianshan Mountains, so there might really be tigers there."
"That's enough, whatever it was, it's good you weren't bitten. Be more careful when going into the mountains next time, lest you end up hurt instead of making money."
Everyone else chimed in, "Yes, yes, safety first!"
Back in the reception room, Li Long wondered if this tiger was the same tiger king he had encountered before. (End of Chapter)