Chapter 1343
The bond between the four teams became both vague and clear.
Less than a week after Liu Shanmin left, he called Li Long.
Because the call was international, the sound was a bit distorted, but Li Long could tell that Liu Shanmin on the other end was in a good mood.
Li Long then asked, "Have you resolved your matter?"
"Solved, solved, very simple." Liu Shanmin said with a smile, "I brought so many supplies and a few men with me. After I came back, I found my loyal subordinates. As soon as the news spread, before I could even take action myself, those who had disloyal intentions were tied up and sent directly to me."
The words were simple, and it seemed like everything went smoothly. But Liu Shanmin later explained that the smooth resolution of the matter was mainly due to two factors.
On the one hand, there is indeed a group of people in Kazakhstan who are loyal to Liu Shanmin; otherwise, if he were to be truly abandoned by his own people, he would find it difficult to establish himself even if he returned.
Another key aspect is that he was able to bring back a large amount of supplies.
Kazakhstan is currently in a semi-independent state, as many other constituent republics have already declared their secession from the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan was the last to do so.
However, things weren't going well for Kazakhstan at that time. Although, under the Soviet system, Kazakhstan was the third largest economy, after Russia and Russia.
However, the economy is mainly based on industry and mining, with light industry being relatively weak, and 40% to 70% of daily necessities need to be imported.
Originally, the main source of imports was other republics, which were allocated and exchanged by the Soviet Union, equivalent to a large-scale planned economy.
However, now that the other republics have seceded, the original planned economy system has been abolished, and we have to find our own way.
From 91 to 94, Kazakhstan's economy was at its worst, with inflation reaching 3000%.
Of course, another factor is natural disasters, which lead to severe shortages of daily necessities and food.
In reality, at that time, exports from China to Kazakhstan were also restricted. Ordinary merchants could not export goods to Kazakhstan before the Kazakhstan republic had completely broken away from the Soviet Union. Trade was not something that ordinary people could do.
It wasn't until the end of December 1991, when the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic completely seceded from the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union completely disintegrated, that Kazakhstan gradually began public and private trade with the Soviet Union.
Liu Shanmin was able to make so much money because he had some official connections and was able to transport supplies at that time.
Because of this, many people depend on him for their livelihood. Even if some people want to harm him, most people still want to protect him.
After all, most people don't know that once the end of December is over, economic and diplomatic policies will change, and ordinary people will be able to cross the border to do business, making the exchange of goods relatively more convenient.
Of course, it's just a matter of convenience. There wasn't large-scale private trade before, so this process needs to be done step by step.
Those who were the first to eat the crab made a fortune.
Of course, it's not uncommon for thieves to double-cross each other.
Therefore, Liu Shanmin was quite grateful to Li Long. Without Li Long, he wouldn't have been able to obtain such a large quantity of supplies.
To put it bluntly, they just put these supplies out there, and a group of people followed along and shouted, thus establishing their own status.
Liu Shanmin added, "There is a severe shortage of supplies here right now. Basically, any kind of daily necessities that can be brought over can be sold at a high price."
In other words, there's insufficient transportation capacity, plus strict customs regulations. Otherwise, if we brought over a batch of goods from the supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores every day, they could sell out in minutes, and at high prices.
Li Long believed this. After all, in his previous life, Northeast China could sell things to Russia, even things like broken glass and rotten straw clothes. What else couldn't they sell?
Liu Shanmin continued, "I've already gotten a few of the high-horsepower tractors and Kamaz heavy trucks you wanted, and I'll drive them over to you in a few days."
Oh, and luxury cars too. Although oil and gas are relatively cheap in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, the prices of daily necessities have risen too sharply. Some people have had to sell their cars to buy necessities. I've also bought some cars; I'll take them all over with you later.
Now that Liu Shanmin's situation was normal, Li Long felt relieved.
As long as this trade route remains open, he can continuously sell canned goods and sugar there.
After all, the production capacity of canneries and sugar factories increases as time goes on.
Just by looking at this scene of sugar beets being delivered, you can imagine how much sugar the sugar factory produces in a day.
The amount of sugar residue left over from sugar production on that day is also enormous.
Liu Shanmin also clearly stated that on his next trip, he hopes to bring in more sugar and canned goods.
According to him, if one hundred tons of canned goods and fifty tons of white sugar could be transported at a time, it would be barely enough.
Li Long said that as long as the settlement is in US dollars, there shouldn't be any problem.
After hanging up with Liu Shanmin, Li Long went to the cannery to tell Sister Yang that she could produce with confidence and that there would be no problem with sales.
Sister Yang was naturally very happy. After all, the cannery had expanded twice and was now a medium-sized enterprise with more than 30 employees (in Ma County). Only when the products produced had a market could the workers receive wages and bonuses and have the motivation to produce.
After reminding the cannery, Li Long took some time to call Section Chief Hu, expressing his hope to buy more sugar in the future and explaining that he could expand to using US dollars for settlement.
On this one point alone, Section Chief Hu agreed without even consulting the factory manager or the others.
At this time, although the opportunities for overseas inspections in northern Xinjiang are fewer than in the border areas, which senior leader of such a large enterprise does not have friends in the border areas?
The US dollar is a scarce commodity at this time. Holding US dollars gives you the upper hand, making things much easier.
Furthermore, Li Long also mentioned that although the market price of white sugar has not increased, he decided to raise the price per ton for export. If the sugar mill orders 50 tons at a time at $300 per ton, according to the original agreement, 25 tons would be settled in US dollars, which would be $7,500. The remaining 25 tons would be settled in RMB at a wholesale price of 2.5 yuan per kilogram, which would be 62,500 yuan.
Section Chief Hu rounded it down to zero, calculating the RMB settlement at 60,000, and then told Li Long to deliver two truckloads of sugar residue to him every day.
After hanging up the phone, Li Long sighed and remarked that this person really knew how to do business and how to treat people.
Of course, he earned more. Because Liu Shanmin offered him $1,500 per ton of sugar; there was no other way, he couldn't buy it there.
As for canned goods, Liu Shanmin offered to sell them by the case, with a 20-kilogram case of meat costing $20, which translates to $1,000 per ton, cheaper than white sugar.
There's no way around it; the main problem is that they can still get some meat by hunting over there, but there's absolutely no way to get white sugar.
At this moment, Li Long truly and deeply felt the benefits of a fully industrialized country.
Of course, another advantage is the vastness and sparse population of northern Xinjiang. After all, even if there were this much production, it wouldn't be as enjoyable as it is now.
Not to mention what they say, even according to Gu Boyuan, in the Yili River Valley, white sugar was still rationed two years ago, and only some special patients could buy it by getting a prescription from the hospital.
The Shicheng Sugar Factory is located near Ma County, and the local people really benefited greatly from the sugar they ate.
After hanging up with Section Chief Hu, Li Long planned to go to the team's location. Zhao Shijie was still in the fields overseeing the irrigation canal and road repairs. Although he didn't need to go every day, he still had to make an occasional trip.
When the car arrived at Old Ma's place in Team Four, Li Long went to tell Uncle Luo, who was cleaning the sheepfold, that he would need to bring an extra load of sugar residue every day and asked him to handle it.
"Use it if you can, and give away what you can't use." This is the principle that Li Long left behind.
"You can't give them away." Uncle Luo immediately rejected this suggestion. "If you can't finish the cattle and sheep, you can dry them and use them as feed in the winter. Giving them away is easy, but people are always ungrateful. If you bring less later, they won't give you any more. Good people might be okay with it, but bad people will resent you. It's not worth it."
Alright, since Uncle Luo said so, Li Long won't insist.
He drove to his older brother's house first, intending to chat with his mother.
As she gets older, Du Chunfang increasingly wants to chat with Li Long, talking about her childhood and her youth.
When Li Long arrived at his elder brother's courtyard, he found his elder brother Li Jianguo, team leader Xu Chengjun, Xie Yundong, and Lu Yingming all there, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense.
problem occurs?
Li Long subconsciously realized this.
When they saw Li Long, they simply smiled or greeted him and continued discussing their business.
Li Long leaned over to listen to Xie Yundong for a few moments and learned the whole story.
Hu Qinghe from the team fell and was injured. When he went to the county hospital for a check-up, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Although it was in the early stage, the treatment would require a lot of money.
Hu Qinghe also came from his hometown. His elder brother, Hu Qinghai, like Li Jianguo, was a founding member of the village, but unfortunately he passed away from illness a few years ago.
At the time, Li Jianguo had delivered gifts to the Hu family on several occasions. According to Li Jianguo, he had a good relationship with Hu Qinghai, and Hu Qinghai had told him before his death that he should help Qinghe out. However, Hu Qinghe lived in a different settlement and had a good relationship with another fellow villager, so he maintained a certain distance and politeness towards the goodwill extended by the Li family.
Over time, the two sides had less and less contact.
Hu Qinghe got married two years earlier than Li Long, and now their child is in sixth grade; it's a daughter.
Li Long and Hu Qinghe had a casual relationship, barely even acquaintances. Li Long mainly felt that Hu Qinghe was rather aloof but lacked real ability.
If it were someone like Xie Yundong, Tao Daqiang, or Liang Dacheng, Li Long would definitely try to bring them to his side.
But now that they're seriously ill, we can't say that.
Even if we can't offer help in times of need, we shouldn't kick someone when they're down.
Li Long listened for a while longer and figured out what was going on. Xu Chengjun meant that Hu Qinghe's family was not well-off, and with his injuries and illnesses, they couldn't afford much for medical treatment.
There is only one wife and one daughter in the family. The parents are still in their hometown and need their help. The husband's family is in another team and their conditions are not good.
So we're considering donating some money to help Hu Qinghe get through this difficult time.
At that time, farmers still had to pay for all their medical treatment out of pocket.
The New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme will not begin its pilot phase for another eleven years.
Actually, it wasn't like that originally. When cooperatives were first established in the 1960s, there was a cooperative medical system for farmers, also known as the Agricultural Cooperative.
That's why it's called the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS) now, because there was already a rural cooperative medical system before.
At that time, the cooperative medical care system was different from the new rural cooperative medical system. The cooperative (natural village or commune) signed a contract directly with the hospital. When villagers went to see a doctor, they would receive treatment first, and the village or commune would settle the bill and make payment later.
At this time, signs reading "Saving lives and healing the wounded" and "Serving the people" would be displayed at the hospital entrance.
However, this rural cooperative medical care system could not be continued until the late 1970s.
Firstly, the production teams at that time really had no money, and the cooperatives didn't make much money either, with too much debt. Secondly, after the reform and opening up, many clinics were converted into private ones, and some hospitals implemented self-financing, so they could no longer sustain themselves.
Therefore, in the 1980s and 1990s, farmers had to pay for their own medical care. Those with better economic conditions were okay, but those with worse conditions had to endure some illnesses.
Many elderly people in later generations are unwilling to have physical examinations or go to the hospital because they are influenced by survivor bias from that period. They feel that they can just tough it out and get through it, and they are reluctant to spend money.
Upon hearing Xu Chengjun's words, Li Jianguo immediately said, "No problem, I agree to donate! Qinghe's brother Qinghai and I have a good relationship."
He asked me to take care of Qinghe before he left, but this matter..."
Knowing what had happened, Xie Yundong interjected, "This isn't your fault. Qinghe and Lao Gu have a good relationship; they're from the same hometown. There's nothing you can do about it when people from the same hometown are close."
“The hospital asked us to pay 1,000 yuan upfront for this treatment,” Xu Chengjun knew about these things, but as the team leader, he couldn’t say anything or show any favoritism, so he continued, “I was thinking of telling everyone so that those with good family conditions can donate.”
“Then I’ll donate 100,” Li Jianguo said. “I’ll help if they need more later.”
"Okay." Xu Chengjun was very happy.
Li Long is no longer the naive young man he once was. In fact, anyone present could easily take out a thousand yuan—Lu Yingming might feel a little reluctant to part with it.
But there's definitely no problem taking it out.
But things can't be done that way. If Hu Qinghe's wife came to him for help, Li Jianguo would definitely give her the money without hesitation, but since Xu Chengjun asked everyone to donate, the money couldn't be paid by the Li family alone.
There's no need to be the one sticking out.
“Then I’ll contribute a hundred.” Li Long took out his money.
"You shouldn't go," Xu Chengjun advised him. "Your older brother represents the Li family."
Li Long didn't say anything more.
Xie Yundong also contributed 100, and Lu Yingming contributed 50, jokingly saying that they couldn't compare to them.
"It's enough that you have the intention; we're not competing in this," Li Jianguo said. "It's quite a lot."
Xu Chengjun said he would also contribute 100 yuan, then visit other people's homes, and keep the extra for further treatment, and then for nourishing the body later.
Li Long suddenly said:
"Captain, this is what I'm thinking. There are quite a few people in our team, and there are probably others like Hu Qinghe."
It's just that they have some hidden illnesses that haven't been discovered yet. So I plan to wait until June or July, when the kids are on holiday, and then find a car to take everyone in the group to the county for a physical examination. I'll pay for it.
In this way, if any hidden illnesses are detected early, they are easier to treat, like Hu Qinghe's case. Otherwise, if it reaches the late stage of cancer, it will be too late to cure it.
"Great!" Xu Chengjun clapped his hands upon hearing this. "This is a good thing!"
"Then I'll trouble you, Captain, to announce it over the loudspeaker and tell everyone to set a time. I'll bring a car to pick them up then," Li Long said. "Many people in our team get along well, and life is getting better and better, so please take care of yourselves."
"Great, great, that's wonderful!" Xu Chengjun said, beaming. "Don't worry, I'll announce it over the loudspeaker."
After Xu Chengjun left, Li Jianguo thought for a moment and said, "Xiaolong, if you want to do this, you'd better contact the hospital in advance, ask about any things you need to pay attention to, and come back to explain them to everyone, such as not being able to eat breakfast."
Lu Yingming chimed in, "Yes, yes, let's not turn a good thing into a bad thing."
Regardless, everyone is supportive of this matter, which makes Li Long quite happy.
He was well aware that some people would make sarcastic remarks about doing this, but he didn't care.
In later generations, there were people in the village of similar age to him, as well as some older than him, who developed cancer or chronic, incurable diseases. If they had had annual checkups earlier, these diseases could have been detected and treated sooner.
Li Long felt that now that he had money, it was only right for him to do some charity work.
Xu Chengjun left in a hurry, as he needed to discuss the matter with others. Li Long considered whether to visit Hu Qinghe in the next few days, but then decided against it; their relationship was casual, and there was no need.
Xie Yundong immediately echoed this idea, saying that they shouldn't go see it, since they weren't particularly close, and they had already donated money and done their part.
Li Jianguo shared the same idea, saying that once he was discharged from the hospital, he would bring an old hen and some eggs to visit.
Seeing that everyone shared his thoughts, Li Long didn't say anything more. He then said he was going to the field to check on Zhao Shijie and see if he needed anything else, and Xie Yundong suggested they go together.
Zhao Shijie sat at the edge of the field watching the workers pave the road. He wasn't in a hurry. He was reading a book in his hand. When he heard the sound of a car and saw that it was Li Long and the others coming, he pulled a blade of grass to use as a bookmark, clipped it in, closed the book, and stood up.
The construction of the canal and the road is progressing smoothly, and Li Long feels that it should be completed within a week.
After chatting with Zhao Shijie for a while, Li Long took him back to the village. Zhao Shijie said there wasn't much else to see right now, and the project was left as it was.
When Li Long returned to the courtyard that evening, he saw Mingming and Haohao playing Go in the house—Li Long had taught them how—while Gu Xiaoxia was on the phone.
When Gu Xiaoxia saw Li Long come in, she gestured for him to come over and say a few words, and whispered, "My dad."
Li Long then took the phone and chatted with Gu Boyuan, casually mentioning Hu Qinghe's situation.
"Qinghe, sigh, that kid got fooled by Old Gu. Otherwise, if he had followed us and your older brother, his life would definitely be much better now."
Li Long thought to himself, "You're also Old Gu, huh?" But he knew that the Old Gu his father-in-law was talking about was probably Gu Ermao's father.
Is Gu Ermao going to be released soon? (End of Chapter)