Chapter 1364
There are many ways to get rich, it just depends on whether you dare to try.
On January 12th, Li Juan returned to the county for her holiday. Li Jianguo waited for her at the bus station, picked her up, and then went to the purchasing station.
It turned out that Li Jianguo meant to pick up Li Juan and then head straight back, so as not to delay Li Long's time. Previously, Li Long would pick her up at the bus station and then take her back to the fourth team.
It's winter now, and there's not much to do in the team, so Li Jianguo simply drove to the county to wait.
Li Qingxia and Li Long were behind the counter listening to the middlemen talking about things in the county when Li Jianguo's car drove up, and Li Long went out to greet them.
After getting out of the car, Li Juan, wearing a light yellow down jacket, smiled and said to Li Long, "Uncle, it's been three months since I last saw you. You haven't changed at all, and you're still so handsome!"
Li Long exclaimed in surprise, "It's different when you go to university in Yenching! You even know how to tease your uncle now, you've improved!"
Li Jianguo felt this was improper and said to Li Juan with a stern face, "How dare you talk to your uncle like that? Go inside and greet your grandfather right away."
Li Juan didn't take it to heart at all, smiled at Li Long, and then walked into the house.
The people at the door unconsciously made way for her, and when Li Juan went in to greet Li Qingxia, they all asked Li Long at once, "Who is this, Boss Li?"
"Yes, judging by your outfit, you must be from a big city, right? Are you a relative of yours?"
Some people vaguely remembered that Li Long's niece had been admitted to a university in Yenching, but they found it hard to connect the beautiful young girl they had just seen with the plain-looking girl from before. So they asked him, "Is this your niece who went to university?"
Li Long said proudly, "Yes, I've been attending Renmin University for a year and a half!"
"Hey, girls really do change a lot as they grow up, they get prettier and prettier!"
"They're real graduates from prestigious universities, so they're definitely different!" someone said enviously. "They'll be working for the government, and maybe they can even stay in Yenching to work!"
……
Li Jianguo listened to their discussions by the car, feeling quite proud.
Li Juan carried a bag. After meeting her grandfather, she took out a knitted hat from the bag and said it was a gift for him.
Li Qingxia grinned as he took the hat, and Li Juan praised his teeth, saying that at his age, he hadn't lost a single tooth, which was rare among people his age.
Li Qingxia laughed so hard her eyes disappeared, repeatedly saying that Li Juan had gone to university, and that she really knew how to compliment people.
After coming out of the house, Li Juan went to the car, opened her luggage bag, took out a backpack, and handed it to Li Long, saying, "Uncle, this is the backpack I bought for you."
I remember your old backpack was really nice, but the straps got worn out after a while. This one's a designer brand, very sturdy, and has a lot of functions. I bought it with my scholarship money; it's a gift for you!
Li Long smiled and took the bag. It felt heavy, as if there was something inside.
"Inside the bag is a set of face cream I bought for my aunt, and snacks for Mingming and Haohao," Li Juan explained. "I packed them all in there."
Li Long slung the backpack over his shoulder and said with a smile, "Then I'll take it. Hey, you've really grown up. You're quite well-prepared."
"Of course, Uncle, I learned this from you. You used to bring back things for each of us when you came back from Wucheng, and I remembered them back then."
Li Long laughed. People who have gone to university are different. They have such sweet words, and their words make people feel comfortable.
Li Jianguo drove Li Juan back, and the middlemen immediately surrounded Li Long. Some inquired about Li Juan's university life, some asked if she had a boyfriend, and some even introduced their relatives, wanting to get to know Li Juan and make friends.
Li Long refused them all. He didn't want to be a middleman in this kind of thing, and he figured Li Juan probably wasn't interested in expanding her network here either. The holiday was only a few days long; she definitely wanted to spend time with her family.
The temperature inside was comfortable, but Li Qingxia, wearing that knitted hat, was reluctant to take it off.
He watched with amusement as these people surrounded Li Long, without stepping forward to help. Li Qingxia felt that Li Long was fully capable of handling these people without causing trouble for Li Juan.
Such a small matter is no problem for him.
Sure enough, after a while, these people stopped surrounding Li Long. Most of them still had envious expressions on their faces, while a few looked regretful.
After all, these days, it's really extraordinary for a child to get into university, and the one from the Li family got into one of the top universities in the country.
Winter is the off-season, especially after the implementation of the animal protection law, which prohibited hunting of wild animals, making it virtually impossible to collect their pelts. Fortunately, there are still agricultural supply stores that sell some agricultural supplies sporadically.
The workers at the purchasing station are now mainly cleaning the hides and antelope horns that Liu Shanmin and Liu Gaolou brought over.
There's never a moment's rest. Every two weeks, they bring in thousands of hides and several truckloads of antelope horns, and just cleaning them takes a long time.
After people like Fan Mingcheng left, the number of middlemen gathered in the yard of the purchasing station decreased significantly, making it appear somewhat deserted.
However, there are always some people who, even if they have nothing else to do, are willing to chat here to learn about national affairs or information that can help them make money.
On January 20th, Fan Mingcheng drove his GAZ-69 truck excitedly to the purchasing station.
His arrival caused a sensation at the purchasing station and among those who remained.
Fan Mingcheng, carrying a large bag, got off the car, pushed through the crowd, and went to the counter first, where he put the bag down.
While greeting Li Qingxia, he unzipped the large black bag, revealing packets of Russian candies, chocolates, and cigarettes inside.
After taking these items out and placing them on the counter, Fan Mingcheng sincerely said to Li Qingxia and Li Long, who rushed out from inside, "Thank you so much!"
"Mr. Li, if it weren't for your guidance, I really wouldn't have missed this opportunity to make a fortune! These are local specialties I brought back from over there, specially for you. Please don't be shy, don't be shy!"
As he spoke, he took out a bag of candy, tore it open, and distributed it to the others present, saying, "Come on, come on! We're all acquaintances, so let's not be shy and try this foreigner's candy."
Then he opened another pack of cigarettes and handed them out to everyone.
These people were also impressed by Fan Mingcheng's generosity. Some congratulated him on his newfound wealth, some inquired about how he did business, and others asked about the situation over there.
Li Long couldn't help but laugh; it was clear that Fan Mingcheng had truly struck it rich. His fur coat, bearskin hat, leather shoes, and the designer watch that frequently adorned his wrist all indicated that he had likely made more than one trip to the border in recent days, and he had definitely earned a fortune.
Fan Mingcheng didn't stand on ceremony or hold back, and immediately shared his methods for making money.
"They really lack everything over there, especially clothes, shoes, hats, and the like. With Mr. Li's guidance, I contacted a friend and got a truckload of clothes and shoes to be transported to the port. After completing the customs clearance procedures, I was still a little nervous after crossing the border."
As soon as I arrived, someone came to buy my goods. I didn't recognize their currency, but luckily I could use goods to offset the cost. I picked and chose, and exchanged them for two large cartloads of wool and half a cartload of copper.
Let me tell you, metals like copper, iron, and aluminum are still very cheap over there. Once they're brought back, there are people here who will buy them directly.
The first trip was about figuring things out; I didn't actually earn much, just about double the profit..."
Someone gasped: "Twice the profit isn't much? That's way too much!"
Fan Mingcheng glanced at him and said, "There's a lot more to this than meets the eye. There are some things they desperately need, and shipping them over would bring in three to five times the profit."
Some goods aren't in high demand there, so bringing them over might yield double or even double the profit. However, there might be delays and high tariffs, so the profit might only be slightly higher than domestically.
Immediately, someone asked, "Boss Fan, which items are considered scarce and profitable, and which are considered average?"
Fan Mingcheng glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Others said, "This is a trade secret. Can you just talk about it like that? If you tell everyone, those things won't be so scarce anymore."
This is speaking up for Fan Mingcheng.
Li Long stood behind the counter, casually picked up a Russian candy, and said as he opened it, "Whether something is in short supply or not is not fixed. Today canned goods might be in short supply, but tomorrow cotton-padded clothes might be."
You have to go to the market to see for yourself. Even if Lao Fan tells you now that it's in high demand, by the time you've collected enough and transported it to the port, you might find that others have already shipped large quantities of it over.
The news is all real-time. Unless you set up a warehouse at the border, stockpile all sorts of supplies, and only ship whatever you find out is in high demand, otherwise, over a distance of six or seven hundred kilometers, by the time you hear the news, it's too late.
Upon hearing this, Fan Mingcheng immediately gave a thumbs up: "Boss Li is really something! It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that there's no way I can say such news."
Just like Mr. Li said, the information there is real-time. For example, when I transported goods there for the second time, I had clearly found out beforehand that there was a shortage of cotton-padded clothes, but when I arrived at the port, I found that countless truckloads of cotton-padded clothes had already been transported there.
On the contrary, canned goods and similar items started to sell at higher prices. So, I didn't actually make as much money on the second trip as I had imagined. Fortunately, I got lucky on the third trip and made a profit.
"You made three trips in such a short time?" Li Long asked, somewhat surprised. "Were all the goods transported from here, or were they purchased directly from the valley side?"
Old Fan said, "We transport goods from here to the border. The border area doesn't really lack goods from the other side of the valley, but the valley can't collect much of what the border area needs. On the contrary, the goods transported from the border area sell quite well in the valley."
"You're really something! Didn't the goods get shipped to Panfilov after reaching the border? Did they never even go to Almaty?"
Old Fan gave another thumbs up: "Boss Li, you are truly insightful! I originally wanted to hire a translator so that we could visit their big cities after crossing the border."
But my translation skills were really poor; the translated document was full of errors and omissions. I had no choice but to conduct the transaction at the border.
Li Long exclaimed, "Even so, you're amazing! You've already made three trips in just a few days. Look at my business partner, he only comes once every two weeks, sometimes only once every 20 days."
Old Fan said with a wry smile, "How can I compare to you? I'm just a small-time operator, hauling goods over there half a truckload or a full truckload each time. Your partner comes with twenty or thirty truckloads at a time, with goods worth hundreds of thousands or even millions. I can't compare."
The onlookers were more interested in hearing about Lao Fan's experience selling things over there, and continued to bombard him with questions.
Someone brought Lao Fan a stool, and someone else poured him hot tea.
Old Fan was quite the talker. He sat down, drank hot tea, and talked about the lively situation over there, making some people's hearts flutter. They even wanted to fly directly to the border to fulfill their dreams of getting rich.
Li Long savored the cloyingly sweet Russian candy, listening to Lao Fan's ramblings, and smiled without saying a word.
The border crossings here are different from those in the Northeast. Goods shipped from there are transported directly to the core regions of Russia via the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Russia is a vast country with a larger population than Kazakhstan.
The goods shipped from here only circulate in Kazakhstan, where the demand is not as high, and of course, the competitive pressure is not as great.
After all, although there are people from the Northeast who can do business here, they have to overcome many difficulties to get here. So, in general, the scale of trade and economic exchanges is not as large as that in the Northeast.
Lao Fan had only been here for half an hour when he had already gathered three allies. These three men planned to invest in Lao Fan's trade and follow him to the border to try their luck.
Old Fan originally came with the same intention, but he found that going it alone meant he had too little capital and couldn't compete with the shoe merchants from elsewhere.
At that time, the Eurasian artery in Khorgos was not yet fully completed, so it couldn't compare to Alashankou. There were many more people doing business in Alashankou, and they even set up shoe stalls along the border.
Some people have already decided to go and take a look, but many more are still hesitating.
This place is several hundred kilometers away from the border, which is considered a very far place by ordinary people.
Some people are content with modest wealth, while others are adventurous; it all depends on their own choices.
After finding a partner, Lao Fan said goodbye to Li Long and left.
He actually wanted to get to know Liu Gaolou and his group through Li Long, but Liu Shanmin and Liu Gaolou had already stated that they would only contact Li Long and did not want to deal with anyone else.
Old Fan had suffered a setback once, and although his net worth had increased compared to before, the Liu family still looked down on him.
Li Long naturally wouldn't join in the fun or take the initiative to introduce others to him. After all, doing business is all about mutual consent.
After Lao Fan and his men left, the purchasing station became even more deserted.
With less than half a month until the Chinese New Year, Li Long simply sent his father, Li Qingxia, back to the Fourth Team to hibernate.
Anyway, there's not much to harvest right now. As for the agricultural supply store and the scattered harvest, Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng can just keep an eye on it.
The day after Li Qingxia left, Liu Gaolou arrived with a convoy, accompanied by Gu Boyuan and Teacher Song.
Gu Boyuan and Li Long talked for a long time at the acquisition station during this trip.
Teacher Song sat in the reception room without saying a word, occasionally standing up to pour water for the two of them.
Gu Boyuan said to Li Long, "Now the purchasing stations operate on two seasons a year. In the summer, they mainly collect fritillaria bulbs, and in the autumn, they mainly collect mushrooms. They're no longer allowed to collect things like animal hides, so the purchasing stations' business has shrunk drastically."
In 1991, the profits from the acquisition of fritillaria and dried wild mushrooms decreased by about 30% compared to 1990.
Although the overall profit margin is still not low, it is much worse than before. If this continues, the profit will definitely decrease further, and competitors have already entered the market, whose price advantage is no longer significant.
The only advantage is that the distribution channels were established relatively early, and the grassroots buyers are quite familiar with them. However, relying solely on this is insufficient to continue expanding the scale of acquisitions. Therefore, to continue developing, it is necessary to broaden the scope of business.
Li Long then asked, "Uncle Gu, what do you plan to do?"
Gu Boyuan had clearly been thinking about this for a while. As soon as Li Long asked, he immediately said, "I plan to expand the company's current business into transit trade. Before, you were in the China-Kazakhstan goods transit business, and there were some things that I couldn't do there."
But now that the Soviet Union has collapsed, Kazakhstan and we have a trade agreement, and private individuals can now trade there.
So my idea is to purchase supplies here and transport them directly to our company there. This way, we can act as a sales consignment point, and we can also set up a warehouse in Khorgos to sell them there.”
Li Long thought for a moment and then asked, "Have you thought about what kind of supplies you will mainly procure?"
"Just the kinds of products you usually sell: white sugar, canned goods, and clothing. If you transport the white sugar over there, you can sell it directly in the valley. There's only one sugar factory there, and the demand for white sugar is huge. Of course, if you sell it locally, the profit margin won't be very high."
However, we can make a safety net: if we sell the goods abroad, we can make a profit. If sales are slow overseas, we can sell them locally.
The same goes for canned goods. And then there's cement; the demand for it is huge in the river valleys and also at the border crossings.
Leaving aside sugar and canned goods, Li Long used to be in the cement business, but later found transshipment too troublesome, so he stopped focusing on that.
Li Long has a contract with the boss in Wucheng, and he just needs to complete the contracted quota on a regular basis.
If Lao Gu wanted to start a cement business, Li Long thought it was feasible.
There are no large cement plants on the other side of the valley, and the cement plants on the other side of Kazakhstan are even less developed. So, although cement may seem a bit dirty, it is an essential industrial product for current industrial development.
Li Long sorted through Lao Gu's words and then said, "If we follow this plan, you'll need to organize a convoy. Otherwise, constantly relying on others for transportation will incur huge freight costs."
Gu Boyuan nodded and said, "I know that. I've already decided. We'll get 10 trucks from Liu Gaolou first."
"Used trucks are easy to find there, and the prices aren't too high. I'll organize some manpower, recruit some retired truck drivers, set up a fleet, get the vehicles up and running a couple of trips, and then we'll know the routes."
Since Lao Gu had already made up his mind, Li Long didn't say anything more. The business was being run by two people, and he would definitely have to contribute a portion of the money as capital for the fleet, and it would be the bulk of it.
After all, Lao Gu had to organize the manpower and arrange this matter.
After the formal negotiations were completed, Lao Gu briefly explained the situation over there. In general, it was quite different from here; there were too many ethnic minorities, and Lao Gu's lifestyle had to change somewhat.
Even with Li Long's current sense of smell, he could smell that muttony odor on Lao Gu.
Teacher Song is the same.
Li Long briefly explained the situation here. Old Gu wanted to see his two grandsons, and Li Long said they had already gone to Team 4. So Old Gu and his family went to the courtyard to see Gu Xiaoxia.
Only then did Li Long have time to entertain Liu Gaolou. Liu Gaolou had obviously discussed it with Lao Gu beforehand, and upon meeting Li Long, he told him that the main items they had brought were hides and antelope horns.
There weren't many vehicles, because more trucks were being taken to the other side of the valley, where Old Gu was tasked with handing them over to the veterans to familiarize them with the vehicles.
So this trip didn't yield a lot of goods. With winter approaching, Liu Gaolou planned to return to his hometown after this trip.
Speaking of going back to his hometown, Liu Gaolou said with a bit of self-deprecation, "I spend most of the year at the border. When I miss my wife and children, I can only make a phone call. I can only go back once a year. This is even more arduous than being a soldier!"
Li Long felt sorry for his current situation and suggested, "Why don't you talk to your second uncle and ask someone else to take over your position?"
Or perhaps the two of you could take turns working? Of course, the best advice would be for you to take more vacation time each year, go back home more often, and have your wife and kids come over too.
Liu Gaolou hurriedly waved his hand: "That's not a good idea. My wife and children are doing fine over there. After all, it's a big city."
The place I live in is a poor, remote area. My wife and children can't get used to it, and their education is lacking, so I'll just give up.
When I get back this time, I'll tell my second uncle to give me more vacation time each year, so I can go home two or three times a year.
While unloading the goods, Liu Gaolou said to Li Long, "When my second uncle sent someone to deliver the goods, he also gave me a message saying that there are quite a few scientists in Kazakhstan who are staying at home now."
They know that Daman and Akinbek are doing well here, so some people want to come too. My second uncle asked if you need any here.
Li Long asked what these people's majors were, and Liu Gaolou gave some. Some studied mathematics, some physics, and some chemistry. Some were in basic sciences, and some in applied sciences.
Li Long was somewhat troubled, feeling that even if he received the equipment here, he wouldn't be able to use it.
Suddenly, Li Long thought of another person. He said to Liu Gaolou, "When you get back, tell your second uncle. Don't rush. I'll inquire about them. Maybe these people will be useful. But it's best to tell them their needs so that their demands aren't too high and I can't provide them."
Liu Gaolou curled his lip and said, "How could we not provide that? These people are already grateful to have a suitable job, food to eat, and safety guaranteed."
This isn't the Soviet era anymore. These people have all been involved in some sensitive issues, making it difficult for them to survive in Kazakhstan. However, they're quite capable, which is what my second uncle is focusing on; otherwise, he wouldn't have recommended them to you.
Upon hearing that these people were capable, Li Long immediately said, "Alright, I'll think of a way. Have your second uncle find out more details about their situation so I can make arrangements."
That's how the matter was settled.
After unloading the goods and taking Liu Gaolou and the others to the county guesthouse, Li Long returned to the purchasing station and called Chen Dajun to tell him about the experts.
Chen Dajun took it very seriously and agreed with what Li Long told Liu Gaolou. He told Li Long to get the list over as soon as possible, and that as long as they were real experts, they would definitely accept them.
This is pretty much what Li Long expected. After all, there's always a shortage of talent. Although we're facing some economic constraints right now, we still need real experts.
Li Long thought that what was needed at this time was not just experts, but also some information. He thought he would talk to Liu Gaolou about it and ask his second uncle to collect some information while he was collecting talents.
Such situations can only be communicated through word of mouth; there's no way to say it over the phone.
If this were to be discussed over an international call, Liu Shanmin would most likely be arrested. Even if he isn't, he'd be under close surveillance.
The next day, when Li Long was packing canned goods for Liu Gaolou, he told him about the situation.
Liu Gaolou said with a smile, "My second uncle said that if I told you about this situation, you would definitely be interested. I didn't expect him to be right."
Li Long smiled but didn't say anything. He was truly acting out of a sense of public duty, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it.
He guessed that Liu Shanmin must also know the situation, but his line mainly focused on equipment, and he might have been involved in some technical aspects as a support.
The expert aspect wasn't what his team needed, so he passed it on to Li Long.
Recently, around the Lunar New Year, the festive atmosphere has become stronger in both cities and rural areas.
Life in Team 4 is getting better and better, and people are starting to fry things earlier. Every household is preparing to fry sesame leaves, fried dough twists, and fried dough sticks well in advance.
Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia were both lazy and didn't plan to do any of these things. They thought they would just go to their older brother and sister-in-law's place during the Spring Festival, since they were sure they had prepared a lot.
Because Sister Yang had to keep an eye on the cannery and take care of Han Fang's daily needs, she did only simple tasks.
Originally, Sister Yang wanted to do more, but Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia persuaded her not to.
According to Li Long, they will need to take some more from Team 4, so they shouldn't prepare too much.
This is one of the perks of being the youngest child.
On January 24th, Gu Xiaoxia had little to do, so she went back to Team 4 early. Since Mingming Haohao was there and Lao Gu had returned, she felt she should go back, at least to make some arrangements in the front yard.
Li Long will stay at the purchasing station for the time being, planning to give the station a holiday around the Lunar New Year.
The things Liu Gaolou brought still need further processing by the workers. It would be best to finish them before the New Year, then put them in the warehouse, and the workers can take turns on duty, and things will settle down.
On the afternoon of the 24th, Halim drove to the purchasing station with a sheep roe to thank Li Long.
Halim sat in the reception room, smiling wryly, and said, "I thought that once I accepted their cattle, sheep and pastures, all that was left was to wait for spring to come and then go to the summer pastures to graze the cattle and sheep."
I also thought of that. There were too many cattle and sheep, and there might not be enough fodder, so I sold some of them to Yushanjiang.
However, we now live in a courtyard, and there are no winter pastures nearby, so the cattle and sheep can only graze and eat in the pen.
The hay we prepared in the fall was really insufficient. If it weren't for you sending a truckload of sugarcane residue every day, many of the cattle and sheep I received, especially the ewes that had given birth to lambs or were about to give birth, might have died.
Li Long was somewhat surprised by what Halim said. He hadn't expected that even the experienced Halim could make a mistake in this regard.
But thinking about it, it's understandable. After all, Halim usually only herds a few hundred sheep, and now he suddenly has to manage thousands of cattle and sheep; he has no experience in this area.
Although there was always a surplus of fodder prepared each time, the winter pastures were right next to the winter pastures when the animals were grazing in the winter pastures.
During the day, cattle and sheep are driven to the winter pastures to eat the hay. Although some of it is covered by snow, the cattle and sheep will kick the snow away and graze on the hay.
This will save some fodder.
But the courtyard we live in now was built by the township government, and both the houses and the cattle and sheep pens are bigger than before, and the conditions are much better.
However, this yard is close to the village but very far from the pasture, making it difficult to graze livestock on the pasture.
Li Long told Halim that he would haul a cartload of sugar residue for him every day, mainly to help the ewes get through the winter. After all, it was lambing season, and if the ewes couldn't get enough nutrition, the lambs would have a hard time surviving.
Unexpectedly, this truckload of sugar residue helped Harim a lot.
Li Long didn't expect Halim to thank him; he simply asked, "How many lambs do you have now?"
Halim thought for a moment and said, "More than 400. A dozen or so were born at night and died because we didn't take care of them in time, but most of them are alive. We might have another one or two hundred born next. We've been exhausted these past two days."
The two of us definitely couldn't handle it alone, so we found a few people from the village to help us separate the ewes and lambs, find separate pens for them, and give them separate feed.
It was only after experiencing this that I realized the huge difference between one or two hundred sheep and one or two thousand sheep.
Li Long laughed. He poured water for Harim and said, "This is the inevitable process for you to transform from an ordinary herdsman into a large rancher."
Not only do you need to take good care of the ewes and lambs, but you also need to be careful to prevent disease. If the sheep and cattle pens are too crowded, they are more susceptible to infectious diseases, so you must be careful.
Halim nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand, I understand. The township sent a veterinarian to teach us about these things, and we've learned a lot."
I also plan to wait until your New Year is over and the snow is about to melt before driving the cattle and sheep to the winter pastures and letting them stay in the winter pens.
Back then, the lambs were about a month old and old enough to graze. When we went over there, we mainly needed large sheep and cattle, otherwise my pen wouldn't be big enough to hold them all.
The ewes and lambs are kept in this yard, watched over by my sheep herder. This way, the sheep are separated and not concentrated together, making them less likely to get sick.
When it's time for the seasonal migration, we herd the cattle and sheep together and send them into the mountains; then they're much easier to manage.
Watching Harim talk eloquently about his plans, Li Long felt that it was through experience that people could grow and improve.
Although Halim often thought about raising a large number of cattle and sheep in the past, those were just plans in his mind, and they were all very good and perfect.
Only when you actually experience it will you realize that all sorts of difficulties can suddenly appear anytime, anywhere, testing your adaptability.
Halim didn't stay with Li Long for long; he just came to express his gratitude and explain his plans.
Li Long asked him if he needed an extra truckload of sugar residue every day, but he said no, the current daily truckload of sugar residue weighs several tons and is enough for his ewes and lambs.
After leaving Li Long's place, Halim went to the courtyard where his mother lived.
He plans to bring his mother and children to the large courtyard in Qingshuihe, so that the family can live together and the two children can help with chores.
Nathan and Sasken were overjoyed to hear their father's words.
Although they attend school in the county and have made friends, deep down they still yearn for the mountain pastures and dream of riding horses across the snow.
Halim's mother had no objections, even though she had been here for a long time and was used to living in the city.
But there was nothing to do here. Once in the courtyard, she could experience the familiar life of a herdsman: milking cows, making milk tea, and feeding the cattle and sheep. These long-lost experiences flashed through her mind, and the old lady was even a little impatient.
Halim drove back to the compound with supplies and people. Seeing the lambs of all sizes in the sheepfold, Nathan and Sasken cheered and ran over, each grabbing a lamb and refusing to let go.
Gulimire, who was working, breathed a sigh of relief. Although they had hired a few people from the village, and these people were quite enthusiastic about their work, they weren't herders before, so they weren't exactly easy to work with.
Now that my family is back, the yard here is big, there are many houses, and the children can be taken care of with us.
Firecrackers went off in the distance from the village. Nathan and Sasken, carrying lambs, went to find Harim and asked if they could buy some firecrackers, saying that the New Year was coming soon and they wanted to set them off.
Halim originally wanted to say that our Chinese New Year is not these few days.
But then he thought about how long the two children had lived in the county, and looked at them with expectant eyes, so he nodded and said, "I'll drive you to the county in a couple of days to buy some."
The two children cheered again; they could set off firecrackers like the other children, which was great!
On the day before the Lunar New Year, the cannery and the purchasing station officially closed for the holiday. The warehouses were locked, the duty rosters were set up, and both sides gave the workers holiday red envelopes.
There was no annual meeting this year, and some workers were a little unhappy about it.
The main reason is to rush production before the Lunar New Year, so the production tasks are quite heavy. The purchasing station also needs to process a lot of hides and antelope horns.
So Li Long thought about it and decided not to hold an annual meeting, but just give red envelopes to the workers.
Unexpectedly, some workers were a bit upset. Since we weren't prepared beforehand, we decided to let it go this year. We also told the workers that we would definitely do it next year.
Because the factory offers good benefits, the workers are highly motivated and have a strong sense of pride and ownership. They even compete to be on duty.
Li Long was very satisfied with this, and then made arrangements for Sun Jiaqiang to visit the people on duty during the two days of the New Year, while he prepared to slip away.
Li Long's wife and children were with Team 4, but his heart had already flown away. If it weren't for the fact that he was in charge and had to stay until the end, he would have run away long ago.
The snow was quite heavy this year. My older brother called and said that the young people in the team had already chased rabbits twice, and several households now had quite a few live rabbits in their pigsties.
Li Long knew that such situations would become increasingly rare in the future. As large tracts of wild land were gradually reclaimed for farmland, the habitats for these wild animals would become fewer and fewer, and for a time, even sparrows would be almost impossible to see.
It wasn't until later, when the authorities vigorously promoted wetland development and included some marshes and reed lakes within the wetland area for protection, and released some wild boars and wolves, that the number of wild animals increased again.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
When Li Long returned to Team 4, the air was already filled with the aroma of various fried foods and the smell of gunpowder from firecrackers.
As his car drove past the residential area, he could see some mischievous children lighting up firecrackers and throwing them in his direction from afar.
Although they couldn't reach the car, the mischievous fun of the prank was still there.
Li Long honked the horn, using sound as a form of retaliation; he wasn't really angry, it was just a response.
When I drove back to my older brother's yard, my sons Mingming and Haohao saw the car and ran over immediately.
The two children were dressed in thick, puffy clothes, making them look chubby.
After Li Long got out of the car, the two children grabbed his arms on either side and pleaded, "Dad, Qiangqiang said you were really good at breaking ice holes to catch fish back then!"
Can we try it today? We really want to see, please, please?
The two kids were quite strong, and they shook Li Long until he was a little dizzy. As he struggled to break free, he said, "Go find the tools, and we'll go once we find them."
Li Long was strong, so he naturally wasn't worried about that.
The two children wanted to watch the excitement, but Li Long wanted to give them a chance to grow up. They wanted to see someone break an ice hole to catch fish; how could they not participate?
After receiving a positive reply, the two children hurried to find Li Qiang. Li Qiang was talking to Li Juan in the house. When he heard his two younger brothers say that Li Long had agreed, he immediately led them to an empty house to find tools.
Before long, they found the ice chisels that Li Long had made to break ice holes.
Li Long looked at this thing and felt a little nostalgic. This was much better than the pickaxe and iron crowbar he used to have.
At this moment, Li Jianguo came out and was about to talk to Li Long when he saw this thing and laughed. He asked, "What? You're already planning to get some fish as soon as you get home? Oh, I know, his mother mentioned it yesterday, saying how great it would be to eat fresh fish in winter."
Did the two kids tell you this? We should be able to get some from the small lake. Shall we go now?
Li Long immediately understood that the two children didn't want to watch the excitement; they actually wanted to show their respect to their mother.
Hehe, big brother, you've misunderstood.
Li Long didn't explain, he just said, "If we break through the ice today, we can catch fish tomorrow..."
As he was speaking, another car drove up and stopped outside the door.
Li Long turned his head and saw Tao Daqiang getting out of the car.
Tao Daqiang looked at the tools in Li Long's hand with some surprise, then smiled and said to Li Long, "Brother Long, shall we go?"
Li Long recalled the initial scene, nodded, and said, "Let's go!"
So the group of people left in a grand procession.
PS: The core areas of the Wusu Ancient Road, Langta Ancient Road, and Xiata Ancient Road are all closed off, and people are no longer allowed to hike there freely.
Too many thrill-seekers are looking for trouble; accidents are bound to happen. (End of Chapter)