Chapter 508: Borrowing a great sentence

Inside the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, a routine meeting was underway.

Item after item was being discussed. In truth, most of the leaders at the mid-level and above attending this meeting knew clearly that these matters had already been reviewed by the Director and Deputy Directors, so basically, no surprises would occur. The person in charge would point out the importance of the items, the required funding and manpower, and which section and which people would be responsible for specific implementation, and then it would be passed.

After all the items had been discussed, just as the presiding Deputy Director Yu was preparing to announce the end of the meeting, the newly transferred Deputy Director Liu suddenly gave a light cough and said:

"The main items are finished. Finally, I'd like to mention an aside; it's a small matter."

This counted as a small surprise, but since he called it an aside and a small matter, Deputy Director Yu didn't stop him and let him speak.

This Deputy Director Liu, Liu Sheng Li, had been parachuted down from the Prefecture Cooperative. He was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old—young, vigorous, and highly motivated in his work. Old comrades usually had to support such people.

"The organization has assigned me to manage personnel, so this matter is actually within my purview. However, I've just arrived, so I feel it still needs to be brought up at the meeting to be discussed. I went through the personnel in our cooperative and found there is a temporary worker named Li Long who is never at his post. He is in the Procurement Section. Section Chief Li, he's your man, right?"

"He is my man." Li Xiangqian nodded.

"Where is he right now?"

"He's out on business." Li Xiangqian didn't hold much respect for this newly arrived Deputy Director. He had come in and immediately targeted him. At the very least, Li Xiangqian was a veteran; if he had communicated in advance, Li Xiangqian would have explained it properly. But to do this without a word—was he planning to use Li Xiangqian to light his "three fires" of authority?

"What kind of business trip? I asked a few people, and they said this person basically doesn't work, yet the cooperative still pays his salary and provides his benefits. Isn't that inappropriate?"

"There is nothing inappropriate about it. At the time, letting Li Long be this temporary worker was a decision made by our cooperative's organization. As for why Li Long was able to be this temporary worker, there are specific reasons. At the time, Deputy Director Liu, you weren't here, so it's normal that you don't know. As for what official business Li Long is on, that is a matter for my Procurement Section. I think if Deputy Director Liu wants to understand, you can find me after the meeting." Li Xiangqian didn't look at the Director's expression; he trusted that the Director's expression wouldn't be pleasant either.

It was just that the Director couldn't clash with the Deputy Director at this meeting. After all, even if there were conflicts between leaders, they usually communicated privately. If the Director and Deputy Director started arguing at the meeting, that would be a big deal. A disunited leadership team—that was a major issue!

Therefore, Li Xiangqian wouldn't lead the topic to the Director, but as a veteran of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and a mid-level backbone, Li Xiangqian wouldn't give this Deputy Director Liu a pleasant look either. Usually, when the Director or Deputy Directors asked him about things, they were very polite; no matter what, they wouldn't bypass him and bring the matter up at a meeting. Since this newly arrived Deputy Director was acting this way, Li Xiangqian would naturally "handle official business according to official procedure."

Deputy Director Liu hadn't expected Li Xiangqian to push back directly. What was this "find him after the meeting"? A dignified Deputy Director going to find a Section Chief for an explanation? Shouldn't it be the Section Chief taking the initiative to report to the Deputy Director, his superior?

He felt a bit flustered; this didn't match his expectations.

Moreover, seeing the Director drinking water with a calm face, he clearly had no intention of resolving the situation, and Deputy Director Yu was flipping through documents and hadn't helped him say anything. This gave Liu Sheng Li a feeling of shame and anger.

Fine. Before coming here, he had heard that the County Cooperative was full of cliques. He had thought someone was spreading rumors, but it turned out to be true!

It seemed he would have to report this to the leadership. This Li Long, just a temporary worker—could it be that he had some extraordinary status? This time, he was determined to move against him!

However, Liu Sheng Li had also climbed up step by step and knew he couldn't suppress this by force right now. He gave a dry laugh and said:

"Since that's the case, I'll find out after the meeting."

This was equivalent to taking a step back.

Seeing that the Director had nothing to say, Deputy Director Yu announced the end of the meeting.

As soon as the meeting ended, Li Xiangqian followed Deputy Director Yu to his office, closed the door, and started cursing:

"What the hell is this? He wants to find trouble with me the moment he arrives? He wants to light his three fires on me? He should look at what he's made of! When Li Long joined, it was approved by the leadership. Originally, they wanted to give him a formal position, but he didn't want it. Besides, with Li Long's ability and the things he's done, is a temporary position not enough? In the past, whenever we accepted those tasks from the Prefecture, which time didn't we end up with defective products and get criticized? Since last year, Li Long took over the work. Of these few big jobs, which one had a problem? He was named and praised by the Prefecture. Plus those few times he was praised, is he not worth a temporary position?"

"Old Li, Old Li, don't be angry. Deputy Director Liu isn't necessarily targeting you." Deputy Director Yu smiled and poured him a cup of water. "Cool off. You have to understand, this Deputy Director Liu came down from the Prefecture Cooperative. It's said his father is a leader in the Prefecture. He's only here to hang his name at most. He's a young man; it's inevitable he'll act on impulse. You're a veteran; why bother lowering yourself to his level? Maybe he'll be gone in half a year. What's the harm in enduring him?"

"If it were a normal matter, I would endure it. Can I endure Li Long's matter? I won't endure a damn thing! I'll just watch what he dares to do to me. If he dares to fire Li Long, I'll dare to report it to the Prefecture Cooperative. Damn it, it's as if no one else has connections above... By the way, there are people in the Prefecture Cooperative who know Li Long too. I don't believe it—I'm going to make a phone call!"

After saying this, Li Xiangqian went out to his own office.

Deputy Director Yu smiled and set down his teacup.

Before long, Deputy Director Liu Sheng Li walked to the door. Just now, he had seen Li Xiangqian come over. Because the office was far away, he only heard Li Xiangqian getting angry but didn't hear what was said. Now he came over wanting to fish for information.

"Deputy Director Yu, I just arrived and still don't understand the situation. Does this Li Long have any background?" Liu Sheng Li asked.

"Old Li recruited him. Originally, he helped the Public Security Bureau solve a case over in Shicheng, and the commendation was sent directly to us here." Deputy Director Yu said briefly. "Then he completed several big jobs—Procurement Section work. He can be considered Old Li's capable general."

He thought that since he had explained it so clearly, this Deputy Director Liu should understand now.

"So that means he has no background, just good ability, right? Then why didn't he get a formal position? I remember our cooperative expanded its staff before the New Year, right?"

"I heard that Li Long doesn't want to be managed by others." Deputy Director Yu said. "For specifics, you should ask Old Li; I'm not too clear on it either."

Liu Sheng Li nodded thoughtfully.

Hearing Deputy Director Yu say this, he interpreted it himself: Li Long was Li Xiangqian's own person, maybe even a relative. He didn't get a formal position because he didn't meet the requirements! In this day and age, who wouldn't want to get a formal position and become a regular employee? Only a fool wouldn't want to, right?

Eating commodity grain was the dream of many people!

So, being able to act like this only meant that Li Long, firstly, didn't meet the requirements, and secondly, had no background. Otherwise, how could he just be a temporary worker?

Therefore, Liu Sheng Li felt that moving against Li Long was not impossible.

Of course, he still needed to reach a consensus with the leadership. He felt he first had to probe the Director's attitude.

Since it was an organizational decision, the Director must have agreed to it, but this person was often not at his post, so he had a regulatory basis for moving against him. If he wanted to carry out his work and couldn't establish his own authority, he feared it would be hard for anyone to obey him later.

If he couldn't even take the first step, how could he convince the masses?

Li Long didn't know that someone was currently setting their sights on him, a small character. He was answering Zhang Xin Hua's questions while building the well platform.

"At the time, I went into the mountains to haul wood. It was cold in the mountains then, and I happened to run into Halimu's winter camp. He invited me in for milk tea, and that's how we met."

Knowing the other party was a reporter from the Autonomous Region, Li Long became cautious. Although collecting fritillaria, deer antlers, and such was managed quite loosely now, it still didn't sound good to say it out loud. So, he blurred the details.

"Then how did you become friends later?" Zhang Xin Hua continued to ask.

"I'm an employee of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative," Li Long skipped over a fairly long period of events and said, "I often have to go on missions in the mountains, like weaving carrying poles or getting poles for big broom grass. Halimu, Yushanjiang, and the others thought it was bad for me to be in the mountain dugouts often, so they helped me build a wooden house in the mountains, making me a mountain dweller too. I was quite grateful to them. I would often bring them some grain, salt, and other daily necessities. Our becoming friends was mutual; they helped me complete my tasks as quickly as possible in the mountains, and I brought them things. Here, we call this a win-win, mutual benefit, but in fact, there is more sentiment in it, like brothers. Otherwise, they wouldn't trust me so much." Zhang Xin Hua nodded. Actually, before coming to interview, she had done her homework. The herdsmen in the mountains were relatively more closed-off and found it hard to trust outsiders. However, once they trusted someone, they would open their hearts and truly treat them as one of their own.

"Then your relationship is really good." Zhang Xin Hua exclaimed, "To be able to gain their recognition, you must have paid a lot, right?"

"Actually, I feel I've gained a lot too. Some people have misunderstandings about them. They are a group of sincere men. The more you interact with them, the more you know that they don't beat around the bush when they speak or act. If they like something, they like it; if they don't, they don't. It's very direct and straightforward."

"That's how it is." Zhang Xin Hua felt a bit moved and nostalgic; she had also encountered such people when she went down to the countryside.

"I heard from Ye Laya that you've already come three times. Are you entrusted by Halimu and the others?" Zhang Xin Hua continued to ask.

"Yes, and no." Li Long had almost finished building the well platform. Ye Laya was holding the well pump head on the side, Zheng Mingyue was taking photos, and Ma Xiao Yan leaned over to listen; in fact, she also wanted to show her face in the lens.

"At the time, Halimu and Yushanjiang both asked me if they should send their children down the mountain to go to school. My suggestion was to send them down. Actually, before this, when they went to the summer pasture last year, I had brought them a radio. From it, they learned about many of the country's policies and major events, and heard many stories and legends about their Kazakh ethnic group, as well as the good policies of today, from the Autonomous Region's Kazakh language station. That's why they had the idea of letting their children learn down the mountain. Of course, they also had concerns. After all, once the elderly and children were down the mountain, there would definitely be some difficulties in life. At the time, I said, they could rest assured and go into the mountains; I'm here. They treat me as a good brother; how could I let my brother's family suffer? Besides, I have a tractor, it's convenient to come over, and it's convenient to find people to do work. Doing these things is just a matter of lifting a finger."

"But this 'lifting a finger' of yours is very, very rare in the eyes of many people." Zhang Xin Hua said, "Not everyone can fulfill a promise, let alone to comrades of other ethnic groups; even to their own relatives and friends, they might not be able to do it."

"That's a human issue, not an ethnic issue." Li Long smiled, applied the last trowel of cement, and said with a smile:

"We dozens of ethnic groups live together on this piece of land. In a socialist society, we are members of one big family. We are all equal, and it is only right to make friends and call each other brothers. Now that we have the Party's good policies, we should be like pomegranate seeds, tightly huddled together, so that we can live our lives well and realize the Four Modernizations. I don't know how to say big words, but since I promised Halimu and Yushanjiang and the others, I must get this done. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the face to see them."

!.

"What did you just say? Ethnic groups must be like..."

"Like pomegranate seeds," Li Long felt secretly ashamed. Everyone, I'm sorry, I'm borrowing your great words; I just said it smoothly, "Aren't those pomegranate seeds tightly huddled together inside the pomegranate? The outside is red, and the inside is also red. The whole outside is our Autonomous Region, and the seeds inside are our various ethnic groups. Why distinguish between your ethnic group and my ethnic group? We live together on this piece of land. I heard that during the Han Dynasty, the Han people were already farming here, and various ethnic groups lived together—the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions. Later, wave after wave came, left, stayed, and it has continued until now. Everyone is a member of the same big family; there's no distinction between us."

"That's so well said!" Zhang Xin Hua couldn't help but applaud, exclaiming, "Li Long, you said that so well! What is your educational background? Where did you graduate from?"

"Me? I didn't even graduate from junior high." Li Long said with a smile, "No educational background, I just spoke from the heart. I didn't know how to say these things before; it was only after interacting with Halimu, Yushanjiang, and these people that I slowly understood. Ye Laya!"

"Hey!" Ye Laya hurriedly responded.

"Tell the old lady that this well pump shouldn't be used for now. Tomorrow, at least wait until tomorrow when this cement is dry before using it. And it's best to splash some water on it every hour or two, so it dries completely from the inside out. That way, even in winter, there won't be any problems. Otherwise, if the well platform breaks, it will be hard to repair."

"Okay, okay." Ye Laya hurriedly told the old lady, and the old lady nodded and also said something.

"She said there is water at home, and she will watch it and use it tomorrow."

"Alright, I have to go to Yushanjiang's house." Li Long stood up, holding the trowel, and said, "Reporter Zhang, shall we move to another place? I still want to finish the work today."

"Okay, okay, no problem." Zhang Xin Hua naturally had no problem. At this moment, she was still surprised that Li Long only had a junior high school education; how could he say such philosophical things?

Could it be that the Great Dao is simple, or is it because of the power of the masses?

This trip was truly the right choice!

She felt that the story between Li Long, Halimu, and Yushanjiang could truly be vigorously explored!

Li Long carried the remaining half bag of cement to the tractor, put it away, and then drove the tractor to lead the way in front. Ye Laya sat in the tractor's trailer, and the 212 followed behind to Yushanjiang's house.

At Yushanjiang's house, there were also quite a few people carrying buckets to pump water. The well platform was clearly different from the day before; Li Long estimated that it had loosened from pumping, so it had been rebuilt.

Captain Adili rode his horse over. It wasn't that he was slow to react; today, there was a dispute over the team's pasture with others, and he had gone to check the pasture. It was only after rushing back that he learned a big shot had come to the team, so he hurriedly rode his horse over.

After exchanging a few words with Ye Laya, Captain Adili basically knew the situation.

He came over to meet Zhang Xin Hua and Zheng Mingyue, greeted them, and then went to chat with Li Long.

"Deputy Team Leader A, let everyone go back first. I'll fix the platform with cement. Look, it's still shaking now. Once it's fixed, you can pump water properly from tomorrow onwards." Li Long said.

Captain Adili nodded and shouted a few words to those who were still waiting to pump water, and everyone slowly left carrying their buckets.

"Ye Laya, ask Yushanjiang's wife if the water at home is pumped out? Once it's pumped out, I'll repair this platform."

Ye Laya asked, and Yushanjiang's wife shook her head and then took out two empty buckets from the house.

Li Long pumped carefully. After pumping out two buckets of water, he started mixing the cement and sand.

This time, Captain Adili helped by holding the well head, and Li Long started building the platform from the bottom up.

Zheng Mingyue took photos again. This time, Ma Xiao Yan didn't dare to lean over. Leaning over again would be a bit too obvious.

Zhang Xin Hua pulled Ye Laya over, let her translate for Yushanjiang's wife, and asked questions herself. It was mainly about Li Long coming over and the things that happened in the mountains before.

By the time Li Long had built the well platform halfway, Zhang Xin Hua had asked almost everything, and then she came over to tell Li Long:

"Comrade Li, both families have a very high evaluation of you, saying that you changed their lives, let their children have school to attend, helped them get through the snow disaster, let them not have to worry about medicine when they got sick in the summer pasture, and also helped them solve the problem of insufficient grain..."

"No, no, no, this is mutual." Li Long said again, "My contribution wasn't free either; they also helped me a lot. I feel this is actually very normal. The situation in the mountains is complicated; if it weren't for them, I might have been eaten by wild beasts in the mountains. They took me in when I was helpless, allowing me to successfully complete my tasks. These were all the help they gave me. This kind of thing is mutual, so I say, truly calculating it, neither can do without the other. Between us, we can no longer say who owes whom, who helped whom; it's all as it should be, that kind of natural feeling.

It's just, brothers." (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 509 =====