Chapter 746: Even Slaughtering Sheep Requires Outside Help

As Director Hu sat in the car heading back, he was still thinking about those few red deer.

Every part of a deer is a treasure; many people know this, but previously, red deer felt somewhat distant from ordinary folks, and for commoners wanting deer products, the pharmacy was basically the only option. As for eating venison, that was far too difficult.

Now that Li Long was actually raising red deer, Director Hu, upon seeing them, had initially wondered whether to buy or not, but by the time the car was nearing Maxian, he was already debating whether to buy one or two.

There are so many leaders; one head probably won't be enough to go around, and as for that penis, who should get it and who shouldn't?

Quite troublesome.

Of course, it was a happy kind of trouble; Director Hu squinted slightly, smiled, and then said to Song Ming:

"Let's go, let's find Little Li; you know where his home is, right?"

Song Ming certainly knew; he turned the car eastward and drove toward Li Long's large courtyard.

The car stopped at the gate of the large courtyard; Director Hu and Song Ming got out, and looking at this old residence and its main gate, Director Hu said with a smile:

"Little Li's courtyard looks quite imposing."

"Mm, they say it's an old house from several decades ago; the original owner returned to their hometown and sold the courtyard to Little Li."

"This courtyard is truly excellent; over in our Shicheng, there really isn't a courtyard like this." Director Hu indeed felt a bit envious; living in an apartment building has its advantages, just as living in a single-story courtyard has its own benefits.

Shicheng is a new city, unlike Maxian which is an old city; the advantage of an old city is that one can still find buildings that are several decades or even a hundred years old.

This courtyard looked meticulously constructed from the start; the main gate and courtyard walls appeared so imposing that anyone glancing at them would immediately sense that no ordinary person lived inside.

Just as he was standing at the gate looking, Li Long came over and opened the door.

When Director Hu arrived, Li Long was in the courtyard clearing snow; one downside to living in a courtyard in the city is that winter snow must be cleared out. There were flower beds and vegetable plots in the front yard, but they couldn't hold much snow, after all, since the courtyard was large and the snowfall heavy.

When the snow first fell, Li Long would shovel a path first; snow could be piled in corners or along the edges, but once he had free time, he had to clear away this excess snow, otherwise, when it melted, the entire courtyard would be filled with dirty water.

The snow looked Bai Bai and quite clean, but if one approached and observed closely, many black specks could be seen within it, all of them dust.

If one couldn't see them, grabbing a handful of snow and holding it until it melted would reveal many tiny grit particles remaining in the hand.

In short, it wasn't very clean.

Li Long was loading snow onto a sled; once full, he would pull it out to dump it, and then he heard the sound of a car and voices outside.

Since the car stopped at the gate, he naturally went out to look; upon seeing it was Director Hu and Song Ming, Li Long immediately realized these two must be here to discuss the sheep matter, so he greeted Director Hu with a smile:

"Hello, Director; hello, Squad Leader Song; you two are..."

"Just came to check on you," Director Hu said with a smile, "and you are..."

"Clearing snow; having a large courtyard has one downside: clearing snow in winter is extremely troublesome." Li Long pointed to the snow on the sled and said, "Just taking it slow."

Later, one major reason many people preferred apartment buildings over single-story houses was the snow in the courtyard of the latter; even the snow on the roof needed clearing. Li Long once heard an older sister complain that in her small courtyard in the county town, one snowfall required pushing out forty-eight wheelbarrows of snow—exhausting work for three or four days!

So annoying.

"Then let us help," Song Ming said, coming over to grab the sled's rope.

"No, no, no need, no need," Li Long waved his hands and said, "I'm idle in winter anyway; I use this to relax."

This was the first time Director Hu had heard of relaxing in such a way; he smiled, and since Li Long wouldn't let them help, he turned to the main matter:

"Little Li, I plan to buy a batch of your sheep, just in time for year-end benefits; I went to see them today, and your sheep are truly fat, excellent, excellent."

Li Long figured their visit must be about this matter and felt quite pleased upon hearing it:

"That's great; whenever you need them, just give me advance notice, and I'll slaughter the sheep, prepare the offal and everything, and deliver them to you."

"Yes, yes, yes, this time we want all the offal and miscellaneous parts too," Director Hu specifically reminded, "I saw your sheep are very fat, so there should be plenty of caul fat."

"Mm, rest assured about that, but the stomach and intestines are difficult to clean..." Li Long said, "The heart, liver, lungs, and such can be kept, but the rest..."

"We still want the stomach," Director Hu said, advocating for benefits for his factory workers, "Just think, how delicious the stomach is—"

"Alright then, but honestly, washing stomachs in this deep winter is no easy job."

The small intestines must be kept and sold together with the sheepskins; this is the rule for leather factories purchasing sheepskins, seemingly for making sausage casings. The large intestines could be cleaned out, but honestly, it was truly a troublesome task.

But in business, if one wants to make money, how can it be so easy? Like in summer when Li Long bought fritillaria bulbs, flipping them left to right was indeed easy, but such opportunities were rare.

To make money in this deep winter, one must be mentally prepared for hard work.

"Of course, rest assured; since I'm making such complex requests, I certainly won't suppress the price," Director Hu, well-versed in the technique of wielding both a stick and a carrot, said, "Let's not talk wholesale price; how about I buy your whole sheep at market rate? You process them, castrate the rams, place the offal inside the sheep stomachs, and then just weigh them at my factory; the exact number isn't certain yet, but it will be at least fifty."

"Alright," Li Long said after a moment's thought; although it was more troublesome, there was definitely money to be made, as the current market price was much higher than when he bought them, plus the sheep had gained an average of over ten kilograms each, so even with the extra trouble, the profit would be substantial.

"I'll take two heads of cattle, and I want all the offal for them too—of course, exclude the heads, hooves, and such," Director Hu continued, "Also at market price, weighed on the spot."

"No problem," Li Long thought; in two months, these cattle had gained not just ten-plus kilograms, but at least twenty or thirty kilograms upward; beef prices are not low, but the price he paid for live cattle was not high, essentially the lowest of the year.

"And those red deer of yours..." Director Hu spoke again, "How do you sell your red deer?"

This question actually stumped Li Long.

He had never sold them before.

Those two young red deer had been sold at three hundred each; if he priced these large ones too high, Director Hu wouldn't agree, but if he priced them too low, he would suffer a loss himself.

"Director, do you want males or females?"

"Naturally, I want males," Director Hu said with a smile.

Li Long understood a bit; he scratched his head and said, "Honestly, I've never sold these large red deer before; the year before last, I sold two young ones at three hundred each; as you know, people value them for their rarity, and of course, they also say every part is a treasure, so cheap they certainly are not..."

"Just name the price; do you think I'd let you suffer a loss?"

"For anyone else, it would have to be over a thousand," Li Long said after thinking, "But since you, Director, have taken such care of me, I won't ask that high; eight hundred per head, how does that sound?"

Eight hundred was equivalent to two years' wages for an ordinary person; truly not cheap.

Of course, this price was actually not expensive for wild red deer; more than ten years later, an adult male red deer would cost over ten thousand yuan, at which time the median civil servant's salary was around five or six hundred yuan, still more than twenty times the price.

Moreover, by then, many people were already farming red deer.

At this time, in Northern Frontier, there was basically no deer farming yet; deer products were essentially all wild-harvested, which was why deer antlers were so expensive.

Of course, the most expensive period wasn't now, but around ten years later, when a single pair of larger antlers could be worth several hundred or even over a thousand; such prices were simply unimaginable to people thirty years after that.

After all, by the 2020s, smaller deer velvet might not even reach that price.

But during the period when deer farming hadn't yet taken off, yet everyone's awareness of the value of deer products had already risen, the prices of antlers, deer velvet, and even deer penis in Northern Frontier were truly sky-high.

Can you imagine someone selling deer antler velvet being escorted by a private individual carrying a gun? How outrageous was that in the mid-1990s, when the state had already begun issuing bans on firearms?

Therefore, when Director Hu heard Li Long quote this price, to be honest, he felt the other party had truly offered a conscientious price.

"Alright, two heads," Director Hu said with a smile; he truly felt quite honored, for although his past interactions with Li Long had been reciprocal and he wasn't exactly looking down from on high, he still held some psychological advantage.

But things were different now; Li Long had become his cooperative partner, and regarding that Jeep, even he could not afford such a dedicated vehicle.

That Li Long could make concessions on the price of red deer truly made him feel greatly honored, proving that all those previous concessions were not in vain.

"Since that's the case, Director, I will prepare to slaughter the sheep," Li Long said. "Currently, the sheep are in the pen, not in the mountains, and there aren't many people available to slaughter them; since you need a large quantity, I must prepare in advance."

"Actually, you could completely invite those herdsmen from the mountains to come down and help you slaughter the sheep and skin them," Director Hu said; although he was not skilled in raising sheep, he was quite adept at devising plans and solutions.

Hearing this, Li Long's eyes lit up; yes, he could completely go and call Ha Li Mu and the others to come down the mountain to help him slaughter the sheep.

Excellent, excellent; he was trapped within the situation, while Director Hu stood outside the circle, which was no wonder the elders of the Laozu Sect said that those involved are often bewildered. Li Long even wanted to invite Director Hu inside to sit for a while, but Director Hu checked the time, said he would not sit, and needed to return to work. He told Li Long to prepare the sheep soon, likely around New Year's Day, at which time he would have Song Ming come to notify Li Long of the quantity of sheep and the delivery time.

Li Long agreed readily.

After Director Hu and Song Ming left, Li Long began planning the matter of having Ha Li Mu and the others come over to help slaughter the sheep.

He believed Ha Li Mu and the others would definitely come, but having them come must not affect the herdsmen's life in the mountains.

At this time, Nasen and Sa Si Ken and the others had not yet gone on holiday, and many winter camps in the mountains had only two or three people.

If the main labor force left, it might be fine during the day, but it would definitely be dangerous at night.

Pondering these matters, Li Long waited until Gu Gu Xiaoxia returned in the evening to discuss them with her.

"My plan is this: tomorrow I will go into the mountains to tell Ha Li Mu and the others, asking Ha Li Mu to call on Brother Brother Yushanjiang, Talihar, Bieke, and others; in that case, with five or six people, my Jeep can bring them all back in one trip."

Li Long spoke out Ji De Xiang Fa, meaning he wanted Gu Gu Xiaoxia to listen and see if there was anything else that needed adding.

"I will go tell them tomorrow, then early the day after tomorrow I will go pick them up, return to the team compound to start slaughtering the sheep, and then send them back to the mountains in the afternoon. If one day is not enough, then we can come for a couple more days."

"Then you must prepare good food for them. They may not be able to eat at Old Uncle Luo's place, so ask clearly whether we need to buy some naan from the naan shop. Also, since we are slaughtering sheep, let's boil some mutton first; buy a new pot and boil it directly, so they can feel assured, right?"

!

What Gu Gu Xiaoxia said made great sense, and Li Long memorized every point in his heart.

"Since the sugar factory wants so many sheep, we probably can't finish in one day; we can explain this clearly to Ha Li Mu and the others: pick up early and drop off late for several consecutive days, or leave a gap in between; anyway, I estimate one day is definitely not enough. By the way, don't you also need to tell Old Uncle Luo and the others in advance so they can make preparations too?"

"Mm, I was thinking of going to the team compound tomorrow afternoon to tell Old Uncle Luo and the others. Now that you mention it, I feel we also need to find Big Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law Lu, and the others to come help; otherwise, the work of turning intestines and washing stomachs will be simply impossible to manage. The sugar factory wants both sheep and offal this year, which is quite troublesome."

"Big Sister-in-law is no problem, but if you want others to help, how will you thank them?" Gu Gu Xiaoxia asked while gently patting Mingming.

Li Long patted Haohao, thinking:

"Either give money, or give them sheep heads and trotters; let's see which they prefer."

"Then let's give sheep heads and trotters," Gu Gu Xiaoxia said after thinking for a moment. "It's better to standardize it. Otherwise, some people will inevitably be dissatisfied; if you just give them one choice, they will definitely be willing to do it."

Li Long wondered if this was how Gu Gu Xiaoxia treated children when she used to teach at the school.

In later generations, those experts told parents that offering children multiple choices would eliminate the idea of refusal, forcing a selection between two options; yet now, Gu Gu Xiaoxia directly gave only one choice, meaning it could only be done or not done.

But in this era, this approach was actually more advantageous; it was a buyer's market, and if you wouldn't do it, there were plenty of others who would.

"Hey, I really do need to discuss this with you; otherwise, I would definitely be in a frantic rush when the time comes," Li Long said with a smile, these words being an obvious compliment to Gu Gu Xiaoxia.

Gu Gu Xiaoxia proudly wrinkled her nose and lifted her head, her expression saying, "Of course."

The two discussed details further, such as the price of the sheep, the quantity to be slaughtered, whether they needed to take advantage of this opportunity to slaughter a few more red deer, and preparing some gifts for their friends in the mountains.

Li Long thought that Ha Li Mu and the others would definitely not want money, so it would be better to convert the money into supplies and send more of those instead.

This point gained Gu Gu Xiaoxia's approval; she could feel the relationship Li Long had built with the mountain people over the past two years, and giving money at this time might actually make Ha Li Mu and the others unhappy, so directly supplementing with supplies would be easier for them to accept.

The two discussed until past eleven o'clock; Li Long had written down almost everything, preparing to implement it tomorrow.

With over two hundred sheep in the pen, Li Long planned to slaughter half in advance; even if the sugar factory did not need that many, the remainder could be sold slowly, otherwise if other units wanted them later, it would be too late to temporarily bring Ha Li Mu and the others.

However, it was somewhat disadvantageous, as he originally wanted to keep the sheep until before the New Year to slaughter them, feeling they could gain a few more kilograms of meat by then, but it seemed they could not wait that long.

The Spring Festival of 1985 fell in late February; according to the original plan, they could have raised them for another month or so, and it should have been no problem for the sheep to gain another seven or eight kilograms.

The next day, Gu Gu Xiaoxia went to work, while Li Long drove the Jeep to the Department Store Building and the market to purchase goods.

Commonly used brick tea, sugar cubes, salt, and the like were essential; grain certainly had to be loaded as well; potatoes and onions sold in the market also needed to be bought; various common medicines were stocked up; additionally, eggs and dressed chickens were also purchased.

After two hours, the Jeep was packed full, and only then did Li Long drive towards the mountains.

To be honest, driving the Jeep now was more comfortable than driving a tractor, but Li Long complained that this vehicle carried too little.

Well, one cannot have both.

Moreover, the steering wheel of the Jeep at this time had no power assistance; various mechanical parts were slightly more primitive compared to cars of later generations; the suspension system was better than a tractor's but far worse than those later cars; plus, with the poor road conditions, it was merely having a roof so one did not have to face the wind and snow.

Alright, Li Long knew he was being overly sensitive.

When he arrived in the mountains, Li Long discovered that even though it was nearly January, people were still running into the mountains nearby; some tracks had even been trodden open on the snowy road from Passing Qingshuihe to the mountains, which made driving the Jeep into the mountains not so difficult.

He did not know if they were hauling timber or doing something else, but it had conveniently helped Li Long.

When the Jeep reached Ha Li Mu's winter camp, the road was even easier to drive on; the path originally covered by snow had been trampled open quite a bit by cattle and sheep; he did not know if Ha Li Mu and the others had done this intentionally or if they simply walked this route while herding sheep when they had nothing else to do.

When Li Long's Jeep appeared in the valley, the black dog at Ha Li Mu's home had already started barking; it was not a fierce bark, but a welcoming one reserved for friends.

Ha Li Mu and his wife came out to greet them; seeing Li Long's Jeep, both broke into smiles.

In the winter camps of the mountains, it was rare to have friends visit; whenever someone came, it was a happy event.

Li Juan described it very clearly in her later work Winter Pasture; at that time in the winter camps, one might see only one or two outsiders in a month or two, truly giving a feeling that could drive a person mad.

Fortunately, Li Long had prepared a radio for them, and they were not very far from Brother Brother Yushanjiang and the others; at least in this life, Ha Li Mu and the others were living somewhat better than in their previous life.

Of course, Li Long's visit counted as an unexpected joy.

Ha Li Mu wanted to usher Li Long into the winter camp, but Li Long was anxious to have him help unload the goods; potatoes, onions, and such could not freeze, or rather, they would not taste good if frozen, so it was better to move them inside the house first.

Ha Li Mu had not expected Li Long to bring so many things, but he said nothing; first, together with Li Long, including his wife, they all began moving things down from the vehicle.

After finishing unloading the goods and entering the house, Li Long explained his purpose while drinking milk tea.

"Go to your place to slaughter sheep? No problem at all," Ha Li Mu agreed without even needing to consider it. "Anyway, there is nothing to do right now, so going is definitely no issue."

"I was thinking of coming early tomorrow morning to pick you up; it would be best to call Brother Brother Yushanjiang, Talihar, and the others; my vehicle can still seat four people, and if we squeeze a bit, it can seat five."

At this time, there was no particularly clear concept of overloading; squeezing a few extra people into a jeep was no problem, and as long as nothing went wrong, certainly no one would bother to check.

Let alone at this time; even twenty years later, few people would specifically check how many individuals a van usually carried.

Oh, let us silently mourn for those children in the overloaded school buses from a few days ago; may they rest in peace...

Those drivers and teachers were truly beastly creatures!

But to return to the main topic.

Upon hearing that Li Long's jeep could seat five people, Ha Li Mu began calculating whom to invite.

"You leaving during the day, is that alright?" Li Long suddenly asked; if wolf packs were to attack during the day as well, then he could not proceed with this matter.

"Rest assured, it is very safe during the day; those wolves dare not approach," Ha Li Mu said. "I will go call them this afternoon. Besides..." Ha Li Mu turned his head to look at his wife.

Ha Li Mu's wife looked up at Li Long with a rather peculiar expression and smiled, saying:

"I know how to use a gun too!"

Very well, he had underestimated the strength of women in this era.

The female militia members of this time were still quite formidable. (End of Chapter)