Chapter 80: This Trip Is Not for Making Money

Li Long said no more, simply watching Section Chief Hu.

"If all the mutton is like this, then I truly will buy some," Section Chief Hu finally decided. "But it depends on the situation. If the mutton you bring is not as good as this, then that's another matter."

"I can guarantee that," Li Long breathed a huge sigh of relief, yet remained confident on the surface. "The sheep are being slaughtered right now. Fresh mutton, even if frozen for a day or half a day, will not change in quality."

"Very well, then I will wait for you to deliver the mutton," Section Chief Hu nodded and said.

"I must trouble you again," Li Long hurriedly called out to Section Chief Hu. "Should we not set the price? If all the mutton is like this..."

Section Chief Hu looked at the sheep leg in his hand again and said:

"If all the mutton is like this, I can make the decision: nine fen per jin..."

"Section Chief Hu, I do not need meat coupons. Such good meat is wanted not only here, but also at the Woolen Mill..."

"Then what price do you want?" Section Chief Hu became somewhat displeased. This young man was a bit greedy. If the other party asked for one yuan, he would turn and leave.

"Nine fen five," Li Long smiled. "At least give the friend slaughtering the sheep five fen for labor. It is so cold, and the temperature in the mountains is even lower..."

"Fine." He had not hit Section Chief Hu's bottom line, and Section Chief Hu had also stayed in the mountains, knowing what the conditions were like there.

"Thank you, Section Chief Hu. I will go fetch the sheep now!" Although Li Long knew the credibility of such a verbal promise was not high, he was still very happy.

At least they would not be hanging on the Supply and Marketing Cooperative alone.

After leaving the sugar factory, Tao Daqiang belatedly reminded Li Long:

"Brother Long, we didn't bring that sheep leg back."

"I gave it to him," Li Long smiled. "We just told him with empty words that we would sell him sheep; why should he believe us? Section Chief Hu needs something to show others when he returns, to prove he can get sheep."

"Then what do we do now?" Tao Daqiang understood and asked again.

"First sell the fish, then go into the mountains."

The fish they brought this time was not much. After circling the Old Street and the families' courtyard of the Woolen Mill, they were all sold. Li Long and Tao Daqiang ate flatbreads and hurriedly rushed back to the mountains.

In front of Harimu's winter camp, more than a dozen slaughtered sheep were freezing in the snow, while he was still busy skinning the freshly slaughtered sheep.

The old grandmother, his wife, and two children were all helping.

They did not doubt at all the thing Li Long had promised. In their thinking, if you promise something to a friend, you must do it.

"Harimu, I have slaughtered twelve sheep over here," from afar, Yushanjiang rode over on a horse, dragging a large plastic-wrapped "meat bundle."

"I have fourteen over here," Harimu said with a smile. "Today we can almost gather thirty sheep."

"That should satisfy Li Long," Yushanjiang tied up the horse and began to untie the "meat bundle."

"It should be enough," Harimu wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It is just that the smell of blood here is too strong; wolves might come tonight."

"Same over there, but I can hardly wait," Yushanjiang said with a smile. "I will set an ambush tonight to see how many wolves I can catch. That small wolf pack is too annoying; they come to steal sheep from time to time."

"Same here. Let's see how many wolves we can catch tonight."

Just as the two were speaking, the sharp-eyed Nasen suddenly pointed at the mountain pass and shouted.

Everyone looked over in that direction.

"Li Long is here," Harimu said with a broad smile. "We can rest today." "That's right," Yushanjiang also said cheerfully. "After slaughtering these sheep, the fodder over at my place will be almost enough."

Li Long and Tao Daqiang drove the cart to the "parking spot." Li Long smiled, spread his arms, and said to Harimu:

"Adaxi, Jiake si ma!"

"Good, good, no need to hug," Harimu waved his hand and said. "It's all blood."

"How many?" Li Long asked. "Has Brother Yushanjiang brought his sheep too?"

"Brought them," Yushanjiang said with a smile. "We are together, so we sell together."

"Time is tight, so I won't say much," Li Long said. "Load the cart now, try to load as much as possible." Four big men loaded the cart very quickly, but the cart's capacity was limited. In the end, only twenty-two sheep were loaded, and even that was tied with ropes.

In these times, transport was mostly horse carts and donkey carts, so loading the cart was basic operation for these big men.

"I am in a hurry to deliver the sheep to the buyer," Li Long took one hundred and twenty yuan from his pocket, split it into two parts, and said to Harimu and Yushanjiang:

"This is the deposit. Take it. After the sheep are sold, I will return to settle the account. By the way, if you do not eat the sheep offal, keep it for me too."

Harimu and Yushanjiang tried to decline, but Li Long stuffed the money into their hands, then led the cart back.

He was really in a hurry. This money was gathered from selling fish today; he wanted to bring out more, but he truly had no money left on him.

!.

Harimu and Yushanjiang exchanged a glance and had to put the money away first. Watching Li Long's cart leave the mountain pass, Yushanjiang said:

"I must return as soon as possible to clean up that offal."

"Same here," Harimu looked back at his own doorway. "But it is good; the big problem is solved. At least I can sleep soundly."

"That is the truth," Yushanjiang said with a smile and rode away at full speed.

The fodder is enough; no need to worry about the sheep dying one by one when the snow melts. The mood is wonderful.

What does a little tiredness matter?

Clean out those sheep bellies now. Although the intestines cannot be washed, the inside can still be cleaned.

Li Long and Tao Daqiang carefully drove the cart to the entrance of the sugar factory.

The reason they did not go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was that Li Long felt Section Chief Li there would absolutely not offer nine fen five per jin.

Since the price here is higher, let's prioritize this side first.

Guard Xiao Wang looked at the cart piled high and said in surprise:

"In less than half a day, you got so many sheep? You said someone was slaughtering sheep specifically; it turns out it is true?"

"Comrade Wang, right? Please trouble you to call Section Chief Hu," Li Long's nervous heart finally relaxed. The road was quite slippery; he really worried that if the tied sheep racks collapsed halfway, he and Tao Daqiang would have a hard time fixing them by the roadside.

Section Chief Hu appeared at the sugar factory entrance very soon. Not only him, but other people from the factory were there too.

"How is it? Factory Director, did I not lie!" Section Chief Hu's face was flushed. "How is our efficiency?"

It turned out that not long after Li Long left, the news that the factory wanted to buy sheep spread, all the way to the Factory Director.

The Factory Director thought this was a good thing, but someone said the sheep would arrive today, which put Section Chief Hu in a difficult position.

He dared not guarantee that Li Long would arrive that very day!

After all, it was merely a verbal promise; how much could one trust it?

Now that the sheep had arrived, Hu Kechang's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. He still had to put on a calm and indifferent act, as if everything was under control.

"Good, good, good, Hu Kechang, you have done a great deed this time! Old Qin from the Agricultural Machinery Factory was mocking me; this time I will show him well. What are his few pieces of mutton compared to this? This is what we call a welfare benefit!"

(End of Chapter)