Chapter 832: Intercept the Beiting purchasing station, earn a sum first!

When leaving Director Qian's house, Sister Guan kept telling Li Long to come often when he had time, not to bring so many things, and to just treat this place like visiting relatives.

Because Director Qian and Sister Guan both had to go to work in the afternoon, the lunch didn't last long. After Li Long left, Sister Guan simply tidied up the things on the dining table to the kitchen, and while washing, said to Director Qian outside:

"If you didn't say Xiao Long was from the countryside, I really wouldn't be able to tell. He speaks Mandarin well, his speech isn't vulgar, and he's quite particular about eating; such a young man is so likable!"

"Xiao Long is different from others." Director Qian nodded, "Not greedy, humble and not ostentatious, knows how to weigh pros and cons, and knows many things. Such a person, wherever placed, as long as there is a suitable opportunity, will have some achievements."

"It feels a bit of a pity that he's not in the system." Sister Guan finished washing the things, wiped her hands, and walked out, "If he were our younger generation, no matter what, I would have to get him into the unit."

"With the current situation, his stall is spread so wide, it's a bit like a tall tree attracting the wind. If he were really targeted by someone, the efforts of these past few years might all be in vain."

"Fenghua, in this regard, you don't see as clearly as Xiao Long. I heard from Jianguo that the supply and marketing system in their county wants to nominate Li Long as a deputy to the People's Congress. Think about it, it's precisely because his stall is spread wide, leading so many people to earn money together and improve their lives, that he has this nomination for deputy to the People's Congress now."

"If you say he did this unintentionally, I don't believe it. Xiao Long is a very cautious person. In terms of complying with policies, I think he's done nothing wrong."

"Previously, my thoughts were similar to yours, and I always wanted to drag him into the system, but now I think he's doing quite well; he doesn't necessarily have to exert his energy within the system."

"Now he uses the opportunities given by the cooperative, uses his special status to get some jobs that can make money, and then leads the villagers to get rich; this is very good."

"The system isn't lacking talent, and such work always needs someone to do it—and people in the system aren't convenient to do such things. I think from the current perspective, Li Long is the most suitable person to do it."

"Let me tell you, such work has always been done by people before; why didn't it have the influence like Xiao Long's?"

"Isn't it because those people were too greedy? They wouldn't be like Li Long, giving the majority of the profit to the people doing the work. When those people mastered a large sum of money, or mastered the power to influence others' lives, most people's greed and desires would be rapidly amplified."

"Why has the job of large brooms always been done before, and only in these past few years has it been valued by the leaders of the autonomous region? Isn't it because Li Long has been strict and good in this regard? How poor was the quality of the large brooms before? You should be clear about that at the bank, right? It was good if three or four out of ten could be used for more than three months—what kind of things were those? It was fine if there was no comparison before, but only after comparison did we find out that those people were truly too excessive!"

It was no wonder Director Qian would scold. The large brooms tied before weren't just used by grassroots units; the leaders of the autonomous region also had to use them. This thing looked good at the beginning, but who could have known that those guys were all "donkey dung balls, shiny on the surface." The large brooms that looked very beautiful would start shedding *jiji* grass in less than half a month. Who could stand this? It was meant to sweep trash, but in the end, it became a trash-manufacturing machine. It was no wonder it was disliked!

Even the supply and marketing system was disliked; this thing was created by you, if we don't blame you, who do we blame? The leaders before hadn't failed to mention it, but when implemented below, these large brooms were mixed together; who knew whose was whose? The law doesn't punish the masses, and without labels, everyone definitely wouldn't recognize them.

Sister Guan also heard it; Old Qian's meaning was to keep Li Long in his current position. With old people like him, Li Jianguo, and Wei Zhuren looking after him within the supply and marketing system, at least Li Long wouldn't lack work.

When Li Long had work, he would pull villagers from several villages to work together, and he would also create opportunities to feed back to the cooperative. Why were Wei Zhuren and Li Jianguo commended? Wasn't it because of the opportunities they got from Li Long?

There must be suitable people both inside and outside the system, and now Li Long was the most suitable person to be placed outside the system.

Even to put it more broadly, Director Qian being able to reach his current position also had a lot to do with Li Long.

Reaching this level, one believes in materialism, but some metaphysics-related things similar to luck also need to be considered—those who can reach this level won't be binary thinkers.

Li Long didn't know that after he left, Director Qian and Sister Guan had chatted for a long time about him. He had many things to do and couldn't think that much; he just felt that Director Qian was good, and Sister Guan was also good to him, so he should visit more often.

Driving out of the residential area, Li Long went to the department store here to buy things. Li Jianguo's drinking party would definitely not end until the afternoon, and Li Jianguo had also said there was another drinking party in the evening. Li Long would find time to check where he was and go pick himself up.

According to Li Jianguo's intention, they would return to Maxian tomorrow. Li Long naturally had no opinion—sending the Buddha to the west, since he was the one who brought Li Jianguo over, he definitely had to bring him back safely. He couldn't just run back today and then let Li Jianguo take the long-distance bus back by himself tomorrow, right?

The fruit here was a bit better than in Maxian, so Li Long went to buy some fruit, planning to keep some at home and leave some for his eldest brother's side.

After buying some necessary things, Li Long drove around Beiting City, and then thought of what that Brother Bielxi had said.

He got out of the car and asked people running shops. This kind of asking was a bit casual; he didn't expect that after asking a few people, he really found out. It was just as he thought; after the state-run purchasing station in Beiting City was shut down, a private individual rented the original location and opened a private purchasing station.

After asking for the address, Li Long drove the jeep over. The courtyard of this purchasing station was a bit larger than the one he had in Maxian, but it wasn't independent; there was a row of courtyards on both sides, most of which had signs hanging, counting as public units.

A sign reading "Happiness Purchasing Station" hung at the courtyard entrance. Li Long felt it was strange; it was quite funny for a purchasing station to have this name.

The gate of the purchasing station was open, but there were quite a few people standing in the courtyard; some of these people were carrying bags, and some were carrying baskets. A row of seven or eight bicycles leaned against the courtyard wall.

There were also several tractors parked on the side of the road outside; some had people on them, while others had gone to the shade of the trees opposite to cool off.

As expected of a prefecture capital, those who came to sell things were all grand; those driving tractors pulled several bags or a dozen bags, and even those waiting in the courtyard were carrying two or three bags, looking much grander than his side.

The gate of the purchasing station was open, but the small door inside was locked, indicating that they weren't buying things at noon. However, these people weren't in a hurry and just waited like that; it seemed they were used to it. Li Long checked his watch; there were ten minutes left until work started. Arguing like this, even if it were a public purchasing station, people should have arrived by now; one always had to prepare in advance.

This was the so-called "big shop bullying the customers"; even if it were the biggest seller, one had to follow the shop's rules.

Watching the jeep stop, those people outside looked curiously, many thinking it was some leader who had come to inspect, thinking this purchasing station was about to be unlucky.

Li Long observed well in the car, got out, and walked toward a tractor. The tractor owner had originally been leaning on the seat to rest; hearing movement, he opened his eyes and happened to see Li Long get out of the jeep and walk toward him. He immediately sat up straight and even straightened his clothes.

"Master, hello, the things in your tractor bucket are fritillaria, right?" Li Long smelled a medicinal scent when he came over. He took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and handed it over, "I want to ask you about something."

"You say, you say." That person took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear, saying with a smile, "If you have anything, just ask."

"How much does this Happiness Purchasing Station pay per kilogram for fritillaria?"

"That depends on the grade." That person got off the tractor seat, one hand resting on the fender and the other taking the cigarette from behind his ear to smell it, saying to Li Long, "The prices for different fritillaria are naturally different."

"Master, you're not selling fritillaria for the first time, right? What's the price for top grade?"

"Thirty-five to forty for top grade; if the grains are large, it's forty, and for average goods, it's thirty-five."

"This is cheaper than the original state-run purchasing station." Li Long didn't expect it to be so cheap and asked suspiciously, "Isn't it said that medicinal materials are all rising in price?"

"What can be done? The state-run purchasing station is gone, the medicinal materials company doesn't buy ours either, and we can't get in touch with those private bosses. These fritillaria can't just be left at home; they can't be eaten or drunk..." That person sighed and said.

"Haven't you thought about selling them to other places?"

"It's about the same everywhere. The purchasing station in Huxian is also this price, and Miquan is about the same. I've run to all these places. Wucheng is slightly more expensive, but the requirements there are also high."

The Tianshan Mountains started from the Dongsan County in the east and went all the way west to Yili before going abroad. Among them, the area stretching hundreds of kilometers from the south of Wlmq all the way to Yili was rich in fritillaria.

"Master, what grade is your fritillaria? Can I take a look?"

"Of course it's top grade." That master had already lit the cigarette. After taking a puff and blowing a smoke ring, he walked to the tractor bucket, pulled over a bag, opened the mouth, and grabbed a handful for Li Long to see, "Cleaned very thoroughly, and also screened; not a single dreg was left, all for the sake of being able to sell for a few more yuan."

"Master, if you think it's reliable, I'll buy your fritillaria." Li Long looked at the fritillaria in several bags and said, "How about I buy it for forty-five yuan per kilogram?"

"Really?" That master couldn't quite believe Li Long's words.

"Of course it's true." Li Long smiled and said, "Otherwise why would I ask you?"

"That would be too great... is it cash?"

"Of course cash."

"Good, good, good! It's just this weight..."

"Master, you must have weighed it when you came, right?" Li Long smiled and said, "Let me tell you, although I don't dare to say I can grasp it perfectly, I can roughly know how heavy it is just by lifting a bag. Since we're doing business, let's be grand; you know the weight of your fritillaria. I'll estimate these bags one by one; if the weight difference between the two of us is no more than three kilograms, then it can be done, how about that?"

"That's fine, if it really doesn't work, we can borrow a scale at the market to weigh it." Five yuan more per kilogram; this master's tractor had over two hundred kilograms of fritillaria.

This was a difference of over a thousand yuan!

With that estimate, a difference of three or five kilograms of fritillaria didn't count for anything!

That master immediately decided that if Li Long's estimated weight difference was within five kilograms, he would accept it—of course, if it was less, and if it was more, he would be even happier—it was pure profit!

Li Long lifted these bags one by one, calculated in his heart, and after adding them up, said to the tractor master:

"These fritillaria of yours are about two hundred and thirty-four kilograms; do you think the difference is large?"

"Hey! Comrade, you're amazing!" That master gave a thumbs up in surprise, "I weighed it at home, and it was two hundred and thirty-six kilograms. This difference of two kilograms... is this about the same as the 'one-grasp' in a state-run department store?"

"I excluded the skin." Li Long said with a smile, "Let's split the difference, how about we count it as two hundred and thirty-five kilograms?"

"Good, good, good, too good. It's just this money..."

Two hundred and thirty-five kilograms of fritillaria was not a small amount. These fritillaria weren't just this master's alone; he was able to collect so many fritillaria by partnering with others, which was equivalent to being a small broker.

"Cash, don't worry." Li Long pointed to his jeep and said, "You wait, I'll drive the car over."

With over two hundred kilograms of fritillaria, Li Long's jeep could barely fit it, including a bag of fritillaria in the passenger seat. He planned to go back once and then come back again.

It was fortunate that Li Long had the habit of carrying money when going on long trips, and the habit of carrying a gun when going into the mountains; otherwise, this opportunity really wouldn't have fallen to him.

Li Long also calculated that for these two hundred-plus kilograms of fritillaria, earning twenty per kilogram was over four thousand yuan. Subtracting transport costs and such, earning four thousand in one trip, there really was no business more profitable than this.

The master here and Li Long loaded those fritillaria into the jeep together, counted the money in front of him, and the master went happily to crank the tractor, preparing to go back and split the money. When Li Long was preparing to leave, he was surrounded by people.

"Comrade, comrade, why don't you buy my fritillaria too?"

"That's right, that's right, my fritillaria is also top grade, absolutely clean, bone-dry; you come and bite it to try, I've dried it for many days!"

"Although mine didn't reach top grade, I sell it cheaply; don't say forty-five, thirty-five is also fine..."

Those who surrounded him were all selling fritillaria. Now was the peak season for fritillaria, and many people wanted to take advantage of this season to earn some money.

At the beginning, they all watched Li Long and that master chat and trade. To tell the truth, they were skeptical about the price Li Long offered. Now that Li Long took out the cash and that master received the money, these people were immediately tempted.

Li Long didn't pay attention to these people first; he said to that master:

"In the future, if you can still collect so many fritillaria, go to Maxian; the price at the purchasing station there is high. Let me tell you, now I'm buying at forty-five; if you have this specification, I can give you fifty."

What? Fifty?

The main reason Li Long could give such a high price was that this master's fritillaria had been screened, and the grains were very large. It was even better than the fritillaria Li Long sold to Jia Tianlong.

The fritillaria Li Long sold was average goods, with all sizes, as long as it was washed clean and had no impurities or dregs.

This master was even more ruthless; after washing it clean, he screened it once, letting the small fritillaria leak out.

If he didn't know that the technology for planting fritillaria wasn't mature yet, Li Long would have thought his fritillaria was planted—it was really beautiful!

That was why Li Long wanted to recruit him to go to his own purchasing station; it was no problem to give a higher price for good fritillaria.

"That purchasing station is opened by me; I can set this price. Look at the money in your own hands... think about how much more you can sell per kilogram. Even if I'm lying to you, it doesn't cost much for your tractor to run a trip, right? It's only been two years since '83, you're not afraid of anything going there, right?"

After Li Long finished speaking, he said to the others:

"Sorry, everyone, you've seen it; my car is only this big, it can't fit any more. Just this, I have to hurry and send the fritillaria back before coming back to handle things—I was buying it on the way."

He was snatching business at someone else's doorstep, so naturally, he didn't dare stay long. He said to those few who hadn't surrounded him and were selling other things:

"The purchasing station in Maxian buys all kinds of things and won't be much cheaper than the original state-run purchasing station. If you trust me, you can partner up to pull the things over to sell."

After saying this, he waved his hand at the master pulling the fritillaria, then got into the jeep and drove west in a puff of smoke.

Having intercepted someone else's goods, Li Long felt a bit guilty inside, not knowing if it counted as immoral, but if he met the owner of this purchasing station, he definitely wouldn't be able to be righteous and confident.

So Li Long increased the horsepower and drove directly back to the county.

In the large courtyard, Xiao Hei was tied up, and Sister Yang was watching Mingming and Haohao crawling and playing on the ground. Hearing the sound of the jeep, Sister Yang hurriedly hugged the two children into the bed-cart and then went to open the gate.

Li Long drove the car into the courtyard. Seeing the car enter, Mingming and Haohao were so excited they started flipping over the railing of the bed-cart, preparing to break out of prison.

After Li Long got out of the car, he went to pick up his two sons. Seeing Li Long, both children were overjoyed and giggled.

"Uncle, is the meeting over?" Sister Yang asked.

"The meeting is over, but the business isn't finished yet." Li Long explained, "I took the time to buy a carload of fritillaria and brought it back. I have to go over in a while; Director Li is still over there. We won't be back tonight; we'll stay in the hotel for one night and come back tomorrow."

"Oh, this meeting is quite troublesome." Sister Yang asked again, "Are you hungry? Shall I prepare something for you to eat now?"

"No need, no need." Li Long waved his hand, "I ate my fill at noon, I'm not hungry now."

At noon at Director Qian's house, Li Long had originally intended to be a bit polite, but Sister Guan said that young people had big appetites, served him a lot, and told him to finish all the dishes, not to waste them.

Li Long had eaten quite a bit, and he really wasn't hungry now.

After holding Mingming and Haohao for a while, he put the two children on the canvas to let them play by themselves, and Li Long began to unload the fritillaria into the side room.

After unloading the fritillaria, Li Long went into the house to take some money. After packing it, he greeted Sister Yang, drove away from the large courtyard, went to the oil depot to add oil, and then drove toward Beiting City.

Up to now, Li Long's oil coupons hadn't been used up, and he didn't intend to pull a canister of gasoline into the courtyard.

Diesel was fine, but gasoline was too dangerous; it couldn't be placed in the courtyard.

Driving to Beiting City again and going to the place where Li Jianguo ate lunch, he found that the drinking party here hadn't dispersed yet.

Entering and scanning around, he found that new guests had joined. These people were really able to "burn"; Li Jianguo was still drinking, so Li Long came out and waited in the jeep.

The person in charge of the Happiness Purchasing Station went to work half an hour later than usual. This person was named Qi Shuohui, a staff member of the original state-run purchasing station. Because he felt his salary wasn't high, he was poached by the boss of this private purchasing station with a high salary.

His professionalism was very strong, and the grading of the things he bought was also very accurate. The boss behind this purchasing station also had great energy, so up to now, there was only this one in Beiting City, monopolizing it.

It was no exaggeration to say it was "earning a fortune every day."

Among this, Qi Shuohui's contribution was not small. The boss gave him great autonomy, so there were no strict rules about coming to work or leaving, and it didn't matter if he came a bit late; the boss trusted him very much.

Qi Shuohui also had two assistants; these two were specifically responsible for cleaning and classifying the things Qi Shuohui bought.

The reason for being late today at noon was also because these two assistants invited Qi Shuohui to eat.

Arriving at the purchasing station, all three found that there were fewer people this afternoon than usual. However, they didn't care; "If you don't sell, there are people who will" was a sentence Qi Shuohui and the others often said to customers.

There was no way; there were quite a few middlemen now, but not many such large purchasing stations could buy many materials.

Quite a few people still trusted them; if the price was a bit lower, it was lower, they could still earn some money.

Some people didn't trust middlemen, so they came over, and some people discovered that the purchasing stations in the nearby counties were all about the same, so they didn't run far.

Of course, after Li Long's news was released, how it would spread and how much influence it would have, that was really hard to say.

Li Long himself was also quite happy; coming out for a trip, earning a small sum, and also advertising his own purchasing station, it was quite good.

Feeling beautiful inside. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 833 =====