Chapter 837

After saying goodbye to Bolati, Li Long drove the jeep out of the mountains and was stopped by Meng Hai when he reached Qingshuihe Village.

Seeing Meng Hai waving by the side of the road with a pile of things at his feet, Li Long pulled the jeep over to the roadside, turned off the engine, got out, and said with a smile:

"Old Meng, did you post a sentry at the entrance of the village? How did you know the moment I entered the mountains?"

Meng Hai laughed and said, "Not at all, not at all. Some people in our village know I have a good relationship with you, so when they saw you enter the mountains, they came over to tell me."

"Comrade Li Long, I happen to have a matter I'd like to consult you about."

"Go ahead."

"I remember you saying that the work of binding handles isn't necessarily long-term, but the work of binding large brooms will definitely last for a long time."

"I was thinking, this broom-binding work isn't just about strength and technique; you also have to find materials. Jiji grass is easier to get—you just find a place and cut it—but these poles are not easy to find."

"Last year, in order to cut poles, the people in our village all went deep into the mountains. The poles nearby have all been used up."

"So I was thinking, while it's the agricultural off-season, I'll organize a group of people to go into the mountains to cut poles. Then, we can sell these poles to those who need to bind large brooms but lack poles. At fifty or sixty cents a pole, I think everyone would be willing to buy them, right?"

"Old Meng, you really have a head for business; you're cut out to be a businessman," Li Long said with a smile. "This is feasible. If you have nothing to do now, you can organize people to go into the mountains to cut poles in the next two days. Don't just say fifty cents; if you sell them for seventy or eighty cents, there will definitely be people who want them. You calculate it: if you cut ten thousand poles before binding the large brooms in July or August, that's seven or eight thousand yuan..."

"Can ten thousand poles really be sold?" Meng Hai was a bit incredulous.

Li Long smiled and said, "If they don't sell, just let them sit there; this stuff doesn't spoil. Don't worry, I'll help you organize the sale of the poles when the time comes. Even if you don't sell ten thousand, you can still sell seven or eight thousand."

In fact, when eating at Director Qian's house, Old Qian had already pointed out that the number of large broom tasks this year would definitely be higher than in previous years.

But Li Long also knew that no matter how many tasks there were, he couldn't give them all to the Ma County supply and marketing cooperative.

Li Xiangqian could indeed hand all the large broom work over to him, mainly because he had brought honor to the county supply and marketing cooperative.

He guessed that the amount given to his side would be around fifteen thousand or so.

There are some forests near the Fourth Team and Qingshuihe Village. The poles in those wild forests can be cut at will; whoever cuts them owns them. Li Long estimated that the poles cut by the villagers themselves in these two places this year should be around five thousand.

If you add the manpower organized by Liang Wenyu and the nearby resources, then add a bit more—even if it's eight thousand poles.

The remaining gap is still very large.

The first year they bound large brooms, the poles the team lacked were cut by Li Long, his father, and his older brother in the mountains; it took them nearly half a month to fill that gap.

Now that Meng Hai is taking the initiative to earn money in this area, and it's practical and his judgment is accurate, it shows he is really using his brain. Such a person, in this era of rapid development, will definitely achieve something in the future.

Because they can actively seize opportunities and even create opportunities to develop themselves and those around them.

Hearing Li Long's analysis, Meng Hai suddenly smiled: "Comrade Li Long, with your words, I'm relieved. Then I'll organize people to go into the mountains to cut poles right now..."

"If you run into the forestry team's forest rangers, just say I told you to cut them," Li Long hurriedly added. "If they don't believe you, don't resist; come find me as soon as possible."

Li Long believed he still had some face in front of the forestry team's rangers, especially since he had recently engaged in deep "cooperation" with the forestry team again.

However, no one could guarantee whether there might be some reckless greenhorn among the rangers, so he gave Meng Hai a heads-up in advance.

"Understood, understood, we understand that," Meng Hai said with a smile.

Actually, Li Long could have handed this work to the team. But to be honest, most of the people in the team have families to support. The three families of Tao Daqiang, Xie Yun Dong, and Jia Weidong definitely wouldn't take the initiative to come out and do it, and it's hard to say about the three Liang brothers. Furthermore, Li Long had been busy lately, tied up with all sorts of things, so he hadn't thought about this aspect.

Now that Meng Hai had brought it up, he was just going with the flow to facilitate this matter.

Anyway, those who have a good relationship with him in the Fourth Team basically all have tractors. When harvesting wheat in July, relying on tractors and harvesters to earn money, that money comes faster.

Meng Hai put a basket of eggs, two live hens, and a basin of cleaned small fish into Li Long's car, waved his hand, and watched Li Long leave.

When the jeep was far away, several young men darted out from the woods and surrounded Meng Hai, asking:

"Company Commander, Company Commander, is this doable? What did that Comrade Li say?"

"He said no problem, said that at least ten thousand poles are needed for the large brooms this year, and told us to hurry up and cut them whenever we have time," Meng Hai didn't keep it to himself and said directly, "One pole can sell for at least fifty cents, maybe even more."

"Hey, this is much more profitable than binding handles!" a young man who often worked with Meng Hai said excitedly. "Binding one handle takes at least an hour and a half to two hours. Cutting a pole, trimming it, and fixing it up doesn't even take ten minutes. Getting five or six poles an hour is easy..."

Everyone calculated it, and it really was like that.

Moreover, cutting poles isn't a technical job, and the requirements aren't as high as for handles; this work is truly doable.

These people immediately started discussing with Meng Hai how to go about getting the poles.

At the small wooden cabin in the mountains, just as Li Long's jeep disappeared, several people emerged from the forest to the south. Some were acting alone, others in pairs. Most were carrying half or less than half a bag of fritillaria toward the cabin.

Those who dared to appear together were all people who had exchanged goods several times; they knew it was safe here and wouldn't be arrested even if they were carrying fritillaria.

Sun Jia Qiang smiled when he saw these people appear. As the two closest people walked up, he chewed on a piece of naan and scolded them with a smile:

"You guys have sharp eyes! My boss just left, and you come out. Were you hiding in the woods the whole time just now?"

"Why talk so much nonsense? Hurry up and exchange for goods." One of the tall, thin men threw his bag of fritillaria at Sun Jia Qiang. "Get me a pair of Liberation shoes, two cans, and do you still have rice and flour this time..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the slightly shorter person next to him suddenly said:

"I smell the scent of naan! You definitely have more than just that one in your hand! Exchange four naan for me—no, wait, four!"

"Hey, hey, hey! My boss only brought me less than twenty naan in total. You want to exchange for four by yourself? Is that going to work? What am I supposed to eat?"

"I don't care what you eat, hurry up and exchange!" That person didn't show weakness, his tone sounding as if he were about to rob him.

In fact, everyone only uses this tone because they are familiar with each other.

"Exchange, exchange, exchange, but the price must be high. I'm telling you, this is my ration!" Sun Jia Qiang himself used to dig fritillaria, so he naturally knew how to deal with these people. He complained, "I waited so hard for the boss to send some food, and as a result, I haven't even had half a naan, and you guys start robbing me. If it weren't for the high prices you're offering, I wouldn't exchange with you at all!"

"Alright, alright, don't play the victim here. No matter how pitiful you are, you're still better off than us. You have a boss looking after you, and you lack nothing."

"We can only struggle on our own. If we run into bears or wolves in these mountains, we can only blame our own bad luck; how much fritillaria have we lost!"

"It's not like you, having a wooden cabin to live in and a boss looking after you, sending supplies regularly. You just need to stay here and exchange for our things," the one who wanted to exchange for naan said sourly.

"Then you guys can do other things too," Sun Jia Qiang said with a smile. "If you run into wolves or bears, find an opportunity to kill them. One wolf pelt is worth a week of you digging fritillaria. If you can kill a bear, then you'll really be rich."

"Do you think wolves and bears are that easy to kill?" That person took the naan from Sun Jia Qiang's hand and mocked him while chewing:

"Although you used to dig fritillaria too, I'm telling you, you're no good anymore. If you really saw a wolf, you'd definitely have run away scared long ago. A person like you is no longer used to mixing in the mountains, and you don't dare to face wolves anymore."

He belittled Sun Jia Qiang, but Sun Jia Qiang wasn't angry; he also mocked them for being useless, unable to even take care of their own stomachs.

In the time it took to say these few words, the people behind had also arrived.

The supplies these people exchanged for with fritillaria were, surprisingly, naan as their first choice.

Making a living in the mountains, being a bit hard-working is unavoidable. Now is the peak season for fritillaria, and most of the time each day is spent digging it, so eating and drinking just have to be makeshift.

Unleavened flatbread, cornmeal porridge, wild vegetable soup, and half-cooked rice are the norm.

Being able to chew on a piece of naan that is roasted golden brown and smells fragrant is truly a luxury.

"Hey, Sun, why didn't you have your boss bring some air-dried meat? I remember when we first started, there was some meat to exchange, but now there isn't any."

"The boss has things to do down the mountain and doesn't have time to hunt. If you want to exchange for meat, I'll tell him next time he comes." Faced with such questions, Sun Jia Qiang would always respond politely and courteously, pushing everything onto the boss.

As for whether the boss can actually transport the goods in the end, that's hard to say, and it's not something Sun Jia Qiang can control.

In just one morning, more than half of the supplies Li Long had brought in the jeep had already been exchanged, with only one-third left.

Sun Jia Qiang had received several dozen kilograms of fritillaria here. He skillfully washed and dried the fritillaria. Of the fritillaria brought over, there was little fresh and much semi-dried. The weather is good now; if he suns it for seven or eight hours a day, the fritillaria can be completely dried in three or four days.

Li Long drove the jeep to the county seat, went to the courtyard first, unloaded the fritillaria, and then took down the eggs, small fish, and hens.

"Is this the fish sent from Qingshuihe Village?" Sister Yang asked as she took the fish. "Let's just stew it for lunch today; we were just about to steam rice, and anyway, it's not easy to preserve now."

"Fine," Li Long took the hens to the chicken coop that had been used before. These things can't be let loose to run all over the courtyard; they poop too much. He'd feed them for now and take them to the Fourth Team to keep at his older brother's place when he had a chance.

As for the eggs, Sister Yang took them and put them in the storage room. This is something that has to be done every day—stir-frying, boiling, frying—the consumption is very high.

After getting the things sorted, Li Long drove the jeep to the acquisition station.

The courtyard of the acquisition station was already packed with people, and Guo Tiebing and another public security officer were maintaining order.

Seeing Li Long arrive, Guo Tiebing walked over as he got out of the car and whispered to Li Long about the two thieves.

"These two people are from our county seat. After graduating from junior high, they couldn't find work, so they did odd jobs. In '83, these two happened to go to a private factory in Shicheng to work. Not long after that matter ended, they came back in '84."

"To put it bluntly, they are lazy and gluttonous, always looking for a free ride. They've already committed several crimes this year, both in Shicheng and our county. Because they are roving criminals, they are hard to catch."

"To tell you the truth, your father-in-law is really amazing, and his mind is sharp; he knew to reduce the powder in the bullet, otherwise, one shot would have been troublesome."

"Then how will these two be sentenced?" Li Long asked.

"It's already been reported to the bureau, and the bureau has given instructions to sentence them heavily! Such a good, stable situation now, and it's been ruined by these two bad seeds. You are an advanced individual commended by the prefecture, and the influence is quite large, so don't worry, they won't be getting out for at least seven or eight years—"

"Do you know? They didn't get any money from your counter; they were planning to tie up your father-in-law to force him to tell them where the money was."

"Then sentence them heavily. These two guys seem to be knowingly breaking the law; they are very bad." Li Long nodded and changed the subject. "I'm going to trouble you all again today."

"Why say that? This is what we should be doing in the first place," Guo Tiebing waved his hand. "Let's not be strangers."

Li Long thought to himself that when things eased up a bit and there were fewer people, he would go to the Old Horse Corral to slaughter two sheep and send one to the police station.

They really are serving the people.

With Li Long there to help, Gu Bo Yuan felt a bit more relaxed.

For the next three or four days, the customer flow was still quite high, but Li Long also felt that the volume of goods received was steadily decreasing. This indicated that some of the earlier inventory had been cleared out, and some people from other counties had also started selling semi-dried fritillaria.

The daily cash outflow went from over twenty thousand at its peak to over ten thousand now, and then basically stabilized at around ten thousand.

What made both Li Long and Gu Boyan quite happy was that because of the appearance of these people from other counties, many fritillaria sellers in the county also started paying attention to the quality of the fritillaria.

The fritillaria received now, whether from other counties or the local county, had fewer impurities and less debris; the fritillaria was much cleaner.

As if looking forward to the stars and the moon, on the morning of the fifth day after Li Long finished his meeting, Jia Tianlong finally arrived.

When Jia Tianlong arrived, Li Long was still at the acquisition station. He didn't see Li Long at the courtyard, so he took his truck directly to the acquisition station.

Seeing so many people at the acquisition station, Jia Tianlong was also a bit surprised; he hadn't expected Li Long's business to have grown so large.

When the truck pulled up to the side of the courtyard, everyone's attention immediately shifted, and Li Long also heard the commotion and came out from behind the counter, then saw Jia Tianlong getting off the truck.

"Boss Jia, welcome, welcome." In front of so many people, Li Long walked over with a smile to greet him. "I've finally been looking forward to your arrival. If you didn't come, my warehouse wouldn't be able to hold any more."

"I really didn't expect you to have made things so big and so lively here!" Jia Tianlong also smiled and patted Li Long's arm. "Then shall we talk after you're done here?"

"No need, no need," Li Long said. "Let's go to the courtyard to inspect the goods; my father-in-law is here."

Li Long went in and said a word to Gu Bo Yuan, then took Jia Tianlong and his people to the courtyard.

Hearing the truck start up again, Sister Yang picked up Mingming and Haohao and went into the house. Jia Tianlong had been here just a moment ago, and Sister Yang knew he would come back. It wasn't time to cook yet, so Sister Yang stayed in the house with Mingming and Haohao to play.

Li Long drove the truck into the courtyard with Jia Tianlong, went to the kitchen to pour them both water, and then talked about recent events.

Of course, it was half-truth and half-false.

"Recently, there have been a lot of people coming here to sell fritillaria, and this fritillaria is big and clean. Let me get a bag for you to see." Li Long opened the side room, pulled over a bag of fritillaria, opened the bag mouth, and grabbed a handful of fritillaria to show Jia Tianlong.

Jia Tianlong looked at it, then spread the bag mouth open and stirred it a few times inside the bag, discovering that the fritillaria inside was indeed big and good.

He exclaimed admiringly:

"This quality is truly better than special grade. I see you have quite a lot of goods here?"

"Didn't I tell you? The fritillaria received in the last two days is much more than before. Just the existing dry goods alone already amount to two tons," Li Long said. "If you didn't come again, I wouldn't be able to afford to keep buying."

Buying was certainly affordable; after all, just from Jia Tianlong last time, he had received nearly one hundred thousand yuan, and Li Long himself still had some savings, but people, after all, should hide their wealth.

Jia Tianlong believed him. He pulled a leather suitcase from the truck seat and said to Li Long with a smile:

"I guessed you wouldn't have a small amount of fritillaria here, so the cash I brought is also more than last time. Shall we begin?"

"Alright."

While Li Long and Jia Tianlong were weighing the fritillaria, Li Xiangqian received a phone call.

"What? You say someone from the industry and commerce department in Beiting called you to investigate the acquisition station on our side?"

"Yes, yes. Isn't that acquisition station run by a temporary worker from your unit? It is said that he participated in unfair competition in the industry. That's what the people in Beiting City said. Of course, there is no official letter; it's just them telling me this privately, asking me to investigate strictly. If it's convenient, they will send a letter over..."

"Then why are you bothering with it? Let me tell you clearly: this acquisition station is supported by our supply and marketing cooperative. There's no such thing as unfair competition!"

"I know the situation. The private acquisition stations on your side are just not doing decent things, treating the people who dig fritillaria and collect pelts like fools. I'm telling you, this matter ends with you. Li Long is someone who can speak in front of the prefecture leaders, and the autonomous region's supply and marketing system treats him as a benchmark. You weigh it up and see which side is heavy and which side is light!"

"Old Li, don't talk like that. We are our own people; I only told you the news. Don't worry, our elbows will definitely not turn outward!"

Hanging up the phone, Li Xiangqian's face darkened. Some people in Beiting were reaching out a bit too far; it seemed he needed to find connections to give them a warning! (End of chapter)