Chapter 898: Li Long: I Must Also Set an Example!

When Li Long received the task from Xiang Qian, he truly had not anticipated that Xiang Qian and Director Qian would be under pressure.

In his view, since he had done well, maintained good relations with Xiang Qian and Director Qian, and the large brooms he produced were recognized by the leaders of the autonomous region, it was only right and proper that this work be assigned to him.

Of course, he did not simply enjoy this "benefit" with ease; whenever he had something good, he would think of Xiang Qian and Director Qian.

However, this relationship was unequal; regarding the pressure on Xiang Qian and the others, Li Long had no true perception of it.

The things he gave to his family were mostly like adding flowers to brocade, whereas what others gave him, from the very beginning, was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

It was different.

Just as Xiang Qian led people to unload two hundred large brooms, instructing the warehouse keeper to store them safely for distribution upon his return, and then drove the truck out of the supply and marketing cooperative, these thoughts were turning in Li Long's mind.

He must cast aside that previous confidence and impose some pressure upon himself.

Previously, he had thought that for the Fourth Small Team, Passing Qingshuihe, and even Liang Liang Wenyu, being roughly adequate was fine, especially since he had been quite satisfied with his own inspections.

But seeing the situation today and observing the standards of the Corps company, Li Long realized he might have been a bit carried away by success; he must truly raise his standards and absolutely cannot cause Director Qian and Xiang Qian to lose face.

If he wanted to continue securing this large order in the coming years, he must put extra effort into quality, leaving others unable to utter a single word of criticism!

Just like today, Li Long only realized belatedly that when the supply and marketing cooperative staff came to inspect the large brooms, they were not there to admire his achievements; many likely intended to find fault.

It was only because Wang Mingjun and his team maintained exceptionally strict quality control that they gave these people no opportunity.

But what about the large brooms delivered by the Fourth Small Team, Passing Qingshuihe Village, and Liang Liang Wenyu?

Although the quality of those brooms met the standard, it certainly did not reach the level of Wang Mingjun's side; these people would definitely be able to pick out various flaws.

Li Long knew what he needed to do now.

Of course, before leaving, he had to go to the finance department to settle the accounts.

For three thousand seven hundred large brooms at five yuan each, Li Long earned over eighteen thousand yuan this time, with a net profit of over five thousand, which was still less than the cost of a tractor.

Whether that was a lot or not, the first thing he did upon leaving the supply and marketing cooperative was to quickly drive to Passing Qingshuihe Village, find Meng Hai, who was inspecting the large brooms, and explain his thoughts.

"Raise the standards?" Meng Hai looked at the nearly two thousand large brooms in his courtyard and said with some difficulty, "These large brooms have already been collected..."

"Let's not talk about what has already been collected for now," Li Long said. "I will haul them away tomorrow. Unless the quality is truly unacceptable, I will accept them all. But for the large brooms collected from now on, the quality must be raised to another level."

Based on the aspects commented on by the supply and marketing cooperative staff today, combined with his own experience, Li Long pointed out the areas Meng Hai needed to pay attention to.

For instance, the surface of the handles must be trimmed so they do not prick the hand; the bark must be scraped clean; the length of the esparto grass must be consistent; and details such as the height of the hemp rope binding and the number of tamarisk twigs must be standardized.

Seeing Li Long speak so meticulously, Meng Hai asked once he finished:

"Has some situation arisen?"

"Yes," Li Long nodded. "The superiors have issued specific standards, and they are not like this; if we continue collecting like this, it might affect whether we can secure the work next year. So we must take this seriously..."

"Alright, this afternoon and evening, I will find people to properly reprocess these current two thousand large brooms!"

Meng Hai knew that in such matters, they either all suffered loss or all shared glory; as long as Li Long could continue to secure the work, he would certainly not abandon Passing Qingshuihe Village.

This matter must be handled urgently!

After collecting the ten-odd large brooms currently being delivered, Meng Hai told his wife and went out to gather people.

Working overtime under the lamp at night was no big deal!

Li Long did not stay long in Passing Qingshuihe; driving the jeep, he went next to Liang Liang Wenyu's place.

Here, the number of large brooms inspected and collected was the smallest, currently not yet reaching five hundred.

During Li Long's previous inspection, there had been quite a few problems, which Li Long had pointed out to Liang Liang Wenyu without any politeness; this time, upon re-inspection, Li Long found that the quality had indeed improved by a level.

However, it still had not reached the standard of the finished products from the Corps side; Li Long, without holding back, offered praise first, then told Liang Liang Wenyu the same things he had previously told Meng Hai.

He would haul away these five hundred large brooms tomorrow, but for the remaining large brooms, the quality must be improved.

Liang Liang Wenyu still felt somewhat unconvinced; in his view, the quality of these large brooms was already quite acceptable.

"Liang Wenyu, if you don't want to do this, then after you arrange for those people to finish tying the esparto grass and handles, don't do this work anymore," Liang Donglou, who was tying large brooms nearby, suddenly said. "If you are this unconvinced, then you cannot handle this job."

Suddenly scolded by his father, Liang Liang Wenyu felt even more unconvinced in his heart.

In his view, Li Long's behavior was simply going back on his word; he had already met the standards previously stated, and now suddenly raising the standards was just making things difficult for him!

Liang Donglou paid no further attention to Liang Liang Wenyu; he turned his head and asked Li Long:

"Xiao Long, has something happened?"

"Mm. Previously, I oversimplified the matter. This large broom task in my hands is the entire assignment given by the prefecture to our county's supply and marketing cooperative.

Director Li assigned it to me; some people are jealous and might try to cause trouble. I must do this large broom job well and beautifully, leaving those people unable to find any fault or say anything, so that I can continue to accept such work next year.

Otherwise, this year might be a one-off deal; if they find faults, it will be difficult for them to assign it to me again next year."

Once explained this way, the matter became serious; Liang Liang Wenyu now realized that if this broom-making work disappeared next year, the only way he could earn some money from Li Long and gather the young people of the team was through this large broom task.

The matter of tractors harvesting wheat could only be done by his own family; there was no way to form a cooperative—and moreover, forming cooperatives was not allowed at present.

If this work also disappeared, how would he integrate the young people in the village next year?

Would the prestige he had just gained vanish?

Thinking this way, he finally understood why Li Long had suddenly come to raise the requirements.

"Xiao Long, I understand," Liang Liang Wenyu, having come to his senses, immediately stated his position:

"I will go right now to notify each household to raise the quality standards for the large brooms a bit more; please tell me the details again so I can note them down and explain them to the others later."

Seeing Liang Liang Wenyu change his mindset so quickly, Li Long felt quite gratified; this matter could now be said to belong not to him alone, but concerned the livelihood plans of several hundred people across four locations; although they did not rely solely on this work to survive, they relied on it to live better lives.

He could not be careless.

After settling matters with Liang Liang Wenyu, Li Long finally went to the Fourth Small Team.

The sun was nearly setting, but there was still a long time until nightfall; days in Northern Xinjiang were long, and in August, nightfall occurred around ten o'clock, so there was still more than an hour left.

Ever since Li Long assigned the task of accepting the large brooms to Li Jianguo, Li Jianguo could hardly leave the courtyard; people were delivering large brooms all day long, and he had to inspect them carefully.

When Li Long arrived, Liang Yuemei and Du Chunfang had already prepared dinner; Li Qiang and Li Juan had not merely played during this summer vacation but had also helped their family feed the pigs.

Although the wheat had been harvested, the oil sunflowers, flower sunflowers, and other crops had not yet been gathered; when Li Long arrived at the courtyard, Li Juan was chopping sugar beet leaves on a wooden board in the yard with an old kitchen knife, preparing them to be boiled for pig feed.

Seeing Li Long arrive, the whole family was very happy; Li Qiang, who had originally been helping his sister gather the sugar beet leaves, rushed over upon seeing Li Long get out of the car, grabbed his arm, and led him to see the night hawks he had caught, which were actually nightjars.

Li Long took another glance, praised Li Qiang, and then went to discuss the main matter with Li Jianguo.

After hearing Li Long's words, Li Jianguo's expression turned grave:

"This must be taken seriously. However, regarding the over two thousand large brooms we've collected right now..."

"Today, let's go through them once; pick out the ones without any flaws to one side, and they'll be hauled away tomorrow. For those with minor flaws, we'll repair them ourselves. As for those that met the standards before but don't now, and cannot be fixed, we'll keep them."

Along the way, Li Long had actually already figured it out; this time, he might have to suffer some losses. But to be honest, even if he lost a little, the loss wouldn't be significant; the profit from this single big job was enough to cover those losses.

As long as reputation and quality standards could be raised to a sufficient height, relieving Director Qian and Xiang Qian of their pressure and leaving others with nothing to complain about, then this work would remain his in the future.

Looking at the long term, it was worth it.

"What do we do with the ones we keep? Our family can't use that many large brooms?" Li Qing, listening from the side, also looked worried. "It's not just about our own use. I am representing others now; these large brooms can be given away. Although the standards aren't particularly high, they are fine for normal use. I plan to give some to the schools; once distributed, that will be enough. As a representative, sometimes I have to set an example."

Actually, Li Long was a very competent representative, capable of leading so many people to prosperity and serving as a bridge and link for a herder tribe in the mountains.

Of course, he felt he could do even more.

Giving away those large brooms not intended for submission was also something Li Long had thought of on the road. Donating money to others in the future would be too obvious and easily arouse jealousy.

But sending these slightly flawed large brooms to the schools would surely draw no criticism. After all, the large brooms used by various classes in schools were a motley crew: in middle schools, students tied them themselves, while in primary schools, parents brought them over, resulting in all sorts of varieties.

If Li Long could deliver a batch of large brooms to a few schools, the schools would only be delighted.

The matter was settled just like that. After a simple dinner, the whole family got to work.

Li Long demonstrated for a while; after clarifying the standards, he went to Xu Chengjun's home.

To inform the team members, one couldn't tell them individually; the loudspeaker had to be used. After Xu Chengjun understood the situation, he also agreed wholeheartedly:

"Yes, whatever standards the buyer sets, that's what we make. If we don't do it well, it's normal for them not to accept it. If we want this business to last, we must raise the quality so high that they have nothing to complain about.

You go notify everyone; make it clear to Brother Lao Li that substandard items won't be accepted. Saving face at this moment is cutting off our own retreat. Many families in our team rely on the work of tying large brooms to live good lives; they will surely understand."

Li Long then announced the matter of raising standards through the loudspeaker.

After three broadcasts, he turned off the loudspeaker, left the Xu family home, and returned to the large courtyard.

He had not told his family about this matter; there was no need. The situation was not yet beyond redemption. Li Long was now also glad he had brought Wang Mingjun and the others in; after witnessing the quality produced by the Corps workers, Li Long was truly relieved.

Regardless of how the Corps' system was, at least in terms of organization when working, they were superior to the local areas.

Originally, Li Long had planned to visit the Fourth Small Team again the next day, but not long after breakfast, Jia Jia Tianlong arrived.

The purchasing station was the foundation; Li Long certainly could not leave. Fortunately, all four locations had been settled, and the people in charge were all trustworthy, so Li Long stayed here to handle matters concerning Jia Jia Tianlong.

After the Fritillaria season passed, Jia Jia Tianlong visited less frequently.

Although the bulk supply of Fritillaria was gone, there were still quite a few scattered medicinal herbs. Some second-hand dealers collected sporadic Fritillaria from farmers at the mountain's edge and sold it here; others brought seasonal Cynomorium, Snow Lotus, and other herbs like Licorice; added together sporadically, the amount was considerable.

In the reception room of the purchasing station, Jia Jia Tianlong drank tea while looking around, feeling quite refreshed since he hadn't been there for a while.

"You shouldn't be here at this time," Li Long said with a smile. "Isn't your child due soon?"

"Mm, soon, but probably still another month," Jia said. "There was an urgent matter in Wucheng calling for me, so I rushed over, thinking I'd transport the medicinal herbs from your end back with me, and then I'd wait for my wife to give birth."

At this time, when a wife was giving birth, it was best for the husband to be by her side; if not, having family members at home was also acceptable—it all seemed quite normal.

Jia Jia Tianlong was an exception; although in the place where he lived, the preference for sons over daughters was even more severe, and male chauvinism was also very serious, Jia Jia Tianlong was different. He had now figured it out: it would be best if his wife bore a son, but if not, a daughter would be fine too; of course, if he could have twins like Li Long, that would be even better.

Anyway, they could still have more children later—he wasn't a state cadre, so at worst, he would just pay the fine.

"Then I won't take up your time; should we count the goods now or hire a truck first?" Li Long asked.

"Someone has gone to rent a vehicle; I'm familiar with the transport company," Jia Jia Tianlong said with a smile. "Let's look at the goods first. By the way, I still need Snow Lotus on my end; do you currently..."

"There's plenty; I have over a thousand flowers here right now; it just depends on whether you can swallow this stock."

There were Snow Lotuses in the mountains, but they were all deep in Shenshan; from the mountain entrance to where the Snow Lotuses grew took several hours of walking, and harvesting them might require spending the night in the mountains.

But if money could be earned, people were willing to do it. After all, in these times, not everyone was like the Fourth Small Team, able to earn money without leaving the village. More people still had to figure out ways to earn extra income.

As long as one found the location for harvesting Snow Lotus, usually dozens could be found in one patch. Moreover, Li Long's purchasing here wasn't particular; he bought both Snow Lotus and Stone Lotus, so those who knew the locations of Snow Lotuses were naturally delighted.

Before the implementation of the household responsibility system, people in these townships and villages near the county town mostly had sideline teams; they had entered the mountains to dig Fritillaria and, of course, had seen other things too; everyone had some experience with Fritillaria, Snow Lotus, and the like.

So when farming was slack and families lacked money, some stayed at home trying to find ways, while others thought of entering the mountains to seek fortune.

"Over a thousand flowers? I want them; I'll take them all!" Jia Jia Tianlong's eyes lit up. "I met a good traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who said Snow Lotus is truly beneficial for both men and women. Right now, martial arts novels are extremely popular in the interior; when those people hear I can get Snow Lotus, every single one of them gets very excited."

Not bad; the craze for martial arts novels could actually drive the sales of Snow Lotus; that was quite a curiosity.

After finishing their tea, Li Long took Jia Jia Tianlong to the warehouse and began counting the medicinal herbs.

Snow Lotus was the first item; Li Long took out a freshly dried stalk and handed it to Jia: "Smell it; this is fragrant—"

Jia Jia Tianlong truly took a sniff; the scent was indeed wonderful, a delicate fragrance.

"That's the smell... sigh, I've never smelled a fragrance like this before."

Examining them stalk by stalk, there were one thousand and seventy-one flowers; at six yuan per flower, that came to over six thousand yuan.

The Snow Lotuses varied in size, but neither person haggled; this was calculated based on the average price.

Then there was over a hundred kilograms of Fritillaria. This was leftover stock, collected sporadically from mountain dwellers. It was all cleaned; at seventy yuan per kilogram, Jia Jia Tianlong merely inspected it before accepting it.

There was also nearly one ton of dried Cynomorium.

Actually, the amount collected was a bit too much; it was just that when Cynomorium was dried thoroughly, it tended to become crumbly; if stored poorly or bumped, it would easily break.

After Li Long collected it, he would process it; after processing, about one ton would remain.

The price wasn't high; it was bought for just a few mao per unit; now the price of this item was slowly rising, mainly because society had developed and more people wanted to boost their yang. Jia Jia Tianlong's purchase price was two yuan, which wasn't low.

There was also quite a bit of Licorice, but this item didn't fetch a good price. Codonopsis could sell for a good price, but the quantity was small, and it wasn't in season now; there were only over two hundred kilograms of dried goods.

The remaining items like deer antler velvet and deer antlers counted as miscellaneous goods; the quantity wasn't large, but they took up a lot of space.

For every item inspected, one was moved out, filling the entire backyard.

Finally, calculating the total bill, adding all these things together came to over sixteen thousand but under seventeen thousand yuan.

Jia Jia Tianlong paid readily; Li Long kept the receipt, and within a short while, the truck arrived.

Jia Jia Tianlong was indeed in a hurry; after carefully loading the medicinal herbs onto the truck, he didn't stay for a meal but left in a rush.

Li Long could understand his anxiety; with his wife at home waiting to give birth, and the fact that they had struggled to conceive for so long, now that they finally had a pregnancy, how could he not be worried?

The warehouse was much emptier, and Li Long felt much more at ease.

Goods bought in at intervals could be sold out promptly, creating a healthy cycle of capital without tying up funds; this acquisition station had finally established itself firmly.

If making large brooms was considered earning quick, seasonal money, then this acquisition station was the very foundation upon which Li Long would build his life and career—stable, yet not slow in bringing in profits.

At this moment, Wang Mingjun, Zheng Xiang Yang, and Old Chen were in the company office, distributing money to the workers household by household.

Those workers who had received their money, as well as those still waiting in line with eager anticipation, now harbored not a single complaint.

With each large broom counted at three yuan, although everyone worked on an assembly line, each person could roughly calculate how many pieces they had produced during the overtime shifts over these past few days.

Basically, every household received several tens of yuan, and this was only for six days!

That very evening, the company store was in an uproar!

Many years later, the boss would still remember that this was the fastest day for moving goods since he had opened the store, second only to the year-end rush! (End of Chapter)