Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 1431 Halim Descends the Mountain, Boss Dong Wants to Raise Fish

Although Guo Tiebing assured Li Long that all those people had been arrested, just in case, Li Long still told the employees of the purchasing station and the cannery to increase nighttime patrols.

As for the reason, Li Long said that with the arrival of winter, there are more idle people, so it's necessary to be wary of petty theft.

The courtyard itself isn't a problem, since it's right across from the police station, and not many people would dare to come here and provoke them.

In addition, there's not much going on in the village. These days, there isn't much external pollution, and everyone is still quite united. People haven't become atomized yet, and each village still has some awareness of self-protection and a strong sense of mutual assistance. If anyone dares to go to someone else's village to cause trouble, and if they're in the wrong, they'll really be attacked by the whole group.

In mid-December, Halim drove to the purchasing station. Actually, he had been back for quite some time, but now he was managing a large number of cattle and sheep, so it would take some time to process and organize them.

He drove the car into the backyard of the purchasing station, and Halim opened the trunk, taking out stacks of wolf pelts. He proudly showed his haul to Li Long:

"These were all shot by my herdsmen when winter was just beginning. The crossbows you gave me have been very useful."

When we were preparing to move our herds, the wolves probably found it difficult to catch the wild goats in the mountains, so they often came to the edge of our pastures, trying to steal some goats to eat, and then our herdsmen shot them one by one.

Although we lost a few sheep, we killed over twenty wolves, so it was well worth it!

The wolf pelts were all cleaned thoroughly, and Halim was very proud when he showed them to Li Long.

Li Long laughed and said, "You and your lads are really something. Those wolves were in packs, and you weren't afraid at all."

Halim handed the wolf pelt to the workers, then followed Li Long into the reception room. He said nonchalantly, "Don't be afraid, what's there to be afraid of? That crossbow is very powerful. It took only one shot and killed the wolf. Once one was killed, the others were scared."

Wolves can be quite timid at times; if one wolves dies in a place, the wolf won't dare to come back for days.

Li Long asked Halim about the situation of his cattle and sheep. Halim said that after coming down the mountain, he sold a batch of sheep that were going to be culled to Yushanjiang. Now the sheep are starting to give birth, so they are all kept in warm pens.

The number of cattle and sheep increased, and the existing young men couldn't take care of them all. So he recruited another group of people, mostly graduates of Harbin Institute of Technology, who were neither the eldest nor the youngest in their families. These young men were eager to earn their own money, and Halim just happened to provide them with a platform.

The young men weren't afraid of hard work or exerting themselves; their only fear was not having money.

Li Long thought this was a good thing; Halim had also helped the county solve some employment issues.

Halim's trip wasn't just about delivering wolf pelts; he also hoped Li Long could help him order more crossbow bolts. After all, some of these bolts could be recovered, but others, if they hit hard objects like rocks, were difficult to retrieve. And some that hit the grass in the mountains were hard to find. The original bolts for each crossbow were now almost gone.

Li Long readily agreed to the task. For the machinery factory, making such small items was a piece of cake. In fact, the agricultural machinery repair shops in the county could also do it, and he planned to take some time to ask them.

After finishing his business, Halim sighed and said with emotion, "Now the people in the tribe have scattered. Most of them live in the county, and a few stay in the large courtyards in the township. The traditional winter slaughtering custom of our tribe has gradually faded away, since it is not very convenient to carry out winter slaughtering in the county."

He had originally intended to invite the people from those tribes to their winter camps to eat the meat slaughtered in winter, but most of them declined. Now everyone has their own things to do, and some of the elderly people feel more comfortable staying in the heated rooms in the county during the winter.

Most of the young men have found jobs and don't take breaks in the winter, so it's hard for them to get together.

Li Long was well aware that this was a period of great abundance and growth in the labor force. In northern Xinjiang, regardless of ethnicity, there were many young men and women. The rural areas and pastures could not accommodate them all, so most of them had to go to the city to find work and strive for their future.

Li Long comforted him, saying, "Everyone's busy right now. Things will get better in a couple of years. Once everyone's lives are better and more stable, the tradition of winter feasting will pick up again. Even if you don't invite everyone then, they'll still come to you."

In Li Long's memory, in another twenty or thirty years, the ethnic customs of various ethnic groups will be gradually amplified, and some traditional festivals that were not originally valued will be valued more and more.

Halim had always trusted Li Long implicitly, so when he heard him say this, he believed him.

Li Long originally wanted to invite Halim to stay for dinner, but he had other things to do. He said he was going to his mother's place. The old lady didn't see her son often in the summer, and now that her two grandsons had gone to work, she was very lonely. So Halim wanted to spend more time with his mother.

This is only natural and should be supported.

At noon, Li Long went back to the courtyard for lunch and told his family about Halimu's descent from the mountain. They talked about how no one was slaughtering animals for winter anymore. Gu Xiaoxia sighed when she heard this, saying that everyone is now focused on making money, and many things that the older generation used to care about are now rarely taken care of.

Older father Li Qingxia chimed in, saying, "It's hard to say whether this is good or bad. In my opinion, things are actually quite good here in the Northern Frontier. We can just ignore all those messy things."

My hometown has many rules and traditions, and many old customs have been preserved. Winters are certainly lively, but some of these traditions are really expensive, and the competition and comparison are much stronger there than in northern Xinjiang.

Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia were both quite curious, since they both grew up in northern Xinjiang. Although Li Long had stayed in his hometown when he was young, he didn't have a deep impression of it, so he asked his father what all those messy things in his hometown were.

While eating, Li Qingxia said, "What else could it be? It's just some broken rules that weren't completely broken when we were breaking down superstitions in the past."

They would block the road at the wedding to ask for favors, and dig pits when no one was around to take advantage of the situation and ask for money. Some things were agreed upon in advance, but they would add prices at the last minute and come up with all sorts of excuses just to take advantage of others.

Of course, there are also many good things. During the Spring Festival, there are many customs, such as ancestor worship and worshipping the Kitchen God, which makes it quite lively and full of human warmth. In northern Xinjiang, these are mostly newly established villages, and many traditions haven't been passed down. The villagers come from all over the country, so some things have been simplified.

Li Qingxia didn't say much, but both Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia understood. Many traditions are passed down orally. In their hometown, the village was inhabited by generations, and the rules became fixed. This place is a newer area, with fewer rules. Each has its own merits.

In the afternoon, Li Long remained in the reception room, engrossed in the rather difficult-to-understand novel.

Around 5 p.m., as the sun began to set, Li Long heard the sound of a car. He recognized it as a Santana driving into the front yard. A moment later, the Santana stopped, and someone walked through the front gate.

Soon, Sun Jiaqiang arrived at the reception room with one other person.

"Boss, this Mr. Dong is here to see you. He says he wants to discuss a business deal," Sun Jiaqiang said from the doorway. "What do you think..."

"Mr. Dong, right? Let Old Sun pour him some tea." Li Long closed his book, put it down, stood up, and said with a smile, "Please sit down."

This Mr. Dong, who is about 1.7 meters tall, looks slightly short next to Li Long. Of course, to be honest, there aren't many people who look relatively tall next to Li Long.

He was in his early thirties, looked quite shrewd, had a black bag tucked under his arm, and a smile on his face. Upon seeing Li Long, he proactively extended his hand, shaking Li Long's hand while saying with a smile:

"Mr. Li, we've heard so much about you! You're a role model for us all."

"You're too kind." Li Long didn't know where the other party came from, so he didn't say much and sat down to wait for the other party to speak.

"My name is Dong Lijun. I used to sell fish in Shicheng Old Street." This Mr. Dong took the initiative to introduce himself. "I worked hard from dawn to dusk to earn a meager living. Recently, I felt that people's lives have improved and they are more affluent. Most people can afford to eat fish now, so I thought I would expand my business and get into aquaculture."

Li Long agreed with Dong Lijun's statement that people's lives had improved. Although prices were rising, overall, people's lives were much better than in the 1980s.

Li Long simply nodded without replying, and continued listening to him.

“Aquaculture requires a suitable water surface. After asking around in the vicinity, I think the small lake area that you contracted, Mr. Li, is quite good. Moreover, as far as I know, you have raised crabs in it before. Although the number was not large, the fact that you were able to raise them successfully is truly beyond our expectations.”

Li Long began to understand. This Boss Dong had somehow heard that he was raising crabs in the small lake, so he planned to lease the lake and continue raising crabs there.

Crabs won't decrease in price much even in 30 or 40 years. Even if crabs are farmed in many waterways in northern and southern Xinjiang by then, they'll still cost at least tens of yuan per kilogram.

So this thing can be considered a high-end grey market import. If it's really saturated, making money is inevitable.

While ordinary people may not be able to eat crabs every meal, when the season comes around in August and September and crabs are in season, it's still possible to buy a few and take them home to enjoy.

Moreover, all the waters in Ma County are suitable for raising crabs. During the last few years when masks were in use, the crabs in our area suffered a disaster. At that time, crabs raised in several reservoirs in this county were airlifted to the south and sold as hairy crabs, which even made the news.

Li Long shook his head and said, "I just casually raise some wild crabs for my family to eat."

Dong Lijun was good at flattering people. As soon as he heard Li Long say that, he immediately gave a thumbs up: "Boss Li is really amazing. He can raise crabs and keep them alive for several years with just a little effort. He is a real talent."

I heard that these things are lucky to survive a year here, and rarely make it through the winter, since our winters are cold. It seems Mr. Li has a special skill; after two years, their heads get quite large, and they fetch a higher price.”

Li Long realized that Dong Lijun was trying to trick him into talking, so he didn't say anything, just smiled and took a sip of tea. Seeing that Li Long wasn't responding, Dong Lijun changed the subject, saying, "I've inquired, Mr. Li, you didn't spend much money to contract this Xiaohaizi Reservoir, did you? The contract you signed is for a fairly long term. When I asked about this in the village, people said that Mr. Li, you signed a long-term contract, and if you want to operate in this area, you'll have to come to you."

Seeing that Dong Lijun was always beating around the bush, Li Long felt that he was not sincere. Fortunately, he had been doing business for quite some time, and anyone could play the game of Tai Chi.

So Li Long said with a smile, "When I contracted the small lake, I was mainly thinking that I was used to eating the fish in it, and I didn't think that far ahead. If no one takes care of this small lake, it will be washed away by floods and it will be ruined. So I contracted it with the team and spent money to renovate it."

Li Long's meaning was also very clear: after I contracted this small lake, I didn't just do nothing. Not to mention installing sluice gates on the dam, the money spent on dredging twice was much higher than the contract fee.

So if you want to get something for free, no way.

Dong Lijun immediately nodded and said, "I've heard about it, I've heard about it. I heard that Boss Li made his fortune from the fish in this small lake. He made a lot of money selling fish in the early years. Now he doesn't sell fish anymore, but it's a bit of a waste to leave the small lake like this."

So I was thinking of cooperating with you, Mr. Li, to contract a portion of the water surface and do some aquaculture, such as raising fish, crabs, and shrimp.

"Of course, the contracting rights to Xiaohaizi still belong to you, Boss Li. You can catch as many fish as you want. I'll just contract a portion of the water surface, a few hundred square meters will suffice."

Li Long thought for a moment and said, "You want to do cage aquaculture?"

Dong Lijun asked with some surprise, "Mr. Li, you know about this? You're an expert! I was thinking of using net cages for crab farming, otherwise it's hard to catch the fry after releasing them. As for fish and shrimp, we can just release them directly, since there are more plants on the surface of the small lake, which is good for fish and shrimp to survive."

Li Long laughed.

There are more than a dozen reservoirs of varying sizes north of the county seat. If we're talking about the best hydrological environment or aquatic vegetation, Xiaohaizi is the only one. The other reservoirs are basically just bare water surfaces, completely devoid of anything.

Baitukeng, Yawagou, Xinhuping, and Dahaizi are all like this.

While it's possible to raise crabs in net cages on such bodies of water, it's difficult for them to overwinter inside. After all, these large reservoirs are enclosed by concrete slabs, unlike smaller lakes which are surrounded by earthen dams, providing ample space for crabs to burrow.

Crabs don't just burrow underwater; they also need to come out to breathe.

To get crabs big enough, they need to be from a long-lived family. Winters in northern Xinjiang are so cold that crabs have to dig deep enough to avoid freezing to death.

Upon closer examination, there aren't actually that many of these water surfaces that meet the criteria.

Moreover, those large reservoirs all have their own management organizations, unlike Xiaohaizi, which belongs solely to Team Four, making it easier to operate.

This was also the main reason why Dong Lijun came to find Li Long.

So even though he could tell that Li Long was trying to back down, he still took the initiative to say, "How about I take over the section of water on the north side without any grass for a thousand yuan, and give you a thousand yuan in rent every year?"

As far as I know, this thousand yuan is much more than what you paid to rent from the team. Although you've invested a lot in the small lake, that's all long-term work. And I heard you don't have to pay for the water from the small lake; that alone has already recouped your investment, right?

This person's calculations are quite precise, but unfortunately Li Long shook his head and said, "I think I made it quite clear before that I didn't intend to rent out this part of the water."

If you're going to raise crabs in net cages and then free-range fish and shrimp, you'll inevitably need to put feed in the water. To ensure survival rates, you might even add medication, which I can't accept. One of the main reasons I leased the small lake is that I want to eat the fresh fish, fresh shrimp, and wild crabs there.

Once you put feed or medicine in it, the stuff goes bad.

Dong Lijun was a little confused. He asked in bewilderment, "Just for a few bites of food, you're giving up a thousand yuan a year? That's no small amount. These days, ordinary workers and cadres only earn two or three hundred yuan a month. A thousand yuan is equivalent to half a year's work for them!"

Li Long smiled and said, "I'm not really interested in making too much money. As long as I have enough, that's fine. What can I do with more money? It's just for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. I feel like I have enough now, and having more wouldn't do me much good."

But if the environment in Xiaohaizi changes, I'll have to put in a lot more effort just to raise fish, which isn't necessary, Mr. Dong. I'm sorry, I really don't plan to lease out this water surface. If you really want to raise crabs, fish, shrimp, or something, you can ask about other reservoirs.

You could probably rent a decent body of water for less than that price, since you plan to use net cages for aquaculture and feed them, so whether there are aquatic plants in the reservoir or not doesn't matter.

Li Long knew what Dong Lijun was thinking. What he valued was not only the good water quality and the single management of Xiaohaizi, but also the abundance of fish species and resources in Xiaohaizi. He could raise crabs, fish, and shrimp there, and also benefit from the fish in the reservoir.

Of course, other reservoirs also have this advantage, but in the past two years, the county water conservancy department has also strengthened management. Most reservoir management agencies also have the function of fish farming, so it is not easy for Dong Lijun to gain an advantage.

Upon hearing Li Long's words, Dong Lijun's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about 1,500? We can discuss the contract fee. My crabs are ready, Mr. Li, you can eat as many as you like, it's free."

Seeing that Dong Lijun was still unwilling to give up, Li Long shook his head again and said, "Boss Dong, I really don't lack the money. What I value more is not wanting to change the water quality of Xiaohaizi and the quality of the fish in it. There's no room for discussion on that."

Even after Dong Lijun left and got into his Santana, he still couldn't understand why Li Long was so unwilling to make money and instead clung to him with that attitude.

What's the difference between wild and farmed fish? Farmed crabs are fed and treated with medicine, but in such a small area, how much impact can it have?

But Li Long disagreed, so there was nothing he could do. Actually, Dong Lijun initially wanted to pressure the village from the top down, through the township government, to get the village to agree and bypass Li Long.

However, the township official he had connections with was unwilling to take charge, saying that the reservoir was directly managed by the village. The village head had initially submitted the contract to the township with Li Long, and the township had considered generating some revenue through the reservoir, but the village rejected the idea.

So it won't work out. If you want to take over the contract, you'll have to discuss it directly with Li Long.

This really surprised Dong Lijun.

In the autumn, he had inspected all these bodies of water. The most ideal place for aquaculture was Xiaohaizi, and Xiaohaizi had successful experience in raising crabs, which particularly attracted Dong Lijun.

He used to sell fish and knew that, at least in Shicheng, quite a few people actually liked to eat crabs. Some of his regular customers who bought fish from him would sometimes ask him if he could send some crabs over.

It's a pity that with the current logistics efficiency, let alone getting them delivered, the crabs would all die halfway through the journey. Even if they could actually get live crabs delivered, the cost would be terrifyingly high, making them unaffordable for ordinary people.

Therefore, the best way is to raise them locally. Dong Lijun had never heard of raising crabs here before, nor had he ever thought of such a thing. It was only by chance that he heard that someone in Xiaohaizi, Ma County, had successfully raised crabs and shrimp, which surprised him quite a bit at the time.

After making some inquiries, I found out that it was true.

Li Long still has a lot of influence in the village, but Dong Lijun calculated that the profit from raising crabs is really high and the technology is not complicated, so he really couldn't bear to give up the money he could potentially earn, which is why he came to find Li Long.

According to Dong Lijun's understanding of businessmen, how could he possibly refuse money that was already in his hands? Moreover, for Li Long, this money was practically free; he only needed to carve out a portion of the market and then pocket the rest.

Although Li Long has a lot of money, who would complain about having too much money at this point? He can already afford a Santana and is the envy of others, so he still wants to switch to a Mercedes and drive something even better.

I imagine Li Long felt the same way.

But to his surprise, no matter what he said, Li Long just wouldn't agree.

That country bumpkin is so stubborn!

After Dong Lijun left, Li Long put the matter aside and continued reading his book.

Xiaohaizi is his lucky spot, and he has no intention of letting anyone else ruin it.

Li Long truly knows that farmed fish and wild fish taste very different, especially his favorite crucian carp. Farmed fish fall apart after being stewed for a short time and simply don't taste the same.

Even after Dong Lijun left, he was still trying to find a solution to the problem. He felt that if the township couldn't handle it, then he would go to the county.

There must be a place where Li Long can be kept in check.

P.S.: That's all for today. My daughter hurt her eye at school, so I took her to the doctor. Although it wasn't a big problem, and even though she was an innocent bystander, it was still a chaotic day, and my plans were all messed up.

Life is full of surprises; just accept them. (End of Chapter)