Li Long ate some briefly at Liu Gong's place, and then rounded up the seven pieces of material he had carved during this period.
I don’t know whether it’s because Liu Gong’s craftsmanship has recovered or because the business here is better. Two of the materials Liu Gong got were quite large and weighed more than one kilogram. They were among the few. Great stuff here.
The material is made of raw stone leather, one is maroon and the other is golden. They are all carved according to the leather. One is a New Year doll holding a red lantern, and the other is a good fortune boy holding a golden carp. They are both very auspicious. Character image.
Although the other materials are not big in size, their texture is very good. They are basically above first-grade white. They are very oily in the hand and Li Long can't put them down when he holds them.
In addition to Liu Gongdiao’s materials, Li Long also bought nine pieces of apprenticeship materials from here. Although the carving was a bit dull, the advantage was that the material was good. Liu Gong tried to persuade him, but if he didn't, it was up to him.
Li Long's satchel couldn't be fully loaded, so Liu Gong found him a plastic bag, wrapped the materials in newspapers and put them in the plastic bag.
After Li Long said goodbye to Liu Gong with these things, he turned to the main road, waited for the bus, and sat back to the guest house.
I don’t know if I will ever see Yu Sufu again.
This time he spent all the travel expenses given to him by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy jade materials. He also put in a lot of money himself.
But it’s worth it. Save more of these things, and when they become valuable, selling some can bring back a lot of money.
This is Li Long's most basic idea at this time.
When he returned to the guest house, dinner had just begun.
Li Long put his things in the room and then went to the cafeteria.
He believed that no one would touch the things inside. Anyone who dares to touch anything inside will probably be arrested within half an hour of the incident.
Dinner is mainly porridge and milk tea. Staple foods include naan, steamed buns, flower rolls, hair cakes, etc., various stir-fried vegetables, as well as pickles, butter, honey, etc.
Li Long saw Aidaxi preparing milk tea. He scooped out a bowl of porridge, took two small flower rolls, filled a plate of vegetables, and sat next to Aidaxi and ate together.
The flower rolls were rolled with two kinds of spicy seeds and chopped green onions. Li Long took one each and found them both delicious. After eating, I felt not full yet, so I went over to get another one.
Aidaxi looked at Li Long eating there and said with a smile:
"Young people have a good appetite. As we get older, we don’t dare to eat more at night. I’m afraid I won’t sleep well.”
Li Long smiled, swallowed the food in his mouth and said:
"It's still some time before I go to bed, and I've almost digested it now. Brother Aidaxi, are the apples you grow good or not? Is anyone going to collect them?"
Later Generations Aksu Rock Sugar Heart red Fuji, and Yantai Apple Apples, Shaanxi apples, etc. are famous all over the country, especially those produced in Hongqi Slope. There are so many people who want to eat them that many boxes selling apples are printed with Aksu Authentic Hongqi Slope Red Fuji. , just like Wuchang rice.
But at this stage, it is not so well-known. Even in northern Xinjiang, its reputation is not as good as that of Ili Apple.
“It’s not easy to sell.” Aidaxi smiled bitterly, “There are very few people who come to collect them. We mainly take them to the fruit wholesale market, or find food factories to sell them to process juice.”
< br>Li Long knew that the fruits used for apple juice processing in later generations were almost all defective fruits, and the good fruits were taken out in boxes and sold wholesale. The year he had an accident in his last life, there was a bumper harvest of fruits in various parts of northern and southern Xinjiang, and the fruits that year were particularly delicious, such as small white apricots, small red apricots, fragrant pears, dinosaur eggs, prunes and other high-quality first-grade fruits. Let merchants from the mainland contract the orchards, pick the fruits in the early morning, pack them with foam nets and put them in dozens of boxes, and transport them directly to the mainland in a cold chain by air, and sell them at a high price.
The local dried dried fruits, which originally cost a few yuan per kilogram, are grafted and packaged into small red apricots, and are sold in the mainland for as much as forty or fifty yuan per kilogram...
I'm getting too far ahead.
Li Long thought for a while, and there was no good way to help sell apples now. After all, fruit is not a critical necessity these days. When everyone is striving to have enough to eat, ordinary families don’t actually care whether there is fruit or not.
"But even if it is sold to squeeze juice, it is better than growing food." Aidaxi finished the milk tea and wiped his mouth and said, "If the income can be higher, everyone will be happy."
That's true. Whether it is now or in the future, ordinary people are actually quite content. The income from the fields can feed a family and meet normal expenses, which is pretty much it.
If you encounter a better-priced annual income, you can earn a few more dollars, buy new clothes for your family, or buy a big item for your home, then the smile on your face will basically not disappear by the end of the year.
After both of them finished eating, they returned to the room together. At this time, there was no TV installed in the room, so Aidaxi asked Li Long about fruits in northern Xinjiang.
"There are very few fruits." Li Long answered truthfully, "Here, at least in Ma County where I live, there are no large-scale planting of apples, pears and other storable fruits. There are some in summer. Peach, but there is no way to store it. The weather here in the county and Shicheng is cold, so we need to grow fruits. The fruit trees need to be buried in winter, which is more troublesome.”
“You said I want to bring a cart of apples to your place to sell in the autumn. Will it make money?” Aidaxi asked with interest.
"It's hard to say. If the freight is expensive, it won't be worth it. But if we come here to sell fruits after the autumn harvest, there will still be a lot of people who want to buy them." Li Long thought for a while and said, "Our market over there There are not many fruit sellers and the prices are quite expensive.”
Aidaxi nodded and began to think about whether this was worth doing.
One is in southern Xinjiang and the other is in northern Xinjiang. They are separated by a Tianshan Mountain. They are both very interested in each other's situation. When Aidaxi knew that Li Long often went into the mountains to hunt, he said:
“Actually, when I was young, my father also took us hunting, and I even saw tigers and snow leopards! But now we can no longer see tigers. Occasionally, we hear from herders on the mountainside that there are still snow leopards coming down the mountain to eat sheep.”
“Snow leopard skins. A piece of more than a thousand." Li Long calculated the economic calculation, "If there is a tiger, a piece of skin must cost two to three thousand..."
"Is it so expensive?" Darcy didn't hunt and didn't understand this. He said in surprise, "How much is a piece of skin worth? More than three thousand, you can buy a walking tractor!"
Walk-behind tractors are the kind of tractors with grasshopper legs, which are cheaper than small four-wheel tractors. There are relatively few such tractors in Beijiang.
Li Long smiled and said:
"Young master, it is naturally expensive."
"Some old hunters should have leather like this at home." Aida Xi thought for a while and said, "I'll go back and ask if there are any, let them take them out and sell them, or change them." Improve your life. It’s better to sell it if it keeps getting worms. Life is pretty hard here. I told you, don’t laugh at me. This is my first time eating like this.” br>
"This is my first time too. Don't make fun of anyone else." Li Long said with a smile.
The two people chatted and exchanged a lot of information until very late.
There was a meeting at eleven o'clock the next morning. Both of them got up very early. After getting up, they walked around the yard. After Li Long washed up, he went to eat, and then the staff gathered them together. , explain the precautions for the meeting. It was explained in detail, including the need to use the restroom before attending the meeting.
Listening to a twenty-three or four-year-old girl seriously reminding them to remember to use the toilet later, Li Long felt quite ashamed, but he thought about it and it was right. For the staff, this was a good thing. Things that are part of the job. What should I do if there is no reminder in place and someone feels anxious during the meeting? Such a possibility definitely exists. After all, it can be seen that everyone participating in the meeting is in a very excited mood. Not everyone can think of this matter.
Remembering the precautions, Li Long and the others then dispersed, each packed up their things, brought meeting supplies, and prepared to attend the meeting.
Li Long went to the toilet as required and carried his conference bag. His satchel and the bag of jade wrapped in newspaper were placed on the bedside table.
Come out to assemble, and then the staff will lead you by car to the auditorium to attend the meeting.
It is my first time to participate in a commendation meeting at the autonomous region level, and it may be the only time in my life. To say that I am not excited would be a lie. Li Long tried his best to keep the corners of his mouth pressed down and maintain a calm expression all the way to the assembly hall.
As a person of two generations, it is the first time for me to participate in such a large meeting as one of the protagonists. It is impossible to say that I am not nervous or excited.
Entering the auditorium, looking at thousands of faces looking at him, he felt his blood boiling at that moment, and thunderous applause rang out. At that moment, Li Long even felt that in this life, Even if I die now, it's worth it.
Then I sat down with the team in a daze, waiting for the leaders to arrive on the rostrum, the meeting to start, everyone to play music upright, the leader to give speeches, awards and so on.
Each advanced individual will receive a certificate and a cash reward of 100 yuan. If converted based on salary, it is equivalent to 10,000 yuan in future generations, which is quite a lot.
After commending advanced units and individuals, the leader made a speech. Coming over and sitting in the middle of the rostrum was a vice chairman. When he spoke, Li Long heard what he said clearly:
"...National unity work is very important, especially here. I think What a young comrade said is very vivid. Only by holding together like pomegranate seeds can we unite our nations well and live together on this land. We are just like brothers and sisters. They are equal..."
Well, the influence of this sentence has expanded again.
After the meeting, the advanced individuals took a group photo with the leaders. After the photo was taken, the vice chairman specially found Li Long, held his hand and said:
"Comrade Li Long, your ideological consciousness is very high, and the things you have done are worthy of learning from people of all ethnic groups. What you said is very good. I believe you can do better in this regard in the future. What are the difficulties? You can raise it with the organization in time, and the organization will be your strong backing..."
Zhang Xinhua, who was not far away, took this photo and prepared to put it in tomorrow's daily newspaper.
After the leader finished speaking to Li Long, he left the venue. Li Long hurried over to Zhang Xinhua and said with a smile:
"Reporter Zhang, can you develop a photo of the photo you just took for me?"
"Okay." Zhang Xinhua Smiling and said, "When will you go back?"
"I'll go back today. If I can't wash it out in a while, will I get it from you when I come over?" Li Long asked.
"No, no, no. Your group photo will be sent to the unit when the time comes. I will just send you the photo and the group photo together. Is one photo enough?"
"Then... ...Two?" Li Long guessed that given Director Wei or Li Xiang's character, they would want a group photo, and they might also want this group photo.
After the meeting, the staff led them, representatives of advanced units and advanced individuals, out of the auditorium and back to the guest house, and then provided everyone with tickets.
The protection is very good.
The staff also took the initiative to say that if you don't leave today, the guest house will provide lunch and dinner for today, and you can stay here for one night and leave tomorrow.
Li Long knew the implication. He could stay one more night tonight, but he had to leave tomorrow.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Li Long decided to have another lunch at the guest house and return to Ma County in the afternoon.
Lunch was still sumptuous, and Aidaxi was also there. While the two were chatting, he told Li Long that he would take the bus back to Aksu in the afternoon.
“Maybe I will have the opportunity to sell apples in your Ma County in the future.”
"Then I welcome you with both hands and treat you to some of our noodles." Li Long said jokingly, "I'm at the supply and marketing cooperative. You can definitely find me then."
"The supply and marketing cooperative is a good unit. Ah." Aidaxi's eyes lit up, "Yes. There are many procurement tasks. Some of our high-quality apples will be bought by the supply and marketing cooperatives and said to be sent to Wucheng and the mainland. "
"Yes, there are indeed many from the supply and marketing cooperatives every year. Such a mission." Li Long nodded. He won't take work for the supply and marketing cooperative here - firstly, he doesn't know whether it is needed, and secondly, the distance is too far, and the travel expenses are difficult to calculate.
After dinner, Li Long didn't rest. He got his things from the room, said goodbye to Aidaxi, and then went to say goodbye to the staff in charge here. At the door of the guest house, Li Long saw reporter Zhang Xinhua again. She was interviewing a representative of an advanced unit with paper and pen.
After seeing Li Long, Zhang Xinhua smiled. Li Long walked over, took out a fist-sized newspaper bag from his satchel and handed it over and said:
"Reporter Zhang, thank you. I'm going back now. This is the gadget I bought here as a small gift for you."
It's something casually wrapped in newspaper, it doesn't look like it. Li Long stuffed the valuables directly into his hands, and Zhang Xinhua took them easily. She was still interviewing and couldn't reply, so Li Long waved his hand and left.
Li Long did not go directly to the Bayi Guest House to take the bus, but went to the department store first. Now that I'm here, I have to buy some gifts for my family and go back.
The weather has gotten hotter, and young girls wearing dresses can be seen on the street. Li Long bought Gu Xiaoxia a floral dress in a department store. He guessed that his wife would like it.
I bought my dad a wetsuit, the one that reaches the chest. I bought a hat for my mother, the kind worn by the elderly.
The eldest brother and sister-in-law all wear work clothes. Here they sell work clothes that are the same as work clothes. Li Long bought two pieces for them to wear while working in the fields.
I bought a straw hat for my second sister-in-law, and the four children all have toys, the kind that can be moved by twisting a spring, like a tin frog. There are four different kinds, and you can play with them interchangeably. .
After purchasing, Li Long rushed to the Bayi Guest House carrying a bag of things.
There are more people taking the bus here than before. Li Long bought a ticket for an hour later. He estimated that it would be almost dark when he returned to Ma County.
Nothing special happened along the way. Li Long was sitting and listening to the conversations of the people next to him. The main reason was that prices were rising, and he was also speculating on the price of food this year. Looking at both sides of the road, the fields are mainly planted with corn, sunflower and wheat. There are farmers working in the fields, there are still relatively few tractors, and there are more horse-drawn carriages and donkey carts parked on the edge of the fields.
Occasionally, you can see a tractor driving on the road, then turning into a fork in the road, or being overtaken by a car and disappearing behind it.
Li Long thought about this time, should the subsequent events caused by being published in the newspaper be over? Go back by yourself, report to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow, report the matter, and then you can pretty much be busy with your own affairs.
What Li Long didn't know was that Harimu came down the mountain today.
After almost a month on the mountain, Harimu still felt uneasy about his family. He told Yushanjiang and rode out of Xia Ranch with his things on horseback.
Halimu first arrived at his winter home. Everything here was as usual and nothing had changed. No one came to live there, which was good.
Harimu turned to Li Long's wooden house again. The door of the wooden house was locked, and there were no traces of life in the short term.
Then he rushed to the holding point of the animal husbandry team. The mother and child stay at home. Although there should be someone to take care of them at the stay, they are not their own people after all, so they are not at ease.
But when he rushed to the animal husbandry team and saw his house from a distance, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Is that your home? The house was not like this when we left!
Now the house has become new, the yard has become new, and the road from the yard to the outside has also been paved.
Harimu rode his horse slowly to the gate of the courtyard, and he saw the well.
My mother is sitting on the threshold, and other left-behind villagers from the animal husbandry team are queuing up to press water at the well. A stream of clear water flows from the well mouth into the bucket.
Halimu licked his lips. The water was completely different from the water in the river dam outside.
It should be very sweet, right?
The old lady saw Harimu, smiled happily, and said a series of words.
Other people in the yard also saw Harimu, and they greeted him one after another.
Halimu responded one by one. After these people left, he asked his mother the reason for the changes in the family.
Finally I found out, it turned out to be Li Long.
The old lady said a lot to Harimu, and Harimu nodded repeatedly.
Halimu went to Yushanjiang’s house. Yushanjiang asked him to bring back some things. He found that Yushanjiang’s house had also undergone big changes.
As for the staying points of the animal husbandry team, the two of them have changed the most, and they are just like the new ones. There are also some people in Yushanjiang's family queuing up to kill the well. Harimu heard someone saying that the water from this well is really good.
In the afternoon, Nathan and Susken came home from school, and Harim saw the new schoolbags the children were carrying.
At this moment, he had mixed feelings. It was really good and good to have such a brother. (End of this chapter)