frightfiction Chapter 1389 Xu Haijun's Way of Life
Chapter 1389 Xu Haijun's Way of Life
After giving Xu Haijun his advice, Li Long stopped paying attention to it, feeling that the matter was no longer his responsibility.
Others thought it was just a topic that would be moved on, but Xu Haijun took it to heart.
After their informal gathering at the cooperative, Xu Haijun went to see his cousin, the team leader Xu Chengjun, the next day. Xu Haijun didn't have many connections in the Second and Sixth Team. But Xu Chengjun was different. Having served as team leader and village head for so many years, Xu Chengjun had extensive connections throughout the township.
To Xu Haijun's surprise, his other cousin, Xu Jianjun, was also there. Xu Haijun had originally planned to wait until Xu Jianjun left before discussing the matter with the team leader. However, Xu Jianjun refused to leave and insisted on asking Xu Haijun what he wanted.
Xu Haijun couldn't refuse any longer. Anyway, if this matter really escalated, there was no point in hiding it. He told Captain Xu Chengjun about it, hoping he could pass on a message to the second team so it would be easier for him to go and find the people.
Of course, his purpose in coming here was not only to have Xu Chengjun pass on a message, but also to hear Captain Xu Chengjun's opinion and see if this matter could be resolved.
After listening to Xu Haijun's words, Xu Chengjun thought for a moment and then asked, "Who gave you this idea? Are the people in your cooperative willing to do it?"
“Yesterday, at the cooperative meeting, Li Long specifically brought up this matter. I originally thought that if the cultivated land of our several families were merged together, I would take charge. But Li Long’s idea is that no matter how many parts the team is divided into, Lao Xie should take charge of all the areas. However, if we go out of the team to contract out land, then I can take charge.”
"If you're going to contract out your work to the cooperative, why don't you do it yourself? If you go and do it for the cooperative, how will you split the profits? Won't the cooperative take the lion's share? Aren't you just working for someone else? It's not worth it!" Xu Jianjun couldn't help but say after hearing this.
“If you want to contract land in other places, you’ll need at least 500 mu (approximately 33 hectares) to start,” Xu Haijun said, glancing at him. “If we take 500 mu as an example, the renovation cost will be at least 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, or even 100,000 yuan.”
"Am I going to pay for this myself? I can afford it, but when it comes time to install drip irrigation, I'll have to buy the drip irrigation tape at market price, which will cost several hundred yuan per acre. How can I possibly make any money then?"
Xu Jianjun didn't know the intricacies of cooperative farming, and after hearing Xu Haijun's explanation, he was completely baffled. He couldn't help but ask again, "If that's the case, how does your cooperative make money? Isn't it the same in nature?"
"How can that be the same?" Xu Chengjun always thought his cousin was an idiot. He explained on behalf of Xu Haijun, "With Li Long joining the cooperative, and him owning his own drip irrigation tape factory, he can buy drip irrigation tape at cost price and save several hundred yuan."
Moreover, the land reclamation was supervised by someone with experience, and it was a standardized project from start to finish. Li Long participated twice and knew the key points.
If the navy were to develop its own system, how could it possibly obtain drip irrigation tape at cost price? If it were to do it itself, it would have to supervise the entire land reclamation process, and if anything went wrong along the way, it would create a whole host of problems later on.
Besides, when the cooperative contracts land from other teams, the people from those teams generally won't back out halfway through, since the cooperative is highly regarded and praised by the township.
"If you contract land on your own, and the other party reneges, it's difficult to sue them. After all, the village can take back the land whenever they want. But if you improve the land yourself, and they come and take it all back, reaping the benefits, would you be happy?"
Xu Jianjun fell silent.
although.
Nothing like this has ever happened in any of the production teams, but when that time comes, no one can guarantee anything.
After all, the cost of transforming one mu of land is close to two hundred yuan, and there are really not many people in the team who can afford it. Even if Xu Haijun, who has already made money from the cooperative, can afford it, it will be a huge financial burden after the land is transformed. After that, agricultural supplies will also be needed, which is another considerable expense.
The people in the cooperative know about taking out loans to farm, but others don't. Now, in the whole village and even the whole township, there are very few people who are truly willing to take out loans to farm.
The reason he could still explain so patiently was mainly because Xu Jianjun was a member of his own family. Even if he was stupid, blood is thicker than water, and he still had to say what needed to be said.
"Navy, let me inquire about this for you. I have a pretty good relationship with Old Huang from the Second Squadron. I'll ask him if they've contracted out their mobile work area yet. But to be honest, this year's timing is a bit rushed. Even if you wanted to contract it out, it would probably be the end of 1993 by then."
"If the reserve land isn't leased out, then I'm really planning to lease out 500 mu or more. Even if it can't be renovated by this spring, I can lease it for seven or eight years or ten years and renovate it slowly. According to Xiaolong, cotton prices won't drop anytime soon. Even if it's not drip irrigation, you can still make a lot of money growing cotton normally."
Xu Haijun took this quite seriously, so he urged Xu Chengjun to make the call as soon as possible.
Xu Chengjun didn't dawdle any longer. He picked up the phone and dialed. Old Huang from the second team answered, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Chengjun explained the purpose of his call.
"We do have about six or seven hundred mu of land, and quite a few members want to lease it, but they're mostly offering leases of tens or hundreds of mu, and they're planning to grow cotton. What's up? Do you have any ideas?"
“A brother of mine here works in the cooperative and wants to lease your land long-term. It’s just six or seven hundred acres, how about leasing it all out for ten years? Don’t worry, the lease fee will definitely be higher than what your team offers. Anyway, it’s all from the same team, so it doesn’t matter who leases it to.”
"You can't say that. The land belongs to our team, so it's definitely going to be given priority to our team members." Old Huang still has some principles. "Unless the contract fee is raised to a level that our team members can accept, this matter definitely can't be done."
"What is the average price of the contracted land for your six or seven hundred acres?" Xu Chengjun asked.
"Eighty to one hundred yuan. Two hundred kilograms of yield, this is about the same as your team. Wheat is at this price now. If our team contracts it out, it might get a discount, but if we contract it out to others, it will cost at least one hundred and twenty."
The microphone was very loud, and Xu Jianjun and Xu Haijun could hear it. Xu Haijun felt that the price was still a bit high. After all, if they were to actually contract the land for renovation, it would require a large sum of money. The contract fee was one expense, and with the initial investment, the cooperative simply didn't have that much money.
"Two hundred kilograms per mu? That's impossible. You're keeping such good land as reserve land?" Xu Chengjun was an old hand and immediately sensed that there was something wrong with what Lao Huang said.
The best land in every production team would definitely be allocated to the members as their food rations first; otherwise, the members wouldn't be willing. After all, if you were to allocate the best land as reserve land, how could you guarantee the collective interests of the members? There were too many shady dealings involved.
That's why Xu Chengjun felt there was something wrong with what Lao Huang said.
"It's good land cleared out along the riverbank," Old Huang chuckled. "If you really want to lease it, the lease fee is negotiable, but it won't be much lower."
Xu Chengjun felt it was acceptable that Lao Huang had put it this way. He continued, "Alright, our cooperative will come to discuss this with you before the New Year. It will definitely depend on the land, and the contract price will be calculated based on the land's condition."
We're all farmers. Whether the land is fertile or fertile, that's something we can't fool, so let's leave the topic here.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Chengjun gestured to Xu Haijun to think it over carefully and see if he should tell the cooperative about the situation. The key was to see what Xu Haijun planned to do.
He also offered his speculation that the land contract price could be negotiated down to around 80 or 90 yuan, and it was unlikely to go any lower, since Lao Huang would definitely have to explain things to the commune members.
However, the payment method will be more flexible. It is impossible to pay all the money for ten years at once. You can pay every two or three years, as long as it is written in the contract.
After Xu Haijun left Xu Chengjun's house, Xu Jianjun said to Xu Chengjun, "Brother, what do you think about me contracting some land? There's quite a lot of reserve land in our village, isn't there?"
"Do you have that kind of spare money?" Xu Chengjun retorted. "You're not thinking of buying on credit, are you? Even if you're not a village representative, you should know that the contracting of the reserve land in this team requires approval from the village representative meeting. Even if I suggest you contract it, if you don't pay, do you think the representative will agree? Your brother is just the village head, not a big landowner!"
"I was thinking about what the Navy just said, that cotton prices might be quite high this year," Xu Jianjun explained. "I also want to earn more money. If I contract more land and plant cotton, even if I don't earn as much as the cooperative with drip irrigation, at least I can make a better living."
“That’s a good idea, but let’s figure out your family’s land first.” Xu Chengjun was not swayed by his cousin’s words at all. “With the grain ration land allocated to your family, plus another plot of land, that’s thirty or forty mu. If you can grow cotton on all of that, you can make a lot of money by the end of the year.”
"With that kind of capital, then you can talk about contracting the team's reserve land. I'm your brother, not your father. You wouldn't be thinking of paying for your contracted land, would you?"
Seeing that Xu Jianjun actually nodded, Xu Chengjun became furious and shouted, "Get out!"
Xu Jianjun then left.
Ma Hongmei, who was in the kitchen, came over and offered some words of advice: "Why get angry with him? They're relatives."
"Only relatives would cheat me! When other people come to my team leader for help, they are all very polite, like Li Long, and they even bring gifts from time to time. That's how you ask someone for a favor."
He's so unreliable! He comes to me empty-handed, acting like it's my duty to help him. If this keeps up, I won't let him come next time. If he does, I'll get a stick and beat him out!
“How can you compare him to Li Long? Our whole team only has one person like Li Long.” Ma Hongmei sighed. “Alright, alright, even if you’re angry, you’re all from the Xu family. If you can’t get it done, just tell him. There’s no need to get angry.”
Far away in Yanjing, Director Dai looked at the boxes on the table and said with a smile to Xiao Wang, who was fetching the boxes, "See? This Comrade Li Long is really different. He reciprocates our kindness. We gave him some local specialties, and he immediately returned them. These things are rare and not cheap. Li Long is very thoughtful."
"Director, what should we do with these things? Should we put them in the warehouse?" Xiao Wang asked with a smile.
“No need to put it in the warehouse, this is a private gesture from them.” Director Dai picked out two items from the opened box and said, “Since it’s a token of Comrade Li Long’s appreciation for our Beijing office, let’s distribute it. Everyone gets one, and the items will vary in value. We’ll draw lots to decide who gets what, that way it’ll be fair.”
Xiao Wang took them downstairs to deal with them, while Director Dai sat in his chair playing with the two little things, feeling that his previous strategy was indeed very correct.
This Comrade Li Long is truly honest. Even disregarding other complicated matters, from a purely moral standpoint, he is a trustworthy person.
Li Long soon learned about Xu Haijun's contact with the second team.
He and Lao Xie felt that if the price was right and they could reach an agreement, they could indeed go there to contract land to expand the cooperative's business scope.
Through several years of adjustment, the cooperative's operation and management have become relatively mature. Although Xie Yundong is in charge of the overall management and has the most responsibilities, the others are actually quite familiar with this model, so they should have no major problems running the business.
The main question is whether to immediately implement drip irrigation if the land is contracted out? Because once this money is invested, it cannot be recovered.
There are certain risks involved.
The two of them agreed that if the land could be leased for more than five years, then the renovation would be worthwhile; if the lease period was too short, then the money spent on renovation might be wasted.
Ultimately, the two decided to have Xu Haijun talk to the people from the second team and see what the final outcome would be. They also explained the cooperative's bottom line to Xu Haijun.
"The contract period is at least five years, the land is at least 500 mu, and the contract fee cannot exceed 100 yuan. It will not change for three years. Even if it is to be increased, it will be after three years. The increase must be negotiated by both parties or there must be a ratio."
Xu Haijun took this bottom line to talk to Lao Huang from the second team. Whether they could reach an agreement depended on him.
In January, the temperature in Team 4 was around minus 20 degrees Celsius during the day and dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius at night.
It was very cold, but the children on holiday weren't afraid at all. They played football in the snow during the day or played mahjong on the road.
Li Qiang occasionally takes Mingming and Haohao out to play, but most of the time he is reading, memorizing vocabulary, or asking his sister for help.
Mingming and Haohao are showing signs of succeeding Li Qiang as the leader of the kids. Although they are not old, the two brothers are quite tall, and since they share the same opinion, they often become the center of attention for the group of children.
Furthermore, both children are generous, often carrying some spare change or snacks in their pockets. When they go to the store to buy something, they share it with others, which easily wins their support.
Apart from Liu Gaolou bringing a truckload of goods every ten days or half a month, Li Long stayed in the fourth team the rest of the time, because there was nothing much going on at the purchasing station in winter, and it was managed by Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng.
By mid-January, Li Long had all three of his companies close for the holidays. With less than ten days until the Lunar New Year, Liu Gaolou, after delivering the last batch of supplies before the holiday, simply let the convoy take the canned goods and sugar back themselves, while he drove to Wucheng to go home.
There were people he had designated in charge of the convoy, so although Li Long was a little worried about that, he didn't need to worry about it.
After sending him away, Li Long had someone work overtime to process the hides and antelope horns that Liu Gaolou had brought over, and then announced a holiday.
The benefits they received from these two factories and a meat jerky workshop were the envy of other small businesses in the county, and even state-owned enterprises.
After all, most companies and institutions are still working, and they only get three days off for the Spring Festival.
It's unimaginable that small businesses under Li Long's command would be given almost a month-long break. Sun Jiaqiang oversees the purchasing station, arranging for employees to take turns on duty; they can simply call Li Long if anything happens. Usually, even if there's a problem, it's someone coming to buy a car; the fourth team and the county compound have phone numbers, so they're easily contacted.
In Li Long's bungalow in Team Four, Gu Xiaoyu, wearing the big floral cotton-padded jacket that Liang Yuemei had once made for Gu Xiaoxia, and cloth shoes with multiple layers of soles, leaned against the fireplace with a joyful smile on her face.
“Sister, let me tell you, I’ve always wanted to dress like this, but ever since I came to Yanjing with Mom, it’s been impossible.” Gu Xiaoyu said from the bottom of her heart, “I remember when I was little, I dressed like this. Back then, my grandma made my cotton clothes and cloth shoes. Later, even though we bought nicer ones, I still felt that the ones we made were more comfortable.”
“You’re just weird.” Gu Xiaoxia couldn’t empathize with her at all. “We wear these every day in the countryside, hoping that one day we can have a pair of those cotton-padded shoes or leather shoes that we can buy, and wear those clothes that we can buy. But you, you do the opposite of what we do.”
"There's a line in 'Fortress Besieged' that says marriage is like a castle: those inside want to get out, and those outside want to get in. Actually, it's pretty much the same in cities and rural areas. People in cities think that people in rural areas live more freely, while people in rural areas think that people in cities live more exciting lives. It's the same principle, isn't it?"
“I really hope you live a more exciting life, but it doesn’t seem exciting enough right now.” Gu Xiaoxia teased her sister. “I won’t join Dad in urging you to get married quickly. I haven’t experienced what it’s like for you to live over there, so I can only say that you should be happy.”
"Hey! I'm already very happy with this. Everyone I meet claims to be doing it for my own good and urges me to find a partner and get married as soon as possible, but this can't be rushed." Gu Xiaoyu was also a little troubled. "Luckily, my dad isn't the kind of domineering parent, unlike my mom, who nags me every time we meet, otherwise I would have to run away again."
“No need, no need. If Dad nags you again, just stay here and don’t go see him.” Gu Xiaoxia naturally sided with her sister. “Although life here isn’t as colorful as it is in the city, you still have freedom.”
“I just feel that the rural areas in northern Xinjiang are completely different from the rural areas I heard about from my students. There aren’t so many of those annoying feudal traditions and customs,” Gu Xiaoyu said with a sigh. “That’s why I really like staying here.”
"Do you want to transfer here?" Gu Xiaoxia asked casually. "There are quite a few universities in Wucheng. Is it easy to transfer from your school to a university in Wucheng?"
Gu Xiaoyu shook her head, pondering the feasibility of this problem.
Footsteps were heard outside, and soon someone pushed the door open and came in.
Li Long watched the two sisters chatting, rubbed his hands together, and asked, "What are you talking about? It sounds so profound."
“I asked Xiaoyu if she wanted to be transferred to Wucheng,” Gu Xiaoxia explained. “She said she prefers the rural areas in northern Xinjiang, which are more open-minded and less feudal than what people say.”
"Transfer from Yanjing to Wucheng? Are you crazy!" Li Long blurted out. "So many people would kill to be transferred to Yanjing, and you guys actually want to be transferred here? People naturally want to move up, and you're just going with the flow!"
Both sisters laughed.
“Yes, I was confused just now and that’s why I said that.” Gu Xiaoxia shook her head and smiled. “Yanjing has far more resources than Wucheng in every aspect. For the sake of the future, it’s better to stay there.”
“That’s right,” Li Long said. “Xiaoyu is the envy of so many people. You’ve all felt it these past few days. Knowing that Xiaoyu came from Yanjing, so many people in our team wanted to come and see her. They all thought she was a distinguished guest.”
"It's true that I feel like people are pointing and whispering about me wherever I go in the team," Gu Xiaoyu said. "It's not that they're being malicious, it's just curiosity. Everyone seems to be curious about whether I, a person from Yanjing, look different from you guys."
“After all, they’re from the capital,” Li Long said in a serious tone in Mandarin. “They’re definitely different from us country bumpkins from the remote northwest.”
Gu Xiaoyu immediately became unhappy. He grabbed Gu Xiaoxia's arm and pretended to be angry as he complained, "Sister! Look, brother-in-law is bullying me and making fun of me!"
"Alright, alright, I'll get revenge for you!" Gu Xiaoxia said, standing up and gently tapping Li Long a few times with her small arm. "Look, I hit him!"
"That's not hitting, it's more like tickling your brother-in-law. I think you two are just flirting!" Gu Xiaoyu was even more unwilling.
"Alright, alright, I'm scared of you guys, I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" Li Long went to the kitchen, grabbed some donkey intestines, and hurried out. "You guys continue chatting."
"Where are you going? To the back, or to someone else's house? Are you coming back for lunch?" Gu Xiaoxia hurriedly stood up and asked.
"I went to Haijun's house. It seems he found out some things. A few of us from the cooperative discussed it and decided we wouldn't be coming back for lunch," Li Long said before heading out.
“Sigh, he can’t stay idle even in the dead of winter,” Gu Xiaoxia sighed. “Your brother-in-law is busy all year round. Even the county magistrate isn’t this busy.”
“It’s good that he’s busy. It means his business is developing. I think it’s great. My brother-in-law is like a farmer in the new era who doesn’t have to toil in the fields. He’s using mechanized farming, scientific farming, and he’s also a leader in getting rich.”
Gu Xiaoyu's words made Gu Xiaoxia smile. She took her sister's hand and said, "People from big cities really know how to summarize. Your brother-in-law is really different from the average farmer."
He really doesn't like going to the fields. Sometimes he idles around, just like he was before he was twenty. He seems a bit lazy and unwilling to work.
But because he had so many ideas and everyone trusted him, he managed to get things done one by one, and the projects grew bigger and bigger, which felt quite amazing.
Watching her sister happily recount these things, Gu Xiaoyu felt genuinely envious. She felt she might never be as happy as her sister in her entire life.
When Li Long arrived at Xu Haijun's house, the others were already there, playing cards inside.
He greeted Xu Haijun and his wife, who were busy at work, and handed them the donkey intestines. Then he went into the inner room and, seeing that everyone was there, he joked, "You've all come! You've arrived so early."
“That’s right. The Navy couple rarely get to host a dinner party, so naturally they have to come early,” Liang Dacheng said as he played a card.
"What are you saying?" Xie Yundong followed up with a note and quickly explained, "The wives of naval officers work in the countryside. It's not so easy for them to come back. Unlike us, who are at the unit every day and can get together whenever we want."
"Alright, alright, as long as there's something to eat, that's fine." Jia Weidong also tried to smooth things over. "The Navy called everyone over today, so they must have something to say. Let's listen carefully later."
Xu Haijun happened to walk in and asked Li Long, "Xiao Long, how do we make this? We've never done this before and don't know how to do it."
"This is already braised. You can slice it and then make a cold salad. Or you can slice it and arrange it on a plate, and prepare a dipping sauce with chopped green onions and vinegar on the side for dipping the braised meat."
"Okay, I understand." Xu Haijun then went back to the kitchen.
Liang Dacheng asked curiously, "Xiaolong, what did you bring?"
“Donkey intestines,” Li Long said casually. “Last year, Old Ma’s company raised a few donkeys. A couple of days ago, they slaughtered one, and Uncle Luo and the others brought us some intestines and donkey meat.”
“Hey, this is good stuff,” Xie Yundong said immediately. “We’re in for a treat.”
"Some people say that the most fragrant part of a donkey is its intestines, is that true?" Jia Weidong asked.
"We'll know once we try it," Tao Daqiang said, not caring much. When it came to food, he was happy as long as he was full; he wasn't picky about the types of food.
Soon, dishes were served one after another. After clearing the table, Liang Dacheng looked at the plates and said with a smile, "This wife works in the countryside, so the standard of eating here is different. When we invite people to eat, the plates and bowls are set casually, whatever is convenient for us."
Look at this, how beautifully arranged each dish is! These plates must be a set, they look so exquisite.
"Why are you talking so much?" Xie Yundong slapped him. "Even food can't shut you up."
Liang Dacheng smiled and remained silent.
Once all the dishes were served, Xu Haijun came over and invited everyone to sit down. He opened a bottle of wine and said, "It's almost Chinese New Year, and my wife has finally had some free time. We also have some time, so let's invite everyone to have a meal together."
“Call your wife over,” Li Long said. “You’ve been busy all morning, why don’t you sit down and eat together?”
"No, no, she has other things to do," Xu Haijun said. "People who work are different from us. Even though it's the end of the year, there are still a lot of miscellaneous things to do in the village."
"That's no big deal. Call her over, and let's all toast her," Xie Yundong said with a smile. "Preparing such a big table of dishes must have been quite a lot of work."
Xu Haijun went to call for help. His wife, Bai Ling, came over with him. Bai Ling poured herself a glass of wine, raised it generously, gestured to everyone around, and said:
“My husband, Haijun, has said for a long time that you guys in the cooperative have a very good relationship with him, like brothers. I work in the countryside and don’t come back often, so we don’t see each other often.”
But I can tell you're all very genuine people. Please feel free to eat and drink casually at our home today. If there's anything wrong with the food, please bear with me. I'd like to raise a glass to you all, wishing the cooperative continued success next year, and also wishing you and your families happiness!
He then downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
"Hey, people who work in government offices are different, aren't they? They're beautiful and they speak so nicely," Liang Dacheng said with a smile.
"Let's have a drink together," Xie Yundong said, raising his glass. "Well said, and these are the truths we all think. Let's have a drink together!"
After Bai Ling finished her drink, she said she had something to do and left. Xu Haijun felt quite proud of himself, so he smiled and poured more drinks for everyone before urging them to eat.
After having two more drinks, he finally told us about his experience after joining the second team.
“It was all agreed that we would lease those cultivated lands for 90 yuan per mu for five years, with the lease fee increasing to 100 yuan after the third year. But while I was talking to their team leader, someone from their team went over and snatched the land away,” Xu Haijun said.
"They also plan to set up a cooperative, similar to our model, and want to contract out the mobility of their team, but they won't make any modifications yet, saying they don't have that much money for the time being."
"If this person does this, then those fertile lands won't be able to be contracted out, since every production team will definitely prioritize its own members."
"If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. We'll think of something else," Xie Yundong comforted her. "It's not just the Second Team that has large tracts of land. Let's ask around; there should be other places with similar land."
“I haven’t finished yet,” Xu Haijun said with a smile. “Although the familiar land of the Second Team has been contracted out by their own team members, their Captain Huang told me that there are still large areas of wasteland, reed beds, and bitter beans growing in abundance on the northwest side of their team near the river embankment. He asked me if I wanted to contract it.”
"Such a good thing?" The eyes of the people present lit up, and Li Long asked, "How large is the area?"
"The initial estimate is over a thousand acres," Xu Haijun said. "But it's not like the wasteland in our team. Even if they cultivate and contract out this wasteland, they still have to pay money."
"They want to pay money to clear land? Are they crazy for money?" Liang Dacheng immediately objected.
“If that’s really the case, we might as well cultivate the wasteland in our team; it would save money.” Jia Weidong shared this view.
"How much? What's the time limit?" Li Long didn't mind and asked the key questions.
"One yuan per mu per year," Xu Haijun said. "Captain Huang said the longer the contract period, the better, even seventy years would be fine."
"He really dares to think like that! He's trying to get something for nothing!" Liang Dacheng was clearly unwilling to do that.
Li Long, however, had a new idea.
If it's really as they say, that the land is full of reeds and bitter beans, then this wasteland is indeed worth cultivating.
Of course, we need to see it in person before making a decision; after all, this is a big deal and cannot be taken lightly. (End of Chapter)