frightfiction Chapter 1387 He really is an enlightened uncle.
Chapter 1387 He really is an enlightened uncle.
Wang Yusheng was a little nervous when he saw Li Long, especially when he saw Li Juan walk over and affectionately call Li Long "Uncle". He thought to himself, "Oh no, I'm going to meet the parents."
Wang Yusheng knew a bit about Li Juan's uncle. During the time Li Juan had been dating him, she had mentioned more than once that the person she respected most in her family was this uncle.
Li Juan said that although her uncle had not studied for long, he was bold, capable, and resourceful. He first brought some mutton from the mountains to sell, and later he was able to get some jobs from the county supply and marketing cooperative so that the villagers could make money together.
Later, he opened his own purchasing station, buying fritillaria bulbs and dried mushrooms. As the business grew, he even started doing international business.
In short, he is very capable.
One of the most important reasons why Wang Yusheng was attracted to Li Juan was that although Li Juan came from a rural area, she was very knowledgeable.
Unlike some students from rural backgrounds who may feel inferior or deliberately conceal their identity, she doesn't.
Li Juan would openly and generously share her rural background, and the school would even use this as an example for comparison.
Wang Yusheng could also vaguely sense that Li Juan's confidence largely stemmed from her family.
Her family was much wealthier than the average farmer's family, and could provide her with enough support to see a wider world.
The family's current prosperity is probably inseparable from this younger brother-in-law.
"Uncle, this is my senior, Wang Yusheng, who is also from our Northern Frontier." Li Juan introduced Wang Yusheng to Li Long in a generous manner. "We are currently dating, but I haven't told my parents yet, so you have to keep it a secret for me."
Wang Yusheng was a little nervous before Li Juan introduced him. He felt both proud and uneasy.
Li Juan was proud that he had introduced her to her family and acknowledged his existence as her partner in front of them. However, she was also uneasy because the test had come so quickly. Given her current performance, would she be able to satisfy her family?
"Hello, Uncle!" Wang Yusheng greeted Li Long with a smile, a little nervously. "I heard from Li Juan yesterday that you were coming. I was just thinking of discussing with Li Juan whether to invite you to dinner."
Li Long sized up the young man. He had a decent appearance, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, which did inspire trust. He wasn't short, nearly 1.8 meters tall, and was more than half a head taller than Li Juan. The height difference was quite suitable.
His gaze was relatively calm, without any evasiveness. Although he was a little apprehensive, probably worried about being tested, he was not timid and had a willingness to face the challenge head-on.
My first impression was good.
Li Long smiled and said, "Hello, Xiao Wang, I'm Li Juan's uncle, Li Long." He shook hands with Wang Yusheng and then said, "It's quite a coincidence that we've run into each other. Let's go out for a meal together, but of course, I can't let you treat us."
"You two are still students, not old enough to earn money yet. You pick the place, I'll treat you. It's been a while since I've been to Yanjing, so this is a good opportunity to try some local specialties."
Although Li Long meant that since it was the first time he was treating someone to a meal, they should at least go to a place like Donglaishun, Wang Yusheng and Li Juan both decided to find a small restaurant near the school, which would be more comfortable.
During the meal, Li Long habitually inquired about Wang Yusheng's family situation. Upon learning that Wang Yusheng had a younger sister who was currently in high school and would be taking the college entrance exam this year, he smiled and said:
“Your two families are really alike. Li Juan’s younger brother and your younger sister are both planning to take the college entrance exam this year, and you two are both in college. I don’t know how many people envy a family like this.”
Wang Yusheng smiled. He knew about Li Juan's family situation and that she had a younger brother, whom he often wrote to.
Li Long was fairly satisfied with Wang Yusheng's family background. They weren't extremely wealthy, so it wasn't considered him marrying above his station.
Wang Yusheng's father was a high school teacher and his mother was a factory worker. In Wucheng, such a family would be considered middle class.
Like Li Juan, Wang Yusheng's parents only vaguely knew that he was dating someone, but they didn't know the specifics.
Li Long then asked Wang Yusheng about his future plans.
“After I graduate this year, I will definitely go back to Wucheng District. As for my specific workplace, it is still uncertain.” Wang Yusheng hesitated for a moment and said, “I heard from Li Juan that she also wants to go back to northern Xinjiang. I will go back first to explore the options and try my best to get Li Juan to stay in Wucheng.”
That's a good idea, and Li Long agrees with it.
He has some connections in Wucheng, and given Li Juan's current academic performance, staying in Wucheng shouldn't be a problem.
However, he didn't mention any of these things. Although they were elders, such investigations should be kept to a minimum. After all, for some more crucial and specific decisions, his elder brother and sister-in-law had to come over.
So after asking a few simple questions about their family situations, we started talking about other things.
"Your classes these past few years have been pretty good," Li Long said, getting into a lively conversation as he ate, and casually shared some things that had been on his mind:
"The government will still guarantee job placement. In a few years, when university enrollment expands and a dual-track system is implemented, university graduates will no longer be guaranteed job placement and will have to find jobs on their own."
"What?"
"how is this possible?"
Li Juan and Wang Yusheng both raised the question almost simultaneously.
Li Long regretted saying those words as soon as they came out. He thought to himself, "Why did I let slip another secret?"
"I mean, future college graduates might not be guaranteed job placement anymore." Since he had already said it, Li Long couldn't just swallow his words, so he continued, "The government-funded college student system won't last much longer."
As time goes on, universities will admit more and more students. For example, your class now admits hundreds of thousands of college students every year. But as the birth rate increases, more and more people will go to school.
Even if we continue to recruit college students with a selection process of only one in a hundred, the number of college graduates each year would still exceed one million, or even several million. At that point, the country would not have enough job openings, and it would be impossible to guarantee job placement anymore.
Competitive recruitment will encourage more talent to enter the workforce and create more jobs.
Li Long rambled on about this topic for quite a while, managing to fool the two young men.
Although Wang Yusheng and Li Juan are still in university, they are not naive.
Although the country continues to implement family planning, the population is still growing, which is an indisputable fact.
The birth rate has been increasing, indicating a period of population growth, and the increase is quite rapid.
The number of students is also increasing, so schools, including universities, will inevitably expand their enrollment. However, the expansion of university enrollment is due to a combination of reasons, which we will not analyze in detail here.
In summary, Li Long did reveal a secret, but he explained it away using current trends.
Moreover, it sounded very sophisticated, leaving Wang Yusheng stunned.
Wang Yusheng couldn't help but ask Li Long how many years it would take to implement such a policy, since his sister was taking the college entrance exam this year and might be going to university, and he wondered if it would coincide with that time.
"Don't worry, both your sister and Qiangqiang will be assigned jobs when they graduate. But it's hard to say what will happen in the future. My children, Mingming and Haohao, will have to find jobs on their own."
In fact, Li Long cannot be considered to have completely revealed the secret, because since 1993 the country has issued documents to promote the autonomy of the majority and the distribution of resources to the minority.
Starting in 1994, 37 key universities in the country piloted a unified enrollment system, meaning that students who entered university in 1994 and graduated in 1999 were no longer guaranteed job placement.
The pilot program began in 1994, and the integration was fully implemented for all university students in 1996.
Li Qiang and his cohort, who entered the university in 1993 and graduated in 1997, were the last batch of key university graduates to be assigned jobs by the state. Graduates from key universities (excluding those in pilot programs) and ordinary universities in 1994 were still assigned jobs by the state, and they graduated in 1998.
Although this topic didn't have a significant impact on Li Juan and Wang Yusheng, it was still quite heavy, and the conversation at the dinner table became less frequent.
Li Long started eating. He hadn't eaten in Yanjing for a while and found the food quite good. His heavy mood, caused by his friend's serious illness in the hospital, had improved somewhat by yesterday.
Being near a university campus and watching the vibrant students come and go makes me feel younger too.
After dinner, Li Long planned to visit some craft markets. Before returning to the courtyard house, he took out a small knife with a leather sheath and gave it to Wang Yusheng.
“Young Wang, this is our first time meeting. As your elder, this is a gift for you,” Li Long said. “It’s a handmade knife from southern Xinjiang. It’s convenient to carry around with you.”
The knife was a gift given to Li Long the day before when he stayed in the reception room of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission's Beijing office. These kinds of things are always kept in the reception room: a small knife from southern Xinjiang, a silk scarf from the Atlas region—all very exquisite items.
Li Long hadn't originally planned to take it, but when he came out of the reception room, Xiao Wang handed it to him, saying that there were quite a few of these in the storeroom, and they would be put on after each guest's stay.
These things are quite ordinary for the Beijing liaison offices, but for ordinary people, they are rather exquisite gifts.
The handle is inlaid with gemstones, such as lapis lazuli and tourmaline. Although they are not particularly precious gemstones, they are much better than the glass-inlaid ones commonly found in the market.
Most men like knives, especially men from the northern frontier. So after seeing this knife, Wang Yusheng was quite taken with it, but quickly declined, saying:
"Uncle, there's no need for that. We should be the ones hosting you and preparing gifts for you since you've come to Yanjing. You've already paid for this meal, and I'd feel really bad if you sent me something else."
"Don't mention it. You're Juan'er's friend, and maybe we'll even be family in the future." Li Long stuffed the knife into his hand and said, "Take it. It's nothing particularly valuable, just treat it as a toy."
Okay, you guys go back to school. I'm going to wander around too, see if I can find any good stuff.
After Li Long left, Li Juan and Wang Yusheng walked side by side into the school. Seeing Wang Yusheng holding the small knife with obvious affection, Li Juan couldn't help but ask, "Is this knife so nice? You like it so much?"
“Of course it’s great! This is a genuine Yengisar hand-forged knife.” Wang Yusheng introduced it professionally. “Look at the blade, it was definitely made by an old craftsman. And look at the handle, it’s inlaid with various gemstones, very exquisite. The blade is sharp and very practical!”
"I didn't notice anything," Li Juan shook her head and said, "It felt very normal."
“How could it be ordinary? Even if you were an ordinary person, you wouldn’t necessarily get a knife made by a craftsman over there, and even if you did, it wouldn’t be cheap.” Wang Yusheng put the knife into its sheath and held it in his hand with a very careful air.
"Impossible, right?" Li Juan muttered softly. "My uncle seems to have gotten a whole box of them, and he gave our family several of them too."
"A whole box? So many?" Wang Yusheng thought it was unlikely. "Did your uncle go to southern Xinjiang?"
“No, he often stayed at the State Ethnic Affairs Commission’s Beijing office and got them from there, or rather, they were given to him by others,” Li Juan explained. “It’s not just knives, but also many other local specialties, some wooden utensils, and some specialties from other provinces in our country, like Suzhou embroidery.”
Wang Yusheng was speechless.
That's way too extravagant!
He couldn't help but ask, "Li Juan, tell me the truth, does your uncle hold some kind of position over there?"
"No, my uncle's only job is as a temporary worker at the supply and marketing cooperative. Although he was named a national advanced individual in ethnic unity, that was several years ago. Although he stays at the State Ethnic Affairs Commission's Beijing office every time he comes to Yanjing, he doesn't actually hold any official position there."
Li Juan was fairly certain of this.
So Wang Yusheng was a little confused.
He then thought of something he had just heard and asked:
"How old is your uncle? I feel like he's not much older than us. He also said he has two children."
“My uncle is about eleven or twelve years older than me,” Li Juan said. “He should be thirty-two this year, and both of his children are already in elementary school.”
"I can't tell, I really can't tell. I feel like he's not much older than us, about the same age as us. It's just that his demeanor makes him seem more mature and composed, a bit like our department head, which is quite contradictory."
“Hey, my uncle would be so happy to hear you say that,” Li Juan said with a smile.
Wang Yusheng knew that Li Juan thought he was bragging and flattering her, so he quickly explained, "I'm not praising your uncle. Think about it yourself, compare the two. Your uncle is thirty-two this year, and the associate professors in our department are about the same age."
"Do you think your uncle looks younger than them? Also, when your uncle asked me those questions, didn't he have a certain air about him, like a leader?"
The two had already entered the school gate and were heading towards the dormitory area. Li Juan pondered for a moment and realized that it made a lot of sense.
The two returned to their respective dormitories. After Wang Yusheng arrived, he took out the knife and prepared to put it in his bag. A familiar roommate teased him, saying:
"Wang Yusheng, have you made up with your girlfriend? Has the misunderstanding been cleared up?"
“It’s off. That person really is Li Juan’s uncle. We even had lunch together at noon.” As he spoke, he shook the leather case in his hand and said, “This is a gift he gave me, a little something to mark our meeting.”
"What is this?" My roommate came over to take a look.
"The knives from Southern Xinjiang are exquisite," Wang Yusheng boasted. "Ordinary people can't get their hands on them."
His roommate snatched it to take a look and found it to be indeed exquisite. Wang Yusheng then went to snatch it back. After finally managing to get it back, he felt that it was no longer safe to keep it in his bag, so he simply put it on his person.
Li Long hailed a taxi, asked the driver for directions, and went to a shop that specialized in selling art. The driver actually gave him directions.
Li Long had been wandering around aimlessly when he arrived and discovered that there were not only Chinese people buying things, but also some foreigners.
There's a rather large gatehouse with a classical style, but once you go inside, it's more modern. Behind the counters are various artworks, calligraphy and paintings, antiques, and handicrafts of all shapes and sizes.
Then Li Long saw something that surprised him: a red coral tree that was nearly half a meter tall.
This thing is quite eye-catching. Even if it's not the store's prized possession, it's displayed in a very prominent position, and several people are looking at it.
Li Long vaguely remembered that after the Animal Protection Law was enacted, many aquatic products were also included in the protection list, such as corals.
Is this red coral still available for sale?
He looked around; it was a legitimate shop.
Looking outside, although it wasn't exactly bustling with traffic, there were occasional cars or bicycles passing by.
This proves it's not a shady business.
He leaned closer to take a look and heard the shop assistant giving him a presentation.
"This is a product we obtained through normal channels, with proper invoices, and it's available for sale. This quality of red coral will become increasingly rare in the future."
I'm not afraid to tell you the truth: in some places, the buying and selling of red coral is no longer allowed. But we have legitimate channels. After you buy it, you will receive an invoice and a certificate of authenticity. You don't need to worry about the channel or procedures after you buy it.
This coral tree is 56 centimeters tall and of collector quality. As you can see, it is entirely blood red, which is very rare.
Moreover, coral trees have evenly shaped branches, making them excellent for displaying as bonsai or for collecting.
The salesperson explained things very professionally, and someone who was interested asked, "How much?"
"It's a flat price of 42,000 yuan," the shop assistant said. "We don't negotiate here."
The phrase "I won't haggle" shut down many people's opinions.
A foreigner tried to buy it with US dollars, but after calculating the exchange rate, the clerk shook his head and said it wasn't enough.
Li Long knew that red coral would become increasingly rare in the future, or perhaps it would be banned from sale altogether, making it difficult to buy.
He simply went up to the shop assistant and said, "Forty-two thousand yuan, right? I'll take it. Is this genuine?"
"It's definitely authentic." The salesperson looked you up and down and said, "Our authentication certificate is official. If you don't believe me, you can call us now to inquire."
Li Long believed him, paid, got an invoice, took the goods, and left.
This thing is a bit troublesome to package, but Li Long doesn't mind waiting.
Seeing the red coral being bought, some people nearby felt regret, while others turned to look at other items.
While waiting, Li Long noticed people coming and going from the shop, indicating it was quite thriving. He had originally planned to browse around to see if there was anything else worth buying, but this item was large and difficult to carry. The shopkeeper had packed it in a thin wooden box with foam, making it even harder to take back.
So I thought I'd come back tomorrow to continue browsing and see if I could buy anything else.
Fortunately, the after-sales service was quite good. After watching the shop assistant pack the red coral well, Li Long picked it up and found it to be very sturdy.
This thing needs to be taken on a plane, so let's add a few more layers of protection then.
Back at the courtyard house, Li Long put down the red coral, locked the door, and planned to go out for dinner. Just as he stepped out of the gate, he ran into Gu Xiaoyu, who invited him to come over for dinner.
Li Long originally thought Li Juan was with them, but when he arrived at Gu Xiaoyu's courtyard, he found it was just the two of them.
Feeling a little awkward, but since they were already there, they decided to eat. During the meal, Li Long told Gu Xiaoyu about his encounter with Wang Yusheng that day, saying that he felt the young man was quite nice and they would see how things developed.
After hearing Li Long's evaluation of Li Juan's boyfriend, Gu Xiaoyu smiled and nodded, saying, "I've met him too, and he seems like a very reliable person. But we're not involved here, and I think Xiao Juan has her own ideas. She's not a child anymore, so she'll probably consider it carefully."
Then Gu Xiaoyu asked Li Long when they would go back, and Li Long said that he had already booked the plane tickets and would leave after Li Juan's vacation.
“It’s so fast to have a plane.” Gu Xiaoyu sighed and said, “Actually, I also want to go with you. It’s getting less and less interesting to spend the New Year here.”
"Is it easy for you to get leave? If it is, then I'll help you buy the plane ticket." Li Long casually said, "The New Year celebrations there are quite lively. Although it's not as bustling as Beijing, at least you know a lot of people there."
Gu Xiaoyu put down her chopsticks, did some calculations, and said, "I haven't taken much leave in the past few years. If I take leave this time, it should be about right. I'll try tomorrow. If I can't get a plane ticket, I can take the train."
Gu Boyuan and Gu Xiaoxia are both there, and Gu Xiaoyu is on vacation, so it's normal for her to go there too.
Li Long didn't ask Gu Xiaoyu about her mother's situation, thinking it probably wasn't very good; otherwise, Gu Xiaoyu wouldn't have considered going there.
Winter days are short and dark; it was already dark before they had even finished dinner. After dinner, Li Long went home, and Gu Xiaoyu offered to see him off, but Li Long refused, saying it would be too much trouble to drive her back and forth, and told Gu Xiaoyu to go inside and lock the door.
After returning to the courtyard house, Li Long locked the door and quickly added some coal to the stove. It had only been two days since he'd managed to warm the bedroom a little. But there was nothing he could do; the house wasn't frequently inhabited, and although someone maintained it, it couldn't compare to a house that was regularly occupied.
The next day, after getting up and washing up, Li Long went out for breakfast and then waited in the courtyard, waiting for news from Gu Xiaoyu.
Around 11 a.m., Gu Xiaoyu rushed over, her face full of excitement and anticipation.
Hearing the sound of the courtyard gate, Li Long hurried out. When Gu Xiaoyu saw him, she waved the note in her hand and quickly walked over, saying, "Brother-in-law, my leave has been approved for a month!"
Li Long calculated that it would be early February in a month, which would be around the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, which was quite good.
"Alright, then you go pack your things, I'll find someone to book a plane ticket right away." Li Long planned to go to the State Ethnic Affairs Commission's Beijing office now, thinking they should be able to give him that much face.
“I’ll go with you!” Gu Xiaoyu said quickly. “If we can’t book a room, I’ll take the train.”
So Li Long and Gu Xiaoyu went to the Beijing office together. He didn't go to see Director Dai, but went directly to Xiao Wang.
After hearing Li Long's request, Xiao Wang smiled and said it was a small matter. He then told Li Long that Director Dai was in a meeting and not available at the moment. Booking tickets didn't require Director Dai's approval either; he could handle such a small matter himself.
In addition, Xiao Wang was unsure if he could book a ticket on the same flight as Li Long and the others. Li Long said that if he couldn't book a ticket for the same day, he could book one for the next day.
That's settled then. Xiao Wang reiterated that he would deliver the tickets to the courtyard house in the afternoon. He also mentioned that Director Dai had said he would drive Li Long and the others to the airport, and that Li Long shouldn't worry or be in a hurry.
After thanking Xiao Wang, Li Long came out with Gu Xiaoyu.
As they walked toward the courtyard house, Gu Xiaoyu said, "Brother-in-law, I feel like you have a lot of influence. This is a pretty big office of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission in Beijing, and the staff are so polite to you. People who don't know you might think you're a leader."
Li Long just smiled and didn't say anything.
He guessed that this matter was related to his meeting with Director Dai to see Secretary Zhang.
But such things cannot be said.
Gu Xiaoyu didn't leave at noon. She cooked lunch at the courtyard house. After the two finished eating, Gu Xiaoyu tidied up the house. She planned to wait for Xiao Wang to bring the tickets to confirm if they were on the same flight.
Li Long wanted to go out for a stroll and see if he could buy some more handicrafts. But Xiao Wang was coming, so he couldn't leave yet.
Around 5 PM, Xiao Wang drove over and told Li Long that he had bought the tickets for the same flight, although the seats weren't next to each other, which was already very good.
Li Long took the opportunity to ask Xiao Wang about the shop where he bought the handicrafts yesterday. Xiao Wang actually knew the place and said it had connections, so the items shouldn't be a problem. This put Li Long at ease.
After getting her plane ticket, Gu Xiaoyu hurried back to pack her things. She had originally asked Li Long to come over to her yard for dinner, but Li Long declined, telling her to hurry up and do her own thing.
At this moment, he felt a little nostalgic for his life twenty or thirty years later in his previous life. Back then, even at night, many shops were still open, and some luxury stores even did better business at night, because everyone was at work during the day on weekdays, and there were more people shopping at night.
Now, these art shops only open during working hours, and they close when everyone leaves work.
The next day, Li Long went to the shop again. This time, he didn't see anything that particularly caught his eye, so he spent money to buy several scrolls of framed calligraphy and paintings.
The days when you could buy a famous painting or calligraphy work for a few dollars or a dozen dollars are long gone. The few paintings or calligraphy works by famous artists that he has in his hand, which are not particularly well-known, cost several hundred dollars each.
However, he took a fancy to a set of jade jewelry that was greener and more translucent, and spent 30,000 yuan on it.
I spent another 20,000 yuan on other things, but none of them were big items, and they were easier to pack than the red coral.
Stones like Tianhuang stone and chicken-blood stone are already carved into seals and ornaments.
It was a bit pricey, but the service was quite good. After each item was wrapped up, it was handed to Li Long, who then left.
There's one more thing to do this time: I need to buy a bigger suitcase to pack that red coral.
On Monday, January 4th, after the New Year's Day holiday, Xie Yundong prepared the necessary documents and called Li Long, intending to have Li Long accompany him to the rural credit cooperative to apply for a loan to buy agricultural supplies.
But when I called, Sun Jiaqiang answered and said that Li Long had an urgent matter to attend to in Yanjing.
Xie Yundong was somewhat surprised and asked him what was going on, but Sun Jiaqiang said he didn't know either.
Xie Yundong immediately called Li Jianguo's home to find out what was going on. Li Jianguo told him that there were some things to take care of in Beijing, but he didn't know the specifics.
After hanging up the phone, Xie Yundong thought about it and decided to go there himself.
After reviewing Xie Yundong's documents, the staff at the rural credit cooperative asked him how much he wanted to borrow.
"Five hundred thousand." Originally, Xie Yundong and Li Long had discussed borrowing seven hundred thousand, but after Xie Yundong went back, he scrutinized the details and calculated carefully. He felt that some money could be paid after the settlement. In fact, if they reduced the amount, they didn't need that much. Five hundred thousand would be enough.
For example, water fees and machine farming fees are major expenses. The money for the drip irrigation tape should be given to Li Long, but this can be owed.
Of course, although Li Long still runs an agricultural supply store, in reality, things like plastic film, fertilizer, seeds, and pesticides can be owed, but Xie Yundong felt that it was a bit unethical to owe them, so he still had to pay what he owed.
But if you calculate it this way, you won't need to take out such a large loan.
“For a well-managed cooperative like yours, we would be happy to lend you money.” After inspecting the farm, the staff member said to Xie Yundong, “Your 1,500 mu of land must have cost more than 500,000 yuan last year in agricultural supplies and other expenses, right? Would a loan of 500,000 yuan be enough?”
Xie Yundong was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then he understood. Obviously, the other party was willing to lend him more money.
"That's enough, that's enough. I'll get more if it's not enough," he said hurriedly.
Xie Yundong naturally understood that the cooperative was so willing to lend money not because they were particularly attractive, but because the cooperative was considered a high-quality client and repayment would not be a problem. Credit unions also need to earn interest, so lending more money would naturally earn more interest.
After receiving the 500,000 yuan, Xie Yundong only took 200,000 yuan. He planned to use this money, along with the money left over from the dividends, to buy agricultural supplies. The rest was deposited in the credit union in the name of the cooperative, with the intention of withdrawing it when needed.
After all, he wouldn't feel at ease keeping so much money in his own hands.
Rural credit cooperatives are quite happy with this arrangement, since it's like the loan funds have been disbursed, but the money is still in their hands, and they can lend it out again.
Xie Yundong took the money back to the village, then went to find Xu Haijun and Tao Daqiang, and took them to the purchasing station to buy agricultural supplies.
Although the other members of the cooperative trusted Li Long, they didn't expect the loan to go so smoothly. They had all assumed that Li Long wanted a loan to farm because he might have connections or influence over there, never imagining that Xie Yundong would go there himself and get it done.
Xu Haijun remarked with emotion, "It seems we really need to change our mindset in the future; borrowing money to farm might actually work."
Although Tao Daqiang was simple-minded, he saw through the essence of the matter. Sitting in the car, he said, "There must be a land lease contract for 1,500 mu of land and actual profits from previous earnings. Otherwise, I doubt the credit union would lend money to us."
That's true. Later on, borrowing money to farm became a habit for many people. Credit unions also had conditions for lending money; a land contract was required. This was somewhat similar to the real estate industry in later generations. After acquiring land, one could borrow money from banks to invest.
Although Li Long was not present, Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng could still make decisions regarding the sale of agricultural supplies, and the prices were roughly fixed. Unlike in later years when the world was in turmoil and the price of urea would fluctuate drastically, although the price increases from time to time now, the fluctuations are not significant.
They were all old acquaintances. After checking the agricultural supplies and making payment, Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng arranged for people to load them onto a truck and deliver them to the Fourth Team Cooperative's courtyard without Xie Yundong and the others even needing to ask.
The purchasing station always keeps a few trucks on standby for occasional deliveries. Initially, the trucks would be sold as soon as someone wanted to buy them, but Li Long later realized this wasn't working, so he kept at least four trucks at the station.
After all, you need a vehicle to pull a large broom, to buy things, and to transport goods.
With a large and prosperous family, they don't care about the cost of these few trucks.
Once the agricultural supplies were stored in the warehouse, the people at the cooperative felt relieved, knowing they wouldn't have to worry about planting in the spring.
"What do you think Brother Long went to Yanjing for? He was in such a hurry, without even saying goodbye." Tao Daqiang was quite puzzled after learning that Li Long had gone to Yanjing.
After finishing the important business, Xie Yundong invited everyone to his home for dinner. After hearing what Tao Daqiang said, he shook his head and said, "Xiaolong is in charge of several things, and he also has several courtyards. I guess there might be some problems with the businesses over there."
“Yes, Xiaolong’s life is really colorful.” Xu Haijun said with great envy, “He has been to Beijing and abroad, and he has earned a lot of money.”
People deliver the goods, and he sells them right away. Then he can sit back and collect the goods, resell them for money. Sigh, people are just different.
“Yes, if it were us, even if we had such an opportunity, we might not be able to seize it,” Jia Weidong said. “Back then, Xiaolong was about the same level as us in the team.”
To put it bluntly, there was a period when they weren't doing as well as us, but after they figured things out, they seized every opportunity, and naturally, they became more and more capable.
Think about it, the things Li Long did at the beginning were things that anyone else could have done, but when the opportunity was right in front of them, no one thought of them.
By the time you realize it, Li Long has already taken the lead. One step ahead leads to another, and by the time you realize it, Li Long has already far surpassed them.
"Alright, alright, how many people like Xiaolong are there in the whole county?" Xie Yundong brought over some melon seeds and said with a smile, "We envy Xiaolong, but you should think about it, there are many people who envy us too."
We're already doing quite well, don't be ungrateful. Besides, without Xiaolong, we wouldn't have gotten this far. Xiaolong has things going on in Yanjing, and we can't help him there. All we can do is manage things here well and prevent him from having to juggle both.
Xie Yundong's words were well said, and everyone thought they made a lot of sense.
Li Juan was on vacation. After packing her things, she went to the courtyard house.
Because they were going to take a plane, they didn't bring many things, including Gu Xiaoyu. They needed to pack light, which was Li Long's requirement.
Just before departure, Li Juan saw the large suitcase Li Long had packed with red coral and said half-jokingly, "Well, Uncle! You don't let us bring so much luggage, but you bring such a big one yourself. That's not fair!"
Li Long said his main concern was that the car wouldn't be able to fit everything. Besides, although the county wasn't as developed as Beijing, it had many things available there, so there was no need to bring them over.
In fact, Li Juan and Gu Xiaoyu thought the same way, so in addition to their personal necessities, they brought some gifts for their families there.
When Xiao Wang came to pick them up, Li Long and the others were loading their luggage when they discovered that there was a box in Xiao Wang's car.
Li Long didn't pay any attention, assuming it was something that was already in the car, or something that Xiao Wang wanted to pack.
However, because there was a lot of luggage and a lot of people, Xiao Wang simply asked the driver to get out of the car and go back to his workplace, while he drove directly to the airport himself.
After arriving at the airport, Xiao Wang told Li Long that the boxes in the car were gifts that Director Dai had arranged for Li Long to take back. As before, they were all local specialties stored in the warehouse.
"There are about ten items. Take them back and share them with your family." Xiao Wang relayed Director Dai's words, "We're all family, don't be shy."
What could Li Long say at this point? He could only have Xiao Wang relay the message: "Thank you, Director."
After watching Li Long and the others board the plane, Xiao Wang drove back to his workplace to report to his director.
After hearing Xiao Wang relay Li Long's words, Director Dai smiled and said, "Comrade Xiao Li, you're too kind."
Xiao Wang was still a little confused. He was considered one of Director Dai's confidants, and Director Dai told him, "If Li Long hadn't come this time, I wouldn't have been able to go to the hospital with him. Don't think of this as so simple. Some things become especially clear at times like this. So I still want to thank him."
Xiao Wang seemed to understand, but knowing that the leaders wouldn't explain things too clearly, he decided to figure it out on his own.
Xiao Wang bought the plane tickets. Li Long and Li Juan were supposed to sit together, while Gu Xiaoyu was in a different seat. However, after boarding the plane, Li Long switched seats with Gu Xiaoyu so they could sit together and chat.
Upon arriving in Wucheng, Li Long retrieved his car and took the two women to eat. He then called home to let them know he was safe.
I called before boarding the plane, but my family still felt that flying was too dangerous, so they asked me to call again as soon as we landed.
Only after they knew they were safe did their family members feel relieved. They told them not to rush and to walk back slowly.
Li Long called Gu Xiaoxia again, so that his sister-in-law and wife could talk to each other themselves.
He already knew from his elder brother that his father-in-law, Gu Boyuan, had returned with his wife and was staying in the village.
So this family can be considered mostly reunited.
Old Gu will definitely be very happy, after all, he hasn't seen his youngest daughter in a long time.
When I was in Yanjing, I thought it was colder than Wucheng, but when I got to Wucheng, I found that it was still much colder, and the wind could blow right into my bones.
So after the three of them finished eating, they hurried back. On the way, Li Long told Li Juan that he wouldn't take the initiative to tell his older brother and sister-in-law about dating, but Li Juan should bring it up during this holiday, otherwise he would tell them.
Li Juan said she understood, and although she was reluctant, she knew that she had to say it.
This holiday was tough. (End of Chapter)